Last week I went to the church history museum with 2 of my roommates (one is an uber-TBM who doesn't know anything about my unbelief and the other is a kindred non-believer). It's been years since I've been there and since then, they've added something interesting. In a case next to the death masks of Joe & Hiram they have 2 pistols on display with a description underneath saying something like "these pistols were used by the prophet and his brother in defense against the mob at Carthage Jail".

I was totally shocked! We all know that we were never taught anything about pistols in carthage jail. In fact, I had never heard anything about it until a little over a year ago when I started lurking here on RfM. I couldn't believe they had the pistols on display at all. My non-believer roommate and I exchanged a knowing look, but of course, our TBM roommate didn't even bat an eye. She read the description and only said "hmm...that's cool...I didn't know that." No red flag, no questions like "hey wait a minute, how did a bunch of guys in JAIL happen to have pistols to "defend" themselves? Why haven't I ever heard about this before?" It didn't even register in her mind. How sad.

It was an interesting excursion to say the least. I had to fight the urge to swear about a thousand times. Every time I looked at an artifact of JS, BY, or Heber C. Kimball I felt sick to my stomach and felt like punching someone in the face! A far cry from how that place made me feel back in my TBM days when we would go on tours for Singles Ward activities!

Maybe it was because I spent a lot of time with members in the 60's at BYU in Provo, but I got quite an education in some of the history. I recall a discussion about this in Sunday School - the whole story as recorded about Carthage Jail, who was there, the songs sun, sending out for wine, and the pistols, how one misfired, etc.

I own a little book authored by G. B. Hinckley called: Truth Restored that covers some of the official story of the "martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum."

It was published in 1947, and republished in 1969. I have the 1969 edition. It was one of the first books I read about the history.
(Interesting how they called a shoot out a martyrdom.)
I seem to recall that it was used as a supplement to a Sunday School Lesson in the 70's.

Apparently they don't teach much of that anymore!

I'm surprised the Church's history museum isn't empty.

many years ago, that the museum has a lot of things they don't put out. Apparently they don't have room. I think some things are rotated, however. But I have not been there in decades.

Do they have the Sword of Laban there?

dieter Wrote:
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> Do they have the Sword of Laban there?


I think they are still looking for it! :-)

SusieQ#1 Wrote:
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> dieter Wrote:
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> -----
> > Do they have the Sword of Laban there?
>
>
> I think they are still looking for it! :-)

It is right next to the Golden Plates, the Urim and Thummin and the lost pages.

Nah, the church keeps those in the Granite vaults.

You can even buy it:

http://www.ldsartifacts.com/products

which church history museum are you talking about?

Well if they had it in a vault they should put it on display. Behind a screen so its holiness doeant facemelt everyone

Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting. Did you happen to see the kinderhook plates of BOA papyrii on display? haha