“He was out at play one evening [and] when he was returning ... a gun was fired ... with evident intention of hitting Joseph.” — Lucy Mack Smith¹

One evening when Joseph Smith was 14 years old, a gunshot rang out across the boy's path. Joseph quickly ran to the Smith home for cover. His family searched for the gunman but were only able to find his hideout under the family wagon. The next morning, they discovered the bullet had hit and killed a nearby cow. The Smith family never found out who was responsible.¹

Lucy Mack Smith recorded this story in the draft of her 1844 history of her family—though it was crossed out.¹

1. "Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845," Book 5, 4-5, josephsmithpapers.org