Devotional at Carthage Jail commemorates martyrdom
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CARTHAGE, Ill. — In the shadows of Carthage Jail, more than 400 missionaries and guests joined in an early morning devotional June 27 to remember the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on that date in 1844.
Presided over by President Richard K. Sager of the Illinois Nauvoo Mission, the program included remarks by Milton V. Backman, emeritus professor of Church history at BYU, and Joyce Shireman, site director for the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) in Nauvoo.
Also included was a dramatic recitation by a missionary, Elder Verne Nelson, of events associated with the martyrdom, and a musical tribute by 15 young performing missionaries in the Nauvoo mission. Elder Richard Robison, also a Nauvoo missionary, offered a rendition of the hymn "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief," which was sung by Elder John Taylor at the request of the Prophet Joseph while imprisoned in the jail just before the martyrdom.
A group of missionary musicians forming William Pitt's Brass Band provided music. The original William Pitt's Brass Band was made up of Latter-day Saints who lived in Nauvoo during the days of Joseph Smith and who went west with the pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley under the direction of Brigham Young.
Elder Backman cautioned listeners seated on the grounds of the jail not to "emphasize the tragedy of the loss [of the prophet and his brother] but concentrate on the triumph of their vision." He reiterated the details leading up to the tragedy and then rehearsed the Prophet's numerous doctrinal contributions.
"Joseph Smith was a great teacher; he unfolded more distinct teachings than any other religious leader in the Christian world," said Elder Backman, who is currently serving in the Illinois Peoria Mission with his wife, Sister Sharon Backman. "His greatest contribution was his vision — he taught basic principles and conferred the keys so the vision could continue."
