Following the Mormon expulsion from Missouri, someone made an attempt on Missouri Gov Boggs’ life. Most people think it was Porter Rockwell. What does historian Steve LeSueur have to say about the matter?
https://youtu.be/TxRY-cQ0vWc
Gov Boggs Assassination Attempt
Interview
GT: Oh, except for I guess we forgot about the assassination of Governor Boggs. Actually, I wanted to get your opinions of Governor Boggs' handling. I know you said in your book, by the end of his term, nobody liked him. He wasn't a very good governor. Was he a pretty terrible governor? Would a different person have handled that better?
Steve 2:36:02 I'd say a different person probably couldn't have handled it worse. So, yes, I would say that. In the book, I tried to let him speak for himself and explain, "Well, this is why I did this or that." But, for the most part, as it turned out, he was prepared to send out troops early on, when he thought the Mormons were the cause of trouble. But it turned out that Atchison and his troops were able to solve things. So, Boggs didn't come out. He didn't need to. But, then later, as things started breaking down, Boggs continually heard reports from his generals, saying, "You need to come out here."
Steve 2:36:51 The Mormons are not at fault. But the Mormons are in a desperate situation. They're desperate people, and we could have a big war here, a big conflict. So, they asked him to come out. He didn't come out. You could say, "Well, that it isn't necessarily the governor's job to call out troops and lead them out all the way out west, like that." But that's what he was asked to do.
Steve 2:37:23 Then likewise, when DeWitt was besieged, and the Mormons asked for help yet again, and he didn't help them. Essentially, he left it up to local authorities, which, in essence, was no help. By that point, he knew it was no help. He defended himself by saying that the local authorities had solved it before. They could do it again. Also, I think he had become sort of a--a laughingstock is too strong, but he was criticized and ridiculed when he had first intended to come out. This was a month earlier, with troops. He called out troops, and they were disorganized, and, a lot of money was spent. Then, he just said, "Well, it looks like they solved the problem out there. We don't have to do it." So, he's kind of laughed at for wasting money. Perhaps he didn't want to look like that again. But, as it turned out, he eventually had to call out troops, and he was not hesitant to call out troops when they were [used] against the Mormons.
GT 2:38:41 So, would you say he was the worst governor of Missouri?
Steve 2:38:49 Well, I don't know my Missouri history.
GT 2:38:52 There might have been one worse?
Steve 2:38:54 I don't want to shortchange anybody. By the time he [Boggs] left office, he was not popular. No. As it turned out, he later went to California, and he became an alcalde. I think [al-cal-day] is how you pronounce it. [He was] some type of county leader or something like that. So, it's interesting how people like that [moved on.] He still became a leader by moving someplace else, though not governor. Interestingly enough, Peter Burnett, who was a member of General Doniphan's brigade, he went out to California, and he became the first Governor of the State of California.
GT 2:38:55 Okay.
Steve 2:38:55 Among other things, he was one of the Mormons’ lawyers after the Richmond hearing. So, he was at the grand jury hearing in Gallatin when the Mormons were there.
GT 2:39:54 Okay. Do you have any thoughts on the assassination attempt on Governor Boggs?
Steve 2:40:01 Just based on my knowledge, it's not something I've looked into recently. So, if there's been recent evidence, I don't know of it. But the evidence seems to be that on the one hand, when you say the attempt, Porter Rockwell, a Mormon was accused of trying to assassinate Boggs, and Boggs was shot.