The firing from within made the mob pause, but it was only for an instant, and then the attack was more furious than ever. The scene was terrible! Streams of fire as thick as a man's arm belched forth from the ever increasing number of guns in the door-way, yet calm, energetic and determined, Elder Taylor beat down the muzzles of those murderous guns.
"That's right, Brother Taylor, parry them off as well as you can," said Joseph, as he stood behind him. Those were the last words he heard the Prophet speak on earth in the flesh.
Meantime the crowd on the landing grew more dense and were forced to the door by the pressure of those below crowding their way up the stairs. The guns of the assailants were pushed further and further into the room—the firing was more rapid and accompanied with demoniac yells and horrid oaths and execrations. Certain that they would be overpowered in a moment if he remained longer at the door, and thinking that they might have some friends outside, Elder Taylor sprang for the open window directly in front of the prison door, and also exposed to the fire of the Carthage Greys from the public square. As he was in the act of leaping from the window, a ball fired from the door-way struck him about midway of his left thigh. He fell helpless on the window sill and would have dropped on the outside of the jail—when another shot from the outside, striking the watch in his vest pocket, threw him back into the room. As soon as he struck the floor his animation returned, and, in order to avoid the range of fire from the door way, he drew himself as rapidly as possible in his crippled condition under the bedstead that stood near the window.
While on his way three other bullets struck him; one a little below the left knee—it was never extracted; another tore away the flesh to the size of a man's hand from his left hip and spattered the wall with blood and the mangled fragments; another entered the forepart of his left arm, a little above the wrist, and, passing down by the joint, lodged in the palm of his left hand.
As he laid there weltering in his blood, he heard the mob at the door shout: "He has leaped from the window!" There was a cessation of the firing, and a general rush down stairs. At the same instant Dr. Richards crossed the room and looked out of the window.
It would seem that the Prophet Joseph also attempted to leap from the window, but on reaching it he was instantly shot and fell to the ground by the side of an old well-curb. It was this that gave rise to the cry, "He has leaped from the window!" which attracted the attention of Elder Taylor.
Brother Richards remained but a moment at the window; and then started for the inner prison, the door of which opened on the landing in front of the door to the room the brethren had occupied. As he passed him Elder Taylor said:
"Stop, doctor, and take me along."
Ascertaining that the iron door to the criminals' cell was open, he returned and dragged his wounded companion into it. Inside the cell he exclaimed:
"Oh! Brother Taylor, is it possible that they have killed Brothers Joseph and Hyrum? It cannot surely be, and yet I saw them shoot them! Oh Lord, my God, spare Thy servants!" he exclaimed several times, raising his hands to heaven with each exclamation. "Brother Taylor, this is a terrible event," he went on; and then dragged him still further into the cell.