June 24th

June 24, 1842 - Wilford Woodruff records: "I called upon Mr. A. Crane M.D., professor of Phrenology, who accompanied me to my house and examined my head and the heads of my family and gave us a chart of each head."

June 24, 1844 - Joseph Smith surrenders to civil authorities to stand trial for riot and treason, acknowledging that this will mean his death.

June 24, 1876 - Brigham Young confides that it is "a curiosity to him that men could commit adultery and still retain the spirit of the Lord as he had witnessed on one occasion. The man [is] now dead."

June 24, 1883 - Parowan 1st Ward membership record and stake history records: "Sister Ellen Banks Wife of Wm Banks was ordained & Set Apart to administer to the Sick in the capacity of Midwifery & all other kinds of Sickness By Apostle Francis M. Lyman." Hers is first entry in a list of "Special Ordinations." Ten other entries (1883-86) are for men to various priesthood offices.

June 24, 1887 - Former Palmyra, N. Y. resident Mrs. S. F. Anderick swears in a affidavit: "Uncle Earl's farm was four miles south of Palmyra village, and his house was nearly opposite old Jo Smith's, father of the Mormon prophet. Old Jo was dissipated. He and his son Hyrum worked some at coopering. Hyrum was the only son sufficiently educated to teach school. I attended when he taught in the log schoolhouse east of uncle's.. . . . They cleared the timber from only a small part of their farm, and never paid for the land. They tried to live without work. I have often heard the neighbors say they did not know how the Smiths lived, they earned so little money. The farmers who lived near the Smiths had many sheep and much poultry stolen. They often sent officers to search the premises of the Smiths for stolen property, who usually found the house locked. It was said the creek near the house of the Smiths was lined with the feet and heads of sheep. Uncle's children were all sons, and they played with Smith's younger children, I associated much with Sophronia Smith, the oldest daughter, as she was the only girl near my age who lived in our vicinity. I often accompanied her, Hyrum, and young Jo Smith, who became the Mormon prophet, to apple parings and parties. Jo was pompous, pretentious and active at parties. He claimed, when a young man, he could tell where lost or hidden things and treasures were buried or located with a forked witch hazel. He deceived many farmers, and induced them to dig nights for chests of gold, when the pick struck the chest, someone usually spoke, and Jo would say the enchantment was broken, and the chest would leave. Williard Chase, a Methodist who lived about two miles from uncle's, while digging a well, found a gray smooth stone about the size and shape of an egg. Sallie, Williard's sister, also a Methodist, told me several times that young Jo Smith, who became the Mormon prophet, often came to inquire of her where to dig for treasures. She told me she would place the stone in a hat and hold it to her face, and claimed things would be brought to her view. Sallie let me have it several times, but I never could see anything in or through it. I heard that Jo obtained it and called it a peep-stone, which he used in the place of the witch hazel. Uncle refused to let Jo dig on his farm. I have seen many holes where he dug on other farms."

June 24, 1903 - Apostle Rudger Clawson writes: "At 2:30 p.m. attended a meeting of the general board of education of the church. During the meeting I called attention to the importance of the study of the science of life, which I thought was being neglected in our schools. It seemed to me, I said, that [more] of [the] young people should receive instruction in relation to love, courtship, and marriage, and should be warned against self-abuse [masturbation] and kindred evils. Many of the young people acquire the habit of self-abuse without knowing its baneful effect upon the health."

June 24, 1941 - Counselor J. Reuben Clark advises Mormon "against your assuming as truth the most of the criticism you see leveled against Hitler and his regime in Germany. I visited Germany twice within the last half-dozen years . . . Hitler is undoubtedly bad from our American point of view, but I think the Germans like him." Because of such statements, federal intelligence agencies investigate Clark in Utah as possible pro-Nazi subversive.

June 24, 1952 - Apostle Albert E. Bowen has debilitating stroke during Council of Twelve's temple meeting. He dies next year.

June 24, 1967 - Staff-sergeant Emmo A. Techuban of Tennessee receives six military medals for "heroism in Vietnam," including Silver Star, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, and Purple Heart.

June 24, 1987 - U.S. Supreme Court rules that LDS church, as well as any other religious organization, can discriminate against employees on basis of religious persuasion and behavior. This ends $5 million lawsuit against church by five former employees.

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