,,leaves ,,from ,,my ,,journal ,,third ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,faith-,,promoting ,,series ,by ,president ,w4 ,woodruff ,,designed ,,for ,,the ,,instruction ,,and ,,encouragement ,,of ,,young ,,latter-,,day ,,saints ,,second ,,edition4 ,,juvenile ,,instructor ,,office1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah4 #ahhb4 ,,preface ,about nine months have elapsed since the first edition of this work was published1 and now the whole number issued--over #d1jjj copies--are exhausted1 and there is a demand for more4 ,we1 therefore1 have much pleasure in offering the ,second ,edition of ,,leaves ,,from ,,my ,,journal for public consideration1 and trust that the young people who pursue it will be inspired to emulate in their lives the faith1 perseverance and integrity that so distinguish its author4 ,brother ,woodruff is a remarkable man4 ,few men now living1 who have followed the quiet and peaceful pursuits of life1 have had such an interesting and eventful experience as he has4 ,few1 if any in this age1 have spent a more active and useful life4 ,certainly no man living has been more particular about recording with his own hand1 in a daily journal1 during half a century1 the events of his own career and the things that have come under his observation4 ,his elaborate journal has always been one of the principal sources from which the ,church history has been compiled4 ,possessed of wonderful energy and determination1 and mighty faith1 ,brother ,woodruff has labored long and with great success in the ,church4 ,he has ever had a definite object in view--to know the will of the ,almighty and to do it4 ,no amount of self-denial has been too great for him to cheerfully endure for the advancement of the cause of ,god4 ,no labor required of the ,saints has been considered by him too onerous to engage in with his own hands4 ,satan1 knowing the power for good that ,brother ,woodruff would be1 if permitted to live1 has often sought to effect his destruction4 ,the adventures1 accidents and hair-breath escapes that he has met with1 are scarcely equalled by the record that the former apostle1 ,paul1 has left us of his life4 ,the power of ,god has been manifested in a most remarkable manner in preserving ,brother ,woodruff's life4 ,considering the number of bones he has had broken1 and the other bodily injuries he has received1 it is certainly wonderful that now1 at the age of seventy-five years1 he is such a sound1 well-preserved man4 ,god grant that his health and usefulness may continue for many years to come4 ,of course1 this volume contains but a small portion of the interesting experience of ,brother ,woodruff's life1 but very many profitable lessons may be learned from it1 and we trust at some future time to be favored with other sketches from his pen4 ,,the ,,publisher ,,contents4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,strictness of the ,blue ,laws of ,connecticut--,the ,old ,prophet ,mason--,his ,vision--,his ,prophecy--,hear the ,gospel1 and ,embrace it--,visit ,kirtland1 and see ,joseph ,smith--,a ,work for the ,old ,prophet4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,preparing to go up to ,zion--,first ,meeting with ,president ,young-,camp of ,zion ,starts--,numbers ,magnified in the ,eyes of ,beholders--,remarkable ,deliverance-,selfishness1 and its ,reward4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,advised to ,remain in ,missouri--,a ,desire to ,preach--,pray to the ,lord for a ,mission--,prayer ,answered--,sent on a ,mission to ,arkansas--,dangerous ,journey through ,jackson ,county--,living on ,raw ,corn1 and ,sleeping on the ,ground--,my ,first ,sermon--,refused ,food and ,shelter by a ,presbyterian ,preacher--,wander through ,swamps--,entertained by ,indians4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,a ,journey of ,sixty ,miles without ,food--,confronted by a ,bear--,pass by ,unharmed--,surrounded by ,wolves--,lost in ,darkness--,reach a ,cabin--,its ,inmates--,no ,supper--,sleep on the ,floor--,the ,hardest ,day's ,work of my ,life--,twelve ,miles more without ,breakfast--,breakfast and ,abuse ,together4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,our ,anxiety to ,meet a ,saint--,journey to ,akeman's--,a ,dream--,find ,mr4 ,akeman a ,rank ,apostate--,he ,raises a ,mob--,threatened with ,tar1 ,feathers1 etc4--,i ,warn ,mr4 ,akeman to ,repent--,he ,falls ,down ,dead at my ,feet--,i ,preach his ,funeral ,sermon4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,make a ,canoe--,voyage down the ,arkansas ,river--,sleep in a ,deserted ,tavern--,one ,hundred and ,seventy ,miles through ,swamps--,forty ,miles a ,day in ,mud ,knee-deep--,a ,sudden ,lameness--,left alone in an ,alligator ,swamp--,healed1 in ,answer to ,prayer--,arrival an ,memphis--,an ,odd-looking ,preacher--,compelled to ,preach--,powerful ,aid from the ,spirit--,not what the ,audience ,expected4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,curious ,worship--,meet ,elder ,parrish--,labor ,together in ,tenessee--,adventure in ,bloody ,river--,a ,night of ,peril--,providential ,light--,menaced by a ,mob--,good ,advice of a ,baptist ,preacher--,summary of my ,labors during the ,year4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,studying ,grammar--,meet ,elder ,patten--,glorious ,news--,labor with ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot--,turned out of a ,meeting ,house by a ,baptist ,preacher--,preach in the ,open ,air--,good ,result--,adventure on the ,tennesse ,river--,a ,novel ,charge to ,arrest and ,condemn ,men upon--,mob ,poison ,our ,horses4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,attending ,school--,marriage--,impressed to take a ,mission to ,fox ,islands--,advised to go--,journey to ,canada--,cases of ,healing--,journey to ,connecticut--,my ,birthplace--,my ,mother's ,grave--,baptize some ,relatives--,joined by my ,wife--,journey on ,foot to ,maine--,arrival at ,fox ,island4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,description of ,vinal ,haven--,population and ,pursuit of the ,people--,great ,variety of ,fish--,the ,introduction of the ,gospel4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,mr4 ,newton1 the ,baptist ,preacher1 ,wrestling with out ,testimony--,rejects it1 and ,begins to ,oppose--,sends for a ,methodist ,minister to ,help ,him--,mr4 ,douglass' ,speech--,our ,great ,success on the ,north ,island--,go to the ,south ,island1 and baptise ,mr4 ,douglass' ,flock--,great ,number of ,islands--,boiled ,clams--,day of ,prayer--,codfish ,flakes4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,return to ,mainland--,parting with ,brother ,hale--,my ,second ,visit to the ,islands--,visit to the ,isle of ,holt--,a ,sign ,demanded by ,mr4 ,douglass--,a ,prediction about him--,it's ,subsequent ,fulfillment--,spirit of ,opposition--,firing of ,cannons and ,guns to ,disturb my ,meeting4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,meeting with ,james ,townsend--,decide to go to ,bangor--,long ,journey through ,deep ,snow--,curious ,phenomenon--,refused ,lodging at ,eight ,houses--,entertained by ,mr4 ,teppley--,curious ,coincidence--,mr ,teppley's ,despondence--,arrival at ,bangor--,return to the ,islands--,adventure with the ,tide4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,counseled to ,gather with the ,saints--,remarkable ,manifestation--,case of ,healing--,efforts of ,apostates--,visit from ,elders--,a ,conference--,closing my ,labors on the ,islands for a ,season4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,return to ,scarboro--,journey ,south--,visit to ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood in ,prison--,incidents of ,prison ,life--,journey to ,connecticut--,baptize my ,father's ,household4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,taking ,leave of my ,old ,home--,return to ,maine--,birth of my ,first ,child--,appointment to the ,apostleship and to a ,foreign ,mission--,preparations for the ,journey to ,zion4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,start upon out ,journey4 ,a ,hazardous ,undertaking--,sickness--,severe ,weather--,my wife and ,child ,stricken--,a ,trying ,experience--,my ,wife ,continues to ,fail--,her ,spirit ,leaves her ,body--,restored by the ,power of ,god--,her ,spirit's ,experience while ,separated from the ,body--,death of my ,brother--,arrival at ,rochester--,removal to ,quincy4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,a ,peculiar ,revelation--,determination of ,enemies to ,prevent its ,fulfillment--,start to ,far ,west to ,fulfill ,revelation--,our ,arrival ,there--,hold a ,council--,fulfill the ,revelation--,corner ,stone of the ,temple ,laid--,ordained to the ,apostleship--,leave ,far ,west--,meet the ,prophet ,joseph--,conference ,held--,settle ,our ,families in ,nauvoo4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,a ,day of ,god's ,power with the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith--,a ,great ,number of ,sick ,persons ,healed--,the ,mob becomes ,alarmed--,they try to ,interfere with the ,healing of the ,sick--,the ,mob ,sent ,out of the ,house--,twin ,children ,healed4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,preparing for our ,journey and ,mission--,the ,blessing of the ,prophet ,joseph upon our ,heads1 and his ,promises unto us--,the ,power of the ,devil manifested to ,hinder us in the ,performance of our ,journey4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,leaving my ,family--,start ,upon my ,mission--,our ,condition--,elder ,taylor the only ,one not ,sick--,reproof from the ,prophet--,incidents upon the ,journey--,elder ,taylor ,stricken--,i ,leave him ,sick4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,continue my ,journey--,leave ,elder ,taylor in ,germantown--,arrival in ,cleveland--,take ,steamer from ,there to ,buffalo--,delayed by a ,storm--,go to ,farmington1 my ,father's ,home--,death of my ,grandmother--,my ,uncle ,dies--,i ,preach his ,funeral ,sermon--,arrive in ,new ,york--,sail for ,liverpool--,encounter ,storms and ,rough ,weather--,arrive in ,liverpool4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,our visit to ,preston--,our ,first ,council in ,england1 in #ahdj--,we ,take ,different ,fields of ,labor--,a ,women ,possessed of the ,devil--,attempt to ,cast it ,out and ,fail--,turn ,out the ,unbelievers1 and then ,succeed--,the ,evil ,spirit ,enters her ,child--,commence ,baptizing--,the ,lord ,makes ,known ,his ,will to me4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,my ,journey to ,herefordshire--,interview with ,john ,benbow--,the ,word of the ,lord ,fulfilled to me--,the ,greatest ,gathering into the ,church ,known among the ,gentiles since its organisation in this ,dispensation--,a ,constable ,sent to ,arrest me--,i ,convert and ,baptize ,him--,two ,clerks ,sent as ,detectives to ,hear me ,preach1 and both ,embrace the ,truth--,rectors ,petition to have out ,preaching ,prohibited--,the ,archbishop's ,reply--,book of ,mormon and ,hymn ,book ,printed--,case of healing4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,closing ,testimony--,good and ,evil ,spirits4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,how to ,obtain ,revelation from ,god--,joseph ,smith's ,course--,saved from ,death by a falling ,tree1 by ,obeying the ,voice of the ,spirit--,a ,company of ,saints ,saved from a ,steam-boat ,disaster by the ,spirit's ,warning--,plot to ,waylay ,elder ,c4 ,c4 ,rich and ,party ,foiled by the same ,power4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,result of not ,obeying the ,voice of the ,spirit--,lost in a ,snowstorm--,saved1 in answer to ,prayer--,revelation to ,missionaries ,necessary--,revelation in the ,st4 ,george ,temple4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,patriarchal ,blessings and their ,fulfillment--,predictions in my own ,blessing--,gold-dust from ,california--,taught by an ,angel--,struggle with ,evil ,spirits--,administered to by ,angels--,what ,angels are sent to the ,earth for4 ,,leaves ,,from ,,my ,,journal ,,chapter ,i4 ,,strictness ,,of ,,the ,,blue ,,laws ,,of ,,connecticut--,,the ,,old ,,prophet1 ,,mason--,,his ,,vision--,,his ,,prophecy--,,hear ,,the ,,gospel1 ,,and ,,embrace ,,it--,,visit ,,kirtland ,,and ,,see ,,joseph ,,smith--,a ,,work ,,for ,,the ,,old ,,prophet4 ,for the benefit of the young ,latter-day ,saints1 for whom the ,faith-,promoting ,series is especially designed1 ,i will relate some incidents from my experience4 ,i will commence by giving a short account of some events of my childhood and youth4 ,i spent the first years of my life under the influence of what history has called the ,blue ,laws of ,connecticut4 ,no man1 boy1 or child of any age was permitted to play1 or do any work from sunset ,saturday night1 until ,sunday night4 ,after sunset on ,sunday evening1 men might work1 and boys might jump1 shout1 and play as much as they pleased4 ,our parents were very strict with us on ,saturday night1 and all day ,sunday we had to sit very still and say over the ,presbyterian catechism and some passages in the ,bible4 ,the people of ,connecticut in those days thought it wicked to believe in any religion1 or belong to any church1 except the ,presbyterian4 ,they did not believe in having any prophets1 apostles1 or revelations1 as they had in the days of ,jesus1 and as we now have in the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,there was an aged man in ,connecticut1 however1 by the name of ,robert ,mason1 who did not believe like the rest of the people4 ,he believed it was necessary to have prophets1 apostles1 dreams1 visions and revelations in the church of ,christ1 the same as they had who lived in ancient days2 and he believed the ,lord would raise up a people and a church1 in the last days1 with prophets1 apostles and all the gifts1 powers and blessings1 which it ever contained in any age of the world4 ,the people called this man1 the old prophet ,mason4 ,he frequently came to my father's house when ,i was a boy1 and taught me and my brothers those principles2 and ,i believed him4 ,this prophet prayed a great deal1 and he had dreams and visions1 and the ,lord showed him many things1 by visions1 which were to come to pass in the last days4 ,i will here relate one vision1 which he related to me4 ,the last time ,i ever saw him1 he said3 ,i was laboring in my field at mid-day when ,i was enwrapped in a vision4 ,i was placed in the midst of a vast forest of fruit trees3 ,i was very hungry1 and walked a long way through the orchard1 searching for fruit to eat2 but ,i could not find any in the whole orchard1 and ,i wept because ,i could find no fruit4 ,while ,i stood gazing at the orchard1 and wondering why there was no fruit1 the trees began to fall to the ground upon every side of me1 until there was not one tree standing in the whole orchard2 and while ,i was marveling at the scene1 ,i saw young sprouts start up from the roots of the trees which had fallen1 and they opened into young1 thrifty trees before my eyes4 ,they budded1 blossomed1 and bore fruit until the trees were loaded with the finest fruit ,i ever beheld1 and ,i rejoiced to see so much fine fruit4 ,i stepped up to a tree and picked my hands full of fruit1 and marveled at its beauty1 and as ,i was about to taste of it the vision closed1 and ,i found myself in the field in the same place ,i was at the commencement of the vision4 ,i then knelt upon the ground1 and prayed unto the ,lord1 and asked ,him1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to show me the meaning of the vision4 ,the ,lord said unto me3 ',this is the interpretation of the vision3 the great trees of the forest represented the generation of men in which you live4 ,there is no church of ,christ1 or kingdom of ,god upon the earth in your generation4 ,there is no fruit of the church of ,christ upon the earth4 ,there is no man ordained of ,god to administer in any of the ordinances of the gospel of salvation upon the earth in this day and generation4 ,but1 in the next generation1 ,i the ,lord will set up my kingdom and my church upon the earth1 and the fruits of the kingdom and church of ,christ1 such as have followed the prophets1 apostles and saints in every dispensation1 shall again be found in all their fullness upon the earth4 ,you will live to see the day1 and handle the fruit2 but will never partake of it in the flesh4' ,when the old prophet had finished relating the vision and interpretation1 he said to me1 calling me by my christian name3 ,i shall never partake of this fruit in the flesh2 but you will1 and you will become a conspicuous actor in that kingdom4 ,he then turned and left me4 ,these were the last words he ever spoke to me upon the earth4 ,this was a very striking circumstance1 as ,i had spent many hours and days1 during twenty years1 with this old ,father ,mason1 and he had never named this vision to me before4 ,but at the beginning of this last conversation1 he told me that he felt impelled by the ,spirit of the ,lord to relate it to me4 ,he had the vision about the year #ahjj1 and he related it to me in #ahcj--the same spring that the ,church was organized4 ,this vision1 with his other teachings to me1 made a great impression upon my mind1 and ,i prayed a great deal to the ,lord to lead me by ,his ,spirit1 and prepare me for ,his church when it did come4 ,in #ahcb1 ,i left ,connecticut1 and traveled with my eldest brother to ,oswego ,county1 ,new ,york2 and in the winter of #ahcc1 ,i saw1 for the first time in my life1 an ,elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he preached in a school-house near where ,i lived4 ,i attended the meeting1 and the ,spirit of the ,lord bore record to me that what ,i heard was true4 ,i invited the ,elder to my house1 and next day ,i1 with my eldest brother1 went down into the water and was baptized4 ,we were the first two baptized in ,oswego ,county1 ,new ,york4 ,when ,i was baptized ,i thought of what the old prophet had said to me4 ,in the spring of #ahcd1 ,i went to ,kirtland1 saw the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 and went with him1 and with more than two hundred others in ,zion's ,camp1 up to ,missouri4 ,when ,i arrived1 at my journey's end1 ,i took the first opportunity and wrote a long letter to ,father ,mason1 and told him ,i had found the church of ,christ that he had told me about4 ,i told him about its organization and the coming forth of the ,book of ,mormon2 that the ,church had ,prophets1 ,apostles1 and all the gifts and blessings in it1 and that the true fruit of the kingdom and church of ,christ were manifest among the ,saints as the ,lord had shown him in the vision4 ,he received my letter and read it over many times1 and handled it as he had handled the fruit in the vision2 but he was very aged1 and soon died4 ,he did not live to see any ,elder to administer the ordinances of the gospel unto him4 ,the first opportunity ,i had1 after the doctrine of baptism for the dead was revealed1 ,i went forth and was baptized for him4 ,he was a good man and a true prophet1 for his prophecies have been fulfilled4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,preparing ,,to ,,go ,,up ,,to ,,zion--,,first ,,meeting ,,with ,,president ,,young--,,camp ,,of ,,zion ,,starts--,,numbers ,,magnified ,,in ,,the ,,eyes ,,of ,,beholders--,,remarkable ,,deliverance--,,selfishness1 ,,and ,,its ,,reward4 ,i arrived at ,kirtland on the #beth of ,april1 #ahcd1 and for the first time saw the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,he invited me to his house4 ,i spent about a week with him1 and became acquainted with him and his family1 also with many of the ,elders and ,saints living in ,kirtland1 quite a number of whom were preparing to go up to ,zion4 ,on ,sunday1 the #bgth of ,april1 ,i attended a meeting in a school-house in ,kirtland1 and for the first time heard ,elders ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,orson ,pratt and others speak and bear testimony to the work of ,god1 and much of the ,spirit of ,god was poured out upon the ,saints4 ,it was the #bfth of ,april1 #ahcd1 that ,i was first introduced to ,elders ,brigham ,young and ,h4 ,c4 ,kimball4 ,when ,i met ,brother ,brigham1 he had his hands full of butcher knives2 he gave me one1 and told me to go and put a good handle on it1 which ,i did4 ,i also had a good sword1 which ,brother ,joseph wanted1 and ,i gave it to him4 ,he carried it all the way in ,zion's camp to ,missouri1 and when he returned home he gave it back to me4 ,when ,i was called to go on a mission to the ,south ,i left the sword and knife with ,lyman ,wight4 ,when he was taken prisoner at ,far ,west1 with ,joseph and ,hyrum1 he had both the sword and the knife with him4 ,all their weapons were taken from them1 so were the arms of many of the ,saints at ,far ,west1 under promise that they should be returned to them when they were prepared to leave the ,state4 ,when the brethren went to get their arms1 ,father ,james ,allred saw my sword1 which ,lyman ,wight had laid down1 and took it and left his own1 and afterwards gave it to me and ,i still have it4 ,i prize it because the ,prophet ,joseph carried it in ,zion's ,camp4 ,the knife ,i never regained4 ,the first day of ,may1 #ahcd1 was appointed for the ,camp of ,zion to start from ,kirtland to go up to ,missouri for the redemption of their brethren4 ,only a small portion of the ,camp was ready4 ,the ,prophet told those who were ready1 to go to ,new ,portage and wait for the remainder4 ,i left1 in company with about twenty men1 with the baggage wagons4 ,at night we pitched our tents4 ,i went to the top of the hill and looked down upon the camp of ,israel4 ,i knelt upon the ground and prayed4 ,i rejoiced and praised the ,lord that ,i had lived to see some of the tents of ,israel pitched1 and a company gathered by the commandment of ,god to go up and help redeem ,zion4 ,we tarried at ,new ,portage until the #fth1 when we were joined by the ,prophet and eighty-five more men4 ,the day before they arrived1 while passing through the village of ,middlebury1 the people tried to count them2 but the ,lord multiplied them in the eyes of the people1 so that those who numbered them said there were four hundred of them4 ,on the #gth1 ,brother ,joseph organized the camp1 which consisted of about one hundred and thirty men4 ,on the following day we continued our journey4 ,we pitched our tents at night and had prayers night and morning4 ,the ,prophet told us every day what we should do4 ,we were nearly all young men1 gathered from all parts of the country1 and strangers to each other2 but we got acquainted very soon1 and had a happy time together4 ,it was a great school for us to be led by a ,prophet of ,god a thousand miles1 through cities1 towns1 villages1 and through the wilderness4 ,when persons stood by to count us they could not tell how many we numbered2 some said five hundred1 others one thousand4 ,many were astonished as we passed through their towns4 ,one lady ran to her door1 pushed her spectacles to the top of her head1 raised her hands1 and exclaimed3 ,what under heavens has broken loose8 ,she stood in that position the last ,i saw of her4 ,the published history of ,zion's ,camp gives an account of the bones of a man which we dug out of a mound4 ,his name was ,zelph4 ,the ,lord showed the ,prophet the history of the man in a vision4 ,the arrow1 by which he was killed1 was found among his bones4 ,one of his thigh bones was broken by a stone slung in battle4 ,the bone was put into my wagon1 and ,i carried it to ,clay ,county1 ,missouri1 and buried it in the earth4 ,the ,lord delivered ,israel in the days of ,moses by dividing the ,red ,sea1 so they went over dry shod4 ,when their enemies tried to do the same1 the water closed upon them and they were drowned4 ,the ,lord delivered ,zion's ,camp from their enemies on the #aith of ,june1 #ahcd1 by piling up the waters in ,fishing ,river forty feet in one night1 so our enemies could not cross4 ,he also sent a great hail-storm which broke them up and sent them seeking for shelter4 ,the camp of ,zion arrived at ,brother ,burk's1 in ,clay ,county1 ,missouri1 on the #bdth of ,june1 #ahcd1 and we pitched our tents on the premises4 ,he told some of the brethren of my company that he had a spare room that some of us might occupy if we would clean it4 ,our company accepted the offer1 and1 fearing some other company would get it first1 left all other business and went to work1 cleaning out the room1 and immediately spread down our blankets1 so as to hold a right to the room4 ,it was but a short time afterwards that our brethren1 who were attacked by cholera1 were brought in and laid upon our beds4 ,none of us ever used those blankets again1 for they were buried with the dead4 ,so we gained nothing but experience by being selfish1 and we lost our bedding4 ,i will exhort all my young friends to not cherish selfishness2 but if you have any1 get rid of it as soon as possible4 ,be generous and noble-hearted1 kind to your parents1 brothers1 sisters and play-mates4 ,never contend with them2 but try to make peace whenever you can4 ,whenever you are blessed with any good thing1 be willing to share it with others4 ,by cultivating these principles while you are young1 you will lay a foundation to do much good through your lives1 and you will be beloved and respected of the ,lord and all good men4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,advised ,,to ,,remain ,,in ,,missouri--,a ,,desire ,,to ,,preach--,,pray ,,to ,,the ,,lord ,,for ,a ,,mission--,,prayer ,,answered--,,sent ,,on ,a ,,mission ,,to ,,arkansas--,,dangerous ,,journey ,,through ,,jackson ,,county--,,living ,,on ,,raw ,,corn1 ,,and ,,sleeping ,,on ,,the ,,ground--,,my ,,first ,,sermon--,,refused ,,food ,,and ,,shelter ,,by ,a ,,presbyterian ,,preacher--,,wander ,,through ,,swamps--,,entertained ,,by ,,indians4 ,after ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 had led ,zion's ,camp to ,missouri1 and we had passed through all the trials of that journey1 and had buried a number of our brethren1 as recorded in history1 the ,prophet called the ,camp together1 and organized the ,church in ,zion1 and gave much good counsel to all4 ,he advised all the young men1 who had no families1 to stay in ,missouri and not return to ,kirtland4 ,not having any family1 ,i stopped with ,lyman ,wight1 as did ,milton ,holmes and ,heman ,hyde4 ,we spent the summer together1 laboring hard1 cutting wheat1 quarrying rock1 making brick1 or anything else we could find to do4 ,in the fall ,i had a desire to go and preach the gospel4 ,i knew the gospel which the ,lord had revealed to ,joseph ,smith was true1 and of such great value that ,i wanted to tell it to the people who had not heard it4 ,it was so good and plain1 it seemed to me ,i could make the people believe it4 ,i was but a ,teacher1 and it is not a ,teacher's office to go abroad and preach4 ,i dared not tell any of the authorities of the ,church that ,i wanted to preach1 lest they might think ,i was seeking for an office4 ,i went into the woods where no one could see me1 and ,i prayed to the ,lord to open my way so that ,i could go and preach the gospel4 ,while ,i was praying1 the ,spirit of the ,lord came upon me1 and told me my prayer was heard and that my request should be granted4 ,i felt very happy1 and got up and walked out of the woods into the traveled road1 and there ,i met a ,high ,priest who had lived in the same house with me some six months4 ,he had not said a word to me about preaching the gospel2 but now1 as soon as ,i met him1 he said1 ,the ,lord has revealed to me that it is your privilege to be ordained1 and to go and preach the gospel4 ,i told him ,i was willing to do whatever the ,lord required of me4 ,i did not tell him ,i had just asked the ,lord to let me go and preach4 ,in a few days a council was called at ,lyman ,wight's1 and ,i was ordained a ,priest and sent on a mission into ,arkansas and ,tennessee1 in company with an ,elder4 ,this mission was given us by ,elder ,edward ,partridge1 who was the first ,bishop ordained in the ,church4 ,the law of ,god to us in those days was to go without purse or scrip4 ,our journey lay through ,jackson ,county1 from which the ,saints had just been driven1 and it was dangerous for a ,mormon to be found in that part of the ,state4 ,we put some ,books of ,mormon and some clothing into our valises1 strapped them on our backs1 and started on foot4 ,we crossed the ferry into ,jackson ,county1 and went through it4 ,in some instances the ,lord preserved us1 as it were by miracle1 from the mob4 ,we dared not go to houses and get food1 so we picked and ate raw corn1 and slept on the ground1 and did any way we could until we got out of the county4 ,we dared not preach while in that county1 and we did but little preaching in the ,state of ,missouri4 ,the first time ,i attempted to preach was on ,sunday1 in a tavern1 in the early part of ,december1 #ahcd4 ,it was snowing at the time1 and the room was full of people4 ,as ,i commenced to speak the landlord opened the door1 and the snow blew on the people2 and when ,i inquired the object of having the door opened in a snowstorm1 he informed me that he wanted some light on the subject4 ,i found that it was the custom of the country4 ,how much good ,i did in that sermon ,i never knew1 and probably never shall know until ,i meet that congregation in judgment4 ,in the southern portion of ,missouri and the northern part of ,arkansas1 in #ahcd1 there were but very few inhabitants4 ,we visited a place called ,harmony ,mission1 on the ,osage river1 one of the most crooked rivers in the west4 ,this mission was kept by a ,presbyterian minister and his family4 ,we arrived there on ,sunday night at sunset4 ,we had walked all day with nothing to eat1 and were very hungry and tired4 ,neither the minister nor his wife would give us anything to eat1 nor let us stay over night1 because we were ,mormons1 and the only chance we had was to go twelve miles farther down the river1 to an ,osage ,indian trading post1 kept by a ,frenchman named ,jereu4 ,and this wicked priest1 who would not give us a piece of bread1 lied to us about the road1 and sent us across the swamp1 and we wallowed knee deep in mud and water till ten o'clock at night in trying to follow this crooked river4 ,we then left the swamp1 and put out into the prairie1 to lie in the grass for the night4 ,when we came out of the swamp1 we heard an ,indian drumming on a tin pail and singing4 ,it was very dark1 but we traveled towards the noise1 and when we drew near the ,indian camp quite a number of large ,indian dogs came out to meet us4 ,they smelt us1 but did not bark nor bite4 ,we were soon surrounded by ,osage ,indians1 and kindly received by ,mr4 ,jereu and his wife1 who was an ,indian4 ,she gave us an excellent supper and a good bed1 which we were thankful for after the fatigue of the day4 ,as ,i laid my head on the pillow ,i felt to thank ,god1 from the bottom of my heart1 for the exchange of the barbarous treatment of a civilized ,presbyterian priest1 for the humane1 kind and generous treatment of the savage ,osage ,indians4 ,may ,god reward them both according to their deserts4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,a ,,journey ,,of ,,sixty ,,miles ,,without ,,food--,,confronted ,,by ,a ,,bear--,,pass ,,by ,,unharmed--,,surrounded ,,by ,,wolves--,,lost ,,in ,,darkness--,,reach ,a ,,cabin--,,its ,,inmates--,,no ,,supper--,,sleep ,,on ,,the ,,floor--,,the ,,hardest ,,day',s ,,work ,,of ,,my ,,life--,,twelve ,,miles ,,more ,,without ,,breakfast--,,breakfast ,,and ,,abuse ,,together4 ,we arose in the morning1 after a good night's rest4 ,i was somewhat lame1 from wading in the swamp the night before4 ,we had a good breakfast4 ,mr4 ,jereu sent an ,indian to see us across the river1 and informed us that it was sixty miles to the nearest settlement of either white or red men4 ,we were too bashful to ask for anything to take with us to eat2 so we crossed the river and started on our day's journey of sixty miles without a morsel of food of any kind4 ,what for8 ,to preach the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 to save this generation4 ,think of this1 children2 think of what the ,presidency1 the ,apostles1 and the ,elders of this ,church have passed through to give you the homes and comforts you now enjoy4 ,think of this1 ye statesmen and judges of this ,american nation2 ye who are now seeking to destroy ,god's people in the wilderness1 who have gone hungry and naked and have labored for fifty years to save this nation and generation4 ,cease your exertions to destroy this people1 or ,god will bring you to judgment and destroy your nation1 and cast you into outer darkness1 where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth2 for the ,lord ,god has spoken it4 ,i must pause2 ,i almost forgot ,i was writing a narrative4 ,we started about sunrise and crossed a thirty-mile prairie1 apparently as level as a house floor1 without shrub or water4 ,we arrived at timber about two o'clock in the afternoon4 ,as we approached the timber a large black bear came out towards us4 ,we were not afraid of him1 for we were on the ,lord's business1 and had not mocked ,god's prophets as did the forty-two wicked children who said to ,elisha1 ,go up thou bald head1 for which they were torn by bears4 ,when the bear got within eight rods of us he sat on his haunches and looked at us a moment1 and then ran away2 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,we had to travel in the night1 which was cloudy and very dark1 so we had great difficulty to keep the road4 ,soon a large drove of wolves gathered around1 and followed us4 ,they came very close1 and at times it seemed as though they would eat us up4 ,we had materials for striking a light1 and at ten o'clock1 not knowing where we were1 and the wolves becoming so bold1 we thought it wisdom to make a fire2 so we stopped and gathered a lot of oak limbs that lay on the ground1 and lit them1 and as our fire began to burn the wolves left us4 ,as we were about to lay down on the ground--for we had no blankets--we heard a dog bark4 ,my companion said it was a wolf2 ,i said it was a dog3 but soon we heard a cow bell4 ,then we each took a firebrand and went about a quarter of a mile1 and found the house1 which was sixty miles from where we started that morning4 ,it was an old log cabin1 about twelve feet square1 with no door1 but an old blanket was hung up in the door-way4 ,there was no furniture except one bedstead1 upon which lay a woman1 several children and several small dogs4 ,a man lay on the bare floor with his feet to the fire-place1 and all were asleep4 ,i went in and spoke to the man1 but did not wake him4 ,i stepped to him1 and laid my hand on his shoulder4 ,the moment he felt the weight of my hand he jumped to his feet1 and ran around the room as though he was frightened2 but he was quieted when we informed him we were friends4 ,the cause of his fright was1 he had shot a panther a few nights before1 and he thought its mate had jumped upon him4 ,he asked us what we wanted2 we told him we wished to stop with him all night1 and would like something to eat4 ,he informed us we might lay on the floor as he did1 but that he had not a mouthful for us to eat1 as he had to depend on his gun to get breakfast for his family in the morning4 ,so we lay on the bare floor1 and slept through a long1 rainy night1 which was pretty hard after walking sixty miles without anything to eat4 ,that was the hardest day's work of my life4 ,the man's name was ,williams4 ,he was in the mob in ,jackson ,county2 and after the ,saints were driven out1 he1 with many others1 went south4 ,we got up in the morning and walked in the rain twelve miles to the house of a man named ,bemon1 who was also one of the mob from ,jackson ,county4 ,they were about sitting down to breakfast as we came in4 ,in those days it was the custom of the ,missourians to ask you to eat even if they intended to cut your throat as soon as you got through2 so he asked us to take breakfast1 and we were very glad of the invitation4 ,he knew we were ,mormons2 and as soon as we began to eat he began to swear about the ,mormons4 ,he had a large platter of bacon and eggs1 and plenty of bread on the table1 and his swearing did not hinder our eating1 for the harder he swore the harder we ate1 until we got our stomachs full2 then we arose from the table1 took our hats1 thanked him for our breakfast1 and the last we heard of him he was still swearing4 ,i trust the ,lord will reward him for our breakfast4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,,our ,,anxiety ,,to ,,meet ,a ,,saint--,,journey ,,to ,,akeman',s--,a ,,dream--,,find ,,mr4 ,,akeman ,a ,,rank ,,apostate--,,he ,,raises ,a ,,mob--,,threatened ,,with ,,tar1 ,,feathers1 ,,etc4--,i ,,warn ,,mr4 ,,akeman ,,to ,,repent--,,he ,,falls ,,dead ,,at ,,my ,,feet--,i ,,preach ,,his ,,funeral ,,sermon4 ,in the early days of the ,church1 it was a great treat to an ,elder in his travels through the country to find a ,mormon2 it was so with us4 ,we were hardly in ,arkansas when we heard of a family named ,akeman4 ,they were in ,jackson ,county in the persecutions4 ,some of the sons had been tied up there and whipped on their bare backs with hickory switches by the mob4 ,we heard of their living on ,petit ,jean ,river1 in the ,arkansas ,territory1 and we went a long way to visit them4 ,there had recently been heavy rains1 and a creek that we had to cross was swollen to a rapid stream of eight rods in width4 ,there was no person living nearer than two miles from the crossing1 and no boat4 ,the people living at the last house on the road1 some three miles from the crossing1 said we would have to tarry till the water fell before we could cross4 ,we did not stop1 feeling to trust in ,god4 ,just as we arrived at the rolling flood a negro1 on a powerful horse1 entered the stream on the opposite side and rode through it4 ,on our making our wants known to him1 he took us1 one at a time1 behind him and carried us safely over1 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,we arrived that night within five miles of ,mr4 ,akeman's1 and were kindly entertained by a stranger4 ,during the night ,i had the following dream3 ,i thought an angel came to us1 and told us we were commanded of the ,lord to follow a certain straight path1 which was pointed out to us1 let it lead us wherever it might4 ,after we had walked in it awhile we came to the door of a house1 which was in the line of a high wall running north and south1 so that we could not go around4 ,i opened the door and saw the room was filled with large serpents1 and ,i shuddered at the sight4 ,my companion said he would not go into the room for fear of the serpents4 ,i told him ,i should try to go through the room though they killed me1 for the ,lord had commanded it4 ,as ,i stepped into the room the serpents coiled themselves up1 and raised their heads some two feet from the floor1 to spring at me4 ,there was one much larger than the rest in the center of the room1 which raised its head nearly as high as mine and made a spring at me4 ,at that instant ,i felt as though nothing but the power of ,god could save me1 and ,i stood still4 ,just before the serpent reached me he dropped dead at my feet2 all the rest dropped dead1 swelled up1 turned black1 burst open1 took fire and were consumed before my eyes1 and we went through the room unharmed1 and thanked ,god for our deliverance4 ,i awoke in the morning and pondered upon the dream4 ,we took breakfast1 and started on our journey on ,sunday morning1 to visit ,mr4 ,akeman4 ,i related to my companion my dream1 and told him we should see something strange4 ,we had great anticipations of meeting ,mr4 ,akeman1 supposing him to be a member of the ,church4 ,when we arrived at his house he received us very coldly1 and we soon found that he had apostatized4 ,he brought railing accusations against the ,book of ,mormon and the authorities of the ,church4 ,word was sent through all the settlements on the river for twenty miles that two ,mormon preachers were in the place4 ,a mob was soon raised1 and warning sent to us to leave immediately or we would be tarred and feathered1 ridden on a rail and hanged4 ,i soon saw where the serpents were4 ,my companion wanted to leave2 ,i told him no1 ,i would stay and see my dream fulfilled4 ,there was an old gentleman and lady1 named ,hubbel1 who had read the ,book of ,mormon and believed4 ,father ,hubbel came to see us1 and invited us to make our home with him while we stayed in the place4 ,we did so1 and labored for him some three weeks with our axes1 clearing land1 while we were waiting to see the salvation of ,god4 ,i was commanded of the ,lord by the ,holy ,ghost to go and warn ,mr4 ,akeman to repent of his wickedness4 ,i did so1 and each time he railed against me1 and the last time he ordered me out of his house4 ,when ,i went out he followed me and was very angry4 ,when he came up to me1 about eight rods from the house1 he fell dead at my feet1 turned black and swelled up1 as ,i saw the serpents do in my dream4 ,his family1 as well as ourselves1 felt it was the judgment of ,god upon him4 ,i preached his funeral sermon4 ,many of the mob died suddenly4 ,we stayed about two weeks after ,akeman's death and preached1 baptized ,mr4 ,hubbel and his wife1 and then continued on our journey4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,,make ,a ,,canoe--,,voyage ,,down ,,the ,,arkansas ,,river--,,sleep ,,in ,a ,,deserted ,,tavern--,,one ,,hundred ,,and ,,seventy ,,miles ,,through ,,swamps--,,forty ,,miles ,a ,,day ,,in ,,mud ,,knee-,,deep--,a ,,sudden ,,lameness--,,left ,,alone ,,in ,,an ,,alligator ,,swamp--,,healed ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,prayer--,,arrival ,,in ,,memphis--,,an ,,odd-,,looking ,,preacher--,,compelled ,,to ,,preach--,,powerful ,,aid ,,from ,,the ,,spirit--,,not ,,what ,,the ,,audience ,,expected4 ,we concluded to go down the ,arkansas river and cross into ,tennessee4 ,we could not get passage on the boat1 because of the low water1 so we went on the bank of the river and cut down a sound cottonwood tree1 three feet through1 and cut off a twelve-foot length from the butt end2 and in two days we dug out a canoe4 ,we made a pair of oars and a rudder1 and on the #aath of ,march1 #ahce1 we launched our canoe1 and commenced our voyage down the ,arkansas river1 without provisions4 ,the first day we sailed twenty-five miles1 and stopped at night with a poor family who lived on the bank of the river4 ,these kind folks gave us supper and breakfast1 and1 in the morning1 gave us a johnny-cake and piece of pork to take with us on our journey4 ,we traveled about fifty miles that day1 and at night stopped at an old tavern1 in a village called ,cadron1 which was deserted because it was believed to be haunted by evil spirits4 ,we made a fire in the tavern1 roasted a piece of our pork1 ate our supper1 said our prayers1 went into a chamber1 lay down on the bare floor1 and were soon asleep4 ,i dreamed ,i was at my father's house in a good feather bed1 and ,i had a good night's rest4 ,when ,i awoke the bed vanished1 and found myself on the bare floor and well rested1 not having been troubled with evil spirits or anything else4 ,we thanked the ,lord for ,his goodness to us1 ate the remainder of our provisions and continued our journey down the river to ,little ,rock1 the capital of ,arkansas1 which then consisted of only a few cabins4 ,after visiting the place1 we crossed the river and tied up our canoe1 which had carried us safely one hundred and fifty miles4 ,we then took the old military road1 leading from ,little ,rock to ,memphis1 ,tennessee4 ,this road lay through swamps1 and was covered with mud and water most of the way1 for one hundred and seventy miles4 ,we walked forty miles in a day through mud and water knee-deep4 ,on the #bdth of ,march1 after traveling some ten miles through mud1 ,i was taken lame with a sharp pain in my knee4 ,i sat down on a log4 ,my companion1 who was anxious to get to his home in ,kirtland1 left me sitting in an alligator swamp4 ,i did not see him again for two years4 ,i knelt down in the mud and prayed1 and the ,lord healed me1 and ,i went on my way rejoicing4 ,on the #bgth of ,march1 ,i arrived at ,memphis1 weary and hungry4 ,i went to the best tavern in the place1 kept by ,mr4 ,josiah ,jackson4 ,i told him ,i was a stranger1 and had no money4 ,i asked him if he would keep me over night4 ,he inquired of me what my business was4 ,i told him ,i was a preacher of the gospel4 ,he laughed1 and said that ,i did not look much like a preacher4 ,i did not blame him1 as all the preachers he had ever been acquainted with rode on fine horses or in fine carriages1 clothed in broadcloth1 and had large salaries1 and would see this whole world sink to perdition before they would wade through one hundred and seventy miles of mud to save the people4 ,the landlord wanted a little fun1 so he said he would keep me if ,i would preach4 ,he wanted to see if ,i could preach4 ,i must confess that by this time ,i became a little mischievous1 and pleaded with him not to set me preaching4 ,the more ,i plead to be excused1 the more determined ,mr4 ,jackson was that ,i should preach4 ,he took my valise1 and the landlady got me a good supper4 ,i sat down in a large hall to eat supper4 ,before ,i got through1 the room began to be filled with some of the rich and fashionable of ,memphis1 dressed in their broadcloth and silk1 while my appearance was such as you can imagine1 after traveling through the mud as ,i had been4 ,when ,i had finished eating1 the table was carried out of the room over the heads of the people4 ,i was placed in the corner of the room1 with a stand having a ,bible1 hymn book and candle on it1 hemmed in by a dozen men1 with the landlord in the center4 ,there were present some five hundred persons who had come together1 not to hear a gospel sermon1 but to have some fun4 ,now1 boys1 how would you like this position8 ,on your first mission1 without a companion or friend1 and to be called upon to preach to such a congregation8 ,with me it was one of the most pleasing hours of my life1 although ,i felt as though ,i should like company4 ,i read a hymn1 and asked them to sing4 ,not a soul would sing a word4 ,i told them had not the gift of singing2 but with the help of the ,lord1 ,i would both pray and preach4 ,i knelt down to pray1 and the men around me dropped on their knees4 ,i prayed to the ,lord to give me ,his ,spirit and to show me the hearts of the people4 ,i promised the ,lord in my prayer ,i would deliver to that congregation whatever ,he would give to me4 ,i arose and spoke one hour and a half and it was one of the best sermons of my life4 ,the lives of the congregation were opened to the vision of my mind1 and ,i told them of their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain4 ,the men who surrounded me dropped their heads4 ,three minutes after ,i closed ,i was the only person in the room4 ,soon ,i was shown to a bed1 in a room adjoining a large one in which were assembled many of the men whom ,i had been preaching to4 ,i could hear their conversation4 ,one man said he would like to know how that ,mormon boy knew of their past lives4 ,in a little while they got to disputing about some doctrinal point4 ,one suggested calling me to decide the point4 ,the landlord said1 no2 we have had enough for once4 ,in the morning1 ,i had a good breakfast4 ,the landlord said if ,i came that way again to stop at his house1 and stay as long as ,i might choose4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,,curious ,,worship--,,meet ,,elder ,,parrish--,,labor ,,together ,,in ,,tennesse--,,adventure ,,in ,,bloody ,,river--,a ,,night ,,of ,,peril--,,providential ,,light--,,menaced ,,by ,a ,,mob--,,good ,,advice ,,of ,a ,,baptist ,,preacher--,,summary ,,of ,,my ,,labors ,,during ,,the ,,year4 ,after leaving ,memphis1 ,i traveled through the country to ,benton ,county1 and preached on the way as ,i had opportunity4 ,i stopped one night with a ,squire ,hardman1 an ,episcopalian4 ,most of the night was spent by the family in music and dancing4 ,in the morning1 at the breakfast table1 ,mr4 ,hardman asked me if we believed in music and dancing4 ,i told him we did not really consider them essential to salvation4 ,he said he did1 and therefore should not join our ,church4 ,on the #dth of ,april1 #ahce1 ,i had the happy privilege of meeting ,elder ,warren ,parrish at the house of ,brother ,frys4 ,he had been preaching in that part of ,tennessee1 in company with ,david ,w4 ,patten1 and had baptized a number and organized several small branches4 ,brother ,patten had returned home1 and ,brother ,parish was laboring alone4 ,i joined him in the ministry1 and we labored together three months and nineteen days1 when he was called to ,kirtland4 ,during the time we were together we traveled through several counties in ,tennessee for the distance of seven hundred and sixty miles1 and preached the gospel daily1 as we had opportunity4 ,we baptized some twenty persons4 ,by the counsel of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,elder ,parrish ordained me an ,elder1 and left me to take charge of the branches that had been raised up in that neighborhood4 ,as soon as ,i was left alone ,i extended my circuit and labors4 ,for a season ,i had large congregations2 many seemed to believe1 and ,i baptized a number4 ,on the #aeth of ,august ,i had an appointment at the house of ,brother ,taylor1 the step-father of ,abraham ,o4 ,smoot4 ,i had to cross ,bloody ,river1 which ,i had to swim in consequence of heavy rains4 ,while crossing1 my horse became entangled in a tree top1 and almost drowned2 but ,i succeeded in getting him loose4 ,we swam to the shore separately4 ,he reached the shore first1 and waited till ,i came out4 ,i got into the saddle1 and went on my way in good spirits1 and had a good meeting4 ,on the #bjth of ,october ,i baptized three ,campbellites1 one of whom was a deacon4 ,i then rode twelve miles to ,mr4 ,greenwood's1 who was eighty years old1 and had been a soldier under ,general ,washington4 ,his wife1 who was ninety-three years old1 ,i found quite smart1 and busy carding wool4 ,i preached at their house and baptized both of them4 ,on the following day ,i preached at the house of ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp and baptized seven ,campbellites and one ,baptist4 ,on the #afth of ,november ,i preached at ,brother ,camp's and baptized three4 ,on the day following1 it being ,sunday1 ,i preached again at ,brother ,clapp's and baptized five4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i mounted my horse to ride to ,clark's ,river1 in company with ,seth ,utley1 four other brethren and two sisters4 ,the distance was twenty miles4 ,we came to a stream1 which was so swollen by rains1 that we could not cross without swimming our horses4 ,to swim would not be safe for the females1 so we went up the stream to find a ford4 ,in the attempt we were overtaken by a severe storm of wind and rain1 and lost our way in the darkness1 and wandered through creeks and mud4 ,but the ,lord does not forsake ,his ,saints in any of their troubles4 ,while we were in the woods suffering under the blast of the storm1 groping like the blind for the wall1 a bright light suddenly shone around us and revealed to us our dangerous situation on the edge of a gulf4 ,the light continued with us until we found the road2 we then went on our way rejoicing1 though the darkness returned and the rain continued4 ,we reached ,brother ,henry ,thomas' in safety about nine o'clock at night1 having been five hours in the storm and forded streams many times4 ,none of us felt to complain1 but were thankful to ,god for ,his preserving care4 ,on the following day ,i preached in ,damon ,creek and organized a branch called the ,damon ,creek ,branch1 and ordained ,daniel ,thomas a ,teacher4 ,on the #aith of ,december ,i again preached at the house of ,brother ,clapp1 and baptized five persons2 one was a ,campbellite preacher4 ,on the following day ,i preached at the house of ,brother ,henry ,thomas1 when a mob of about fifty persons collected1 headed by a ,baptist preacher1 who1 after asking one question1 advised the mob to not lay hands on any man on account of his principles4 ,the advice was good and well taken4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i baptized three persons1 one seventy-eight years old4 ,this brings the year #ahce to a close--the first year of my mission--during which time ,i had traveled three thousand two hundred and forty-eight miles1 held one hundred and seventy meetings1 baptized forty-three persons--three of whom were ,campbellite preachers--assisted ,elder ,parish to baptize twenty more1 confirmed thirty-five1 organized three branches1 ordained two ,teachers and one ,deacon1 procured thirty subscribers for the ,messenger and ,advocate1 one hundred and seventy-three signers to the petition to the governor of ,missouri for redress of wrongs done the ,saints in ,jackson ,county1 had three mobs rise against me--but was not harmed1 wrote eighteen letters1 received ten1 and1 finally1 closed the labors of the year #ahce1 by eating johnny-cake1 butter and honey1 at ,brother ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot's4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,,studying ,,grammar--,,meet ,,elder ,,patten--,,glorious ,,news--,,labor ,,with ,a4 ,o4 ,,smoot--,,turned ,,out ,,of ,a ,,meeting ,,house ,,by ,a ,,baptist ,,preacher--,,preach ,,in ,,the ,,open ,,air--,,good ,,result--,,adventure ,,on ,,the ,,tennessee ,,river--,a ,,novel ,,charge ,,to ,,arrest ,,and ,,condemn ,,men ,,upon--,,mob ,,poison ,,our ,,horses4 ,i spent the fore part of ,january1 #ahcf1 7the weather being very cold7 at the house of ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 in ,kentucky1 studying ,kirkham's ,english ,grammar4 ,i continued to travel and preach in ,kentucky and ,tennessee and baptized all that would believe my testimony4 ,on the #bfth of ,february we held a conference at the house of ,brother ,lewis ,clapp 7father of ,b4 ,l4 ,clapp74 ,there were represented one hundred and three members in that mission4 ,i ordained ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,benjamin ,boyston ,elders1 and ,daniel ,thomas and ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp ,priests4 ,i also ordained one ,teacher and two ,deacons4 ,after conference ,i took ,brothers ,smoot and ,clapp with me to preach4 ,the former traveled with me constantly till the #bast of ,april1 when we had the privilege of meeting with ,elder ,david ,w4 ,patten1 who had come direct from ,kirtland1 and who had been ordained one of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,it was a happy meeting4 ,he gave us an account of the endowments at ,kirtland1 the glorious blessings received1 the ministration of angels1 the organization of the ,twelve ,apostles and ,seventies1 and informed me that ,i was appointed a member of the second quorum of ,seventies4 ,all of this was glorious news to me1 and caused my heart to rejoice4 ,on the #bgth of ,may we were joined by ,elder ,warren ,parrish1 direct from ,kirtland4 ,we had a happy time together4 ,on the #bhth1 we held a conference at ,brother ,seth ,utley's1 where were represented all the branches of the ,church in the ,south4 ,i was ordained on the #cast of ,may a member of the second quorum of ,seventies under the hands of ,david ,w4 ,patten and ,warren ,parrish4 ,at the close of the conference we separated for a short time4 ,elders ,patten and ,parrish labored in ,tennessee1 ,brother ,smoot and myself in ,kentucky4 ,on the #ith of ,june we all met at ,damon ,creek branch1 where ,brother ,patten baptized two4 ,one was ,father ,henry ,thomas1 who had been a revolutionary soldier under ,general ,washington1 and father of ,daniel and ,henry ,thomas4 ,a warrant was issued1 on the oath of a priest1 against ,d4 ,w4 ,patten1 ,w4 ,parrish and myself4 ,we were accused in the warrant of the great crime of testifying that ,christ would come in this generation1 and that we promised the ,holy ,ghost to those whom we baptized4 ,brothers ,patten and ,parrish were taken on the #aith of ,june4 ,i being in another county1 escaped being arrested4 ,the brethren were put under two thousand dollars bond to appear at court4 ,albert ,petty and ,seth ,utley were their bondsmen4 ,they were tried on the #bbnd of ,june4 ,they pleaded their own cause4 ,although men came forward and testified they did receive the ,holy ,ghost after they were baptized1 the brethren were condemned2 but were finally released by paying the expense of the mob court4 ,there was one peculiar circumstance connected with this trial by a mob court1 which was armed to the teeth4 ,when the trial was through with1 the people were not willing to permit more than one to speak4 ,warren ,parrish had said but few words1 and they were not willing to let ,david ,patten speak4 ,but he1 feeling the injustice of the court1 and being filled with the power of ,god1 arose to his feet and delivered a speech of about twenty minutes1 holding them spell-bound while he told them of their wickedness and the abominations that they were guilty of1 also of the curse of ,god that awaited them1 if they did not repent1 for taking up two harmless1 inoffensive men for preaching the gospel of ,christ4 ,when he got through his speech the judge said1 ,you must be armed with secret weapons1 or you would not talk in this fearless manner to an armed court4 ,brother ,patten replied3 ,i have weapons that you know not of1 and they are given me of ,god1 for ,he gives me all the power ,i have4 ,the judge seemed willing to get rid of them almost upon any terms1 and offered to dismiss them if their friends would pay the costs1 which the brethren present freely offered to do4 ,when the two were released1 they mounted their horses and rode a mile to ,seth ,utley's2 but1 as soon as they had left1 the court became ashamed that they had been let go so easily and the whole mob mounted their horses to follow them to ,utley's4 ,one of the ,saints1 seeing the state of affairs1 went on before the mob to notify the brethren1 so that they had time to ride into the woods near by4 ,they traveled along about three miles to ,brother ,albert ,petty's1 and went to bed4 ,the night was dark1 and they went to sleep4 ,but ,brother ,patten was warned in a dream to get up and flee1 as the mob would soon be there4 ,they both arose1 saddled their animals1 and rode into the adjoining county4 ,the house they had just left was soon surrounded by the mob1 but the brethren had escaped through the mercy of ,god4 ,i was invited to hold a meeting at a ,baptist meeting-house on the #bgth of ,june4 ,on my arrival ,i met a large congregation2 but1 on commencing meeting1 ,parson ,browning ordered the meeting to be closed4 ,i told the people ,i had come ten miles to preach the gospel to them1 and was willing to stand in a cart1 on a pile of wood1 on a fence1 or any other place they would appoint1 to have that privilege4 ,one man said he owned the fence and land in front of the meeting-house1 and we might use both1 for he did not believe ,mormonism would hurt either4 ,so the congregation crossed the road1 took down the fence and made seats of it1 and ,i preached to them one hour and a half4 ,at the close ,mr4 ,randolph ,alexander bore testimony to the truth of what had been said4 ,he invited me home with him1 bought a ,book of ,mormon1 and was baptized1 and ,i organized a branch in that place4 ,on the #ahth of ,july1 ,brother ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,i arrived at a ferry on the ,tennessee river1 and1 as the ferryman was not at home1 the woman kindly gave us permission to use the ferryboat4 ,we led our horses on board1 and took the oars to cross the river4 ,brother ,smoot had never used an oar1 and ,i had not for some years1 so we made awkward work of it4 ,soon he broke one oar1 and ,i let another fall overboard1 which left us only one broken oar to get to shore with4 ,we narrowly escaped running into a steamboat4 ,we struck shore half a mile below the landing place1 tied up the boat1 jumped on the bank with our horses1 and went on our way with blistered hands1 thankful to get off so well4 ,on ,sunday1 the #cast of ,july1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,i preached at ,mr4 ,david ,crider's1 ,weakly ,county1 ,tennessee4 ,after the meeting ,mr4 ,crider was baptized4 ,a mob gathered and threatened us1 and poisoned our horses so that the one ,i rode1 belonging to ,samuel ,west1 died a few days after4 ,this horse had carried me thousands of miles while preaching the gospel4 ,i continued to travel with ,brothers ,smoot1 ,patten and ,parrish in ,tennessee and ,kentucky1 and we baptized all who would receive our testimony4 ,on the #bnd day of ,september we held a general conference at the ,damon ,creek ,branch4 ,elder ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles1 presided4 ,all the branches in ,tennessee and ,kentucky were represented4 ,brothers ,randolph ,alexander1 ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp and ,johnson ,f4 ,lane were ordained ,elders and ,lindsay ,bradey was ordained to the lesser ,priesthood4 ,i assisted ,president ,marsh to obtain fifteen hundred dollars from the ,southern brethren1 to enter land in ,missouri for the ,church4 ,the brethren made me a present of fifty dollars1 which ,i sent by ,president ,marsh to enter forty acres of land for me4 ,elder ,smoot and ,i were released from the ,southern mission with permission to go to ,kirtland4 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,,attending ,,school--,,marriage--,,impressed ,,to ,,take ,a ,,mission ,,to ,,fox ,,islands--,,advised ,,to ,,go--,,journey ,,to ,,canada--,,cases ,,of ,,healing--,,journey ,,to ,,connecticut--,,my ,,birthplace--,,my ,,mother',s ,,grave--,,baptize ,,some ,,relatives--,,joined ,,by ,,my ,,wife--,,journey ,,on ,,foot ,,to ,,maine--,,arrival ,,at ,,fox ,,island4 ,having returned from my ,southern mission in the autumn of #ahcf1 in company with ,elders ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,jesse ,turpin1 ,i spent the following winter in ,kirtland4 ,during this time ,i received my endowments and attended the school of ,professor ,haws1 who taught ,greek1 ,latin and ,english grammar4 ,i confined my studies mostly to ,latin and ,english grammar4 ,this winter and the following spring1 in some respects1 may be regarded as one of the most interesting periods of the history of the ,church1 when we consider the endowments and teachings given in the temple1 and the great apostasy which followed4 ,i was married to ,miss ,phoebe ,whitmore ,carter1 on the #acth of ,april1 #ahcg1 and received my patriarchal blessing under the hands of ,father ,joseph ,smith1 the ,patriarch1 two days after4 ,i felt impressed by the ,spirit of ,god to take a mission to the ,fox ,islands1 situated east of the ,maine shore1 a country ,i knew nothing about4 ,i made my feelings known to the ,apostles1 and they advised me to go4 ,feeling that it was my duty to go upon this mission1 ,i did not tarry at home one year after having married a wife1 as the law of ,moses would have allowed4 ,on the contrary1 ,i started just one month and one day after that important event1 leaving my wife with ,sister ,hale1 with whom she expected to stay for a season4 ,i left ,kirtland in good spirits1 in company with ,elder ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale1 and walked twelve miles to ,fairport1 where we were joined by ,elder ,milton ,holmes4 ,there we went aboard the steamer ,sandusky1 and made our way to ,buffalo1 and proceeded thence to ,syracuse1 by way of the ,erie ,canal4 ,we then walked to ,richland1 ,oswego ,co41 ,n4 ,y41 where ,i met my two brothers1 whom ,i had not seen for several years4 ,after spending one night there1 we continued our journey to ,sackett's ,harbor1 and crossed ,lake ,ontario on the steamer ,oneida1 to ,kingston1 ,upper ,canada1 and from there also by steamer along the canal to ,jones' ,falls1 whence we walked to a place called ,bastard1 ,leeds ,county4 ,here we found a branch of the ,church1 presided over by ,john ,e4 ,page and ,james ,blakesly4 ,we accompanied them to their place of meeting1 and attended a conference with them1 at which three hundred members of the ,church were represented4 ,thirty-two persons presented themselves for ordination1 whom ,i was requested to ordain1 in company with ,elder ,wm4 ,draper4 ,we ordained seven ,elders1 nine ,priests1 eleven ,teachers and five ,deacons4 ,we spoke to the people several times during this conference1 and at its close we were called upon to administer to a woman who was possessed of the devil4 ,at times she was dumb1 and greatly afflicted with the evil spirits that dwelt in her4 ,she believed in ,jesus and in us as ,his servants1 and wished us to administer to her4 ,four of us laid our hands upon her head and commanded the devil1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to depart out of her4 ,it was immediately done1 and the woman arose with great joy1 and gave thanks and praise unto ,god2 for1 according to her faith1 she was made whole from that hour4 ,a child1 also1 that was sick1 was healed by the laying on of hands1 according to the word of ,god4 ,we walked thirty miles to visit another branch of the ,saints at ,leeds1 where we met with ,john ,gordon and ,john ,snider4 ,here we held a meeting and bore our testimony to the people4 ,a ,sister ,carns here came to us and requested to have the ordinance for the healing of the sick performed for two of her children who were afflicted4 ,one was a suckling child1 which was lying at the point of death4 ,i took it in my arms and presented it before the ,elders1 who laid their hands upon it1 and it was made whole immediately1 and ,i handed it back to the mother entirely healed4 ,we afterwards laid hands upon the other1 when it was also healed4 ,it was done by the power of ,god1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and the parents praised ,god for ,his goodness4 ,after leaving the ,saints in this place1 we returned to ,kingston1 and crossed ,lake ,ontario in company with ,isaac ,russell1 ,john ,goodson and ,john ,snider4 ,brother ,russell seemed to be constantly troubled with evil spirits1 which followed him when he subsequently went upon a mission to ,england1 where ,apostles ,orson ,hyde and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 when administering to him1 had a severe contest with them1 as ,brother ,kimball has related in his history4 ,brothers ,russell1 ,goodson and ,snider continued with us to ,schenectady1 where they left us to proceed to ,new ,york1 to join ,elders ,kimball and ,hyde to go upon their mission to ,england4 ,after leaving these brethren we traveled by rail to ,albany1 and walked from there to ,canaan1 ,conn41 where we found a branch of the ,church1 including ,jesse and ,julian ,moses and ,francis ,k4 ,benedict4 ,we held a two-days' meeting with the ,saints in ,canaan1 and ,i ordained ,julian ,moses and ,francis ,k4 ,benedict ,elders4 ,after holding several meetings in the town of ,colebrook1 and visiting my half sister1 ,eunice ,woodruff1 who was teaching school there1 ,i proceeded to ,avon1 the place of my birth4 ,there ,i visited many of my former neighbors and relatives1 and the grave of my mother1 ,bulah ,woodruff1 who died ,june #aath1 #ahjh1 when twenty-six years of age4 ,the following verse was upon her tombstone3 ,a pleasing form1 a generous heart1 ,a good companion1 just without art2 ,just in her dealings1 faithful to her friend1 ,beloved through life1 lamented in the end4 ,at the close of the day ,i walked six miles to ,farmington1 where my father1 ,aphek ,woodruff1 was living1 and ,i had the happy privilege of once more meeting with him and my step-mother1 whom ,i had not seen for seven years4 ,they greeted me with great kindness1 and it was a happy meeting4 ,after visiting with my father a day or two1 ,i returned to ,avon1 where most of my relatives lived1 and held meetings with them1 and on the #abth of ,june1 #ahcg1 ,i baptized my uncle1 ,ozem ,woodruff1 his wife ,hannah1 and his son ,john1 and we rejoiced together1 for this was in fulfillment of a dream ,i had in #ahah1 when ,i was eleven years of age4 ,on the #aeth of ,july ,i had an appointment to preach at the house of my uncle1 ,adna ,hart4 ,while there ,i had the happy privilege of meeting with my wife1 ,phoebe ,w4 ,woodruff1 who had come from ,kirtland to meet me and accompany me to her father's home in ,scarboro1 ,maine4 ,those who had assembled to hear me preach were relatives1 neighbors and former friends4 ,after meeting1 we returned to ,farmington to my father's home1 where ,i spent the night with my father1 step-mother1 sister and wife4 ,elder ,hale was also with us4 ,on the #aith of ,july1 ,elder ,hale left us to go to his friends in ,new ,rowley1 ,mass41 and on the same evening ,i held a meeting in the ,methodist meeting-house in the town of ,farmington4 ,i had a large congregation of citizens1 with whom ,i had been acquainted from my youth4 ,my parents1 wife and sister attended the meeting4 ,the congregation seemed satisfied with the doctrines ,i taught1 and they requested me to hold another meeting2 but ,i felt anxious to continue my journey1 and on the #bjth of ,july ,i parted with my father1 step-mother and sister1 and took stage for ,hartford with my wife4 ,on my arrival at ,hartford1 not having money to pay the fare of both of us1 ,i paid my wife's fare to ,rowley1 ,mass41 where there was a branch of the ,church1 presided over by ,brother ,nathaniel ,holmes1 father of ,jonathan and ,milton ,holmes1 and ,i journeyed on foot4 ,the first day ,i walked fifty-two miles1 the second forty-eight1 and the third day thirty-six miles1 and arrived at ,rowley at two o'clock1 making #acf miles in a little over two and a half days4 ,i spent eight days at ,new ,rowley1 holding meetings and visiting the ,saints1 including the ,holmes family1 and left there on the #ast of ,august4 ,on the #hth of ,august1 in company with my wife and ,elder ,hale1 ,i visited my wife's father1 ,ezra ,carter1 and his family in ,scarboro1 ,maine1 it being the first time ,i had ever seen any of her relatives4 ,we were very kindly received4 ,my wife had been absent from her father's home about one year4 ,i spent eight days with ,father ,carter and household1 and one day ,i went to sea with ,fabian and ,ezra ,carter1 my brothers-in-law1 in a boat1 to fish with hooks4 ,we caught #bej cod1 haddock and hake1 and we saw four whales1 two at a time1 it being the first time in my life ,i had ever seen the kind of a fish which is said to have swallowed ,jonah4 ,on the #ahth of ,august1 #ahcg1 ,i parted with my wife and her father's household1 leaving her with them1 and1 in company with ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale1 started upon the mission that ,i had in view when ,i left ,kirtland4 ,we walked ten miles to ,portland1 and took passage on the steamboat ,bangor1 which carried us to ,owl's ,head1 where we went on board of a sloop which landed us on ,north ,fox ,island at #b o'clock1 a4m41 on the #bjth4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,,description ,,of ,,vinal ,,haven--,,population ,,and ,,pursuit ,,of ,,the ,,people--,,great ,,variety ,,of ,,fish--,,the ,,introduction ,,of ,,the ,,gospel4 ,the town of ,vinal ,haven includes both ,north and ,south ,fox ,islands1 in lat4 #dd north1 and long4 #fi #aj' east4 ,the population numbered1 at the time of my visit1 about #a1hjj4 ,the inhabitants were intelligent and industrious1 and hospitable to strangers4 ,they got most of their wealth and living by fishing4 ,the town fitted out over one hundred licensed sailing vessels1 besides smaller craft4 ,north ,fox ,island is nine miles long by two miles in width and had a population of #hjj4 ,they had a post office1 one store1 a ,baptist church and meeting-house1 four school-houses1 and a tide grist mill4 ,the land was rather poor1 yet there were some good farms4 ,the products were wheat1 barley1 oats1 potatoes and grass4 ,the principal timber was fir1 spruce1 hemlock and birch4 ,raspberries and gooseberries grew in great abundance1 and some up-land cranberries were raised4 ,the principal stock of the island were sheep4 ,south ,fox ,island comes as near being without any definite form as any spot on earth ,i ever saw4 ,it would be difficult for any person to describe it4 ,it is about ten miles in length by five in width1 and is one universal mass of rocks1 formed into shelves1 hills1 and valleys1 and cut up into necks and points to make room for the coves and harbors that run through and through the island4 ,the population was #a1jjj4 ,the inhabitants got their living entirely by fishing4 ,there is no chance for farming upon the island1 and but a few garden patches1 which are cultivated at great expense4 ,some few sheep are raised there4 ,many of the inhabitants fish in the region of ,newfoundland1 and bring their fish home and cure them on flakes and prepare them for the market4 ,they supply the market with great quantities of cod1 mackerel and boxed herring4 ,upon this island there were two stores1 three tide saw mills1 six school houses and a small branch of the ,methodist church1 presided over by a priest4 ,what timber there is upon this island1 such as pine1 fir1 spruce1 hemlock and birch1 and the whortleberries1 raspberries and gooseberries1 mostly grows out of the cracks of the rocks4 ,great quantities of fish1 and in almost endless variety1 inhabit the coves and harbors around the island4 ,the whale1 blackfish1 shark1 ground shark1 pilot-fish1 horse mackerel1 sturgeon1 salmon1 halibut1 cod1 pollock1 tom cod1 hake1 haddock1 mackerel1 shad bass1 alewife1 herring1 pohagen1 dolphin1 whiting1 frost-fish1 flounders1 smelt1 skate1 shrimp1 skid1 cusk1 blueback1 scollop1 dogfish1 muttonfish1 lumpfish1 squid1 five-fingers1 monkfish1 horsefish1 sunfish1 swordfish1 thresher1 cat1 scuppog1 tootog1 eyefish1 cunner1 ling1 also the eel1 lobster1 clam1 muscle1 periwinkle1 porpoise1 seal1 etc41 are found there4 ,thus ,i have given a brief description of ,vinal ,haven4 ,it was quite dark when we landed there1 without a farthing in money4 ,we made our way over the rocks and through the cedars the best way we could1 until we found a house1 when we rapped at the door4 ,a woman put her head out of the window and asked who was there and what was wanted4 ,i told her we were two strangers1 and wanted a bed to lie down upon until morning4 ,she let us in and gave us a bed1 and we slept until quite late1 it being ,sunday morning4 ,when we came out and took breakfast it was nearly noon4 ,i asked what she charged for our entertainment1 and she replied that we were welcome4 ,i then asked her if there was any religion or minister or church on the island4 ,she informed me there was a ,baptist minister1 by the name of ,newton1 who had a congregation and a meeting-house about five miles from there4 ,we thanked her for her kindness1 walked to the meeting-house and stepped inside the doorway4 ,we stood there until a deacon came to the door1 when ,i asked him to go and tell the minister in the pulpit that there were two servants of ,god at the door1 who had a message to deliver to that people and wished the privilege of delivering it4 ,he sent for us to come to the pulpit1 so we walked through the congregation with our valises under our arms1 and took a seat by the side of the minister1 who was about to speak as we came to the door4 ,he arose and delivered his discourse to the people1 occupying about half an hour4 ,when he closed he asked me what was my wish4 ,i told him we wished to speak to the people at any hour that would suit his or their convenience2 so he gave notice that there were two strangers present who would speak to the people at five o'clock that evening4 ,we were quite a source of wonderment to the people1 as they had no idea who we were4 ,mr4 ,newton asked us to go home to tea with him1 and we gladly accepted the invitation4 ,when we arrived at his house ,i opened my valise and took out the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon and ,doctrine and ,covenants1 laid them upon the table1 and took my seat4 ,mr4 ,newton took up the books and looked at them1 but said nothing4 ,i then asked him if there were any school houses upon the island1 and if so1 whether they were free to preach in4 ,he answered that there were four1 numbered respectively from one to four1 and that they were free4 ,mr4 ,newton and family accompanied us to the meeting-house1 where we met a large congregation1 none of whom knew who we were or anything about our profession1 except the minister4 ,elder ,hale and ,i went to the stand1 and ,i arose with peculiar feelings1 and addressed the congregation for one hour1 taking for my text ,galatians i4 #h-i4 ,this was the first time that ,i or any other ,elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints had 7to my knowledge7 attempted to preach the fullness of the gospel and the ,book of ,mormon to the inhabitants of any island of the sea4 ,i had much liberty in speaking1 and informed the people that the ,lord had raised up a prophet and organized ,his ,church as in the days of ,christ and the ancient apostles1 with prophets1 apostles and the gifts as anciently1 and that ,he had brought forth the ,book of ,mormon4 ,at the close of my remarks ,elder ,hale bore testimony4 ,i gave liberty for any one to speak that might wish to4 ,as no one responded1 ,i announced that we would hold meetings the next four evenings in the school-houses1 beginning at ,no4 #a4 ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,,mr4 ,,newton1 ,,the ,,baptist ,,preacher1 ,,wrestling ,,with ,,our ,,testimony--,,rejects ,,it1 ,,and ,,begins ,,to ,,oppose--,,sends ,,to ,a ,,methodist ,,minister ,,to ,,help ,,him--,,mr4 ,,douglass' ,,speech--,,our ,,great ,,success ,,on ,,the ,,north ,,island--,,go ,,to ,,the ,,south ,,island ,,and ,,baptize ,,mr ,,douglass' ,,flock--,,great ,,number ,,of ,,islands--,,boiled ,,clams--,,day ,,of ,,prayer--,,codfish ,,flakes4 ,during the first thirteen days of our sojourn upon the island we preached seventeen discourses1 being invited by the people to tarry with them4 ,i left a copy of the ,doctrine and ,covenants with ,mr4 ,newton for his perusal4 ,he read it1 and the ,spirit of ,god bore testimony to him of its truth4 ,he pondered over it for days1 and he walked his room until midnight trying to decide whether to receive or reject it4 ,he and his family attended about a dozen of my first meetings1 and then he made up his mind1 contrary to the dictation of the ,spirit of ,god to him1 to reject the testimony1 and come out against me4 ,however1 we commenced baptizing his flock4 ,the first two we baptized were a sea captain1 by the name of ,justin ,eames1 and his wife4 ,brother ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale went down into the sea and baptized them on the #crd of ,september1 and these were the first baptisms performed by proper authority upon any of the islands of the sea 7to my knowledge7 in this dispensation4 ,before we left ,kirtland some of the leading apostates there had tried to discourage ,brother ,hale about going upon his mission1 telling him he would never baptize any one1 and he had better remain at home4 ,when ,captain ,eames offered himself for baptism1 ,i told ,brother ,hale to go and baptize him1 and prove those men false prophets1 and he did so4 ,on the following ,sabbath ,i baptized his brother1 ,ebenezer ,eames1 another sea captain1 and a young lady4 ,mr4 ,newton1 the ,baptist minister1 now commenced a war against us1 and sent to the ,south ,island for a ,mr4 ,douglass1 a ,methodist minister 7with whom he had been at variance for years7 to come over and help him put down ,mormonism4 ,mr4 ,douglass came over1 and they got as many people together as they could and held a conference4 ,he railed against ,joseph1 the prophet1 and the ,book of ,mormon1 and1 taking that book in his hand1 with out-stretched arm1 declared that he feared none of the judgments of ,god that would come upon him for rejecting it as the word of ,god4 7,i never heard what his sentiments upon this subject were at the end of his term of fourteen years' imprisonment in the ,thomaston ,penitentiary1 for an outrage upon his daughter1 the judgment of which was given upon the testimony of his wife and daughter47 ,i was present and heard ,mr4 ,douglass' speech upon this occasion1 and took minutes of the same4 ,when he closed ,i arose and informed the people that ,i would meet with them next ,sunday in the meeting-house1 and answer ,mr4 ,douglass1 and wished him as well as the people to be present4 ,i informed the people that ,mr4 ,douglass had made false statements against ,joseph ,smith and the ,latter-day ,saints1 with whom he had no acquaintance1 and he had misquoted much scripture1 all of which ,i could correct4 ,we continued to baptize the people of the ,north ,island until we had baptized every person who owned an interest in the ,baptist meeting-house4 ,i then followed ,mr4 ,douglass home to the ,south ,island and preached the gospel to and baptized nearly all the members of his church4 ,the excitement became great upon both islands1 and on ,sunday1 the #agth of ,september1 ,i met a large assembly from both ,islands1 and took the same subject that ,mr4 ,douglass had dwelt upon in his remarks against the ,book of ,mormon and our principles4 ,i spoke two-and-a-half hours1 and answered every objection against the ,book of ,mormon1 ,joseph ,smith or our principles4 ,i had good attention1 and the people seemed satisfied4 ,at the close of the meeting ,elder ,hale administered the ordinance of baptism4 ,mr4 ,newton1 in order to save his cause1 went to the mainland and brought over several ministers with him and held a protracted meeting4 ,they hoped by this to stop the work of ,god1 but all to no avail1 for the whole people would attend our meeting and receive the word of ,god1 and we continued to baptize4 ,we visited the dwellings of most of the inhabitants during our sojourn there4 ,upon one occasion1 while standing upon ,mr4 ,carver's farm on the east end of the ,north ,island1 we counted fifty-five islands in that region1 the majority of which were not inhabited4 ,we also saw twenty ships under sail at the same time4 ,we had no lack for food while upon the island1 for if we did not wish to trouble our friends for a dinner1 we only had to borrow a spade or a hoe and a kettle and go to the beach and dig a peck of clams4 ,these1 when boiled1 would make a delicious meal1 which we often availed ourselves of4 ,one day1 ,elder ,hale and ,i ascended to the top of a high granite rock upon the ,south ,island1 for prayer and supplication4 ,we sat down under the shade of a pine tree which grew out of a fissure in a rock1 and ,elder ,hale read the #afth chapter of ,jeremiah1 where mention is made of the hunters and fishers that ,god would send in the last days to gather ,israel4 ,of a truth here we were upon an ,island of the sea1 standing upon a rock where we could survey the gallant ships and also the islands1 which were as full of rocks1 ledges and caves as any part of the earth4 ,and what had brought us here8 ,to search out the blood of ,ephraim1 the honest and meek of the earth1 and gather them from those islands1 rocks1 holes and caves of the earth unto ,zion4 ,we prayed1 and rejoiced together4 ,the ,spirit of ,god rested upon us2 we spoke of ,christ and the ancient prophets and apostles in ,jerusalem2 of ,nephi1 ,alma1 ,mormon and ,moroni in ,america2 ,joseph1 ,hyrum1 ,oliver and the apostles in our own day1 and we rejoiced that we were upon the islands of the sea searching out the blood of ,israel4 ,while being filled with these meditations and the ,spirit of ,god1 we fell upon our knees and gave thanks to the ,god of heaven1 and felt to pray for all ,israel4 ,after spending most of the day in praise and thanksgiving1 we descended to the settlement and held a meeting with the people4 ,on the #fth of ,september we called upon ,captain ,benjamin ,coombs1 and visited his flakes1 where he had one thousand quintals of codfish drying for the market4 ,they had mostly been caught in the region of ,newfoundland4 ,while we were passing ,carvey's ,wharf our attention was called to a large school of mackerel playing by the side of the wharf4 ,several men were pitching them out with hooks4 ,we also flung in a hook and caught all we wanted1 then went on our way4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,,return ,,to ,,the ,,mainland--,,parting ,,with ,,brother ,,hale--,,my ,,second ,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,islands--,,visit ,,to ,,the ,,isle ,,of ,,holt--,a ,,sign ,,demanded ,,by ,,mr4 ,,douglass--,a ,,prediction ,,about ,,him--,,its ,,subsequent ,,fulfillment--,,spirit ,,of ,,opposition--,,firing ,,off ,,cannons ,,and ,,guns ,,to ,,disturb ,,my ,,meeting4 ,we continued to labor1 preaching and baptizing1 and organized a branch of the ,church upon each island1 and1 finally1 on the #bnd of ,october1 we parted from the ,saints on the ,north ,island to return to ,scarboro for a short time4 ,we walked from ,thomaston to ,bath1 a distance of forty-six miles1 in one day1 and at the latter place attended a ,baptist convention4 ,i also preached there to a large congregation in the evening1 and the people gave good attention and wished to learn more about our doctrines4 ,on the following day we walked thirty-six miles to ,portland1 and the next day to ,scarboro4 ,here ,i again met with my wife and her father's family4 ,the time had come for me to give the parting hand to ,brother ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale4 ,we had traveled during the season over two thousand miles together1 with our hearts and spirits well united4 ,he felt it his duty to return to his family in ,kirtland1 but duty called me to return to my field of labor upon the islands4 ,on the #ith of ,october ,i accompanied ,brother ,hale one mile upon his journey4 ,we retired to a grove and knelt down and prayed together1 and had a good time1 and1 after commending each other to ,god1 we parted1 he to return to ,kirtland and ,i to ,fox ,islands4 ,i spent fourteen days visiting the ,saints and friends1 and holding meetings among them1 and on the #bhth of ,october ,i took leave of ,father ,carter and family1 and in company with my wife rode to ,portland1 and spent the night with my brother-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter4 ,a severe storm arose1 so we could not go to sea until ,november #ast1 when we took steamer to ,owl's ,head1 carriage to ,thomaston and sloop to ,fox ,islands4 ,my second visit to these islands was made under very different circumstances to the first4 ,on my first visit ,i was an entire stranger to the people1 and they were strangers to the gospel1 but upon my second ,i met many ,saints who had received the gospel1 and who hailed me1 and my companion also1 with glad hearts4 ,on ,sunday1 the #eth of ,november1 ,i met with a large assembly of ,saints and friends1 and again commenced baptizing such as would receive my testimony4 ,after visiting the ,north ,island and holding meetings with the ,saints there1 and baptizing two after meeting1 ,i embarked on board a sloop1 with ,captain ,coombs1 for another island called the ,isle of ,holt4 ,we arrived at noon1 and ,i preached to the people at night in their school-house1 and had an attentive audience4 ,i spent the night with ,john ,turner1 ,esq41 who purchased a copy of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,on the following day we returned to ,fox ,islands1 and as ,st4 ,paul once had to row hard to make the land in a storm1 we had to row hard to make it in a calm4 ,after preaching on the ,north ,island again and baptizing two persons at the close of the meeting1 ,i returned again to the mainland in company with ,mrs4 ,woodruff and others1 where ,i spent fifteen days1 during which time ,i visited among the people1 held twelve meetings and baptized several persons4 ,on the #acth of ,december ,i returned again to the ,north ,island1 where ,i held several meetings1 and then crossed over to ,south ,island4 ,on the #bjth of ,december ,i spent an hour with ,mr4 ,isaac ,crockett in clearing away large blocks of ice from the water in a cove1 in order to baptize him1 which ,i did when the tide came in4 ,i also baptized two more in the same place on the #bfth1 and again two others on the #bgth4 ,on the #bhth ,i held a meeting at a school-house1 when ,william ,douglass1 the ,methodist minister1 came and wanted me to work a miracle1 that he might believe1 and otherwise railed against me4 ,i told him what class of men asked for signs1 and that he was a wicked and adulterous man1 and predicted that the curse of ,god would rest upon him1 and that his wickedness would be made manifest in the eyes of the people4 7,while visiting these islands several years afterwards ,i learned that the prediction had really been fulfilled1 and that he was serving out a fourteen years' term of imprisonment for a beastly crime47 ,mrs4 ,woodruff crossed the thoroughfare in a boat and walked ten miles1 the length of the island1 to meet me1 on the last day of the year4 ,i held a meeting the same day in the school-house1 and at the close of the meeting baptized two persons in the sea1 at full tide before a large assembly4 ,january #ast1 #ahch1 found me standing upon one of the islands of the sea1 a minister of the gospel of life and salvation unto the people1 laboring alone1 though blessed with the society of ,mrs4 ,woodruff1 my companion4 ,i had been declaring the word of the ,lord through the islands many days1 the ,spirit of ,god was working among the people1 prejudice was giving way1 and the power of ,god was manifest by signs following those who believed4 ,i spent this ,new ,year's ,day visiting the ,saints and their neighbors1 and met a congregation at ,captain ,chas4 ,brown's1 where ,i spoke to them for awhile1 and at the close of my remarks led three persons down into the sea and baptized them4 ,two of these were sea captains1 namely1 ,charles ,brown1 and ,jesse ,coombs1 and the third was the wife of ,captain ,coombs4 ,after confirming them we spent the evening in preaching1 singing and praying4 ,i held meetings almost daily with the ,saints up to the #acth1 when ,i crossed to the ,north ,island4 ,here ,i found that the seed ,i had sown was bringing forth fruit4 ,six persons were ready for baptism4 ,but my mission upon these islands was not an exception to the general rule2 success did not come without many obstacles presenting themselves4 ,those who rejected the word were frequently inspired by the evil one to make an attempt at persecution4 ,some of those who felt to oppose me went down to the harbor and got a swivel and small arms1 and planted them close by the school-house1 near the seashore1 and while ,i was speaking1 they commenced firing their cannon and guns4 ,i continued speaking in great plainness1 but my voice was mingled with the report of musketry4 ,i told the people my garments were clear of the blood of the inhabitants of that island1 and asked if any wished to embrace the gospel4 ,two persons came forward and wished to be baptized1 and ,i baptized them4 ,on the following day when ,i went down to the seaside to baptize a man1 the rabble commenced firing guns again1 as on the previous night4 ,i afterwards learned that notices were posted up1 warning me to leave the town1 but ,i thought it was better to obey ,god than man1 and1 therefore1 did not go4 ,the next day ,i baptized three persons1 and two days subsequently a couple of others4 ,i had ample evidence of the fact that lying spirits had gone out into the world1 for three persons whom ,i had baptized had been visited by ,mr4 ,douglass1 who told them that ,i denied the ,bible and could not be depended upon2 and they yielded to his insinuations until the devil took possession of them1 and they were in a disaffected condition4 and sent for me4 ,when ,i met them they were in great affliction1 but when ,i instructed them in regard to the principles of the gospel1 and administered to them1 they were delivered from the evil influence and rejoiced4 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,,meeting ,,with ,,james ,,townsend--,,decide ,,to ,,go ,,to ,,bangor--,a ,,long ,,journey ,,through ,,the ,,deep ,,snow--,,curious ,,phenomenon--,,refused ,,lodging ,,at ,,eight ,,houses--,,entertained ,,by ,,mr4 ,,teppley--,,curious ,,coincidence--,,mr4 ,,teppley',s ,,despondency--,,arrival ,,at ,,bangor--,,return ,,to ,,the ,,islands--,,adventure ,,with ,,the ,,tide4 ,on the #aeth of ,february ,i again crossed to the ,north ,island1 and after remaining there seven days visiting1 we returned to ,camden4 ,here ,i met ,brother ,james ,townsend1 who had just arrived from ,scarboro4 ,i ordained ,brother ,townsend to the office of an ,elder1 and we concluded to take a journey to ,bangor1 and offer the gospel to the inhabitants of that city4 ,we undertook the journey on foot in the dead of winter1 when the snow was very deep1 and the first day broke the road for seven miles to ,scarsmont4 ,the day following1 it being ,sunday1 we held two meetings1 preached the gospel to the people1 and were kindly entertained4 ,on the evening of the next day we wallowed through snowdrifts for a mile1 to meet an appointment to preach in a school-house1 and ,i got one of my ears frozen on the way2 but notwithstanding the severity of the weather1 we had quite a large and attentive audience4 ,we also spent the next two days with the people there and held meetings4 ,on the evening of the #bast of ,february1 as we came out of the school-house1 a light appeared in the north-eastern horizon1 and spread to the west and soon rolled over our heads4 ,it had the appearance of fire1 blood and smoke1 and at times resembled contending armies4 ,the heavens were illuminated for the space of half an hour4 ,it seemed at times as though the veil was about to rend in twain and the elements were contending with each other4 ,we looked upon it as one of the signs in the heavens predicted by the prophets of old1 as to appear in the last days4 ,we were wading through deep snowdrifts most of the time while witnessing this remarkable scene4 ,the following day we walked fifteen miles through deep snow to ,belfast1 and1 after being refused lodging for the night by eight families1 we were kindly entertained by ,mr4 ,thomas ,teppley4 ,there was an interesting incident connected with our stay at his house4 ,after eating supper1 it being late in the evening1 ,mr4 ,teppley placed a stand before me with a ,bible upon it1 asking me to read a chapter and have prayers with them1 he being a religious man4 ,i opened the ,bible mechanically1 when1 the #beth chapter of ,matthew being the first to catch my eye1 ,i read it1 and1 as ,i closed the book ,mr4 ,teppley turned to his wife and said1 ,is not this a strange thing8 ,then he explained to us that he had just read that chapter and closed the book when we rapped at the door1 and he felt impressed to say1 ,walk in1 gentlemen4 ,there is probably no other chapter in the whole book that would have the same influence in causing any one to feed a person who professed to be a servant of ,god1 and asked for bread4 ,after becoming acquainted with his circumstances ,i thought it providential that we were led to his house1 for although he was a professor of religion and a ,methodist1 he was in a state of despair1 believing he had committed the unpardonable sin4 ,however1 ,i told him what the unpardonable sin was1 and that he had not committed it2 but that it was a trick of the devil to make him think so1 in order to torment him4 ,he then acknowledged that he went down to the wharf a few evenings before1 with the intention of drowning himself1 but when he looked into the cold1 dark water he desisted and returned home1 and had said nothing previous to anyone about it4 ,i taught him the principles of the gospel1 which proved a comfort to him4 ,we spent the following day in visiting the people of ,belfast1 and in the evening preached in a brick school-house1 provided by ,mr4 ,teppley1 and many wished to hear more from us4 ,we next visited ,northport and ,frankfort1 holding meetings at both places1 and on the #ast of ,march1 #ahch1 we entered ,bangor1 which at that time had a population of ten thousand4 ,this was my birthday1 ,i being thirty-one years of age4 ,i visited some of the leading men of ,bangor1 and they granted me the use of the ,city ,hall1 where ,i preached to good audiences for two successive evenings4 ,this was the first time a ,latter-day ,saint ,elder had preached in that town4 ,many were anxious to learn more about our principles1 but our visits through all the towns from ,thompaston to ,bangor were necessarily brief1 owing to our appointments upon the islands4 ,it was like casting our bread upon the waters and trusting in ,god for the result4 ,on the #eth of ,march we sailed from ,penobscot for the ,isle of ,holt1 where ,i held a meeting on the following evening4 ,the next day ,i took passage on the mail boat for the ,north ,island1 where ,i again had the privilege of meeting with the ,saints for prayer and praise before the ,lord4 ,on my arrival ,i received a package of letters from friends abroad4 ,one was from ,kirtland1 and gave an account of the apostasy and tribulations which the ,saints were passing through4 ,joseph the ,prophet and others1 with their families1 had gone to ,far ,west1 and the ,saints were following them4 ,brother ,townsend returned home1 and ,i was again left alone in the ministry4 ,on the afternoon of the #bbnd of ,march1 ,brother ,sterrett and ,i1 accompanied by our wives1 went several hundred yards from shore to a sand bar 7it being low tide71 to dig clams4 ,the ground near the shore was very much lower than the bar we were on1 and while we were all busy digging clams and talking ,mormonism1 the dashing of the waves of the incoming tide against the shore suddenly made us conscious that we had fifty yards of water between us and the shore4 ,the surf waves also added to our difficulty1 and as we had no boat1 our only alternative was to cross our four arms1 thus forming a kind of arm-chair for our wives to sit upon1 and carry them in turn to the shore1 wading through two-and-a-half feet of water4 ,by the time we got our wives and clams safely landed1 the truth of the maxim was firmly impressed upon our minds1 that ,time and tide wait for no man1 not even for a preacher of the gospel4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,,counseled ,,to ,,gather ,,with ,,the ,,saints--,,remarkable ,,manifestations--,,case ,,of ,,healing--,,efforts ,,of ,,apostates--,,visit ,,from ,,elders--,a ,,conference--,,closing ,,my ,,labors ,,on ,,the ,,islands ,,for ,a ,,season4 ,on the #bhth of ,march ,i received a letter from ,zion1 requesting me to counsel the ,saints ,i had baptized to sell their property and gather up to ,zion4 ,about this time the ,lord was manifesting ,himself upon the islands in various ways1 by dreams1 visions1 healings1 signs and wonders4 ,i will relate one peculiar circumstance of this kind that occurred4 ,mr4 ,ebenezer ,carver had been investigating our doctrines for quite a length of time1 and1 having a great desire to know the truth of our religion1 he walked to the sea shore1 wishing that he might have some manifestation in proof of its truth4 ,the passage of scripture came to his mind that there would be no sign given but the sign of the prophet ,jonas1 and while this thought was in his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water1 a distance from him in the sea1 and suddenly sank out of sight4 ,he much desired to see it again1 and soon it arose to the top of the water1 accompanied by another fish of about the same size1 and one of them swam on the water in a straight line towards ,mr4 ,carver as he stood upon the shore4 ,it came as near to him as the water would permit1 and then stopped and gazed at him with a penetrating eye1 as though it had a message for him4 ,it then returned to its mate in the ocean and swam out of sight4 ,mr4 ,carver retraced his steps homeward1 meditating upon the scene and the wonderful condescension of the ,lord4 ,it is proper to remark that this was at a season of the year when fish of that size are never known upon those shores or seas1 and they are never1 at any season1 known to come ashore as in the case mentioned4 ,mr4 ,carver was convinced that it was intended by the ,lord as a sign to him4 ,two days after the event ,i visited ,mr4 ,carver at his house1 and found his wife confined to her bed with a fever1 and she requested me to administer to her4 ,i placed my hands upon her head1 the power of ,god rested upon me1 and ,i commanded her in the name of ,jesus ,christ to arise and walk4 ,she arose and was healed from that instant1 and she walked down to the sea and ,i baptized her in the same place where the fish visited her husband4 ,i confirmed her there1 and she was filled with the ,holy ,ghost and returned to her home rejoicing4 ,i now called the people together and exhorted them to sell their property and prepare to accompany me to the land of ,zion4 ,i had labored hard for many days for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the inhabitants of those islands1 and the ,lord had blessed my labors and given me many souls as seals of my ministry1 for which ,i felt to praise ,him2 and now ,i felt to labor quite as zealously to gather out those who had embraced the gospel1 and lead them to ,zion4 ,the worst difficulty which the ,saints had to contend with in that day was from false brethren4 ,warren ,parrish1 who had been a prominent ,elder in the ,church1 and had labored with me as a missionary1 had apostatized and been cut off from the ,church4 ,learning that ,i was building up branches of the ,church upon the island1 he and other apostates conspired to block up my way by writing lies to the people and stirring up a spirit of mobocracy upon the islands4 ,they succeeded in exerting a strong influence with the wicked1 but ,i knew they could not hinder the work of ,god4 ,on the #fth of ,april ,i held a meeting at ,brother ,ebenezer ,carver's1 and1 though the hearts of the wicked were stirred up in bitterness against me1 the ,spirit of ,god was with me1 and at the close of the meeting ,i baptized three persons4 ,one of these was ,mrs4 ,abigail ,carver1 the mother of ,ebenezer ,carver1 who was seventy years of age and in poor health4 ,she had not so much as visited a neighbor's house for six years1 but upon this occasion she walked with boldness to the sea shore and ,i baptized her1 and she returned rejoicing4 ,on the #aath of ,april ,i had the happy privilege of again meeting with ,elders ,milton ,holmes1 ,james ,townsend and ,abner ,rogers1 who had come to the islands to attend conference with me4 ,we held our conference on the #acth of ,april1 on ,north ,fox ,island1 and had a representation of the different branches on the islands4 ,we also preached and bore our testimony1 ordained several and baptized one person at the close of the meeting4 ,on the #agth of ,april ,mrs4 ,woodruff left the islands to return to her father's home in ,scarboro1 ,maine1 and a few days afterwards ,i called the ,saints of the ,north ,island together and communed with and instructed them4 ,i also informed them that the ,spirit of ,god bore record to me that it was our duty to leave the islands for a season and take a western mission4 ,they had been faithfully warned and the ,saints were established in the truth1 while the wicked were contending against us1 and some were disposed to take our lives if they had the power4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,,return ,,to ,,scarboro--,,journey ,,south--,,visit ,,to ,a4 ,p4 ,,rockwood ,,in ,,prison--,,incident ,,of ,,prison ,,life--,,journey ,,to ,,connecticut--,,baptize ,,my ,,father',s ,,household4 ,on the #bhth of ,april we left the island in an open sail-boat and made our way to ,owl's ,head1 and then walked twenty miles4 ,the following day we walked forty miles and suffered some with weary limbs and blistered feet1 but we felt that it was for the gospel's sake and did not choose to complain4 ,the next day a walk of thirty miles brought us to ,scarboro1 where we spent the night at ,father ,carter's4 ,on the #hth of ,may ,i parted with ,mrs4 ,woodruff and ,father ,carter and family1 and in company with ,milton ,holmes walked thirty-three miles towards ,portsmouth1 which city we reached the following day and spent several hours there1 visiting the navy yard4 ,we then walked to ,georgetown1 formerly ,new ,rowley1 and spent the night with ,father ,nathaniel ,holmes4 ,on the #aath of ,may ,i visited ,charleston and ,bunker ,hill monument1 and also spent several hours in the city of ,boston1 which then contained a population of one hundred thousand4 ,i ascended to the cupola of the court-house1 from which ,i had a fine view of the city4 ,i visited several of the ,saints in the city1 and walked over the long bridge to ,cambridge and ,cambridgeport4 ,i visited the jail there in order to have an interview with ,brother ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood1 who had been cast into prison on the plea of debt1 in order to trouble and distress him1 because he was a ,mormon4 ,this was the first time we had ever met4 ,the jailor permitted me to enter the room where he was4 ,it was the first time in my life ,i had ever entered a prison4 ,the jailor turned the key upon us and locked us both in4 ,i found ,brother ,rockwood strong in the faith of the gospel4 ,he had the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1 ,voice of ,warning1 and ,evening and ,morning ,star as his companions1 which he read daily4 ,we conversed together for three hours in this solitary abode4 ,he informed me of many things which had transpired while he was confined there as a prisoner4 ,among other things1 he mentioned that the jail had taken fire a few days previous to my visit4 ,he said it looked a little like a dark hour4 ,the fire was roaring over his head1 while uproar and confusion were upon every hand4 ,fire engines were rapidly playing around the building1 with water pouring into every room4 ,the people were hallooing in the streets4 ,prisoners were begging for mercy's sake to be let out1 or they would be consumed in the fire4 ,one was struggling in the agonies of death1 while others were cursing and swearing4 ,brother ,rockwood said he felt composed in the midst of it until the fire was extinguished4 ,at eight o'clock the jailor unlocked the prison door to let me out1 and ,i gave the parting hand to the prisoner of hope4 ,we had spent a pleasant time together1 and he rejoiced at my visit2 and who would not1 to meet with a friend in a lonely prison8 ,i left him in good spirits1 and wended my way back to ,boston4 ,i spent several days in ,boston1 holding meetings with the ,saints there1 and then walked to ,providence1 ,rhode ,island1 preaching by the way4 ,i there took steamer and arrived in ,new ,york on the #ahth of ,may1 where ,i met with ,elder ,orson ,pratt and his family1 and ,elijah ,fordham and near one hundred ,saints who had been baptized in the city of ,new ,york4 ,i spent three days in ,new ,york visiting the ,saints and holding meetings4 ,several new converts were baptized while ,i was there4 ,leaving ,new ,york1 ,i traveled through ,new ,jersey1 and returned to ,farmington1 ,connecticut1 the residence of my father4 ,i arrived at his house on the #abth of ,june4 ,it was with peculiar sensations that ,i walked over my native land1 where ,i spent my youth1 and cast my eyes over the ,farmington meadows and the hills and dales where ,i had roamed in my boyhood with my father1 stepmother1 brothers and half-sister4 ,on my arrival at my father's home ,i had the happy privilege of once more taking my parents and sisters by the hand1 also my uncle1 ,ozem ,woodruff1 who was among the number ,i had baptized the year before4 ,after spending an hour in conversation1 we sat down around our father's table and supped together and were refreshed4 ,then we bowed upon our knees together in the family circle and offered up the gratitude of our hearts to ,god for preserving our lives and reuniting us4 ,i spent the next eighteen days in ,farmington and ,avon1 visiting my father's household1 my uncles1 aunts1 cousins1 neighbors and friends1 preaching the gospel of ,jesus ,christ unto them and striving to bring them into the kingdom of ,god4 ,on the #ast of ,july1 #ahch1 one of the most interesting events transpired of my whole life in the ministry4 ,when ,father ,joseph ,smith gave me my patriarchal blessing1 among the many wonderful things of my life1 he promised me that ,i should bring my father's household into the kingdom of ,god1 and ,i felt that if ,i ever obtained the blessing1 the time had come for me to perform it4 ,by the help of ,god1 ,i preached the gospel faithfully to my father's household and to all that were with him1 as well as to my other relatives1 and ,i had appointed a meeting on ,sunday1 the #ast of ,july1 at my father's home4 ,my father was believing my testimony1 as were all in his household1 but upon this occasion the devil was determined to hinder the fulfillment of the promise of the patriarch unto me4 ,it seemed as though ,lucifer1 the son of the morning1 had gathered together the hosts of hell and exerted his powers upon us all4 ,distress overwhelmed the whole household1 and all were tempted to reject the work4 ,and it seemed as though the same power would devour me4 ,i had to take to my bed for an hour before the time of meeting4 ,i there prayed unto the ,lord with my whole soul for deliverance1 for ,i knew the power of the devil was exercised to hinder me from accomplishing what ,god had promised me4 ,the ,lord heard my prayer and answered my petition1 and when the hour of meeting had come ,i arose from my bed1 and could sing and shout for joy to think ,i had been delivered from the power of the evil one4 ,filled with the power of ,god1 ,i stood up in the midst of the congregation and preached the gospel of ,jesus ,christ unto the people in great plainness4 ,at the close of the meeting we assembled on the banks of the ,farmington river1 because there was much water there1 and ,i led six of my friends into the river and baptized them for the remission of their sins4 ,all of my father's household were included in this number1 according to the promise of the ,patriarch4 ,they were all relatives except ,dwight ,webster1 who was a ,methodist class-leader and was boarding with my father's family4 ,i organized the small number of nine persons1 eight of whom were my relatives1 into a branch of the ,church1 and ordained ,dwight ,webster to the office of a ,priest and administered the sacrament unto them4 ,it was truly a day of joy to my soul4 ,my father1 stepmother and sister were among the number baptized4 ,i afterwards added a number of relatives4 ,i felt that this day's work alone amply repaid me for all my labor in the ministry4 ,who can comprehend the joy1 the glory1 the happiness and consolation that an ,elder of ,israel feels in being an instrument in the hands of ,god of bringing his father1 mother1 sister1 brother1 or any of the posterity of ,adam through the door that enters into life and salvation8 ,no man can1 unless he has experienced these things1 and possesses the testimony of ,jesus ,christ and the inspiration of ,almighty ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,,taking ,,leave ,,of ,,my ,,old ,,home--,,return ,,to ,,maine--,,birth ,,of ,,my ,,first ,,child--,,appointment ,,to ,,the ,,apostleship ,,and ,,to ,a ,,foreign ,,mission--,,preparation ,,for ,,the ,,journey ,,to ,,zion4 ,now1 as my mission to my native land was accomplished1 which ,i felt impressed to take while upon the islands1 ,i felt it my duty to return here4 ,monday1 ,july #bnd1 #ahch1 was the last day and night ,i spent at my father's home while upon this mission4 ,at the setting of the sun ,i took the last walk with my sister ,i ever had with her while in my native ,state4 ,we walked by the canal and viewed the river and fields1 and conversed upon our future destiny4 ,after evening prayer with the family1 my father retired to rest1 and ,i spent a season with my step-mother who had reared me from my infancy4 ,in conversation we felt sensibly the weight of the power of temptation1 out of which the ,lord had delivered us4 ,i also spent a short time with my sister ,eunice1 the only sister ,i was ever blessed with in my father's family4 ,i had baptized her into the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god1 and we mingled our sympathies1 prayers and tears together before the throne of grace4 ,how truly are the bonds of consanguinity and of the blood of ,christ united in binding the hearts of the ,saints of ,god together1 and how blessings brighten as they take their flight6 ,this being the last night ,i was to spend beneath my father's roof while upon this mission1 ,i felt the weight of it1 and my prayer was1 ,o1 ,lord1 protect my father's house1 and bring him to ,zion6 7which prayer was granted47 ,on the morning of ,july #crd1 ,i took leave of my relatives and my native land1 and started on my return to ,maine4 ,i arrived in ,scarboro on the #fth1 and on the #adth my first child--a daughter--was born1 at ,father ,carter's house4 ,we named her ,sarah ,emma4 ,on the #cjth of ,july1 ,i left my wife and child at ,father ,carter's and started once more to visit ,fox ,islands4 ,while holding meeting with the ,saints at ,north ,vinal ,haven on the #ith of ,august1 ,i received a letter from ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh1 who was then ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles1 informing me that ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 had received a revelation1 naming as persons to be chosen to fill the places of those who had fallen2 ,john ,e4 ,page1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff and ,willard ,richards4 ,president ,marsh added1 in his letter1 ,know then1 ,brother ,woodruff1 by this1 that you are appointed to fill the place of one of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and that it is agreeable to the word of the ,lord1 given very lately1 that you should come speedily to ,far ,west1 and1 on the #bfth of ,april next1 take your leave of the ,saints here and depart for other climes across the mighty deep4 ,the substance of this letter had been revealed to me several weeks before1 but ,i had not named it to any person4 ,the time having now come for me to prepare for leaving the islands1 ,i had a desire to take with me all the ,saints ,i could get to go to ,zion4 ,there had already been a line drawn upon the islands between the ,saints and those who had rejected the gospel1 and the enemies were very bitter against me and the work of ,god ,i had labored to establish4 ,they threatened my life1 but the ,saints were willing to stand by me4 ,i spent four days with the ,saints visiting them1 holding meetings and encouraging them1 while the devil was raging upon every hand4 ,i had baptized and organized into the ,church nearly one hundred persons while upon the islands1 and there seemed a prospect of gathering about half of them with me1 but the devil raged to such an extent that quite a number were terrified4 ,the inhabitants of the islands had but little acquaintance with the management of horses or wagons2 in fact1 most of them knew more about handling a shark than a horse4 ,however1 in company with ,nathaniel ,thomas1 who had sold his property and had money1 ,i went to the mainland and purchased ten new wagons1 ten sets of harness and twenty horses4 ,when ,i got everything prepared for the company to start1 ,i left the affairs with ,brother ,thomas1 and went on ahead of the company to ,scarboro1 to prepare my own family for the journey4 ,the outfit which ,i purchased for the company cost about #b1jjj4jj4 ,before leaving ,brother ,thomas1 ,i counselled him in regard to the course to pursue1 and charged him not to be later than the #ast of ,september in starting for the mainland4 ,i arrived at ,father ,carter's on the #aith of ,august1 and waited with great anxiety for the arrival of the company from the islands1 but instead of reaching there by the #ast of ,september they did not arrive till the #crd of ,october2 and when they did arrive the wagon covers were all flying in the breeze4 ,it took a good day's work to nail down the covers1 paint the wagons and get prepared for the journey4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,,start ,,upon ,,our ,,journey--,a ,,hazardous ,,undertaking--,,sickness---,,severe ,,weather--,,my ,,wife ,,continues ,,to ,,fail--,,her ,,spirit ,,leaves ,,her ,,body--,,restored ,,by ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,god--,,her ,,spirit',s ,,experience ,,while ,,separated ,,from ,,the ,,body--,,death ,,of ,,my ,,brother--,,arrival ,,at ,,rochester--,,removal ,,to ,,quincy4 ,on the afternoon of the #ith of ,october1 we took leave of ,father ,carter and family1 and started upon our journey of #b1jjj miles at this late season of the year1 taking my wife with a suckling babe at her breast with me1 to lead a company of fifty-three souls from ,maine to ,illinois1 and to spend nearly three months in traveling in wagons1 through rain1 mud1 snow and frost4 ,it was such a trial as ,i never before had attempted during my experience as a minister of the gospel4 ,on our arrival at ,georgetown we were joined by ,elder ,milton ,holmes4 ,we traveled each day as far as we could go1 and camped wherever night overtook us4 ,on the #acth of ,october1 while crossing the ,green ,mountains1 ,i was attacked with something resembling the cholera4 ,i was very sick4 ,i stopped at a house for about two hours1 but the ,elders administered to me1 and ,i revived4 ,on the #bdth ,i was again taken sick1 and my wife and child were also stricken down4 ,we also had several others sick in the company1 through the exposure of the journey4 ,on the #cast we had our first snow storm1 and the horses dragged our wagons all day through mud1 snow and water4 ,on the #bnd of ,november ,elder ,milton ,holmes left us1 and took steamer for ,fairport2 and two days afterwards a little boy of ,nathaniel ,holmes'1 about six years of age1 died1 and we had to bury him at ,westfield4 ,the roads finally became so bad and the cold so severe that ,nathaniel ,thomas and ,james ,townsend concluded to stop for the winter4 ,we parted with them on the #bast of ,november1 near ,new ,portage1 ,ohio4 ,on the #bcrd of ,november my wife1 ,phoebe1 was attacked with a severe headache1 which terminated in brain fever4 ,she grew more and more distressed daily as we continued our journey4 ,it was a terrible ordeal for a woman to travel in a wagon over rough roads1 afflicted as she was4 ,at the same time our child was also very sick4 ,the #ast of ,december1 was a trying day to my soul4 ,my wife continued to fail1 and in the afternoon1 about #d o'clock1 she appeared to be struck with death4 ,i stopped my team1 and it seemed as though she would breath her last lying in the wagon4 ,two of the sisters sat beside her1 to see if they could do anything for her in her last moments4 ,i stood upon the ground1 in deep affliction1 and meditated4 ,i cried unto the ,lord1 and prayed that she might live and not be taken from me4 ,i claimed the promises the ,lord had made unto me through the prophets and patriarchs1 and soon her spirit revived1 and ,i drove a short distance to a tavern1 and got her into a room and worked over her and her babe all night1 and prayed to the ,lord to preserve her life4 ,in the morning the circumstances were such that ,i was under the necessity of removing my wife from the inn1 as there was so much noise and confusion at the place that she could not endure it4 ,i carried her out to her bed in the wagon and drove two miles1 when ,i alighted at a house and carried my wife and her bed into it1 with a determination to tarry there until she either recovered her health or passed away4 ,this was on ,sunday morning1 ,december #bnd4 ,after getting my wife and things into the house and wood provided to keep up a fire1 ,i employed my time in taking care of her4 ,it looked as though she had but a short time to live4 ,she called me to her bedside in the evening and said she felt as though a few moments more would end her existence in this life4 ,she manifested great confidence in the cause she had embraced1 and exhorted me to have confidence in ,god and to keep ,his commandments4 ,to all appearances1 she was dying4 ,i laid hands upon her and prayed for her1 and she soon revived and slept some during the night4 ,december #crd found my wife very low4 ,i spent the day in taking care of her1 and the following day ,i returned to ,eaton to get some things for her4 ,she seemed to be gradually sinking and in the evening her spirit apparently left her body1 and she was dead4 ,the sisters gathered around her body1 weeping1 while ,i stood looking at her in sorrow4 ,the spirit and power of ,god began to rest upon me until1 for the first time during her sickness faith filled my soul1 although she lay before me as one dead4 ,i had some oil that was consecrated for my anointing while in ,kirtland4 ,i took it and consecrated it again before the ,lord for anointing the sick4 ,i then bowed down before the ,lord and prayed for the life of my companion1 and ,i anointed her body with the oil in the name of the ,lord4 ,i laid my hands upon her1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ ,i rebuked the power of death and the destroyer1 and commanded the same to depart from her1 and the spirit of life to enter her body4 ,her spirit returned to her body1 and from that hour she was made whole2 and we all felt to praise the name of ,god1 and to trust in ,him and to keep ,his commandments4 ,while this operation was going on with me 7as my wife related afterwards7 her spirit left her body1 and she saw it lying upon the bed1 and the sisters weeping4 ,she looked at them and at me1 and upon her babe1 and1 while gazing upon this scene1 two personages came into the room carrying a coffin and told her they had come for her body4 ,one of these messengers informed her that she could have her choice3 she might go to rest in the spirit world1 or1 on one condition she could have the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and continuing her labors upon the earth4 ,the condition was1 if she felt that she could stand by her husband1 and with him pass through all the cares1 trials1 tribulation and afflictions of life which he would be called to pass through for the gospel's sake unto the end4 ,when she looked at the situation of her husband and child she said3 ,yes1 ,i will do it6 ,at the moment that decision was made the power of faith rested upon me1 and when ,i administered unto her1 her spirit entered her tabernacle1 and she saw the messengers carry the coffin out at the door4 ,on the morning of the #fth of ,december1 the ,spirit said to me3 ,arise1 and continue thy journey6 and through the mercy of ,god my wife was enabled to arise and dress herself and walked to the wagon1 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,on the night of the #aath ,i stopped for the night at an inn1 the weather being very cold4 ,i there learned of the sudden death of my brother1 ,asahel ,h4 ,woodruff1 a merchant of ,terre ,haute1 ,ind4 ,i had anticipated a joyful meeting with this brother on the following day4 ,instead of this1 ,i only had the privilege of visiting his grave1 in company with my wife1 and examining a little into his business4 ,i was offered the position of administrator of his affairs1 but ,i was leading a company of ,saints to ,zion1 and could not stop to attend to his temporal business4 ,strangers settled his affairs1 and took possession of his property4 ,his relatives obtained nothing from his effects except a few trifling mementos4 ,i left this place and crossed into ,illinois on the #acth of ,december1 and arrived at ,rochester on the #aith1 and1 getting information of the severe persecutions of the ,saints in ,missouri and the unsettled state of the ,church at that time1 we concluded to stop at ,rochester and spend the winter4 ,thus ended my journey of two months and sixteen days1 leading the ,fox ,island ,saints to the west1 through all the perils of a journey of nearly two thousand miles1 in the midst of sickness and great severity of weather4 ,i took my family in the spring and removed to ,quincy1 ,illinois1 where ,i could mingle with my brethren1 and ,i felt to praise ,god for ,his protecting care over me and my family in all our afflictions4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,a ,,peculiar ,,revelation--,,determination ,,of ,,enemies ,,to ,,prevent ,,its ,,fulfillment--,,start ,,to ,,far ,,west ,,to ,,fulfill ,,revelation--,,our ,,arrival ,,there--,,hold ,a ,,council--,,fulfill ,,revelation--,,corner ,,stone ,,of ,,the ,,temple ,,laid--,,ordained ,,to ,,the ,,apostleship--,,leave ,,far ,,west--,,meet ,,the ,,prophet ,,joseph--,a ,,conference ,,held--,,settle ,,our ,,families ,,in ,,nauvoo4 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 asked the ,lord what ,his will was concerning the ,twelve1 and the ,lord answered in a revelation1 given ,july #hth1 #ahch1 in which ,he says3 ,let them take leave of my ,saints in the city ,far ,west1 on the #bfth day of ,april next1 on the building spot of my house1 saith the ,lord4 ,let my servant ,john ,taylor1 and also my servant ,john ,e4 ,page1 and also my servant ,wilford ,woodruff1 and also my servant ,willard ,richards1 be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen1 and be officially notified of their appointment4 ,it will be observed that this differs from nearly all other revelations in this respect3 a fixed day and a stated place were given for the commencement of the mission4 ,when the revelation was given1 all was peace and quietude in ,far ,west1 ,missouri1 the city where most of the ,latter-day ,saints dwelt2 but before the time came for its fulfillment1 the ,saints of ,god had been driven out of the ,state of ,missouri into the ,state of ,illinois1 under the edict of ,governor ,boggs2 and the ,missourians had sworn that if all the other revelations of ,joseph ,smith were fulfilled1 that should not be4 ,it stated that the day and the place where the ,twelve ,apostles should take leave of the ,saints1 to go on their missions across the great waters1 and the mobocrats of ,missouri had declared that they would see that it should not be fulfilled4 ,it seemed as though the ,lord1 having a foreknowledge of what would take place1 had given the revelation in this manner to see whether the ,apostles would obey it at the risk of their lives4 ,when the time drew near for the fulfillment of this commandment of the ,lord1 ,brigham ,young was the ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles2 ,thos4 ,b4 ,marsh1 who was the senior ,apostle1 had fallen4 ,brother ,brigham called together those of the ,twelve who were then at ,quincy1 ,illinois1 to see what their minds would be about going to ,far ,west1 to fulfill the revelation4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph and his brother ,hyrum1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,lyman ,wight and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt were in prison in ,missouri1 at the time2 but ,father ,joseph ,smith1 the ,patriarch1 was at ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,he and others who were present did not think it wisdom for us to attempt the journey1 as our lives would be in great jeopardy4 ,they thought the ,lord would take the will for the deed4 ,but when ,president ,young asked the ,twelve what our feelings were upon the subject1 we all of us1 as the voice of one man1 said the ,lord ,god had spoken1 and it was for us to obey4 ,it was the ,lord's business to take care of ,his servants1 and we would fulfill the commandment1 or die trying4 ,to fully understand the risk the ,twelve ,apostles ran in making this journey1 my readers should remember that ,lilburn ,w4 ,boggs1 governor of the ,state of ,missouri1 had issued a proclamation1 in which all the ,latter-day ,saints were required to leave that ,state or be exterminated4 ,far ,west had been captured by the militia1 who were really only an organized mob2 the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms2 all the leading men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners2 the rest of the ,saints--men women and children--had to flee as best they could out of the ,state to save their lives1 leaving all their houses1 lands and other property which they could not carry with them to be taken by the mob4 ,in fact they shot down the cattle and hogs of the ,saints wherever they could find them1 and robbed them of nearly everything they could lay their hands upon4 ,latter-day ,saints were treated with merciless cruelty and had to endure the most outrageous abuses4 ,it was with the greatest difficulty that many of them got out of the ,state1 especially the prominent men2 for there were many men of that ,state at that time1 who acted as though they thought it no more harm to shoot a ,mormon than a mad dog4 ,from this brief explanation you will be able to understand why some of the brethren thought we were not required to go back to ,far ,west to start from there upon our mission across the ocean to ,europe4 ,having determined to carry out the requirement of the revelation1 on the #ahth of ,april1 #ahci1 ,i took into my wagon ,brigham ,young and ,orson ,pratt2 and ,father ,cutler took into his wagon ,john ,taylor and ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and we started for ,far ,west4 ,on the way we met ,john ,e4 ,page1 who was going with his family1 to ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,his wagon had turned over1 and when we met him he was trying to gather up a barrel of soft soap with his hands4 ,we helped him get up his wagon4 ,he drove down into the valley below1 left his wagon1 and accompanied us on our way4 ,on the night of the #beth of ,april1 we arrived at ,far ,west1 and spent the night at the home of ,morris ,phelps1 who was not there1 however1 himself2 he1 having been taken prisoner by the mob1 was still in prison4 ,on the morning of the #bfth of ,april1 #ahci1 notwithstanding the threats of our enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day should not be1 and notwithstanding that ten thousand of the ,saints had been driven out of the ,state by the edict of the governor1 and though the ,prophet ,joseph and his brother1 ,hyrum ,smith1 with other leading men were in the hands of our enemies1 in chains and in prison1 we moved on to the temple grounds in the city of ,far ,west1 and held a council1 and fulfilled the revelation and commandment given unto us1 and we performed many other things at this council4 ,we excommunicated from the ,church thirty-one persons1 who had apostatized and become its enemies4 ,the ,mission of the ,twelve was sung1 and we then repaired to the south-east corner of the temple ground1 and1 with the assistance of ,elder ,alpheus ,cutler1 the master workman of the building committee1 laid the south-east chief corner stone of the temple1 according to revelation4 ,there were present of the ,twelve ,apostles3 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,john ,e4 ,page and ,john ,taylor1 who proceeded to ordain ,wilford ,woodruff and ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith1 to the apostleship1 and as members of the quorum of the ,twelve1 in the places of those who had fallen1 as they had been called by revelation4 ,darwin ,chase and ,norman ,shearer1 who had just been liberated from ,richmond prison1 were also ordained to the office of ,seventies4 ,the ,twelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order3 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,john ,e4 ,page1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff and ,george ,a4 ,smith1 after which we sang ,adam-ondi-,ahman4 ,the ,twelve then took their leave of1 and gave the parting hand to1 the following ,saints1 agreeable to revelation3 ,a4 ,butler1 ,elias ,smith1 ,norman ,shearer1 ,wm4 ,burton1 ,stephen ,markham1 ,shadrach ,roundy1 ,wm4 ,o4 ,clark1 ,john ,w4 ,clark1 ,hezekiah ,peck1 ,darwin ,chase1 ,richard ,howard1 ,mary ,ann ,peck1 ,artimesia ,granger1 ,martha ,peck1 ,sarah ,granger1 ,theodore ,turley1 ,hiram ,clark1 and ,daniel ,shearer4 ,bidding good-by to the small remnant of the ,saints who remained on the temple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandments of ,god1 we turned our backs on ,far ,west and ,missouri1 and returned to ,illinois4 ,we had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us1 or any man saying1 ,why do you do so8 ,we crossed the ,mississippi river on the steam ferry1 entered ,quincy on the #bnd of ,may1 and all had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace and safety4 ,there was an incident connected with our journey that is worthy of record4 ,while we were on our way to fulfill the revelation1 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 and his companions in chains had been liberated1 through the blessings of ,god1 from their enemies and prison1 and they passed us4 ,we were not far distant from each other1 but neither party knew it4 ,they were making their way to their families in ,illinois1 while we were traveling to ,far ,west into the midst of our enemies4 ,so they came home to their families and friends before our return4 ,may the #crd was a very interesting day to me1 as well as to others4 ,in company with five others of the quorum of the ,twelve1 ,i rode four miles out of town to ,mr4 ,cleveland's1 to visit ,brother ,joseph ,smith and his family4 ,once more ,i had the happy privilege of taking ,brother ,joseph by the hand4 ,two years had rolled away since ,i had seen his face4 ,he greeted us with great joy1 as did ,hyrum ,smith and ,lyman ,wight1 all of whom had escaped from their imprisonment together4 ,they had been confined in prison six months1 and had been under sentence of death three times2 yet their lives were in the hands of ,god1 and ,he had delivered them1 and they were now mingling with their wives1 children and friends1 and out of the reach of the mob4 ,joseph was frank1 open and familiar as usual1 and our rejoicing was great4 ,no man can understand the joyful sensations created by such a meeting1 except those who have been in tribulation for the gospel's sake4 ,after spending the day together1 we returned to our families at night4 ,on the day following1 ,may #dth1 we met in conference at ,quincy1 the ,prophet ,joseph presiding1 which caused great joy and rejoicing to all the ,saints4 ,on ,sunday1 ,may #eth1 ,joseph ,smith addressed the assembly1 followed by ,sidney ,rigdon and the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord was poured out upon us1 and we had a glorious day4 ,on ,may #fth1 ,i met with the ,seventies1 and we ordained sixty men into the quorums of ,elders and ,seventies4 ,brother ,joseph met with the ,twelve1 ,bishops and ,elders1 at ,bishop ,partridge's house2 and there were a number with us who were wounded at ,haun's ,mill4 ,among them was ,isaac ,laney1 who had been1 in company with about twenty others1 at the mill1 when a large armed mob fired among them with rifles and other weapons1 and shot down seventeen of the brethren1 and wounded more4 ,brother ,laney fled from the scene1 but they poured a shower of lead after him1 which pierced his body through and through4 ,he showed me eleven bullet holes in his body4 ,there were twenty-seven in his shirt1 seven in his pantaloons1 and his coat was literally cut to pieces4 ,one ball entered one arm-pit and came out at the other4 ,another entered his back and came out at the breast4 ,a ball passed through each hip1 each leg and each arm4 ,all these shots were received while he was running for life1 and1 strange as it may appear1 though he had also one of his ribs broken1 he was able to outrun his enemies1 and his life was saved4 ,we can only acknowledge this deliverance to be by the power and mercy of ,god4 ,president ,joseph ,young was also among the number4 ,he also fled1 and although the balls flew around him like hail1 he was not wounded4 ,how mysterious are the ways of the ,lord6 ,before starting on our missions to ,england1 we were under the necessity of settling our families4 ,a place called ,commerce1 afterwards named ,nauvoo1 was selected as the place at which our people should settle4 ,i left ,quincy1 in company with ,brother ,brigham ,young and our families on the #aeth of ,may1 and arrived in ,commerce on the #ahth4 ,after an interview with ,joseph we crossed the river at ,montrose1 ,iowa4 ,president ,brigham ,young and myself1 with our families1 occupied one room about fourteen feet square4 ,finally ,brother ,young obtained another room and moved into it by himself4 ,then ,brother ,orson ,pratt and family moved into the same room with myself and family4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,a ,,day ,,of ,,god',s ,,power ,,with ,,the ,,prophet ,,joseph ,,smith--,a ,,great ,,number ,,of ,,sick ,,persons ,,healed--,,the ,,mob ,,becomes ,,alarmed--,,they ,,try ,,to ,,interfere ,,with ,,the ,,healing ,,of ,,the ,,sick--,,the ,,mob ,,sent ,,out ,,of ,,the ,,house--,,twin ,,children ,,healed4 ,while ,i was living in this cabin in the old barracks1 we experienced a day of ,god's power with the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,it was a very sickly time and ,joseph had given up his home in ,commerce to the sick1 and had a tent pitched in his door-yard and was living in that himself4 ,the large number of ,saints who had been driven out of ,missouri1 were flocking into ,commerce2 but had no homes to go into1 and were living in wagons1 in tents1 and on the ground4 ,many1 therefore1 were sick through the exposure they were subjected to4 ,brother ,joseph had waited on the sick1 until he was worn out and nearly sick himself4 ,on the morning of the #bbnd of ,july1 #ahci1 he arose1 reflecting upon the situation of the ,saints of ,god in their persecutions and afflictions1 and he called upon the ,lord in prayer1 and the power of ,god rested upon him mightily1 and as ,jesus healed all the sick around ,him in ,his day1 so ,joseph1 the ,prophet of ,god1 healed all around on this occasion4 ,he healed all in his house and door-yard1 then1 in company with ,sidney ,rigdon and several of the ,twelve1 he went through among the sick lying on the bank of the river1 and he commanded them in a loud voice1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to come up and be made whole1 and they were all healed4 ,when he healed all that were sick on the east side of the river1 they crossed the ,mississippi river in a ferry-boat to the west side1 to ,montrose1 where we were4 ,the first house they went into was ,president ,brigham ,young's4 ,he was sick on his bed at the time4 ,the ,prophet went into his house and healed him1 and they all came out together4 ,as they were passing by my door1 ,brother ,joseph said3 ,brother ,woodruff1 follow me4 ,these were the only words spoken by any of the company from the time they left ,brother ,brigham's house till we crossed the public square1 and entered ,brother ,fordham's house4 ,brother ,fordham had been dying for an hour1 and we expected each minute would be his last4 ,i felt the power of ,god that was overwhelming ,his ,prophet4 ,when we entered the house1 ,brother ,joseph walked up to ,brother ,fordham1 and took him by the right hand2 in his left hand he held his hat4 ,he saw that ,brother ,fordham's eyes were glazed1 and that he was speechless and unconscious4 ,after taking hold of his hand1 he looked down into the dying man's face and said3 ,brother ,fordham1 do you not know me8 ,at first he made no reply2 but we could all see the effect of the ,spirit of ,god resting upon him4 ,he again said3 ,elijah1 do you not know me8 ,with a low whisper1 ,brother ,fordham answered1 ,yes6 ,the ,prophet then said1 ,have you not faith to be healed8 ,the answer1 which was a little plainer than before1 was3 ,i am afraid it is too late4 ,if you had come sooner1 ,i think ,i might have been4 ,he had the appearance of a man waking from sleep4 ,it was the sleep of death4 ,joseph then said3 ,do you believe that ,jesus is the ,christ8 ,i do1 ,brother ,joseph1 was the response4 ,then the ,prophet of ,god spoke with a loud voice1 as in the majesty of the ,godhead3 ,elijah1 ,i command you1 in the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 to arise and be made whole6 ,the words of the ,prophet were not like the words of man1 but like the voice of ,god4 ,it seemed to me that the house shook from its foundation4 ,elijah ,fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead4 ,a healthy color came to his face1 and life was manifested in every act4 ,his feet were done up in ,indian meal poultices4 ,he kicked them off his feet1 scattered the contents1 and then called for his clothes and put them on4 ,he asked for a bowl of bread and milk1 and ate it2 then put on his hat and followed us into the street1 to visit others who were sick4 ,the unbeliever may ask3 ,was there not deception in this8 ,if there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever1 there was certainly none with ,elijah ,fordham1 the dying man1 nor with those who were present with him1 for in a few minutes more he would have been in the spirit world1 had he not been rescued4 ,through the blessing of ,god1 he lived up till #ahhj1 in which year he died in ,utah1 while all who were with him on that occasion1 with the exception of one1 are in the spirit world4 ,among the number1 were ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,orson ,pratt4 ,wilford ,woodruff is the only one living who was present at the time1 and he will soon mingle with those who have gone4 ,as soon as we left ,brother ,fordham's house1 we went into the house of ,joseph ,b4 ,noble1 who was very low and dangerously sick4 ,when we entered the house1 ,brother ,joseph took him by the hand1 and commanded him1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to arise and be made whole4 ,he did arise and was immediately healed4 ,while this was going on1 the wicked mob in the place1 led by one ,kilburn1 had become alarmed1 and followed us into ,brother ,noble's house4 ,before they arrived there1 ,brother ,joseph had called upon ,brother ,fordham to offer prayer4 ,while he was praying1 the mob entered1 with all the evil spirits accompanying them4 ,as soon as they entered1 ,brother ,fordham1 who was praying1 fainted and sank to the floor4 ,when ,joseph saw the mob in the house1 he arose and had the room cleared of both that class of men and their attendant devils4 ,then ,brother ,fordham immediately revived and finished his prayer4 ,this shows what power evil spirits have upon the tabernacles of men4 ,the ,saints are only saved from the power of the devil by the power of ,god4 ,this case of ,brother ,noble's was the last one of healing upon that day4 ,it was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of ,god through the gift of healing since the organization of the ,church4 ,when we left ,brother ,noble1 the ,prophet ,joseph went1 with those who accompanied him from the other side1 to the banks of the river1 to return home4 ,while waiting for the ferry-boat1 a man of the world1 knowing of the miracles which had been performed1 came to him and asked him if he would not go and heal two twin children of his1 about five months old1 who were both lying sick nigh unto death4 ,they were some two miles from ,montrose4 ,the ,prophet said he could not go2 but1 after pausing some time1 he said he would send some one to heal them2 and he turned to me and said3 ,you go with the man and heal his children4 ,he took a red silk handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to me1 and told me to wipe their faces with the handkerchief when ,i administered to them1 and they should be healed4 ,he also said unto me3 ,as long as you will keep that handkerchief1 it shall remain a league between you and me4 ,i went with the man1 and did as the ,prophet commanded me1 and the children were healed4 ,i have possession of the handkerchief unto this day4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,,preparing ,,for ,,our ,,journey ,,and ,,mission--,,the ,,blessing ,,of ,,the ,,prophet ,,joseph ,,upon ,,our ,,heads1 ,,and ,,his ,,promises ,,unto ,,us--,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,devil ,,manifested ,,to ,,hinder ,,us ,,un ,,the ,,performance ,,of ,,our ,,journey4 ,on the first of ,july1 #ahci1 ,joseph ,smith and his counselors1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,hyrum ,smith1 crossed the river to ,montrose1 to spend the day with the ,twelve1 and set them apart and bless them1 before they started upon their missions4 ,there were twelve of us who met there1 and we all dined in my house4 ,after dinner1 we assembled at ,brother ,brigham ,young's house for our meeting4 ,brother ,hyrum ,smith opened by prayer2 after which the ,presidency laid their hands upon our heads and gave each of us a blessing4 ,president ,rigdon was mouth in blessing me1 and also blessed ,sisters ,young1 ,taylor and ,woodruff4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph promised us if we would be faithful1 we should be blessed upon our mission1 have many souls as seals of our ministry1 and return again in peace and safety to our families and friends2 all of which was fulfilled4 ,brother ,hyrum advised me to preach the first principles of the gospel2 he thought that was about as much as this generation could endure4 ,then ,joseph arose and preached some precious things of the ,kingdom of ,god unto us1 in the power of the ,holy ,ghost2 some of which ,i here copy from my journal3 ,ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy1 and be ready to forgive our brethren on the first intimation of their repentance and desire for forgiveness2 for our ,heavenly ,father will be equally as merciful unto us4 ,we also ought to be willing to repent of and confess our sins1 and keep nothing back4 ,let the ,twelve be humble and not be exalted1 and beware of pride and not seek to excel one another1 but act for each other's good1 and honorably make mention of each other's names in prayer before the ,lord and before your fellow-men4 ,do not backbite or devour a brother4 ,the ,elders of ,israel should seek to learn by precept and example in this late age of the world and not be obliged to learn everything we know by sad experience4 ,i trust the remainder of the ,twelve will learn wisdom and not follow the example of those who have fallen4 ,when the ,twelve1 or any other witnesses of ,jesus ,christ1 stand before the congregations of the earth1 and they preach in the power and demonstration of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the people are astonished and confounded at the doctrine1 and say1 ',that man has preached a powerful sermon1' then let that man or those men take care that they do not ascribe the glory unto themselves1 but be careful that they are humble1 and ascribe the glory to ,god and the ,lamb2 for it is by the power of the ,holy ,priesthood and the ,holy ,ghost that they have power thus to speak4 ,who art thou1 ,o man1 but dust6 and from whom dost thou receive thy power and blessings1 but from ,god8 ,then let the ,twelve ,apostles and ,elders of ,israel observe this key1 and be wise3 ,ye are not sent out to be taught1 but to teach4 ,let every man be sober1 be vigilant1 and let all his words be seasoned with grace1 and keep in mind it is a day of warning1 and not of many words4 ,act honestly before ,god and man2 beware of sophistry1 such as bowing and scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence4 ,be honest1 open1 and frank in all your intercourse with mankind4 ,i wish to say to the ,twelve and all the ,saints1 to profit by this important key1 that in all your trials1 troubles1 temptations1 afflictions1 bonds1 imprisonments and deaths1 see to it that you do not betray ,jesus ,christ1 that you do not betray the revelations of ,god1 whether in the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1 or ,doctrine and ,covenants1 or any of the words of ,god4 ,yea1 in all your troubles1 see that you do not this thing1 lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts1 and ye go down to hell4 ,we may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to a fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil1 so as to neglect the first known duty2 but whatever you do1 do not betray your friend4 ,the foregoing are some of the instructions given to the ,twelve by the ,prophet ,joseph1 before they started upon their missions4 ,inasmuch as the devil had been in a measure thwarted by the ,twelve going to ,far ,west1 and returning without harm1 it seemed as though the destroyer was determined to make some other attempt upon us to hinder us from performing our missions2 for it seemed that as soon as any one of the ,apostles began to prepare for starting1 he was smitten with chills and fever or sickness of some kind4 ,nearly all of the quorum of the ,twelve or their families began to be sick1 so it still required the exercise of a good deal of faith and perseverance to start off on a mission4 ,on the #beth of ,july1 for the first time in my life1 ,i was attacked with chills and fever2 and this ,i had every other day1 and1 whenever attacked1 ,i was laid prostrate4 ,my wife1 ,phoebe1 was also soon taken down with the chills and fever1 as were quite a number of the ,twelve4 ,i passed thirteen days in ,montrose with my family1 after ,i was taken sick1 before ,i started on my mission4 ,the #gth of ,august was the last day ,i spent at home in ,montrose1 and although sick with the chills and fever the most of the day1 ,i made what preparations ,i could to start on the morrow on a mission of four thousand miles1 to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth1 and this1 too1 without purse or scrip1 with disease resting upon me1 and a stroke of fever and ague once every two days4 ,yet ,i did this freely1 for ,christ's sake1 trusting in ,him for the recompense or reward4 ,my prayer was3 ,may the ,lord give me grace according to my day and souls for my hire1 and a safe return to my family and friends1 which favor ,i ask in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,,leave ,,my ,,family--,,start ,,upon ,,my ,,mission--,,our ,,condition--,,elder ,,taylor ,,the ,,only ,,one ,,not ,,sick--,,reproof ,,from ,,the ,,prophet--,,incidents ,,upon ,,the ,,journey--,,elder ,,taylor ,,stricken--,i ,,leave ,,him ,,sick4 ,early upon the morning of the #hth of ,august1 #ahci1 ,i arose from my bed of sickness1 laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife1 ,phoebe1 and blessed her4 ,i then departed from the embrace of my companion1 and left her almost without food or the necessaries of life4 ,she parted from me with the fortitude that becomes a ,saint1 realizing the responsibilities of her companion4 ,i quote from my journal3 ,phoebe1 farewell6 ,be of good cheer2 remember me in your prayers4 ,i leave these pages for your perusal when ,i am gone4 ,i shall see thy face again in the flesh4 ,i go to obey the commands of ,jesus ,christ4 ,although feeble1 ,i walked to the banks of the ,mississippi river4 ,there ,president ,brigham ,young took me in a canoe 7having no other conveyance7 and paddled me across the river4 ,when we landed1 ,i lay down on a side of sole leather1 by the post office1 to rest4 ,brother ,joseph1 the ,prophet of ,god1 came along and looked at me4 ,well1 ,brother ,woodruff1 said he1 you have started upon your mission4 ,yes1 said ,i1 but ,i feel and look more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary4 ,joseph replied3 ,what did you say that for8 ,get up1 and go along2 all will be right with you6 ,i name these incidents that the reader may know how the brethren of the ,twelve ,apostles started upon their missions to ,england1 in #ahci4 ,elder ,john ,taylor was going with me1 and we were the first two of the quorum of the ,twelve who started on their mission4 ,brother ,taylor was about the only man in the quorum that was not sick4 ,soon a brother came along with a wagon1 and took us in4 ,as we were driving through the place1 we came to ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 who was stripped to the shirt and pants with his head and feet bare4 ,he was hewing a log1 preparing to build a cabin4 ,he said3 ,brother ,woodruff1 ,i have no money1 but ,i have an empty purse1 which ,i will give you4 ,he brought it to me1 and ,i thanked him for it4 ,we went a few rods further1 and met ,brother ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 in the same condition1 also hewing a log1 towards building a cabin4 ,he said3 ,as ,parley has given you a purse1 ,i have got a dollar ,i will give you to put in it4 ,he gave me both a dollar and a blessing4 ,we drove sixteen miles across a prairie1 and spent the night with a ,brother ,merrill4 ,the day following we rode ten miles1 to a ,brother ,perkins'1 and he took us in his wagon to ,macomb1 and from thence to ,brother ,don ,carlos ,smith's4 ,i rode four hours during the day over a very rough road of stones and stumps1 lying on my back in the bottom of the wagon1 shaking with the ague1 and ,i suffered much4 ,we held a meeting in a grove near ,don ,carlos ,smith's and here ,elder ,taylor baptized ,george ,miller1 who afterwards was ordained a ,bishop4 ,at the meeting the ,saints gave us nine dollars1 and ,george ,miller gave us a horse to help us on our journey4 ,i rode to ,rochester with ,father ,coltrin1 where ,i had an interview with several families of the ,fox ,island ,saints1 whom ,i had brought up with me from ,fox ,islands1 in #ahch4 ,i spent several days with them and at ,springfield1 where ,elder ,taylor published fifteen hundred copies1 in pamphlet form1 of a brief sketch of the persecutions and sufferings of the ,latter-day ,saints1 inflicted by the inhabitants of ,missouri4 ,we sold our horse1 and in company with ,father ,coltrin1 ,brother ,taylor and myself left ,springfield1 and continued our journey4 ,i had the chills and fever nearly every other day1 which made riding in a lumber wagon very distressing to me1 especially when ,i shook with the ague4 ,on the #bdth of ,august1 we rode to ,terre ,haute1 and spent the night with ,dr4 ,modisett4 ,i suffered much with the chills and fever4 ,elder ,john ,taylor up to this time had appeared to enjoy excellent health1 but the destroyer did not intend to make him an exception to the rest of the ,apostles4 ,on the #bhth of ,august1 he fell to the ground as though he had been knocked down4 ,he fainted away1 but soon revived4 ,on the following day1 however1 the enemy made a powerful attack upon his life4 ,he fainted away several times1 and it seemed as though he would die4 ,we stopped several hours with him at a house by the wayside4 ,we then took him into the wagon and drove to ,horace ,s4 ,eldredge's1 and spent the remainder of the day and night doctoring him4 ,in the morning ,brother ,taylor was so far recovered that he thought he would be able to ride4 ,so we started on our journey on the morning of the #cjth1 and we traveled forty miles1 to ,louisville1 and spent the night with the family of ,brother ,james ,townsend4 ,we felt terribly shaken up1 being in such a weak state4 ,brother ,townsend was away from home1 but we were kindly entertained by ,sister ,townsend4 ,in the morning1 ,elder ,taylor1 though very weak1 felt disposed to continue his journey4 ,we traveled fourteen miles to ,germantown4 ,he was quite sick at night1 and the bilious fever seemed to settle upon him4 ,i was also very feeble1 myself4 ,on the day following1 ,september #ast1 being ,sunday1 ,brother ,taylor concluded to remain there for the day1 and hold a meeting4 ,it was a ,german settlement4 ,he wished me to speak1 and ,i spoke upon the first principles of the gospel4 ,he followed me1 and spoke until he was exhausted4 ,after we returned to the inn where we were stopping1 ,i was taken with a chill and fever1 and had a very bad night4 ,brother ,taylor was also very sick4 ,the following day1 ,september #bnd1 was a painful day to my feelings4 ,it was evident that ,brother ,taylor had a settled fever upon him1 and would not be able to travel4 ,father ,coltrin was resolved to continue his journey1 and1 in conversing with ,brother ,taylor1 he thought it better for one sick man to be left than for two1 as ,i was so sick with the chills and fever that ,i was not able to render him any assistance1 nor1 indeed1 to take care of myself4 ,under these circumstances1 ,brother ,taylor advised me to continue my journey with ,brother ,coltrin1 and make the best of my way to ,new ,york4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,,continue ,,my ,,journey--,,leave ,,elder ,,taylor ,,in ,,germantown--,,arrive ,,in ,,cleveland--,,take ,,steamer ,,from ,,there ,,to ,,buffalo--,,delayed ,,by ,a ,,storm--,,go ,,to ,,farmington1 ,,my ,,father',s ,,home--,,death ,,of ,,my ,,grandmother--,,my ,,uncle ,,dies--,i ,,preach ,,his ,,funeral ,,sermon--,,arrive ,,in ,,new ,,york--,,sail ,,for ,,liverpool--,,encounter ,,storms ,,and ,,rough ,,weather--,,arrive ,,in ,,liverpool4 ,after committing ,elder ,taylor into the hands of the ,lord1 though painful to me1 ,i gave him the parting hand1 and started4 ,i left him in ,germantown1 ,wayne ,county1 ,indiana1 in the hands of a merciful ,god and a kind and benevolent family1 who promised to do everything in their power to make him comfortable until his recovery4 ,this they did1 though he passed through a severe course of the bilious fever1 and was sick nigh unto death4 ,through the mercy of ,god1 however1 he recovered from his sickness1 and continued his journey4 ,we next met in the city of ,new ,york4 ,i continued my journey with ,father ,coltrin1 and we reached ,cleveland on the #ahth of ,september4 ,we there took steamer for ,buffalo1 but were three days and a night in a storm before we made the harbor4 ,we landed at midnight1 and in doing so we ran into a schooner1 and stove it in4 ,from ,buffalo ,i traveled to ,albany in a canal boat1 and had a stroke of the ague daily4 ,while on my journey1 at ,albany1 ,i took a stage in the night1 and rode to my father's home in ,farmington1 on the #bast of ,september4 ,i was glad to meet with my father's family and the other members of the small branch of the ,church which existed there upon this occasion1 as ,i found them all strong in the faith of the gospel1 and glad to meet with me4 ,i was still suffering with the ague daily4 ,on the #bgth of ,september1 my grandmother 7on my mother's side71 ,anna ,thompson1 died at ,avon4 ,she was eighty-four years of age4 ,it was a singular coincidence that she1 with her husband1 ,lot ,thompson1 also ,mercy ,thompson and ,samuel ,thompson1 all of one family1 died when they were eighty-four years of age4 ,i was not able to attend my grandmother's funeral4 ,on the #dth of ,october1 #ahci1 my uncle1 ,adna ,hart1 died1 aged forty-three years4 ,i had visited him in his sickness1 and preached the gospel to him1 and he was believing4 ,i had also been associated with him from my youth up4 ,on his death-bed he sent me a request that ,i would preach his funeral sermon4 ,i was having the chills and fever daily at the time1 attended with a very severe cough1 so much so1 that my father thought that ,i would never leave his home alive4 ,but when they brought me the request of my dying uncle1 and the day came for his burial1 ,i told my father to get his horse and buggy ready1 for ,i was going to attend the funeral4 ,he thought ,i was very reckless in regard to my own life1 as ,i had suffered with the chills and fever some fifteen days1 and to attempt to speak in my weak state1 and to begin at the same hour that my chill was to come on1 seemed to him foolhardy4 ,my parents were quite alarmed1 yet according to my request my father got up his team1 and ,i rode with him and my step-mother five miles1 through a cold1 chilly wind1 and ,i commenced speaking to a large congregation1 at the same hour that my chill had been in the habit of coming on4 ,i spoke over an hour with great freedom1 and my chill left me from that hour1 and ,i had no more attacks for many days4 ,on the ,monday following1 ,october #agth1 ,i felt sufficiently restored to health to continue my journey4 ,i took leave of my father and sister1 and left for ,new ,york1 where ,i arrived on the morning of the #hth of ,november4 ,i spent two months and seven days after my arrival in ,new ,york1 in traveling and preaching in that city1 ,new ,jersey and ,long ,island1 a portion of the time with ,parley and ,orson ,pratt4 ,i had frequent attacks during this time of the chills and fever1 but ,i preached almost daily4 ,on the #acth of ,december ,i attended our conference in ,new ,york ,city1 with ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 and on this day ,elder ,john ,taylor arrived in our midst1 and it was a happy meeting4 ,he had passed through a severe siege of sickness after we parted1 but through the mercy of ,god had been preserved1 and was able to continue his journey4 ,he also informed us that others of the quorum of the ,twelve had suffered a great deal of sickness1 and that it was with difficulty that they could travel4 ,after spending six days in ,new ,york1 ,elder ,john ,taylor1 in company with ,elder ,theodore ,turley and myself sailed out of ,new ,york ,harbor for ,liverpool1 on board the packet ship ,oxford1 on the #aith of ,december1 #ahci4 ,we took the steerage passage1 which cost fifteen dollars each4 ,we had storms and rough weather1 but most of the winds were favorable for a quick passage4 ,while on the ship a ,methodist minister got into a discussion with some ,catholics who were in the company1 and the arguments of the minister ran rather more into abuse than sound argument4 ,elder ,taylor told the ,methodist minister that he did not think it was becoming in a daughter to find so much fault with the mother as they did1 for as the ,methodists came out of the ,catholics1 ,elder ,taylor thought the mother had as much right to enjoy her religion unmolested as the daughter had4 ,that ended the argument4 ,our company consisted of #aji souls1 composed of ,americans1 ,english1 ,scotch1 ,irish1 ,welsh and ,dutch4 ,we arrived in ,liverpool dock on the #aath day of ,january1 #ahdj1 having made the voyage from ,new ,york in twenty-three days4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,,our ,,first ,,visit ,,to ,,preston--,,our ,,first ,,council ,,in ,,england1 ,,in #ahdj--,,we ,,take ,,different ,,fields ,,of ,,labor--,a ,,woman ,,possessed ,,of ,,the ,,devil--,,attempt ,,to ,,cast ,,it ,,out ,,and ,,fail--,,turn ,,out ,,the ,,unbelievers1 ,,and ,,then ,,succeed--,,the ,,evil ,,spirit ,,enters ,,her ,,child--,,commence ,,baptizing--,,the ,,lord ,,makes ,,known ,,his ,,will ,,to ,,me4 ,on ,january #acth1 #ahdj1 after visiting ,mr4 ,george ,cannon1 the father of ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and his family1 we took cars in the evening1 and arrived in the midst of the ,preston branch of the ,saints1 built up in #ahcg1 by ,elders ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde and ,willard ,richards4 ,we very soon had a pleasant interview with ,elder ,willard ,richards1 who had remained in ,preston to take care of the ,church1 while the rest had returned home to ,america4 ,we spent three days at ,preston in visiting the ,saints1 and on the #agth we held a council at ,elder ,richards' home in that place4 ,after consulting upon the best course for us to pursue1 it was finally resolved that ,elder ,john ,taylor and ,joseph ,fielding go to ,liverpool1 ,elder ,woodruff to ,staffordshire ,potteries1 ,theodore ,turley to ,birmingham1 ,elder ,richards wherever the ,spirit might direct him1 and that ,wm4 ,clayton preside over the branch in ,manchester4 ,after various principles of the ,church had been expounded by the ,apostles present1 the council adjourned4 ,elder ,willard ,richards had been called to be one of the quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 but had not yet received his ordination4 ,on the day following ,i parted with ,elders ,taylor and ,fielding1 who went to ,liverpool1 and with ,elder ,richards1 who tarried in ,preston4 ,elder ,turley and ,i went to ,manchester4 ,it was the first time ,i ever visited that city4 ,i here first met with ,elder ,wm4 ,clayton4 ,as soon as ,i had an introduction to him1 he informed me that one of the sisters in that place was possessed of the devil1 and he asked me to go and cast it out of her1 thinking that one of the ,twelve ,apostles could do anything in this line he might wish to4 ,however1 ,i went with him to the house where the woman lay1 in the hands of three men1 in a terrible rage1 and trying to tear her clothing from her4 ,i also found quite a number of ,saints present1 and some unbelievers1 who had come to see the devil cast out and a miracle wrought4 ,if ,i had acted upon my own judgment ,i should not have attempted to administer to her with the company present1 but as ,i was a stranger there1 and ,brother ,clayton presided over the branch1 ,i joined him in administering to the woman4 ,but the unbelief of the wicked present was so great1 we could not cast the devil out of her1 and she raged worse than ever4 ,i then ordered the room to be cleared1 and when the company left the house1 except the few attending to her1 we laid hands upon her1 and ,i commanded the devil to come out of her1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the devil left her1 and she was entirely cured and fell asleep4 ,the next day being the ,sabbath1 she came before a large congregation of people1 and bore testimony to what the ,lord had done for her4 ,we had a large assemblage through the day and evening1 to whom ,i preached the gospel4 ,on ,monday morning1 the devil1 not being satisfied with being cast out of the woman1 entered into her little child1 which was but a few months old4 ,i was called upon to visit the child4 ,i found it in great distress1 writhing in its mother's arms4 ,we laid hands upon it and cast the devil out of it1 and the evil spirits had no power over the household afterwards4 ,this was done by the power of ,god1 and not of man4 ,we laid hands upon twenty in ,manchester who were sick1 and they were mostly healed4 ,on the #bast1 ,i arrived in ,burslem by coach1 and met1 for the first time1 with ,elder ,alfred ,cordon4 ,this being my field of labor1 ,i stopped and commenced work4 ,elder ,turley stopped in the pottery district some eight days1 then went to ,birmingham1 his field of labor4 ,i received a letter on the #ajth of ,february1 from ,elder ,john ,taylor1 who was at ,liverpool1 saying they had commenced there and baptized ten persons4 ,i labored in the ,staffordshire ,potteries1 in ,burslem1 ,hanley1 ,stoke1 ,lane ,end1 and several other villages1 from the #bbnd of ,january until the #bnd of ,march1 preaching every night in the week and two or three times on the ,sabbath4 ,i baptized1 confirmed and blessed many1 and we had a good field open for labor4 ,many were believing1 and it appeared as though we had a door open to bring many into the ,church in that part of the vineyard4 ,march #ast1 #ahdj1 was my birthday1 when ,i was thirty-three years of age4 ,it being ,sunday1 ,i preached twice through the day to a large assembly in the ,city ,hall1 in the town of ,hanley1 and administered the sacrament unto the ,saints4 ,in the evening ,i again met with a large assembly of the ,saints and strangers1 and while singing the first hymn the ,spirit of the ,lord rested upon me1 and the voice of ,god said to me1 ,this is the last meeting that you will hold with this people for many days4 ,i was astonished at this1 as ,i had many appointments out in that district4 ,when ,i arose to speak to the people1 ,i told them that it was the last meeting ,i should hold with them for many days4 ,they were as much astonished as ,i was4 ,at the close of the meeting four persons came forward for baptism1 and we went down into the water and baptized them4 ,in the morning ,i went in secret before the ,lord1 and asked ,him what ,his will was concerning me4 ,the answer ,i got was1 that ,i should go to the south1 for the ,lord had a great work for me to perform there1 as many souls were waiting for the word of the ,lord4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,,my ,,journey ,,to ,,herefordshire--,,interview ,,with ,,john ,,benbow--,,the ,,word ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,fulfilled ,,to ,,me--,,the ,,greatest ,,gathering ,,into ,,the ,,church ,,known ,,among ,,the ,,gentiles ,,since ,,the ,,organization ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,this ,,dispensation--,a ,,constable ,,sent ,,to ,,arrest ,,me--,i ,,convert ,,and ,,baptize ,,him--,,two ,,clerks ,,sent ,,as ,,detectives ,,hear ,,me ,,preach1 ,,and ,,both ,,embrace ,,the ,,truth--,,rectors ,,petition ,,to ,,have ,,our ,,preaching ,,prohibited--,,the ,,archbishop',s ,,reply--,,book ,,of ,,mormon ,,and ,,hymn ,,book ,,printed--,,case ,,of ,,healing4 ,on the #crd of ,march1 #ahdj1 in fulfillment of the word of the ,lord to me1 ,i took coach and rode to ,wolverhampton1 twenty-six miles1 and spent the night there4 ,on the morning of the #dth ,i again took coach1 and rode through ,dudley1 ,stourbridge1 ,stourport and ,worcester1 and then walked a number of miles to ,mr4 ,john ,benbow's1 ,hill ,farm1 ,castle ,frome1 ,ledbury1 ,herefordshire4 ,this was a farming country in the south of ,england1 a region where no ,elder of the ,latter-day ,saints had visited4 ,i found ,mr4 ,benbow to be a wealthy farmer1 cultivating three hundred acres of land1 occupying a good mansion1 and having plenty of means4 ,his wife1 ,jane1 had no children4 ,i presented myself to him as a missionary from ,america1 an ,elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 who had been sent to him by the commandment of ,god as a messenger of salvation1 to preach the gospel of life unto him and his household1 and the inhabitants of the land4 ,mr4 ,benbow and his wife received me with glad hearts and thanksgiving4 ,it was in the evening when ,i arrived1 having traveled forty-eight miles by coach and on foot during the day1 but after receiving refreshments we sat down together1 and conversed until two o'clock in the morning4 ,mr4 ,benbow and his wife rejoiced greatly at the glad tidings which ,i brought unto them of the fullness of the everlasting ,gospel1 which ,god had revealed through the mouth of ,his ,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 in these last days4 ,i rejoiced greatly at the news that ,mr4 ,benbow gave me1 that there was a company of men and women--over six hundred in number--who had broken off from the ,wesleyan ,methodists1 and taken the name of ,united ,brethren4 ,they had forty-five preachers among them1 and had chapels and many houses that were licensed according to the law of the land for preaching in4 ,this body of ,united ,brethren were searching for light and truth1 but had gone as far as they could1 and were continually calling upon the ,lord to open the way before them1 and send them light and knowledge that they might know the true way to be saved4 ,when ,i heard these things ,i could clearly see why the ,lord had commanded me1 while in the town of ,hanley1 to leave that place of labor and go to the south1 for in ,herefordshire there was a great harvest-field for gathering many ,saints into the kingdom of ,god4 ,i retired to my bed with joy after offering my prayers and thanksgiving to ,god1 and slept sweetly until the rising of the sun4 ,i arose on the morning of the #eth1 took breakfast1 and told ,mr4 ,benbow ,i would like to commence my ,master's business1 by preaching the gospel to the people4 ,he had a large hall in his mansion which was licensed for preaching1 and he sent word through the neighborhood that an ,american missionary would preach at his house that evening4 ,as the time drew nigh many of the neighbors came in1 and ,i preached my first gospel sermon in the house4 ,i also preached on the following evening at the same place1 and baptized six persons1 including ,mr4 ,john ,benbow and his wife1 and four preachers of the ,united ,brethren4 ,i spent most of the following day in clearing out a pool of water1 and preparing it for baptizing in1 as ,i saw many to be baptized there4 ,i afterwards baptized six hundred in that pool of water4 ,on ,sunday1 the #hth1 ,i preached at ,frome's ,hill in the morning1 at ,standley ,hill in the afternoon1 and at ,john ,benbow's1 ,hill ,farm1 in the evening4 ,the parish church that stood in the neighborhood of ,brother ,benbow's1 presided over by the rector of the parish1 was attended during the day by only fifteen persons1 while ,i had a large congregation1 estimated to number a thousand1 attend my meeting through the day and evening4 ,when ,i arose in the evening to speak at ,brother ,benbow's house1 a man entered the door and informed me that he was a constable1 and had been sent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest me4 ,i asked him ,for what crime8 ,he said1 ,for preaching to the people4 ,i told him that ,i1 as well as the rector1 had a license for preaching the gospel to the people1 and that if he would take a chair ,i would wait upon him after meeting4 ,he took my chair and sat beside me4 ,i preached the first principles of the everlasting gospel for an hour and a quarter4 ,the power of ,god rested upon me1 the ,spirit filled the house1 and the people were convinced4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i opened a door for baptism1 and seven offered themselves4 ,among the number were four preachers and the constable4 ,the latter arose and said1 ,mr4 ,woodruff1 ,i would like to be baptized4 ,i told him ,i would like to baptize him4 ,i went down to the pool and baptized the seven4 ,we then met together and ,i confirmed thirteen1 and broke bread unto the ,saints and we all rejoiced together4 ,the constable went to the rector and told him if he wanted ,mr4 ,woodruff taken up for preaching the gospel1 he must go himself and serve the writ1 for he had heard him preach the only true gospel sermon he had ever listened to in his life4 ,the rector did not know what to make of it1 so he sent two clerks of the ,church of ,england as spies1 to attend our meeting1 and find out what we did preach4 ,but they were both pricked in their hearts and received the word of the ,lord gladly1 and were baptized and confirmed members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the rector became alarmed and did not dare to send anybody else4 ,the ministers and rectors of the ,south of ,england called a convention and sent a petition to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 to request ,parliament to pass a law prohibiting the ,mormons from preaching in the ,british dominion4 ,in this petition the rector stated that one ,mormon missionary had baptized fifteen hundred persons1 mostly members of the ,english church1 during the last seven months4 ,but the archbishop and council1 knowing well that the laws of ,england gave free toleration to all religions under the ,british flag1 sent word to the petitioners that if they had the worth of souls at heart as much as they had the ground where hares1 foxes and hounds ran1 they would not lose so many of their flock4 ,i continued to preach and baptize daily4 ,on the #bast day of ,march ,i baptized ,elder ,thomas ,kingston4 ,he was the superintendent of both preachers and members of the ,united ,brethren4 ,the first thirty days after my arrival in ,herefordshire1 ,i had baptized forty-five preachers and one hundred and sixty members of the ,united ,brethren1 who put into my hands one chapel and forty-five houses1 which were licensed according to law to preach in4 ,this opened a wide field of labor1 and enabled me to bring into the ,church1 through the blessing of ,god1 over eight hundred souls during eight months1 including all of the six hundred ,united ,brethren except one person2 also including some two hundred preachers of various denominations4 ,this field of labor embraced ,herefordshire1 ,gloucestershire and ,worcestershire1 and formed the conferences of ,garway1 ,godfield ,elm and ,frome's ,hill4 ,i was visited by ,president ,young and ,dr4 ,richards4 ,brother ,benbow furnished us with #cjj to print the first ,book of ,mormon that was published in ,england3 and on the #bjth of ,may1 #ahdj1 ,brigham ,young1 ,willard ,richards and ,i held a council on the top of ,malvern ,hill1 and there decided that ,brigham ,young go direct to ,manchester and publish #c1jjj copies of the ,hymn ,book and #c1jjj copies of the ,book of ,mormon1 this being the first publication of these books in ,england4 ,the power of ,god rested upon us and upon the mission4 ,the sick were healed1 devils were cast out1 and the lame were made to walk4 ,one case ,i will mention3 ,mary ,pitt1 who died in ,nauvoo1 sister of ,wm4 ,pitt1 who died in ,salt ,lake ,city1 had not walked upon her feet for eleven years4 ,we carried her into the water and ,i baptized her4 ,on the evening of the #ahth of ,may1 #ahdj1 at ,brother ,kingston's house in ,dymock1 ,elders ,brigham ,young1 ,willard ,richards and ,i laid hands upon her head and confirmed her4 ,brigham ,young1 being mouth1 rebuked her lameness1 and commanded her to arise and walk1 in the name of the ,lord4 ,the lameness then left her1 and she never afterwards used a staff or crutch4 ,she walked through the town of ,dymock next day1 which created a stir among the people2 but the wicked did not feel to give ,god the glory4 ,the whole history of this ,herefordshire mission shows the importance of listening to the still small voice of the ,spirit of ,god and the revelations of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the ,lord had a people there prepared for the gospel4 ,they were praying for light and truth1 and the ,lord sent me to them1 and ,i declared the gospel of life and salvation unto them1 and some eighteen hundred souls received it1 and many of them have been gathered to ,zion in these mountains4 ,many of them have also been called to officiate in the bishopric1 and have done much good in ,zion4 ,but in all these things we should ever acknowledge the hand of ,god1 and give ,him the honor1 praise and glory1 forever and ever4 ,amen4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,,closing ,,testimony--,,good ,,and ,,evil ,,spirits ,before closing this little book1 as a reader for our children1 ,i wish to bear my testimony upon several principles1 to the ,latter-day ,saints1 especially to the rising generation1 the young men of ,israel4 ,first1 ,i wish to speak of the spirits of good and evil4 ,the ,lord says1 whatever leads to good is of ,god1 and whatever leads to do evil is of the devil4 ,this is a very important subject for us to understand4 ,the scriptures again tell us that there are many spirits gone out into the world2 and that we should try the spirits1 to prove which are of ,god and which are of the evil one4 ,the ,new ,testament says that every spirit that confesses that ,jesus is the ,christ1 is born of ,god2 and every spirit that denieth that ,jesus is the ,christ is anti-,christ1 and is not of ,god4 ,i will also add that every spirit that confesses that ,joseph ,smith was a ,prophet of ,god1 and that the ,book of ,mormon1 ,bible and ,doctrine and ,covenants are true1 is of ,god2 and every spirit that denieth this is not of ,god1 but is of the evil one4 ,i wish here to ask our young friends as well as the older ones1 the question3 ,do you ever consider or contemplate anything about the number of evil spirits that occupy the earth1 who are at war against ,god and against all good1 and who seek to destroy all the children of men in every age of the world8 ,let us reason together a moment upon this subject4 ,it may be impossible for any man1 without direct revelation from ,god1 to get to know the exact number1 but we may approximate towards it4 ,the ,lord has said by revelation that ,lucifer1 an angel in authority1 rebelled against ,god1 and drew away one-third part of the hosts of heaven2 and he was cast down to the earth and the heavens wept over him4 ,how many were cast out of heaven down to the earth8 ,we suppose that the inhabitants of heaven here referred to were the spirits begotten of our ,father in heaven who were to come dawn to the earth and take tabernacles4 ,how many were there to come down and take tabernacles8 ,this1 again1 may be difficult to tell1 yet perhaps we may come near enough for the purpose4 ,it has generally been conceded that there are about #a1jjj1jjj1jjj persons on the earth at a time1 though the late statistics make out #a1djj1jjj1jjj at the present time4 ,but we will say #a1jjj1jjj1jjj4 ,it is also said that a generation passes off the earth every thirty-three and one-third years1 making three generations in a century1 which would be #c1jjj1jjj1jjj in one hundred years4 ,multiply this by ten and it will make #cj1jjj1jjj1jjj in #a1jjj years4 ,multiply again by seven and it will make #baj1jjj1jjj1jjj in #g1jjj years4 ,the argument might be used that when our earth was first peopled there were but two persons on the earth1 and after the flood but eight souls were left alive1 but the probability is that during the millennium the inhabitants will increase very fast as the age of children will be as the age of a tree1 and the inhabitants of the earth will not die off as they do now4 ,but we will suppose that there were #ajj1jjj1jjj1jjj of fallen spirits sent down from heaven to earth1 and that there are1 #a1jjj1jjj1jjj of inhabitants upon the face of the earth to-day1 that would make one hundred evil spirits to every man1 woman and child living on the earth2 and the whole mission and labor of these spirits is to lead all the children of men to do evil and to effect their destruction4 ,now1 ,i want all our boys and girls to reflect upon this1 and to see what danger they are in1 and the warfare they have to pass through4 ,these one hundred evil spirits to each one of the children of men seek to lead them into every temptation possible1 to use tobacco1 smoke1 drink whisky1 get drunk1 curse1 swear1 lie1 steal1 and commit adultery and murder1 and do every evil to cut them off from exaltation as far as possible4 ,on the other hand1 the ,spirit of ,god labors and strives to preserve all the children of men from these evils2 and the ,lord has given ,his angels charge concerning us1 and they do all they can for our salvation4 ,but yet we all have our agency1 to choose the good and refuse the evil1 or choose the evil and refuse the good4 ,the ,lord forces no man to heaven2 neither does the ,lord tempt any man to do evil4 ,when a man is tempted to do evil1 it is by the power of the devil1 who is an enemy to all righteousness4 ,i feel very anxious to have our boys and girls1 our young men and maidens1 seek for that which is good4 ,whenever you are tempted to do evil1 turn from it4 ,never make light of any of the commandments or ordinances of the gospel of ,christ1 and when you meet with any persons who do it1 shun their society4 ,avoid the use of tobacco and strong drink1 for they lead to evil4 ,you are laying the foundation while in the days of your youth1 for a character which will decide your destiny through all time and throughout all eternity1 either for good or evil4 ,the ,lord has told us by revelation 7,see ,doc4 and ,cov4 ,sec4 #acj7 that whatever knowledge or principle of intelligence we attain to in this life1 it will rise with us in the resurrection1 and any person who gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another1 will have so much the advantage in the world to come4 ,therefore1 we should all strive to be diligent in obtaining intelligence1 and bringing to pass righteousness upon our agency1 and not wait to be commanded in all things1 and great will be our reward in so doing4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,,how ,,to ,,obtain ,,revelation ,,from ,,god--,,joseph ,,smith',s ,,course--,,saved ,,from ,,death ,,by ,a ,,falling ,,tree1 ,,by ,,obeying ,,the ,,voice ,,of ,,the ,,spirit--,a ,,company ,,of ,,saints ,,saved ,,from ,a ,,steamboat ,,disaster ,,by ,,the ,,spirit',s ,,warning--,,plot ,,to ,,waylay ,,elder ,c4 ,c4 ,,rich ,,and ,,party ,,foiled ,,by ,,the ,,same ,,power4 ,in order to obtain revelation from ,god1 and in order to know1 when we do obtain revelation1 whether it is from ,god or not1 we must follow the teachings of the revelations of ,god unto us4 ,st4 ,james says3 ,if any man lack wisdom1 let him ask of ,god1 that giveth to all men liberally1 and upbraideth not2 and it shall be given him4 ,again1 it is said1 ,ask1 and it shall be given you2 seek1 and ye shall find2 knock1 and it shall be opened unto you4 ,it was upon this promise that ,joseph ,smith went before the ,lord and prayed in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and asked for knowledge1 wisdom and understanding1 in order to know what to do to be saved2 and he proved the promise of ,st4 ,james before the ,lord1 and the heavens were opened to his view1 and the ,father and ,son were revealed unto him1 and the voice of the great ,eloheim unto him was3 ,this is my beloved ,son1 hear ye ,him4 ,this was the first revelation of ,god to him4 ,he did hearken to the voice of ,jesus ,christ all his life afterwards1 and received a code of revelations and the word of the ,lord unto him as long as he dwelt in the flesh4 ,joseph ,smith left as strong a testimony as was ever given to the human family1 and sealed that testament with his own life and blood4 ,we all have to pursue the very same course in order to obtain revelations from ,god4 ,but ,i wish to impress this truth upon the rising generation and all who read this testimony1 that the ,lord does not give revelations or send angels to men or work miracles to accommodate the notions of any man who is seeking for a sign4 ,when we have the principles of the gospel revealed to us through the mouth of the ,savior1 or by inspired prophets or apostles1 we have no need to ask the ,lord to reveal that unto us again4 ,while the priesthood is restored to the earth1 and the revelations of ,god are revealed to us through the mouths of prophets and apostles concerning the fullness of the gospel--doctrine1 ordinances and principles1 we should study them1 and treasure up knowledge by faith4 ,we should study out of the best books1 and the ,holy ,ghost will bring to our remembrance those things which we stand in need of1 in the self-same hour that we are called to teach the people4 ,but when any priest1 elder1 prophet1 apostle1 or messenger is sent of ,god to preach the gospel1 gather the ,saints1 work in temples or perform any work for the ,lord1 and that man is faithful and humble before the ,lord1 in his prayers and duty1 and there is any snare or evil in his path1 or the righteous to be sought out1 or danger to the emigration of the ,saints either by sea or land1 or knowledge needed in a temple1 then the ,lord will reveal to him all that is necessary to meet the emergency4 ,the teachings of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith to ,president ,john ,taylor and the rest of us was to obtain the ,holy ,spirit1 get acquainted with it and its operations1 and listen to the whisperings of that ,spirit and obey its voice1 and it soon will become a principle of revelation unto us4 ,we have found this true in our experience1 and in order to prove whether a revelation is from ,god or not we follow out the principles revealed to us1 and if we find that which was manifested to us proves true1 we know it is from ,god2 for truth is one of ,his attributes1 and the ,holy ,ghost deceiveth no man4 ,when a man becomes acquainted with the whisperings of the ,holy ,ghost1 which is revelation1 he should be very careful to obey it1 for his life may depend upon it4 ,revelation is one of the gifts of the ,holy ,ghost1 and for the benefit of my young friends who may read this work1 ,i will give an account of a few instances from my own experience of listening to the revelations of the ,holy ,ghost to me4 ,in #ahdh1 after my return to ,winter ,quarters from our pioneer journey1 ,i was appointed by the ,presidency of the ,church to take my family and go to ,boston1 to gather up the remnant of the ,latter-day ,saints and lead them to the valleys of the mountains4 ,while on my way east ,i put my carriage into the yard of one of the brethren in ,indiana1 and ,brother ,orson ,hyde set his wagon by the side of mine1 and not more than two feet from it4 ,dominicus ,carter1 of ,provo1 and my wife and four children were with me4 ,my wife1 one child and ,i went to bed in the carriage1 the rest sleeping in the house4 ,i had been in bed but a short time when a voice said to me3 ,get up1 and move your carriage4 ,it was not thunder1 lightning or an earthquake1 but the still1 small voice of the ,spirit of ,god--the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i told my wife ,i must get up and move my carriage4 ,she asked3 ,what for8 ,i told her ,i did not know1 only the ,spirit told me to do it4 ,i got up and moved my carriage several rods1 and set it by the side of the house4 ,as ,i was returning to bed1 the same ,spirit said to me1 ,go and move your mules away from that oak tree1 which was about one hundred yards north of our carriage4 ,i moved them to a young hickory grove and tied them up4 ,i then went to bed4 ,in thirty minutes a whirlwind caught the tree to which my mules had been fastened1 broke it off near the ground and carried it one hundred yards1 sweeping away two fences in its course1 and laid it prostrate through that yard where my carriage stood1 and the top limbs hit my carriage as it was4 ,in the morning ,i measured the trunk of the tree which fell where my carriage had stood1 and ,i found it to be five feet in circumference4 ,it came within a foot of ,brother ,hyde's wagon1 but did not touch it4 ,thus by obeying the revelation of the ,spirit of ,god to me ,i saved my life and the lives of my wife and child1 as well as my animals4 ,in the morning ,i went on my way rejoicing4 ,while returning to ,utah in #ahej with a large company of ,saints from ,boston and the east1 on my arrival at ,pittsburg ,i engaged a passage for myself and company on a steamer to ,st4 ,louis4 ,but no sooner had ,i engaged the passage than the ,spirit said to me1 ,go not on board of that steamer1 neither you nor your company4 ,i obeyed the revelation to me1 and ,i did not go on board1 but took another steamer4 ,the first steamer started at dark1 with two hundred passengers on board4 ,when five miles down the ,ohio river it took fire and burned the tiller ropes1 so that the vessel could not reach the shore1 and the lives of nearly all on board were lost either by fire or water4 ,we arrived in safety at our destination1 by obeying the revelation of the ,spirit of ,god to us4 ,in another instance1 after attending a large annual conference in ,salt ,lake ,city1 and1 having a good deal of business to attend to1 ,i was somewhat weary1 and at the close of the conference ,i thought ,i would repair to my home and have a rest4 ,as ,i went into the yard the ,spirit said to me1 ,take your team and go to the farm1 which is some three miles south of the ,tabernacle4 ,as ,i was hitching the horse to the wagon ,mrs4 ,woodruff asked where ,i was going4 ,i said1 ,to the farm4 ,what for8 she asked4 ,i do not know1 ,i replied2 but when ,i arrived there ,i found out4 ,the creek had overflowed1 broken through my ditch1 surrounded my home and filled my barn-yard and pig pen4 ,my wife was wading in the water1 trying to turn it from the lot to save the home and family4 ,through my own exertions ,i soon turned it1 and prevented much damage that might have occurred had ,i not obeyed the voice of the ,spirit4 ,this same ,spirit of revelation has been manifested to many of my brethren in their labors in the kingdom of ,god1 one of which ,i will here name4 ,elder ,chas4 ,c4 ,rich was going from ,sacramento to ,san ,bernardino with a company of brethren4 ,he had in his possession a large amount of money to make payment on their land purchase4 ,this was known to some road agents in the vicinity1 who gathered a company of robbers and went on ahead of ,brother ,rich and lay in ambush1 intending to kill the ,mormons and rob them of their money4 ,before reaching the company of robbers ,brother ,rich came to a by-path or trail4 ,the ,spirit then told him to take that path4 ,the brethren with him marveled at his course1 not knowing that enemies awaited them1 but they arrived in safety at ,san ,bernardino with their lives and their money1 while the robbers wondered why their prey did not come4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,,result ,,of ,,not ,,obeying ,,the ,,voice ,,of ,,the ,,spirit--,,lost ,,in ,a ,,snowstorm--,,saved ,,in ,,answer ,,to ,,prayer--,,revelation ,,to ,,missionaries ,,necessary--,,revelations ,,in ,,the ,,st4 ,,george ,,temple4 ,i will now give an example from my own experience of the result of not obeying the voice of the ,spirit4 ,some years since ,i had part of my family living in ,randolph1 ,rich ,county4 ,i was there on a visit1 with my team in the month of ,december4 ,one ,monday morning my monitor1 the ,spirit watching over me1 said3 ,take your team and go home to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,when ,i named it to my family who were at ,randolph they urged me strongly to stop longer4 ,through their persuasion ,i stayed until ,saturday morning1 with the ,spirit continually prompting me to go home4 ,i then began to feel ashamed to think that ,i had not obeyed the whisperings of the ,spirit to me before4 ,i took my team and started early on ,saturday morning4 ,when ,i arrived at ,woodruff1 the ,bishop urged me to stop until ,monday and he would go with me4 ,i told him1 ,no1 ,i had tarried too long already4 ,i drove on sprightly1 and when within fifteen miles of ,wasatch1 a furious snow storm overtook me1 the wind blowing heavily in my face4 ,in fifteen minutes ,i could not see any road whatever1 and knew not how or where to guide my horses4 ,i left my lines loosely on my animals1 went inside my wagon1 tied down the cover1 and committed my life and guidance into the hands of the ,lord1 trusting to my horses to find the way1 as they had twice before passed over that road4 ,i prayed to the ,lord to forgive my sin in not obeying the voice of the ,spirit to me1 and implored ,him to preserve my life4 ,my horses brought me into the ,wasatch station at #i o'clock in the evening1 with the hubs of my wagon dragging in the snow4 ,i got my horses under cover and had to remain there until next ,monday night1 with the snow six feet deep on the level1 and still snowing4 ,it was with great difficulty at last that ,i saved the lives of my horses by getting them into a box car and taking them to ,ogden2 while1 if ,i had obeyed the revelation of the ,spirit of ,god to me1 ,i should have traveled to ,salt ,lake ,city over a good road without any storm4 ,as ,i have received the good and the evil1 the fruits of obedience and disobedience1 ,i think ,i am justified in exhorting all my young friends to always obey the whisperings of the ,spirit of ,god1 and they will always be safe4 ,the ,spirit of ,god will rule over and guide all men who will permit it and seek for it1 and this is especially necessary for young ,elders who are laboring in the vineyard of the ,lord4 ,for the ,lord knows where the righteous1 honest and meek of the earth are1 and will lead the ,elders to them4 ,i have already related a remarkable instance of this in my own experience1 when the voice of the ,lord came to me in the town of ,hanley1 ,england1 in #ahdj4 ,in that case it dictated me quite contrary to my expectations1 for ,i had appointments out for a week ahead4 ,but ,i obeyed the voice of the ,spirit1 went south as ,i was directed to1 and my readers know the result4 ,i will refer to one more instance in my experience upon the subject of revelation3 ,all the ,latter-day ,saints understand that we build temples for the purpose of administering ordinances for the dead as well as for the living4 ,the ,lord has opened the way in a remarkable manner for many of the members of the ,church to obtain records of the names of their dead for several generations4 ,i had also obtained a record of somewhat over three thousand of my father and mother's families4 ,after the dedication of the temple at ,st4 ,george1 ,president ,young appointed me to preside over it4 ,when we commenced work in the temple ,i began to reflect3 ,how can ,i redeem my dead8 ,i have some three thousand names of the dead who have been baptized for1 and how can ,i get endowments for them8 ,i had none of my family there1 and if any had been there they would not have been able to get endowments for so many4 ,while praying to the ,lord to show me how to redeem my dead1 the ,spirit of ,god rested upon me1 and the voice of the ,spirit said to me1 ,go and call upon the sons and daughters of ,zion in ,st4 ,george1 to come into the temple of the ,lord and get endowments for your dead2 and it shall be acceptable unto me1 saith the ,lord4 ,this filled my soul with joy1 and ,i saw that it opened a field as wide as eternity for the salvation of our dead and the redemption of man1 that we might magnify our calling as saviors upon ,mount ,zion4 ,on my birthday1 ,march #a1 #ahgg1 the day that ,i was seventy years old1 one hundred and fifty-four sisters at ,st4 ,george went into the temple to get endowments for the same number of the female portion of my dead4 ,this principle was received by ,president ,young and adopted from that hour1 and through the kindness of friends ,i have had nearly two thousand of my friends receive endowments in the temple of the ,lord2 and thousands of others have received the same blessings in the same way4 ,president ,young received revelations in the temple1 and there are yet many revelations to be received in the last days1 concerning the redemption of the dead and many other subjects1 but they will all be manifest in due time through the proper authority unto the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,there are many other manifestations of the power of ,god and the revelations of ,jesus ,christ to us in our lives4 ,we have been called by revelation to give endowments for many persons now dead1 who1 when living1 were honorable men of the earth1 and some who were prominent in our nation1 but who were not members of our family4 ,but ,i have said sufficient upon this branch of the subject4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,,patriarchal ,,blessings ,,and ,,their ,,fulfillment--,,predictions ,,in ,,my ,,own ,,blessing--,,gold-,,dust ,,from ,,california--,,taught ,,by ,,an ,,angel--,,struggle ,,with ,,evil ,,spirits--,,administered ,,to ,,by ,,angels--,,what ,,angels ,,are ,,sent ,,to ,,the ,,earth ,,for4 ,the duty of a ,patriarch is to bestow blessings upon his posterity and the children of men4 ,in a revelation 7,doc4 and ,cov41 sec4 #ajg7 the ,lord says that ,three years previous to the death of ,adam1 he called ,seth1 ,enos1 ,cainan1 ,mahalaleel1 ,jared1 ,enoch and ,methuselah1 who were all ,high ,priests1 with the residue of his posterity who were righteous into the valley of ,adam-ondi-,ahman1 and there bestowed upon them his last blessings4 99 99 ,and ,adam 99 99 predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the last generation4 ,these things are all written in the book of ,enoch1 and are to be testified of in due time4 ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob were patriarchs1 and blessed their posterity4 ,all that ,jacob said and sealed upon the heads of his twelve sons has been fulfilled to the very letter1 so far as time has permitted4 ,we also have patriarchs in our day4 ,father ,joseph ,smith1 the father of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 was the first ,patriarch of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he gave a great many blessings unto the ,saints1 which are recorded1 and many of them have seen their fulfillment4 ,when he put his hands on the head of a person to bless him1 it seemed as though the heavens were opened1 and he could reveal the whole life of that person4 ,he gave me my patriarchal blessing in the ,temple of the ,lord at ,kirtland1 on the #aeth day of ,april1 #ahcg4 ,many marvelous things which he sealed upon my head1 for which ,i could then see no earthly chance of fulfillment1 have already been fulfilled to the very letter4 ,one or two instances ,i will name4 ,he said ,i should have access to the treasures hid in the ground to assist me in getting myself and others to ,zion4 ,when in ,cambridgeport gathering up the ,saints1 in #ahej1 ,alexander ,badlam went to ,california on business1 and the ,saints who were digging gold filled a little sack with gold dust and sent it to me to assist me on my mission4 ,by the sale of this treasure from ,california ,i was enabled to emigrate myself1 family and a number of others to ,zion in the mountains4 ,he also said ,i should have power to bring my father and his family into the ,church4 ,this was fulfilled when ,i visited them during my mission to the ,fox ,islands1 as previously related4 ,my father gathered to ,salt ,lake ,city with the ,saints1 and he died there1 aged #hc years4 ,the ,patriarch also said that ,i should be wrapt in the visions of heaven1 and an angel of ,god should teach me many things4 ,this was literally fulfilled4 ,again1 he told me ,i should be delivered from my enemies 7who would seek my destruction7 by the mighty power of ,god and the administrations of angels4 ,this was marvelously fulfilled while in the city of ,london in #ahdj4 ,brothers ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith and ,i went to ,london together in the winter of #ahdj1 being the first ,elders who had attempted to establish the gospel in that great and mighty city4 ,as soon as we commenced we found the devil was manifest2 the evil spirits gathered for our destruction1 and at times they had great power4 ,they would destroy all the ,saints if they were not restrained by the power of ,god4 ,brother ,smith and myself1 were together1 and had retired to our rest1 each occupying a cot1 and but three feet apart4 ,we had only just lain down1 when it seemed as if a legion of devils made war upon us1 to destroy us1 and we were struggling for our lives in the midst of this warfare of evil spirits until we were nearly choked to death4 ,i began to pray the best that ,i could in the midst of this struggle and asked the ,father in the name of ,jesus ,christ to spare our lives4 ,while thus praying three personages entered the room1 clothed in white and encircled with light4 ,they walked to our bedside1 laid hands upon our heads and we were instantly delivered2 and from that time forth we were no more troubled with evil spirits while in the city of ,london4 ,as soon as they administered unto us they withdrew from the room1 the lights withdrew with them and darkness returned4 ,many other sayings of the ,patriarch ,joseph ,smith in my blessing have been fulfilled in my experience1 but ,i have said sufficient on this subject4 ,all the blessings that are sealed upon our heads will be fulfilled1 and many more1 if we are faithful and live for them4 ,in closing my testimony ,i wish to say that ,i do not think that the ,lord ever sends an angel to the earth to visit the children of men1 unless it is necessary to introduce a dispensation of the gospel1 or deliver a message1 or perform a work that cannot be done otherwise4 ,it required an angel of ,god to deliver the gospel to ,joseph ,smith because it was not then upon the earth1 and that was in fulfillment of the word of the ,lord through ,john the ,revelator 7,revelations xiv4 #f74 ,and so in regard to the administrations of angels in all ages of the world2 it is to deliver a message and perform a work which cannot otherwise be accomplished4