While several Church members accompanied Joseph and Hyrum to Carthage and provided companionship during their stay, the two men who remained with them during the entire stay were Apostles John Taylor and Willard Richards. Both Willard and John survived the mob attack on the jail and gave gripping accounts of their experience. Willard Richards provided the following first-hand account of Joseph Smith’s martyrdom:

Two Minutes in Jail

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 27th 1844

A shower of musket balls were thrown up the stair way against the door of the prison in the second story, followed by many rapid footsteps. While Generals Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Mr. [John] Taylor, and myself, who were in the front chamber, 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 catch 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. Gen. Joseph Smith, Mr. Taylor, and myself sprang back to the front part of the room, and Gen. 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 Hyrum 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 pulverizing the crystal and face, tearing off the hands and mashing 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, ‘O dear! Brother Hyrum!’ and opening the door two or three inches with his left hand, discharged 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 revolver, 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 constantly discharging 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 expected an immediate rush of the mob, and the door way 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 into ‘pi’ leaving the hands standing at 5 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 retreated and dodged, and then I recommenced the attack with my stick.

Joseph attempted as the last resort, to leap the same window from whence Mr.^. Taylor fell, when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward exclaiming, ‘O 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 withdrew 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 coming round the corner of the jail, 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 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 be perceived, expecting an immediate return of the mob. I said to Mr. Taylor, 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 Richards¹

John Taylor wrote the following account of the martyrdom:

I was sitting at one of the front windows of the jail, when I saw a number of men, with painted faces, coming around the corner of the jail, and aiming towards the stairs. The other brethren had seen the same; for, as I went to the door, I found Br. Hyrum Smith and Dr. Richards already leaning against it, they both pressed against the door with their shoulders, to prevent its being opened; as the lock and latch were comparatively useless. While in this position, the mob, who had come up stairs and strove to open the door, probably thought it was locked and fired a ball through the keyhole; at this Dr. Richards and Br. Hyrum leapt back from the door, Br. Hyrum standing right opposite to the door, with his face towards it; almost instantly another ball passed through the panel of the door and struck Br. Hyrum on the left side of the nose and entering his face and head; simultaneously, at the same instant, another ball from the outside entered his back passing through his body and striking his watch. The ball came from the back through the jail, opposite the door, and must, from its range, have been fired from the Carthage Greys; as the [illegible] of fire arms shot close by the jail would have entered the ceiling, we being in the second story and there never was a time after that Hyrum could have received the latter wound. Immediately when the balls struck him he fell [illegible] his back, crying as he fell “I am a dead man[;”] he never moved afterward[.]

I shall never forget the feeling of deep sympathy and regard manifested in the countenance of Br. Joseph as he drew nigh to Hyrum & leaning over him exclaimed; “Oh! My poor dear brother Hyrum!” He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm quick step and a determined expression of countenance approached the door, and pulling the six shooter left by Br. Wheelock, from his pocket, opened the door slightly and snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the barrels, however, discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom I am informed died. I had in my hands a large strong hickory stick, brought there by Br. Markham and left by him, which I had seized as soon as I saw the mob approach; and while br. Joseph was firing the pistol I stood close behind him.

As soon as he had discharged it he stepped back and I immediately took his place next the door, whilst he occupied the one I had done while he was shooting. Dr. Richards, at this time, had a knotty walking stick in his hands belonging to me and stood next to Br. Joseph, a little further from the door in an oblique direction, apparently to avoid the rake of the fire from the door. The firing of Br. Joseph made our assailants pause for a moment, very soon after, however, they pushed the door some distance open and protruded and discharged their guns into the room when I parried them off with my stick, giving another direction to the balls.

It certainly was a terrible scene; streams of fire as thick as my arm passed by me as these men fired; and unarmed, as we were, it looked like certain death. I remember feeling as though my time had come; but I do not know when, in any critical position I was more calm, unruffled and energetic, and acted with more promptness and decision. It certainly was far from pleasant to be so near the muzzles of those fire arms as they belched forth their liquid flame and deadly balls. while I was engaged in parrying the guns Br. Joseph Said; “That’s right Br. Taylor, parry them off as well as you can.” These were the last words I ever heard him speak on earth.

Every moment the crowd at the door became more dense as they were unquestionably pressed on by those in the rear ascending the stairs until the whole entrance, at the door was literally crowded with muskets and rifles; whilst with the swearing, shouting and demoniacal expressions, of those outside the door and on the stairs & the firing of guns mingled with their horrid oaths and execrations made it look like pandemonium let loose, and was indeed a fit representation of the horrid deed in which they were en[ga]ged.

After parrying the guns for some time which now protruded thicker and further into the room, and seeing no hope of escape, or protection there, as we were now unarmed, it occurred to me [that] we might have some friends outside [illegible] there might then be some chance of escape; but here there seemed to be none. As I expected them every moment to rush into the room— and nothing but extreme cowardice that kept them out— as the tumult and pressure increased, without any other hope, I made a spring for the window, which was right in front of the jail door, where the mob was standing, and also exposed to the fire of the Carthage Greys, who were stationed some ten or twelve rods off.

The weather was hot. We all of us had our coats off and the window was raised to admit air, as I reached the window and was on the point of leaping out, I was struck by a ball from the door, about midway of my thigh, which struck the bone and flattened out almost to the size of a quarter dollar, and then passed on through the fleshy part to within about half an inch of the outside. I think some prominent nerve must have been severed or injured, for as soon as the ball struck me I fell like a bird when shot, or an ox struck by a butcher, and lost entirely and instantaneously all power of action or locomotion. I fell onto the window sill and cried out I am shot. Not possessing any power to move, I felt myself falling outside of the window; but immediately I fell inside, from to me, at that time, an unknown cause; when I struck the floor my animation seemed restored, as I have sometimes seen squirrels and birds after being shot. As soon as I felt the powers of motion I crawled under a bed which was in a corner of the room not far from the window when I received my wound While on my way and under the bed, I was wounded in three other places; one ball entered a little below the left knee and never was extracted; another entered the fore part of my left arm a little above the wrist, and passing down by the joint it lodged in the fleshy part of my hand, about midway in my hand and a little above the upper joint of my little finger. 

Another struck me on the fleshy part of the left hip and tore away the flesh, as large as my hand, dashing the mangled fragments of flesh and blood against the wall. My wounds were painful and the sensation produced was as though a ball had passed through and down the whole length of my leg. I very well remember my reflections, at the time. I had a very painful idea of becoming lame and decrepit and being an object of pity, and I felt as though I had rather die than be placed in such circumstances along; he proceeded to the door and opened it, and then returned and dragged me along to a small cell prepared for criminals.

Br. Richards was very much troubled and exclaimed: “Oh! Br. Taylor is it possible that they have killed both Br. Hyrum and Joseph! It cannot surely be, and yet I saw them shoot him.” and elevating his hands two or three times he exclaimed[,] “Oh Lord, my God, spare thy servants!” he then said “Br. Taylor this is a terrible event,[”] and he dragged me further into the cell saying, “I am sorry I cannot do better for you.” and taking an old filthy mattrass[,] he covered me with it and said; “That may hide you and you may yet live to tell the tale; but I expect they will kill me in a few moments.” While laying in this position, I suffered the most excruciating pain[.]

Soon afterwards Br. Richards came to me informing me that the mob had precipitately fled, and at the same time confirming my worst fears, that Joseph was assuredly dead. I felt a dull lonely sickening sensation at the news. When I reflected that our noble chieftain the Prophet of the living God had fallen, and that I had seen his brother in the cold embrace of death, it seemed as though there was an open void or vacuum in the great field of human existence to me, and a dark gloomy chasm, blank or, void in the Kingdom and that we were left alone. Oh! how lonely was that feeling! How cold, barren and desolate! In the midst of difficulties he was always the first in motion; in critical positions his counsel was always sought: As our Prophet he approached our God and obtained for us his will; but now our Prophet, our Counsellor, our General, our Leader was gone; and amid the fiery ordeal that we then had to pass through, we were left alone without his aid; and as our future guide, for things spiritual or temporal— for all things pertaining to this world or the next— he had spoken for the last time on earth.

These reflections and a thousand others flashed upon the mind. I thought[,] why must the good perish and the virtuous be destroyed? Why must God’s nobility, the salt of the earth, the most exalted of the human family; and the most perfect types of all excellence, fall victims to the cruel, fiendish hate of incarnate devils? The poignancy of my grief, I presume, however, was some what allayed by the extreme suffering that I endured from my wounds.²

1. JS History, vol. F-1, pp. 184–85, JSP, emphasis in original.

2. John Taylor, Martyrdom Account, pp. 48–53, JSP, emphasis in original.

It is a bold claim to say that Joseph Smith “has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any man that ever lived in it” (D&C 135:3). It should be made clear that Latter-day Saints believe first and foremost in salvation through Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith is a witness of Jesus Christ and His continuing work to bring truth and salvation to all men and women (D&C 76:22–24). Joseph Smith holds a significant place among the prophets, but he does not supplant or replace the Source of All Truth, the Savior of all mankind.

Acknowledging Joseph’s role as a witness of Jesus Christ, we must also reckon with the significance of what Joseph Smith accomplished in the relatively short span of his prophetic ministry. Out of his accomplishments listed in Doctrine and Covenants 135:3, consider for a moment only Joseph’s contributions to the scriptural canon. Joseph added three additional books—the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—to the collection of sacred books used by the Saints. He also worked extensively to place back the plain and precious truths removed from the Old and New Testaments. Through inspiration, Joseph fleshed out and gave deeper substance to the rough outline of the great plan of happiness provided in the Bible. While he acted as a vessel for revelation and grew as a Prophet, Joseph also was blessed with a unique gift to expound the scriptures in a clear and forcible manner, as evidenced in his Nauvoo discourses, several of which became canonized scripture in the Doctrine and Covenants (see D&C 127, 128, 129, 130, 131).

Among the most remarkable prophecies that Joseph Smith received was the angel Moroni’s early warning “that [Joseph’s] name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people” (Joseph Smith—History 1:33). This prophecy has already been fulfilled, as many judge Joseph in our time. Joseph himself only asked to be judged by the revelations he brought forth, saying, “I never told you I was perfect—but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught.”³

3. Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, Words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1980, 369.

The final acts of Joseph and Hyrum demonstrate their sincere belief in the cause they died for. Even as they prepared to embark on their journey to Carthage, both continued to offer solemn testimony of the truth of the Book of Mormon and the ongoing work of the Restoration. One of the final revelations given to Joseph and Hyrum came through the medium of the Book of Mormon. They were told through Moroni’s words in the book of Ether that “thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments shall be made clean” (Ether 12:37). Faced with the possibility of their own deaths, they never wavered in their testimony of the truthfulness of what they believed in and taught. When Joseph arrived at his final destination in Carthage, the Prophet continued in his sacred trust to bear witness of the truths he had received, testifying to the guards who held him captive.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland pointed out how these difficult circumstances demonstrated the sincerity of Joseph and Hyrum’s testimony. He asked, “In this their greatest—and last—hour of need, I ask you: would these men blaspheme before God by continuing to fix their lives, their honor, and their own search for eternal salvation on a book (and by implication a church and a ministry) they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth?” Continuing, Elder Holland listed what Joseph and Hyrum sacrificed because they refused to abandon their testimony of the truth:

Never mind that their wives are about to be widows and their children fatherless. Never mind that their little band of followers will yet be “houseless, friendless and homeless” and that their children will leave footprints of blood across frozen rivers and an untamed prairie floor. Never mind that legions will die and other legions live declaring in the four quarters of this earth that they know the Book of Mormon and the Church which espouses it to be true. Disregard all of that, and tell me whether in this hour of death these two men would enter the presence of their Eternal Judge quoting from and finding solace in a book which, if not the very word of God, would brand them as imposters and charlatans until the end of time? They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the eternal truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.⁴

4. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” October 2009 General Conference. 

In a revelation given to Brigham Young in 1847, the Lord offered His own commentary on the reasons why He did not intervene to prevent the death of Joseph Smith. The revelation declares, “Many have marveled because of his [Joseph Smith’s] death; but it was needful that he should seal his testimony with his blood, that he might be honored and the wicked might be condemned” (D&C 136:39). By dying, Joseph and Hyrum not only sealed their testimonies with their blood but also received honor for their integrity, which honor conversely demonstrated the dishonor of the men who shed the blood of the innocent.

Along with the martyrdom of Joseph, the death of Hyrum was a necessary event. In an 1841 revelation Hyrum was told that he would “be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery” (D&C 124:95). The same revelation also declared that Hyrum had been appointed “a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph” and was instructed to “act in concert also with my servant Joseph” (D&C 124:94–95). At the time of his death, Hyrum was effectively operating as the Assistant President of the Church and a cowitness of the Restoration.

President Joseph Fielding Smith, the grandson of Hyrum Smith, queried, “If Oliver Cowdery was ordained to hold the keys jointly with the Prophet, and after his loss by transgression, this authority was conferred on Hyrum Smith, then why do we not have today the same order of things, and an Assistant President as well as two counselors in the First Presidency?” President Smith provided the answer to the question he posed:

It is because the peculiar condition requiring two witnesses to establish the work, is not required after the work is established. Joseph and Hyrum Smith stand at the head of this dispensation, jointly holding the keys, as the two necessary witnesses fulfilling the law as it is set down by our Lord in his answer to the Jews (see Matthew 18:16). Since the gospel will never again be restored there will be no occasion for this condition to arise again. We all look back to the two special witnesses, called to bear witness in full accord with the divine law.⁵

5. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1952, 1:222.