⚖️ The Succession Crisis of 1844 and the Trial of the Assassins

This episode of The Glitched Gavel examines the chaotic power vacuum left by the assassination of Joseph Smith and the subsequent legal failure to hold his killers accountable in a court of law.

• The Power Vacuum: Following the June 27, 1844, murder of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail, the Latter Day Saint movement faced an unprecedented leadership crisis. The episode details the competing claims between Brigham Young (leading the Quorum of the Twelve), Sidney Rigdon (the last surviving member of the First Presidency), and James Strang, who claimed a "Letter of Appointment."
• The Trial (May 1845): While the church wrestled with its future, the State of Illinois  ...