John D. Lee was convicted in the second trial for his role in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Will describes what he believes was a deal between prosecutors and the LDS Church. Will: Anyway, Sumner Howard, or a member of his team, his assistant goes before Judge Borman, and says, “Judge, I have eaten dirt, and I have rolled around in
It took 18 years to start the first trial of John D. Lee for the atrocities at Mountain Meadows. Why did it take so long? Historian Will Bagley believes LDS Church leaders covered up the crime. How does he come to that conclusion? Will: But, what I’m saying is that the event that Wilford Woodruff records is staged, and in
Following Will Bagley’s 2002 release of Blood of the Prophets, Richard Turley published Massacre at Mountain Meadows in 2008, as well as some collected legal records in 2017. I asked historian Will Bagley his impression of Turley’s work, and was surprised by his reaction. GT: Should we get your opinion of that book [Massacre at Mountain Meadows]? I’m curious. Will:
When assigning blame for the Mountain Meadows Massacre, two figures who played a prominent role in raising tensions often don’t get talked about as much as others: President James Buchanan, and apostle George A. Smith. Will Bagley tells how these two men created the environment which allowed a massacre to take place at Mountain Meadows. Will: Buchanan thought that by
Just a few years before the Mountain Meadows Massacre was the Willie & Martin Handcart disasters. Will Bagley has some surprising allegations about Brigham Young concerning these disasters. Will: Brigham Young gets word of this through Franklin D Richards, and goes into Conference–it’s late October by this time. How does he deal with the crisis? He lays it on the
163 years ago this month a terrible massacre occurred in southern Utah: the Mountain Meadows Massacre. Juanita Brooks was the first LDS scholar to examine the massacre, and her book published in 1957 set the standard for Mormon scholarship. In our next conversation with Will Bagley, we’ll get acquainted with him, and he will give his impressions of Brooks’ famous
This list is broken down by Transcripts, Books of our Guests, and Other great Mormon History books! By using the links here, you can support Gospel Tangents, the Authors, and save money at Amazon! Transcripts Scholar/Guest Title Link Anne Wilde Anne Wilde: Expert on Modern Day Polygamy https://amzn.to/2QjCH5q Anne Wilde/David Patrick Reflecting on 50 years: “Jesus Was Married” https://amzn.to/2UiDwwy Bill
There are many good and bad things in Mormon history. Some people leave the Church over these issues. John Larsen of the Sunstone Podcast puts Rick on the hot seat and asks why he stays in the LDS Church. John: So why are you still Mormon? Rick: (Chuckling) So you know, at Sunstone they have that, Why I Stay series.
The 1890 Manifesto was issued saying the LDS Church no longer practiced polygamy. However, it was practiced secretly. LDS Apostle Reed Smoot was elected as a US Senator from Utah in 1902, causing Congress to investigate whether the LDS Church had continued to practice polygamy. Lindsay Hansen Park, host of the Year of Polygamy podcast, will give us more details
