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Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842

Source Note

JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to the church and others, 23 June 1842. Featured version published in Wasp, 25 June 1842, vol. 1, no. 11, [2]–[3]. For more complete source information, see the source note for Notice, 28 April 1842.

Historical Introduction

On 23 June 1842, JS wrote a letter to members of the and “to all the honorable part of community” about , addressing his conduct with women in , Illinois, and describing how church leaders had handled the situation. Bennett, who had been serving as the mayor of Nauvoo and as an assistant president pro tempore in the , had been charged with seducing numerous women by telling them that JS sanctioned and practiced “promiscous intercourse between the sexes.” JS explained in this letter that he had become aware of Bennett’s adultery not long after Bennett arrived in Nauvoo in September 1840 and that he had given Bennett several chances to repent and reform.
In spring 1842, JS became increasingly concerned about ’s conduct. In March, JS and sent a letter to the , explaining that they had been informed of “some unprincipled men” who had committed “iniquity” and justified their actions by “say[ing] they have authority from Joseph or the first Presidency or any other Presidency of the church.” On 10 April, JS preached to church members and “pronounced a curse upon all Adulterers & fornicators & unvirtuous persons. & those who had made use of his name to carry on their iniquitous designs.” In the entry for 29 April in JS’s journal, noted that JS had discovered “a conspiracy again[s]t the peace of his household.” Richards later inserted “J.C.B.” in this entry, suggesting that the “conspiracy” involved John C. Bennett. On 11 May, JS and other church leaders withdrew fellowship from Bennett, although they did not make their action public at that time. On 17 May, Bennett resigned as mayor of , and on 19 May, he swore before the Nauvoo City Council that JS had never taught him that extramarital sexual relations were lawful.
A few days later, the began a series of disciplinary hearings against individuals in Nauvoo accused of adultery and fornication, which led to the uncovering of “much iniquity” and the excommunication of several people. Because church leaders had already withdrawn fellowship from , he was not one of the Saints excommunicated by the high council, but several people testified before the high council regarding his conduct. According to JS’s journal, on 26 May at the Nauvoo Masonic Lodge, Bennett himself “confessed the charges preferred again[s]t him concerning. females in Nauvoo.” His confession and contrition on this occasion persuaded JS and other church leaders to not publish—as they had threatened to do—a notice that they had withdrawn fellowship from Bennett. But something apparently changed over the next few weeks because church leaders did publish the notice in the 15 June 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons. On 18 June, JS spoke before thousands of “Citizens of Nauvoo Both Male & female” and “exposed” the “iniquity & wickedness of Gen John Cook Bennet”; Bennett later claimed that he was excommunicated from the church on this day, though no such action is noted in the existing account of the meeting. Three days later, Bennett left Nauvoo for , Illinois.
Fearing that was going to collaborate with Missourians in kidnapping JS, and likely concerned that Bennett would continue to tell people that JS not only approved of his actions with women but was also seducing women himself, JS wrote this letter to inform church members and the public of Bennett’s “character and conduct” and to deny any allegations that he, JS, was involved in similar inappropriate actions. In 1841 and the first months of 1842, JS was apparently in marriage to several women, although only a select few church members knew of the marriages. However, he viewed these sealings—which involved formal proposals to the women and religious ceremonies with witnesses—as fundamentally different from what Bennett accused him of and from Bennett’s own promiscuous behavior.
In the 23 June letter, JS included affidavits from individuals stating that admitted to his conduct and had declared that JS never taught him that such things were correct. Bennett, however, later insisted that he had been coerced into making such statements and did so only because he feared for his life. Bennett also later presented himself as a virtuous man who had never engaged in any immoral practices with women and asserted that JS was the one who had made improper advances toward women in . The charges and countercharges between Bennett and JS were widely published in newspapers throughout the country in the summer of 1842.
JS’s original 23 June 1842 letter is apparently not extant. The letter was published in the 25 June 1842 issue of the Wasp, and this is the version presented here. It was then reprinted in the 1 July 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons. Other newspapers also reprinted the letter, including the New York Herald in its 21 July 1842 issue.

Footnotes

  1. [1]

    Letter to Emma Smith and the Relief Society, 31 Mar. 1842.

  2. [2]

    JS, Journal, 10 Apr. 1842.

  3. [3]

    JS, Journal, 29 Apr. 1842.

  4. [4]

    Notice, 11 May 1842.

  5. [5]

    “New Election of Mayor, and Vice Mayor, of the City of Nauvoo,” Wasp, 21 May 1842, [3]; Letters from John C. Bennett and James Sloan, 17 May 1842; JS, Journal, 19 May 1842.

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  6. [6]

    Woodruff, Journal, 27 May 1842; Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 27 May 1842; Catherine Fuller Warren, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 25 May 1842, Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, CHL.

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

    Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842. CHL.

  7. [7]

    JS, Journal, 26 May 1842; JS et al., “Notice,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1842, 3:830.

  8. [8]

    Woodruff, Journal, 18 June 1842; John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2].

    Woodruff, Wilford. Journals, 1833–1898. Wilford Woodruff, Journals and Papers, 1828–1898. CHL. MS 1352.

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  9. [9]

    [Nauvoo Masonic Lodge], Nauvoo, IL, to Abraham Jonas, [Columbus, IL], 21 June 1842, Letters pertaining to Freemasonry in Nauvoo, CHL.

    Letters pertaining to Freemasonry in Nauvoo, 1842. CHL.

  10. [10]

    Although he was apparently not part of the small circle of participants in or witnesses of authorized plural marriages, Bennett may have had some knowledge of JS’s sealings to several women and may have been referring to these plural marriages in his accusations against JS.

  11. [11]

    John C. Bennett, Nauvoo, IL, 27 June 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal (Springfield, IL), 8 July 1842, [2].

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

  12. [12]

    See, for example, “A Row among the Mormons,” Sun (Baltimore), 22 July 1842, [2]; “Trouble in the Mormon Camp,” Logansport (IN) Telegraph, 30 July 1842, [1]–[2]; and “Important from the Far West,” New York Herald, 21 July 1842, [2].

    Sun. Baltimore. 1837–2008.

    Logansport Telegraph. Logansport, IN. 1837–1849.

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

  13. [13]

    JS, Nauvoo, IL, to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, 3:839–842.

  14. [14]

    “Important from the Far West,” New York Herald, 21 July 1842, [2].

    New York Herald. New York City. 1835–1924.

Asterisk (*) denotes a "featured" version, which includes an introduction and annotation.
*Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842
Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842, as Published in Times and Seasons Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842 History, 1838–1856, volume C-1 [2 November 1838–31 July 1842] “History of Joseph Smith”

Page [2]

TO THE , AND TO ALL THE HONORABLE PART OF COMMUNITY.
It becomes my duty to lay before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and the public generally, some important facts relative to the conduct and character of Dr , who has lately been expelled from the aforesaid church; that the honorable part of community may be aware of his proceedings and be ready to treat him and regard him as he ought to be regarded, viz: as an imposter and base adulterer.
It is a matter of notoriety that said Dr. , become favorable to the doctrines taught by the of the church of Latter Day Saints, and located himself in the city of , about the month of August 1840, and soon after joined the church. Soon after it was known that he had become a member of said church, a communication was received at , from a person of respectable character, and residing in the vicinity where had lived. This letter cautioned us against him, setting forth that he was a very mean man, and had another , and two or three children in , Morgan county, Ohio; but knowing that it is no uncommon thing for good men to be evil spoken against, the above letter was kept quiet, but held in reserve.
He had not been long in before he began to keep company with a young lady, one of our citizens; and she being ignorant of his having a wife living, gave way to his addresses, and became confident, from his behavior towards her, that he intended to marry her; and this he gave her to understand he would do. I, seeing the folly of such an acquaintance, persuaded him to desist; and, on account of his continuing his course, finally threatened to expose him if he did not desist. This, to outward appearance, had the desired effect, and the acquaintance between them was broken off.
But, like one of the most abominable and depraved beings which could possibly exist, he only broke off his publicly wicked actions, to sink deeper into iniquity and hypocracy. When he saw that I would not submit to any such conduct, he went to some of the females in the , who knew nothing of him but as an honorable man, & began to teach them that promiscous intercourse between the sexes, was a doctrine believed in by the Latter-Day Saints, and that there was no harm in it; but this failing, he had recourse to a more influential and desperately wicked course; and that was, to persuade them that myself and others of the authorities of the church not only sanctioned, but practiced the same wicked acts; and when asked why I publicly preached so much against it, said that it was because of the prejudice of the public, and that it would cause trouble in my own house. He was well aware of the consequence of such wilful and base falsehoods, if they should come to my knowledge; and consequently endeavored to persuade his dupes to keep it a matter of secresy, persuading them there would be no harm if they should not make it known. This proceeding on his part, answered the desired end; he accomplished his wicked purposes; he seduced an innocent female by his lying, and subjected her character to public disgrace, should it ever be known.
But his depraved heart would not suffer him to stop here. Not being contented with having disgraced one female, he made the attempt up on others; and, by the same plausible tale, overcame them also; evidently not caring whose character was ruined, so that his wicked, lustful appetites might be gratified.
Sometime about the early part of July 1841, I received a letter from Elder and , who were then at , Penn. This letter was dated June 15th, and contained the particulars of a conversation betwixt them and a respectable gentleman from the neighborhood where ’s and children resided. He stated to them that it was a fact that had a wife and children living, and that she had left him because of his ill-treatment towards her. This letter was read to , which he did not attempt to deny; but candidly acknowledged the fact.
Soon after this information reached our ears, made an attempt at suicide, by taking poison: but he being discovered before it had taken effect, and the proper antidotes being administered, he again recovered; but he very much resisted when an attempt was made to save him. The public impression was, that he was so much ashamed of his base and wicked conduct, that he had recourse to the above deed to escape the censures of an indignant community.
It might have been supposed that these circumstances transpiring in the manner they did, would have produced a thorough reformation in his conduct; but, alas! like a being totally destitute of common decency, and without any government over his passions, he was soon busily engaged in the same wicked career, and continued until a knowledge of the same reached my ears. I immediately charged him with it, and he admitted that it was true: but in order to put a stop to all such proceedings for the future, I publicly proclaimed against it, and had those females notified to appear before the proper officers that the whole subject might be investigated and thoroughly exposed.
During the course of investigation, the foregoing facts were proved by credible witnesses, and were sworn and subscribed to before an of the , on the 15th ult. The documents containing the evidence are now in my possession.
We also ascertained by the above investigation, that others had been led by his conduct to persue the same adulterous practice, and in order to accomplish their detestable designs made use of the same language insinuated by , with this difference, that they did not hear me say any thing of the kind, but was one of the heads of the church, and he had informed them that such was the fact, and they credited his testimony.
The public will perceive the aggravating nature of this case; and will see the propriety of this exposure. Had he only been guilty of adultry, that was sufficient to stamp disgrace upon him because he is a man of better information, and has been held high in the estimation of many. But when it is considered that his mind was so intent upon his cruel, and abominable deeds, and his own reputation not being sufficient to enable him to do it, he must make use of my name in order to effect his purposes, an enlightened public will not be astonished at the course I have pursued.
In order that it may be distinctly understood that he wilfully and knowingly lied, in the above insinuations, I will lay before my readers an affidavit taken before an of the , after I had charged him with these things:
State of ,)
City of .)
Personally appeared before me, , an Alderman of said city of , , who being duly sworn according to law, deposeth and saith: that he never was taught any thing in the least contrary to the strictest principles of the Gospel, or of virtue, or of the laws of God, or man, under any circumstances, or upon any occasion either directly or indirectly, in word or deed, by Joseph Smith; and that he never knew the said Smith to countenance any improper conduct whatever, either in public or private; and that he never did teach to me in private that an illegal illicit intercourse with females was, under any circumstances, justifiable; and that I never knew him so to teach others.
.
Sworn to, and subscribed, before me, this 17th day of May, A. D. 1842.
,
Alderman.
The following conversation took place in the City Council, and was elicited in consequence of its being reported that the had stated that I had acted in an indecorous manner, and given countenance to vices practised by the , and others:
May, 19, 1842,
Dr. , ex-Mayor, was then called upon by the Mayor to state if he knew aught against him; when replied: “I know what I am about, and the heads of the Church know what they are about I expect. I have no difficulty with the heads of the church. I publicly avow that any one who has said that I have stated that General Joseph Smith has given me authority to hold illicit intercourse with women is a liar in the face of God, those who have said it are damned liars; they are infernal liars. He never, either in public or private, gave me any such authority or license, and any person who states it is a scoundrel and a liar. I have heard it said that I should become a second by withdrawing from the church, and that I was at variance with the heads and should use an influence against them because I resigned the office of Mayor; this is false. I have no difficulty with the heads of the church, and I intend to continue with you, and hope the time may come when I may be restored to full confidence, and fellowship, and my former standing in the church; and that my conduct may be such as to warrant my restoration—and should the time ever come that I may have the opportunity to test my faith it will then be known whether I am a traitor or a true man.”
Joseph Smith then asked: “Will you please state definitely whether you know any thing against my character either in public or private?”
answered: “I do not; in all my intercourse with Gen. Smith, in public and in private, he has been strictly virtuous.
, ,
, ,
, ,
, ,
, ,
, ,
,
, City Recorder.
May 19th 1842.
After I had done all in my power to persuade him to amend his conduct, and these facts were fully established, (not only by testimony, but by his own concessions,) he having acknowledged that they were true, and seeing no prospects of any satisfaction from his future life, the hand of fellowship was withdrawn from him as a member of the church, by the officers; but on account of his earnestly requesting that we would not publish him to the world, we concluded not to do so at that time, but would let the matter rest until we saw the effect of what we had already done.
It appears evident, that as soon as he perceived that he could no longer maintain his standing as a member of the church, nor his respectability as a citizen, he came to the conclusion to leave the place; which he has done; and that very abruptly; and had he done so quietly, and not attempted to deceive the people around him, his case would not have excited the indignation of the citizens, so much as his real conduct has done. In order to make his case look plausible, he has reported, “that he had withdrawn from the church because we were not worthy of his society;” thus instead of manifesting a spirit of repentance, he has to the last, proved himself to be unworthy the confidence or regard of any upright person, by lying, to deceive the innocent, and committing adultery in the most abominable and degraded manner.
We are credibly informed that he has colleagued with some of our former wicked perse [p. [2]]
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Editorial Title
Letter to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842
ID #
4787
Total Pages
2
Print Volume Location
JSP, D10:178–187
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Footnotes

  1. [1]

    See Notice, 11 May 1842; and JS, Journal, 26 May 1842.

  2. [2]

    In July and August 1840, Bennett wrote several letters to JS expressing his wish to join the Saints in Nauvoo. He arrived in Nauvoo sometime in early September 1840 and was baptized. (Letter from John C. Bennett, 25 July 1840; Letter from John C. Bennett, 27 July 1840; Letter from John C. Bennett, 30 July 1840; Letter from John C. Bennett, 15 Aug. 1840; Bennett, History of the Saints, 18.)

    Bennett, John C. The History of the Saints; or, an Exposé of Joe Smith and Mormonism. Boston: Leland and Whiting, 1842.

  3. [3]

    Bennett married Mary Barker in January 1826. The couple lived in McConnelsville, Ohio, for a few months in 1827 before moving to Circleville, Ohio. After living in several places in central Ohio, the Bennetts relocated to the Hocking River valley in Athens County, Ohio (which adjoins Morgan County, the location of McConnelsville), around 1836. Bennett left the Hocking Valley in June 1838 for Illinois without his family. Mary reportedly left Bennett shortly before his departure to Illinois because of his infidelity. She apparently was living again in McConnelsville at this time; the 1850 census lists her as living in Morgan, Morgan County, Ohio. (Smith, Saintly Scoundrel, 5, 45–46; John Carter, Statement, Lima, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, in Wasp, 1 Oct. 1842, [1]; 1850 U.S. Census, Morgan, Morgan Co., OH, 248[A].)

    Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

    Census (U.S.) / U.S. Bureau of the Census. Population Schedules. Microfilm. FHL.

  4. [4]

    Lorenzo D. Wasson, JS’s nephew, declared that in the summer of 1841, when he was living with JS and Emma Smith, he heard JS “give J. C. Bennett a tremendous flagellation for practicing iniquity under the base pretence of authority from the heads of the church.” (Letter from Lorenzo D. Wasson, 30 July 1842.)

  5. [5]

    It is uncertain which women JS had in mind when he wrote this part of the letter. Catherine Fuller Warren testified before the Nauvoo high council that she “became acquainted” with Bennett around May 1841 and had been seduced by him. Warren also said that Bennett “kept company” with Melissa Schindle as well as with Matilda Nyman and Margaret Nyman in Nauvoo. (Catherine Fuller Warren, Testimony, Nauvoo, IL, 25 May 1842, Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, CHL.)

    Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842. CHL.

  6. [6]

    Around the first of June 1841, Smith and Law had left on a mission to the eastern United States, although their exact assignment is unclear. The letter referred to here is apparently not extant. (“The Late Proceedings,” Times and Seasons, 15 June 1841, 2:447.)

    Times and Seasons. Commerce/Nauvoo, IL. Nov. 1839–Feb. 1846.

  7. [7]

    Others who knew Bennett before his arrival in Nauvoo corroborated these statements. W. P. Rowell, for example, stated that he knew Bennett in the Hocking Valley area of Ohio, and considered him “a very bad character, and not worthy the name of a gentlemen.” According to Rowell, Mary Bennett left her husband “in consequence of his ill treatment of her at home, and his intimacy with other women.” John Carter, who said he was acquainted with Bennett in Ohio, stated that Bennett’s adulteries had broken up seven families. After church member George Miller was sent to Ohio to investigate these charges, he reported that Mary Bennett had left her husband “under satisfactory evidence of his adulterous connections; nor was this his only fault; he used her bad otherwise.” (W. P. Rowell, Statement, in Affidavits and Certificates [Nauvoo, IL: 1842], copy at CHL; John Carter, Statement, Lima, IL, 1 Sept. 1842, in Wasp, 1 Oct. 1842, [1]; Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, 3:842.)

    Affidavits and Certificates, Disproving the Statements and Affidavits Contained in John C. Bennett’s Letters. Nauvoo Aug. 31, 1842. [Nauvoo, IL: 1842]. Copy at CHL.

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  8. [8]

    Although not publicized at the time, Bennett evidently made this suicide attempt in July 1841. Ebenezer Robinson recalled many years later that “it required quite an effort on the part of the physicians to save his life, as he strenuously resisted their efforts to save him.” (“Bennettiana,” Wasp, 23 July 1842, [2]; Ebenezer Robinson, “Items of Personal History of the Editor,” Return [Davis City, IA], Nov. 1890, 2:362.)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

    The Return. Davis City, IA, 1889–1891; Richmond, MO, 1892–1893; Davis City, 1895–1896; Denver, 1898; Independence, MO, 1899–1900.

  9. [9]

    JS may have been referring here to a sermon he preached in Nauvoo on 10 April 1842. (JS, Journal, 10 Apr. 1842.)

  10. [10]

    See Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20, 24, 25, 27, and 28 May 1842; and Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842, CHL.

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

    Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842. CHL.

  11. [11]

    After describing Bennett’s adulterous conduct in Nauvoo, Willard Richards wrote in a 21 June 1842 letter that “we had these females brought before the proper officers who in the presence of said officers testified to the above statements under oath, they having subscribed and sworn to the foregoing facts, before an alderman of the City.” ([Nauvoo Masonic Lodge], Nauvoo, IL, to Abraham Jonas, [Columbus, IL], 21 June 1842, Letters pertaining to Freemasonry in Nauvoo, CHL.)

    Letters pertaining to Freemasonry in Nauvoo, 1842. CHL.

  12. [12]

    Chauncey Higbee, George Thatcher, Lyman Littlefield, Darwin Chase, and Joel Miles were all accused before the Nauvoo high council of attempting to seduce women by telling them that church leaders sanctioned “free intercourse with women if it was kept secret.” (Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 20, 27, and 28 May 1842; Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842, CHL.)

    Nauvoo High Council Minutes, 1839–1845. CHL. LR 3102 22.

    Testimonies in Nauvoo High Council Cases, May 1842. CHL.

  13. [13]

    Bennett stated that he made this affidavit only after JS threatened to shoot him and leave him as “cat fish bait” in the Mississippi River if he did not produce the affidavit. Hyrum Smith, however, stated that he was present when Bennett made the affidavit and that “there was no threats used, nor harshness.” (John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 15 July 1842, [2], italics in original; “Affidavit of Hyrum Smith,” in Affidavits and Certificates [Nauvoo, IL: 1842], copy at CHL.)

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    Affidavits and Certificates, Disproving the Statements and Affidavits Contained in John C. Bennett’s Letters. Nauvoo Aug. 31, 1842. [Nauvoo, IL: 1842]. Copy at CHL.

  14. [14]

    That is, John C. Bennett, who served a medical apprenticeship with his uncle Samuel Hildreth from 1822 to 1825, and who had received a certificate from the Twelfth Medical Society of Chester, Meigs County, Ohio. (Smith, Saintly Scoundrel, 3–5.)

    Smith, Andrew F. The Saintly Scoundrel: The Life and Times of Dr. John Cook Bennett. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1997.

  15. [15]

    JS was elected mayor by the city council on 19 May 1842. (Minutes, 19 May 1842; “New Election of Mayor, and Vice Mayor, of the City of Nauvoo,” Wasp, 21 May 1842, [3].)

    The Wasp. Nauvoo, IL. Apr. 1842–Apr. 1843.

  16. [16]

    Sampson Avard was a member of the church and a general in the Danite society who turned against JS and other church leaders during the 1838 conflict in Missouri. Avard testified against JS, which led in part to JS’s incarceration in Clay County, Missouri, in 1838 and 1839. (Introduction to Part 3: 4 Nov. 1838–16 Apr. 1839.)

  17. [17]

    The above three paragraphs, beginning with “Dr. John C. Bennett, ex-Mayor” and ending with “strictly virtuous,” are included in JS’s journal under the date of 19 May 1842, with only a few punctuation and capitalization differences. Bennett insisted that JS threatened him with death if he did not make this statement before the city council, but William Law swore an affidavit that Bennett made the statement “voluntarily . . . not under duress, but of his own free will, as many witnesses can testify.” (JS, Journal, 19 May 1842; John C. Bennett, Carthage, IL, 2 July 1842, Letter to the Editor, Sangamo Journal [Springfield, IL], 15 July 1842, [2]; “Affidavit of Wm. Law,” in Affidavits and Certificates [Nauvoo, IL: 1842], copy at CHL.)

    Sangamo Journal. Springfield, IL. 1831–1847.

    Affidavits and Certificates, Disproving the Statements and Affidavits Contained in John C. Bennett’s Letters. Nauvoo Aug. 31, 1842. [Nauvoo, IL: 1842]. Copy at CHL.

  18. [18]

    All of these individuals were members of the Nauvoo City Council who were presumably present when Bennett made these statements. When the letter was printed in the 1 July 1842 issue of the Times and Seasons, the list of individuals was reordered and divided into aldermen and councilors for the Nauvoo City Council. (JS, Nauvoo, IL, to the Church and Others, 23 June 1842, in Times and Seasons, 1 July 1842, 3:841.)

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