Historicus
Historicus [pseud.], “Sketches from the History of Polygamy: Joseph Smith’s Especial Revelations,” Anti-Polygamy Standard 2, no. 1 (April 1881): 1:
Emma Smith, Joseph’s wife, had a young girl in her employment by the name of Fanny Olger or Alger. It was the time the present Joseph Smith was an infant, (he was born in November 1832) and in consequence of the free-loveism of the prophet, Emma’s recovery was very much retarded, and for several months she was in a very low condition. She discovered that Joseph had been celestializing with this maiden, Fanny, who acknowledged the truth, but Joseph denied it in toto and stigmatized the statement of the girl as a base fabrication. Emma, of course, believed the girl, as she was very well aware that no confidence could be placed in her husband, and she became terrible worked up about it. She was like a mad woman, and acted so violently that Oliver Cowdery and some of the elders were called in to minister to her and “cast the devil out of sister Emma.” Whatever may have been sister Emma’s other faults, she certainly must have had a very forbearing and forgiving disposition, for she condoned this offense as well as innumerable other similar ones.
