Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
There's a whole lotta weirdness bundled up in that short statement. I heard this on Lindsay's Year of Polygamy episodes about the Word of Wisdom but I haven't followed up on it. Anybody got sources?
“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.” -Mark Twain
Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."
Jesus: "The Kingdom of God is within you." The Buddha: "Be your own light."
-
IT_Veteran
- Posts: 565
- Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:36 pm
- Location: California
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
I think Brigham Young accused Emma of poisoning Joseph twice. This was after Joseph was dead, BY didn't like Emma much (it was mutual) and I think he'd honestly say anything to discredit it.
Fair actually has a discussion on this.
https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Emma ... gham_Young
Fair actually has a discussion on this.
https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Emma ... gham_Young
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Joseph didn't drink coffee. Don't you know that would have violated his Temple Recommend?
Common Hagoth....
Common Hagoth....
-
Culper Jr.
- Posts: 292
- Joined: Mon Oct 17, 2016 6:28 pm
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Bushman addresses this in Rough Stone Rolling pretty well. It’s been a while since I read it but he goes through all the sources and the probability that it happened versus him having an ulcer or something. Things were REALLY not good between Joseph and Emma toward the end, despite the love story narrative the church likes to put out there.
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
The Bushman book blew my mind. Emma would not leave Joseph alone at the end, because every time she did he was out with another woman. MY heart BREAKS for that woman. And the church publishes stories/pictures showing this love affair between the two?Culper Jr. wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:23 am Bushman addresses this in Rough Stone Rolling pretty well. It’s been a while since I read it but he goes through all the sources and the probability that it happened versus him having an ulcer or something. Things were REALLY not good between Joseph and Emma toward the end, despite the love story narrative the church likes to put out there.
What a horrible lie. Justification for abuse?....common LDS church. GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR A$$
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Just wow.
"To my certain knowledge, Emma Smith is one of the damnedest liars I know of on this earth; yet there is no good thing I would refuse to do for her, if she would only be a righteous woman; but she will continue in her wickedness. Not six months before the death of Joseph, he called his wife Emma into a secret council, and there he told her the truth, and called upon her to deny it if she could. He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. He told her of the time she undertook to poison him, and he told her that she was a child of hell, and literally the most wicked woman on this earth, that there was not one more wicked than she. He told here where she got the poison, and how she put it in a cup of coffee; said he 'You got that poison from so and so, and I drank it, but you could not kill me.' When it entered his stomach he went to the door and threw it off. he spoke to her in that council in a very severe manner, and she never said one word in reply. I have witnesses of this scene all around, who can testify that I am now telling the truth. Twice she undertook to kill him." Brigham Young A5:8; Gen. Conf., 7 Oct. 1866
And yes, I know that Brigham hated Emma so take with a grain of salt, but it gives more credence to the overall claim that it at least was thought to have happened.
"To my certain knowledge, Emma Smith is one of the damnedest liars I know of on this earth; yet there is no good thing I would refuse to do for her, if she would only be a righteous woman; but she will continue in her wickedness. Not six months before the death of Joseph, he called his wife Emma into a secret council, and there he told her the truth, and called upon her to deny it if she could. He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. He told her of the time she undertook to poison him, and he told her that she was a child of hell, and literally the most wicked woman on this earth, that there was not one more wicked than she. He told here where she got the poison, and how she put it in a cup of coffee; said he 'You got that poison from so and so, and I drank it, but you could not kill me.' When it entered his stomach he went to the door and threw it off. he spoke to her in that council in a very severe manner, and she never said one word in reply. I have witnesses of this scene all around, who can testify that I am now telling the truth. Twice she undertook to kill him." Brigham Young A5:8; Gen. Conf., 7 Oct. 1866
And yes, I know that Brigham hated Emma so take with a grain of salt, but it gives more credence to the overall claim that it at least was thought to have happened.
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
One of my favorite little church history tidbits is that Emma Smith got remarried on Joseph's birthday... December 23.
It's hard for me not to think of that being her very deliberate way of giving Joseph Smith the eternal finger.
It's hard for me not to think of that being her very deliberate way of giving Joseph Smith the eternal finger.
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
As I remember this poisoning made Joseph so violently ill that he actually dislocated his jaw from vomiting.
What peaked my interest was, if everything was hunky-dori between Joseph and Emma, why would his first assumption be that she had poisoned him? Most people who love and trust their spouses don't immediately jump to the conclusion that they're trying to kill them when they get sick.
Joseph was either projecting (out of a guilty conscience) what Emma's feelings would be towards him regarding his infidelities or....
He knew that she knew and that he was starting to stink in her view and he had good reason to believe she might be extremely angry.
It really is too bad he was murdered because I think the whole prophet thing was teetering on disaster and starting to crumble but his death galvanized his followers.
One reason Emma hated Brigham was because he immediately confiscated (in the name of the church) all of Joseph's personal papers and effects, leaving very little to Emma except Joseph's debts, which Brigham apparently felt no obligation to take care of. Funny how that works. "I, Brigham take everything of use to me in the name of the church but you, Emma get to have all the crap that Joseph left behind."
The other reason she hated him was because she knew he would want her for a plural wife and no way was she having any of that crap from him. She basically said, "Up yours" to him and drew members away from him. So yeah, he hated her with a passion.
What peaked my interest was, if everything was hunky-dori between Joseph and Emma, why would his first assumption be that she had poisoned him? Most people who love and trust their spouses don't immediately jump to the conclusion that they're trying to kill them when they get sick.
Joseph was either projecting (out of a guilty conscience) what Emma's feelings would be towards him regarding his infidelities or....
He knew that she knew and that he was starting to stink in her view and he had good reason to believe she might be extremely angry.
It really is too bad he was murdered because I think the whole prophet thing was teetering on disaster and starting to crumble but his death galvanized his followers.
One reason Emma hated Brigham was because he immediately confiscated (in the name of the church) all of Joseph's personal papers and effects, leaving very little to Emma except Joseph's debts, which Brigham apparently felt no obligation to take care of. Funny how that works. "I, Brigham take everything of use to me in the name of the church but you, Emma get to have all the crap that Joseph left behind."
The other reason she hated him was because she knew he would want her for a plural wife and no way was she having any of that crap from him. She basically said, "Up yours" to him and drew members away from him. So yeah, he hated her with a passion.
"There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it steadily."
"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."
George Washington
"Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."
George Washington
-
deacon blues
- Posts: 2083
- Joined: Tue Oct 18, 2016 7:37 am
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Joseph had problems with Emma because she wasn't as submissive as Brigham. Brigham had problems with Emma because she wasn't as submissive to him either.
God is Love. God is Truth. The greatest problem with organized religion is that the organization becomes god, rather than a means of serving God.
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
I think this all the time. Had Joseph lived, he likely at some point would have done more with the Kinderhook plates, the 'Book of Joseph,' and surely would have found more things to wow his followers with.
I really wish he could've lived to completely prove himself a fraud beyond a reasonable doubt, but unfortunately for us he had to go and torch a printing press to hide what the church now pretends was totally acceptable behavior.
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
Sounds rather like a Brigham promoting story. Sort of reminds me of how "he took on the countenance of Joseph Smith" during the battle of accession to the throne.jfro18 wrote: ↑Mon Aug 27, 2018 11:50 am "He told her where she got the poison, and how she put it in a cup of coffee; said he 'You got that poison from so and so, and I drank it, but you could not kill me.' When it entered his stomach he went to the door and threw it off."
Brigham Young A5:8; Gen. Conf., 7 Oct. 1866
Good faith does not require evidence, but it also does not turn a blind eye to that evidence. Otherwise, it becomes misplaced faith.
-- Moksha
-- Moksha
Re: Joseph Smith accused Emma of poisoning his coffee?
I can’t think of any poison that induces vomiting. It would not be an effective poison if it did. Really, she fed him syrup of ipecac, just as a way of saying that his behavior made her sick.
But seriously, somewhere (??) I read that his symptoms matched some stomach flu that was going around and most certainly do not match any known poison.
Now, the evidence does point to Brigham being poisoned. The doctors at the time said appendicitis or something but his symptoms match arsenic. His symptoms match perfectly with someone putting arsenic in his sugar for his coffee and he had just a little every day till it killed him. Arsenic is a heavy metal and builds up in the body. So, I suppose one of Brigham’s wives took the idea from his accusations against Emma.
But seriously, somewhere (??) I read that his symptoms matched some stomach flu that was going around and most certainly do not match any known poison.
Now, the evidence does point to Brigham being poisoned. The doctors at the time said appendicitis or something but his symptoms match arsenic. His symptoms match perfectly with someone putting arsenic in his sugar for his coffee and he had just a little every day till it killed him. Arsenic is a heavy metal and builds up in the body. So, I suppose one of Brigham’s wives took the idea from his accusations against Emma.