E40: Heads or Tails

**Bryan Buchanan** (0:11)
A passenger on board the Meridian from St. Louis informs us that just as he left that place, intelligence had arrived there of the murder of ex-Governor Boggs at Independence, Missouri. The ex-Governor was pierced through the back by six buck shot fired by an unseen hand. A reward was immediately offered for the apprehension of the assassin, and there was great excitement at Independence.
The Courier Journal, Louisville, Kentucky, May 16th, 1842

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (1:03)
Remember how we tell you this isn't your grandpa's history?
Unless your grandpa uses more F words than we do. Which, so far count as zero. Zero?

**Bryan Buchanan** (1:13)
I think we're still at zero.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (1:14)
At least off the top.

**Bryan Buchanan** (1:15)
That will change tonight.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (1:18)
Yeah, this isn't your grandpa's history, that's true. It's also not your grandpa's source of information. As a society, the technological revolution has slowly, gradually and inexorably changed the world. We barely even acknowledge how wild it is. The speed at which information travels has changed so dramatically in the last 150 years. When Mormons were living in Nauvoo, info trudged along like a curalom, maybe even a cumum.
Today, faster than an angel with a flaming sword.

**Bryan Buchanan** (1:52)
Two recent examples should prove it. Remember when all that we cared about was the Mark Hoffman documentary on Netflix? And when we saw Blessing Guy in all his Napoleon Dynamite-esque glory, and we lost our collective shiz and coriander?
Well, one day, words circulated in the Mormon underground that this dude was actually some cookie cutter exmo in Vegas, he's drinking white Russians, he's chomping edibles made out of ground up copies of the CES letter. Then, just as quickly, news made the rounds that, no, actually he was just a regular old Mormon, and he was living here in Salt Lake and getting interviewed in his car by Lindsay. And all of that happened within the space of just a few hours, really.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (2:32)
Thanks, internet.

**Bryan Buchanan** (2:33)
The second, much more sad example came when words started to get out that our friend, historian Michael Quinn had died. Because of the power of social media, that shocking news was confirmed again in just a couple hours. Remember, this information had to travel 662 miles from California to Utah, but it did, and we had accurate data.
It didn't make it any easier to process, but it was at least correct.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:02)
Hi, this is Lindsay Hansen Park.

**Bryan Buchanan** (3:04)
And this is Bryan Buchanan.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:06)
Bringing you the story of Mormonism from the shadow of the Everlasting Hills, straight out of Zion.
This isn't your grandpa's Mormon history. Thanks for, we'll see in 3

**Bryan Buchanan** (3:33)
This is the tale of Mormon saints and sinners from our roots until present day.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (3:38)
Gird your loins, lock your hearts, and pay your tithing, because we're bringing you the story of Mormonism in all its paradisiacal glory.

**Bryan Buchanan** (3:46)
It's the Sunstone History Podcast.

**Lindsay Hansen Park** (4:10)
What are we talking about here? Rewind to 1842, and it will make sense. We started with a newspaper article about Lilburn Boggs getting shot in Missouri. Notice that it was reported on May 16th. Yeah, it actually happened on May 6th, 10 days earlier, 10 days, and it wasn't even right. They got one really critical thing wrong. See, Boggs didn't die from the attack. The best part is the Courier Journal even included a second article the same day saying, the assassination of ex-Governor Boggs is confirmed.
Nope, and nope.
The back of his head was very angry, but he was 100% alive. All right, what's going on?

**Bryan Buchanan** (5:01)
Mr. Lilburn W. Boggs, and I tell you that the W stands for Williams, but you already knew that. He's sitting in his living room reading his fancy newspaper. It's Friday night, May 6th, 1842 The family just finished dinner. His daughter is rocking their baby when a blast from a revolver smashes through the window and tore into them.
In fairness to the Courier Journal, it was pretty gnarly. Two balls smashed into a skull, one lodged in his neck, and yet another went into his throat. Apparently he swallowed it. Thank you, great newspaper details.
So immediately, doctors are summoned, they rush over, and they just figure he's done for. Shots to the head in the 19th century didn't usually end well. Just ask honest Abe.
It was immediately an Encyclopedia Brown caliber mystery. No one saw it happen. The sheriff found a revolver loaded with bucks shot nearby. It had apparently been stolen from a shop in town. It was a dark rainy night, naturally. Who the hell would have done this? Remember, he's not governor anymore. He hadn't been in the big velvet chair for two years.