The Death of
Parley P. Pratt

It was his privilege to serve on the first mission of the Church.  Alongside Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer and Ziba Peterson Parley hiked more than a thousand miles if you only measured a straight line from start to finish.  One thousand people were baptized in one community alone.  Here they ordained Sidney Rigdon, Isaac Morley, John Murdock, Lyman Wight, Edward Partridge and many other noble and great ones to the ministry.

Along their way they were marching with fervent zeal back and forth to meetings, sermons and baptisms. Like Paul in the New Testament, Parley often preached the gospel to packed halls or churches and usually with more people lined up outside trying to hear better.  Throughout his life it was not at all uncommon for him to make an appointment, prepare for and hold ten or more such packed meetings per week.  Strangely enough, the missionaries went right straight to the future site of Zion as if drawn by a magnet.  The last part of this first missionary trip was accomplished in the dead of winter with snow up to their knees and winds so fierce and cold that it came near to ripping the skin from their faces.  Their mission was to preach the gospel to the Lamanites. The Lamanites were found beyond the borders of civilization.  Cows in thick forest have better trails than Parley found on many of his missions. There were no roads, no maps and with the heavens gloomed over with savage storm, no guiding lights for direction day or night. 

Listen to the words of ordination spoken by Oliver Cowdery as he set Parley apart to be an apostle:  `O, Lord, smile from heaven upon this thy servant; forgive his sins, sanctify his heart, and prepare him to receive the blessing. Increase his love for thee and for thy cause; increase his intelligence, communicate to him all that wisdom, that prudence and that understanding which he needs as a minister of righteousness, and to magnify the apostleship whereunto he is called. May a double portion of that Spirit which was communicated to the disciples of our Lord and Saviour, to lead them to all truth, rest down upon him, and go with him where he goes, that nothing shall prevail against him; that he may be delivered from prisons, from the power of his enemies, and from the adversary of all righteousness.

May he be able to mount up on wings as an eagle; to run and not be weary, to walk and not to faint; may he have great wisdom and intelligence, and be able to lead thine elect through this thorny maze. Let sickness and death have no power over him; let him be equal with his brethren in bringing many sons and daughters to glory, and many nations to a knowledge of the truth. Great blessings shall rest upon thee; thy faith shall increase, thou shalt have great power to prevail. The veil of the heavens shall be rolled up, thou shalt be permitted to gaze within it, and receive instructions from on high. No arm that is formed and lifted against thee shall prosper, no power shall prevail, for thou shalt have power with God, and shalt proclaim His gospel.

Thou wilt be afflicted, but thou shalt be delivered, and conquer all thy foes. Thine office shall never be taken from thee, thou shalt be called great, angels shall carry thee from place to place. Thy sins are forgiven, and thy name written in the Lamb's Book of Life; even so. Amen.'

Evidence presented against Elder Pratt was considered insufficient to warrant holding him, and he was acquitted. However, the judge purposely did not publicly announce the decision to release Elder Pratt at that time, hoping to dissuade McLean from his avowed determination to kill him.

They kept Parley at the jailhouse overnight in protective custody. Early the next morning Judge Ogden brought his personal horse to him at the jail and saw that Parley was discharged. At that point, the judge also offered him a knife and a pistol as a means of self-defense. But reportedly, Parley declined, saying, "Gentlemen, I do not rely on weapons of that kind, my trust is in my God. Goodbye, gentlemen."

After he was released Parley rode east to get onto a trail to Fort Gibson that he was familiar with.  A light rain allowed Hector McLean, James Cornell and Amasa Howell, to relentlessly track him down. They caught up with Parley in front of the Winn farm, some twelve miles northeast of Van Buren at what is now Highway 282 Link near Gum Town -- which  has since become the town of Alma when it was incorporated in the early 1870’s.

The McLean party fired numerous shots at Parley as they came up behind him, but they seem to have missed the man they were aiming at, although the saddle and horse were reportedly peppered. Riding up beside him on the right, McLean stabbed Parley twice in the left breast with his huge bowie knife.  The last blow pierced his heart.

Parley fell from his horse and the three assassins rode off. Somehow suspecting Parley was not a dead man yet, McLean returned about ten minutes later and saw that Parley was indeed still alive. McLean proceeded to place a gun right next to Parley's neck, shot him and rode off again.

A later examination of his body and clothing showed six bullet holes around the skirt of his coat and two knife marks in the front. One knife cut was in the form of  a V over the left breast where the similar, sacred Mormon token lies on our sacred garments today , but this knife thrust did not penetrate to the body.

The second and fatal knife wound, was to the left of the first and about two inches long; this went directly to the heart.

Evidence showed also that a bullet had struck his collarbone and bounced off.

Mr. Winn was a witness to the entire scene. He and some of his neighbors attended to the apostle in his dying moments. Before he died Parley explained how to notify his family and he made a disposition of his personal effects.

Parley then shared his final testimony:

"I die a firm believer in the Gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed through Joseph Smith, and I wish you to carry this my dying testimony. I know that the gospel is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the living God, I am dying a martyr to the faith."

When he learned of Parley's passing, Brigham Young said that only the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum had affected him more than the death of Parley P. Pratt.  Enemies of the Church have insisted this anguished cry is proof that President Young was involved in the Mountain Meadow Massacre.  (See the September 2007 issue of the Ensign for more information on that horrible crime)   With their limited understanding they can't believe anyone would pass up a chance for vengeance when grief came so hard.  The general public had the same sense of disbelief when Joseph and Hyrum were martyred, when men, women and children were slaughtered in their own homes by raging mobs.

Of his fellow apostle, Elder John Taylor said: "Brother Parley -- has gone - but has left a name and a fame that will live throughout time and and burst forth in eternity; and in the morning of the first resurrection. when the opening heavens shall revea1 the son of God. and he shall proclaim, "I am the resurrection and the life," when Death shall deliver up the dead, I expect to meet Brother Parley in the resurrection of the just."

Brigham mourned the loss of a great man, a marvelous missionary and powerful apostle.  Thousands of others have mourned the passing of this great Saint since then and any time they are near this hallowed spot, they take a detour to visit the memorial as a symbol of their respect.

Parley P. Pratt's body was "shrouded in fine linen"  Then he was buried in a walnut casket donated by William Stewart, a boyhood friend of Parley's from New York.  Then this casket was placed inside a pine vault.  With the Civil War soon intervening all traces of the gravesite were lost. 

It was not until 1917, some 60 years after Parley's death, before a family member was able to obtain a description of the location of Parley's grave from some local residents. In 1937 Harold Pratt was shown the grave and took photographs of it.  Mormon legend has it that the gravesite was identified for the Church by an elderly man who used to sit on the stone on his way home from school. 

He said he was partial to Parley's grave because his father would spit on the stone every time he passed it by and say: "D--- you to hell Parley P. Pratt!" After all those years the area was full of wild trees and undergrowth. In 1951 a small portion of the area was purchased and cleared and a monument to Parley P. Pratt was erected. Throughout the 150 year history grave stones have been lost and moved and today no one is really sure of the exact location of Parley's grave or even how many other graves on located on the Church's property.

Do we have the right place?  It doesn't matter where the mortal coil of Parley P. Pratt is buried because members of the family and Church don't come here to remember the particulars of Parley's death. Nor do they come here to rail against the men that brought him low, much less to seethe against the territory where it happened.

They come here to remember the man who died bearing his testimony. They come to remember the greatness of his life, his dedication and his contributions to the world. In this spot they remember more vividly the man who boldly testified before kings and magistrates around the world. They remember the man who confronted the learned and confounded the wise until one editor in San Francisco wondered in print: “In a city with so many well supported churches and able divines, can no one be found to match this champion of the Mormons?”

Members of the Church know his spirit left here long ago. It has raced on ahead with true missionary zeal to do the Lord's work on the other side of the vail. On the morning of the First Resurrection Parley's spirit will be here once more to be permanently reunited with the body that served him so nobly and so well.

There are no bathrooms at the memorial.  However, two picnic tables have been set up outside the enclosure for those wishing to spend a few more moments in the vicinity.

The elevation at the monument is 882 feet and the winters are usually quite mild. 

There are around 500 members in the Alma Ward, part of the Fort Smith Arkansas Stake. Many of them are prosperous and quite respected in this community where family values have always been so highly appreciated.

Mr. Tobe Steward, a Confederate veteran who was present, tells how the town was named: “A meeting was called for the purpose of selecting a name for the Post office. The meeting was called to order, and the presiding officer asked each one present to write the name he wanted on a slip of paper and put it in a hat. Two names tied, and as a result three persons were asked to leave the room and select the name from the two suggested. Alma received two votes.”

The Post office was established in 1871 and the town was incorporated in 1873. The town took the name of the Post office.

Interestingly enough, Van Buren (where Parley's trial was held) was named after President Martin Van Buren, who refused to stand up for the Saints in their troubles even though he admitted their cause was just.  Historic downtown Van Buren has six blocks of restored architecture, including arts, crafts and antique shops.  Crawford County's Courthouse in Van Buren is listed in the National Historic Register and thought to be the oldest active county courthouse west of the Mississippi River.

Alma bills itself today as the Spinach Capital of the World. With a population of just over 4,000 it is found at the junction of I-40 and I-540.  60 million pounds of spinach are produced annually by local farms.  A Spinach Festival is held every year. The town has a Water Park offering slides and fun. There are two long, high, twisty ones that splash out into shallow water. Then there are two short, straight ones that drop into deep water). There is a large swimming area. 

There is a Braum's in Alma for ice cream lovers, along with most of the amenities of a healthy, family-centered community. The other recommended dining places are Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and the J & J Restaurant.

For lodging Alma features a 62 room Howard Johnson Express Inn -- phone 479 632-4141. Comfort Inn & Suites has 61 rooms. There there is a 48 room Days Inn (phone 479 632-4595) and a 48 room Meadors Motor Inn. Call toll free 1-800 628-6881 for reservations if you can book ahead. There is also a KOA Campground nearby. Phone 479 632-2704 for reservations.

The Performing Arts Center is extremely well attended. It seats 1,501 people and the orchestra pit has a hydraulic lift to accommodate the many musicals held here.

Sister's 2 Antique Mall is a must stop attraction.

On April 20th and April 21st of 2007 there was a two day event in Van Buren Arkansas beginning at the King Opera House on Main Street in downtown Van Buren, Arkansas.  It was open to the public and all the descendents of Parley P. Pratt were invited to contact Gregory Armstrong at that web site if they wished to attend.