"Dead men tell no tales" was a favorite word of Joseph Smith, and Brigham Young adopted and used it very frequently. One might say that it was the motto of the two prophets as to the treatment of their enemies. But sometimes the motto was changed a little and then it had to read: "Dead women tell no tales." This is proved by a terrible tale related by old Richard Rushton, the faithful steward of the "Nauvoo Mansion," where Joseph lived as hotel-keeper.

Old Sister Martha Jennings, well-known in early times in Nauvoo was a good, generous woman, a faithful Saint, and tried to be worthy of the name by being kind and truthful. Having some means she could spare, she helped the 'prophet' and gave amply to the church. She attended to the sick and there were many there alleviating their distresses and speaking words of cheer to the disconsolate. She was respected by many as a 'mother in Israel.' But she was outspoken, and seeing so much that appeared to her as being corrupt, she would sometimes ' blab ' about the brethren's doings. Her reproofs showed that she knew too much, and she might become dangerous to them. Though she knew but little, comparatively, of what was going on, the priesthood became alarmed, and as it was easier to get rid of an old woman than to reform their lives, it was considered necessary to attend to her case.

A council was held in Joseph's room, at which were Joseph Smith, O. P. Rockwell and a few others. After Rockwell had accused her, the subject was broached of drowning her, the council concluding that for the safety of some of the brethren, and especially Joseph, although she was a 'purity good woman,' she must be silenced at all hazards. The plan devised then and there, was that, as she was a kind old lady to the church and the church would make her a present of a piece of land and a house on it which they owned 'over the river.’ (this was the justification method and guilt suppression tactic used by Joseph Smith.) The next night they would take her ' over the river' and land her safely 'on the other side.' All present consented, and the evening being dark and propitious to carry out the plan, a few of those consenting met at the boat at the riverside to execute "the will of the Lord concerning her.”

It was a dark night. Darkness on the city and on the great stream, rolling peacefully but a few rods distant. Profound silence in the low part of the city. But hark! a wild shriek is heard by a trembling listener in the little orifice of the Prophet’s Mansion, coming as from a throat gurgling with water; it was only a moment, and again silence; but hark! another shriek from the same quarter, from the same voice, a piercing shriek as from some one struggling for dear life; and again silence. Then a final shriek, much fainter, telling the breathless listener that the end had come. All is now hushed as death. The cry is heard no more, the old soul is silenced now, the baptism is complete without the usual religious formula, and the lifeless body floats in the broad arms of the Father of the Waters, no more to vex the souls of these pitiless conspirators, until the great day of account, when the sea shall give up its dead.

In less than five minutes after the ceasing of the screams from the drowning victim, the prophet, O. P. Rockwell and two others rushed wildly into the hotel. The Prophet was dripping wet. He was loudly expostulating with ' Port ' and the others: "You should not have drowned her; she couldn't have done us much harm.” Smith’s cowardly guilt got the best of him.

"We had to do it," was the response, for your safety and our own, as well as for the good of the church. She can't harm us now. I am very sorry; said the Prophet, if I had thought of it a few minutes sooner, you wouldn't have drowned Sister - It appears that although the prophet consented the night previous to her murder, under the impulse of the misrepresentation and fears of her accusers, he relented on reflection and expected to appear with the murderers at the river's edge in time to prevent them from putting their purpose into effect. He was too late, and in his effort to save her then he was wet through and through, being baffled by the combined strength of his followers. The Prophet was impulsive and fitful, and in his better moments, no doubt, thought the poor old soul should not be 'blood-atoned,' and really tried to save her. But what a state of society, that made it possible to drown an innocent, defenseless, confiding old woman! (Richard Rushton heard the shrieks of the victim while sitting in the office of the Mansion.) Porter Rockwell was heard laughing while drunk and sitting at the bar located inside the Mansion; he pulled some of ol’ Martha’s hair that got caught between his ring and finger while holding her head under the water. Port also bragged that the “Prophet” gave him the ring, but Martha’s screams made his ears 'ring.'

There were strong rumors about the secret crimes committed in Nauvoo at that time, since the church organ called Times and Seasons, while advocating Joseph Smith's election as President of the United States, found it necessary to issue the following characteristic denial to those floating rumors:

"Gentlemen, we are not going either to murder ex-Governor Boggs, nor a Mormon in this State ' for not giving us his money;' nor are we going to 'walk on the water,' nor ' drown a woman,' nor defraud the poor of their property,' nor ' marry spiritual wives,' etc…"

Now I assert that the Mormon leaders did commit the crimes and abominations charged to them by public charges and court review in 1844 and denied impudently in the church organ. Evidence of eye witnesses has proved the attempted assassination of Governor Boggs and the drowning of the old woman; the truth of the remaining charges admits of no doubt in the light of proofs furnished on all sides for similar and worse offenses. Was not polygamy confessed officially in 1852, after having been denied most solemnly by the church organ and leaders up to that time, and by John Taylor in a public discussion in 1850? How do you reconcile this faith of abomination you righteously indignant Mormons?