Comments about ‘Commemorating the anniversary of the martyrdom at Carthage’

I visited the Carthage jail over a decade ago. The guide showed us the room where the prophet was martyred and explained that up until recently before our visit, the blood stains were still on the floor. He told us that President Spencer W. Kimball had visited the jail and upon seeing the blood stains on the floor turned to the manager of the now church owed site said: It's time to forgive, clean the blood stains off.

I am grateful for the lives of Joseph and Hyrum, as well as all of those who paid such a heavy price to claim the rights to freedom of religion which should have been guaranteed but had to be extracted from society. Many will speak against these men, but for the record, I shall always speak for them.

Praise to his memory, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Stain Illinois* while the earth lauds his fame.

W.W.Phelps, Deseret Sunday School Songs, Number 24, copyright by Joseph F. Smith, 1909.
*In recent editions of the LDS hymnbook, "Plead unto heaven" has replaced the words "Stain Illinois".