Excerpts From:
A Brief History of the Kings of Life of the Deseret
By Joshua T. Winchester, Professor of Religious Studies in Richmond University, Confederate States of America; First Published May 3rd, 2015
Part 1 of 4Great Prophet and King Silas Baker (Lifespan, 1793-1843; Reign, 1831-1843) [Portrait of the Great Prophet commissioned in 1839]Silas Baker was the Great Prophet of the Faith, and first King of Life. Though truth be told, Silas did not enjoy the extravagant lifestyle his successors came to lead, once he was crowned King. The Great Prophet spent most of his time on the frontier as the King of Life, living a hard but Faithful live amongst his many followers. Indeed, he did not enjoy the fruits of the New Eden
1 very long, for he died a few years after his followers settled in what would one day become Utah Territory. Still, the Great Prophet established a precedent, and it is from him that all the future Kings of Life come from.
Without Silas Baker, there would be no Faith, and there would be no Deseret.
His accomplishments are well documented, and much has been said about perhaps one of the most controversial men in modern history, so this study shall not focus heavily upon the Great Prophet. Instead, it will focus more on his successors, and the role they played within the Deseret.
However, there is a point of contention that we shall focus on, briefly. If just to put this subject to rest, once and for all. One of the biggest conspiracy theories surrounding the Faith...a question brought to the modern audience with director George Takei's rather controversial film,
Prophet: was Silas Baker murdered by one of his own followers?
The honest, and most probable answer here, would be no. It is highly unlikely Silas Baker was murdered. Can we say this with a hundred percent certainly? The answer for that would also be no.
Quite simply, we just can't say for certain, either way. Perhaps we'll never know for sure.
Theories abound as to the circumstances of the Prophet's death, so it is in this instance fact shall be separated from fiction. On September 17th, 1843, the Great Prophet passed away after a sudden period of illness. Unlike his son, however, he did not die of tuberculosis. Indeed, the cause of death for the Prophet isn't entirely certain, as accounts of the time are vague and sometimes even differ wildly from each other.
The most plausible theory presented as to Silas Baker's death, and is commonly accepted as fact by most academics and religious scholars, is that he died from some form of cancer. Written accounts kept by Lady Agnes Kingston and Minister Elias Smith, as well as private correspondences recently unearthed between the Prophet's private physician and a family member in New York City, support this theory.
Still, it cannot be said for certain what the Prophet died from...we do know, however, that he had a sudden period of intense sickness, and after this period, expired. So from the sources given above, it is most probable the Great Prophet succumbed to cancer.
There are those who deny this theory, however. Many alternative scholars and even some recent Faithian historians assert that the Great Prophet was, in fact, murdered. Poisoned over a period of time, until his death was assured.
The primary suspect in this regard, of course, is Lady Agnes Kingston, third wife of the Great Prophet. Many supporters of this belief point to the fact that, in the weeks leading up to his demise, Agnes monopolized the Prophet's time, ensuring she was the one almost always by his side, tending to his very need. They also point to the fact that Agnes had much to gain from Silas' death; her son Garret had a good chance of succeeding his father, but he was not the eldest, nor his favorite child. Using this argument, they claim that Agnes poisoned her husband to weaken him and make him susceptible to suggestion, and manipulated him into naming her son as his successor.
Many, however, fail to realize the flaws in this theory. Of his three wives, Beatrice Winters had already died in childbirth just a year earlier in 1842, and Meredith Jackson had gotten terribly ill from a bad case of the flu, though she recovered in time. With these circumstances in mind, it is understandable that Agnes was able to "monopolize" the Great Prophet's time. With one wife dead and the other ill, Agnes was the last, closest person left to tend to the Prophet.
It is also no coincidence that many at-the-time accounts speculating about the feasibility of Silas Baker being murdered were all written down by Lady Agnes' social enemies. The factions within the Holy Family were already starting to form by this point, and the ascension of Clan Kingston into power over Clan Winters and Clan Jackson only cemented this. A good many people were furious with Lady Agnes, for apparently arranging the rise of her son. So any accounts speculating about the murder of the Prophet, need to be taken into this consideration. It might be one thing if all these speculations came from neutral or allied parties, but by and large all contemporary writings regarding this potentiality come from known enemies of Agnes Kingston, who would love nothing more than to see her ruined.
Now, of course...she may not have murdered her husband, but nothing here contradicts the theory that she may have taken advantage of his illness to advance her own causes.
Nothing here precludes the possibility that Agnes Kingston manipulated her husband into nominating her son for the Throne of Life. Or, indeed, that she may have lied about his final words entirely, and conspired with the Holy Council to see her son elevated over the elder children of Meredith Jackson and Beatrice Winters.
1; An alternative name for the Deseret, used interchangeably at the time with its counterpart, until the term 'Deseret' came to be more popularly associated with the Faithian theocratic state in the West, at which point this term fell out of the popular vernacular.