In History of the Life of Oliver B. Huntington, 1878-1900, p. 10 (excerpts from the 2nd half of vol. 2 of his diary), we read the following prediction from Joseph Smith concerning Robert Thompson:
Robert
Thompson was a faithful just clerk for Joseph Smith the Prophet in Nauvoo and
had been in his office steady near for quite 2 years. Joseph said to Brother
Thompson one day, "Robert, I want you to go and get on a buss (bing) go
and get drunk and have a good spree; if you don't, you will die."
Robert
did not do it. He was very pious exemplary man and never guilty of such an impropriety
as he thought that to be. In less than two weeks he was dead and buried.
While
I believe FAIR to be correct in noting that this is late (40 years after the
purported event), and if Joseph did say this he may have been joking, we do
have a tradition of a prediction from Joseph Smith and its fulfillment in Huntington’s
report.
Further Reading:
Resources on Joseph Smith’s Prophecies
B. H. Roberts Foundation
(MormonR), "Joseph Smith and
Alcohol" (and primary
sources)
Mike Ash, Up
In Smoke: A Response to the Tanners’ Criticism of the Word of Wisdom
