. . . and assuming it didn't jam on him, the gun would have emptied soon enough, in a situation where he was trying to get off rounds as fast as possible with the weapon, which was a repeater model. Although this pistol wasn't known for its dependability or effectivness, Smith could have probably wounded or killed anyone if his aim was good and true. (That depends, however, on if you define Smith as "good" and his cult being "true”).
Assuming Smith hit his assailants, according to historical reports there is evidence that, at Carthage, he not only wounded some members of the mob assaulting his second-story jail "cell" (it was actually a bedroom), but that he may have fatally shot a couple of his attackers.
Mormons would probably support him in his ill-fated, over-rated gunplay--whether Joe was a good shot or not--because total, blind devotion to the Lord's prophet would be a TBM's best shot for getting to the Celestial Kingdom and there engaging in sexual relations with their harems of wives forever and ever.
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Below is a description of Smith's go-to, gun-fight gun, as provided on some LDS guns-for-God wack-a-world website, headlined, "Joseph's Pepperbox [posted on] the week of Joseph's death (The 27th [of June]"
"The pepperbox is a multi-barrel repeating firearm that has three or more revolving barrels.
"The Pepperbox is one of the few revolvers that can be found in every ammunition system: Matchlock, Wheellock, Flintlock, Percussion, Pinfire, and Centerfire.
"Joseph’s was a 6 shot, .32 caliber Allen and Thurber. They were not known for being very accurate or reliable, but the price was right. About $10.00.
"In the Church History Museum near Temple Square, located inside a glass case, resides a pair of 19th-century pistols and a walking stick. The placard reads, in part, as follows:
'Joseph’s Pepperbox Pistol and Hyrum’s Single Shot Pistol. These guns were used by both men for their defense during the attack at Carthage'
"These were the guns that were smuggled into the Carthage Jail while Joseph Smith, Hyrum and their friends awaited their fate. On the morning of June 27, 1844, Cyrus Wheelock visited the jail. The morning being a little rainy, favoured his wearing an overcoat, in the side pocket of which he was enabled to carry a six-shooter, and he passed the guard unmolested. During his visit in the prison he slipped the revolver into Joseph’s pocket. Joseph examined it, and asked Wheelock if he had not better retain it for his own protection.
"This was a providential circumstance, as most other persons had been very rigidly searched. Joseph then handed the single barrel pistol, which had been given him by John S. Fullmer, to his brother Hyrum, and said, 'You may have use for this.” Brother Hyrum observed, 'I hate to use such things, or to see them used.' 'So do I,' said Joseph, 'but we may have to, to defend ourselves;' upon this. Hyrum took the pistol. [Someone pass the Kleenex].
"Although it was referred to as a 'six shooter,' the pepper-box pistol was not a revolver in the normal sense. It incorporated six individual barrels, it was difficult to aim and tended to be unreliable. The June 2013 'Ensign' features a painting Greater Love Hath No Man, by Casey Childs. The artwork features all three items in the display case. Joseph, Hyrum and Willard Richards are attempting to hold the door shut as the mob attempts to enter the room. John Taylor is holding his walking stick. In Hyrum’s left pocket is the single shot pistol brought into the jail by Fullmer, and in Joseph’s left pocket, clearly visible, is the pepper-box pistol given to him by Wheelock.
('The Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star,' Vol. 24, No. 29, July 19, 1862, p. 459)
"The artist [Casey Childs], who produced an oil painting of Smiths' death scene which he titled "Greater Love Hath No Man," has documented the meticulous process by which he created a historically accurate representation of the moment just before Hyrum was shot. This included researching the pistols that Joseph and Hyrum were carrying in their pockets.
"Early in 1845, with tentative plans for a westward move in mind, the LDS authorities directed Orson Pratt to purchase, with tithing money 'six barreled pistols for self-defense, (while journeying in western wilds).' When he returned in November from New York, Pratt brought 'four hundred dollars worth of Allen's revolving six-shooting pistols (alias pepperboxes).'
(Brigham H. Roberts, ed., "History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," 7 vols., Salt Lake City, 1902-32), "History of the Church,," vol. 7, p. 509)
" . . . [T]he pepperbox was used predominantly by LDS Church members, including the prophet Joseph Smith.
"Brigham Young also wanted the Saints to be armed.
"When such a group did depart for the Great Basin in April 1847, each ablebodied man was to carry a rifle or musket and have one pound of powder and four pounds of lead. Of the nine travel orders issued by Brigham Young, two concerned firearms. First, 'Every man is to have his gun and pistol in perfect order.' Second, 'Each man is to travel with his gun on his shoulder, loaded, and each driver have his gun so placed that he can lay hold of it at a moment's warning.'
(William M. Egan, ed., "Pioneering the West 1846 to 1878, Major Howard Fgan's Diary," Richmond, Utah, 1917, p. 24; "Clayton, William Clayton's Journal," p. 81; Brigham H. Roberts, "A Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols., Salt Lake City, 1930, vol. 3, p.165)
"The Pepperbox will always be featured in LDS history because of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith. I imagine many Saints defended themselves with this weapon too. It will go down in LDS history as one of the weapons that help[ed] settle the Saints.
"'Semper Paratus'"
(Editor's note on that Latin phrase: "'Semper paratus' is the motto of the United States Coast Guard and it is defined as meaning 'The definition of always prepared.' An example of 'semper paratus' is what a United States Coast Guard member will say is his motto and is the reason he is ready for any emergency." See:
http://www.yourdictionary.com/semper-paratus Hmmmm. I didn't known Joseph Smith was in the Coast Guard).
The author of this gun-ho article then closes with the following call to arms:
"P.S.--I love this quote from Joseph Smith: 'Peace be still, bury the hatchet and the sword, the sound of war is dreadful in my ear. [But] any man who will not fight for his wife and children is a coward and a bastard.'
("An American Prophet’s Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith," p. 298.)
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(Source for above: "Joseph's Pepperbox," posted Thursday, June 26, 2014, on "LDS Gun Site: The only LDS gun site on the web! Your home for everything gun, defense/security and preparedness related with an LDS/Mormon perspective. We were Preppers when they were called Nuts!"
http://ldsgunsite.blogspot.com/2014/06/josephs-pepperbox.html)
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Go forth, all ye Mormon marauders. On to New York City's 5th Avenue to slay the wicked with your prayed-over pepperboxes! Thy will be gun, on earth as it is in heaven! Praise to the man whose Jehovah couldn't save him.
Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/2018 02:44PM by steve benson.