Joseph Young — The Lord Turns Away a Missouri Mob's Anger When They Had Determined to Murder His Family
Published September 28, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Joseph Young, later Presiding Patriarch, was in Missouri when a mob held a council and determined to murder him and his family. The mob demanded the brethren's arms; the brethren at first refused, saying they would sooner die. As captain of the company, Young counseled them to surrender their weapons — and the Lord turned away the mob's anger. The hearts of the men, Kentuckians who had been called to assist the mob, were melted: they came to the Saints and promised, 'We will pay you for your arms when the war is over' — and they paid down their money. Young retold the deliverance as evidence that the Lord can soften the hearts of enemies when His servants follow inspired counsel.
In Their Own Words
“I have no trouble about this; for I have been in the midst of mobs, and they once held a council and determined to murder me and my family; but the Lord turned away their anger. This was in Missouri. They demanded our arms; but the brethren said they would not give them up—that they would sooner die. I said, "Brethren, I am the captain of this company, and you should listen to me and to my counsel, and give up your arms." They did so, and by-and-by the hearts of those men were melted (they were Kentuckians, who had been called upon to assist the mob), and they came to us and said, "We will pay you for your arms when the war is over." No doubt they talked the matter over, and said, "These are good people; therefore let us pay them for their arms." At any rate, they paid down their money, but we had to use stratagem.”
— Joseph Young, Journal of Discourses 6:241
Sources & References
Journal of Discourses, Volume 6 (pages 241-247), discourse 41. https://journalofdiscourses.com/6/41 (extracted verbatim from source text; research confidence: high) Full first-person account: Journal of Discourses, Volume 6, page 241 https://journalofdiscourses.com/6/41
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