[Joseph Smith Diary] Thursday, March 9th 1843 This morning received another No of the Bee containing minutes of conference in Boston &c. Read decision of court in Dana vs Brink. Mr. Cowan took court papers and Butterfield's opinion to go to Gov[ernor] of Iowa to have him recall the M[iss]o[uri] writ.
12 o'clock called with a letter concerning land of Hotchkiss. Read decision, read papers. Bro[ther] Phelps you shall know law, and understand law and you shall be a lawyer in Israel and the time shall come when I shall not need say thus is the law for you shall know the law.
William O. Clark gave a load of corn, Bro[ther] Sanford Porter a hog. Issued attachment for Peter Haw[els agai[ns]t Artemus Johnson. Clayton in office. Sleet and rain through the day and evening. (1)
[Polygamy] Lorenzo Dow Young polygamous marriage to Harriet Page Wheeler (2)
-- Mar 9, 1843. Thursday.
[William Clayton Journal] At President Josephs office. Walked out in the P.M. He told me it was lawful for me to send for Sarah and said he would furnish me money.4 (3)
-- March 9th 1843
[High Council Minutes]
William B. Simmons
The decision of the court is that Br. Hoyt cease to call certain characters witches or wizzards; and that he cease to work with the rod he calls a divining rod and that he cease to burn a board or boards to heal the sick by art that of heating a board before the fire, to heal the sick by art.
March 11th 1843 David Evans Bishop
Defendant plead not guilty two were appointed to speak on the case, to wit, 11) L. Soby 12) H.G. Sherwood
President Hyrum Smith took his seat in Council. After investigation President Hyrum Smith Decided that the Council confirm the decision of the Bishops Court, which was voted by the Council unanimously.
Council adjourned till next Saturday at 9 o'clock A.M.
Hosea Stout, Clerk (4)
-- Mar 10, 1843
Oliver Cowdery: Received offer 10 Mar. 1843 from Joseph Smith Jr. to serve mission in Palestine (5)
Fifteen-year-old Thomas Morgan says that Orrin Porter Rockwell told him "Joseph had taught that it was right to steal . . . which was the means of drawing Thomas into the practice of stealing." Smith's next remark about his boyhood friend: "conversed much about Porter, wishing the boy well." Another 14-year-old boy is charged brought up on suspicion of stealing but since there is "no positive testimony appearing against him Mayor [Joseph Smith] ordered his father to take him home and try him. If he found the boy guilty to whip him severely." Joseph Smith also "decided that he had no objection to having a brewery put up by Theodore Turley." Wilford Woodruff sees "a stream of light in the south west quarter of the heavens. The rays of light were in the form of a broadsword with the hilt downward." Joseph Smith comments on this sign: "As sure as there is a God who wits enthroned in the heavens & as sure as he ever spoke to me so sure there will be a speedy & bloody war & the bro
ad sword seen last evening is the sure sign thereof." (6)
Meliton G. Trejo, later the translator of the Book of Mormon into Spanish, is born in Garganto-la-Olla, Spain. (7)
Melitón González Trejo is born in the Cáceres province in Spain. He will later be the primary translator of the first edition of the Book of Mormon in Spanish. (7)
Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith opened court at 10:00 a.m. and rendered a decision regarding a malpractice suit. That night he and others observed rays of light in the sky in the shape of a sword. The following day he would prophesy that the sword was a sign of a speedy and bloody war to come. (8)
[Joseph Smith] Joseph and others see wondrous lights in the heavens. (9)
[Joseph Smith Diary] Friday, March 10th 1843 Clear and cold. Read the decision in office with O[rson] Spencer. At 10 [A.M.] repaired to the Hall over the store and 10 [minutes later] /[we had?]/ commenced the decision in case of Dana vs. Brink that the Plaintiff recover his bill $99 and costs. The whole included 12 pages written matter. After decision court referred to the threat of the Defendant['s] council ordering court, as attempting to intimidate &c. Council explained satisfactorily. Also court referred to what Dr. Brink had said since trial that he had not a fair chance. His witnesses were not allowed, repelled by court.
2 [o'clock] afternoon, Mayor came in office, when Daniel Sherwood 14 years old was brought up on suspicion of stealing a watch from the house of Geo[rge] Nelson. No positive testimony appearing against him [so] Mayor ordered his father to take him home and try him. If he found the boy guilty to whip him severely, for he is too young to imprison or whip.
/Mayor ordered [Lucien] Woodworth to fix a room in the Nauvoo House with a large stone in the center to chain the boys to and chain them till their time is out.
/As Thomas Morgan went out to speak with Mayor, said he had been told by several that Joseph had taught that it was right to steal viz. O. P. Rockwell, David B. Smith, and James Smith which was the means of drawing Thomas into the practice of stealing.
David Smith once attempted to shoot me. The gun did not go and he was so mad that he through down the gun and broke the stock. It was my gun. He was carrying to [ar]rest me. After the attempt we stopped to rest and refresh when unknown to him I removed the priming from the gun and pistols, wet the touch holes, and made him carry them all home with me and saw me across the river from Montrose.
Joseph decided that he had no objection to having a brewery put up by Theodore Turley.
Proverb
As finest steel doth show a brighter polish
The more you rub the same;
E'en so, in love, rebuke will ne'er demolish
A wise man's goodly name.
Ordered a search warrant for W[illia]m Law for tools &c. stolen and believed to be in the house of Deal Sherwood.
When in Kirtland I saw Elder Cahoon's boy steal a cucumber, put it in his pocket. I told Cahoon of it. At the same time his boy came up and denied it saying he had an apple [and] let it fall and picked it up. There said Cahoon I did not believe he stole it. [I said] His boys drove their cows among mine while the women were milking to endanger their safety. I rebuked him and threatened him and made him confess in public next day. This was about the time of the commencement of building Temple in Kirtland.
Signed the warrant, said he should not send decision of Court to press without a petition. Ordered an execution for Dana against Brink and signed. Dana swore he feared Brink would abscond or place his property out of reach. (1)
Footnotes:
1 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1842-43
2 - Smith, George D (Spring 1994), "Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy, 1841-46: A Preliminary Demographic Report", Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 27
3 - George D. Smith, An Intimate Chronicle; The Journals of William Clayton, Signature Books in association with Smith Research Associates, Salt Lake City, 1995
4 - Minutes of the High Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Nauvoo Illinois: Nauvoo Hancock County Illinois
5 - Quinn, D. Michael, The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, Appendix 6, Biographical Sketches of General Officers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-47
6 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
7 - The Woodland Institute 'On This Day Historical Database,' http://www.woodlandinstitute.com
8 - BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith
9 - Conklin, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology
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