Thomas L. Barnes: The Coroner of Carthage and a Witness of the Martyrdom (1844)

Thomas L. Barnes served as coroner of Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois, and was among the officials who examined the scene after the Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith on June 27, 1844. Appointed secretary of the Carthage meeting that followed, Brother Barnes left letters that, as BYU Studies has noted, 'throw some valuable and interesting light on the greatest tragedy in [Latter-day Saint] history.' His preserved testimony is a faith-promoting historical witness of the Martyrdom—an outside observer's record of the event that sealed the Restoration with the blood of the Prophet and his brother.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

They murdered many of our best citizens. The jail was a two story stone house. The lower story and part of the upper was used for the jailer's family. The prisoners were in the upper story. The mob came from the woods, painted black, and rushed the jail. They shot through the door and windows. Hyrum was shot first and fell. Joseph was shot in the attempt to jump from the window. It was a most brutal and cold-blooded murder.