I am writing to Prst. John Taylor and J. M. Bernhisel
requesting them to sit down in council with you to make out an account
of the death of Joseph & Hyrum Smith and the circumstances relating
thereto. From the labor you have already had upon that part of the
History you are acquainted with the difficulties connected with it. We
are still laboring upon that part of the History, and we almost daily get
new statements from men who were directly or indirectly connected with
the scenes of the last four days of the lives of the Prophet and Patriarch,
and many of these accounts are in direct opposition to each other. We
have the statement of John S. Fullmer, Dan Jones, S. Markham, W. W. Phelps, R. Cahoon, A. C. Hodge, H. Stout, O. P. Rockwell, Wm Clayton, D. B. Huntington
and others in connexion with Dr. Richards' Journal lying before us, and
find they conflict a good deal. We have forwarded to Elder Taylor the copy
of Dr. Richards' Journal in detached sentences, of the account of the
interview which Joseph had with Governor Ford in Carthage Jail, which I
wan him in connexion with yourself to fill up. I hope Pres Smith you
will lose no time in attending to this matter, as the History must in a measure
remain open until we can get your answer, we with you to question brothers
Taylor and Bernhisel upon every past point that you deem necessary for the his
tory, and forward to us immediately. It will still be a great deal of
labor to prepare this part of the History for the press, and I deem it
very essential to get every word and action of them or on as far as we
can embody them in the history during the last days of their lives. I
am now spending most of my time in the office. My health is not
very good since my sickness. I still feel the effects of it in my system.
I am writing to Prst. John Taylor and J. M. Bernhisel
requesting them to sit down in council with you to make out an account
of the death of Joseph & Hyrum Smith and the circumstances relating
thereto. From the labor you have already had upon that part of the
History you are acquainted with the difficulties connected with it. We
are still laboring upon that part of the History, and we almost daily get
new statements from men who were directly or indirectly connected with
the scenes of the last four days of the lives of the Prophet and Patriarch,
and many of these accounts are in direct opposition to each other. We
have the statement of John S. Fullmer, Dan Jones, S. Markham, W. W. Phelps,
R. Cahoon, A. C. Hodge, H. Stout, O. P. Rockwell, Wm Clayton, D. B. Huntington
and others in connexion with Dr. Richards' Journal lying before us, and
find they conflict a good deal. We have forwarded to Elder Taylor the copy
of Dr. Richards' Journal in detached sentences, of the account of the
interview which Joseph had with Governor Ford in Carthage Jail, which I
wan him in connexion with yourself to fill up. I hope Pres Smith you
will lose no time in attending to this matter, as the History must in a measure
remain open until we can get your answer, we with you to question brothers
Taylor and Bernhisel upon every point that you deem necessary for the his
tory, and forward to us immediately. It will still be a great deal of
labor to prepare this part of the History for the press, and I deem it
very essential to get every word and action of them or on as far as we
can embody them in the history during the last days of their lives. I
am now spending most of my time in the office. My health is not
very good since my sickness. I still feel the effects of it in my system.