The Skull - the missing Link
While researching the death of Joseph Smith Jr., we came across information that Hyrum and Joseph’s remains were exhumed, examined and photographed in 1928 by the RLDS Church. Out of respect for the Prophet’s memory, the RLDS Church refused for many years to allow these pictures to be published. However, once they became interested in trying to authenticate an old photograph in their collection as that of Joseph Smith, they changed their policy. They did allow a professional artist named William Whitaker to take tracings from the photos. We will use these tracings here.
A study of these exhumation photographs show that Joseph’s skull is missing the facial area. (see Fig. 27) The fact that his facial bones were missing was made even more puzzling when we considered two things: first, that his brother Hyrum’s facial bones were intact, (see Fig. 28) even though he was shot in the face at the time of his death, and second, that his brother was buried right next to him. We considered the possibility that when Joseph Smith fell from the second story window at Carthage Jail in 1844, he may have suffered facial fractures. Because death occurred only minutes after this event, the bones never healed; as decomposition of the soft tissues progressed in the grave, the fragments fell from the face, leaving a void in the skull. (see Fig. 29)
One of the authors of this research is employed in a medical profession that associates him with patients who have facial fractures. He was sure experts in this area would confirm that if Joseph had received facial trauma at the time of death, it would explain why there is a difference in the lower part of the face between the death mask and the photo.
Did Joseph Receive Facial Fractures?
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We need to return to history to help answer this question. There are several eyewitness accounts recording that Joseph fell on his head/face from the second story of the Carthage Jail. (see Fig. 30) These eyewitness stories are told from different perspectives that sometimes contradict each other.
One of the most consistent aspects of these stories is that Joseph fell or jumped out of the window head first, landing on his head/face and then (if that weren’t enough) he was hit in the face with a butt of a gun or fist. The first account is from Willard Richards who was in the room with Joseph as he went out of the window: Joseph attempted, as a last resort, to leap [out] the same window from whence Mr. Taylor [was shot], when two balls pierced him from the door, and one entered his right breast from without, and he fell outward, exclaiming, -- Oh Lord, my God!" As [Joseph’s] feet went out of the window my head went in, the balls whistling all around. He fell on his left side a dead man. When we compare the Richards account to the following, it will become obvious that his feet went out last, or in other words, he went out head first, falling to the ground below, hitting his head. The second account is from Wm. M. Daniels, an eyewitness. It was published by John Taylor for the Proprietor in Nauvoo, in 1845: He seemed to fall easy and struck partly on his right shoulder and back, his neck and head reaching the ground a little before his feet. He rolled instantly on his face. From this position he was taken by a young man, who sprang to him from the other side of the fence, who held a pewter knife in his hand... |
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The young man with a pewter knife in his hand, mentioned in the Daniels account, was named William Webb. He gives testimony of his version of the death that may give another reason for a fractured face:
The door flew open; I saw two men in the room. We shot at them several times; at length one of them fell on the floor; the other [Joseph Smith] jumped out of the window. I ran down the stairs to see where he was. When I got to him he was trying to get up. He appeared stunned by the fall. I struck him in the face and said: “Old Jo, damn you, where are you now!" I then set him up against the well-curb and went away from him.” Signed, Wm. Webb
Another eyewitness — Col. M. B. Darnell — mentions how he saw the young man, Webb, hit Joseph in the face;
It seems to me [Joseph] came out head first, and he was shot while passing through the window. ...[On the ground] I think he raised himself to a sitting position. A young man went up and struck him either with the end of his gun or a bayonet.
Several of these accounts also state that after he was hit in the face by Webb, the mob shot him and he fell over on his face again, “a dead man.”
Did Joseph Smith Jr. receive facial fractures at the time of his death? The historical record supports the likelihood that he received more than enough trauma to cause facial fractures. When you combine the historical probability of trauma with the fractured condition of the skull as it was found in 1928, it can be stated, as the pathologist has stated, “You can come to no other conclusion than he must have fractured his face at the time of his death.”
The door flew open; I saw two men in the room. We shot at them several times; at length one of them fell on the floor; the other [Joseph Smith] jumped out of the window. I ran down the stairs to see where he was. When I got to him he was trying to get up. He appeared stunned by the fall. I struck him in the face and said: “Old Jo, damn you, where are you now!" I then set him up against the well-curb and went away from him.” Signed, Wm. Webb
Another eyewitness — Col. M. B. Darnell — mentions how he saw the young man, Webb, hit Joseph in the face;
It seems to me [Joseph] came out head first, and he was shot while passing through the window. ...[On the ground] I think he raised himself to a sitting position. A young man went up and struck him either with the end of his gun or a bayonet.
Several of these accounts also state that after he was hit in the face by Webb, the mob shot him and he fell over on his face again, “a dead man.”
Did Joseph Smith Jr. receive facial fractures at the time of his death? The historical record supports the likelihood that he received more than enough trauma to cause facial fractures. When you combine the historical probability of trauma with the fractured condition of the skull as it was found in 1928, it can be stated, as the pathologist has stated, “You can come to no other conclusion than he must have fractured his face at the time of his death.”
Facial Fractures Explain the Differences Between the Death Mask and the Photograph
The experts in facial fractures and trauma point out that it is no coincidence that the death mask is different from the JS photograph. The aforementioned areas on the mask are just those areas that change the appearance of a person when they receive the kind of facial fractures that are present in the skull of Joseph Smith. This explains why the mask is dimensionally different from the photo in those areas. For many people, it also explains why so many of the drawings and paintings of the Prophet, done from the death mask, do not look like the handsome person that Joseph Smith Jr. really was. The side profiles done by these artists reflect the fractured distorted condition of the image from the death mask. When the chin is brought foreword by some artists in their sculptures and drawings, it is probably done to make him look more handsome. In deviating from the death mask template, these artists were correcting the image and inadvertently making him look more appealing.
As one reads the medical textbooks on facial fractures and listens to the facial trauma surgeons, their descriptions fit, “to a T”, the area in question on both the mask and the skull. For facial trauma experts, there are well known areas of the face that fracture when a person receives a blow to the face. These areas of “breakage” occur along natural fault lines called “suture” lines in the bones of the skull. The lines specific to Joseph Smith’s trauma are called the Le Forte I, II, and III fracture lines. (see Fig. 31) When the bones associated with the Le Forte lines break, they can sometimes become displaced and moveable in the tissues of the face. This bone displacement causes a person’s face to look different. In fact, Le Forte fractures are characterized by the person’s face becoming elongated. They are often associated with fractures of the mandible (lower jaw), because the force necessary to break the facial bones in a traumatic event may also apply to the chin. This force on the chin usually breaks one or more of the condyles (tips) or the coronoid process of the mandible where the jaw connects to the skull just under the ears on both sides. (see Fig. 32)
Joseph Smith’s skull and death mask present the classic signs of the Le Forte fractures. The elongated face of the mask is
evident, as we have stated, when compared to the JS photograph (see Fig. 33a & 33b). His fractured mandibular condyles, as illustrated in the skull drawings, give evidence of the force of the blow, or blows, Joseph received during his traumatic death. Even the widened area of the upper lip on the mask, as compared to the photo, can be explained by displacement of the Le Forte I fracture line. (see fig. 33c) The mask’s profile image reveals the backward displacement of the chin, caused by the fractured mandible. (see Fig. 34)
Returning to history for a moment, we find an interesting description of the death mask by Joseph Smith Jr’s son, Joseph Smith III. He knew his father, lived with his father, and was nearly 12 years old when his father died. We believe he knew, as well as anybody, what his father looked like. Joseph III may not have known about his father’s facial fractures, but he definitely had a problem with the distortions created by them when artists reproduced his father’s image, using the death mask. His description of these distortions caused by an image from the mask can be found in the previously referred to letter in the Salt Lake Tribune of 1910, a portion of which is as follows: “...but the expression about the lower part of the face, taken from the death mask...gives too full prominence to the lips and chin.”
Joseph Smith III, the son of the Prophet, saw the problem the Utah saints had with the confusion over his father’s likeness and he didn’t need our experts to explain the problems with the death mask. This facial trauma data now solidifies the JS photograph as a photographic image of Joseph, it also helps validate the death mask.
Now it Begins...
The authors have witnessed many wonderful things come from this photograph. It has increased the testimonies of many. It has turned adults and children into students of Church History. It has caused the hearts of present generations to reflect with gratitude on the trials of those that laid down the work of Restoration for us to enjoy. Perhaps our feelings may be best expressed by our research man in Washington D.C., Jim Fugate, who offered wise counsel to all who read this document:
“In considering the physical appearance of Joseph Smith Jr. it must be remembered that it is not a spiritual point. It must be understood that the accuracy of one’s knowledge of the physical appearance of Joseph the Prophet, has no bearing on one’s eternal salvation, while understanding and living the principles of the Gospel will.
What did Joseph really look like? To be sure, he had the image of God in his countenance. Beyond that, his appearance is an area of intellectual research. This is an intellectual insight which may sweeten a spiritual testimony, but not replace faith in God and his restored Gospel.”
Anyone who has taken the time to study a man’s soul through his eyes can in no way disregard the greatness of Joseph Smith, as seen and felt in this photograph.
It is our hope that his photograph will inspire study and testimony of the divinity of the Restoration of the Kingdom of God through his modern prophets, beginning with the first of our dispensation — Joseph Smith — the Prophet of the Lord. It is our hope that the reader will study this data carefully and if there are any questions, objections or additional data that can shed new light in this exciting area of study, we welcome it.
evident, as we have stated, when compared to the JS photograph (see Fig. 33a & 33b). His fractured mandibular condyles, as illustrated in the skull drawings, give evidence of the force of the blow, or blows, Joseph received during his traumatic death. Even the widened area of the upper lip on the mask, as compared to the photo, can be explained by displacement of the Le Forte I fracture line. (see fig. 33c) The mask’s profile image reveals the backward displacement of the chin, caused by the fractured mandible. (see Fig. 34)
Returning to history for a moment, we find an interesting description of the death mask by Joseph Smith Jr’s son, Joseph Smith III. He knew his father, lived with his father, and was nearly 12 years old when his father died. We believe he knew, as well as anybody, what his father looked like. Joseph III may not have known about his father’s facial fractures, but he definitely had a problem with the distortions created by them when artists reproduced his father’s image, using the death mask. His description of these distortions caused by an image from the mask can be found in the previously referred to letter in the Salt Lake Tribune of 1910, a portion of which is as follows: “...but the expression about the lower part of the face, taken from the death mask...gives too full prominence to the lips and chin.”
Joseph Smith III, the son of the Prophet, saw the problem the Utah saints had with the confusion over his father’s likeness and he didn’t need our experts to explain the problems with the death mask. This facial trauma data now solidifies the JS photograph as a photographic image of Joseph, it also helps validate the death mask.
Now it Begins...
The authors have witnessed many wonderful things come from this photograph. It has increased the testimonies of many. It has turned adults and children into students of Church History. It has caused the hearts of present generations to reflect with gratitude on the trials of those that laid down the work of Restoration for us to enjoy. Perhaps our feelings may be best expressed by our research man in Washington D.C., Jim Fugate, who offered wise counsel to all who read this document:
“In considering the physical appearance of Joseph Smith Jr. it must be remembered that it is not a spiritual point. It must be understood that the accuracy of one’s knowledge of the physical appearance of Joseph the Prophet, has no bearing on one’s eternal salvation, while understanding and living the principles of the Gospel will.
What did Joseph really look like? To be sure, he had the image of God in his countenance. Beyond that, his appearance is an area of intellectual research. This is an intellectual insight which may sweeten a spiritual testimony, but not replace faith in God and his restored Gospel.”
Anyone who has taken the time to study a man’s soul through his eyes can in no way disregard the greatness of Joseph Smith, as seen and felt in this photograph.
It is our hope that his photograph will inspire study and testimony of the divinity of the Restoration of the Kingdom of God through his modern prophets, beginning with the first of our dispensation — Joseph Smith — the Prophet of the Lord. It is our hope that the reader will study this data carefully and if there are any questions, objections or additional data that can shed new light in this exciting area of study, we welcome it.
