Virtual Storytelling Tour: Carthage Jail — the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith in Carthage, Illinois

The Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were shot and killed while under the protection of the state of Illinois in Carthage Jail. They were in Carthage for trial to answer charges related to the destruction of a newspaper press, the Nauvoo Expositor.

The jail and its rooms are shown as the story unfolds.

After being kept in a dungeon cell and a debtors’ cell, Joseph Smith and those accompanying him were eventually given the jailors bedroom as their quarters.

The events of June 24-27 are related in some detail leading to a mob of men storming the jail, murdering Joseph and Hyrum Smith, and leaving John Taylor severely wounded. The feelings and thoughts of Wilford Woodruff were that their deaths were part of the Lord’s plan and that Joseph is now continuing his mission in the world of the spirits of the dead.