Carthage Conspiracy

 

Check it out. Accidental Pirates is number 1 in Teen and Young Adult Pirate Action & Adventure

 Now that I've got that out of my system, I could ramble about the sequel, which is nearing completion with Chis struggling as a mage-in-training without a trainer, and Kenny, as a youthful knight with the help of some additional enchantment, on a quest that will determine the fate of two kingdoms - and they still have to get back home. These boys know how to press the adventure pedal to the metal.

This is going in the newsletter, but I can't resist adding it here because it goes so well with Accidental Pirates. It's the pirate hymn. You'll have to see the newsletter for the complete story. Here's the pirate version of a hymn that's popular in some congregations with which I've attended:

 I'll never be able to hear the hymn without thinking of pirates now.

 

 

I recently finished reading Carthage Conspiracy by Dallin H. Oaks and Marvin S. Hill. A few years ago, my son, my dad, and I went to Carthage to view the scene and hear the tale of the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith at the hands of an armed mob bent on murder. The murders only took a few minutes - it makes it easier when the foxes guarding the chicken coop stand aside to let their comrades in to do the deeds.

The title tells it, and the sources support it. The murders were premeditated and had been no brief time in the arranging. The book goes into the trial, including excerpts from opening statements, trial testimony, and closing arguments. It's a solid read from the perspective of a lawyer and judge. The prosecution suffered many handicaps, and even if the case had been flawlessly presented, a hung jury was the most likely outcome - or would've been had the jury been a true cross-section of the community. There was an incredible amount of animosity by many against the Smiths. A newspaper editor amassed the fuel and pointed the way to create the conflagration. Militia leaders and members became the willing torches for the funeral pyre. If I remember correctly, one of the attorneys for the five defendants even argued that the perpetrators hadn't done anything much of the community hadn't wanted done, so that it would be unjust to find them guilty of a crime.

It's good read. I recommend it, giving it 5 out of 5 smashed pocket watches. If you know, you know.