“On the ensuing Sunday after, [Joseph Smith Sr.] in speaking of the bank affair reflected somewhat sharply upon [Warren Parrish]. This incensed bro Mr Parish and he made an attempt to go into the stand where my husband stood declaring that he would speak to the people but Mr Smith told him that he would not be interrupted and seeing that Parish intended to force his way My husband called upon the justice of the peace to still him— but Oliver paid no attention and Parish made a move to pull Mr Smith out of the stand at this William [Smith] who was the only <oldest> one of My sons who were present sprang from his seat and caught Parish in his arms and carried him half way out of <across> the house and would have put him out of the room entirely had not John Boyenton [Boynton] stepped forward and drawing the sword from his cane presented saying that if he advanced one step farther he would run him through” — Lucy Mack Smith1
In the summer of 1837, dissent and apostasy threatened to tear the Church apart in Kirtland, Ohio. Led by Warren Parrish, a former scribe and trusted friend of Joseph Smith, dissenters disrupted Sunday meetings in the temple and openly accused the Prophet of wrongdoing. Tensions reached a boiling point on one Sunday while Joseph was gone to Toronto to visit the Saints. That day, Parrish physically assaulted Joseph Smith Sr. as he defended his son from the pulpit.2
Chaos erupted as William Smith, an apostle and Joseph’s younger brother, dragged Parrish off the stand. John Boynton, another dissenting apostle, drew his sword and threatened William, while other armed men surrounded him menacingly with knives and pistols drawn. The frightened congregation fled the temple as constables rushed in to break up the scuffle.2
This incident in the house of the Lord underscored the dire situation the Church faced in Kirtland. Key leaders like Parley P. Pratt, Orson Hyde, and Oliver Cowdery had spoken against Joseph, fractured the unity of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and swayed many vulnerable members.3 Joseph would soon be forced to flee Kirtland and reestablish Church headquarters in Far West, Missouri.3
