| 773 "Mother, I have had a dreadful distress in my side ever since I was chased by the mob, and I think I have received some injury which is going to make me sick.'
"And indeed he was then not able to sit up, as he had been broken of his rest, besides being dreadfully fatigued in the chase, which, joined to the shock occasioned by the death of his brothers, brought on a disease that never was removed.
"On the following day the funeral rites of the murdered ones were attended to, in the midst of terror and alarm, for the mob had made their arrangements to burn the city that night, but by the diligence of the brethren, they were kept at bay until they became discouraged, and returned to their homes.
"In a short time Samuel, who continued unwell, was confined to his bed and, lingering till the 30th of July, his spirit forsook its earthly tabernacle and went to join his brothers and the ancient martyrs, in the Paradise of God."-Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors, pp. 298, 299.
Sad as this is of itself, the enormity of it is intensified when we consider that Governor Ford had pledged his own honor, and the faith of the State of Illinois, that they should be protected, and that then in a weak and vacillating way he sacrificed his own honor, and betrayed the faith of the people he represented; and that all concerned in this disgraceful crime went unwhipped of justice. Thus the spirit of murder and anarchy was fostered and encouraged. This spirit has since borne bitter fruit, not only in Illinois, but in the nation, where two of our noblest and most honored Presidents have fallen victims to it.
Thus died Joseph Smith, the Prophet, one of the most remarkable men of his time, and Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, a great and good man. Joseph's family was left surrounded by a hostile foe; and in consequence of their resistance to usurpation and corruption, their former friends became their most bitter enemies. They had to fly from their home, but afterward returned, and made Nauvoo their permanent abode.
On December 27, 1847, his widow became the wife of Major
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