Dan Jones Wrote the First Published Eyewitness Account of the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Dan Jones (1810–1862) was one of only a handful of men who were with Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail in the hours before their martyrdom. Though he was sent away the morning of June 27, 1844, he had been present for the final night and the early morning hours — and he had spoken directly with both the Prophet and the guards.

Shortly after the martyrdom, Dan Jones wrote 'The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith and His Brother Hyrum' — one of the first published eyewitness accounts of the events at Carthage Jail. It was originally written in Welsh and published to inform the Welsh people of what had happened to the man Jones had known personally, had shared a floor with the night before his death, and to whom he owed his conversion and his prophetic mission call.

Jones's account is notable for several reasons:

— It is one of the earliest published narratives of the martyrdom

— It preserves the exact words of Joseph's final prophecy to Jones: 'You will yet see Wales and fulfill the mission appointed you before you die'

— It records the threatening words of Lt. Frank Worrell to Jones that morning, which foreshadowed the murder

— It was written by someone who had no reason to embellish — he was there

BYU Studies notes: 'Part of Jones's original portion is his account of the Martyrdom, one of the first published accounts by one who was with Joseph and Hyrum Smith at Carthage.'

The document stands as both historical testimony and personal witness from a man who survived Carthage only because Joseph Smith sent him away — and who never forgot what he had seen and heard.