"While marching, as the story went, a dog had growled menacingly at Sylvester [Smith]. Reportedly he had threatened, 'If that dog bites me, I'll kill him.' Heber C. Kimball recorded that Joseph Smith turned to the angry Sylvester and said, 'If you kill that dog, I'll whip you.' The Prophet, according to Kimball, showed 'the brethren how wicked and unchristian like such conduct appeared before the eyes of truth and justice.' Commenting further upon the incident, Joseph Smith said that men should be ashamed of such a spirit of contention and 'ought never to place themselves on a level with the beasts; but be possessed of a more noble disposition.'"