,,gems ,,for ,,the ,,young ,,folks4 ,,fourth ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,faith-,,promoting ,,series4 ,,designed ,,for ,,the ,,instruction ,,and ,,encouragement ,,of ,,young ,,latter-,,day ,,saints4 ,,juvenile ,,instructor ,,office1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah4 #ahha4 ,,preface4 ,already one of the results which the ,editor and ,publisher of the ,,faith-,,promoting ,,series anticipated when the first volume was issued1 is apparent--namely1 a growing desire on the part of men of experience to write for publication such passages from their lives as will be of interest and benefit to the rising generation4 ,the publication of these in this form has not been commenced any too soon4 ,the lives of the early ,elders of the ,church were crowded with incidents of fascinating interest1 and it is due to posterity1 as well as to the ,elders themselves1 that a record of these should be preserved4 ,but the veterans are fast passing away4 ,it will be but a few years hence until men will seek with avidity to obtain information concerning many events which1 if not preserved in writing or in print1 will be lost to the new generations who are crowding into the field4 ,we give these ,,gems ,,for ,,the ,,young ,,folks with the hope that they will prove profitable to every reader4 ,some of them are brief2 but they embody important principles and lessons4 ,the ,testimonies for the ,truth were published in pamphlet form by the author1 the late ,bishop ,benjamin ,brown1 while on a mission to ,great ,britain4 ,this little work has been rare1 and for a number of years it has been difficult to see1 much less obtain1 a copy4 ,it contains so much that is encouraging and stimulating to faith that we think it should be preserved in this ,series4 ,within two months we hope to be able to issue the next volume4 ,it will be a narrative of the personal experience of ,elder ,jacob ,hamblin1 as a frontiersman1 missionary to the ,indians and explorer1 disclosing interpositions of ,providence1 severe privations1 perilous situations and remarkable escapes4 ,,the ,,publisher4 ,,contents4 ,,finding ,a ,,father4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,part from my ,father in infancy--,his blessing and promise--,death of my ,mother--,my ,grandfather apostatizes and sets up a ,church of his own--,bound to be an ,uncle--,ill-treatment and ridicule--,prejudiced against the ,mormons--,fear of them--,released from my ,uncle's power--,inducements to go to ,california--,decide to start4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,my ,outfit--,dissipation--,start to ,california--,upbraidings from my ,uncle--,uncle and ,aunt disagree--,a startling revelation1 ,i learn that ,i am being taken to ,utah--,leave my ,uncle and join ,spicer1 to avoid going to ,utah4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,arrival at ,parley's ,park--,prepare for the worst1 and visit ,wm4 ,h4 ,kimball--,favorably impressed with my newly-found relatives--,arrival in ,salt ,lake ,city--,dread at thoughts of falling into the hands of the ,mormons--,decide to go and see my ,father and surrender1 expecting to be captured if ,i attempted to escape--,odd appearance going up ,east ,temple ,street--,meeting with my ,father--,invited to change my clothes4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,ashamed of my appearance--,introduced to my numerous relatives--,allowed to sleep with the boys--,homesick--,set to work and made contented--,baptized and set apart for a mission--,return to ,iowa--,meet my relatives--,my ,grandfather's confession and testimony--,his exhortation and request--,return home with my brother ,isaac1 thus fulfilling my ,father's prediction--,the lessons ,i learned by my experience4 ,,saved ,,by ,,providence4 ,appointed to take charge of a company of emigrants--,leave ,london for ,america--,surrounded by a thick fog--,the ,captain unable to take observations--,the fog lifts--,saved from being dashed upon the rocks--,thank ,god for our deliverance4 ,,warnings ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,impressed by the ,spirit not to go on a steamer1 after arranging for my passage--,rush ashore before the boat starts--,boat snagged and sunk in the ,mississippi--,warned by the ,spirit not to meet an appointment--,urged by my friends1 ,i start--,aversion to going so strong1 ,i gallop back--,friends unable to account for my fears--,robbery at the house where ,i was to have gone--,saved from suspicion by obeying the voice of the ,spirit4 ,,robert ,,hamilton4 ,challenged to debate by ,dr4 ,waltholl--,his discomfiture and defeat--,dr4 ,scott attempts to retrieve the ,campbellite cause1 and offers another challenge--,resorts to the whiskey bottle--,elder ,hamilton scores him for it4 ,,how ,,success ,,is ,,gained4 ,elders to go out two and two--,young missionaries inclined to shirk--,elder ,moses ,thatcher--,his diffidence--,the way he was broken in--,his success--,elder ,mc,allister--,his backwardness in speaking--,forced into it--,his testimony--,elder ,coray's experience--,promises of the ,lord proved true4 ,,help ,,in ,,time ,,of ,,need4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,start upon a mission1 penniless--,aid from the ,captain and passengers on the steamboat--,arrive at ,new ,orleans--,fail in trying to find free passage to ,england--,discouragement--,prayer--,reb uke and answer--,apply for passage on the ,berlin--,kind reception from ,captain ,baker--,bargain for passage--,one-half to be paid in discussing religion with an ,episcopalian ,minister4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,the voyage--,discussion--,minister's discomfiture--,arrive in ,liverpool--,kindness of ,captain ,baker--,learn of his death and my duty--,my shabby appearance--,first sermon--,money put into my hand--,visit home--,more help from strangers4 ,,overcoming ,,diffidence4 ,difference in persons about speaking in public--,the ,lord willing to help ,his servants to overcome timidity--,early experience in preaching--,a feeling of fear and the ,spirit of ,god not congenial--,timidity conquered4 ,,the ,,lord ,,will ,,provide4 ,a ,mother and ,children in great want--,the ,mother's faith--,her prayer--,is provided with money in a mysterious way4 ,,dialogue ,,on ,,religion4 ,,testimonies ,,for ,,the ,,truth4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the ,author's birth and parentage--,early religious impressions--,marriage--,vision of his ,brother1 and of the ,bible--,the ,author dreams of preaching--,attends a ,protracted ,meeting--,his impressions while there--,he meets with the ,latter--,day ,saints--,vision of two ,nephite ,apostles4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,vision of the last days--,baptism of the ,author and four others--,his ,wife's dream and baptism--,he is ordained an ,elder--,visits ,kirtland--,on his return is attacked by fever--,is miraculously healed--,visits ,kirtland--,re-visits ,kirtland--,begins to preach--,miraculous healing of a cancer--,accident and miraculous healing of ,jesse ,w4 ,crosby--,poison miraculously nullified--,casting out of evil spirits4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,removal to ,nauvoo--,sickness--,miraculously healed--,acquire considerable property--,acquaintance with ,joseph ,smith--,missions to ,albany1 and the ,eastern states2 also1 with ,elder ,j4 ,w4 ,crosby1 to ,nova ,scotia--,preach in ,jefferson ,co41 ,n4 ,y41 and organize six ,branches of the ,church--,travel to ,new ,brunswick--,invited to preach--,baptisms--,persecution--,the ,author waylaid by a mob1 beaten1 and left for dead--,attack on the house where he and ,elder ,crosby were in bed--,the mob dispersed by ,mrs4 ,shelton--,they return and re--attack the house--,are dispersed by ,mr4 ,shelton--,two ,branches organized4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,return to ,nauvoo--,sent to ,jefferson ,co4 on a ,tithing mission--,return with a thousand dollars--,move ,west with the ,church--,stay at ,winter ,quarters--,ordained ,bishop--,scurvy in ,camp--,hire out in ,missouri--,arrive in ,salt ,lake ,valley--,elder ,kimball's prophecy and its fulfillment4 ,,finding ,a ,,father4 ,by ,,abraham ,a4 ,,kimball4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,part ,,from ,,my ,,father ,,in ,,infancy--,,his ,,blessing ,,and ,,promise--,,death ,,of ,,my ,,mother--,,my ,,grandfather ,,apostatizes ,,and ,,sets ,,up ,a ,,church ,,of ,,his ,,own--,,bound ,,to ,,an ,,uncle--,,ill-,,treatment ,,and ,,ridicule--,,prejudiced ,,against ,,the ,,mormons--,,fear ,,of ,,them--,,released ,,from ,,my ,,uncle',s ,,power--,,inducements ,,to ,,go ,,to ,,california--,,decide ,,to ,,start4 ,at the earnest request of many of my friends ,i have compiled a few incidents of my early life1 some of which have an important bearing on the past history of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,my grandfather's confession and testimony are especially important1 and this sketch is written for the express purpose of giving publicity to his statement4 ,in order1 however1 to arrive at a clear understanding of this1 it becomes necessary for me to insert a sketch of my early life4 ,i have carefully penned these incidents from memory1 having taken no notes at the time of their occurrence1 and they are as correct as it is possible to give them1 especially such as refer to my grandfather ,cutler's testimony of the work of the ,latter-day ,saints1 and this ,i can vouch for1 word for word4 ,at the time this occurred ,i had just joined the ,church1 and his remarks made a powerful impression upon my mind1 which nothing can ever efface4 ,my father1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 removed to ,utah when ,i was only about twelve months old1 leaving his two wives 7my mother--,clarissa ,cutler1 and her sister ,emily7 with one boy each1 at ,winter ,quarters1 now called ,florence1 ,nebraska1 at the residence of my grandfather1 ,alpheus ,cutler4 ,this occurred in the spring of #ahdg4 ,my father 7as ,i have since learned7 was very much impressed1 prior to leaving us1 with the belief that my mother would never come to ,utah1 and he1 therefore1 blessed my brother ,isaac ,a4 and myself1 and while his hands were upon my head he significantly remarked that ,i should see the day that ,i would come to the valleys of the mountains and afterwards return for my brother4 ,shortly after he left us my grandfather was called on a mission to the ,indians on ,grasshopper ,river1 ,indian ,territory1 and took his daughters and their two children with him4 ,about two years afterwards the grim monster1 death1 visited us and deprived me of my mother1 and a few months later my aunt ,emily died1 also ,henrietta ,cutler 7widow of ,moses ,cutler7 who left a girl now named ,phelinda ,rawlance4 ,we shortly afterwards removed to ,manti1 ,fremont ,county1 ,iowa1 where my grandfather established a church and constituted himself its leader1 calling it ,the ,true ,church of ,latter-day ,saints1 and presumed to officiate in the ordinances of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 such as baptisms1 endowments1 etc4 ,he also energetically denounced polygamy and the law of tithing1 and taught his followers that ,joseph ,smith was a true prophet of ,god1 but that ,brigham ,young was not his successor1 but an impostor1 and that he 7,alpheus ,cutler7 was the true leader and held the authority to carry on the latter-day work4 ,this pretended ,true ,church was organized1 with ,alpheus ,cutler1 president2 ,edmund ,fisher1 first counselor2 ,chancey ,whiting1 second counselor1 and grandfather ,fisher1 patriarch4 ,they claimed all the gifts and powers belonging to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,repeated inducements were held out for my brother ,isaac and myself to join the ,church after we became old enough for membership4 ,isaac finally consented to become a member1 but ,i failed to see or comprehend the necessity of it4 ,some time afterwards my grandfather was afflicted with rheumatism and phthisic1 in consequence of which he was unable to follow his usual avocations in procuring a livelihood4 ,often have ,i known him to sit up for six weeks at a time1 not being able to lay down on account of the difficulty of breathing while in that position4 ,when ,i was about nine years of age1 it became necessary for my grandfather to make arrangements with my uncle ,thaddeus for our further maintenance4 ,my brother and ,i were bound over to our uncle to serve him until we were twenty-one years of age1 and he agreed on his part to provide for us and our grandparents4 ,in consideration of faithfully performing his duties1 my uncle was to inherit grandfather's property1 but in case he failed to do so1 he was not to reap this benefit4 ,at the time this verbal agreement was made1 my uncle took possession of the property1 but he afterwards failed to perform his duty4 ,after taking up our residence in uncle's family he neglected to provide us suitable clothing and food1 and our grandfather and grandmother were also neglected4 ,the church1 however1 assisted them and made up the deficiency4 ,my brother and ,i were repeatedly ill-treated by uncle's family1 and were continually persecuted and called names for being polygamist children4 ,in order to tantalize us1 the members of the family would call us bastards1 ,brigham1 ,heber1 etc41 and on the slightest provocation they would threaten to send us to ,utah1 telling us that the ,mormons would soon settle us4 ,no nervous children were ever worse frightened by stories about hobgoblins than my brother and ,i were1 with what they told us about the ,mormons4 ,we were also taught that if we stayed in the woods picking fruit1 etc41 the ,mormons would be sure to catch us and carry us off4 ,more than once when gathering berries in the woods1 were we alarmed by the flight of a bird or the rustling noise of some small animal in the underbrush4 ,our first impulse on such occasions1 and the one invariably acted upon1 was to drop our baskets and run like frightened antelopes1 never stopping or looking back until we neared home1 and felt sure that we were safe from our fancied pursuers4 ,often in my dreams ,i imagined ,i was captured by the ,mormons1 and in my waking moments ,i frequently pictured to myself a life of captivity among them--caged like a wild beast in a menagerie4 ,the name ,mormon1 in fact1 became to us synonymous with that of an ugly and dangerous monster1 and we grew up with the most bitter prejudice and intense hatred in our hearts towards all who bore that name4 ,we endured the ill-treatment of our uncle's family until patience no longer seemed to be a virtue1 and we rebelled4 ,our grandfather perceived that it was only right to release us from their power1 and he therefore regained all the property he could possibly secure in stock and land from our uncle1 and severed our obligations to him4 ,from this time we commenced to work for ourselves1 and also to support grandfather and grandmother1 and continued to do so until the spring of #ahfb4 ,in the winter of #ahfa ,i had a dangerous attack of winter fever1 to which ,i nearly succumbed4 ,in the spring of #ahfb ,i was sent a distance of thirty-five miles to ,hamburg1 for a doctor to attend my cousin ,sylvia ,webb's child1 who was sick1 and after crossing the river ,i sent the doctor and remained with my uncle1 ,edwin ,cutler1 for one week4 ,while there he inquired how ,i would like to go to ,california1 as he claimed that he was going there4 ,on hearing this ,i was suddenly seized with the gold fever1 and eagerly expressed a wish to go1 as ,i always had a great desire to roam4 ,uncle ,edwin requested me to return home and inform my grandparents1 and ascertain if they were willing for me to go4 ,i returned home the following ,sunday evening4 ,i did not request permission to leave1 but at once informed them that ,i was going to start for ,california in the morning1 and that ,i wanted them to get my clothes ready4 ,no reply was made to this remark1 and1 as they failed to comply1 ,i repeated my request1 stating that if they did not provide them ,i would attend to it myself1 as ,i was determined to go4 ,grandmother then remarked that if ,i was determined to go she would get my clothes ready4 ,during the night ,i made arrangements with my brother to take me a distance of fifteen miles1 to a small town called ,sydney2 and early in the morning1 after bidding grandfather and grandmother good-by1 we started out4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,my ,,outfit--,,dissipation--,,start ,,to ,,california--,,upbraidings ,,from ,,my ,,uncle--,,uncle ,,and ,,aunt ,,disagree--,a ,,startling ,,revelation1 ,i ,,learn ,,that ,i ,,am ,,being ,,taken ,,to ,,utah--,,leave ,,my ,,uncle ,,and ,,join ,,spicer1 ,,to ,,avoid ,,going ,,to ,,utah4 ,we arrived safely at ,sydney1 where ,i took leave of my brother and started alone for ,hamburg1 with all my earthly possessions in my hand1 which consisted of a small bundle containing a suit of old-fashioned clothes and a fiddle4 ,on arriving at my uncle's residence he seemed quite elated to think he had a servant and companion1 for this was the first step towards accomplishing a design at this time known only to himself4 ,previous to starting out he extended a great many privileges to me1 such as a drink of whisky1 hunting cattle1 attending dances and riding mules1 the last-named sport occasionally causing me to turn unexpected somersaults4 ,during this time ,i effected a sale of my fiddle for a gallon of whisky and a dollar in money4 ,from the effects of drinking the whisky ,i felt that ,i could easily reach ,california1 and1 after obtaining a pipe and a pound of tobacco1 ,i felt fully equipped for my trip4 ,when feed became plentiful we started out1 in company with a man by the name of ,gerard who had a lot of fine horses which he was taking to ,california4 ,our complete outfit consisted of one wagon1 one yoke of oxen1 one yoke of cows1 a tent and a common camp-stove4 ,my uncle adopted the plan of staking the tent every night1 also tying ropes to the wagon wheels and staking the same4 ,he also fixed the stove daily1 or rather made me do it1 and this work of course became very monotonous4 ,uncle assisted me a week or two in performing camp duties and also in driving team4 ,i was grateful for all his previous kindness to me and in order to prove this ,i willingly performed all the duties required of me4 ,but in a very short time he left all this work to me1 and driving team all day and performing these duties afterwards kept me entirely out of mischief4 ,all went well until after we passed ,julesburg1 on the ,platte ,river1 when the following important incidents occurred3 ,i had slept a little longer than usual1 having failed to awake before sunrise4 ,my uncle aroused me and passionately remarked that he had not brought me along to wait upon me himself1 but for me to wait upon him4 ,i had discovered this fact some time before1 and these unkind upbraidings made me feel acutely my position as an orphan4 ,shortly after this occurrence my uncle and his wife disagreed1 and they finally concluded to separate4 ,my aunt sought me out and informed me that she intended to stop at ,laramie1 and1 in order to induce me to stay with her1 she asked me if ,i knew where uncle was taking me8 ,i replied that ,i supposed he was taking me to ,california4 ,she then informed me that he was taking me to my father in ,utah4 ,this troubled me greatly1 and aroused all my fears of1 and hatred towards the ,mormons4 ,at this time ,i did not know my father's name1 as ,i had always borne the name of ,cutler1 my mother's maiden name4 ,on receiving this information ,i was considerably vexed1 and it caused me to swear terribly and shed tears of indignation4 ,i at once charged my uncle with this intention1 and we got to high words about it4 ,he told me ,i need not go to ,utah1 but that ,i could go to ,california4 ,i knew that it was unfortunate to be liberated after coming five hundred miles from home1 but ,i felt that ,i would rather die than ever go to ,utah4 ,i1 therefore1 decided to stop at ,laramie with my aunt and wait for a chance to go forward to ,california or return home4 ,the gold fever had now left me1 and ,i became perfectly reckless1 having respect neither for ,god nor man4 ,matters continued so until we reached ,laramie1 when we halted for a few days4 ,all this time nothing was mentioned of my uncle and aunt's separation1 as a reconciliation had been effected4 ,previous to this we had fallen in with a man by the name of ,james ,spicer1 from ,hamburg1 who had three wagons and one hundred and seventy-five head of loose cattle4 ,he had his wife with him but no children of his own1 though he had brought with him an orphan boy4 ,spicer came to me while at ,laramie1 and said1 ,you don't want to go to ,utah1 do you8 ,i replied that ,i did not4 ,he then said that he was not going there1 and that he had noticed how ,i had been misused on the trip1 but1 as he was a small man compared with my uncle1 he did not deem it wisdom to interfere2 but if ,i wished to leave my uncle and go with him he would lay over until my relatives went forward if he had to remain all winter4 ,he stated that he had a man he wanted to get rid of1 who could accompany my uncle in my place4 ,i agreed to this arrangement4 ,two days later my uncle came to me and said1 ,abe6 let us get up the cattle2 we can't wait any longer for ,spicer4 ,frank ,gilbert and company1 belonging to ,gilbert1 ,gerrish and ,co41 of ,salt ,lake ,city1 are just ahead1 and we can overhaul them4 ,i then informed him that ,i would accompany him no farther1 for ,i had agreed to go with ,spicer to ,california4 ,he was quite vexed1 but after considerable talk he cooled down and accepted ,spicer's man as a substitute2 and in a few hours from the time he left us we hitched up and rolled out4 ,my uncle's next plan was to inform every ,mormon he saw that one of ,heber ,c4 ,kimball's lost boys was on the road1 and describe our outfit to him4 ,on arriving at the ,fort ,hall ,road 7which was the route to ,california71 ,spicer was informed that several trains had been robbed and some persons killed while traveling in that direction4 ,he1 therefore1 decided to change his plans and go through ,utah1 as this was his last chance4 ,i replied1 ,d--the odds1 ,spicer1 we will die brave6 naturally supposing that the ,mormons would kill me or mark me in some way for recognition4 ,up to this time all our company were ignorant of my parentage1 and ,i thought ,i had better make a confidant of one of the boys named ,james ,lefler4 ,i told him ,i had a father in ,utah4 ,he was very anxious to know who my father was1 and ,i informed him it was either ,brigham or ,heber1 ,i was not sure which1 though ,i thought it was ,brigham4 ,at ,green ,river ,ferry we met ,lewis ,robison and sons4 ,they soon discovered who ,i was1 and commenced joking me by remarking that ,i could not cross on their ferry1 as they did not ferry ,mormons4 ,this maddened me1 and ,i threw off my clothes1 and1 placing them in the wagon1 ,i jumped into the river1 telling them they could go to h--4 ,i swam across the river1 which was very high and rapid1 and approached the bank lower down the stream4 ,lewis ,robison1 desirous of making my acquaintance1 and having learned that ,i was the lost boy1 brought my clothes down to me4 ,when ,i saw him coming ,i remained in the water1 for fear he would catch me1 for ,i felt that ,i would rather drown than be taken to ,utah4 ,he tried hard to persuade me to come out1 but ,i declined1 for fear he would take me to ,salt ,lake4 ,he informed me who he was1 and that he was acquainted with my father1 but did not tell me his name1 and ,i did not care to know it4 ,perceiving that ,i would not leave the water1 he returned to the boat1 leaving my clothes on the bank4 ,i then came out and dressed myself1 and was soon mounted on one of ,spicer's best horses1 which had been brought over4 ,robison1 seeing that ,i had come ashore1 made another attempt to converse with me1 stating that ,i need not be afraid4 ,i told him that ,i was not1 but for all that ,i did not allow him to get closer than thirty feet4 ,finding that ,i would not keep still long enough for him to approach me1 he talked with me from a distance1 asking me if ,i would go and see my father1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 when ,i got to ,salt ,lake4 ,i told him ,i did not know4 ,he added that my father was a good man1 and would be pleased to see me1 and said he was going to ,salt ,lake in a few days and would inform him that ,i was coming4 ,on learning this1 ,i was careful not to dismount again while remaining at the ferry4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,arrival ,,at ,,parley',s ,,park--,,prepare ,,for ,,the ,,worst1 ,,and ,,visit ,,wm4 ,h4 ,,kimball--,,favorably ,,impressed ,,with ,,my ,,newly-,,found ,,relatives--,,arrival ,,in ,,salt ,,lake ,,city--,,dread ,,at ,,thoughts ,,of ,,falling ,,into ,,the ,,hands ,,of ,,the ,,mormons--,,decide ,,to ,,go ,,and ,,see ,,my ,,father ,,and ,,surrender1 ,,expecting ,,to ,,be ,,captured ,,if ,i ,,attempted ,,to ,,escape--,,odd ,,appearance ,,going ,,up ,,east ,,temple ,,street--,,meeting ,,with ,,my ,,father--,,invited ,,to ,,change ,,my ,,clothes4 ,we did not encounter any more ,mormons that knew me until after arriving at ,silver ,creek1 near ,parley's ,park1 ,utah4 ,on arriving there ,i learned that ,william ,h4 ,kimball lived at the ,park4 ,i had a faint recollection of having seen him at grandfather's1 when he called several years previous1 as he returned from his ,european mission4 ,i concluded then that ,i was approaching a region where something desperate would be required of me if ,i protected myself2 so ,i made up my mind to put on a bold front and prepare for the worst4 ,feeling that ,i might as well meet my troubles first as last1 ,i decided to pay ,william ,h4 ,kimball a visit before he came after me4 ,i accordingly armed myself with a revolver and a quid of tobacco1 and asked one of the boys1 a daring fellow1 to go over to the ranch with me4 ,on reaching there ,i inquired for ,william ,h4 ,kimball1 and was informed that he was in the meadow1 a short distance off1 hauling hay4 ,from the description my uncle had given of me1 my brother ,william at once recognized me1 and said1 ,hello1 ,abe6 where did you come from8 ,he seemed very glad to see me1 and asked me to wait a few minutes and he would go to the house with me1 as his mother 7,vilate ,kimball7 was there1 also two other brothers 7,charles and ,solomon71 and part of his own family4 ,after being introduced to all1 we were invited to partake of a civilized meal4 ,i was asked a great many questions respecting my previous career and future intentions4 ,after remaining till sunset we returned to camp with cordial invitations to call again1 which we did1 during our stay on ,silver ,creek4 ,i had one fight while there1 and came very near getting whipped1 as my opponent was left-handed4 ,i managed1 however1 with a skillful blow1 to dispossess him of his goatee4 ,the acquaintance formed at the ,park with my relatives made a favorable impression upon me1 and great inducements were held out for me to call and see my father4 ,my brother ,charles went to ,salt ,lake and informed my father where ,i was4 ,he immediately sent a team for me1 but ,i declined to go4 ,spicer had been a friend to me1 and ,i did not think it right to forsake an old friend for a new one4 ,i1 therefore1 refused to leave him on any account until ,i saw his outfit safely landed in ,salt ,lake ,city1 as he would have been short of help had ,i done so4 ,it took us two days to travel from the ,park to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,my brother remained one day after we left1 as he expected to overtake us before we reached the ,city1 and intended to prevail on me to go home with him4 ,he failed1 however1 to find us1 as we went over the ,little ,mountain while he proceeded down ,parley's ,canyon and reached the ,city before we did4 ,we encamped on ,emigration ,square for the night1 and it was a very sad night to me1 as ,i expected to fall into the hands of the ,mormons on the following morning1 and then ,i could not conceive what my fate would be4 ,i expected1 however1 it would be something awful1 and dreaded it the more as ,i thought of my early teachings4 ,about breakfast time next morning an unexpected visitor--,sister ,tuft--called to see me1 for the purpose of urging me to go and see my father1 though ,i never knew her reason4 ,shortly afterwards ,lewis ,robison called1 having learned that ,i had arrived4 ,he was anxious to know if ,i was going to see my father4 ,i carelessly remarked that ,i did not know4 ,he said he would call in a little while1 and accompany me4 ,towards noon ,spicer came to me1 and said3 ,abe1 what are you going to do8 ,are you going to stop with your father1 or go with me8 ,i told him ,i did not know1 but thought ,i had better stop1 for if ,i went on they would take me prisoner and bring me back1 and ,i thought ,i would surrender4 ,they might treat me better and not be so severe as they would if ,i tried to escape4 ,he thought the same as ,i did1 but said if ,i was not suited1 and could get away1 ,i should find him at ,camp ,floyd1 where he would winter2 and if ,i came there he would give me a home as long as he had one4 ,we bade each other good by1 both shedding tears1 as we parted4 ,if ,i had been called upon to mount the gallows ,i should not have done so with greater reluctance than ,i then manifested as ,i went forth to meet my father4 ,i started out with a small flour sack over my shoulder1 containing all my earthly possessions1 and these consisted of the following articles of clothing3 one old-fashioned coat1 of the claw-hammer pattern1 one checkered gingham coat and a pair of pants 7home-made and colored with walnut bark74 ,the legs of the pants were about five inches too long1 and proportionately large in other parts4 ,the suit ,i wore was not as good as the one described1 and consisted of a hickory shirt1 white ducking pants 7eight inches too short71 a pair of shoes but no stockings1 and an old relic of a white hat1 with a small rim4 ,i remained on the square1 alone1 as long as ,i dared1 watching ,spicer's outfit moving down the ,state ,road4 ,i kept hoping that ,robison would soon appear1 according to promise1 but1 as he failed to do so1 ,i shouldered my sack and started out in search of my father4 ,i reached ,east ,temple ,street1 but dared not speak to any one1 and1 instead of going on the sidewalk1 ,i walked up the middle of the street4 ,such an odd-looking genius as ,i appeared1 of course1 caused everybody to gaze at me4 ,i kept looking warily over my shoulders1 as ,i supposed everybody was anxious to catch me4 ,i did not inquire for ,heber ,c4 ,kimball until ,i arrived opposite the ,tithing ,office1 when ,i encountered a man named ,benjamin ,hampton 7a gate keeper71 who eyed me with suspicion1 as if he suspected that ,i was a desperado or a lunatic4 ,i ventured to ask him where ,heber ,c4 ,kimball lived1 but he gave me no satisfaction2 in fact he would not even acknowledge that he knew such a man4 ,this caused me to give vent to an exclamation that was more expressive than elegant1 after which ,i continued my journey up the street till ,i crossed ,city ,creek4 ,there ,i ventured to call at a house1 and1 concluding that ,heber ,c4 ,kimball did not live in that vicinity1 ,i asked for ,charles ,kimball4 ,the lady to whom ,i addressed myself proved to be his wife1 and she replied that her husband was at his father's barn a short distance away4 ,as ,i crossed the yard numbers of people gazed curiously at me from windows and doors4 ,i called at the barn1 and there found my brother1 hitching up the horses to go after me again4 ,he was quite surprised to see me1 and said he would unhitch and accompany me to the house4 ,i then wished that the earth would open and swallow me4 ,on nearing the house ,i perceived a man whom ,i supposed to be my father1 and my fear of him was very great as ,i approached4 ,my brother addressed him as father1 and1 by way of an introduction said1 ,here's your boy6 ,my father was six feet one inch in height1 and had keen1 piercing1 black eyes1 which seemed to penetrate my inmost thoughts4 ,his countenance1 however1 was very pleasant1 and he spoke to me in a kind1 fatherly manner1 and undertook to embrace me1 which ,i declined1 as ,i was not used to such exhibitions of affection4 ,he said he was glad to see me1 and asked me if ,i knew he was my father4 ,i told him ,i neither knew nor cared1 and hoped he would kick me out and let me go4 ,he informed me that such was really the case4 ,i told him that it was all right1 then1 ,i did not say he wasn't4 ,he invited me to take a chair and sit down1 which ,i did1 but kept my hat on4 ,after viewing me from head to foot1 he asked me if ,i had any clothes4 ,i replied1 ,yes1 plenty of them6 ,he then called his wife1 ,adelia1 and told her to get a tub of water and put it in a bedroom1 so that ,i could have a wash and change my clothes4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,ashamed ,,of ,,my ,,appearance--,,introduced ,,to ,,my ,,numerous ,,relatives--,,allowed ,,to ,,sleep ,,with ,,the ,,boys--,,homesick--,,set ,,to ,,work ,,and ,,made ,,contented--,,baptized ,,and ,,set ,,apart ,,for ,a ,,mission--,,return ,,to ,,iowa--,,meet ,,my ,,relatives--,,my ,,grandfather',s ,,confession ,,and ,,testimony--,,his ,,exhortation ,,and ,,request--,,return ,,home ,,with ,,my ,,brother ,,isaac1 ,,thus ,,fulfilling ,,my ,,father',s ,,prediction--,,the ,,lessons ,i ,,learned ,,by ,,my ,,experience4 ,after taking a bath ,i put on my new suit1 but was ashamed then to appear before the family1 as my surroundings seemed so nice that my old-fashioned suit was made to appear worse than it really was4 ,i therefore decided to remain in the bedroom until ,i was invited out4 ,my aunts1 ,vilate and ,adelia1 insisted upon my joining the family1 and if ever ,i felt ashamed of myself in the world it was then4 ,my father came to me in a few minutes and could not refrain from smiling4 ,i suppose it was my clothes that amused him4 ,he immediately requested his wife ,adelia to comb my hair1 which was to me a severe infliction1 as ,i feared the results4 ,however1 this operation was safely passed1 proving that my fears were groundless1 and the remainder of the day ,i spent pleasantly1 viewing the premises4 ,imagine my astonishment when1 in the evening1 my father called into the room about twenty of his boys and girls and five or six of his wives4 ,after being introduced we spent the evening reviewing my past life4 ,i learned that my father was quite prepared to find me in such a rough condition1 for ,lewis ,robison1 on arriving in the valley ahead of me1 had informed him that ,i was one of the most uncouth boys he ever met in all his travels4 ,at bedtime father extended to me the privilege of sleeping with the boys1 in a new room that he had built4 ,this kindness ,i appreciated very much1 although after retiring1 the boys commenced making sport of their country brother1 which caused me to get on the war path1 an indulgence ,i was rather fond of1 having been compelled to fight my own way from childhood1 through having no father or mother to take my part4 ,however1 father soon put a stop to this1 by appearing in his night-clothes and telling the boys he would attend to them if they did not keep quiet4 ,we soon learned to love and respect each other4 ,all the liberties were extended to me that ,i needed1 but in a few days ,i became home-sick4 ,although everybody was very kind to me1 ,i could not help thinking of my old home1 for all were strangers to me here4 ,father1 perceiving this1 set me to work1 hauling wood1 and ,i soon forgot my troubles1 and in the winter ,i attended school1 during which time my father informed me of his desire for me to return to the ,states for my brother ,isaac4 ,he asked me what ,i thought of being baptized4 ,i told him ,i didn't know4 ,he replied that ,i could do just as ,i pleased1 but if ,i believed in the principles of the gospel he would like me to be baptized before going back4 ,nothing more was said on the subject for several months1 when ,i was again asked if ,i had concluded to be baptized4 ,i told him ,i had1 and he proposed immediately to send for ,enoch ,reese and have him baptize me4 ,we then went up ,city ,creek1 above the ,church blacksmith's shop1 where ,i was baptized by ,brother ,reese4 ,after returning to the house my father confirmed me1 and also ordained me an ,elder and set me apart for a mission to the ,states1 for the purpose of bringing my brother ,isaac1 and thus confirming the blessing pronounced upon me in my infancy4 ,i was also to seek ,orin ,rockwell 7,porter ,rockwell's eldest son71 and bring him and as many others as ,i could induce to come4 ,i left home for the ,states on the #afth of ,april1 #ahfc1 in company with my brother ,heber and others1 with mule and horse teams1 and we made the trip to the ,missouri ,river in twenty-one days4 ,after remaining a few days in ,florence1 ,nebraska1 ,i set out for home on horseback4 ,on arriving at ,omaha my horse became very lame1 and ,i left it and started out afoot4 ,i found my brother ,heber at ,kanesville1 ,iowa1 where he had gone on business4 ,he bought me a suit of clothes and a pair of shoes1 and gave me a few dollars in money4 ,i left ,kanesville about noon1 making ,glenwood 7twenty miles distant7 the same day4 ,i stopped at a hotel for the night1 and started out at eight o'clock next morning4 ,i arrived at my old home after dark1 having walked fifty miles that day1 and my feet were very sore4 ,my grandfather1 grandmother1 brother and friends were all glad to see me1 and ,i spent several days in visiting my old resorts4 ,a few days after my arrival my grandmother and a portion of the family went out visiting4 ,i remained1 at grandfather's request1 as he was still an invalid through phthisic1 etc41 and was unable to leave the house4 ,when alone1 he commenced questioning me concerning ,utah1 asking me also about ,brother ,schofield and some others of his acquaintance1 but ,i was unable to give much information concerning them4 ,he asked me if ,i had seen my father1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,i told him ,i had4 ,he replied that he was glad of it4 ,he also asked me if ,i had been baptized1 and ,i told him ,i had4 ,he again replied that he was glad of it4 ,he next asked me if ,i had received my endowments1 and1 when ,i informed him that ,i had1 he seemed pleased4 ,he then said3 ,i have suffered you to be prejudiced to the extent that you were1 and it is now my duty to remove the same4 ,you went off without asking my consent1 which was all right4 ,i knew that ,heber ,c4 ,kimball was your father1 and always did know it2 but did not calculate that it should be known by you4 ,i intended that you and ,isaac should be the means of my support while ,i lived4 ,you have now been to your father1 and that is all right4 ,i know that ,joseph ,smith was a prophet of ,god1 and ,i know that ,brigham ,young is his legal successor1 and ,i always did know it4 ,but the trouble with me was ,i wanted to lead1 and could not be led4 ,i have run my race and sealed my doom1 and ,i know what ,i have got to meet4 ,i died once1 and was dead for some length of time4 ,my spirit left my body and went to the land of spirits4 ,i saw the crown that ,i should wear if ,i remained faithful1 and the condemnation ,i should receive if ,i did not4 ,i begged to remain1 but was informed that ,i must return and warn the people to repent1 as my work on earth was not yet done4 ,after my spirit returned to my body1 those around discovered the appearance of life4 ,the first words that ,i spoke were to ,sidney ,rigdon1 who was stooping over me4 ,i called upon him to repent of his sins1 or he would be damned4 ,my grandfather paused here1 but continued by saying3 ,i want you to go back to your father1 taking your brother ,isaac with you1 as ,i know he is a good man1 and remain steadfast to ',mormonism4' ,let what may turn up1 never yield the point2 for it will save and exalt you in the kingdom of ,god4 ,he wept like a child after saying this4 ,he then said to me3 ,one favor ,i wish to ask of you1 namely1 that you will not divulge this confession to those whom ,i lead while ,i live4 ,with this he released me1 and ,i continued my visiting4 ,my brother was perfectly willing to accompany me1 so in a few days we started out for ,florence1 accompanied by one cousin 7,jedediah ,anderson71 and ,charles ,cox and two live raccoons1 which we brought along as curiosities4 ,after arriving at ,florence we remained a few weeks1 preparing to return to ,salt ,lake and drive teams for our brother ,heber4 ,we arrived in the valley safely1 and father was much pleased at our return1 and gladly welcomed brother ,isaac to his home4 ,my brother was as well suited as ,i had previously been1 and soon after joined the ,church4 ,we then contentedly settled down with father and remained with him almost to the time of his death1 which occurred on the #bbnd of ,june1 #ahfh4 ,in this manner did ,i find a loving and kind father1 whose character had been most shamefully maligned1 and1 though ,i was at one time reluctant to make his acquaintance1 yet ,i have often thanked ,god since for such an exemplary parent4 ,i learned by the experience which ,i have related many lessons that ,i trust ,i may profit by as long as ,i live4 ,i learned how difficult it is to overcome prejudices and false impressions1 especially when formed in early youth or childhood4 ,i learned what a mischievous and dangerous quality ambition is1 when not properly controlled4 ,in the case of my grandfather1 ambition for worldly honors1 for office and position among men1 led him to outrage his conscience4 ,it caused him to barter away his claim upon the eternal riches and honor and glory of heaven for a miserable mess of pottage4 ,it caused him to lead a false life4 ,it caused him to make a pretense of believing that which he had a positive knowledge was untrue4 ,it caused him to bring himself under condemnation by deceiving others4 ,it even caused him to mislead his own offspring until he could do so no longer4 ,i learned something of the misery and sense of loss and remorse of conscience that result from such a course as that which my grandfather pursued1 and ,i hope that his example may ever prove a warning to all who read this sketch4 ,may they avoid such unlawful aspirations as caused his ruin1 and live so that they can ever look back with satisfaction upon the past and forward with joy to the future4 ,,saved ,,by ,,providence4 ,,by ,j4 ,,nicholson4 ,,appointed ,,to ,,take ,,charge ,,of ,a ,,company ,,of ,,emigrants--,,leave ,,london ,,for ,,america--,,surrounded ,,by ,a ,,thick ,,fog--,,the ,,captain ,,unable ,,to ,,take ,,observations--,,the ,,fog ,,lifts--,,saved ,,from ,,being ,,dashed ,,upon ,,the ,,rocks--,,thank ,,god ,,for ,,our ,,deliverance4 ,the ,elders of the ,church often speak of the care shown by the ,lord in preserving ,his ,saints from harm4 ,he has delivered them miraculously from accidents and death many times4 ,i will tell of a case in which ,god exersised ,his power in behalf of a company of ,his people4 ,the young people who may read this perhaps all know that hundreds and thousands of ,saints gather to this country1 from far off nations1 every year4 ,many ship loads of them have crossed the ,atlantic ,ocean--a voyage of nearly #c1jjj miles4 ,on the sea1 many accidents occur whereby people lose their lives by drowning1 through the sinking of ships in storms4 ,but nothing of this kind has ever taken place with a ship load of ,saints4 ,the reason for this is1 that ,god has promised to protect ,his elect who should gather from the four quarters of the earth in these latter days4 ,in the year #ahff2 ,elder ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 who was then ,president of what is called the ,european ,mission of the ,church1 appointed the writer of this article to take charge of a company of about five hundred ,saints from ,great ,britain to the banks of the ,missouri ,river1 in this country1 on their way to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,the ,saints did not cross the sea in fast-sailing steamships in those days4 ,they traveled over the waters in slow-going sailing ships1 depending for speed on favorable winds4 ,at that time six weeks1 was considered the average length of time for a voyage from ,england to ,new ,york4 ,we left the port of ,london on the #bcrd of ,may1 #ahff1 a very fine company of people1 not a few of whom1 ,i am pleased to say1 are good1 honorable members of the ,church1 in ,utah1 to-day4 ,i have in my mind especially now some of the boys who were with us4 ,i have seen them grow up to manhood1 and they are still faithful4 ,when the ship ,american ,congress1 on which we sailed1 was near the shores of ,newfoundland a thick fog prevailed for several days1 which prevented ,captain ,woodward from taking an observation1 being unable to see the sun4 ,he therefore could not tell exactly where we were4 ,about this time the captain and ,brother ,john ,rider1 who now lives in ,kanab1 and who was one of my counselors in the presidency of the company1 were conversing on the part of the ship called the quarter deck4 ,i was standing some distance away from them4 ,brother ,rider happened to turn his face in the direction in which the ship was sailing4 ,at that moment the fog lifted up from the surface of the sea1 as if a vail or scroll had been raised4 ,he saw clearly between the fog and the water for some distance ahead4 ,suddenly he exclaimed1 pointing forward1 ,captain1 what is that8 ,captain ,woodward1 who was tall1 powerful and active1 made no answer4 ,it was no time for orders4 ,he sprang to the wheelhouse with the agility of a tiger1 and knocked the man at the helm heels over head1 sending him sprawling upon the deck4 ,at the same instant he grasped the wheel1 turning it with the most surprising rapidity4 ,although his movements were so quick1 he did not lose his presence of mind a moment4 ,he was busy with his voice as well as his hands1 for while he acted as ,i have described1 he shouted1 in clear1 loud1 piercing tones1 the several orders directing all hands to 'bout ship4 ,the sailors sprang to their posts4 ,there were active limbs and busy hands among the rigging4 ,the good ship ,american ,congress1 swayed slowly around1 and the moment of peril was past4 ,had this action been delayed a few moments the vessel would have been among the breakers1 upon the rocks1 dashed to pieces and probably not a soul of the nearly five hundred on board would have escaped a watery grave4 ,the rocks and breakers ahead1 on the line of the vessel's course1 were what ,brother ,rider saw when the fog lifted4 ,the captain asked us1 as a special favor1 not to say a word to the people about the danger with which the ship had been threatened4 ,he being commander of the vessel1 we considered it right to respect his desire2 besides1 we thought his suggestion wise1 as a knowledge of what had occurred would doubtless have caused an uneasy feeling among the passengers4 ,the company were1 therefore1 not aware of the great danger they had escaped4 ,elder ,rider and myself thanked ,god for ,his goodness in so manifestly exercising ,his power in behalf of ,his ,saints4 ,the ,lord fulfilled the promises made to us by ,his servants at the time we left ,england for the land of ,zion4 ,,warnings ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,,by ,h4,g4,b4 ,,impressed ,,by ,,the ,,spirit ,,not ,,to ,,go ,,on ,a ,,steamer1 ,,after ,,arranging ,,for ,,my ,,passage--,,rush ,,ashore ,,before ,,the ,,boat ,,starts--,,boat ,,snagged ,,and ,,sunk ,,in ,,the ,,mississippi--,,warned ,,by ,,the ,,spirit ,,not ,,to ,,meet ,,an ,,appointment--,,urged ,,by ,,my ,,friends1 ,i ,,start--,,aversion ,,to ,,going ,,so ,,strong1 ,i ,,gallop ,,back--,,friends ,,unable ,,to ,,account ,,for ,,my ,,fears--,,robbery ,,at ,,the ,,house ,,where ,i ,,was ,,to ,,have ,,gone--,,saved ,,from ,,suspicion ,,by ,,obeying ,,the ,,voice ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,there are no people on the earth1 that we are acquainted with1 that exercise so much faith in ,god our ,heavenly ,father as do the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,no other people seek for ,his protecting care as they do4 ,nor are there any people to whom ,his protection is oftener extended or made manifest more visibly than unto this people4 ,especially has this been the case with hundreds of our ,elders1 when traveling and preaching the gospel4 ,a few of these instances of divine protection in my own experience ,i wish to relate4 ,while on my way to ,nauvoo1 ,illinois1 in the month of ,june1 #ahde1 going down the ,ohio ,river1 the steamer ,i was aboard of ran aground on the ,flint ,island ,bar1 just above ,evansville1 ,indiana4 ,i remained on the boat for thirty-six hours2 when1 the water in the river being very low1 and getting lower every day1 and1 seeing no prospect of our getting past this bar1 ,i concluded to go ashore and work a few days1 as ,i understood laborers were in demand in ,evansville4 ,the captain of the steamer aground1 accordingly1 refunded me a just proportion of the passage money ,i had paid him4 ,i procured work for one week1 at the end of which time the river began to rise4 ,being very anxious to pursue my journey1 ,i went aboard the first boat that landed at ,evansville1 which ,i learned was going as far up the ,mississippi ,river as ,galena4 ,i made arrangements with the clerk for passage to ,nauvoo1 but did not pay him at the time1 as he said the boat would not leave for two hours4 ,i was never more desirous of pursuing my journey than ,i was on this occasion1 yet soon after going aboard a feeling of aversion to going on that steamer took possession of me4 ,instead of a sensation of joy1 an undefinable dread1 or foreboding of coming evil was exercising an influence over me1 that increased in its power every moment1 until ,i could resist no longer1 and1 snatching up my trunk1 ,i fled with it to shore1 just as the deck hands stopped to haul in the gangway1 and the boat moved off4 ,i put my trunk down on the bank of the river1 and sat down on it1 too weak to stand on my feet longer4 ,this was a new experience to me1 then4 ,what did it mean8 ,one thing was certain1 ,i felt as if ,i had just escaped from some great calamity to a place of safety4 ,two days after this ,i took passage on another steamer for ,st4 ,louis1 where in due time ,i arrived in safety4 ,as ,i walked ashore ,i met a newsboy crying his morning paper1 and among the items of news it contained the most prominent was an account of the ill-fated steamer that ,i had made my escape from at ,evansville1 on the ,ohio ,river4 ,i purchased the paper1 and found the boat had been snagged in the ,mississippi ,river1 below ,st4 ,louis1 in the night1 and sank1 with a loss of nearly all that were on board4 ,the mysterious feeling that impelled me to leave that boat was cleared up to my satisfaction4 ,there remained not the shadow of a doubt that ,providence had interposed between me and the great danger4 ,the thanks1 gratitude1 and joy that filled my whole being on this occasion1 ,i will not try to describe4 ,on another occasion1 when on a mission in the ,state of ,california1 in the year #aheg1 it became necessary for me to make a visit from the north end to the south end of ,san ,francisco ,bay4 ,there were two ways open to me to make this trip4 ,one was to take the steamer and go by water from ,petaluma to ,san ,jose1 the place ,i wished to visit4 ,the other was by land1 on horseback1 around the east side of the bay1 by way of ,vallejo and ,benicia4 ,i had stayed over ,monday night at the house of a ,mr4 ,h--1 who was preparing to move south with his family1 and who prevailed on me to accompany him around by land4 ,he offered to feed both myself and horse as far south as ,i desired to go1 thus relieving me of any expense4 ,mr4 ,h---- had taken great pains to tell me of a ,mr4 ,o----1 who was very favorably inclined to our people and doctrines4 ,he thought that ,i ought1 by all means1 to visit him1 and that ,i could do so on the coming ,friday evening1 and join him 7,mr4 ,h--7 on ,saturday morning at ,vallejo1 on the proposed trip4 ,this all appeared right enough to me1 as ,mr4 ,o---- lived nearly in a direct line from ,petaluma 7the place ,i would start from on ,friday7 and ,vallejo4 ,mr4 ,o---- had often invited me to make him a visit1 and ,i therefore promised ,mr4 ,h---- that ,i would accept of his kind offer1 and meet him at ,vallejo as proposed4 ,on the ,friday following1 ,i took dinner at ,a4 ,j4 ,mayfield's1 near ,petaluma4 ,soon afterwards ,i caught and saddled my horse1 when ,i began to feel opposed to going to ,mr4 ,o----'s4 ,i remarked to ,mr4 ,mayfield that ,i was tempted to give up my visit1 at which he and wife 7who were both great friends of ours7 began to insist that ,i must not fail to visit ,mr4 ,o---- and family1 as they were very anxious for me to do so4 ,his acquaintance and friendship1 they said1 would be a great advantage to me1 as he was a man of wealth and great influence4 ,having nothing to offer as an excuse for not going1 ,i mounted my horse and rode away4 ,the distance was about four miles2 and1 as ,i proceeded1 the same mysterious influence was brought to bear upon me that had saved my life on the other occasion1 just related4 ,this aversion grew and increased upon me until ,i came in sight of ,mr4 ,o----'s house1 which was located in a beautiful vale1 some half a mile away4 ,from this point ,i could proceed no farther1 or1 to say the least1 it seemed madness to do so4 ,so powerfully was ,i impressed that some impending evil awaited me if ,i went farther1 that ,i turned my horse about and started back on a gallop1 which ,i did not break until ,i arrived at ,mr4 ,mayfield's again1 feeling all the time as if ,i was fleeing from some great calamity4 ,the explanation ,i gave this family did not seem to satisfy them4 ,i could see they thought me a little inclined to lunacy4 ,however1 next morning all was made plain enough4 ,having given up my trip around the bay1 ,i went1 in company with ,mr4 ,mayfield1 to ,petaluma1 to take steamer and make my way by water4 ,we had been in town but a few minutes when we met with ,mr4 ,o--1 who had come in to get out a warrant and an officer to arrest ,mr4 ,h--1 whom ,i was to have met that same morning at ,vallejo4 ,mr4 ,o---- had been robbed the night before of eight thousand dollars in gold1 and he charged ,h---- with being the guilty party1 which afterwards was proved to be true4 ,if ,i had not been prevented by a kind ,providence1 ,i would doubtless have been arrested at ,benicia with him1 as an accomplice4 ,the reader can easily perceive the dilemma this would have placed me in4 ,and no doubt ,mr4 ,h---- and his family would have done all in their power to fasten the guilt upon me1 in order to save themselves4 ,as soon as ,mr4 ,mayfield and ,i were alone1 he exclaimed1 ,o1 ,i know now why you could not visit ,mr4 ,o---- last evening4 ,that family no longer regarded me as being superstitious4 ,as in the other case1 ,i considered this a wonderful escape from a terrible snare1 and was full of gratitude1 giving thanks to ,almighty ,god for the same4 ,since then ,i have given more heed to the still small voice of the ,spirit1 and1 consequently1 have escaped many snares and evils that ,i might otherwise have fallen into4 ,many other incidents ,i might relate of a similar nature4 ,and there are thousands of our people that could testify to a great many marvelous deliverances1 many of them more wonderful than those ,i have given in this sketch4 ,therefore1 ,i advise the youth of ,zion to seek always for the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit1 and for our ,heavenly ,father's kind and protecting care to be extended over them4 ,,robert ,,hamilton4 ,by ,h4 ,g4 ,b4 ,,challenged ,,to ,,debate ,,by ,,dr4 ,,waltholl--,,his ,,discomfiture ,,and ,,defeat--,,dr4 ,,scott ,,attempts ,,to ,,retrieve ,,the ,,campbellite ,,cause1 ,,and ,,offers ,,another ,,challenge--,,resorts ,,to ,,the ,,whisky ,,bottle--,,elder ,,hamilton ,,scores ,,him ,,for ,,it4 ,charles and ,robert ,hamilton were brothers1 born and raised in ,glasgow1 ,scotland1 where1 also1 they both obeyed the gospel at an early period of the ,church's history4 ,i never had the pleasure of an acquaintance with ,charles1 but always understood that he was one of the most able and faithful men in the ,church in those early times4 ,both of these brethren died previous to our exodus from ,nauvoo4 ,now1 it is of some of the incidents that transpired while ,elder ,robert ,hamilton and ,i traveled together as missionaries in the ,state of ,virginia1 in the years #ahdd and #ahde1 that ,i wish to write4 ,while preaching at ,newcastle1 the present ,county seat of ,craig ,co41 ,virginia1 we were challenged by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,waltholl1 of the ,campbellite church1 to meet him in discussion4 ,we accepted the challenge4 ,the large church in ,newcastle belonging to the ,campbellites1 was offered for the purpose of holding the debate in4 ,the subjects and terms were agreed upon1 the moderators chosen1 and the time to commence and continue the discussion to1 was arranged1 all of which the public was duly notified of4 ,during the time the debate lasted the large church was filled to overflowing1 good order prevailed1 and the strictest attention was given4 ,elder ,hamilton was the speaker on our side4 ,he was a fluent and powerful talker1 enjoying much of the ,spirit of the ,lord1 and as the great truths of the gospel flowed from his lips the audience seemed utterly entranced and carried away with the newness1 plainness and force of his arguments1 for he taught them as one having authority1 and not as the scribes4 ,the great ,campbellite champion1 the ,rev4 ,waltholl1 who was both preacher and lawyer by profession1 was so utterly overwhelmed and filled with confusion and terror from the first1 that he never recovered from the shock during the time the debate lasted4 ,so much was this the case with him that he could only occupy a small portion of the time allotted to him1 and1 on the second day1 at his own request1 the discussion was brought to a close1 although by his own proposition at first1 it was to have lasted three days4 ,the reason he assigned for this was1 that he was entirely unprepared to meet ,elder ,hamilton's arguments and evidence on the subjects under discussion1 which were the authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon1 the organization of the ,church1 with apostles1 prophets1 etc41 and the gifts1 blessings and power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,not one of the hundreds that attended that discussion ever pretended that the ,campbellites did not meet with a great and decisive defeat on that occasion4 ,the news of their disaster spread rapidly and widely throughout the land1 and came to the ears of another of their great divines1 by the name of ,dr4 ,scott 7doctor of divinity1 not of medicine74 ,this man flattered himself that he was able to retrieve his cause from the terrible defeat that it had suffered at the hands of ,elder ,hamilton1 at ,newcastle4 ,he1 therefore1 challenged ,brother ,hamilton to debate with him upon the same subjects1 and with the same terms as at first1 but in another church and at another place4 ,this challenge was also accepted by ,brother ,hamilton1 and the discussion was held1 but it proved more disastrous to the ,campbellite cause than the first had done4 ,dr4 ,scott failed so completely on every point1 and so disgraced himself as well as the cause1 that he never afterward attempted to preach4 ,while the power1 gifts and blessings of the ,holy ,ghost were being discussed1 ,elder ,hamilton contending for its inspiration1 its gifts and blessings as formerly enjoyed by the ,saints1 and the doctor arguing against these gifts1 and denying such inspiration in any manner or form1 ,i occupied a seat in the stand4 ,while watching and listening to the proceedings1 ,i caught the doctor imbibing freely from a bottle of whisky1 which he replaced in his saddle-bags when the operation of drinking was over4 ,i had detected the smell of whisky the day previous1 while seated near the doctor1 but never suspected it was from his breath4 ,i could never have thought a preacher guilty of so flagrant an outrage4 ,but so it was2 ,i had caught him in the very act1 and so informed ,elder ,hamilton4 ,such a scathing as that preacher received from ,brother ,hamilton ,i never witnessed4 ,said he3 ,he denies the inspiration and power of the ,holy ,ghost2 but there is an inspiration that he does believe in1 and that is the spirit of the whisky bottle1 which he now carries in his saddle-bags1 and from which he has often sought and obtained his kind of inspiration since the beginning of this discussion4 ,this exposure and his muddled condition rendered ,dr4 ,scott unfit to continue the debate longer4 ,prior to this time he had been considered a respectable1 pious and able preacher4 ,however1 that defeat and consequent exposure destroyed his influence from that time forward4 ,as a rule1 public discussions do not result in much good1 but these were exceptions1 and in and around this place we soon had the names of forty persons who were applicants for baptism4 ,i have traveled and labored in company with many of our most worthy ,elders1 but never with one more faithful1 contrite in spirit and child-like1 and yet more determined1 valiant and undeviating in defense of the truth1 and in every duty devolving upon him1 than was ,elder ,robert ,hamilton2 and ,i have written this little sketch as a feeble tribute to his memory and his sterling worth4 ,during the eight or ten months we traveled together1 our union and love for each other resembled very much that which existed between ,david and ,jonathan4 ,,how ,,success ,,is ,,gained4 ,by ,h4 ,g4 ,b4 ,,elders ,,to ,,go ,,out ,,two ,,and ,,two--,,young ,,missionaries ,,inclined ,,to ,,shirk--,,elder ,,moses ,,thatcher--,,his ,,diffidence--,,the ,,way ,,he ,,was ,,broken ,,in--,,his ,,success--,,elder ,m',,alister--,,his ,,backwardness ,,in ,,speaking--,,forced ,,into ,,it--,,his ,,testimony--,,elder ,,coray',s ,,experience--,,promises ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,,proved ,,true4 ,we are informed in the book of ,doctrine and ,covenants1 sec4 #db1 verse #f1 that the ,elders are to travel two and two1 and in sec4 #hd1 verse #ajf 7latest edition7 that the strong in spirit are to take with them the weak4 ,that is1 as ,i understand it1 those that are experienced are to take with them the inexperienced4 ,thus has it always transpired in my missionary labors4 ,the first mission ,i ever was called upon to perform was to the ,state of ,virginia1 in #ahdd4 ,during that mission ,i traveled successively with ,elders ,sebert ,c4 ,shelton1 ,chapman ,duncan and ,robert ,hamilton4 ,these ,elders had more experience than ,i had1 consequently1 it was very natural for me to depend upon them to do the preaching1 allowing the burden of our labors to rest upon their shoulders4 ,but if they had humored me1 and allowed me to shirk my legitimate share of the work1 ,i am satisfied that ,i would have failed to succeed on that mission4 ,they1 however1 took great pains to see that ,i should not neglect my share in all the labors4 ,they put me forward1 and not unfrequently managed to leave me to fill appointments alone1 and sometimes to travel alone for a week or two at a time4 ,this left me to depend upon ,god and ,his ,spirit entirely1 and ,i can truly testify that this course was very valuable to me4 ,i was often very much surprised and encouraged at the assistance afforded me through the ,spirit on these occasions4 ,since that first mission ,i have been sent on many others1 and have traveled with seventeen other ,elders at different times1 most of whom were without experience4 ,among these were several more or less like ,i had been--backward1 and inclined to shirk the responsibility of preaching4 ,i have had to resort to some pretty sharp management in breaking them in4 ,a few of these instances ,i will relate4 ,when ,elder ,moses ,thatcher was only between fifteen and sixteen years of age1 he traveled with me as a missionary in ,california4 ,he was naturally inclined to modesty and diffidence1 and said to me one day that he would black our boots1 curry and saddle our horses1 and do all that was to be done except the preaching1 if ,i would do that part of the work and excuse him4 ,naturally ,i entertained a great amount of sympathy for him1 on account of his extreme youth1 also because ,i remembered my own shortcomings when out on my first mission1 during which time nothing ever so frightened me as the thoughts of being called upon to arise and try to preach4 ,i therefore favored him until ,i thought it unwise and an injury to him to indulge him farther4 ,having been invited to visit and preach in a new locality1 ,i asked ,elder ,t4 to take some tracts and visit the place1 and see the trustees of the school house4 ,if the liberty to preach in the house was granted1 then he was to proceed to notify the neighborhood of the meeting1 distributing the pamphlets as he went4 ,i also told him if anything happened to prevent my being there he was to fill the appointment4 ,at this he trembled1 and with a face white with fear he begged me not to fail to be there1 until ,i nearly repented of my intention4 ,he succeeded in obtaining the use of the house1 and in notifying the people he came upon a quilting party of women and girls1 who readily promised to be at the meeting1 provided he 7,elder ,t47 would preach4 ,he replied that his colleague would most likely do the preaching4 ,but it turned out otherwise1 and ,elder ,t4 was left to his fate2 but he filled his appointment like a man4 ,judging from the report that spread from that meeting1 ,elder ,t4 preached as good a discourse then as at any time since1 and probably with greater satisfaction to himself4 ,from that time forward he never failed to do his part in our labors1 and ,i have no doubt that he looks back upon that achievement as one of the greatest of a very eventful and useful life4 ,elder ,j4 ,d4 ,h4 ,mc,allister traveled with me in ,arkansas1 and for the first two months of our labors1 when called upon to talk1 would not occupy above five minutes1 and often not half that time4 ,it would then occur to him that the audience would rather hear some one else than him1 after which he would not possess courage to try to talk longer1 and would take his seat4 ,he would often say that he could not account for his being called on a mission4 ,what can ,i do8 ,i do not even know that this latter-day work is true4 ,my father has often borne testimony that he knew this work to be true4 ,he is a good man and ,i believe his testimony2 but ,i do not know it to be true for myself4 ,however1 an opportunity occurred that dispelled all these doubts1 and planted in the place thereof1 facts and certainties4 ,i had taken a severe cold1 and was so hoarse that ,i could not talk4 ,a meeting was to be held1 and at that meeting some one would have to preach4 ,the only alternative was for him to attend and do the preaching4 ,to do this he had to travel five or six miles across the slashes1 face a large congregation composed almost entirely of strangers1 and do all the preaching1 and that1 too1 alone4 ,i never1 while in that country1 heard the last of the praises heaped upon him by the people for the best sermon they had ever listened to4 ,he had no difficulty in testifying to the divinity of the great latter-day work4 ,the ,holy ,spirit rested upon him1 and he could not keep back this testimony1 which was as new to him as it was to those that heard him4 ,that day's work is no doubt remembered by him with the greatest pleasure of any event of his life1 and will prove as profitable as any in his future career4 ,elder ,h4 ,k4 ,coray was the most bashful of all the young ,elders ,i ever traveled with1 and it was more than a year before he overcame this fault4 ,i had almost despaired of his ever making a success as a missionary4 ,but ,i am proud to say he did finally succeed1 and during the last year of our labors together1 through the blessings of the ,holy ,spirit1 he became an able speaker1 and our hearers listened to him in rapt attention4 ,he has often said that the experience he gained during that mission was worth more to him than all the wealth of the world4 ,i could refer to the experiences of many other ,elders who have traveled with me1 which were1 in many instances1 similar to those that ,i have related4 ,some of them have been so far discouraged that they would weep like a child2 others would beg of me to release them and let them return home1 who at brighter moments would charge me not to permit such a thing1 as they did not wish to disgrace themselves or their parents4 ,i can think of nothing that would so blight a young ,elder's future usefulness and destiny as a failure to make a success of his mission1 or any work that the priesthood may have set him apart to do4 ,and ,i feel it my duty in this connection to bear my testimony to the truth contained in the book of ,doctrine and ,covenants1 that has never failed to be verified in my experience1 and in that of all other ,elders whose labors have come within my observation4 ,these promises are as follows3 ,any man that shall go and preach this gospel of the kingdom1 and fail not to continue faithful in all things shall not be weary in mind1 neither darkened1 neither in body1 limb1 nor joint3 and an hair of his head shall not fall to the ground unnoticed4 ,and they shall not go hungry1 neither athirst4 7sec4 #hd1 verse #hj74 ,neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say1 but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life1 and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man4 7verse #he74 ,i have written the above incidents of missionary life and made these quotations in connection with them for the encouragement of young ,elders now on missions1 and the thousands of boys and young men that may1 and will yet have to take missions to the many nations of the earth4 ,,help ,,in ,,time ,,of ,,need4 ,by ,c4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,start ,,upon ,a ,,mission1 ,,penniless--,,aid ,,from ,,the ,,captain ,,and ,,passengers ,,on ,,the ,,steamboat--,,arrive ,,at ,,new ,,orleans--,,fail ,,in ,,trying ,,to ,,find ,,free ,,passage ,,to ,,england--,,discouragement--,,prayer--, ,rebuke ,,and ,,answer--,,apply ,,for ,,passage ,,on ,,the ,,berlin--,,kind ,,reception ,,from ,,captain ,,baker--,,bargain ,,for ,,passage--,,one ,,half ,,to ,,be ,,paid ,,in ,,discussing ,,religion ,,with ,,an ,,episcopalian ,,minister4 ,in the year #ahdf1 at a council of the ,twelve ,apostles held in the temple at ,nauvoo1 ,i was appointed to go on a mission to ,england4 ,after seeing my wife and our one child provided for1 as to travel and board in the great exodus then being inaugurated for the unknown somewhere for the ,saints to seek1 ,i left ,nauvoo1 poor and penniless1 for ,st4 ,louis1 ,missouri4 ,after procuring some pecuniary help1 ,i took passage for ,new ,orleans on board the steamer ,brunswick1 ,captain ,moore commanding4 ,from some of the passengers ,i received substantial evidences of answer to prayer for means to prosecute my journey4 ,in my labors in preaching the word ,i was wonderfully blessed1 the captain kindly remitting one-half of the cabin passage money4 ,arriving at ,new ,orleans a stranger1 and knowing no ,saints if there were any in that city1 ,i secured lodgings and board at #a4jj per day4 ,it now became a new and peculiar duty and strain on my faith and pocket to seek a passage in some sailing vessel1 bound for ,liverpool4 ,i had some #de4jj in my pocket1 the gifts of dear friends in ,st4 ,louis1 on board the steamer ,brunswick1 and from one person particularly in answer to a masonic shake of the hand1 unintentionally given4 ,i endeavored to find passage on the no purse or scrip principle1 and was in every instance unsuccessful4 ,i attributed these repulses to meanness or the non-appreciation of the character of a missionary1 such as ,i proclaimed myself1 and to the national character of the captains of the several vessels to whom ,i applied1 for1 being ,english myself1 to this class ,i had purposely made my applications4 ,meeting with several rebuffs1 ,i was fast drifting on the road to discouragement4 ,on the ,thursday succeeding my arrival ,i stood on the levee1 and in fervent prayer ,i asked ,god to open the way for me to fill this mission--to soften the heart of the next captain ,i applied to1 so that he might take me to ,liverpool1 free4 ,i requested this as an evidence to me of ,god's favor2 and if refused1 ,i would take it as an evidence that ,i should return1 overtake the ,saints going west1 and1 with my family1 find a new home4 ,while thus meditating and praying1 it seemed as if some one came up to me and asked me how much money ,i had4 ,i instinctively replied1 ,about #dj4jj4 ,then came the query3 ,what did ,i want with that but to pay my way8 ,why ask for a ,divine interposition on the heart or purse of any one while ,i had money in my pocket8 ,i felt the rebuke1 yet ,i thought of my shabby clothes1 my going home to see a proud-feeling mother1 my desire by my personal appearance to cast no discredit on the cause ,i had espoused4 ,these and many similar reflections passed hurriedly through my mind4 ,my invisible monitor did not leave me1 but1 waking me from the reverie1 he again plied me with similar interrogations and rebukes1 and told me to apply to the ship then in direct sight4 ,i looked up and saw the words3 ,for ,liverpool4 ,i walked down to the pile of cotton from which the mate and some stevedores were loading the good ship ,berlin4 ,i asked the mate what was the chance to obtain passage on board his ship for ,liverpool4 ,in the most cherry voice he replied3 ,first rate6 ,but here comes ,captain ,baker2 talk with him4 ,i approached him4 ,he offered his hand4 ,i told him my business1 my wishes and aims4 ,he invited me on board1 and1 it being noon1 to dinner4 ,after dinner he remarked3 ,now to business6 ,you say you are a ',mormon' missionary4 ,you wish to go to ,england6 ,and how do you wish to go8 ,i replied that ,i had but little money1 and would be obliged to content myself with a steerage passage4 ,to this he strenuously objected1 remarking that ,i knew not the life of a steerage passenger4 ,he asked me how much money ,i had1 remarking that his cabin fare was #hj4jj4 ,i put my hand in my pocket and drew out my entire stock of cash1 #dj4jj4 ,there captain1 ,i remarked1 is all ,i have1 which is just half the price of a cabin passage4 ,he remarked1 ,i will take this in part payment6 ,but1 ,i asked1 how shall ,i1 how can ,i pay you the difference8 ,he replied1 ,i have heard much of the preachers of the ',mormon' faith being experts in the scriptures4 ,we shall take on board on ,sunday evening an ,episcopalian minister1 and when we get out to sea and all things in trim1 ,i shall expect you and the minister to give me and my wife some ,bible contests4 ,now1 said ,i to the captain1 having given you all my money1 how can ,i pay my board bill till you sail8 ,why1 he replied1 how can you board but board the ship ,berlin6 ,here1 7calling to one of the men7 go with this boy and help him with any luggage he may have1 and put it in the cabin4 ,soon ,i was duly installed4 ,you may readily imagine my feelings of gratitude to ,god and the monitor on the levee4 ,in due time we sailed1 after receiving the reverend gent1 who was a tall1 portly person1 wearing the garb and look of his church4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,the ,,voyage--,,discussion--,,minister',s ,,discomfiture--,,arrive ,,in ,,liverpool--,,kindness ,,of ,,captain ,,baker--,,learn ,,of ,,his ,,death ,,and ,,my ,,duty--,,my ,,shabby ,,appearance--,,first ,,sermon--,,money ,,put ,,into ,,my ,,hand--,,visit ,,home--,,unkindness ,,of ,,relatives--,,more ,,help ,,from ,,strangers4 ,when fairly out at sea1 and as evening set in1 the captain would order lights and request the minister to bring out his large ,bible1 and you1 little one1 bring out your little ,bible4 ,neither of us was loth1 and the theological set-to would commence4 ,captain ,baker would exclaim with a hearty oath1 that the little one had the best of it1 and then the big one would get wrathy1 and close his book with a bang and declare the contest off4 ,but ,mrs4 ,baker would interpose and soften his ire1 and again we would return to the law and the testimony4 ,but1 alas6 at one of these theological bouts1 the theme being water baptism1 sprinkling and circumcision1 the new birth1 etc41 ,i was so marvelously assisted in delineating the new birth--water baptism1 that he closed his big book with a clang1 and declared that he would never argue with me any more4 ,the captain1 jumping up1 swore with an oath that the little one had the best of it1 and ,mrs4 ,baker smiled her approval4 ,i pass over the general features of the voyage4 ,arriving in the river ,mersey early in the morning1 and the tide not serving1 the prospect was to remain on board till the tide changed4 ,the captain hailed a boat to go on shore1 and bid me go with him4 ,at first ,i declined1 knowing ,i had no means1 but by persuasion ,i consented4 ,he asked me where ,i was going to1 and if ,i knew any one4 ,i told him ,stanley ,buildings1 and ,i knew no one only as my credentials named certain persons1 such as ,messrs4 ,ward1 ,hedlock and ,wilson4 ,he accompanied me to ,stanley ,buildings1 but finding no one there1 it being too early for office hours1 he invited me to breakfast4 ,after breakfast1 he took me to the office of the ,millennial ,star1 requesting me before leaving1 to come down to the dock at a certain hour1 which he named1 as the ship would then be in her berth4 ,at the appointed time ,i was there4 ,my little trunk was examined and passed4 ,i was in the act of throwing it over my shoulder when the captain seized it1 hailed a cab1 threw the trunk to the driver1 and literally pushed me inside the cab4 ,i then said3 ,captain1 this is pushing things to an extreme4 ,i have no money1 ,i gave you all ,i had4 ,i owe you #dj4jj balance of my passage money4 ,how can ,i pay this fare and you8 ,with this half sovereign pay your fare4 ,as to the balance of the passage money1 pay that by preaching the gospel as you know it1 and as your little book 7a small pocket ,bible7 teaches it4 ,do all the good you can1 and when you pray1 as ,i know you do1 for ,i have heard you on board the ship1 pray for ,sam ,baker4 ,god bless you2 and when you get through and want to go back home1 and ,i am in port1 come to me and ,i will take you back free4 ,then giving the door of the cab a slam1 he said3 ,take this boy to ,stanley ,buildings6 ,i never saw ,captain ,baker again4 ,i learned that in a subsequent voyage he was lost at sea1 in a terrific storm4 ,on the receipt of the news1 as sensibly as you can hear a penny drop into an empty contribution box1 so sensibly did my monitor of the levee tell me of my duty--to be baptized for ,captain ,baker4 ,baptism for the dead was then a new principle in this age1 and one but recently revealed through the ,prophet ,joseph2 ,i therefore hailed with joy unspeakable this1 another direct manifestation of the presence of ,god with me1 the divine inspiration of ,joseph ,smith1 and the truth of this work4 ,my arrival at ,liverpool was in the midst of the dazzling sumptuousness of the ,joint ,stock ,company4 ,feastings1 dress and the appointments of well-paid attaches were the order of the day4 ,my appearance as to dress was not becoming4 ,i saw in fancy my presiding officers there1 myself1 my intended visit home1 penniless4 ,yet had not ,god marvelously wrought for me8 ,why should ,i despair8 ,placards announced my coming--the first from the temple at ,nauvoo4 ,sunday found me in the pulpit1 with a vast host assembled4 ,how shall ,i1 in adequate words1 portray even now the grandeur of language1 ideas1 the sublimity of the opening vision of mind1 as ,i dilated on ,ye must be born again8 ,how enwrapped1 how enlightened ,i was by the ,spirit6 ,how scripture1 unthought of1 unknown or unappreciated before1 marched in single file before my mind6 ,how1 after nearly two hours1 ,i sank to my seat exhausted1 and thought of my clothes and my mother's chagrin if ,i saw her in that plight4 ,after the benediction1 ,i descended to mingle with the people4 ,many strangers to the hall and the ,saints came trooping to me1 eager to press my hand1 leaving therein weighty metallic evidences of their appreciation of a ,god-helped ,mormon missionary4 ,i now had more money than when on the levee at ,new ,orleans4 ,how vividly ,i recall1 even now1 my gratitude1 as on bended knees at my lodgings ,i thanked ,god for ,his wonderful interpositions in my behalf1 and what joy ,i felt as ,i counted the metallic evidences of trust and answer to prayer4 ,as soon as ,i could ,i visited home1 from which ,i had been exiled for my faith4 ,they scanned me well1 and one member of the family1 referring to our mode of traveling--without purse or scrip1 wanted to know if ,i had come home to sponge on them4 ,i replied ,no6 and1 putting my hand into my pocket1 drew forth a sovereign4 ,pushing that towards them1 ,i remarked1 ,that will pay my board bill while ,i stay4 ,our ,elders do not sponge6 ,i was proud that ,i had good clothes and money4 ,at the ,sunday dinner the same acrimonious feelings were again exhibited4 ,i arose from the table1 sorrowed that years of absence had not softened their hearts towards me and the cause dearest to my heart1 remarking that ,this evening ,i will preach in the ,theobald ,road room1 at #f-cj4 ,my brothers came to hear me1 and here again ,god opened the sacred volume1 showed me new beauties1 gave me impassioned language to expound the scriptures1 afforded me power to enchain the audience1 and again to see strangers rush to give me money4 ,my brothers laughed the laugh of unbelief1 while strangers and ,saints thanked ,god for the words heard1 and gave me more money4 ,i hope this brief and hurried but truthful narrative may inspire some young ,saint1 missionary or otherwise1 to be honest and trust in ,god when out without purse or scrip4 ,,overcoming ,,diffidence4 ,by ,g4 ,q4 ,c4 ,,difference ,,in ,,persons ,,about ,,speaking ,,in ,,public--,,the ,,lord ,,willing ,,to ,,help ,,his ,,servants ,,to ,,overcome ,,timidity--,,early ,,experience ,,in ,,preaching--,a ,,feeling ,,of ,,fear ,,and ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,god ,,not ,,congenial--,,timidity ,,conquered4 ,it is most interesting to listen at meetings to the different testimonies which the ,latter-day ,saints bear concerning the work of ,god4 ,the experience of no two persons is exactly the same1 and yet all are true4 ,one is impressed with an evidence of the truth in one way and another in another way4 ,so also it is with the experience of the ,elders2 the experience of each varies according to the constitution and temperament1 the bent of mind and the circumstances which surround each one4 ,we have met with a few men in our life who never seemed to know what it was to be timid in standing up before an audience4 ,they always seemed to be perfectly self-possessed1 and did not suffer in the least from fear2 while we have known others who felt that it was impossible for them to stand on their feet and address an audience4 ,some ,elders in starting out1 quickly conquer their feelings of timidity4 ,they soon get into the habit of thinking and talking upon their feet4 ,they seem to care nothing about the congregation1 while others require a long time to get accustomed to speaking to audiences1 and are easily embarrassed4 ,we firmly believe that the ,lord will help every man to overcome this timidity when sent upon a mission to preach the gospel4 ,if he does not conquer the feeling of fear1 it is because he allows it to master him1 and does not use that faith which he should to shake it off4 ,the writer started out as a missionary when he felt that he was but a comparative youth4 ,he was exceedingly timid1 and had a mortal dread of standing up before a congregation4 ,he sometimes thought that no one could have suffered from this feeling as he did4 ,but there was one thing that he made up his mind to do--to never shrink from the discharge of his duty4 ,if he should be called upon to pray1 to bear testimony or to speak1 he was resolved that he would do his best1 and put his trust in the ,lord to help him out4 ,with the exception of a few meetings1 his first experience as a missionary was in preaching in a strange language to a foreign people4 ,this was doubtless more embarrassing than it would have been to speak to the people in his mother tongue1 because there was his awkwardness in the use of the language in addition to the ordinary feelings of timidity to contend with4 ,he well remembers the feelings that he had prior to the first meeting4 ,if he could have run away1 and done so honorably1 he would have done it1 but this would have been disgraceful4 ,he did the best he could1 and suffered considerably from embarrassment2 and though he baptized some nineteen souls in the ensuing five weeks1 yet he suffered at each meeting from the same feelings of dread4 ,something occurred on the sixth ,sunday to arouse him and make him somewhat angry4 ,the conduct of some preachers and opponents of the gospel was very hateful1 and in attending meeting that day he enjoyed greater liberty than he had at any time previously4 ,a fearless spirit took possession of him1 and the ,spirit was able to speak through him as it had not done before4 ,the feeling of fear when it rests upon a man1 drives away the ,spirit of ,god4 ,the two spirits cannot exist in the same bosom4 ,one must have the mastery4 ,if the ,spirit of ,god has the mastery1 it drives away all fear1 and enables a man to speak under its influence with power4 ,if the spirit of fear has the mastery1 the ,spirit of ,god is checked1 and the man is not able to tell the people the will and counsel of the ,lord4 ,after six weeks' preaching in this locality1 the writer visited another place1 where the people were very anxious to hear4 ,he succeeded in getting a large meeting-house to preach in1 and when he arose to give out the hymns and to pray1 the sound of his own voice in the building frightened him4 ,the congregation was a larger one than he had ever addressed before2 but he prayed earnestly to the ,lord for help4 ,he knew that no power but ,god's could assist him and enable him to declare the truth4 ,after reading a portion of the scriptures1 he commenced speaking1 and continued to address the people for upwards of an hour4 ,he was completely carried away by the ,spirit1 and fear was banished4 ,tears coursed down the cheeks of the congregation1 and many felt the power of ,god to so great an extent that they came forward and offered themselves for baptism4 ,a great work was done in that place and the vicinity1 and from that time to the present--about thirty years--the writer has never suffered from fear as he did previous to that day4 ,it is true that many men never can arise before a congregation without feeling some degree of embarrassment and trepidation4 ,the writer is one of these2 but that fear which paralyzes the mind1 that impairs the memory and produces a feeling of dread and utter forgetfulness of everything that one knows1 he has never experienced from that time4 ,we relate this instance in our experience to show how differently ,elders are affected4 ,some can speak without any difficulty or fear after the first time they get on their feet4 ,it takes others1 as in our own case1 a longer time to overcome this feeling1 probably arising from the fact that some have by nature more of that man-fearing spirit4 ,others1 again1 may require a still longer time2 but what we wish to impress upon our young readers1 and upon all who read these pages1 is that they should not be discouraged because the first time they get on their feet1 or the second or third1 they do not speak with that freedom they desire4 ,when the ,spirit of ,god takes possession of a man1 and he will yield to its influence1 it will take away all fear1 and enable him to tell the truth in great plainness2 and if he will persevere1 nothing doubting1 we dare promise every ,elder that he will be able to overcome his feelings of fear and embarrassment1 and be filled with holy boldness to declare the gospel unto the people in whose midst he is appointed to labor4 ,,the ,,lord ,,will ,,provide4 ,by ,c4 ,h4 ,b4 ,a ,,mother ,,and ,,children ,,in ,,great ,,want--,,the ,,mother',s ,,faith--,,her ,,prayer--,,is ,,provided ,,with ,,money ,,in ,a ,,mysterious ,,way4 ,in the year #ahfd1 a little boy named ,charles lived with his mother and sister in the city of ,c----1 near the central part of the ,state of ,indiana4 ,his father and elder brother had enlisted in the army1 then fighting for the ,union4 ,charles was but four years of age1 not large enough to earn anything1 and their daily food depended upon what his mother earned by her hard day's labor4 ,it was in the winter season4 ,times were hard1 and growing worse every day1 and the people had but little for the mother to do4 ,it was with great difficulty that she earned enough for herself and children to live upon4 ,one morning she went out in the cold wintry blast and gathered bark from the fence rails to keep her children from suffering with the severe cold1 and at breakfast she gave them the last crust of bread that was in the house1 not eating any herself4 ,then she went out into the city to seek something to do to earn some more bread for her little ones4 ,but after a long search she returned1 very tired1 both in body and mind1 without accomplishing her object4 ,the poor woman sat down and wept bitterly4 ,her children were crying for bread1 and she had none to give them4 ,but when they again asked her for bread she said to them1 ,the ,lord will provide4 ,presently she knelt down1 her bosom swelling with grief1 and asked the ,lord to spare her children's lives4 ,then rising to her feet1 she thought of some carpet rags she had put into a barrel just the day before1 and decided to take them to a store and see if she could sell them for some bread4 ,just as she turned the barrel up-side down1 to empty out the rags1 she said in a tone of motherly kindness3 ,dear children1 do not cry2 the ,lord will not let us starve4 ,then she turned the barrel back1 and1 on looking into it1 what do you suppose greeted her eyes8 ,it was something that made her countenance beam with gladness and her eyes dance with joy1 and she exclaimed1 ,the ,lord will provide6 ,blessed be the name of the ,lord6 ,it was a dollar bill4 ,it had never been lost there1 because she had washed out the barrel the day she put the rags into it4 ,but how it got there ,i will leave you to form your own opinion4 ,suffice it to say1 that it was neither in the rags nor barrel the day before4 ,it purchased bread enough to last them a few days1 till they received seventy dollars sent them from the army4 ,,dialogue ,,on ,,religion4 ,which occurred at ,healdsburg1 ,sonoma ,co41 ,cal41 in #aheg1 between ,doctor ,bonham1 a ,methodist ,minister1 and a ,mormon ,elder4 ,by ,h4 ,g4 ,b4 ,,dr4 ,,bonham4--,i understand that you are making some prosylytes to your ,church in this country4 ,,mormon ,,elder4--,yes1 we have some fifty or sixty members that have been added to the ,church lately1 on this side of ,sacramento ,river4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,nine-tenths of the religious portion of the community in this country look upon your people as being deceived1 and your ministers as deceivers1 and your doctrines as being false and pernicious4 ,m4 ,e4--,yes1 ,i am aware of this fact1 and also of another fact3 that is1 that the same opinion prevailed among nine-tenths of the ,pharisees and ,sadducees1 eighteen hundred years ago1 about our ,savior and ,his apostles and prophets1 and the doctrines which they taught4 ,the same kind of religious sentiment was arrayed against the gospel then1 as now4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,but you must know that the doctrines of a new revelation1 and of apostles and prophets are a delusion1 and that you are leading astray many of the people4 ,m4 ,e4--,then the ,bible must be a delusion1 and it must be that it is leading many of the people astray1 for the ,bible teaches the same doctrine that we teach1 namely1 new revelation1 apostles and prophets4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,i deny that it does4 ,the law and the prophets continued until ,john1 after which the kingdom of heaven was preached4 ,m4 ,e4--,would you prove by this quotation that there were to be no more revelation1 nor apostles and prophets after ,john8 ,then1 indeed1 was ,jesus ,himself a false prophet1 and ,his apostles were false teachers1 and all that was revealed to the world through ,him and them was also false4 ,such a conclusion is impossible4 ,what1 then1 are the facts8 ,the kingdom of heaven was really preached afterwards1 and that1 too1 by apostles and prophets1 with a continual flow of revelation4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,yes1 ,i will agree that new revelation and apostles and prophets were necessary till the kingdom was established2 but after that time1 they were no longer needed1 and were rightly done away4 ,they left us a perfect pattern in the ,new ,testament1 which is all that is needed to guide the church in all things4 ,m4 ,e4--,and1 according to this perfect pattern you allude to1 you have elders1 bishops1 priests1 teachers and deacons in your church1 have you8 ,,dr4 ,b4--,yes2 to be sure we have4 ,and these officers are in our church according to the perfect pattern given us in the ,new ,testament4 ,m4 ,e4--,i suppose1 then1 you have apostles1 prophets and seventies in your church1 thus following out the perfect pattern to its completeness4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,no2 we have no apostles nor prophets2 nor have we any seventies4 ,they are all done away with4 ,m4 ,e4--,now1 can't you see that you are inconsistent8 ,if the ,new ,testament pattern requires elders and bishops to be organized in the church1 it also requires apostles and prophets just the same4 ,if this pattern is authority for an elder1 it is just as good authority for an apostle4 ,if authority for a bishop1 it is just as surely authority for a prophet4 ,your assertion that they are done away with1 and no longer needed1 is a palpable contradiction of the plainest truths of the ,new ,testament pattern4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,does not ,paul1 in the #hth verse of the #acth chapter of his first letter to the ,corinthians1 say1 ,whether there be prophecies they shall fail8 ,m4 ,e4--,yes1 and in the #ajth verse of the same chapter ,paul plainly tells them when prophecy shall fail1 that is3 ,when that which is perfect is come4 ,paul1 in his #dth chapter to the ,ephesians1 #aath to #acth verses1 also refers to the apostles and prophets as being necessary in the church to bring about this perfection1 also for the work of the ministry1 and to continue till we all come in the unity of the faith4 ,the work of the ministry is not or ought not to be done away4 ,the perfecting of the ,saints1 and that unity spoken of1 are works that belong to all time1 as surely as it was necessary in ,paul's time4 ,therefore1 your quotation from ,paul is certainly a very strong proof in favor of our doctrines4 ,,dr4 ,b--,i cannot see the necessity of apostles and prophets2 nor do ,i believe that ,god intended that they should be continued in the church4 ,is it not written in the last chapter of ,john's ,revelations1 #ahth and #aith verses1 that if any man shall add to or diminish from the words of this book1 that a heavy penalty shall rest upon him8 ,if ,god did not allow any more revelations to the world than they at that time possessed1 then the necessity for apostles and prophets no longer existed1 as they were the only mediums through whom ,he revealed ,his will to mankind4 ,m4 ,e--,what you see1 or cannot see1 or what you believe1 or do not believe in this connection1 does not amount to a pin1 unless you see and believe the truth4 ,in the #abth chapter of the first epistle to the ,corinthians1 ,paul compares the church of ,christ to the body of a man1 placing the apostles and prophets as the head of that body2 other officers and members composing the other portions of the body4 ,there were many members1 yet but one body4 ,god had set the members in the body as it pleased him2 first1 apostles1 then prophets1 etc41 down to the feet4 ,the head could not say to the body1 ,i have no need of you2 nor again1 could the feet say to the body1 ,we have no need of you4 ,the body could not live an hour without the head4 ,therefore1 the church of ,christ could not live without apostles and prophets1 these constituting the head of the ,church4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,but you have not answered my quotation from ,john1 forbidding any addition to the word of ,god1 thus cutting off the necessity of new revelation1 and the channels or mediums through which it was given1 forever after4 ,m4 ,e4--,that was just what ,i was going to come to when you interrupted me4 ,god did1 indeed1 forbid any man to add to1 or diminish from ,his word1 as you correctly quoted4 ,also in ,deuteronomy1 #dth chapter and #bnd verse1 we find a similar prohibition1 given through ,moses4 ,now what do these passages prove8 ,simply this3 ,man shall not add nor diminish1 but the ,lord can do so at ,his pleasure4 ,a few days after the death of ,moses the ,lord began to reveal more of ,his word to ,joshua1 the successor of ,moses4 ,and it is recorded in history that the ,lord did the same thing in ,st4 ,john's case1 for he wrote his narrative of the gospel and his three epistles after his ,book of ,revelations1 from which you made your quotation4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,your doctrines are the most dangerous that ,i know of1 and the best calculated to deceive the ignorant and the unwary4 ,and your preaching ought not to be allowed in this country1 and ,i shall try to prevent all that ,i can have any influence over from going to hear you4 ,m4 ,e4--,i have not done with your quotations yet4 ,no man in our ,church has ever added to or diminished the word of ,god4 ,we have never violated those restrictions in the least1 but the ,methodists and many other sects of the present day have both added to and taken from the word of ,god4 ,they have added the practice of infant baptism1 and substituted sprinkling for the ordinance of baptism by immersion4 ,they have heaped to themselves teachers1 having itching ears1 who have turned from the truth and have added their fables2 they divine for money and preach for hire4 ,they have added the mourner's bench to what they call the worship of ,god4 ,the fear of ,god is taught by the precepts of men1 and nearly all that is preached or believed in by them is of their own adding4 ,they have diminished from the word of ,god in that they deny new revelation1 apostles1 prophets1 seventies1 the gifts of the ,holy ,ghost1 the ordinances and power of the gospel1 and all the grandest1 best and most glorious promises contained in the great plan of salvation4 ,and ,i warn you to beware that the plagues ,john spoke of be not added to you1 and that your part in the book of life and your part in the holy city be not taken away4 ,for you have transgressed the law1 changed the ordinances and broken the everlasting covenant4 ,,dr4 ,b4--,i understand that the government is sending an army to ,utah1 to exterminate you ,mormons4 ,and ,i think it will serve them just right4 ,such gross impostors ought not to be allowed to live4 ,no such delusion should be tolerated among civilized communities4 ,m4 ,e4--,that's right2 come out in your true colors6 ,like the ,pharisees of old1 when you cannot bring any arguments to prevail against the truth1 you would resort to the sword--you would have recourse to arms--to violence1 and destroy all those that love and sustain the truth4 ,and you1 ,doctor ,bonham1 would have been first among the men that crucified the ,redeemer1 had you lived then4 ,you would have been the man to have beheaded ,john the ,baptist1 and for the same reason2 and to have slain the apostles and prophets4 ,your antipathy to apostles and prophets prove it4 ,fill ye up then the measure of your fathers1 the ,pharisees4 ,,testimonies ,,for ,,the ,,truth4 ,by ,,benjamin ,,brown4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,,the ,,author',s ,,birth ,,and ,,parentage--,,early ,,religious ,,impressions--,,marriage--,,vision ,,of ,,his ,,brother1 ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,bible--,,the ,,author ,,dreams ,,of ,,preaching--,,attends ,a ,,protracted ,,meeting--,,his ,,impressions ,,while ,,there--,,he ,,meets ,,with ,,the ,,latter-,,day ,,saints--,,vision ,,of ,,two ,,nephite ,,apostles4 ,i was born on the #cjth of ,september1 in the year #agid1 in the town of ,queensbury1 ,washington ,county1 ,state of ,new ,york4 ,my father1 ,asa ,brown1 belonged to the denomination of ,friend ,quakers4 ,his business was that of a farmer4 ,i worked with him chiefly until ,i was twenty years of age4 ,during my boyhood ,i was much deprived of the benefits of education1 owing to my father's removing from place to place1 in new settlements1 they affording him greater facilities for the purchase of cheap land than older ones4 ,by these means he was enabled to have his children settle around him4 ,being thus brought up1 far from the abodes of the religious sectaries of the day1 my ideas of religion were just those which are naturally instilled into the mind by the statements of ,scripture1 where no priestcraft exists to pervert them1 diminish their force or cloud their meaning2 consequently1 ,i believed in the ,bible just as it read1 where the self-evident rendering of the context did not prove it figurative or parabolic4 ,the idea that revelation from ,god was unattainable in this age1 or that the ancient gifts of the gospel had ceased forever1 never entered my head1 until ,i gathered the notion from the creeds of churches with which ,i became acquainted in after years4 ,i can remember many times1 on occasions of sickness among my relatives1 while yet quite a boy1 retiring to some barn1 or other convenient place of the kind1 and their being suddenly restored to health1 in answer to prayers offered there1 by me1 in their behalf4 ,i continued thus until about fifteen years of age1 when circumstances caused me to live in settlements where the sects of the day had established some of their churches1 and ,i was unfortunate enough to hear their preaching4 ,i soon began to lose my pure1 simple ideas of ,god1 and imbibe those more generally received2 and1 shortly after1 by listening to the contending opinions of these parties1 ,i found the hitherto simple ,bible a perfect mystery4 ,i had previously been seriously and religiously inclined1 but the jarrings and uncertainty of my new ideas shook that simple faith which ,i had reposed in the ,scriptures1 and in ,god1 until ,i began to mix with light or vain company4 ,i at times thought little about such matters1 but1 in moments of reflection1 the ,spirit of the ,lord would often show me the folly of my conduct1 and bring to my remembrance the goodness of ,god manifested to me in past times4 ,the ,universalist system appeared to me the most reasonable of the various denominations ,i came in contact with4 ,the horrible hell and damnation theories of most of the other parties1 in my idea1 were inconsistent with the mercies and love of ,god4 ,however1 ,i did not actually join the ,universalists4 ,but their doctrines1 with respect to the eternity of punishment1 etc41 savored to me of a more generous and ,god-like nature1 than the contracted notions held by the other denominations1 concerning ,god's purposes towards the human family4 ,amidst all the folly which1 for short periods1 ,i gave way to1 a deep anxiety possessed me to find the truth1 and ,i visited1 and1 to some extent1 mingled with1 the religious professors of many of the sects1 at their meetings1 and took part in the same4 ,about the age of twenty-five1 ,i married1 and settled on a small farm of my own4 ,about nine or ten years later than this1 after a fatiguing day's labor1 ,i returned home one evening1 and1 having partaken of my supper1 turned my back to the fire1 as my custom was1 and leaned1 with my head on my arms1 on the chair top1 to rest myself1 and dry my clothes1 which were moistened with the perspiration caused by the heat4 ,my wife retired to rest1 expecting me shortly to follow4 ,thus left alone1 ,i was musing on things generally1 but not particularly on any religious subject1 when a vision of my brother1 who had died some fourteen of fifteen years previous1 appeared before me1 praying4 ,i heard his voice clearly and distinctly1 and listened attentively4 ,in the course of his prayer1 he referred to the great work to be done on the earth during the last days1 quoting several ,scriptures4 ,i did not1 however1 fully comprehend the meaning of them1 until1 coming into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 years after1 ,i saw the applicability of his words to the views of that people1 with regard to the restoration of the gospel gifts1 the great work of gathering the ,saints of all nations in the last days1 and the fullness of the latter-day glory1 for he particularly prayed for the hastening of these things4 ,soon he disappeared from my view1 when suddenly1 to use a ,scripture phrase1 a sound1 as of a rushing mighty wind1 with some accompanying influence1 seemed to fill the house and myself1 and ,i heard a voice saying3 ,this is the spirit of understanding4 ,an open ,bible appeared before me1 so peculiarly placed1 that ,i could see portions of several books of the prophets and apostles at once4 ,directly ,i heard the above words1 ,i began to read1 understanding and intelligence burst upon my mind1 and the glory and beauty that seemed to shine forth in the subjects treated upon1 no language can describe4 ,the despatch with which ,i read1 astonished me1 for ,i seemed able to read a chapter in the time usually occupied in reading a verse1 and the contents of a whole book were laid before my mind about as quickly as otherwise ,i could have perused a single chapter4 ,with the rapidity of lightning1 various truths of the ,bible were presented to my mind1 and what each prophet or apostle had said on each particular subject met my eyes1 in consecutive order1 concentrated and connected1 showing that each and all of those men were inspired by the same ,spirit1 and had a distinct knowledge of the same grand events and glorious truths1 particularly those which ,i had heard my brother pray about4 ,i never before saw such connection between the ,scriptures4 ,what one prophet had said on a subject met my sight1 and directly1 with the quickness of thought1 ,i read what each of the other prophets or apostles had said about the same thing4 ,i saw the whole at a glance1 brought as it were to a focus4 ,such a chain of testimonies1 and an interweaving of evidences1 accompanied with that perception and comprehension which the ,holy ,ghost alone can give1 none can realize but those who have received that ,spirit and revelations unto themselves4 ,such persons know just how it is4 ,i was disturbed1 apparently in the midst of my vision1 by my wife's calling to me1 when the vision left me1 and ,i felt just like a hungry man who is called or snatched suddenly away from a feast4 ,but the joy and peace with which my spirit was filled remained with me1 and ,i glorified ,god4 ,things went on much as usual1 till something like a year afterwards1 when ,i had a singular dream1 which1 as it had a bearing on my future life1 ,i will relate3 ,i dreamed that ,i had been called to preach the gospel1 and the first time ,i thus officiated1 it was in a school-house1 in an adjoining town1 with which ,i was well acquainted4 ,i saw all the members of the congregation1 which was small1 and1 when ,i awoke1 ,i could distinctly remember the position each person occupied in the room4 ,this so impressed my mind that ,i told my wife of it1 and said ,i believed it would be realized2 but she scouted the idea4 ,what was ,i1 a working man1 to do with preaching8 ,well1 at other times1 it would have appeared equally foolish to myself1 but it had been given to me that her mother1 living at the place1 knew by a dream the same thing1 and ,i told this to my wife4 ,at last she promised that1 if it turned out to be the case1 she would believe the dream to be true4 ,in a day or so1 we paid her mother a visit1 and found that she had dreamed1 that night1 that ,i was coming to preach in the town where she lived1 and we learned1 from her friends1 that she had been entreating one of her relatives to carry her to my residence1 that she might tell me of it4 ,although the truth of the dream was thus proved to me1 ,i little thought what doctrines ,i was to preach1 and in connection with what people or church4 ,but ,i was to have greater evidence of the truth of my dream1 as will be seen hereafter4 ,five years more passed1 and ,i was still unconnected with any religious party4 ,at this time1 what were called protracted meetings1 or religious services1 continued for days1 and sometimes weeks1 were very popular in ,america4 ,in common with the ,universalists1 ,i felt unfavorable to the meetings1 but such magnificent reports of their results--the wholesale conversion of souls1 led me to attend one4 ,i humbled myself1 and determined to divest my mind of all prejudice1 and put myself at least in a position to receive all the good that could be obtained4 ,before going1 ,i covenanted with the ,lord1 that if ,he would reveal ,his mind and will unto me1 whatever sacrifice or duty ,he might require at my hands1 ,i would do it4 ,little did ,i think of the way my truthfulness would be tried1 or possibly ,i might have shunned such a contract4 ,as soon as ,i began to attend1 ,i felt the ,spirit of the ,lord operating upon me1 so that ,i seemed filled to overflowing with its teachings4 ,a continual stream of glorious truths passed through my mind1 my happiness was great1 and my mind was so absorbed in spiritual things1 that all the time the meetings lasted1 which was about fifteen days1 ,i scarcely ate or drank anything4 ,at other times1 that which ,i subsisted on during these fifteen days1 could scarcely have sustained life1 but the ,spirit of the ,lord so operated on my system1 that ,i felt full all the time1 and had no desire to eat or partake of anything4 ,the subject of ,freemasonry was just then agitating the public mind1 so that many of the churches were divided about it1 more especially the one to which most of the members attending this meeting belonged1 being divided into ,masons and ,anti-,masons4 ,this meeting was called the ,masonic party4 ,the other minister of the same church held ,anti-,masonic principles1 and refused to meet with the ,masonic party1 and kept most of his party away4 ,this caused a great deal of quarrelling and contention1 and much anger and bad feeling1 of which ,i knew but little until afterwards4 ,i had heard of the two parties1 but had not interested myself in the matter1 and consequently did not care much about it4 ,while sitting in the meeting1 listening to the preaching1 being much interested in what was being said1 the ,spirit of the ,lord came upon me1 and revealed that ,i was to visit the minister of the ,anti-,masonic party1 ,judge ,cushing1 and tell him of his foolishness and wickedness in increasing the spirit of division between those who ought to be united as brethren in one common interest4 ,it rained hard at the time1 and feeling rather taken up with the preaching1 ,i thought ,i would delay until the close of the meeting4 ,this mission to me was a very hard task4 ,how was ,i1 a man from the thrashing-floor1 to reprove a minister1 and1 moreover1 a judge8 ,but a few minutes had scarcely elapsed1 before the word of the ,lord came to me again1 with greater power than before1 that ,i was to go at once6 ,i had covenanted with the ,lord1 and ,i felt determined to fulfill1 if it killed me2 so ,i sprang to my feet1 took my hat1 and departed from the meeting4 ,i found the judge at a public inn1 engaged in making some purchase4 ,i requested to speak with him for a few minutes in private4 ,he said he would attend to me presently4 ,i sat down1 but ,i had hardly done so before the ,spirit of the ,lord was again upon me1 like fire in my bones1 commanding me to deliver my message directly4 ,i again requested to speak with the ,judge1 stating that my business was urgent4 ,he complied this time1 and retired with me outside the house4 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord gave me utterance1 and filled my mouth with words1 and ,i laid before him1 in language which was given me1 the impropriety of his conduct4 ,the same ,spirit bearing witness1 the judge acknowledged his folly1 said he would amend1 and told me that he had spent many sleepless nights as a result of his course4 ,he also said that1 directly ,i sat down1 something told him for what ,i had come1 although ,i was a stranger to him4 ,in fact1 he knew nearly as well before ,i had spoken1 as after4 ,this confirmed my faith that the ,lord had sent me1 but it was a great trial to my feelings at the time4 ,however1 ,i had another trial to undergo1 which occurred some days afterwards during the same meeting4 ,while the minister was preaching1 it was revealed to me to arise and declare to the congregation1 that they1 before coming together to pray for the conversion of others1 ought first to be reconciled one to the other1 so that their gifts of prayer might be accepted by the ,lord4 ,the ,spirit also said1 that some in the congregation were guilty of oppressing the poor1 taking unlawful usury1 oppressing the hireling in his wages1 and many other sins of a similar character4 ,i waited until the preacher had finished his discourse1 during which the idea of having to arise and speak before this congregation of about fifteen hundred people1 most of whom1 being members of ,christian societies1 ,i considered better persons than myself1 filled me with fear1 and the perspiration rolled off me profusely4 ,could such a thing have availed1 ,i would sooner have given five hundred dollars than have buckled up to this task1 but there was no escape2 ,i had covenanted1 and the moment the minister ceased speaking ,i delivered my message4 ,it was received very well by the congregation1 many fancying ,i was converted to their faith1 and1 being blessed with such gifts1 a bit of a prize4 ,on coming out1 two men1 one a justice of the peace1 and the other a colonel1 came up to me4 ,the justice asked why1 if ,i had anything against him1 ,i did not1 as the ,scripture directs1 go to him privately1 and not expose him before all the congregation4 ,the other said1 ,if you have got a man by the throat1 you need not think that because it is pleasant to you1 it is so to him4 ,i told them that as the cap seemed to fit they might wear it4 ,but ,i was much surprised1 for ,i was not aware they were present4 ,about a day previous to the close of this meeting1 ,i received a more important communication than either of the previous ones4 ,a knowledge was given me that the ancient gifts of the gospel--speaking in tongues1 the power to heal the sick1 the spirit of prophecy1 etc41 were just about to be restored to the believers in ,christ4 ,the revelation was a perfect knowledge of the fact1 so sure and certain1 that ,i felt as though the truth had been stereotyped upon me4 ,i knew it from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot1 the whole of my system being filled with the ,holy ,ghost6 ,i can compare it to nothing better than the change made on a clean sheet of paper by a printing press1 leaving an indellible impression behind4 ,as the ,spirit did not tell me to whom these things were to be restored1 ,i at first fancied1 in my ignorance1 that the people with whom ,i had been meeting were about to be blessed with these things1 so ,i joyfully visited the minister of the meeting1 and laid before him the intelligence ,i had received4 ,but1 to my great astonishment1 ,i met with an utter repulse4 ,he told me it was all of the devil1 for such things had ceased forever6 ,had anyone knocked me down with a beetle1 ,i could not have felt more sensibly the opposition between the spirits by which we were actuated4 ,i soon found1 by the bold and determined way in which he fought against the principle of present revelation1 etc41 that it was not to him or his people that these gifts would be given4 ,so ,i sought for them elsewhere4 ,a few days afterwards1 curiosity led me to visit the ,latter-day ,saints1 among whom ,i witnessed a fulfillment of the prediction1 for ,i beheld a manifestation of the gifts of prophecy and tongues1 and received the latter myself4 ,notwithstanding this confirmation which ,i had received of the truth of the ,church of the ,latter-day ,saints was very great1 ,i did not feel sufficiently convinced to be induced to join them at once4 ,i had experienced the ,spirit of the ,lord in a similar way elsewhere1 so that when the ,elders of the ,church1 at this meeting1 urged upon me to yield obedience to the gospel they preached1 which possessed such evidences as the manifestation of the ancient gifts1 ,i treated the ,elders very lightly1 and replied1 that as for the gift of tongues1 ,i could speak in tongues as well as any of them4 ,so ,i could1 for directly one of them manifested this gift1 the gift of tongues rested upon me1 and gave me the same power4 ,thus did the devil seek to blind me1 and turn that testimony which the ,lord had given me for the truth1 almost into an evidence against it6 ,however1 ,i procured a ,book of ,mormon1 and took it home to read1 determined to investigate until ,i was fully satisfied4 ,but ,i had scarcely begun to read1 before ,i felt greatly to dislike the book4 ,ere ,i had perused ten pages1 ,i rejected it altogether4 ,acting in this bigoted manner1 ,i had resigned myself to the evil influence that was gaining power over me1 so that1 directly after1 ,i felt a similar dislike seize me towards the ,bible4 ,its statements of miracles1 etc41 appeared to me to be compounds of the grossest absurdity possible4 ,i could see no light or good in it1 and actually resolved never to read it again6 ,but1 oh6 the darkness that seized me as soon as ,i had made this resolution6 ,the light that was in me became darkness1 and how great it was1 no language can describe4 ,all knowledge of religious truth seemed to forsake me1 and if ,i attempted to quote ,scripture1 my recollection failed1 after the first word or so6 ,so remarkable was this1 that it excited reflection1 and caused me to marvel1 and finally ,i determined to repent of my resolve respecting the ,bible1 and ,i commenced to read again4 ,the book was hardly in my hand1 when1 as in a moment1 my light and recollection returned as usual4 ,this made me rejoice1 and immediately the idea flashed across my mind1 ,what have you done with the ,book of ,mormon8 ,behave as fairly to that4 ,i soon reprocured it4 ,but1 even this time1 ,i felt prejudiced against the book4 ,i resolved1 however1 to read it through1 and ,i persevered in its perusal1 till ,i came to that part where ,jesus1 on visiting the continent of ,america1 after his resurrection1 grants the request of three of the apostles whom he had chosen1 to permit them to live until his second coming on the earth 7like unto ,john spoken of in the ,bible74 ,here my mind half yielded to the belief which arose within me1 that perhaps it might be true1 whereupon ,i took the book and laid it before the ,lord1 and pleaded with ,him in prayer for a testimony whether it was true or false1 and1 as ,i found it stated that the three ,nephites had power to show themselves to any persons they might wish to1 ,jews or ,gentiles1 ,i asked the ,lord to allow me to see them for a witness and testimony of the truth of the ,book of ,mormon1 and ,i covenanted with ,him1 if ,he complied with my request1 that ,i would preach it1 even at the expense of my life1 should it be necessary4 ,the ,lord heard my prayer1 and1 about five days afterwards1 two of the three visited me in my bedroom4 ,i did not see them come1 but ,i found them there4 ,one spoke to me for some time1 and reproved me sharply on account of my behavior at the time when ,i first attended the meeting of the ,saints1 and treated so lightly the gift of tongues4 ,he told me never1 as long as ,i lived1 to do so again1 for ,i had grieved the ,spirit of the ,lord1 by whose power that gift had been given4 ,this personage spoke in the ,nephite language1 but ,i understood1 by the ,spirit which accompanied him1 every word as plainly as if he had spoken in ,english4 ,i recognized the language to be the same as that in which ,i had heard ,father ,fisher speak at the meeting4 ,such a rebuke1 with such power1 ,i never had in my life1 before nor since1 and never wish to have again4 ,i was dumb before my rebuker1 for ,i knew that what he said was right1 and ,i felt deserving of it4 ,how these men went1 ,i do not know1 but directly they were gone1 the ,spirit of the ,lord said to me1 ,now1 you know for yourself6 ,you have seen and heard6 ,if you now fall away1 there is no forgiveness for you4 ,did ,i not know then1 that the ,book of ,mormon was true1 and that ,joseph ,smith was a prophet of the ,lord8 ,surely ,i did1 and ,i do now1 as surely as ,i know that ,i live4 ,the world wonders at the zeal and faith of ,mormon missionaries in diffusing their principles over the world2 but the surprise of the world would soon cease did they know by what evidences the truth of the faith of the ,latter-day ,saints had been made known unto them1 for by such proofs as the foregoing1 and by the revelations of the ,holy ,ghost1 in tongues1 prophecyings1 visions1 etc41 has the work of the last days been attested unto thousands upon thousands1 in ways so peculiar1 and attended with such circumstances1 that no power of sophistry or reason can possibly show these proofs to be the effects of a fanatical mind or a diseased imagination4 ,and even could these proofs be overturned1 the ,latter-day ,saints have still stronger proofs found in the evidences of glorious principles1 never before discovered1 harmonizing with each other1 and every known truth1 and clearing up and connecting ,scripture statements from beginning to end1 unlocking the great science of life1 shedding light on our existence1 and discovering1 in the arrangement and combination of these truths1 an infinite intelligence that none but a mind that knew the end from the beginning could display6 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,last ,,days--,,baptism ,,of ,,the ,,author ,,and ,,four ,,others--,,his ,,wife',s ,,dream ,,and ,,baptism--,,he ,,is ,,ordained ,,an ,,elder--,,visits ,,kirtland--,,on ,,his ,,return1 ,,is ,,attacked ,,by ,,fever--,,is ,,miraculously ,,healed--,,re-,,visits ,,kirtland--,,begins ,,to ,,preach--,,miraculous ,,healing ,,of ,a ,,cancer--,,accident ,,and ,,miraculous ,,healing ,,of ,,jesse ,w4 ,,crosby--,,poison ,,miraculously ,,nullified----,,casting ,,out ,,of ,,evil ,,spirits4 ,i was not baptized directly1 as ,i hoped to have the pleasure of seeing my wife comply with the same ordinance1 when we could enter the ,church together4 ,in the meantime ,i prosecuted my inquiries4 ,shortly after inquiring of the ,lord concerning the truth of the judgments preached by the ,latter-day ,saints as being at hand1 and impending over this generation1 ,i was shown1 in answer1 by a vision1 the various scenes described in the revelations of the ancient prophets4 ,the inhabitants of the earth appeared before me in their various occupations--plowing1 sowing1 fishing1 and engaged in mechanical business4 ,i saw them1 under the infliction of the plagues1 etc41 lift their eyes towards heaven1 curse ,god1 and die4 ,i also saw many other things as predicted by ancient prophets4 ,thus do ,i know the truth of the ,bible as well as of the ,book of ,mormon1 and ,i am witness for both6 ,a whole year and a half ,i deferred my baptism1 still waiting for my wife1 who1 although at first favorable to ,mormonism1 had become a determined enemy to the ,church4 ,when ,i went to hear the ,mormons preach at ,westfield1 a village where the ,twelve ,apostles were holding their first conference1 curiosity had drawn great numbers to hear them1 so that they had crowded meetings all the time4 ,the second day of this conference1 ,i1 with four others1 was baptized by ,elder ,mc,lellin1 and confirmed the same night4 ,while undressing on the banks of the creek1 preparing for the ordinance1 ,satan made a last effort to prevent my entering the ,church4 ,a man1 walking along by the water's side1 came up to me and said1 ,i wish to speak to you for a few minutes before you go into the water4 ,thinking1 of course1 that he was a friend1 or a member of the ,church1 who intended to give me some instruction as to my behavior in the water1 ,i followed him1 and1 having got me to retire some rods off1 he said1 ,have you heard what has come out8 ,no1 ,i replied1 what about8 ,why1 he continued1 concerning the ',mormons4' ,it has been discovered that it is all an imposture1 a regular hoax to deceive the people4 ,the affair has just come to light4 ,if you wait only a little1 you'll hear all about it4 ,at first this completely stunned me1 for ,i was listening very attentively1 considering him one of the ,church1 and for a moment ,i began to question1 but quickly recollecting the manifestations ,i had received1 ,i told him he was a child of the devil1 and ,i pushed past him to the water1 and was baptized at once4 ,this was on the #aeth of ,may1 #ahce4 ,my wife1 who had managed to be present when ,i was going to the water1 and even threatened that she would not live with me1 was1 for a long while after1 7perhaps a year and a half17 bitterly opposed to the work1 but ,i knew from the ,lord that she would come into the ,church1 and ,i told her so4 ,as the way she was at last brought in was very curious1 ,i will mention it4 ,she dreamed one night that a large company of visitors had come to her house1 for whom she had to prepare supper4 ,on going into her buttery to procure the necessary food to cook1 she could only find a small potato1 about the size of a robin's egg1 lying on a wooden trencher4 ,however1 with this small stock she commenced1 and by some wonderful means converted this little affair into a splendid preparation of pies1 puddings1 etc4 ,when they were ready she stood still1 wondering how it had all been done1 for1 as may be supposed1 it puzzled her sorely to conceive how1 from a small potato1 and that on a wooden trencher1 she had produced such an elegant entertainment4 ,just at this moment while she was thus marveling1 ,i was awakened from my sleep1 with a command sounding in my ears that ,i was to say to my wife1 ,don't you remember hearing that you should not despise the day of small things8 ,i was to speak at once1 without waiting4 ,so ,i awoke her1 and without any preface did as ,i was bid4 ,the wonderful concurrence of these words with her dream1 and the self-evident interpretation of it1 referring as it did to her past conduct 7for one of the principal reasons of the opposition she felt to my joining the ,church was1 that she considered it disgraced her to have her husband belong to a ,church that was so poor1 and everywhere spoken against71 so impressed itself upon her mind1 with other confirmations1 that she was baptized1 and has remained firm to the ,church ever since4 ,when ,i had been in the ,church about three months1 ,i was ordained an ,elder1 under the hands of ,jared ,carter4 ,the next day ,i1 with my wife1 went up to ,kirtland1 to visit the ,saints living there4 ,after a very happy time1 during which the book of ,doctrine and ,covenants was first presented to the ,church1 we started for home4 ,while on the lakes1 ,i was attacked by one of the lake fevers prevalent there1 and became very ill indeed4 ,i was1 however1 taken home and put to bed4 ,the same day two ,elders of the ,church called in to see me1 and finding ,i was in such a condition1 they laid their hands upon me4 ,while their hands were yet upon my head1 ,i felt the disease remove from my body1 commencing at the pit of my stomach1 moving gradually upwards towards the hands of the ,elders1 and ,i was made perfectly whole4 ,the same day ,i was out at work milking my cows1 and went around to invite my neighbors to hear the preaching in the evening4 ,this was the first case of healing ,i had ever witnessed4 ,the succeeding winter ,i again went up to ,kirtland1 to attend the dedication of the temple1 and to meet with the solemn assembly that was there convened4 ,there the ,spirit of the ,lord1 as on the day of ,pentecost1 was profusely poured out4 ,hundreds of ,elders spoke in tongues1 but1 many of them being young in the ,church1 and never having witnessed the manifestation of this gift before1 some felt a little alarmed4 ,this caused the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith to pray to the ,lord to withhold the ,spirit4 ,joseph then instructed them on the nature of the gift of tongues1 and the operation of the ,spirit generally4 ,we had a most glorious and never-to-be-forgotten time4 ,angels were seen by numbers present1 and the first endowments were received4 ,it was during this assembly that the ,saints' favorite hymn was given1 by inspiration1 commencing3 ,the ,spirit of ,god1 like a fire1 is burning6 ,the latter-day glory begins to come forth2 ,the visions and blessings of old are returning1 ,the angels are coming to visit the earth4 ,the beauty and applicability of this hymn will be seen by the ,saints1 on reading the third and fourth verses1 when it is recollected that this was a solemn assembly1 and that the ordinance of washing of feet1 etc41 was just then being attended to4 ,it was also at this time that ,elijah the ,prophet appeared1 and conferred upon ,joseph the keys of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children1 previous to the re-institution of the ordinance of baptism for the dead4 ,by this time most of the members of the ,pomphret ,branch1 into which ,i had been baptized1 were gathered up to ,kirtland1 the first gathering-place of the ,saints2 and ,i was left without any one to counsel or direct me as to the way in which ,i should devote my labors in spreading the principles of truth1 when one day the ,word of the ,lord1 by the power of the ,spirit1 came unto me1 saying1 ,i have fourteen sheep in ,portland3 go and gather them2 then go south1 where ,i have twenty-two more1 and gather them also4 ,i then began to preach for the first time1 and for that purpose procured the school-room in ,portland1 and1 through my friends1 circulated a notice that ,i was going to preach4 ,this gathered a small congregation of some thirty or forty people4 ,at the time appointed ,i stood up to address them4 ,as soon as ,i arose on my feet and looked on the congregation1 the dream which ,i had had five years before1 but which ,i had entirely forgotten1 flashed across my recollection4 ,there was the identical room ,i had seen1 with the very people and children1 just in those positions in the place that ,i had described them to my wife years before1 when ,i informed her that ,i dreamed ,i was called to preach the ,gospel6 ,this was summer time4 ,i continued preaching at ,portland until the winter came on1 when1 having baptized a few out of the place1 they met at my house at ,pomphret on ,sundays1 and on the week days ,i extended my labors in the south4 ,as ,i was told1 ,i found just fourteen in ,portland willing to obey the gospel1 and by no exertion of mine could ,i get any more6 ,i also obtained1 in the south1 the twenty-two previously spoken of1 but it was a year and a half before ,i completed the number4 ,not long after receiving the office of ,elder1 ,i was called to lay hands on a sister named ,crowell1 in ,chautauqua ,county1 ,new ,york1 who was afflicted with a cancer4 ,her life was despaired of by herself and her neighbors1 when she sent to me1 telling me to come that night if ,i wished to see her alive6 ,not being able to go then1 ,i prayed the ,lord to give her a good night's rest4 ,i visited her in the morning1 and found that she had had a better night's rest than usual4 ,i found her head1 where the cancer had broken out1 a dreadful sight1 full of cancer worms1 which were eating into the skull1 three pieces of which had come out4 ,i anointed her head with oil1 and prayed the ,lord on her behalf1 and1 being obliged1 left immediately to attend to my hay4 ,the next time ,i saw her was the following ,sunday1 when ,i met her at the meeting4 ,she pulled off her cap1 and showed me her head4 ,it was entirely healed1 and the flesh was as sound as ever4 ,she said that within half an hour after my administering to her1 she felt all the pain1 which had previously been intense1 and1 to use her expression1 like a thousand gimlets boring into her brain1 leave her entirely1 and the wound healed up rapidly4 ,the ,saints that ,i gathered at ,portland1 and that met at my house1 were richly blessed with the various gifts of the ,spirit--tongues1 interpretations1 prophecy1 etc4 ,i will relate an instance or two4 ,one ,sunday morning1 while opening the meeting with prayer1 the gift of tongues came upon me1 but thinking of ,paul's words1 that it is sometimes wisdom not to speak in tongues unless one is present who can interpret1 and forgetting that a sister possessing the gift of interpretation was present1 ,i quenched the ,spirit1 and it left me4 ,immediately after1 another brother spoke in tongues1 the interpretation of which was1 that the ,lord knew we were anxious to learn of the affairs of our brethren in ,missouri1 and that if we would humble ourselves before ,him1 and ask1 ,he would reveal unto us the desires of our hearts4 ,missouri was some thousand miles from ,portland4 ,we accordingly bowed again in supplication before the ,lord1 and1 after rising from our knees and re-seating ourselves1 the same brother broke out singing in tongues in a low1 mournful strain4 ,but judge our feelings when the interpretation was given1 and was found to be some thirteen or fourteen verses of poetry1 descriptive of affairs in ,missouri1 and the murder of our brethren there1 telling us that just at that time-- ,our brethren lay bleeding on the ground1 ,with their wives and children weeping around4 ,we had so often proved the truth of similar communications1 that we felt as assured of the truth of this shocking news as though our eyes actually beheld the horrid sight4 ,our hearts were filled with sorrow4 ,in a fortnight afterwards we received a letter from ,john ,p4 ,greene1 a faithful ,elder of the ,church in ,missouri1 who was1 at the time he managed to write1 secreted in the woods4 ,the letter detailed and confirmed all the events previously revealed in tongues1 proving that on the very day we had been informed of the transactions occurring a thousand miles off1 the bleeding corpses of our brethren lay stretched on the ground after the slaughter4 ,it was either at or about this time1 that the massacre at ,haun's ,mill took place4 ,when ,elders ,orson ,hyde and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball visited ,england on the first mission to that country1 and while we were yet ignorant of their success1 it was revealed in tongues at this same branch1 that just at the time we had the gift1 those ,elders were standing with a large multitude around some waters1 attending to the ordinance of baptism4 ,information afterwards received from ,england confirmed this statement in all its parts4 ,such things as these1 oft repeated1 confirmed our faith1 and1 ,i ask1 is it wonderful1 possessing such evidences that the ,lord was with the ,church1 as those mentioned in the previous narrations1 that neither reproach1 drivings1 burnings1 robbings1 nor even murderings1 should be able to quench our love for the truth which had gained us such blessings8 ,there was not a branch in the whole of the ,church that did not possess abundance of such testimonies4 ,here1 in these and the following statements1 is the testimony of one individual only4 ,but could ,i crowd into this little work all that ,i have witnessed of the kind1 and then add to it the collected testimonies of the thousands in ,america alone1 leaving out ,europe altogether1 it would present a flood of testimony of a mightier and more conclusive kind than has been given to authenticate any truth ever submitted to the world4 ,one of the fourteen persons converted at ,portland was a young man named ,jesse ,w4 ,crosby1 and1 as it may prove interesting to many of the ,saints1 ,i will relate something that particularly affected him1 occurring in his history4 ,he had been engaged with his brother and brother-in-law1 in felling trees in a wood4 ,the trees grew very close together1 and one which they cut down had1 in falling1 struck another1 and broken off one of its limbs1 which hung suspended by the other branches4 ,it is a very common thing in forest country1 to see dry1 detached limbs hanging in this way for months1 and sometimes years1 without falling4 ,this one was about ten or eleven feet long1 and as thick as a man's thigh1 and very high up the tree4 ,not apprehending danger1 ,jesse was working without his hat1 just under this branch4 ,suddenly1 a movement1 caused by the wind1 shook the tree1 and the loose branch fell from a hight of at least sixty feet1 striking him on the crown of his head1 crushing him to the earth4 ,the violence of the blow broke in a portion of his skull1 forming a hollow about as large as the palm of a man's hand4 ,his neck and shoulders were also much injured4 ,altogether1 a more deplorable object ,i never saw in my life4 ,he was carried home by his friends1 most of whom were members of the ,church1 and his father1 who was not a member1 procured a doctor1 who pronounced ,jesse's case desperate1 unless1 on removing the broken part of the skull1 it should be found that the skin of the brain was still entire1 when1 by using a silver plate over the exposed portion1 a chance might still exist of his life4 ,the doctor proceeded to cut ,jesse's head for that purpose1 but was stopped by his mother1 who strongly objected to this experiment1 and sent for me to administer to him4 ,i was then eight miles off1 and at the time of my arrival he had not spoken1 nor scarcely indicated any signs of life4 ,going into the room where he lay1 ,i found it filled with the neighbors1 who were mostly enemies of the ,church4 ,sneers and jeers of ,here comes the ,mormon1 we'll soon see whether he can heal now1 saluted my ears on all sides4 ,from a sign which ,i had received while on my way1 ,i knew ,jesse would recover1 and being reminded1 on account of the reason given in the previous remarks1 that such people should not be privileged to behold a manifestation of the power of ,god1 ,i1 like ,peter of old1 cleared the house of all but ,jesse's relatives1 and administered to him in the name of the ,lord4 ,jesse then recovered sufficiently to speak1 after which he fell into a peaceful sleep1 and1 before morning1 was altogether better4 ,in less than four days from the time of receiving this terrible accident1 from which there seemed no human probability that he could recover1 or1 if he did1 only to survive the loss of reason1 he was again at work in the woods hauling timber1 the wound being entirely healed up4 ,since then1 he1 as an ,elder of this ,church1 has been on missions to various parts of the world1 including ,england1 and has also fulfilled a mission to ,nova ,scotia4 ,the above case of healing occurred in the winter4 ,another very remarkable case of prophecy and healing came under my observation the following spring4 ,a revelation was given by the ,spirit1 in tongues1 to the effect that one of our number would be poisoned by the enemies of the ,church1 and be brought nigh unto death1 but that if she was faithful and sent for the ,elders of the ,church1 she should be restored4 ,this warning was repeated twice at intervals of about a month4 ,on the last occasion1 in addition1 it was stated that the person giving the interpretation would be the sufferer4 ,this terrible idea so affected her that she was completely overcome4 ,after recovering she proceeded home1 and the weather being warm she drank of some sweetened water1 which she had prepared in the morning for use1 and had left in an exposed situation4 ,when she had drank a second time she felt her mouth burn4 ,she immediately declared she was poisoned1 and commenced reaching violently until she became blind4 ,her husband1 after procuring a person to stay with her1 went for one of the ,elders1 but as he had to go some six miles before he returned with myself1 she was to all appearance dead1 and had not been perceived to breathe for an hour4 ,upon arriving at the house1 ,i asked the ,lord to cause her to breathe if she was to recover4 ,upon looking at her closely ,i perceived that she gave two distinct gasps1 such as are usually given when the breath is leaving the body4 ,had ,i not seen this1 ,i should have concluded that she was dead1 for the women who were watching with her said1 directly we entered1 that she was dead1 and had been so for an hour4 ,i then administered to her in the name of ,jesus1 and prayed the ,lord to preserve her life till my son-in-law returned with some oil he had gone to procure4 ,as soon as ,i had done this she was able to speak sufficiently1 in a whisper1 to ask for some water1 but1 so great was her weakness1 that she fell on her face when raised to receive the water4 ,the oil arriving1 we administered some to her internally1 in the name of the ,lord1 when she arose without any assistance1 saying1 ,i am healed6 ,i am well6 but ,i am blind6 ,i then anointed her eyes1 telling her that she should see the light of day4 ,her sight immediately returned1 and the next day1 she1 with her husband1 was on her way to ,illinois4 ,the cause of her going there so suddenly was that it had been given in tongues1 directly after her recovery1 that unless her husband departed at once from that place1 both of them would be poisoned4 ,with what had just occurred before their eyes1 they needed no second warning this time4 ,this was the same woman that was healed of the cancer4 ,the signs spoken of include the casting out of devils4 ,this recalls to my remembrance something of the kind which occurred at the ,pomphret branch1 previous to which ,i had had but very little experience as to what may be termed the physical power of the devil4 ,i was then far from the body of the ,church1 consequently1 what ,i learned1 ,i had to find out by experience1 having no one to tell me4 ,the case was that of a sister who was possessed1 and whom ,i1 with two other ,elders1 was called upon to visit4 ,directly we entered her room1 she called out1 ,take your shoes from off your feet2 this is holy ground1 the ,prophet ,elijah is here4 ,i saw the spirit by which she was influenced1 so ,i walked up to her and said1 ,i am a servant of the ,lord1 ,i obey no command of the devil4 ,she became uproarious directly1 for all who had gone in previously had complied with her directions4 ,as soon as we attempted to rebuke the evil spirit in the name of the ,lord1 she arose up from the bed on her feet1 without apparently bending a joint in her body1 as stiff as a rod of iron4 ,from this we saw the power with which we had to contend2 and1 failing at first to eject the spirit1 we bowed ourselves in prayer before the ,lord1 and asked him to assist us4 ,the evil spirit then came out full of fury1 and1 as he passed by one of the brethren1 seized him by both arms and gripped them violently4 ,passing towards me1 something1 which by the feel appeared like a man's hand1 grasped me by both sides of the face1 and attempted to pull me sideways to the ground1 but the hold appearing to slip1 ,i recovered my balance immediately4 ,my face was sore for some days after this4 ,the other brother that was seized was lame for a week afterwards4 ,as soon as this was done1 the sister partly recovered1 so much so that she obeyed everything ,i chose to tell her to do1 whereas1 before1 she was perfectly ungovernable4 ,still she seemed to be surrounded by some evil influence4 ,this puzzled us1 for we knew the spirit was cast out1 but we learned the cause afterwards4 ,just then it was revealed to us that if we went to sleep the devil would enter one of the brethren4 ,my nephew1 ,melvin ,brown1 neglected the warning1 and composed himself to sleep in an arm chair1 while we were still watching with the sister4 ,directly he did so the devil entered into him1 and he became black in the face1 and nearly suffocated4 ,he awoke immediately1 and motioned for us to lay hands on him1 for he could not speak4 ,we did so1 and the evil spirit then left him1 and he recovered at once4 ,about a week afterwards the same spirit re-entered the sister1 and this time fully confessed his character4 ,in answer to our enquiries1 he said his name was ,legion4 ,this explained how it was that the woman1 after we had cast out an evil spirit1 was under an evil influence1 for there must have been many spirits4 ,he also reviled our priesthood1 but he had to submit to it at last1 saying to us1 ,o6 you have the priesthood have you8 ,well1 then1 cast me out1 command me to come out1 trying to shake our faith1 and thus incapacitate us to rebuke him successfully4 ,failing in this1 he tried another method by entering me4 ,i felt seized by a strange influence1 and to every question put to the woman ,i knew the answer she was going to give1 for ,i was possessed by a similar spirit4 ,this broke the chain of our union and strength1 consequently ,i requested the ,elders to rebuke the evil spirit from me1 after which1 at our united rebuke1 he left the woman4 ,previous to this the sister had been a very faithful ,saint1 and she ever afterwards was1 but she had given the devil ground by encouraging a spirit contrary to the order of the ,church1 taking upon herself to rebuke the ,elders1 and he claimed his right by virtue of her transgression4 ,no doubt one object of the ,lord in permitting him to exercise his physical power was to give me experience of such facts1 without which ,i never could have known2 but ,i1 like many others who may read this record1 might have argued my ignorance of such things as a proof that they did not exist1 except in imagination4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,,removal ,,to ,,nauvoo--,,sickness--,,miraculously ,,healed--,,acquire ,,considerable ,,property--,,acquaintance ,,with ,,joseph ,,smith--,,missions ,,to ,,albany1 ,,and ,,the ,,eastern ,,states2 ,,also1 ,,with ,,elder ,j4 ,w4 ,,crosby1 ,,to ,,nova ,,scotia--,,preach ,,in ,,jefferson ,,co41 ,n4 ,y41 ,,and ,,organize ,,six ,,branches ,,of ,,the ,,church--,,travel ,,to ,,new ,,brunswick--,,invited ,,to ,,preach--,,baptisms--,,persecution--,,t he ,,author ,,waylaid ,,by ,a ,,mob1 ,,beaten1 ,,and ,,left ,,for ,,dead--,,attack ,,on ,,the ,,house ,,where ,,he ,,and ,,elder ,,crosby ,,were ,,in ,,bed--,,the ,,mob ,,dispersed ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,shelton--,,they ,,return ,,and ,,re-,,attack ,,the ,,house--,,are ,,dispersed ,,by ,,mr4 ,,shelton--,,two ,,branches ,,organized4 ,the doctrine of the gathering had been taught the ,saints1 at ,pomphret1 and1 in common with the others1 ,i felt a great desire to gather up and live with the body of the ,church4 ,with this idea ,i endeavored to dispose of my farm1 but failure in my efforts to do this was the only thing that saved me from a share in the ,missouri persecutions4 ,the winter previous to the poisoning case ,i sold my farm1 and the time for me to vacate expired just before this took place4 ,for several months ,i was preparing to remove1 getting teams1 wagons1 etc4 ,when the time arrived1 with my wife and children1 and part of the branch1 including the woman who had been poisoned and her husband1 ,i started to find the ,church1 thinking it was still in ,missouri1 though we had heard that it had been mobbed and broken up4 ,we journeyed until we came to ,springfield1 about a hundred miles from ,nauvoo1 where we met with some brethren who had been driven out of ,missouri1 and who told us that the ,church was collecting in ,nauvoo1 then called ,commerce4 ,we turned our course in that direction1 and arrived there in ,june1 the weather being very warm at the time4 ,we found brothers ,joseph ,smith and ,sidney ,rigdon there1 with a few others4 ,the rest were coming in daily1 in a most distressed condition4 ,many of them were sick1 and they had no house to enter when they arrived4 ,the nature of the climate1 combined with the hardships they had endured1 soon made those ill who were not so previously4 ,numbers of the sick and dying had to lie on the ground1 with only a blanket over them4 ,no springs or wells were handy1 and the ,mississippi water was unfit to drink1 so that many had to go miles for water to give to the afflicted4 ,sometimes one would go on horseback with a jug1 and fetch a little for the sick1 and take it round to them4 ,it was frequently declared that the persecutions in ,missouri were small matters compared to the miseries endured at this period in ,nauvoo4 ,my family1 with myself1 were also taken sick1 and ,i laid so for two or three weeks4 ,i was so far gone that ,i was quite senseless1 and all thought ,i was dying4 ,doubtless ,i should have died1 but one day ,joseph ,smith was passing by my door 7for ,i had managed to procure a house7 and was called in1 and1 as ,i was afterwards informed1 laid his hands upon me1 and commanded me to arise and walk1 in the name of the ,lord4 ,the first thing ,i knew was that ,i found myself walking on the floor1 perfectly well1 and within ten minutes afterwards ,i was out of the house visiting my daughter1 whom ,i had not seen for nearly a month4 ,i felt so full of joy and happiness1 that ,i was greatly surprised that every one else was not as full of praise as myself4 ,this was the second time that ,i had been healed instantly by the power of ,god1 through ,his servants4 ,attempts had been made to build a city on the site of ,nauvoo1 previous to the entrance of the ,saints1 but all the inhabitants1 with the exception of three or four families1 had died1 and the ,saints used the deserted houses as far as they would go4 ,it was a common saying among the inhabitants of the surrounding country that1 if the ,mormons could live here1 they could live anywhere4 ,it truly was a most unhealthy spot1 filled with ponds and stagnant water1 left by the overflowing of the ,mississippi river1 afflicting all the neighborhood with fever and ague4 ,from this condition ,i saw the city become1 through the industry of the ,saints1 a healthy and prosperous place1 being drained of these swamps1 etc4 ,i lived there until ,i had accumulated considerable property4 ,during this time1 about seven years1 ,i had frequent opportunities of continuing my acquaintance with ,joseph ,smith1 seeing him nearly every day4 ,from my actual knowledge1 ,i can testify to the purity and uprightness of his life1 and ,i know that he was a man of ,god4 ,i had every opportunity to acquire this information1 for1 when escaping from his enemies1 he has lived sometimes for a week at a time at my residence4 ,during this period several missions were appointed me1 one to the north of ,albany1 where ,i succeeded in baptizing a goodly number2 another to the ,eastern ,states4 ,about a year previous to the death of ,joseph1 with ,jesse ,w4 ,crosby1 who had friends in that part1 ,i was assigned a mission to ,nova ,scotia4 ,our route lay through ,chicago1 a distance of two hundred miles1 which we walked4 ,we then1 by steamer1 passed down the northern lakes to ,buffalo1 a journey of at least a thousand miles1 and again took steamer on ,lake ,ontario1 about four hundred miles further1 and arrived at ,sackett's ,harbor4 ,as we were destitute of means to prosecute our journey further1 and1 as ,i had some relatives living at hand1 we concluded to stop and preach awhile1 until we could procure means to go on1 but the weather coming on very cold1 the rivers froze over1 and we were compelled to spend the winter in this place4 ,this brought me into the region of country where ,i had lived for ten years when a young man4 ,the first place we commenced at was in the town of ,lime1 ,jefferson ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,here we procured a school-house4 ,two ministers1 who usually occupied the room1 greatly opposed us at the close of our preaching1 and endeavored to set the people against us1 but they displayed such a weak1 mean spirit1 that their congregation left them4 ,one minister1 who had a regular salary with a small farm1 for his preaching1 had them taken from him1 and many of his followers became members of the ,church4 ,we confined our labors chiefly to ,jefferson ,co41 where we found a few scattered members1 and managed to raise up some six branches1 consisting of about two hundred members4 ,these were abundantly blessed with the gifts of tongues1 prophecy1 healings1 etc41 and the branches became very strong in the faith4 ,while we were here1 ,i felt very anxious to know of the position of affairs at head quarters1 and besought the ,lord to enlighten me on the subject4 ,he did so1 revealing unto me1 through the gift of tongues1 the interpretation of which was given to myself1 many things concerning the ,church1 the temple ordinances at ,nauvoo1 and several other things1 that ,i found1 on my return to that place1 to be strictly true4 ,just at this time the spring was coming on1 and the ,st4 ,lawrence river began to clear from ice1 so that we were able to continue our journey to ,nova ,scotia4 ,previous to our departure we had a farewell meeting with the ,saints4 ,it was a delightful meeting1 and they rejoiced much1 for the ,spirit of the ,lord was greatly poured out4 ,during the meeting1 a little boy stood up and spoke in tongues1 the tears rolling down his face all the time4 ,the interpretation stated that1 after leaving that place1 ,i should go to another1 where ,i should be mobbed and left for dead1 and that the blood should run down from my head on my clothes and on the ground4 ,i took this for a timely warning1 and thought that1 by prudence1 ,i might escape4 ,accordingly1 by great caution1 ,i kept clear of much that ,i might have suffered4 ,we passed down the ,st4 ,lawrence river1 and1 after preaching a few times at ,montreal1 passed on to ,quebec1 where we distributed a few books1 but the priests would not allow us to preach4 ,at this place we wished to take the steamboat to ,nova ,scotia1 but our means were inadequate1 and the captain refused to lower the fare4 ,again we were frustrated in our purpose to proceed on our mission4 ,this was our position when1 one day1 as ,elder ,crosby and ,i were walking about ,quebec1 wondering what we should do to accomplish our purpose1 we came in contact with a gentleman who told us a plan by which we might fulfill our mission--going on a sailing vessel to the mouth of the river ,delieu1 then by land to the head waters of ,st4 ,johns river1 ,new ,brunswick2 then to buy a canoe1 and paddle down that river to the mouth1 where we could1 for a small sum1 take ship any day for ,nova ,scotia4 ,this advice we concluded to act upon1 but before we left ,quebec1 as our journey seemed to be diverted from its original purpose1 ,i prayed the ,lord to show us1 in vision1 those people among whom he wished us to stop and confine our efforts1 for our mission to ,nova ,scotia had been assigned to us at the request of ,brother ,crosby1 whose friends lived in that part1 and was more to comply with his desire than from any prior intention the ,presidency had with regard to the place4 ,descending ,st4 ,john's river in the canoe1 we overtook a man on a raft1 who asked us several questions1 and finally we told him that we were preachers of the gospel4 ,after hearing this he invited us to stop at his house1 about twenty miles farther down the river1 and preach there on the ,sunday4 ,this we did4 ,we had a large congregation1 and found a fine opening for the spread of the truth4 ,at the close of the meeting1 at which ,i preached and ,elder ,crosby bore testimony1 we were invited to dine with a family residing there4 ,the wife of our host told us that1 about two or three months before1 the minister that had preached in that part of the country had left1 and they were without any religious instructor1 when she prayed the ,lord to send some faithful person to supply his place4 ,thus engaged1 she was shown in a vision two men1 the elder of whom was preaching1 but the other delivered an exhortation of a different kind4 ,the doctrine1 she said1 was new to her1 but it seemed true4 ,she also recollected distinctly the clothes and appearance of these men1 and1 to her great surprise and pleasure1 recognized them in the persons of ,elder ,crosby and myself1 directly we entered the room4 ,of course our hearts were cheered at hearing this1 and we felt assured that the ,lord was working in the vineyard with ,his servants4 ,we commenced to baptize soon afterwards1 and the ,spirit of the ,lord was mightily poured out1 in proportion to which the powers of darkness began to manifest themselves through the unbelievers4 ,but that which enraged our opponents most was the baptism of some of the greatest men in the place4 ,all manner of lies began to circulate about our conduct and intentions4 ,among other things1 it was stated that we were in the habit of interrupting public meetings1 and many such statements were privately forwarded to the governor of ,new ,brunswick by the religious ministers and others of our enemies4 ,this led him to send down an order to three justices of the peace to convene a meeting1 and produce whatever kind of evidence could be procured1 either for or against1 and report accordingly4 ,before this meeting was held we ascertained that these justices1 who were our most bitter enemies1 had been searching law books for something to lay hold of us with1 and had found an old statute1 applying to the whole of the province1 forbidding all dissenters to hold public religious services without a written license from the governor4 ,but the spirit of their purpose was shown by the fact that they had never put this law in force against the numerous dissenters that had flourished there--in fact1 two of these justices were dissenters themselves4 ,the day of the meeting arrived1 and all manner of witnesses that could be raked together were produced--among others a negro's evidence was taken1 who had previously been convicted of taking a false oath4 ,but for the purpose of this holy tribunal this testimony was good enough6 ,what mattered8 ,he was not for the defense--upon which side of the question it did not occur to the justices1 as a necessary thing1 to call for any witnesses whatever4 ,i quickly discovered that it was high time to stir in the matter1 or possibly the next discovery would be that we were inmates of a jail2 so1 taking the advice of ,squire ,shelton1 a gentleman whom we had baptized1 ,i waited with him on ,judge ,bardsley1 the judge of the county1 who had frequently attended our meetings1 and ,i procured a certificate from him that he had done so1 and had heard nothing injurious to the people or the government4 ,with this and a similar certificate from ,mr4 ,shelton1 who was also a justice of the peace1 ,brother ,crosby and ,i went to the governor's residence1 and obtained an interview2 but we found him most terribly prejudiced against us1 and very ignorant of law and gospel4 ,he broke down1 however1 before the arguments of his aid-de-camp and counsel1 who pleaded on our behalf1 after battling with him for about two hours4 ,the result was1 that all law proceedings against us were stopped4 ,this enraged our enemies so much that our lives became endangered1 and1 to escape their violence1 we had to sleep in the woods1 and do our baptizing in the night1 as their determination was to mob us the first opportunity4 ,unfortunately1 one of them overheard me promise to visit one of the brethren after ,i had been preaching one day4 ,this mobber1 with a party of about ten others1 waylaid me4 ,some of them held me while the rest beat me about the head with their fists2 but not being able to bruise me sufficiently in this manner1 one of them took off one of my boots1 and belabored me about the head with the heel of it until ,i was covered with blood1 which ran down on to my clothes and the ground4 ,some of them then threw me down1 and jumped upon me with their knees until they broke several of my ribs4 ,all this while ,i had been calling out loudly1 whenever they did not stop my mouth4 ,but it suddenly occurred to me that1 if ,i were to pretend to be dead they would leave me1 thinking their murderous work accomplished2 so ,i groaned loudly as if dying1 and resigned myself into their hands1 holding my breath as much as possible4 ,this succeeded1 the darkness of the night favoring my purpose1 and they left me1 and ran off as fast as they could4 ,directly they were gone ,i arose1 though with great difficulty1 and went into a house not far distant1 where ,i washed the blood off my person1 and ,elder ,crosby1 who also came there1 laid hands upon me4 ,the mob1 however1 by some means discovering that ,i was not yet dead1 and that ,elder ,crosby was with me1 met1 and resolved to attack the house that night1 and1 if possible1 get possession of both of us1 after which they purposed to cut off ,elder ,crosby's ears1 tar and feather us1 carry us out into the middle of ,st4 ,johns river1 and1 after tying stones to our feet1 sink us both4 ,the first intimation that we received of this determination was by a wooden rail being hurled against the window4 ,the rail broke through the window1 came in upon the bed where we were sleeping1 and awoke us both4 ,we immediately sprang up1 and ,elder ,crosby rushed to the door where they were hammering to get in4 ,he held it as well as he could1 but in another moment they would have succeeded1 had not ,mrs4 ,shelton1 who had been alarmed by the noise1 come upon them unexpectedly with a lighted candle1 and surprised them in the act4 ,this frightened them1 and1 alarmed lest they should be known1 they fled with the rest that had been posted at the other parts of the house4 ,we were quiet after this for about an hour1 and ,justice ,shelton1 at whose house we were stopping1 went to alarm the neighbors and his son1 who lived some distance off1 so that we might have assistance in case of the mob returning4 ,the mob returned while he was gone1 having recruited their spirits with whisky4 ,they made a second attack upon the house1 trying another door this time4 ,but ,elder ,crosby held the door with an iron grasp and the resolution of a lion1 so they were again unsuccessful4 ,after drinking round they tried a third time1 and one of them managed to get his arm through the door opening1 but while doing so he was caught round the waist in the arms of ,mr4 ,shelton's son1 who1 with several others entered the place at the moment4 ,and thus the ,lord delivered us out of their hands1 for they were not long dispersing themselves after this4 ,several of them were recognized by our friends4 ,these ,mr4 ,shelton put under bonds1 but they threatened to burn his house and barn if he attempted to prosecute2 and fearing that the government1 from its dislike to the ,saints1 would refuse to back him up1 he was compelled to let these mobbers go1 and we remained without redress4 ,in the foregoing recital1 the reader will perceive how fully the word of the ,lord1 spoken in tongues by the youth before we left ,jefferson ,county1 was fulfilled4 ,the next day1 by the blessing of ,god1 ,i recovered sufficiently to walk seventeen miles and preach1 but my face was discolored1 and ,i could only see with one eye4 ,i took for my text1 ,paul's words1 thrice have ,i been beaten with stripes1 etc4 and1 as may be supposed1 my personal appearance furnished a very favorable evidence1 on behalf of my argument1 that the same effects--violence and death1 followed the preaching of the gospel in these days1 as did anciently4 ,notwithstanding our persecutions we did not leave the country1 but continued to preach1 fearless of opposition1 until we had baptized about fifty1 and organized two branches4 ,these were also visited abundantly with the signs following1 and the ,saints rejoiced greatly in the work4 ,the persecution was a failure in ,satan's calculation2 it only excited curiosity and awakened attention to our principles4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,,return ,,to ,,nauvoo--,,sent ,,to ,,jefferson ,,county ,,on ,a ,,tithing ,,mission--,,return ,,with ,a ,,thousand ,,dollars--,,remove ,,west ,,with ,,the ,,church--,,stay ,,at ,,winter ,,quarters--,,ordained ,,bishop--,,scurvy ,,in ,,camp--,,hire ,,out ,,in ,,missouri--,,arrive ,,in ,,salt ,,lake ,,valley--,,elder ,,kimball',s ,,prophecy ,,and ,,its ,,fulfillment4 ,the work in ,new ,brunswick rolled on prosperously1 but the time came when we had calculated to be at home4 ,we had heard1 too1 that our beloved ,prophet had been murdered in ,carthage jail1 and we naturally felt anxious to know how things were with our families and friends at ,nauvoo4 ,our parting with the ,saints in ,new ,brunswick was not very pleasant1 as may be supposed4 ,as we were leaving the place1 while stopping by some water1 waiting to cross by means of the ferry1 we were overtaken by two persons1 who requested us to baptize them4 ,this we did1 and confirmed them on the spot--such was the spirit of the work in that region4 ,we returned by way of ,boston1 where ,i left ,brother ,crosby4 ,i arrived at ,nauvoo safely1 but ,i had scarcely been there three weeks before ,i was again sent to ,jefferson ,co41 this time on a tithing mission4 ,i got back in about four months1 carrying with me about a thousand dollars which the ,saints had donated towards building the temple of the ,lord4 ,while ,i was on my mission to ,new ,brunswick1 the ,church promised the mob to leave ,nauvoo by the next grass time--spring1 so that when ,i returned the second time the city was all excitement4 ,all that could were selling out1 some were disposing of their things by auction1 for whatever could be got1 while others would take cart-loads of furniture out into the country1 and swap it for money or cattle2 for1 ready or not ready1 the mob meant to have the ,saints out by the time stated4 ,my property was rather more pleasantly situated than many others'1 and ,i succeeded in getting the munificent sum of #bej for my house and orchard1 the nursery to which contained six thousand young grafted fruit trees1 and was worth #c1jjj at least4 ,many of the ,saints would have been glad to have got off with no greater sacrifice than myself1 but as the time drew near1 the prices offered for our property fell in proportion4 ,some of the ,saints did not get half as much as ,i did1 for property equally valuable4 ,others got nothing at all1 but had to leave their houses just as they were1 and those living in the outskirts of the city were saved the sacrifice of selling their houses for less than their worth1 for the mob burned about three hundred of them down1 and destroyed the property of the owners4 ,the ,saints were hard at work all the winter making wagons4 ,the people that came into the city were astonished to see the hundreds and thousands of wagons that were turned out in a few months4 ,in ,february1 #ahdf1 the authorities took the lead1 crossed the river ,mississippi with a large camp1 and stopped some seven or eight miles from the water on the other side1 waiting for the snow to go off1 which just then had fallen heavily4 ,in consequence of this they had no food for their cattle1 and being at the end of regular settlements1 had great difficulty in procuring any food1 but as soon as possible they were on the move4 ,when the general emigration of the main body of the ,church came on1 it was pretty much all at once4 ,on the ,nauvoo side of the river two or three hundred wagons were waiting at one time for the ferry4 ,in these wagons the ,saints had to sleep1 cooking their food on the beach4 ,although all the boats and ferries that could be had were employed1 this state of things continued for upwards of a month4 ,all the opposite shore was covered with wagons in which the ,saints were living1 but multitudes were without any protection from the weather1 except tents made with blankets1 under one of which a whole family had to live4 ,a scene of human suffering and endurance for the gospel's sake1 on so large a scale1 has seldom if ever before been seen on the earth4 ,the sufferings of the ,saints during their expulsion from ,missouri1 and their entrance to ,nauvoo1 were perhaps more intense1 but not so many ,saints endured them4 ,picture1 dear reader1 to yourself1 the case of thousands--they had been mobbed and plundered in ,missouri1 had escaped only as fugitives1 and had arrived at a new location1 ,nauvoo1 only to see their families die off around them by the fever and ague of that place4 ,after surviving these troubles1 cheering up1 beginning life afresh1 and seeing this abode of death converted1 by incessant toil1 into a garden of health and prosperity1 fancy to yourself the feelings of the ,saints when called upon to resign these blessings1 made doubly valuable by being so dearly paid for1 and to exchange them for a barren wilderness1 a prospect of a thousand miles' journey across untracked plains and mountains1 and the probability of death on the journey1 or of starvation afterwards4 ,will the annals of history present a similar case8 ,the exodus of ,moses and his bands was not equal to it1 for he had a goodly land to promise his hosts--a land flowing with milk and honey1 to cheer their spirits up4 ,they only had to enter upon the already cultivated land of their enemies4 ,but here were twenty thousand people starting to locate a thousand miles beyond the borders of civilized life1 over what had always been considered impassable mountains4 ,reports had arrived of ,colonel ,fremont's exploration1 and the hardships he had suffered1 but here were not only men1 but thousands of women and children1 starting on the same hazardous journey1 not only temporarily to endure these difficulties1 but proposing to make a settled home in those dreary wilds1 and live where they were told not a spear of wheat could be raised4 ,notwithstanding all these things1 the recollection of past hardships1 and the prospect of those in the future1 the ,saints were not dispirited1 but from their abodes ascended the sound of joy and of rejoicing1 to think that they had at last a prospect of getting beyond the power of their enemies4 ,shortly the first camp moved on1 and the rest of the ,saints came up to it in succession1 but not until the first camp had crossed the ,missouri river4 ,here the command was1 ,stop and raise grain to go on with next year1 for we had a thousand miles' journey ahead1 and not a settlement on the road2 besides1 unless we wished to starve1 we must have grain to sow our lands when we got there4 ,so1 at the word1 a spot was selected and1 before many weeks had passed1 lands in all directions were fenced in1 and a city composed of roughly-built houses and wagons1 and called ,winter ,quarters1 sprang into existence4 ,as the winter was1 however1 just coming on1 of course we could not put in any grain until the spring4 ,we began1 then1 more than ever1 to feel the destitution of our position1 for want of vegetables had brought on the scurvy1 the provisions of many became exhausted1 and our prospects of a fresh supply seemed rather distant4 ,the city was laid out in wards1 over each of which a ,bishop was appointed4 ,one of these wards was committed to me1 and this1 of course1 entailed upon me the care of the poor--no trifling matter under such circumstances4 ,it would take no small space to describe all the expedients to which ,i was often driven in fulfillment of this duty1 for the little stock ,i had of my own was soon gone1 and still the poor had not done eating4 ,what was to be done8 ,i went to ,president ,young1 and very pathetically told him that all my grain was gone1 and ,i had not the first shilling in my possession with which to get any more4 ,all the consolation ,i got from him was some instruction to feed them well1 and take care they have enough to eat1 and it would not do for a ,saint to say he could not4 ,so ,i had to scheme4 ,i borrowed ten dollars from a sister who possessed a small store4 ,i then crossed the ,missouri river1 and laid the money out in meal and meat4 ,but when this was gone ,i had to borrow of some one else to pay her1 and then of some one else to pay him4 ,i borrowed until ,i made my debt up to fifty dollars1 and no more chance of payment appeared than at first4 ,who would not have been a ,bishop then8 ,fortunately1 just at this juncture1 the lost cattle of one who had died in my ward came into my hands1 and ,i sold them for fifty dollars4 ,i paid my debt1 and was ready to commence borrowing again with a clear conscience4 ,the ,pioneers started for the mountains to seek out a resting place for the ,saints1 and the body of those that remained began to raise corn4 ,i and many others left our families1 went down into ,missouri1 and hired ourselves out to obtain means to buy teams1 clothes1 flour1 etc41 so that we might follow the ,pioneers' camp4 ,when the time arrived the ,saints moved out promiscuously1 and1 after crossing the ,elk ,horn river1 they were organized into two large divisions called ,brigham's and ,heber's companies4 ,these were subdivided into smaller companies of hundreds1 fifties and tens1 and in this way the ,saints proceeded across the plains4 ,in ,september1 #ahdg1 we found that the ,pioneers and others of the ,saints that had gone into the ,valley shortly after them1 had been hard at work sowing all the winter1 for every wagon had taken about two bushels of grain1 consequently1 most of the wheat that the crickets had not harvested on their own account1 the inhabitants had1 and they had raised a considerable quantity of vegetables also4 ,and1 as it is well known1 after we had been in the ,valley about a fortnight1 they prepared a splendid feast1 composed mostly of the fruits of their labor1 to which feast all the ,saints and strangers in the valley were invited4 ,such numbers1 however1 had arrived in the ,valley1 that the vegetables raised by our brethren went but a little way1 and after the feast at their expense1 it was a rarity to get any vegetables until the following ,june1 fourteen months from the time we left ,winter ,quarters1 when we partook of vegetables raised by ourselves4 ,our bread also became very scarce before the wheat put in by the ,saints generally was ready to harvest4 ,some persons lived for three months on their cattle1 which they had to kill for food1 and on roots which they dug up4 ,of course1 after a time1 our clothes and farming implements began to wear out1 and we had the delightful prospect of wearing sheep skins1 etc4 ,our wagons were becoming scarce1 many having been broken in the canyons1 and we had no timber suitable for making more1 and if there had been1 from where were we to get the iron work necessary for making them1 or for making plows1 shovels1 etc41 for cultivating the ground1 without which1 of course1 food would cease and starvation ensue8 ,in fact1 naturally speaking1 things looked alarming1 and just calculated to dry up our hopes and fill us with fears4 ,matters were at this crisis1 when one day ,elder ,heber ,c4 ,kimball stood up in the congregation of the ,saints1 and prophesied that in a short time we should be able to buy articles of clothing and utensils cheaper in the ,valley than we could purchase them in the ,states4 ,i was present on the occasion1 and with others there1 only hoped the case might be so1 for many of the ,saints felt like the man spoken of in the scriptures1 who heard ,elisha prophesy at the time of a hard famine in ,samaria1 that before to-morrow1 a measure of fine flour should be sold for a shekel1 and two measures of barley for a shekel4 ,we thought that if the ,lord would make windows in heaven1 might this thing be1 but without an absolute miracle there seemed no human probability of its fulfillment4 ,however1 ,elder ,kimball's prophecy was fulfilled in a few months4 ,information of the great discovery of gold in ,california had reached the ,states1 and large companies were formed for the purpose of supplying the gold diggers with food and clothing1 and implements of every kind for digging1 etc4 ,numbers of substantial wagons were prepared1 stored with wholesale quantities of clothing of every kind1 spades1 picks1 shovels1 chests of carpenters' tools1 tea1 coffee1 sugar1 flour1 fruits1 etc4 ,when these companies arrived within a short distance of ,salt ,lake ,city1 news reached them that ships had been dispatched from many parts of the world1 fitted out with goods for ,california4 ,this threatened to flood the market4 ,so these companies brought their goods into the ,valley1 and disposed of them for just what could be got--provisions1 wagons1 clothes1 tools1 almost for the taking away1 at least at half the price for which the goods could have been purchased in the ,states4 ,many disposed of their wagons because the teams gave out1 and could not get on any farther4 ,some sold almost all they had to purchase a mule or a horse to pack through with4 ,thus were the ,saints amply provided1 even to overflowing1 with every one of the necessaries and many of the luxuries of which they had been so destitute1 and thus was the prediction of the servant of the ,lord fulfilled4 ,this was a miraculous ,providence1 but not more so than those which it has been my lot to see the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints experience ever since my connection with it4 ,in this short history of some of the testimonies ,i have witnessed and received1 the reader may see that ,i have had much to establish me in the belief of the truths of ,mormonism4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,various changes were made to resolve apparent printer's errors in the original book1 such as aftewards for afterwards1 ,spirt for ,spirit1 etc4