Mormon Stories Podcast

Joseph Smith's Final Days - John Turner Pt. 40 | Ep. 2143

May 1, 2026
Guest
John G. Turner
John G. Turner, historian and author of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet, walks through Joseph Smith’s turbulent final months. He covers the Nauvoo Expositor press crisis, legal indictments and martial law, accusations of polygamy, flight and return to Carthage, the fatal mob attack, and the fraught aftermath and legacy.
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INSIGHT

Polygamy Charges Preceded The Expositor

  • By late May 1844 Joseph faced indictments for adultery and fornication (including a count involving Maria Lawrence) plus perjury, based largely on testimony from William and Wilson Law.
  • Turner judges conviction unlikely, but acknowledges the reputational damage of a public prosecution for the prophet-mayor.
INSIGHT

Expositor Combined Credible Claims With Theological Attacks

  • The Expositor mixed credible affidavits (polygamy teachings and practices) with theological complaints and warned that vigilantism might be necessary.
  • Turner judges parts of it credible: Joseph taught plural marriage and used municipal habeas corpus to evade outside justice.
INSIGHT

Destruction Of The Press Was A Publicly Ordered Nuisance Removal

  • Joseph and the Nauvoo city council declared the Expositor a nuisance and ordered its destruction, using the charter's nuisance clause as justification.
  • The posse smashed the press with sledgehammers, scattered type, and publicly burned the paper, a brazen act led by Joseph as mayor.
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