When Orrin Porter
Rockwell died of a heart attack in 1878, his name was as well
known as Brigham Young’s. Cowboys sang songs about him,
and newspapers had frequently printed scandalous accounts about
the malicious Mormon “destroying angel.” But to many,
Rockwell was a guardian angel, and it could be easily said he
saved far more lives than he took. It seems history tells two
contrasting narratives about one of the West’s most controversial
men. Yes, at times Porter Rockwell could act violently; yet he
was overly generous to those in need. At least two dozen people
died at his hand, yet in every instance he was exonerated.
As the ninth person
baptized into the restored Church, Porter was central to the early
growth of the organization, even though he was never called to
a position of leadership. He was called a saint and a sinner,
a lawman and a criminal, a hero and a villain. Indians feared
him, saying he was impossible to kill, but some people traveled
hundreds of miles to try. Although his death by natural causes
likely disappointed the many outlaws seeking his life, it also
fulfilled a prophecy given by Joseph Smith that no bullet or blade
would ever harm Porter Rockwell. A friend of Joseph Smith’s
since childhood and later his bodyguard, Rockwell saved the life
of the Prophet more than once. Porter also served as a bodyguard
to Brigham Young and helped guide the first pioneers across the
plains to the Salt Lake valley.
He became a legend
as a frontiersman, a marksman, and a man of iron nerve. And though
many outsiders characterized Porter Rockwell as a notorious vengeful
murderer, those who knew him saw a protector, a miraculous healer,
and a loyal friend. ISBN 978-1-60861-005-1
