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0:48

After Porter Rockwell was arrested in

0:50

St. Louis for the attempted murder

0:52

of former Missouri Gov. Lilburn Boggs,

0:54

He. Was thrown in jail for three days. Then

0:57

he. Was shackled by the wrists

0:59

and ankles and loaded into a

1:01

stagecoach for transport to Independence, Missouri.

1:04

After. A day and night bumping over

1:07

the trail with seven passengers in the

1:09

coach. The. Stagecoach driver stopped in

1:11

the evening for a drink at a

1:13

tavern. He. Left Rockwell under

1:15

the watchful eye of the bounty hunter who

1:17

had captured him. When.

1:19

The driver emerged from the tavern.

1:22

some time later. He was noticeably

1:24

swaying. He. Climbed back into

1:26

his seat slap the rains and

1:28

resumed the journey. A

1:30

mile down the road, he drove the horses

1:32

into a tree. The. Coach

1:34

overturned in broke the bolt that held

1:37

the axle to the body. Rockwell.

1:40

Climbed out of the coach still

1:42

shackled and checked on the other

1:44

passengers. Instead of trying to

1:46

escape. He. Found the spare

1:48

bold and replaced the damaged pin.

1:51

With. The other passengers. Rockwell.

1:53

Pushed the coach upright and stepped

1:55

back in. Then. He

1:57

fell asleep as they continued toward into. In.

2:01

A short time later, Rockwell was

2:03

jarred awake when the coach tilted

2:05

and one of his fellow passengers

2:07

slammed into him as the horses

2:09

outside stomped. and We Need. The

2:12

coach had plowed into an embankment and

2:15

was waged against it. The.

2:17

Horses were scared and a driver was

2:19

now so drunk that he had passed

2:21

out. The bounty hunter

2:24

refuse to remove the heavy irons

2:26

and chains that bound porters legs,

2:28

but they climbed into the driver's

2:30

seat and continued the trip. When.

2:32

The coach arrived at the next station. The.

2:35

Sheriff forgive ugly misunderstood

2:37

the situation. There. Were

2:39

two men on the drivers bench and a

2:41

handful of passengers in the coach. One.

2:43

Of whom was fast asleep. The

2:46

sheriff assumed that the prisoner was the man

2:49

who was sleeping. The sheriff

2:51

looked up at the two men on the drivers

2:53

bench and asked if the prisoner had been any

2:55

trouble. The. Bounty hunter said

2:57

that doesn't rockwell. This. Is

2:59

the share of. Looked past the bounty

3:02

hunter to the man who was actually

3:04

operating the reins. Porter.

3:06

Rockwell was driving himself to

3:08

jail. The sheriff shook

3:10

his head, looked at the passed out driver

3:12

in the coach and said i swear. That

3:15

other fellow looks guilty or than either of you.

3:25

From Black Barrel Media this is legends

3:27

of the Old West. I'm your host

3:30

Chris Swimmer and this season were telling

3:32

the story of controversial figure or in

3:34

Porter Rothwell, the rise of the Church

3:37

of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

3:39

and the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre. This

3:42

is Episode three: A Mormon

3:44

Sampson. For

3:52

months in an Independence Missouri jail.

3:55

Porter. rockwell waited while mormon prophet

3:57

joseph smith worked on a plan

3:59

to for his friend. Years

4:02

earlier, when their situations were reversed,

4:05

Rockwell had snuck tools to Smith while

4:07

he waited in a jail cell. Now

4:10

Joseph Smith reportedly offered a man named

4:12

Joseph Jackson a reward of $3,000 if

4:16

he would find a way to free his friend

4:18

and quote, kill old bogs on

4:20

his way out of town. Jackson,

4:23

it turned out, was working as an

4:25

agent of one of Smith's enemies, and

4:27

when he visited Rockwell in jail, it

4:29

was to try to coerce a confession.

4:33

But the jail was so full of

4:35

prisoners that Jackson couldn't find an opportunity

4:37

to speak with Porter. He

4:39

left without a confession, without freeing

4:41

Rockwell, and without killing Lilburn Bogs.

4:45

In April of 1842, Rockwell

4:48

got a new cellmate, and the

4:50

man was tossed into his cell with his

4:52

saddlebags. Looking through his

4:54

new friend's belongings, Porter recognized

4:56

fire steels, small metal

4:59

tools they used to start a fire

5:01

in the wilderness. That

5:03

night, the pair began the laborious

5:05

process of drawing the steel across a

5:07

length of chain. Two

5:09

days later, they were able to saw through

5:11

the last link that they needed to affect

5:13

an escape. Now, they

5:16

waited for the jailer to bring their dinner.

5:22

As the man bent to pick up some dishes, Rockwell

5:25

and his cellmate sprang to their feet

5:27

and rushed past the jailer. They

5:29

pushed him backward into the cell, slammed the

5:32

door shut, and locked it. Rockwell

5:35

removed the key from the door, tossed it

5:37

through an open window, and ran down the

5:39

stairs. They passed the

5:41

jailer's wife and yelled to her that they hadn't

5:43

hurt the man. Behind

5:46

the jail, they faced a 12-foot-high

5:48

wooden fence. Rockwell

5:50

was not a tall man, but his adrenaline

5:52

was pumping as he leapt for the fence

5:54

and felt his fingers wrap around the top

5:56

of the tall boards. Struggling,

5:59

he pulled the fence. themselves over fell to

6:01

the other side and started to run. For.

6:04

Behind him to did hear the voice of

6:06

his cellmate yelling that he couldn't make it

6:08

over the fence. Rockwell

6:10

ran back to the fence, climbed

6:12

back to the top, and grabbed

6:14

the prisoner shirt collar, yank them

6:16

and up and over the fence.

6:19

Porter. Rockwell was legendary among his

6:21

fellow saints for his untiring strength,

6:24

but he had just spent two

6:26

months in jail with meager food

6:28

and know exercise porter strength flag

6:31

and slowed as he ran to

6:33

escape. The sheriff

6:35

and his deputies who had heard the yells

6:37

of the jail or and his wife were

6:40

able to track him down. If I hadn't

6:42

have stopped to help him order panted, I

6:44

would have been free. And

6:47

angry mob threatened to hang Rockwell

6:49

for his attempted escape, but the

6:51

sheriff returned them to jail, this

6:53

time chaining him from the wrists

6:55

and ankles in the jails basement

6:57

he's already poor. Rations were reduced

6:59

to a piece of cold corn

7:01

bread and whatever scraps of meet

7:03

the jailer didn't finish with his

7:05

meal. If Rockwell refuse to eat

7:07

the same meal was offered the

7:10

next day. As

7:13

days turn to weeks, Rockwell's hair

7:15

and beard groove long and infested

7:17

with lies. The new

7:19

irons were so tight initially that

7:21

his wrists were swollen. But.

7:24

After three weeks, he had lost enough weight

7:26

that they were loose enough to slide up

7:28

to his elbows. Now

7:30

the Sheriff offered Rockwell a deal.

7:33

If Rockwell would set up Joseph Smith

7:35

to be captured, Rockwell could name his

7:38

price and Jackson County would pay it.

7:41

Rockwell replied. I'll see

7:43

you all damned first, and even then I

7:45

won't. Months. Passed

7:47

before Rockwell was finally brought to

7:49

court. Where. He was told that the

7:52

grand jury had refused to indict him

7:54

for the attempted murder of Boggs. Whether.

7:56

they did indict him for his attempted

7:58

escape When he was asked

8:01

to pick an attorney to represent him from the lawyers

8:03

in the courtroom that day, Rockwell

8:05

was surprised to see the face of

8:07

Alexander Donovan, the same man

8:09

who had represented the Saints in Jackson

8:11

County and refused in order to execute

8:14

Joseph Smith during the Mormon War in

8:16

Far West. Donovan

8:19

agreed to represent Porter, who was thrown

8:21

back into jail to await trial. Weeks

8:24

later, the judge assigned his trial

8:27

to Clay County, ostensibly so

8:29

that the jury would be more impartial

8:31

than in Jackson County. After

8:34

five months in the same close, Porter

8:36

was finally allowed to change into a clean

8:39

shirt. As two

8:41

lawmen escorted him to Clay County, they

8:43

were forced to escape at a full gallop

8:45

when they discovered that an ambush had been

8:48

set up by vigilantes to capture their prisoner.

8:51

Then the judge in Clay County declared

8:53

that the trial had been incorrectly moved

8:56

and another attempt to capture Porter was spoiled

8:58

on the way back to independence when the

9:00

route was changed at the last minute. Rockwell's

9:04

trial still hadn't started and the situation

9:06

was already chaos. Douglas

9:11

is one of many who found a new

9:13

life through Seattle's Union Gospel Mission. I was

9:15

living on the streets when I heard this

9:18

guy talk about how he got clean and

9:20

sober at the mission, so I

9:22

decided to give it a try. I could

9:24

feel something working inside of me and I

9:27

knew I was getting better. Today my number

9:29

one goal is to stay clean and sober.

9:37

To hear more, volunteer, or donate,

9:39

visit ugm.org. Porters

9:44

jailers returned him to his old

9:46

nasty clothes and to his old

9:49

cell, but the chaos didn't stop.

9:52

Porter made another escape attempt by detaching

9:54

the stovepipe that led from his dungeon

9:56

cell to the room above. He squeezed

9:58

the door, and the door opened. He was the only one who had squeezed his emaciated

10:01

frame through the small hole. Using

10:04

the dipper from a water pail, he was

10:06

able to move the bolt that locked the

10:08

inner door but was too weak to

10:10

open the outer door. He

10:12

squeezed back through the hole to his cell and

10:14

was determined to repeat the attempt the next day.

10:18

The following evening, he again removed the

10:20

stove pipe, struggled through the small

10:22

hole in the floor, and made it into the

10:24

room above, only to find

10:26

that he still couldn't open the outer door. Exhausted

10:30

from the exertion, Porter passed out on

10:32

the floor, where he was discovered by

10:34

jailers the next morning. For

10:37

his efforts, Porter was rewarded with

10:39

double chains and half rations. And

10:43

then, finally, a jury was empaneled

10:45

to hear the evidence against Porter

10:47

Rockwell for the crime of attempted

10:49

jailbreak. In the

10:51

state of Missouri, the law said

10:53

that to find Porter guilty, the jury

10:55

must be presented with evidence that he

10:58

had broken a lock, a door, or

11:00

a wall to escape the clutches of

11:02

justice. Porter had

11:04

simply pushed past the jailer and threw the

11:06

open door. But the judge

11:08

told the jury that the actions qualified. The

11:12

jury deliberated for a short time and

11:14

returned a guilty verdict and a sentence.

11:20

Porter had been initially arrested for the

11:22

attempted murder of Lilburn Boggs, but

11:25

he was never put on trial for the crime. He

11:28

had been kept in jail for an attempted escape

11:30

for a crime he was no longer charged with.

11:33

The jury recommended a unique sentence,

11:36

five minutes confinement in the county

11:38

jail. When Porter

11:40

Rockwell was released from Independence Jail

11:42

five hours later, that five-minute

11:44

sentence had cost him nearly 10 months

11:47

of his life. Outside

11:49

the jail, Porter was met by his mother. She

11:53

Warned him that the same men who had

11:55

tried to ambush him as he was moved

11:57

to Clay County had now vowed that the

11:59

destroying. Would never leave Missouri

12:01

realize. Rockwell. And

12:03

his mother went to the home of a

12:05

friend who loaned Porter four dollars. Deciding.

12:08

That they should split up for the return to

12:10

novel. Porter. Had only been gone

12:13

from the house for a minute when he

12:15

heard horses approaching a full gallop from behind.

12:18

Hiding behind a tree, he watched

12:20

as two riders sped past. One.

12:23

Telling the other that they'd soon overtake

12:25

him. Rockwell. Stayed

12:27

off the roads walking twenty five

12:29

miles to field and underbrush without

12:31

shoes until the soles of his

12:34

feet were shredded and bloody. He

12:37

struggled on the next day pass the place

12:39

where see and other Mormons had fought a

12:41

crooked river. And the side of the

12:43

massacre at Horns Mill. Each.

12:45

Step he took left a bloody footprint

12:48

behind him, and eventually he was unable

12:50

to walk further. A.

12:53

Passing wagon stopped and the driver

12:55

agreed to carry Porter who laid

12:57

on his back watching the sky

12:59

above him as he moved toward

13:01

home. He. Road when

13:03

he could and walked away. He had to. One.

13:05

Day covering twenty miles by horse

13:08

and twenty five on foot. His

13:10

feet were bruised and bloody and he

13:13

was week from nearly a year of

13:15

confinement. Reporters determination pushed

13:17

him forward. On.

13:21

Christmas Day. Eighteen Forty three, more

13:23

than one hundred guests pack the

13:25

home of Joseph Smith and novel.

13:28

The. Table was full of food and guests

13:31

celebrated the birth of their savior and

13:33

the victories of their prophet. Who.

13:35

Had been arrested three times and released

13:37

three times while Porter had been in

13:39

jail. The. Bus a

13:41

wind shear were suddenly interrupted by a

13:44

scuffle at the door where several guard

13:46

attempted to remove a man whom they

13:48

believed to be a drunken dirty Missouri

13:50

and they are to a cost Smith.

13:53

a moment later joseph smith came to

13:55

the door dressed in his uniform as

13:58

leader of the novel legion He

14:00

looked at the dirty man being held

14:02

by the guards, his long hair falling

14:04

below his shoulders, and a bushy beard

14:07

disguising his full smile. Smith

14:09

wrote later, "'To my great

14:11

surprise and joy untold, I

14:14

discovered it was my long-tried,

14:16

warm but cruelly persecuted friend

14:19

Oren Porter Rockwell, just

14:21

arrived from nearly a year's

14:24

imprisonment without conviction in Missouri.'"

14:28

Rockwell was invited into Smith's home and

14:30

handed a glass of wine. He

14:32

told Smith and the others about his

14:35

capture, his attempted escape, his trial, and

14:37

his journey back home. When

14:39

he finished his story, Smith embraced

14:42

him and announced a spontaneous prophecy

14:44

to the crowd. As

14:46

long as Rockwell remained loyal and true

14:48

to his faith and did not cut

14:50

his hair, he could not be harmed

14:52

by bullets or blades. In

14:59

Nauvoo, Porter was now a celebrity,

15:02

a Mormon Samson for the young church. Porter

15:05

was a symbol of triumph over evil and

15:07

depression, and Joseph Smith was

15:09

starting to see darkness creeping closer. Smith

15:13

needed a man like Porter Rockwell. Joseph

15:16

confided in his friend that he felt his

15:18

enemies were all around him in Nauvoo, and

15:21

he was unsure who he could trust, even

15:23

among the leaders of the church. "'Your

15:26

enemies are my enemies,' Joseph," Rockwell

15:28

told his prophet as they shook hands. In

15:31

that moment, Porter Rockwell agreed

15:33

to become Smith's personal bodyguard.

15:37

Smith struggled with lawlessness in Nauvoo,

15:39

appointing 40 officers to serve

15:41

as the city's police force, but

15:44

he became increasingly convinced that the

15:46

problems facing his church went well

15:48

beyond the city's borders. The

15:52

state of Missouri had separated the Mormons

15:54

from their land and homes, and the

15:56

federal government had done nothing. Joseph

15:58

had been arrested multiple times. times and though

16:01

he had gone free, there was

16:03

no assurance that he wouldn't be harassed further.

16:06

His friend, Porter Rockwell, had spent

16:08

nearly a year in jail on

16:10

a five-minute sentence. And

16:13

when Joseph Smith had personally asked President

16:15

Martin Van Buren for help, the

16:17

president had replied, your cause

16:19

is just, but I can do nothing for

16:22

you. Van

16:25

Buren was running for reelection in 1841 and

16:29

his opponent, Henry Clay, was no better

16:31

as far as Smith was concerned. If

16:34

Smith wanted the president and the federal government

16:36

to address the issues that mattered to him,

16:39

he was going to have to take a direct approach. Van

16:42

Buren lost his reelection bid and

16:44

William Henry Harrison became the ninth

16:46

president of the United States. He

16:49

died after just one month in office

16:51

and his vice president, John Tyler, took

16:53

over. In

16:56

January of 1844, Joseph

16:58

Smith announced his candidacy for president

17:00

of the United States and

17:03

Porter Rockwell became the bodyguard of a

17:05

man running for his nation's highest office.

17:08

While Smith crafted his platform for the

17:10

campaign, unsettling events were

17:12

unfolding in Nauvoo that threatened his

17:15

safety. He was

17:17

alerted about a conspiracy and a planned

17:19

assassination. Smith instructed

17:21

his agents to infiltrate the conspirators

17:23

meetings and report back. The

17:26

initial intel suggested that a man

17:29

named Dr. Robert Foster intended to

17:31

publicly accuse Smith of attempting to

17:33

seduce his wife under the guise

17:35

of plural marriage. Smith

17:38

convinced Foster's wife to sign a

17:40

statement refuting the accusations. Smith

17:43

denounced the conspirators in a public meeting.

17:46

A heated exchange between Foster

17:49

and Smith culminated in Foster's

17:51

excommunication along with others involved

17:53

in the conspiracy. Days

17:56

Later, an argument broke out between a

17:58

Mormon man named Augustine Spence. There

18:00

and Doctor Fosters brother. Joseph

18:03

Smith, acting as Mayor, ordered the

18:05

arrest of Spencer. When

18:07

Spencer resisted arrest, Smith and

18:10

Rockwell intervene directly. The

18:12

situation escalated and Fosters brother drew

18:14

a pistol and aimed it at

18:17

Joseph Smith. Rockwell left it Fosters

18:19

brother and slammed a fist on

18:21

the man's arm. The

18:23

revolver went flying and fosters brother

18:25

scream that he would have killed

18:27

smith. Foster himself said

18:30

he would be favored by God for

18:32

reading the world of a tiring like

18:34

Smith. The matter

18:36

was scheduled for trial, but was eventually

18:38

dismissed by order of Joseph Smith. Soon.

18:42

The Fosters bought a printing press and

18:44

opened a newspaper. They called

18:46

for the repeal of the novel city

18:48

charter that afforded Smith and his church

18:50

their power. The Fosters

18:53

and their allies use the paper

18:55

to publicly accuse Smith of adultery,

18:57

of swearing false testimony in court,

18:59

and of receiving stolen goods. On

19:03

June tenth, Eighteen, Forty Four. Smith

19:06

called a session of the City council

19:08

and passed a law that outlawed libel

19:10

and punish the offense with a five

19:12

hundred dollar penalty and six months in

19:14

jail. Under. The new

19:17

Law Fosters newspaper was declared

19:19

a public nuisance. And

19:21

angry crowd of saints with Joseph Smith

19:23

at the lead said off to the

19:25

newspaper office. At. Joseph signal

19:27

Porter to the door off it's

19:30

hinges and the crowd destroyed the

19:32

press. They. Gathered what was left

19:34

into a pile and said the whole thing

19:36

on fire. The.

19:42

Reaction to the destruction of the

19:44

press was vehement and immediate. Citizens.

19:47

in neighboring towns were furious that the

19:50

leader of what many saw as a

19:52

sect of religious extremists was now disrupting

19:54

a press that reported on accusations of

19:57

adultery and polygamy against him that

20:00

the situation was getting out of his control, Smith

20:03

wrote to the governor of Illinois, trying

20:05

to explain why he had been forced to

20:07

destroy the paper's press. He

20:10

then allowed himself and some of the others

20:12

involved to be arrested so they could be

20:14

put on trial in front of a friendly

20:16

judge. The trial was

20:18

quick and Smith was declared innocent. The

20:21

result did little to calm the angry

20:23

voices. 20

20:25

miles away in Carthage, Illinois, an

20:28

angry mob prepared to march on Nauvoo.

20:31

Joseph called the Nauvoo Legion to be

20:33

on guard and placed the city under

20:35

martial law. Wearing his

20:38

general's uniform, Smith waved his sword in

20:40

the air and told the Legion that

20:42

his people should be protected from mob

20:44

violence, even if it cost him his life.

20:51

If Smith expected the governor to offer

20:53

him shelter, he was disappointed. He

20:56

received a message from the governor that asked

20:58

him to travel to Carthage to prove the

21:01

Saints were governed by law. Smith

21:03

suspected that if he traveled to Carthage, he

21:06

would never leave. And when

21:08

he failed to arrive, an angry mob

21:10

would descend on Nauvoo. So,

21:13

Smith announced that he would leave his home

21:15

and head for the Rocky Mountains. At

21:19

midnight, Joseph Smith and his brother

21:21

Hiram left Nauvoo with Porter Rockwell,

21:23

who rode them across the Mississippi

21:25

River to Iowa before returning to

21:27

gather horses for their escape. When

21:30

Porter returned to Nauvoo, he was surrounded

21:32

by a group of worried Saints, including

21:35

Joseph Smith's wife Emma. They

21:38

told him the governor had promised Joseph safe

21:40

passage and a fair trial. They

21:43

were worried that if Joseph didn't comply, state

21:46

authorities would storm the town and

21:48

destroy their homes. Rockwell

21:50

took the message across the river to the

21:52

Smith brothers. Hiram thought

21:54

they should return to town and leave

21:57

their fate in God's hands. Joseph

21:59

said, he would go back with his brother, but

22:02

if they did, they would be killed. No

22:05

matter what people thought about Joseph Smith's

22:07

prophecies, he was right about his last

22:09

one. Joseph and Hiram

22:11

returned to Nauvoo and then traveled to

22:14

Carthage, where they were arrested and placed

22:16

in jail to await trial. Someone

22:19

managed to sneak a few weapons into

22:21

jail, which Joseph hid in case of

22:23

trouble. After the Smith

22:25

brothers had finished their dinner on June 27, 1844, a

22:28

mob of around 200 men stormed the

22:33

jail. Their faces were

22:35

obscured with black paint to hide their

22:37

identities, but in hindsight, it

22:39

probably wouldn't have mattered. The

22:42

jail was ostensibly guarded by a

22:44

militia called the Carthage Greys, who

22:47

either failed to defend the Smith brothers or

22:49

actively encouraged the mob to overrun

22:51

the jail. Gun

22:54

fire exploded in the small space and

22:56

Hiram Smith was the first to fall.

22:59

He was struck by a bullet that pierced the door

23:01

of their jail cell and hit him in the face.

23:04

Joseph, in a desperate attempt to defend

23:07

himself, pulled out the small

23:09

pepper box pistol that had been smuggled into

23:11

the jail and fired it at the attackers.

23:14

As the assault intensified, Joseph was

23:16

hit by multiple bullets, one

23:18

striking him from the door and others from

23:21

the window of the jail as he attempted

23:23

to escape the onslaught. His

23:25

last recorded words as he fell from the

23:27

window were, Oh, Lord, my

23:29

God. A day

23:32

later, Porter Rockwell rode to Carthage.

23:34

He didn't know about the attack, but he was worried

23:36

that he had not heard from his friend. After

23:40

midnight, he encountered a rider who told

23:42

him what had happened at the Carthage

23:44

jail. Early in the morning

23:46

on June 28, 1844, the

23:49

calm silence of the morning in Nauvoo was

23:51

broken by the sound of a galloping horse.

23:54

It was followed by the voice of

23:56

its rider, Porter Rockwell, yelling, Joseph is

23:59

killed. killed him. The

24:07

saints demanded justice for the killings of

24:09

their prophet Joseph Smith and his brother

24:11

Hiram. The people of

24:14

Illinois demanded that the Mormons and their church

24:16

be forced to leave the state. The

24:18

governor of Illinois outlined his quandary.

24:21

The anti-Mormons asked me to violate the

24:24

Constitution, which I am sworn to support,

24:27

by erecting myself into a military

24:29

despot and exiling the Mormons. And

24:32

the Mormons, in their newspapers, invite

24:34

me to assume absolute power by

24:36

taking a summary vengeance upon their

24:38

enemies, by shooting fifty or

24:41

a hundred of them without judge or

24:43

jury. Caught

24:45

between a proverbial rock and a hard place,

24:48

the governor simply did nothing. With

24:51

their prophet and his brother dead, the LDS

24:53

church was left without a leader. Sidney

24:56

Rigdon was the sole remaining member of

24:58

the First Presidency, but he

25:01

was away conducting Smith's campaign for president.

25:04

He arrived back in Nauvoo in August and

25:06

announced that he had received a vision that

25:09

the church needed a strong leader and that

25:11

he should be that leader. This

25:14

announcement was followed by the arrival of

25:16

Brigham Young, the president of

25:18

the church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Rigdon,

25:22

who had been a close associate of

25:24

Joseph Smith and served as a counselor

25:26

in the First Presidency, claimed

25:28

the right to lead as the, quote, guardian

25:30

of the church. He

25:32

promised to preserve the church until Smith's

25:34

sons could take over. Meanwhile,

25:37

Brigham Young, who had spearheaded

25:39

the church's missionary work abroad,

25:42

argued that the authority of the church

25:44

should reside with the Quorum of the

25:46

Twelve Apostles. The

25:51

pivotal moment in the struggle came during a

25:53

special conference of the church in August 1844.

25:57

Brigham Young, known for his decisive of

26:00

leadership and organizational skills addressed

26:03

the congregation. He

26:05

reportedly mirrored Joseph Smith in both

26:07

voice and mannerism to such an

26:09

extent that many in attendance felt

26:11

as though Smith himself was speaking

26:13

to them. The

26:15

event significantly swayed the majority of

26:17

Latter-day Saints in favor of Young's

26:19

leadership model. Sidney

26:22

Rigdon's claim was ultimately rejected by

26:24

the church body, and he was

26:26

excommunicated. He left Nauvoo

26:28

and formed a splinter group. Brigham

26:31

Young's new authority solidified the leadership

26:33

role of the Quorum of the

26:35

Twelve Apostles and set the

26:37

stage for the next chapter in Latter-day

26:39

Saints history. Under

26:42

Young's direction, the church began

26:44

preparations for a monumental migration

26:46

westward. They wanted a

26:48

new refuge where they could practice their

26:51

faith without persecution. Porter

26:53

Rockwell was selected as the messenger

26:55

between Nauvoo and the westward migration.

26:58

Porter made five trips across Iowa between

27:01

March and May of 1846 as the

27:03

flock pushed westward

27:05

toward Utah and the Great Salt

27:07

Lake. On his

27:09

final trip back to Nauvoo, Porter

27:11

was arrested and accused of various

27:14

lawless acts, including

27:16

assassination attempts and counterfeiting. Church

27:20

historians believe that the arrest was

27:22

planned by Brigham Young to buy

27:24

time for the remaining Saints to

27:26

leave Illinois while attention was locked

27:28

on Rockwell. Through

27:30

calculated legal strategies, Rockwell's

27:32

situation was maneuvered to his advantage

27:35

and he was eventually released. As

27:38

he prepared to leave Nauvoo for the last time,

27:41

Porter met Joseph Smith III, the son of

27:44

his late fond. According

27:47

to Smith, Rockwell wept as he

27:49

embraced him and cried, they've killed the

27:51

only friend I ever had. Then

27:54

Rockwell warned the younger man that it wasn't

27:56

safe for them to be seen together. Porter

27:59

Rockwell Rockwell crossed the Mississippi River

28:01

from Nauvoo one final time and

28:04

headed west on the journey of a lifetime.

28:11

Next time on Legends of the Old West, Porter

28:14

Rockwell becomes a scout and a guide as

28:16

the Saints make the long trip to the

28:18

Great Salt Lake. There

28:20

he takes up the mantle of lawmen, one he will

28:22

hold for the rest of his laws. And

28:25

he and the rest of the Saints

28:27

become embroiled in tense situations with local

28:29

Native American tribes and then the

28:31

US Army. That's next week

28:33

on Legends of the Old West. Members

28:40

of our Black Barrel Plus program don't have to

28:43

wait week to week to receive new episodes. They

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once with no commercials. And

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they also receive exclusive bonus episodes. Sign

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up now through the link in the show

28:55

notes or on our website blackbarrelmedia.com. Links

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are just $5 per month. This

29:02

series was researched and written by Matthew Kern.

29:05

Original music by Rob Valier. I'm

29:07

your host and producer, Chris Wimmer. If

29:10

you enjoyed the show, please leave us a

29:12

rating and a review on Apple Podcasts or

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wherever you're listening. Check

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for listening. Saving money

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