On June 27, 1844 at the Carthage jail, Hyrum and Joseph Smith were shot
and killed by men with blackened faces who stormed in with the sole intent
of murdering the prophet. The bullet holes from the muzzles of rifles pressed
against the door are still intact. For a time, the tour guides would show stains from the blood on the floor during the presentation (blood is difficult to clean up), but they no
longer do that. I think not showing the blood stain puts more of an emphasis on Joseph and Hyrum finishing their work, rather than being murdered.
Joseph fell from the window pictured on the left and landed around
the well pictured on the right. None of their killers were brought to justice. They severely wounded John Taylor, who later became the third president of the church. His account of the situation can be read here.
The feeling inside of the jail is unusual—bittersweet would probably be how I would describe it. Knowing that Joseph and Hyrum were killed here makes it bitter, but it is sweet to know that both were able to persevere through the persecution. Joseph gave up his life to protect everyone in Nauvoo, and he went (in his own words) as a “lamb to the slaughter” on the way to Carthage.
The tour guides here are very informative, and an audio presentation is
played when your group reaches the room where the murders actually took
place. Carthage is a pretty town, and there’s a good restaurant that we
stopped at near the town square. A lot of sojourners on Church history tours
don’t bother eating in Carthage. However, if you get the chance, you should.
The people of Carthage are nice, and would probably appreciate it if we
didn’t seem so stuffy and rude so as to not give up tourist dollars. Ill-will between members of the Church and Carthage is still very present.
"Sorry...I just thought with the captain issue in question, I'd throw
in my name for consideration."
Pintel