[Relief Society] Minutes of Preceedings of Second
Meeting of the Society 1844
... Mrs Prest- then arose and address'd the meeting upon the Nec[es]sity of being united amoung ourselves ... read the Epistle in defence of the virtues Female part of the community of Nauvoo ... and do so no more Spoke of J. C. Bennets [John C. Bennett's] Spiritual Wife system, theot [that?] some taught it as the doctrine of B Joseph...
[Source: Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperDetails/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book]
The minutes of the Mar.16th meeting start on p.125 in the above link.
ReplyDelete" ... Spoke of J. C. Bennets [John C. Bennett's] Spiritual Wife system, theot [that? or thought?] some taught it as the doctrine of B[rother] Joseph... "
ReplyDeleteEmma did this in hopes of clearing her husband's reputation - by blaming polygamy all on the excommunicated Bennett - and by trying to extricate Joseph completely from his polygamy revelation and its secret Nauvoo practices. All was, of course to no avail.