Mormon founder assassinated. American Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon faith, was killed by a hostile mob while in prison in Illinois. In his ‘Book of Mormon,’ Smith had claimed to be the prophet of the last true church, that American Indians were descendants of the tribes of Israel, and that Jesus had come to preach in America after his resurrection. Disliked for unorthodox practices such as polygamy, Smith and his followers were persecuted throughout the eastern United States. To protect them from persecution, Brigham Young, Smith’s successor, led the Mormon exodus in 1846, following in the footsteps of pioneer wagon trains. In July 1847, the Mormons settled near the Great Salt Lake in Utah, where they founded Salt Lake City.
