Smith, Joseh and Hyrum

Joseph Smith was the founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint Movement. He and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois on June 27, 1844. Joseph Smith, as mayor of the town of Nauvoo, Illinois, had ordered the destruction of the facilities producing the Nauvoo Expositor, a newly established newspaper set up by a group of non-Mormons and people who had seceded from the church. The newspaper’s first (and only) issue was deeply critical of Smith and other church leaders—reporting that Smith was practicing polygamy and claiming he intended to set himself up as a theocratic king. In response, Smith declared the paper a public nuisance and ordered its press destroyed. The destruction of the press led to charges of riot against the Smith brothers and other members of the Nauvoo City Council. The brothers voluntarily travelled to the county seat at Carthage and surrendered to the authorities to face the charges. After surrendering, the brothers were also charged with treason against Illinois. The brothers were in the Carthage jail awaiting trial when the mob attacked.