Justin Butterfield, in a letter to Charles B. Penrose, notes that he concluded John C. Bennett's accusations of fraud against Joseph were true and such will prevent his appeal to bankruptcy.

Date
Oct 11, 1842
Type
Letter
Source
Justin Butterfield
Critic
Non-LDS
Hearsay
Holograph
Direct
Reference

Justin Butterfield, Letter to Charles B. Penrose, October 11, 1842, The Joseph Smith Papers website, accessed February 23, 2024

Scribe/Publisher
Justin Butterfield
People
Justin Butterfield, Hyrum Smith, John C. Bennett, Joseph Smith, Jr.
Audience
Charles B. Penrose
Transcription

To/

Honble C[harles] B. Penrose.

Solicitor of the Treasury,

Sir,

On the 8th. day of Sept. last I left Chicago for Nauvoo the place of residence of Joseph Smith & Hyrum Smith applicants for the benefit of the Bankrupt Act, in order to obtain the necessary <​evidence​> to oppose them as I informed you I should do in my letter of the 7th. of Sept. last: Upon my arrival at Nauvoo I made a very full examination into the transfers of property made by Joseph Smith upon the eve of his application for the benefit of <​the​> said Act, and I succeeded beyond my expectations; I found that after the passage of the Bankrupt Act, and after he had contracted the debt upon which the Judg’t. in favor of the United States was rendered against him, he made voluntary conveyances of real estate of an amount much more than sufficient to satisfy the said Judgement to his wife and to his infant children and friends, without any consideration whatever: I found that all the statements made by Genl. [John C.] Bennett in relation to Joseph Smith’s fraudulent transfers of his property were true; and that there were several other fraudulent conveyances not mentioned by him: I obtained from the Recorder’s Office an exemplified copy of the deeds executed by the said Joseph Smith and proceeded to Springfield where the Bankrupt Court sat on the 1st. of Oct, and filed the necessary objections, to a discharge being granted to the said Joseph Smith; and also against the discharge of Hyrum Smith. the Court appointed the 15th. day of Dec’r. next for the hearing; at which time I shall be ready to eastablish such fraudulent Acts on the part of Joseph Smith as will prevent his obtaining his discharge.

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