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At Nauvoo there had been a nest of thieves and counterfeiters, as vultures, to prey upon the property and character of the Saints. These, too, were driven from Nauvoo, and were now plundering the people, creating bitterness towards all who were from Nauvoo. One Gibbs, a near neighbor whom I regarded as honest, was found wit~ stolen property, affirming it was left at his house by an absent party. He, being under arrest, I was induced to go with him to Farmington, six miles distant, to help him out of trouble; but I was soon convinced of his guilt, which left me in bad order with the people. When they learned that I was the Johnson that kept the Nauvoo Mansion, a large crowd gathered around me...It was but a few days previous to this, they had hanged Brother Folsom, our temple architect, until he was nearly dead; and apparently they would serve me worse, judging from their savage looks!" (My Life's Review, 115-116.)
William H. Folsom sometimes told of his work as a joiner on the Nauvoo Temple, but members of the family do not recall that he ever claimed to be the "architect". This was just the way Ben Johnson had of recognizing Folsom's work on the temple.
There is also another record of this event (Manuscript History of Brigham Young):
"Tuesday, 9 (Mar 1847) ...1 met with brethren of the Twelve and Bishop Whitney. Bros. Alexander McRae and Andrew L. Lamoreaux brought a mail of eighteen letters from Nauvoo, and confirmed the reports of the persecution of the Saints near Farmington; the mob had hanged bro. Wm. H. Folsom, whose friends had much difficulty to restore his sensation. Rodney Swazey was also hung by the mob by the heels for about five minutes; six other brethren were also hung on Sunday, Feb. 7th."
Eliza, Folsom's wife, was attending a quilting bee when notified of t4e condition of her husband. Rushing to their home where friends had taken him, she gave what comfort she could. She was very much concerned not only about her husband's physical condition, but his one and only coat was ripped completely up the back. From this time until his death, Folsom had trouble with his breathing. No doubt this condition was caused by the displacement of vertebrae at the time of the hanging. As soon as he was able to travel, the family made its way to Keokuk, Iowa. At Keokuk they were given a place to live and something to eat by "Mr. Hughes," who then assisted in obtaining employment. There were two Hughes families residing in Keokuk during its early days; a Dr. Hughes who established a medical ~ol1ege there in 1850 and a Major Ross B. Hughes, manager of a mercantile establishment. Both of these men were honorable citizens, interested in the welfare of their fellow men. It is not known which one befriended the Folsom family.
From the Millennial Star, Vol. 1:22 for May, 1840, we learn that Keokuk, Iowa, was an important town on the west bank of the Mississippi River, about ten miles below Montrose, Iowa, and about the same distance from Nauvoo, Illinois. The Indians called it "puck-e-she-tuck", Or place at the foot of the rapids. The first permanent white settlement was made in 1820. In 1829 the American Fur Company established a trading post here and named the post for Indian Chief Keokuk. The City was platted in 1857.