A closer look at Smith’s denial of May
26, 1844, reveals that it is a legal denial, nor a moral or religious denial.
On May 23 and 24, 1844, Smith was indicted on five counts of “Adultery &
Fornication,” stemming from his plural marriages. On May 25, the day before his
denial, he learned that there “were 2 indictments found against me. One for
false swearing . . . and one for polygamy or something else[.]” (John S.
Dinger, “Nauvoo Polygamy and the Law: Statutory and Common Law Prohibitions,”
in Secret Covenants: New Insights on Early Mormon Polygamy, ed. Charyl
L. Bruno [Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2024], 269)
Further Reading:
Brian C. Hales, "'Denying the Undeniable': Examining Early Mormon Polygamy Renunications," The Journal of Mormon History 44, no. 3 (July 2018): 23-44
