14 episodes
Deseret Drama Sunstone Magazine
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- Religion & Spirituality
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4.9 • 17 Ratings
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On Oct. 26, 1866 non-Mormon Dr. John k. Robinson was taken from his home and brutally murdered by a gang of Mormon men in the heart of Salt Lake City. In Season One of Deseret Dramas, criminal prosecutor and Mormon legal historian John Dinger, along with Sunstone's Lindsay Hansen Park discuss the brutal killing of Robinson and many others who lived outside the law in Mormonism. Join them for a limited-series podcast season where they discuss extralegal and vigilante justice throughout the history of early Mormonism.
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S1 Prologue: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Are Mormons more violent than other religious groups? Was frontier Utah a dangerous place? Join Lindsay and John as they introduce extralegal justice in Utah and the West, and describe what is to come on Sunstone’s Crime and Punishment podcast.
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S1E1: Pick Your Poison
Was Samuel Smith poisoned to clear the way for Brigham Young to succeed as leader? Did Emma Smith really try to poison Joseph over polygamy? In this episode Lindsay and John discuss poisonings in Mormon history. They are joined by Johnny Stephenson to talk about the poisoning of Samuel Smith, brother to the prophet and claims about Emma Smith poisoning Joseph. Are these claims historical fact or mere supposition?
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S1E2: Don’t Get Mad, Get Even
Join Lindsay and John as they talk with Joe Geisner about the famous murder of Parley P. Pratt. Pratt was murdered by the ex-husband of one of his plural wives in a violent incident. They also talk to Craig Foster about the murder of James Monroe when he started to court the plural wife of Howard Egan. Egan claimed he did this “not for anger but for justice,” and cited mountain law as justification. Are these murders justified or plain old revenge? And what the heck is mountain law?
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S1E3: Daughters of Zion
Lindsay and John start to discuss the murder of Dr. Robinson and the fall out it caused throughout the country, including the lynching of Thomas Coleman. To give context for this murder, they briefly discuss many other murders in frontier Utah, such as Lieutenant Brassfield and the Parrish Potter murders. Was Utah really this lawless? Was being a gentile deadly?
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S1E4: In Abraham’s Bosom
Lindsay and John continue their discussion of the murder of Dr. Robinson and the lynching of Thomas Coleman. They are joined by Mica McGriggs who helps discuss lynching and racism present in the West, and Michael McClane who describes the murder and old time Salt Lake City. Was Coleman’s murder part of a cover up, or just old fashioned extralegal justice and racism?
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S1E5: Judge Not Lest Ye Be Judged
The legal system in frontier Utah was as wild as the wild wild west. Lindsay and John discuss the decades long battle between the federal and local court system, and the fall out it caused. Claims of abuse, corruption, and a murder ordered by Brigham Young are discussed. Who was right and who was wrong when the feds go up against the Mormons?
Listen to this episode here.
Customer Reviews
Fascinating History Podcast
Excellent historical podcast describing interesting and dramatic stories from a legal perspective. Gives better context of the issues that define the conflicts and challenges colonial Mormonism had on the broader society and its reaction in response. Helps make better sense of our history and the perceptions others have on LDS religious movements. I recommend the podcast as professional, in-depth, relevant, and well told. Love it!