Mormon History, May 21, 1844

-- May 21, 1844
Lyman Wight: On 21 May 1844 left Nauvoo on mission to advocate Joseph Smith for President of United States. Preached and campaigned in St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Boston, and Baltimore. (1)

-- May 21, 1844 (Tuesday)
Apostles Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and Lyman Wight, and about a hundred other Elders, left Nauvoo, Ill., on political missions to the East. Apostles Wilford Woodruff and Geo. A. Smith and others had left on the 9th. (2)

-- May 21, 1844, Wednesday
[William Clayton Writings] On 21 May 1844, ... Clayton reported that when Joseph had ridden outside of Nauvoo to keep away from an officer with a subpoena, he sent Clayton to find out how Emma felt about Joseph returning home. ``I found her crying with rage and fury because he had gone away,'' he said. ``She wanted him to go home. I came and told him & he returned home at 9 o clock.'' What Clayton did not report was that Emma was very ill at the time and Joseph was evidently worried about her. See Smith, History of the Church, 6:398-99. (3)

-- May 22, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 22d We took away the licence from two Elders viz. Theophiles Walter Nixon and his licence was signed by George Coulson Laharp and Arariah L Maul, licence signed by T. W. Nixon. We all rode together. 8 of us in company & /G A Smith/ spent the night at Br Chapmans & I at Br Duals with Br Wilsons 24 miles east of Juliet Will Co Ill in 7 miles of Ia line. 24 mils. (4)

[Brigham Young] --22-- We arrived in St. Louis; I preached in the evening; the branch numbered about 700 members. (5)

Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith spent the day at home, watching for the officers from Carthage who were determined to arrest him. (6)

[Joseph Smith Diary] Wednesday, May 22nd 1844 At home. The officer after me from Carthage watching. At 10 [A.M.] about 40 Indians come up in front of the Mansion. 4 or 5 mounted among whom was Blackhooks['s] brother, Kiskishkee &c. I was obliged to send them word I could not see them at present and they encamped in the Council Chamber. P.M. to night with the police on duty some individuals lurking around. Loveland and others. Very pleasant day. (7)

-- May 23, 1844
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 23d Crossed the line into Indiana & rode to Br Maine's & spent the night 8 miles of Val Parazo Porter Co Ia. 28 miles. (4)

[Brigham Young] --23-- We left St. Louis on board the Louis Phillippe. Captain J. J. Worman, with about two hundred passengers; many of them were from the Osprey. I was called upon to deliver a lecture on the principles of the Church, which allayed some prejudice which had been manifested against the elders on board. (5)

William Law: Filed affidavit 23 May 1844 charging Joseph Smith Jr. with adultery, resulting in arrest warrant q(1)

William Law files a formal complaint with the Hancock County circuit court charging Joseph Smith was living "in an open state of adultery" with Maria Lawrence, Smith's foster daughter and polygamous wife. Smith is indicted and arrested for adultery but is acquitted by Nauvoo municipal court. Polygamy is illegal in Illinois at this time. Smith had previously and publicly accused Law of adultery. However there had been no mention of adultery at Law's excommunication trial. (9)

Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith spoke with the Sac and Fox Indians who had arrived the previous day. (10)

[Joseph Smith] Joseph's clerk tells him that an officer is coming to arrest him; William Law has accused him of adultery. When Joseph hears of another false charge that is being brought against him, he sends Aaron Johnson and Orrin Porter Rockwell to Carthage to swear out a complaint of perjury against Dr. Foster, who had made the false charge. (11)

Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith prophesied to his brother Hyrum Smith that their enemies would lie about him the same as they had about Joseph. (6)


Footnotes:
1 - Cook, Lyndon W., The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, Seventy's Mission Bookstore, Provo UT, 1985, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith
2 - Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology
3 - Fillerup, Robert C., compiler; William Clayton Nauvoo Diaries and Personal Writings, A chronological compilation of the personal writings of William Clayton while he was a resident of Nauvoo, Illinois. http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/clayton-diaries
4 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
5 - Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844, ed. Elden Jay Watson (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial Service, 1968).
6 - Joseph Smith Resource Center: Daily Events in the Life of Joseph Smith, http://josephsmith.net/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=e581001cfb340010VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRDlocale=0
7 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1844, http://amzn.to/jsdiaries
8 - 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, http://amzn.to/origins-power
9 - On This Day in Mormon History, http://onthisdayinmormonhistory.blogspot.com
10 - BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith, http://amzn.to/BYUStudies-JSChron
11 - Conklin, Christopher J., Joseph Smith Chronology


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