“We alledge that these men arraigned before you at the Bar, are the men who were the movers, and instigators, of that mob who committed the crime, and shed blood, upon the soil of your town, they were the cause of the spilling of that blood in consequence of which, murder, rests upon their hands, and hearts of these five men here arraigned.” — Josiah Lambon¹

Of the 100 men who were part of the attack that led to Joseph and Hyrum Smith's murder on June 27, 1844, only five men were brought to trial: Thomas C. Sharp, publisher of the anti-Mormon Warsaw Signal; Levi Williams, colonel of the 59th Regiment of the Illinois militia; Mark Aldrich, commander of the Warsaw Independent Battalion; William N. Grover, captain of the Warsaw Rifle Company; and Jacob C. Davis, state senator and commander of the Warsaw Cadets.² Josiah Lamborn, who had previously served as Illinois Attorney General, was the chief prosecuting attorney during the trail.³ Despite strong suspicions of their guilt and the belief that they orchestrated the mob attack, all five men were acquitted. The trial was plagued by local prejudice, and although many believed justice had not been served, the accused resumed their lives as respected citizens.^4,5

1. Account of Trial, 21–28 May 1845, Longhand [State of Illinois v. Williams et al.], p. 7, The Joseph Smith Papers

2. Introduction to State of Illinois v. Williams et al. and State of Illinois v. Elliott–C, The Joseph Smith Papers

3. The Cartage Conspiracy Trial: An Account, UMKC School of Law

4. “Who Killed Joseph Smith,” churchofjesuschrist.org

5. Timothy Merrill, “‘Will the Murderers Be Hung?’ Albert Brown’s 1844 Letter and the Martyrdom of Joseph Smith,” BYU Studies 45:2;