1832-03-24

In typical and traditional American respect for diversity of religion, in Hiram, Ohio a group of men beat, tar and feather Mormon leader, Joseph Smith on this date. He takes his cult and decamps for Nauvoo, Illinois, where he is later killed by an angry mob.

Mormon Church members sing of hymns portraying Joseph Smith as a martyr who died for his faith. It is never taught in classes that he was actually imprisoned for destroying a newspaper printing press as retaliation for the negative press about him that was published.  While in prison, he removed his “garments,” the Mormon magic underwear, and instructed the others in jail with him to do the same. Mormons are also not aware that he had a gun and killed two people shortly before he was shot to death. He also made the Masonic symbol for distress as a last-ditch effort to save his life. Certainly not the “lamb to the slaughter” that the Mormons like to describe his death as.