Joseph once told W. W. Phelps and wife that they should never taste death.

The manner of the fulfillment of that promise is rather singular. They supposed, and so did all that knew of the promise, that they were to never die, but the Lord does business in his own way and his way is not as the way of man.

Before Brother Phelps died he lost all judgment, lost all his mind reason, consciousness and all sense. He knew nothing, not even his name, nor how to eat, thus being unable to taste of anything; not even death. His mind gradually dwindled, withered and dried up. His wife was killed instantly, so quickly that she had no time to taste of death. She was killed as she was dipping up a bucket of water from the ditch, a gust of wind hurled a board from a house and is struck her on the neck breaking it instantly. She never tasted of death nor even felt the blow.

"Her flesh shall never see corruption." Similar to this promise to Br. Phelps, was the promise to my mother that her flesh should never see corruption. The family all supposed as well as mother, that she would never die, but she died and was three years in the ground, and when the old burying ground in Nauvoo was removed out of the limits of the city her body was found to be solid, firm and sound as a board or bone. Her whole body was full, plump and looked natural in feature without a "smell of corruption or decay."