The Quincy Whig, Jul. 3, 1844 (reprinting its initial Jun. 28 report and adding a different account)

The Warsaw Signal, Jun. 27, 1844

The Quincy Herald, Jun. 28, 1844 (see Broadhurst’s note below the article regarding reprintings in other newspapers)

I agree with J. that this might be something that could be expanded a bit and become a potential article for the JMH. Expanding it to the 1850s, for example, when the first books on Mormons were sold in Finland in addition to the newspaper reports, would enlarge the amount of source material and analysis considerably.

Thanks for pointing out those sources, Justin. I was looking at LeGrand L. Baker’s new book Murder of the Mormon Prophet: Political Prelude to the Death of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Eborn Books, 2006) the other day, and it contained a letter by William Roosevelt telling a story similar to the one published in the Finnish paper. It is on pages 592-593 in the book, and the reference is Quincy Whig of July 3, 1844. This may be the same report that you are referring to.

The newspaper also mentioned that ”apostle Joe Smith” had a public discussion with an Episcopal minister in June 1842. According to the reporter, thoughtful people saw the true nature of the Mormonites, but he acknowledged that the Mormonites had gained new followers due to the publicity that the matter had gathered.

I wonder if the newspaper is in error here. George J. Adams and Dr. West, an Episcopalian minister, participated in a well-publicized debate in Boston during this same time period.

Because the year was 1845, the news about Joseph Smith’s death had made it to Europe. Borgå Tidning presented, perhaps based on rumors, a very interesting account of Smith’s death. When Joseph Smith, his brother, and two friends were in Carthage jail, the newspaper said that:

… a Mormon, more courageous than the others, tried to break into the prison unnoticed despite the heavy guarding. When he encountered resistance, he fired his pistol at the head of a militia member. Thus the sign for a general battle had been given.

I would note that a similar account of the events of June 27 was published by a number of American newspapers in late June and early July 1844. The Warsaw Signal, for instance, reported that “A Mormon attempted to rush by the guard for the purpose of forcing his way into the jail. He was opposed by the guard, and fired a pistol at one of the guard, giving him a slight wound.

A general confusion ensued in the crowd around the jail. Joe and his Mormon fellow prisoners it seems had provided themselves with pistols, and commenced firing upon the guard within. He then attempted to escape from the window, when a hundred balls entered his body, and he fell a lifeless corpse” (Warsaw Signal, Jun. 27, 1844).

This account was reprinted in the Quincy Herald the next day and in newspapers around the country in the next few weeks.