,,wilford ,,woodruff ,,fourth ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,jesus ,,christ ,,of ,,latter-,,day ,,saints 99 99 99 99 ,history of ,his ,life and ,labors ,,as ,,recorded ,,in ,,his ,,daily ,,journals 99 99 99 99 ,to him that overcometh will ,i grant to sit with me in my throne1 even as ,i also overcame1 and am set down with my ,father in his throne4--,rev4 #c3ba4 99 99 99 99 ,,prepared ,,for ,,publication ,,by ,,matthias ,f4 ,,cowley 99 99 99 99 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah #aiji ,,to ,,his ,,numerous ,,and ,,ever ,,increasing ,,family1 ,,and ,,to ,,all ,,who ,,love ,,the ,,name ,,and ,,memory ,,of ,,pres4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff ,,this ,,work ,,is ,,respectfully ,,dedicated ,,preface4 ,that which is perhaps best known about ,wilford ,woodruff is the fact that he kept throughout his long and eventful life a careful record1 not only of his own life1 but of the important affairs in the history of the ,church4 ,in bringing that journal within the compass of one volume1 it has not always been easy to determine what was the most important for the pages of this biography4 ,all his journals1 covering thousands of pages1 ,i have read with such discriminating judgment as ,i could bring to the task4 ,the reader1 therefore1 need not be reminded that this biography contains only a small part1 the most important part it is hoped1 of the things he wrote4 ,he was so careful and painstaking1 and so completely devoted to the task of keeping a journal1 that his writings have been sought in compiling much of the important data in ,church history which has already been given to the world4 ,his work1 therefore1 is not unknown to those familiar with ,church history4 ,some of his life has been published in the ,deseret ,news1 and ,leaves from ,my ,journal contains important chapters4 ,magazines and ,church publications have in them reminiscences which he has given to the readers of those periodicals at different times4 ,all missionaries will be interested in the marvelous experiences which he had while working in the spread of the gospel message4 ,others will read with peculiar interest the recital of events in the travels of the pioneers from the ,missouri ,river to ,salt ,lake ,valley1 and others will read with satisfaction the words that fell from the lips of those prophets with whom he was immediately associated--,joseph ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 and ,john ,taylor4 ,the life of ,wilford ,woodruff was full of marvels4 ,it was a simple life in which he revealed his heart and his purposes freely4 ,the frankness of his expressions1 his care for details1 and his conscientious regard for the truth made him1 perhaps1 the best chronicler of events in all the history of the ,church4 ,his journal reveals not so much what he himself was thinking about the events concerning which he wrote as what others thought about them4 ,in that respect they reveal wonderfully the spirit of the times in which he lived4 ,at the close of the year #ahie in writing of his life1 he says3 ,for twenty-one years ,i was a member of the legislative assembly of the ,territory of ,utah4 ,in #ahge ,i was appointed historian and general recorder of the ,church and held that position until #ahhi4 ,on the completion of the ,temple at ,st4 ,george in #ahgg1 ,i was appointed its ,president by ,brigham ,young4 ,upon the accession of ,president ,taylor1 ,i became ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles2 and in ,april #ahhi1 ,i was sustained at the general conference as ,president of the ,church4 ,by my direction the ,general ,church ,board of ,education was founded in #ahhh to direct the ,church system of academies1 high schools1 and colleges1 which has resulted in a great perfection of the organization4 ,from the beginning of my ministry in #ahcd until the close of #ahie ,i have traveled in all #agb1cfi miles2 held #g1fee meetings2 preached #c1ebf discourses2 organized #ea branches of the ,church and #gg preaching places2 my journeys cover ,england1 ,scotland1 ,wales1 and #bc states and #e territories of the ,union4 ,my life abounds in incidents which to me surely indicate the direct interposition of ,god whom ,i firmly believe has guided my every step4 ,on #bg distinct occasions ,i have been saved from dangers which threatened my life4 ,i am the father of #ag sons and #af daughters4 ,i have a posterity of #ajj grandchildren and #ab great grandchildren4 7,at the present time1 his grandchildren number at least #ade1 and his great grandchildren1 about #fj47 ,the hand of ,god was so abundantly manifested in the life of ,wilford ,woodruff1 that those who read this book1 it is sincerely believed1 will find it both faith-promoting and instructive4 ,the book is given to the world in the sincerest belief that its pages will greatly add a fresh interest to the history of the ,church1 and reveal the subject of this sketch in such a manner as to make his wonderful labors more highly appreciated by those not intimately acquainted with him4 ,m4 ,f4 ,,cowley4 ,september1 #aiji4 ,,contents4 ,,chapter #a4 ,,birth ,,and ,,genealogy1 #ahjg4 ,chosen ,spirit4--,divine ,guidance4--,genealogy4--,a ,miller by ,trade4 ,,chapter #b4 ,a ,,chapter ,,of ,,accidents4 ,arms and ,legs ,broken4--,injury to ,breast ,bone and ,ribs4--,drowned4--,frozen4--,scalded4-- ,other ,escapes4--,life ,preserved by a ,merciful ,providence4 ,,chapter #c4 ,a ,,remarkable ,,preparation4 ,coming ,events4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,interest in ,religion4--,existing ,religious ,denominations4--,teachings of ,scripture4--,father ,mason1 a ,prophet4--,peculiar ,process of ,preparation4 ,,chapter #d4 ,,early ,,days1 #ahaf-ahcc4 ,a ,fisherman4--,early ,employment4--,noble ,reflections4--,lessons in ,reading4--,interest in the ,bible4--,philo ,woodruff's ,strange ,dream4--,mocking ,deity4--,its ,effects4--,peace of ,mind4--,place of ,prayer4--,happy ,experiences4--,a ,baptism4--,reads of ,mormons4--,notable ,instance of ,inspiration4--,removal to ,new ,york4--,azmon's ,faith4 ,,chapter #e4 ,,baptism1 #ahcc4 ,elders ,visit ,richland1 ,n4 ,y4--,the ,new ,message4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,testimony4--,the ,book of ,mormon1--,healing ,power4--,baptism4--,ordained a ,teacher4 ,,chapter #f4 ,,zion',s ,,camp1 #ahcd4 ,his ,first ,call4--,leaves for ,kirtland4--,his ,neighbors' ,warning4--,first ,meeting with ,prophet4--,a ,remarkable ,prophetic ,gift4--,zion's ,camp4--,zelph4--,escape ,mob at ,fishing ,river4--,epidemic of ,cholera4--,his ,residence in ,missouri4--,consecrations4 ,,chapter #g4 ,,mission ,,to ,,southern ,,states1 #ahcd-ahcf4 ,a ,prayerful ,ambition to ,preach4--,departure on ,mission to ,southern ,states4--,traveling without ,purse or ,scrip4--,treatment ,received from ,minister4--,tribulations4--,a ,remarkable ,dream4--,its ,fulfillment4--,preaching in ,memphis4--,ordained an ,elder4--,successful ,labors4--,ordained a ,seventy4--,a ,mob ,court4--,return to ,kirtland4 ,,chapter #h4 ,,in ,,kirtland1 #ahcf4 ,wilford's ,first ,attendance at ,meeting in the ,temple4--,called to ,speak4--,church's ,attitude ,toward the ,use of ,liquor4--,wilford in the ,first ,quorum of ,seventy4--,receives ,temple ,endowments4--,troubles in ,kirtland4--,greatness of the ,prophet ,joseph4--,wilford's ,marriage4--,receives a ,patriarchal ,blessing4 ,,chapter #i4 ,,first ,,mission ,,to ,,fox ,,islands1 #ahcg4 ,troubles at ,kirtland4--,mission to ,fox ,islands4--,evil ,spirits ,cast ,out4--,healing the ,sick4--,visits ,his ,home ,enroute4--,from ,connecticut to ,maine4--,description of ,fox ,islands4--,begins ,ministry in ,vinal ,haven4--,a ,minister ,comes to ,grief4--,baptisms4--,excitement4--,retu rn to ,scarboro4 ,,chapter #aj4 ,,called ,,to ,,the ,,apostleship1 #ahch4 ,again on the ,fox ,islands4--,opposition ,increases4--,manifestation of the ,gifts of the ,holy ,ghost4--,sign of the ,prophet ,jonas4--,wilford ,visits ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood in ,prison4--,baptizes ,his ,father and ,other ,relatives4--,birth of ,his ,first ,child4--,called ,to ,be ,one of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and ,to ,take a ,foreign ,mission4--,assists ,fox ,islands ,saints in ,migrating to the ,west4--,mrs4 ,woodruff ,miraculously ,healed4--,they ,reach ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,,chapter #aa4 ,,call ,,to ,,great ,,britain1 #ahch4 ,mobocrats ,seek ,to ,prevent the ,fulfillment of a ,revelation ,given ,through the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 but ,are ,disappointed4--,temple ,corner-stone at ,far ,west ,laid4--,wilford ,returns to ,illinois4--,the ,prophet ,joseph ,liberated from ,prison in ,missouri4--,a ,survivor of ,haun's ,mill ,massacre4--,selection of ,nauvoo as a ,place for the ,settlement of the ,saints4--,a ,day of ,gods' ,power4--,many ,sick ,are ,healed1 and a ,dying ,man ,raised to ,life4--,incident of ,wilford ,receiving a ,handkerchief from the ,prophet ,joseph4--,instructed as to ,what ,he ,shall ,preach on ,his ,mission4--,lesson in ,humility4--,warning against ,treachery4--,wilford ,starts on ,his ,mission1 ,sick and without ,money4--,experiences of ,his ,journey to ,new ,york4--,sails for ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,,chapter #ab4 ,,mission ,,in ,,great ,,britain1 #ahdj4 ,wilford's ,arrival in ,england4--,missionary ,work ,begun4--,casting ,out a ,devil4--,directed by the ,spirit of the ,lord to ,another ,field of ,labor4--,meets with the ,united ,brethren4--,many ,conversions to the ,gospel4--,ministers ,hold a ,convention ,to ,ask ,parliament for ,legislation against the ,mormons4--,first ,publication of the ,book of ,mormon and the ,hymn ,book in ,england4--,the ,millennial ,star4--,in the ,british ,metropolis4--,unable to ,secure a ,hall ,to ,preach in1 the ,elders ,hold ,street ,meetings4--,first ,baptism in ,london4--,opposition from ,preachers4--,work of ,god ,makes ,marvelous ,progress4 ,,chapter #ac4 ,,british ,,mission1 #ahdj-'da4 ,rapid ,increase of the ,church in ,great ,britain4--,mysterious ,spirit ,personage ,attempts to ,strangle ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,wounds ,him ,severely4--,he ,is ,relieved and ,healed by ,three ,heavenly ,visitors4--,first ,placard of the ,church ,posted in ,london4--,death of ,wilford's ,daughter4--,difficult ,missionary ,work in and around ,london4--,arrival of ,lorenzo ,snow ,to ,take ,charge of the ,british ,mission4--,all of the ,twelve ,called ,home4--,attending ,various ,conferences4--,springing of the ,spaulding ,story4--,wilford ,bids ,farewell to the ,saints in ,fields ,where ,he ,had ,labored4--,general ,conference of the ,british ,mission1 and ,only ,occasion of the ,twelve ,apostles ,acting as a ,quorum in a ,foreign ,land4--,wilford's ,departure for ,home1 and ,arrival at ,nauvoo4--,made a ,member of the ,nauvoo ,city ,council4 ,,chapter #ad4 ,,review ,,of ,,his ,,mission4 ,wilford ,renders ,aid to the ,persecuted ,saints4--,his ,care in ,recording the ,events1 also ,sermons and ,sayings of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4--,elder ,woodruff's ,humility1 and ,appreciation of the ,work of ,others4--,at a ,wesleyan ,methodist ,missionary ,convention4--,letter from ,his ,wife ,announcing the ,death of ,their ,daughter4--,revelation ,foreshadowing the ,troubles of the ,saints in the ,expulsion from ,illinois4 ,,chapter #ae4 ,,in ,,nauvoo1 #ahda4 ,prophetic ,insight4--,teachings of the ,prophet4--,baptism for the ,dead4--,hyrum ,kimball4 ,,chapter #af4 ,,troubles ,,in ,,nauvoo1 #ahdb4 ,building of the ,temple4--,book of ,moses4--,words of the ,prophet4--,nauvoo ,legion4--,business ,trip to ,st4 ,louis4--,return of ,orson ,hyde4 ,,chapter #ag4 ,,teachings ,,of ,,the ,,prophet ,,joseph1 #ahdc4 ,change in ,governors of ,missouri and ,illinois4--,prophet's ,release4 --,discourse on ,authority4--,signs in the ,heavens4--,new ,arrivals of ,saints4--,death of ,lorenzo ,barnes4--,discourse on ,knowledge4--,great ,truths4--,prophet's ,knowledge of ,men4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,bond for ,temple ,funds4--,opposition to ,revealed ,truth4--,hell ,defined4--,prophet ,arrested4--,his ,release4 ,,chapter #ah4 ,,mission ,,to ,,the ,,east1 #ahdc4 ,address of the ,prophet on ,constitutional ,rights4--,orson ,hyde's ,call to ,russia4--,prophet ,explains ,his ,position with ,respect to ,missouri4--,origin of ,nauvoo ,legion4--,political ,explanation4--,departure of the ,twelve for the ,east4--,brigham ,young's ,fidelity4--,phrenological ,chart by ,o4 ,s4 ,fowler4--,return of the ,twelve to ,nauvoo4--,w4 ,w4 ,sealed to ,wife4--,adultery4--,governor of ,missouri ,again ,issues ,requisition for ,prophet4--,endowments4 ,,chapter #ai4 ,,early ,,days ,,of #ahdd4 ,conduct of the ,laws and ,marks4--,discourse on ,elijah by the ,prophet4--,the ,celestial ,law4--,prophet's ,candidacy for ,president of ,u4 ,s4--,exploring ,expedition to ,california ,planned4--,joseph1 ,mayor of ,nauvoo4--,hostility in ,carthage4--,mischief-makers in ,nauvoo4--,the ,prophet ,talks on ,politics4 ,,chapter #bj4 ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,joseph ,,and ,,hyrum1 #ahdd4 ,mission of the ,apostles to the ,east4--,a ,warning to ,w4 ,w4--,a ,sad ,parting4--,political ,news of the ,prophet ,published4--,w4 ,w4 ,arrives in ,boston1 ,june #bf4--,the ,martyrdom4--,its ,announcement ,reaches ,w4 ,w4 in ,portland1 ,maine4--,his ,return to ,boston4--,an ,epistle to the ,elders and ,saints in the ,world4--,w4 ,w4 ,visits ,his ,old ,home4--,return to ,nauvoo4--,conditions in ,that ,city4 ,,chapter #ba4 ,,the ,,succession1 #ahdd4 ,sidney ,rigdon's ,claim to ,guardianship4--,rigdon's ,spiritual ,condition4--,comparison of ,sidney ,rigdon and ,frederick ,williams4--,remarks of ,brigham ,young4--,meeting on ,aug4 #h1 #ahdd4--;,brigham ,young ,follows ,sidney ,rigdon in ,address to the ,people4--,members of the ,twelve ,speak4--,vote on ,question of ,leadership4 ,,chapter #bb4 ,,second ,,call ,,to ,,great ,,britain1 #ahdd4 ,the ,new ,leadership4--,second ,call to ,great ,britain4--,warning ,against ,leading ,companies from ,nauvoo4--,instructions ,to ,finish the ,temple and ,to ,build up the ,city4--,w4 ,w4 ,visits ,emma ,smith and ,others4--,parting ,address to the ,saints4 ,,chapter #bc4 ,,in ,,the ,,british ,,mission1 #ahdd-de-df4 ,departure4--,route4--,visits ,home of ,solomon ,mack4--,a ,peculiar ,dream4--,on the ,ocean4--,copyright of ,doctrine and ,covenants4--,visit to ,scotland4--,lemington4--,troubles in ,nauvoo4--,condition of the ,mission4--,preparation for ,his ,return4 ,,chapter #bd4 ,,on ,,the ,,banks ,,of ,,the ,,missouri1 #ahdf4 ,dedication of the ,temple in ,nauvoo4--,the ,exodus to ,council ,bluffs4--,accident to ,his father4--,reaches ,mt4 ,pisgah4--,meets ,brigham ,young4--,recruiting of the ,mormon ,battalion4--,colonel ,kane4--,departure of the ,battalion4--,organizations at ,winter ,quarters4--,a ,conference with the ,chiefs of the ,leading ,indian ,tribes4--,explorations4--,remarks by ,president ,young4 ,,chapter #be4 ,,departure ,,of ,,the ,,pioneers4--,,april #g1 #ahdg4 ,arrival of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,john ,taylor at ,winter ,quarters4--,organization of the ,pioneers4--,manner of ,forming ,camp4--,horse ,feed ,enroute4--,pawnee ,indians4--,a ,practical ,joke4--,crossing ,loup ,fork4 ,,chapter #bf4 ,,pioneer ,,journey ,,continued1 #ahdg4 ,elijah ,newman ,healed4--,indians ,attempt ,theft4--,antelopes ,killed4--,encounter with ,indians4--,a ,buffalo ,hunt4--,meet ,traders from ,laramie4--,a ,decision ,to ,keep the ,north ,bank of the ,platte4--,immense ,herds of ,buffaloes4--,william ,clayton's ,mile ,gage4--,letter ,left for ,next ,company4--,description of the ,rodometer4 ,,chapter #bg4 ,,pioneers ,,reach ,,fort ,,laramie--,,june #b1 #ahdg4 ,in the ,red ,man's ,country4--,indian ,customs4--,hunting ,became ,excessive4--,description of the ,bluffs4--,guide ,board #dji ,miles from ,winter ,quarters4--,chimney ,rock4--,brigham ,young ,rebukes ,card ,playing and ,frivolity4--,fasting and ,prayer4--,arrive at ,fort ,laramie4--,ascending the ,plateaux4--,word from the ,mormon ,battalion4 ,,chapter #bh4 ,,pioneers ,,enter ,,salt ,,lake ,,valley4 ,ferrying the ,missourians over the ,river4--,construction of ,rafts4--,obtaining ,provisions4--,ten ,men ,left at the ,ferry4--,independence ,rock4--,devil's ,gate4--#age ,miles from ,fort ,laramie4--,south ,pass4--,meet ,major ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,bridger4--,cross ,green ,river4--,meet ,samuel ,brannon4--,independence ,day4--,meet a ,detachment of the ,battalion4--,fort ,bridger4--,report of the ,missouri ,company ,that ,perished4--,reach ,salt ,lake ,valley1 ,july #bd1 #ahdg4 ,,chapter #bi4 ,,return ,,of ,,the ,,pioneers ,,to ,,winter ,,quarters1 #ahdg4 ,in ,retrospect4--,first ,crop of ,potatoes ,planted4--,the ,beginning of ,irrigation4--,first ,sunday4--,explorations ,south to ,utah ,lake4--,choice of ,temple ,block4--,address by ,brigham ,young4--,return to ,winter ,quarters4--,meet the ,second ,company of ,pioneers4--,encounter with the ,indians4--,reach ,winter ,quarters1 ,oct4 #ca1 #ahdg4--;,first ,presidency ,organized1 ,dec4 #bg1 #ahdg4 ,,chapter #cj4 ,a ,,mission ,,to ,,the ,,east1 #ahdh4 ,in ,winter ,quarters4--,battle of ,nauvoo ,commemorated4--,organization of ,pottowatamie ,county4--,bids ,president ,young and ,saints ,good-by4--,journey from ,winter ,quarters to ,nauvoo4--,from ,nauvoo to ,maine4--,a ,letter to ,his ,wife4--,healing the ,sick4--,discovery of ,gold in ,california4 ,,chapter #ca4 ,,elder ,,woodruff',s ,,return ,,from ,,the ,,east4 ,letter to ,orson ,pratt4--,baptism of ,his ,father-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter4--,labors in ,new ,england4--,meets ,dr4 ,john ,m4 ,bernhisel4--,healing the ,sick4--,interview with ,col4 ,kane4--,hears ,indian ,chief4--,release from ,his ,mission4--,return to the ,valleys4--,conditions at the ,frontier4--,stampede on the ,plains4--,brigham ,young ,appointed ,governor4--,salt ,lake ,temple ,planned4--,salt ,lake ,city ,given a ,charter4--,visit to the ,southern ,settlements4--,fourth ,celebrated at ,black ,rock4--,celebrating of ,twenty-fourth4--,death of ,his ,step-,mother4--,judge ,brocchus ,speaks in ,conference4--,beautiful ,words of ,patriarch ,john ,smith4--,a ,vote ,to ,discontinue ,use of ,tea and ,coffee4 ,,chapter #cb4 ,,the ,,years1 #aheb1 '#ec1 '#ed4 ,discourse of ,brigham ,young on ,sin4--,the ,descendants of ,cain4--,edward ,hunter ,chosen ,presiding ,bishop4--,parowan ,stake ,organized4--,david ,patten4--,talk on ,dancing4--,death of ,willard ,richards4--,jedediah ,m4 ,grant ,chosen ,counselor to ,brigham ,young4--,journey ,south4--,walker1 the ,indian ,chief4--,john ,smith1 ,son of ,hyrum ,smith1 ,called ,to ,be the ,head ,patriarch of the ,church4--,visit ,north4--,legislature4--,philosophical ,society4 ,,chapter #cc4 ,,educational ,,efforts4 ,education ,promoted4--,adventurers4--,endowment ,house4--,president ,young ,speaks of the ,resurrection4--,death of ,judge ,schafer4--,provo4--,work in ,educational ,societies4--,in the ,legislature at ,fillmore4--,words of ,confidence from ,kanosh1 an ,indian ,chief4--,some ,peculiarities of ,wilford ,woodruff4--,poisoned4 ,,chapter #cd4 ,,the ,,reformation1 #ahef4 ,hard ,times ,were ,difficult for ,some ,to ,endure4--,recording ,church ,history4--,dedication of ,historian's ,office4--,first ,hand-cart ,company4--,the ,reformation ,inaugurated--,death of ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant4--,suffering of the ,hand-cart ,companies4--,heber ,c4 ,kimball's ,dream4 ,,chapter #ce4 ,,celebration ,,of #bdth1 #aheg4 ,words of ,brigham ,young4--,talk by the ,indian ,chief1 ,aropene4--,assassination of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt--,return of ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh to the ,church4--,celebration of the ,twenty-fourth in ,big ,cottonwood ,canyon4--,news of the ,army's ,approach4 ,,chapter #cf4 ,,war ,,times1 #aheg4 ,deposit of ,church ,records in ,temple ,foundation4--,approach of the ,army4--,present of a ,team4--,john ,d4 ,lee4--,visit of ,captain ,van ,vliet4--,lot ,smith4--,col4 ,alexander ,writes ,president ,young4--,communication from ,governor ,cumming to ,governor ,young4--,miraculous ,escapes4--,high ,price of ,salt at ,army ,headquarters4--,prediction of ,calamity to the ,nation4--,a ,poetic ,tribute by ,eliza ,r4 ,snow4 ,,chapter #cg4 ,,army ,,enters ,,salt ,,lake ,,valley1 #aheh4 ,president and ,congress of the ,u4 ,s4 ,memorialized4--,words of ,brigham ,young4--,arrival of ,col4 ,kane4--,governor ,cumming ,reaches ,salt ,lake ,city4--,migration ,southward4--,delegates from ,nicaragua4--,want ,mormons ,to ,move to ,central ,america4--,proclamation from ,president ,buchanan4--,peace ,commission4--,president of the ,deseret ,agricultural and ,manufacturing ,society4--,indian ,war ,threatened4--,a ,striking ,dialogue4--,the ,mob ,element4--,mogo's ,deception4--,attacks on ,president ,young4--,greeley ,visits ,utah4 ,,chapter #ch4 ,,beginning ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion1 #ahfa4 ,embarks in ,sheep ,industry4--,adventures of ,one ,gibson4--,lectures to ,young ,men in ,police ,court4--,counsel to ,missionaries4--,visit to ,cache ,valley4--,schools ,investigated4--,celebration of the #bdth4--,prophecies of ,civil ,war4--,little ,children in the ,resurrection4--,brigham ,young on ,secession4--,death of ,aphek ,woodruff4--,governor ,dawson4 ,,chapter #ci4 ,,the ,,years #ahfb-'fc4 ,killing of ,thieves4--,john ,baptiste1 the ,grave ,digger4--,value of a ,daily ,journal4--,erection of the ,salt ,lake ,theatre4--,state of ,deseret4--,foundation ,stones of ,temple ,raised4--,indian ,troubles on ,bear ,river4--,visit of the ,moquitches to ,salt ,lake ,city4--,their ,customs4--,attempt ,to ,arrest ,president ,young4--,settlement of ,bear ,lake ,valley4--,mining4 ,,chapter #dj4 ,,the ,,years1 #ahfd-fe4 ,some ,enjoyments4--,he ,visits a ,condemned ,man in ,prison4--,troubles ,made by ,gibson on ,hawaiian ,islands4--,lorenzo ,snow's ,escape from ,watery ,grave4--,visit to ,bear ,lake ,valley4--,remark of ,president ,young in ,logan4--,ordination to ,apostleship of ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,erastus ,snow1 and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards4--,hot ,springs at ,midway4--,second ,inauguration of ,president ,lincoln4--,treaty with ,indians4--,colfax ,visits ,utah4--,jane ,blackhurst4 ,,chapter #da4 ,,the ,,years #ahff1 '#fg1 '#fh4 ,new ,year's ,greetings4--,evil ,spirits ,rebuked4--,love for ,little ,ones4--,drawings in ,his ,journal4--,mrs4 ,godbe's ,dream4--,brigham ,young's ,remarks on the ,atonement4--,sept4 #e1 #ahfg1 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith ,selected as ,one of the ,twelve4--,amasa ,lyman ,dropped from ,twelve4--,school of the ,prophets4--,move to ,provo4--,grasshopper ,war4--,advent of the ,railroad4--,remarkable ,prophetic ,utterances at ,logan4--,visit to ,sanpete4--,call to ,first ,presidency of ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith4--,accident to ,his ,son ,ashael4--,summary of #ahfh4 ,,chapter #db4 ,,the ,,years1 #ahfi1 #gj4 ,co-operative ,movement4--,cove ,fort4--,pronouncement ,against ,use of ,wine4--,organization of ,bear ,lake ,stake4--,visit of ,schuyler ,colfax4--,the ,godbe ,movement4--,descendants of ,cain4--,utah ,central ,r4 ,r4 ,completed4--,plural ,marriage--,boston ,board of ,trade ,visits ,utah4--,sayings of ,brigham ,young4--,the ,newman-,pratt ,discussion4--,martin ,harris ,re-baptized4 ,,chapter #dc4 ,,pioneer ,,life ,,in ,,rich ,,county1 #ahga4 ,arrest of ,president ,young and ,others4--,experiences in ,randolph4--,caught in a ,snow-storm4--,reaches ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,,chapter #dd4 ,,the ,,years1 #ahgb-gd4 ,judge ,mc,kean4--,journalizing4--,early ,church ,historians4--,holy ,ghost4--,visit to ,san ,francisco4--,funerals of ,pitt and ,player4--,thomas ,l4 ,kane4--,garden of ,eden4--,paralysis4--,earl ,rosebury4--,fall from a ,tree4 ,,chapter #de4 ,,st4 ,,george ,,temple ,,dedicated4 ,visit to ,randolph4--,governor ,axtell4--,visit of ,president ,grant4--,visit of ,dom ,pedro1 ,emperor of ,brazil4--,dedication of ,st4 ,george ,temple4--,a ,grand ,birthday ,celebration4 ,,chapter #df4 ,,death ,,of ,,brigham ,,young1 ,,aug4 #bi1 #ahgg4 ,death of ,his ,son1 ,brigham ,young ,woodruff4--,prophetic ,utterances4--,baptisms for the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence4--,death of ,brigham ,young ,changes ,his ,plans4--,funeral4--,visit to ,logan4--,visit to ,st4 ,george4--,a ,vision4--,old ,folks' ,excursion4--,zion's ,board of ,trade4 ,,chapter #dg4 ,,experiences ,,in ,,arizona1 #ahgi4 ,in ,arizona4--,an ,epistle to the ,world4--,birthday ,celebrated in ,st4 ,george4--,travels in ,arizona4--,hunt with ,pelone1 the ,apache ,chief4--,a ,visit to the ,zunies4--,travels with ,lot ,smith4--,dream4--,letters4 ,,chapter #dh4 ,,remarkable ,,experiences ,,in ,,arizona1 #ahhj4 ,in a ,shepherd's ,tent in ,arizona4--,a ,revelation ,given ,jan4 #bf1 #ahhj4--,organization of ,first ,presidency4--,call to ,apostleship of ,francis ,m4 ,lyman and ,john ,henry ,smith4 ,,chapter #di4 ,,years ,,of ,,great ,,agitation1 #ahha1 #ahhb4 ,leonard ,hardy's ,birthday ,party4--,prophecy ,concerning ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4--,death of ,orson ,pratt--,visit to ,st4 ,george4--,the ,edmunds ,law4--,oscar ,wilde4--,conditions at ,st4 ,johns1 ,arizona4--,call of ,president ,george ,teasdale1 ,heber ,j4 ,grant and ,seymour ,b4 ,young4--,death of ,captain ,william ,h4 ,hooper4 ,,chapter #ej4 ,,the ,,crusade ,,opens1 #ahhc-ahhe4 ,exemplary ,deacons4--,adam-ondi-,ahman4--,visit to ,colorado4--,the ,patriarchal ,order of ,marriage4--,andrew ,burt4--,farm ,life4--,the ,crusade ,opens4--,the ,family ,celebration of ,his ,birthday4--,call of ,john ,w4 ,taylor4--,call of ,wm4 ,b4 ,preston4--,land ,troubles in ,arizona4--,dedication of the ,logan ,temple4--,a ,visit to ,snake ,river4 ,country1 ,idaho4--,growth of ,children ,after the ,resurrection4--,call of ,john ,morgan4--,in ,exile4--,conference at ,fish ,lake4 ,,chapter #ea4 ,,elevation ,,to ,,presidency ,,of ,,the ,,church1 #ahhi4 ,arrest of ,george ,q4 ,cannon4--,governor ,murray's ,dismissal4--,death of ,president ,taylor4--,president ,woodruff ,appears in the ,tabernacle4--,change in ,federal ,officers4--,april1 #ahhi1 ,wilford ,woodruff ,became ,president of the ,church4--,visit to ,california4--,m4 ,w4 ,merrill1 ,a4 ,h4 ,lund1 and ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon ,called to ,apostleship4--,senator ,morgan ,visits ,president ,woodruff4 ,,chapter #eb4 ,,the ,,manifesto ,,and ,,events ,,of #ahij-'ia4 ,the ,political ,situation4--,visit to ,california4--,the ,manifesto4--,its ,effects4--,sugar ,industry4--,henry ,m4 ,stanley4--,deaths of ,prominent ,men4--,earthquake in ,southern ,utah4--,address to ,irrigation ,congress4--,interpretation of ,manifesto4--,remarks at ,brigham ,city on the ,manifesto4 ,,chapter #ec4 ,,dedication ,,of ,,the ,,salt ,,lake ,,temple1 #ahib4 ,new ,home4--,visit of ,president ,eliot to ,salt ,lake ,city4--,completing the ,temple4--,amnesty4--,dedication of the ,salt ,lake ,temple4--,visit to the ,world's ,fair1 ,chicago4--,liberal ,party ,disbands4 ,,chapter #ed4 ,,administrative ,,work1 #ahid4 ,electric ,power ,plant in ,ogden ,canyon4--,saltair1--,death of ,his ,brother1 ,thompson4--,temple ,work for ,benjamin ,franklin4--,an ,optimist4--,death of ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot of ,provo4--,utah ,stake ,organized4--,trip to ,alaska4 ,,chapter #ee4 ,,the ,,years #ahif-'ig-'ih4--;,,birthday ,,celebration4--,,his ,,death4 ,admission of ,utah into the ,union4--,the ,occasion ,celebrated4--,political ,struggles4--,birthday of ,geo4 ,q4 ,cannon ,celebrated4--,april ,conference1 #ahif4--,pronunciamento ,regarding ,political ,matters4--,death of ,apostle ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon4--,the ,purity and ,nobility of ,his ,character ,revealed to ,prest4 ,woodruff4--,change of the ,fast ,day4--,great ,celebration on ,his #ijth ,anniversary1 #ahig4--,visit from ,judge ,kinney4--,pioneer ,jubilee ,celebration4--,letter to the ,king and ,queen of ,sweden4--,visits the ,coast4--,his ,son ,owen ,called to the ,apostleship4--,attends ,april ,conference1 #ahih4--;,goes to the ,coast in ,august4--,his ,sickness4--,departs this ,life ,september #b1 #ahih4 ,,chapter #ef4 ,funeral ,services4 ,,chapter #eg4 ,character ,sketch4 ,appendix ,a4 ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,appendix ,b4 ,address to the ,saints of the ,british ,isles4 ,appendix ,c4 ,storm on ,lake ,michigan4 ,appendix ,d4 ,rationality of the ,atonement4 ,wives of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,children of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,index4 #a ,,chapter #a4 ,,birth ,,and ,,genealogy1 #ahjg4 ,a ,chosen ,spirit4--,divine ,guidance4--,genealogy4--,a ,miller by ,trade4 ,wilford ,woodruff was the fourth president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he belonged to that class of men of whom the ,lord said to ,abraham1 ,these will ,i make my rulers4 ,of our primeval childhood that ancient ,prophet informs us that the ,lord stood among those that were spirits and ,he saw that they were good4 ,of these spirits the ,lord said to ,abraham1 ,thou art one of them1 thou wert chosen before thou wast born4 ,if the ,lord knew ,abraham and ,jeremiah before they were born in the flesh1 ,he also must have known ,wilford ,woodruff in the spirit world4 ,the latter's integrity and unbounded devotion to the worship and purposes of his ,god are not surpassed by any prophet of either ancient or modern times4 ,like those of ancient times1 ,wilford ,woodruff was undoubtedly foreordained of ,god to a noble mission in life1 and to the great responsibilities which he filled with honor and to the glory of ,god4 ,to him there was a reality of the spirit world rarely enjoyed by men1 he constantly felt the influence of spiritual associations which were above and beyond the ordinary affairs of life4 ,that he had an existence prior to this probation in life1 he never doubted4 ,he felt that life was a mission to which he had been called and which in the goodness of ,god he had been permitted to fill4 ,his own spiritual existence was never overshadowed by temporalities or by constant misgivings that so frequently beset the lives of other men4 ,wilford ,woodruff looked upon the brotherhood of men as #b a natural sequence of his assurance that ,god was the ,father of our spirits in a former life4 ,he understood that prayer of the ,savior addressing ,himself to ,his ,father in heaven4 ,his own spirit was in harmony with the revelations of ,christ4 ,in the light of scriptural declarations and of his own spiritual nature1 he was simply here in life in the performance of great duties which had been assigned him before the world was4 ,he sincerely believed that in returning again to the ,god who had given him life he would have to account for his talents and his time4 ,speaking of the ,athenians1 ,paul said3 ,god that made the world hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth1 and hath determined the times before appointed1 and the bounds of their habitation4 ,in the life of ,wilford ,woodruff there was unfolded day by day the duties and obligations that linked him with the chain of eternal life4 ,when the new revelation of ,god to men in this dispensation broke in upon him he was happily prepared to enjoy the new light4 ,to be a ,latter-day ,saint from the outset seemed as natural as to breathe the air of heaven4 ,he marvelled at the purposes of ,god but did not wonder1 and doubt did not obscure from his vision the divine truth of this dispensation while he sojourned in the flesh4 ,the love of ,god had always abounded in his heart1 and the divine message found him eager and willing4 ,he was not among those who sought divine assurance and spiritual satisfaction in some one creed of the day4 ,the ,bible was his highest authority and he believed implicitly in the divinity of its teachings4 ,he was a devoted student of ,holy ,writ and prayerfully sought the gifts and blessings bestowed upon the ,saints of old4 ,he was waiting for precisely that which came to him and he took up the new mission of life with a strenuous desire to serve ,god and to be a witness that he was the same ,god yesterday1 to-day1 and forever4 ,the story of ,wilford ,woodruff's life was consistent1 faithful and in harmony with scriptural examples4 ,the dealings of ,god with ,his children in other dispensations were always before his mind as illustrations and evidences4 ,if the ,bible had been the chief consolation of his youth and the best evidence of divine purposes1 it became doubly so when he became a ,latter-day ,saint4 ,nothing that ,god had done in former dispensations #c was too insignificant for his earnest consideration4 ,henceforth he was to speak in the name of the ,lord1 and act by the authority of divine command4 ,he loved the memory of the ancient ,prophets and strove earnestly to emulate their example4 ,his life1 therefore1 is marked by spiritual growth and a devotion to ,god's will that makes it an inspiration to all who knew him or who read the story of his life and teachings4 ,he honored and magnified every office and calling conferred upon him from that of a teacher to the president of the ,church4 ,in this high station he laid down his life at the ripe age of ninety-one years4 ,wilford ,woodruff was born ,march #ast1 #ahjg in the town of ,farmington1 ,hartford ,county1 ,connecticut4 ,he was the son of ,aphek ,woodruff4 ,his grandfather was ,captain ,eldad ,woodruff who was the son of ,josiah ,woodruff4 ,josiah was the son of ,joseph whose father's name was ,john1 the son of ,mathew ,woodruff4 ,this is as far back as ,wilford ,woodruff's genealogy has been traced in ,america4 ,it is claimed that ,john ,woodruff of ,south ,hampton1 ,long ,island1 is the first person in ,american history bearing the name of ,woodruff4 ,whether he is related to ,matthew ,woodruff1 the earliest known ancestor of ,wilford in this country1 has not been determined4 ,president ,woodruff says1 that according to the ancient ,book of ,heraldry1 one of his ancestors was ,lord ,mayor of ,london in #aegi4 ,his mother's name was ,beulah ,thompson4 ,the family on his mother's side1 for generations lived at ,farmington1 ,connecticut4 ,the ,woodruff family name is ,english and is derived from the occupation of its bearers who in the days of ,william the ,conqueror guarded the woods and forests for the use of noblemen and who were considered among the most honored officers in the land4 ,from ,wilford ,woodruff's account of his forefathers it appears that they were hardy and long-lived people4 ,he says3 ,my grandfather1 ,josiah ,woodruff1 lived nearly one hundred years4 ,he possessed an iron constitution and performed a great deal of manual work up to the time of his death4 ,his wife's name was ,sarah4 ,she bore him nine children3 ,josiah1 ,appleton1 ,eldad1 ,elisha1 ,joseph1 ,rhoda1 and ,phoebe4 ,there were two of this family whose names are not given4 ,my grandfather1 ,eldad ,woodruff1 was the third son of ,josiah4 ,he was born in ,farmington1 ,hartford ,county1 ,connecticut in #agea4 ,he likewise possessed #d a strong constitution and it was said of him that for several years he performed more labor than any man in ,hartford ,county4 ,from over exertion and hewing timber he was attacked with rheumatism in his right hip which caused a severe lameness for several years before his death4 ,he married ,dinah ,woodford by whom he had seven children3 ,eldad1 ,elizabeth1 ,samuel1 ,titus1 ,helen1 ,aphek1 and ,ozem4 ,my grandfather died in ,farmington from spotted fever in #ahjf at the age of fifty-five years4 ,my grandmother1 ,dinah1 died in the same place in #ahbd from the effects of a cancer in her breast2 her sufferings were very great4 ,my father1 ,aphek ,woodruff1 was born in ,farmington1 ,november #aa1 #aggh4 ,he married ,beulah ,thompson who bore him three sons3 ,azmon1 born ,nov4 #bith1 #ahjb2 ,thompson1 born ,december #bbnd1 #ahjd2 and myself1 born ,march #ast1 #ahjg4 ,my mother died from spotted fever ,january #aath1 #ahjh at the age of twenty-eight years1 leaving me a babe of fifteen months4 ,my father married a second wife1 ,azubah ,hart4 ,she bore him six children4 ,he was a man of a strong constitution and did a great amount of labor4 ,at eighteen years of age he began work in a flour mill and saw mill and continued at his occupation there for about fifty years4 ,most of that time he labored eighteen hours a day4 ,he never made any profession of religion until ,i baptized him into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ on the first day of ,july1 #ahch4 ,he was a man of great charity1 honesty1 and integrity and made himself poor by giving to the poor4 ,he was liberal in accommodating his fellow men by lending money and by becoming surety for his neighbors4 ,he generally said yes to every man who asked a favor at his hands4 ,i assisted my father in the ,farmington mills until ,i was twenty years of age and continued in the occupation of a miller until ,i was thirty-one4 #e ,,chapter #b4 ,a ,,chapter ,,of ,,accidents4 ,arms and ,legs ,broken4--,injury to ,breast ,bone and ,ribs4--,drowned4--,frozen4--,scalded4-- ,other ,escapes4--,life ,preserved by a ,merciful ,providence4 ,the journal of ,wilford ,woodruff contains a chapter which he designates as a chapter of accidents4 ,it is given thus early in his biography as it reveals the purposes of an overruling ,providence whose mercies and guiding powers are remarkably manifested throughout a long and arduous career4 ,he himself regarded his escapes from death as an evidence of a destructive power that sought to thwart that special mission in life so wonderfully revealed in the subsequent chapters of this biography4 ,his life throughout discloses a constant struggle against obstacles which he had to overcome4 ,they are manifested in every degree of difficulty1 and to less courageous natures many of them would have been insurmountable4 ,there are in his words which describe the misfortunes that overtook him no traces of envy1 discouragement or despair4 ,that others were born to an easier life did not awaken within him a spirit of envy or doubt4 ,to his mind the joys or sorrows of this world were all subordinate to the will of an overruling ,providence4 ,while he did not complain1 he did not ascribe his difficulties or dangers to fate4 ,he was never so much concerned about the difficulty in surmounting an obstacle as he was about his ability through the goodness of ,god to do so4 ,evidently1 he says1 ,i have been numbered with those who are apparently the marked victims of misfortunes4 ,it has seemed to me at times as though some invisible power were watching my footsteps in search of an opportunity to destroy my life4 ,i1 therefore1 ascribe my preservation on earth to the watchcare of a merciful ,providence1 whose hand has been stretched out to rescue me from death when ,i was in the presence of the most threatening dangers4 ,some of these dangers from which ,i so narrowly escaped ,i shall here briefly describe3 ,when three years of age1 ,i fell into a caldron of scalding water and although instantly rescued1 ,i was so badly burned #f that it was nine months before ,i was thought to be out of the danger of fatal consequences4 ,my fifth and sixth years were interwoven with many accidents4 ,on a certain day1 in company with my elder brothers1 ,i entered the barn1 and chose the top of a hay mow for a place of diversion4 ,we had not been there long before ,i fell from the great beam upon my face on the bare floor4 ,i was severely hurt1 but recovered in a short time1 and was again at play4 ,one ,saturday evening1 with my brothers ,azmon and ,thompson1 while playing in the chamber of my father's house1 contrary to his instructions1 ,i made a misstep and fell to the bottom of the stairs1 breaking one of my arms in the fall4 ,so much for disobedience4 ,i suffered intensely1 but soon recovered1 feeling that whatever ,i suffered in the future1 it would not be for disobedience to parents4 ,the ,lord has commanded children to obey their parents2 and ,paul says1 ',this is the first commandment with promise4' ,it was only a short time after this that ,i narrowly escaped with my life4 ,my father owned a number of horned cattle1 among which was a surly bull4 ,one evening ,i was feeding pumpkins to the cattle1 and the bull leaving his own took the pumpkin ,i had given to a cow which ,i called mine4 ,i was incensed at the selfishness of this male beast1 and promptly picked up the pumpkin he had left1 to give it to the cow4 ,no sooner had ,i got it in my arms than the bull came plunging toward me with great fury4 ,i ran down the hill with all my might1 the bull at my heels4 ,my father1 seeing the danger ,i was in1 called to me to throw down the pumpkin1 but 7forgetting to be obedient7 ,i held on1 and as the bull was approaching me with the fierceness of a tiger1 ,i made a misstep and fell flat upon the ground4 ,the pumpkin rolled out of my arms1 the bull leaped over me1 ran his horns into the pumpkin and tore it to pieces4 ,undoubtedly he would have done the same thing to me if ,i had not fallen to the ground4 ,this escape1 like all others1 ,i attribute to the mercy and goodness of ,god4 ,during the same year1 while visiting at my ,uncle ,eldad ,woodruff's1 ,i fell from a porch across some timber1 and broke my other arm4 ,not many months passed by before ,i was called to endure #g a still greater misfortune4 ,my father owned a saw mill in addition to his flour mill1 and one morning1 in company with several other boys1 ,i went into the saw mill and got upon the headlock of the carriage to ride1 not anticipating any danger2 but before ,i was aware of it my leg was caught between the headlock and the fender post and broken in two4 ,i was taken to the house1 and lay nine hours before my bones were replaced4 ,that time was spent in severe pain2 but being young1 my bones soon knitted together1 and in a few weeks ,i was upon my feet as usual1 attending to the sports of youth4 ,during this confinement my brother ,thompson was my companion4 ,he was suffering from typhus fever4 ,shortly after this1 upon a dark night1 ,i was kicked in the abdomen by an ox2 but being too close to the animal to receive the full force of the blow1 ,i was more frightened than hurt4 ,it was not long before ,i made my first effort at loading hay4 ,i was very young1 but thought ,i had loaded it all right4 ,when on the way to the barn1 the wheel of the wagon struck a rock1 and off went the hay4 ,i fell to the ground with the load on top of me2 this was soon removed1 and aside from a little smothering ,i was unhurt4 ,when eight years of age1 ,i accompanied my father1 with several others in a one-horse wagon1 about three miles from home1 to attend to some work4 ,on the way the horse became frightened1 ran down a hill1 and turned over the wagon1 with us in it4 ,we were in danger1 but were again saved by the hand of ,providence4 ,none of us were injured4 ,one day ,i climbed an elm tree to procure some bark2 while about fifteen feet from the ground1 the limb upon which ,i stood1 being dry1 broke1 and ,i fell to the ground upon my back4 ,the accident apparently knocked the breath out of my body4 ,a cousin ran to the house and told my parents that ,i was dead1 but before my friends reached me ,i revived1 rose to my feet1 and met them on the way4 ,when twelve years old ,i was nearly drowned in ,farmington ,river4 ,i sank in thirty feet of water1 and was miraculously saved by a young man named ,bacon4 ,the restoration to life caused me great suffering4 ,at thirteen years of age1 while passing through ,farmington #h meadows1 in the depths of winter1 in a blinding snowstorm1 ,i became so chilled and overcome with cold that ,i could not travel4 ,i crawled into the hollow of a large apple tree4 ,a man in the distance saw me1 and1 realizing the danger ,i was in1 hastened to where ,i was4 ,before he arrived at the spot ,i had fallen asleep1 and was almost unconscious4 ,he had much difficulty in arousing me to a sense of my critical condition1 and promptly had me conveyed to my father's house1 where1 through a kind ,providence1 my life was again preserved4 ,at fourteen years of age ,i split my left instep open with an ax which went almost through my foot4 ,i suffered intensely from this injury1 and my foot was nine months in getting well4 ,when fifteen years old ,i was bitten in the hand by a mad dog in the last stages of hydrophobia4 ,however1 he did not draw blood1 and through the mercy and power of ,god ,i was again preserved from an awful death4 ,at the age of seventeen ,i met with an accident which caused me much suffering1 and came nearly ending my life4 ,i was riding a very ill-tempered horse1 which1 while going down a very steep1 rocky hill1 suddenly leaped from the road and ran down the steepest part of the hill1 going at full speed amid the thickest of the rocks4 ,at the same time1 he commenced kicking1 and was about to land me over his head among the rocks1 but ,i lodged on the top of his head1 and grabbed each of his ears with my hands1 expecting every moment to be dashed to pieces against the rocks4 ,while in this position1 sitting astride the horse's neck1 with neither bridle nor other means of guiding him except his ears1 he plunged down the hill among the rocks with great fury1 until he struck a rock nearly breast high1 which threw him to the earth4 ,i went over his head1 landing squarely upon my feet almost one rod in front of the horse4 ,alighting upon my feet was probably the means of saving my life2 for if ,i had struck the ground upon any other part of my body1 it would probably have killed me instantly4 ,as it was1 one of my legs was broken in two places1 and both my ankles put out of place in a shocking manner4 ,the horse almost rolled over me in his struggles to get up4 ,my uncle saw me1 and came to my assistance4 ,i was carried to his house in an armchair4 ,i lay from #b o'clock #i in the afternoon until #aj o'clock at night without medical aid and in great pain1 when my father arrived with ,dr4 ,swift1 of ,farmington4 ,the doctor set my bones1 boxed up my limbs1 and that night conveyed me eight miles in his carriage to my father's house4 ,i had good attention1 and although my sufferings were great1 in eight weeks ,i was out upon my crutches1 and was soon restored to a sound condition4 ,in #ahbg1 while managing a flour mill for ,aunt ,wheeler1 in ,avon1 ,conn41 ,i was standing upon one of the wheels1 clearing away the ice4 ,a man1 not knowing ,i was in that position1 hoisted the gate and turned upon the wheel a full head of water4 ,the wheel started at once1 my foot slipped1 and ,i was plunged head foremost over the rim of the wheel into about three feet of water4 ,my weight had drawn my legs out of the wheel1 or ,i would have been drawn under a shaft and crushed to death4 ,in #ahca1 while in charge of a flour mill at ,collinsville1 ,conn41 ,i was standing upon one of the arms inside of a breast-wheel twenty feet in diameter1 clearing off the ice4 ,a full head of water was turned on suddenly4 ,the wheel started instantly4 ,i dropped my ax and leaped about twenty feet to the bottom of the wheel4 ,as ,i struck the bottom1 ,i rolled out against a rugged stone1 with only two feet of clearance between the stone and the wheel4 ,the latter caught me and rolled me out into the water below1 where ,i found myself1 much frightened1 but thankful to ,providence that no bones were broken4 ,the day that ,i was baptized into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints--,december #ca1 #ahcc--my horse1 with newly calked shoes1 kicked the hat off my head4 ,if he had struck two inches lower1 doubtless he would have killed me instantly4 ,ten minutes later1 while driving the same horse and another hitched to a sled with loose boards on the bottom and no box1 the boards slipped forward under the pole and struck the ground4 ,this at once threw the boards up endwise1 and pitched me forward between the horses4 ,i held on the lines2 the horses1 frightened1 ran down the hill1 dragging me under the sled behind them4 ,the road1 however1 was smooth1 and ,i escaped without injury4 ,in #ahcd1 while traveling in ,zion's ,camp to ,missouri1 a rifle was discharged accidentally4 ,the ball passed through three #aj tents with a dozen men in each1 and lodged in the axletree of a wagon1 without injury to anyone2 it passed within a few inches of my breast4 ,many others escaped quite as providentially as ,i did4 ,a few months later a musket1 heavily loaded with buckshot1 and pointed directly at my breast1 was snapped accidentally2 but it missed fire1 and again the ,lord preserved my life4 ,in ,april1 #ahci1 in ,rochester1 ,ills41 ,i was riding upon the running-gear of a wagon4 ,i sat upon the front axletree4 ,the bolt came out of the coupling-pole1 separating the wheels1 the front from the rear2 and my weight upon the front bolster and tongue turned the coupling-pole over on the horses' backs1 turned the stakes upside down1 which shut me between the bolster and tongue1 but in such a manner that my head and shoulders dragged upon the ground4 ,the horses took fright and ran into an open prairie4 ,they dragged me for about half a mile1 and notwithstanding my awkward position ,i managed to guide them so as to run them into the corner of a high worm-fence1 where we landed in a pile together4 ,i was considerable bruised1 but escaped without any broken bones1 and after one day's rest was able to attend to my labors again4 ,on the #aeth day of ,october1 #ahdf1 while with the ,camp of ,israel building up ,winter ,quarters1 on the west side of the ,missouri ,river 7then ,indian country17 ,i passed through one of the most painful and serious misfortunes of my life4 ,i took my ax and went two and a half miles upon the bluff to cut some shingle timber to cover my cabin4 ,i was accompanied by two men4 ,while felling the third tree1 ,i stepped back of it some eight feet1 where ,i thought ,i was entirely out of danger4 ,there was1 however1 a crook in the tree1 which1 when the tree fell1 struck a knoll and caused the tree to bound endwise back of the stump4 ,as it bounded backwards1 the butt end of the tree hit me in the breast1 and knocked me back and above the ground several feet1 against a standing oak4 ,the falling tree followed me in its bounds and severely crushed me against the standing tree4 ,i fell to the ground1 alighting upon my feet4 ,my left thigh and hip were badly bruised1 also my left arm2 my breastbone and three ribs on my left side were broken4 ,i was bruised about my lungs1 vitals and left side in a serious manner4 ,after the accident #aa ,i sat upon a log while ,mr4 ,john ,garrison went a quarter of a mile and got my horse4 ,notwithstanding ,i was so badly hurt1 ,i had to mount my horse and ride two and a half miles over an exceedingly rough road4 ,on account of severe pain ,i had to dismount twice on my way home4 ,my breast and vitals were so badly injured that at each step of the horse pain went through me like an arrow4 ,i continued on horseback until ,i arrived at ,turkey ,creek1 on the north side of ,winter ,quarters4 ,i was then exhausted1 and was taken off the horse and carried in a chair to my wagon4 ,i was met in the street by ,presidents ,brigham ,young4 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,willard ,richards1 and others1 who assisted in carrying me to the wagon4 ,before placing me upon my bed they laid hands upon me1 and in the name of the ,lord rebuked the pain and distress1 and said that ,i should live1 and not die4 ,i was then laid upon my bed in the wagon1 as my cabin was not yet done4 ,as the apostles prophesied upon my head1 so it came to pass2 ,i did not die4 ,i employed no physician1 but was administered to by the elders of ,israel1 and nursed by my wife4 ,i lay upon my bed1 unable to move until my breast-bone began to knit together on the ninth day4 ,in about twenty days ,i began to walk1 and in thirty days from the time ,i was hurt4 ,i returned to my laborious employment4 ,i have not now a lame limb about me1 notwithstanding it all4 ,i have been able to endure the hardest kind of manual labor1 exposures1 hardships1 and journeys4 ,i have walked forty1 fifty1 and1 on one occasion1 sixty miles in a single day4 ,the only inconvenience ,i am now conscious of is that if ,i overwork1 or take a severe cold1 ,i feel it more sensibly in my breast and left side than ,i did before my last injury4 ,i have given considerable space in recounting the foregoing peculiar circumstances which ,i have experienced in life4 ,a summary of what is here given may be briefly stated thus3 ,i have broken both legs1 one of them in two places2 both arms1 both ankles1 my breastbone1 and three ribs2 ,i have been scalded1 frozen1 and drowned2 ,i have been in two water wheels while turning under a full head2 ,i have passed through a score of other hairbreadth escapes4 ,the repeated deliverances from all these remarkable dangers ,i ascribe to the mercies of my ,heavenly ,father4 ,in recalling them to mind ,i always feel impressed to render the gratitude of my heart1 with #ab thanksgiving and joy1 to the ,lord4 ,i pray that the remainder of my days may pass in ,his service1 in the building up of ,his kingdom4 ,when one stops to reflect upon the character of the accidents and the manner of escape1 he is impressed by the thought that they came along as part of the remarkable incidents of his life4 ,they are marvels to be sure1 but the whole life of ,wilford ,woodruff is a marvel4 ,he was on the spot when the danger arrived4 ,he never seems to have been disconcerted by it4 ,he was so serene in his faith that he always had an assurance that all would end well1 and he1 consequently1 is never found in a complainly mood1 even when undergoing the severest pain4 ,his patience1 therefore1 was a powerful factor in bringing to his life a large measure of confidence in the ultimate goodness of an overruling ,providence4 #ac ,,chapter #c4 ,a ,,remarkable ,,preparation4 ,coming ,events4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,interest in ,religion4--,existing ,religious ,denominations4--,teachings of ,scripture4--,father ,mason1 a ,prophet4--,peculiar ,process of ,preparation4 ,wilford ,woodruff belonged to a group of men whose advent into the world characterized the first two decades of the nineteenth century4 ,though in their own day1 humble and obscure and held in contempt by mankind generally1 their importance and the work accomplished by them grow in significance to the ,latter-day ,saints who are and have been for the past half century the greatest history makers in the world4 ,such men as ,joseph ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 whose administration of the affairs of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints has given them a prominent place in the world as well as in the ,church1 grow in historical magnitude as time goes on4 ,their respective administrations constitute distinguished landmarks in the history of a great people4 ,there has been a mysterious something about ,north ,america1 and indeed of the whole ,american continent1 that has made it not only inviting to discoverers and adventurers1 but an asylum to those who sought enlarged religious freedom and the development of institutions in harmony with the ideals of progressive religious thought4 ,what has been more remarkable to the welfare of this nation than the character of the men1 who1 standing upon foreign shores looked forward to it as a land of grand opportunities1 were the men1 the early patriots who gave to its government the highest wisdom of the age1 and to social institution a broad foundation upon which all classes could securely rest their hopes1 their ambitions1 and their religious convictions4 ,the institutions of our country have nevertheless grown as time went on1 and little by little conditions derogatory to the well-being and happiness of the people have given way to higher and better standards of life4 ,the opposition to slavery and its downfall enlarged the conceptions of individual liberty and of #ad human rights4 ,the traditions of ages have given way before the progress of modern enlightenment1 and the country has afforded better opportunities for progressive and changing institutions than any other nation of the civilized world4 ,the whole drift of ,american history has been in the direction of religious enlightenment and political freedom4 ,true1 such enlightenment and freedom have met with stubborn resistance and have cost the best blood of the nation4 ,the ,united ,states has been a country peculiarly marked for the greatest human endeavor4 ,it has not1 however1 reached the acme of its possibilities nor has its work1 however progressive1 reached a finished state4 ,if the lessons of the past in ,american history are important in any one respect1 more than another1 it is in the great truth that it is to be the standard bearer1 and the first in religion and government4 ,in religion the nation is brought face to face daily more and more with the great religious problem known to the civilized world as ,mormonism4 ,the men who were instrumentalities of that new religion grow in importance as it makes its way in religious and theological history4 ,the lives therefore of such men as ,wilford ,woodruff not only have a distinct place in the lives and thoughts of their religious associates1 but will also have an important position in the future history and development of religious thought4 ,how such men as ,wilford ,woodruff came upon the stage at the particular time in the history of the ,church1 and what external influences brought them into its folds are matter of peculiar interest to every student of ,church history4 ,what he himself thought of the new movement and how he was prepared to receive it is given here and there throughout his private journals in a manner to make the story of his life one of the most interesting in all the annals of the ,church4 ,he says3 ,at an early age my mind began to be exercised upon religious subjects1 but ,i never made a profession of religion until #ahcj when ,i was twenty-three years of age4 ,i did not then join any church for the reason that ,i could not find a body of people1 denomination1 or church that had for its doctrine1 faith1 and practices those principles1 ordinances1 and gifts which constituted the gospel of ,jesus ,christ as taught by ,him and ,his apostles4 ,neither did ,i find anywhere the manifestations of the #ae ,holy ,ghost with its attendant gifts and graces4 ,when ,i conversed with the ministers of the various denominations or sects1 they would always tell me that prophets1 apostles1 revelations1 healing1 etc41 were given to establish ,jesus ,christ and ,his doctrine1 but that they have ever since been done away with because no longer needed in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,such a declaration ,i never could and never would believe4 ,i did believe1 however1 that revelation1 the gifts and graces1 and the faith once delivered to the ,saints--a faith which they have enjoyed in all ages when ,god has had an acknowledged people on the earth--could be done away with only through the disobedience and unbelief of the children of men4 ,i believed every gift1 office1 and blessing to be just as necessary now to constitute the true ,church of ,christ and ,kingdom of ,god as in any age of the world4 ,this belief was firmly fixed upon my mind for two reasons3 first1 from the study of the ,bible ,i found that the principle of cause and effect was the same in all ages1 and that the divine promises made were to all generations4 ,at the same time1 ,i found no changes in the gospel in the days of ,christ and the apostles1 or that there would be any change in the plan of salvation in the last days4 ,i learned also from the ,scriptures that many of the ancient prophets1 that ,christ and ,his apostles foresaw by inspiration and revelation that the ,gentile nations would apostatize and turn away from the true faith and from the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god as the ,jews had anciently done2 that there would be a falling away from the apostolic faith1 from its doctrines and ordinances2 that other systems would arise2 that when these false systems should reach their fullness1 the ,god of heaven would set up ,his ,kingdom2 that an angel would restore the gospel2 and that it should be preached in all the world for a witness before the ,savior should come to reign4 ,i further believed that the gospel had been taken from the ,jews and given to the ,gentiles2 that the ,gentiles had1 as foretold by the prophets1 fallen into apostasy2 and that in the last days ,israel should be restored and the promises concerning that people should be fulfilled4 ,all these things ,i learned from the ,scriptures and they made a lasting impression upon my mind4 ,the second reason for my peculiar belief in such principles1 #af teachings1 and doctrines was that in the days of my youth ,i was taught by an aged man named ,robert ,mason1 who lived in ,sainsbury1 ,connecticut4 ,by many he was called a prophet2 to my knowledge1 many of his prophecies have been fulfilled4 ,the sick were healed by him through the laying on of hands in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and devils were cast out4 ,his son was a raving maniac4 ,after praying and fasting for him nine days1 he arose on the ninth day and commanded in the name of ,jesus ,christ the devil to come out of him4 ,the devil obeyed and the boy was made whole from that very hour4 ,this man instilled these principles into my mind as well as into the mind of my oldest brother ,azmon4 ,father ,mason did not claim that he had any authority to officiate in the ordinances of the gospel1 nor did he believe that such authority existed on the earth4 ,he did believe1 however1 that it was the privilege of any man who had faith in ,god to fast and pray for the healing of the sick by the laying on of hands4 ,he believed it his right and the right of every honest-hearted man or woman to receive light and knowledge1 visions1 and revelations by the prayer of faith4 ,he told me that the day was near when the ,lord would establish ,his ,church and ,kingdom upon the earth with all its ancient gifts and blessings4 ,he said that such a work would commence upon the earth before he died1 but that he would not live to partake of its blessings4 ,he said that ,i should live to do so1 and that ,i should become a conspicuous actor in that kingdom4 ,the last time ,i ever saw him he related to me the following vision which he had in his field in open day3 ',i was carried away in a vision and found myself in the midst of a vast orchard of fruit trees4 ,i became hungry and wandered through this vast orchard searching for fruit to eat1 but ,i found none4 ,while ,i stood in amazement finding no fruit in the midst of so many trees1 they began to fall to the ground as if torn up by a whirlwind4 ,they continued to fall until there was not a tree standing in the whole orchard4 ,i immediately saw thereafter shoots springing up from the roots and forming themselves into young and beautiful trees4 ,these budded1 blossomed1 and brought forth fruit which ripened and was the most beautiful to look upon of anything my eyes had ever beheld4 ,i stretched forth #ag my hand and plucked some of the fruit4 ,i gazed upon it with delight2 but when ,i was about to eat of it1 the vision closed and ,i did not taste the fruit4' ',at the close of the vision ,i bowed down in humble prayer and asked the ,lord to show me the meaning of the vision4 ,then the voice of the ,lord came to me saying3 ,son of man1 thou hast sought me diligently to know the truth concerning my ,church and ,kingdom among men4 ,this is to show you that my ,church is not organized among men in the generation to which you belong2 but in the days of your children the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god shall be made manifest with all the gifts and the blessings enjoyed by the ,saints in past ages4 ,you shall live to be made acquainted with it1 but shall not partake of its blessings before you depart this life4 ,you will be blest of the ,lord after death because you have followed the dictation of my ,spirit in this life4' ,when ,father ,mason had finished relating the vision and its interpretation1 he said1 calling me by my ,christian name3 ',wilford1 ,i shall never partake of this fruit in the flesh1 but you will and you will become a conspicuous actor in the new kingdom4' ,he then turned and left me4 ,these were the last words he ever spoke to me upon the earth4 ,to me this was a very striking circumstance4 ,i had passed many days during a period of twenty years with this old ,father ,mason4 ,he had never mentioned this vision to me before4 ,on this occasion he said he felt impelled by the ,spirit of the ,lord to relate it to me4 ,the vision was given to him about the year #ahjj4 ,he related it to me in #ahcj1 the spring in which the ,church was organized4 ,three years later when ,i was baptized into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 almost the first person ,i thought of was this prophet1 ,robert ,mason4 ,upon my arrival in ,missouri with ,zion's ,camp1 ,i wrote him a long letter in which ,i informed him that ,i had found the true gospel with all its blessings2 that the authority of the ,church of ,christ had been restored to the earth as he had told me it would be2 that ,i had received the ordinances of baptism and the laying on of hands2 that ,i knew for myself that ,god had established through ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 the ,church of ,christ upon the earth4 ,he received my letter with great joy and had it read over #ah to him many times4 ,he handled it as he had handled the fruit in the vision4 ,he was very aged and soon died without having the privilege of receiving the ordinances of the gospel at the hands of an elder of the ,church4 ,the first opportunity ,i had after the truth of baptism for the dead was revealed1 ,i went forth and was baptized for him in the temple font at ,nauvoo4 ,he was a good man1 a true prophet2 for his prophecies have been fulfilled4 ,there was so much reason in the teachings of this man1 and such harmony between them and the prophecies and teachings of ,christ and of the apostles and prophets of old1 that ,i believed in them with all my heart4 ,i had given myself up to the reading of the ,scriptures and to earnest prayer before ,god day and night as far as ,i could years before ,i heard the fullness of the gospel preached by a ,latter-day ,saint4 ,i had pleaded with the ,lord many hours in the forest1 among the rocks1 and in the fields1 and in the mill--often at midnight for light and truth and for ,his ,spirit to guide me in the way of salvation4 ,my prayers were answered and many things were revealed to me4 ,my mind was open to the truth so much so that ,i was fully satisfied that ,i should live to see the true ,church of ,christ established upon the earth and to see a people raised up who would keep the commandments of the ,lord4 ,this beautiful and inspiring story of ,robert ,mason reads very much like that of ,simeon of old1 who1 having received a divine response to his steadfast supplications1 exclaimed3 ,lord1 now lettest thy servant depart in peace1 according to thy word2 for mine eyes have seen thy salvation4 ,in reading the history of the ,church1 one is constantly impressed by the striking comparisons between the events recorded in ,holy ,writ and those which have been forerunners as well as accompaniments of the ,church of ,christ in this dispensation4 ,the ,spirit of ,god makes these analogies impressive1 and they in turn confirm the faith of those who have received a testimony of the divine mission of ,joseph ,smith and of the purposes of ,god to be fulfilled by the ,church in these last days4 ,no wonder ,wilford ,woodruff's mind was open to the truth4 ,no wonder that doubt or misgiving never beclouded his mind #ai from the day that the new light broke in upon his understanding to the day of his death4 ,his life is one of the most beautiful examples of a childlike faith that has ever been given to the world4 ,the story of it is both faith-promoting and instructive4 ,it reads like the stories of ,holy ,writ4 #bj ,,chapter #d4 ,,early ,,days1 #ahaf-ahcc4 ,a ,fisherman4--,early ,employment4--,noble ,reflections4--,lessons in ,reading4--,interest in the ,bible4--,philo ,woodruff's ,strange ,dream4--,mocking ,deity4--,its ,effects4--,peace of ,mind4--,place of ,prayer4--,happy ,experiences4--,a ,baptism4--,reads of ,mormons4--,notable ,instance of ,inspiration4--,removal to ,new ,york4--,azmon's ,faith4 ,much of the early life of ,wilford ,woodruff was passed in ,farmington1 ,connecticut4 ,he was a boy of great vitality and given to the sports incident to the community and the times in which he lived4 ,he early developed a marked aptitude for fishing4 ,in the stream which fed his father's mill there were spotted trout in abundance4 ,these he learned to catch with great dexterity2 and his brother1 being likewise an adept with the hook1 the two achieved the reputation of being the most successful fishermen in the village4 ,the sports of fishing and hunting which he practiced in early boyhood were enjoyed by him throughout his entire life4 ,one is reminded in the story of his life that there were apostles of old who cast their nets for fish in the sea of ,galilee4 ,like them1 he too became a fisher of men4 ,he was equally prompt in responding to the ,master's call and equally ardent in promulgating the new word of life he was authorized to publish4 ,we are not told how many converts were the result of their missionary efforts1 but it is quite within the bounds of truth to declare that no apostle of the last dispensation succeeded better than ,wilford ,woodruff in planting the message of the new dispensation in the hearts of his fellow-men4 ,he attended the village district school in his early boyhood1 a school located about two miles from his father's home4 ,in those days1 he writes1 parents did not feel the importance of urging upon their children the advantages of education as they urge them today4 ,in those times they felt that matters of education were wholly confined to the ideas and methods of the school teacher4 ,wilford was an industrious boy4 ,his mind was filled with lofty thoughts1 and his education as time went on took on a religious character4 ,he was by nature a devoted son and #ba observed carefully the divine command which enjoined obedience to his parents4 ,aphek ,woodruff1 father of ,wilford1 was a generous-hearted man4 ,he rarely refused to grant a favor even when it seemed probable that the favor might prove a loss to him4 ,the father by his industry and frugality had acquired a respectable competency for those days4 ,his property1 however1 soon dwindled away when those for whom he became security left him to meet their obligations4 ,his possessions consisted of a large farm well stocked with cattle1 a flour mill1 a saw mill1 and a carding machine4 ,these had cost years of toil and self-denial4 ,their loss to him saved his honor1 but subjected his family to the hardships which the changed financial conditions brought about4 ,these experiences of his father had much to do in the formation of his son's character1 for the latter avoided debts and was scrupulously careful to make his word good in every business undertaking4 ,when ,wilford was eight years of age1 a strong religious revival took place in the town of ,farmington4 ,it was conducted chiefly by the ,baptist ,church2 the elders of that ,church1 ,brocket and ,quishman1 preached in his father's home4 ,they baptized his stepmother and several other relatives4 ,his brothers1 ,azmon and ,thompson1 made some profession of religion4 ,wilford attended meetings1 prayed1 and tried to feel as others felt1 but all to no purpose4 ,whatever of enthusiasm worked upon his feelings in the excitement of the meetings soon passed away and left his soul unfed by the bread of life4 ,the next elder brother1 ,thompson1 was in a similar condition4 ,his eldest brother1 ,azmon1 continued his interest and devotion until several years later when he embraced the fulness of the gospel4 ,his father1 having sold his property at ,northington1 moved back to ,farmington where he was employed to run the flour mill owned by ,cowles1 ,deming ,camp4 ,this employment he continued for twenty-eight years4 ,up to the year #ahaf ,wilford remained with his father4 ,he attended school in ,farmington until he was fourteen years of age4 ,on the first of ,may1 #ahba1 he went to live with ,col4 ,george ,cowles with whom he remained two years4 ,while there he attended school in the winter and worked upon a farm during the #bb summer months4 ,it was while living with ,mr4 ,cowles that ,wilford again witnessed a religious revival which was conducted by the ,presbyterians1 who were at that time the only sect in ,farmington4 ,of this second revival he writes3 ,i attended the meetings1 inquiry1 ,sunday schools1 and prayer meetings4 ,i tried to get religion by effort and prayer1 but my efforts created darkness instead of light and ,i was not happy in the attempt4 ,they wanted us to give our hearts to ,god without telling us what to do or explaining any principle in a comprehensive manner4 ,there were many young people at that time of my age who made a profession of religion4 ,i did not wish to make a mockery of sacred things by professing light when ,i had received none1 so ,i kept aloof from all professions4 ,at this time the ,woodruff family was undergoing a severe struggle for a livelihood4 ,young ,wilford lived out1 first with one and then with another1 working hard during the summer and fall and attending school in the winter4 ,in the year #ahbc while making his abode with ,mr4 ,andrew ,mills he underwent his first attack of homesickness4 ,mr4 ,mills was a proud and austere man1 he writes1 ,i had never before lived at a place where ,i did not feel free and sociable1 and there was no conversation between us except to ask or answer a question4 ,i ate and slept very little there for two weeks4 ,relief1 however1 came to me when ,i started to school and made the acquaintance of my fellow students4 ,my homesickness left me and never came back4 ,i returned home in #ahbe1 soon after which my father made a contract with ,mr4 ,horace ,todd that ,i should work one year with him4 ,the year1 however1 did not pass before the boy split his instep with an ax4 ,this ended his service there1 but his brother ,thompson took the place there and worked the year out4 ,thus we kept our contract4 ,wilford was crippled for nine months4 ,at the end of that time he left home on horse back in search of work4 ,again misfortune overtook him4 ,he was thrown from his horse and compelled to return home where he remained for some time4 ,there was always a welcome in his home1 because of the love and respect every member of the family entertained for him4 ,part of the time up to ,april1 #ahbg1 he remained at home1 #bc and part of the time he was engaged in working for other people4 ,at that time he was twenty years of age and left his home never to return except as a visitor4 ,he first went to live with his ,aunt ,helen ,wheeler4 ,he took her flour mill at ,east ,avon on shares and worked it for three years4 ,during that time he established himself in the trade of a miller4 ,notwithstanding his youth at the time of leaving home1 his soul was full of deep and serious thoughts4 ,they were ennobling in their character and safeguarded the young man along the slippery paths of youth4 ,here are some of the reflections of those days3 ,this is an important period of my life4 ,as ,i leave my father's home to enter upon the stage of life to act for myself1 to be my own counselor1 and to form my own character in the broad open world1 my mind is filled with serious reflections4 ,i am full of anxiety--an anxiety which is painful to me4 ,should ,i outlive my parents1 how long will it be before ,i shall follow them to the grave8 ,it will be said of them3 ',they have gone the way of all flesh and their children will follow them into the same eternal world4' ,my age is an important period in the life of every man2 for1 generally speaking1 at this period of life man forms much of his character for time and eternity4 ,how cautious ,i ought to be in passing this landmark along the road of my early existence6 ,i feel that ,i need care1 prudence1 circumspection1 and wisdom to guide my footsteps in the path which leads to honor and eternal life4 ,later on1 referring to this same period of life1 he says3 ,i reflected further upon the days of my youth which were gone1 and upon the fleetness of time that had flown like an arrow to return no more4 ,i reasoned thus3 while walking through a rapid stream1 we cannot tread twice in the same water1 neither can we twice spend the same time4 ,then how ought we to prize the golden moments and measure time by our talents to the honor and glory of ,god and for the salvation of our souls2 so that when the ,lord comes1 ,he may receive ,his own with usury4 ,in trying to comprehend the fleetness of time1 ,i have asked myself these questions4 ,where is the old world8 ,where are the millions of the earth's inhabitants1 including my own ancestors8 ,and where are the days of my youth8 ,they are gone--all #bd gone into the boundless ocean of eternity where ,i shall soon find myself4 ,this remarkable state of his mind at that youthful period of life is so unusual in young men of that age that it is quite reasonable to suppose that he was undergoing a mental struggle on questions of right and wrong4 ,it was not simply with him a question of good and bad2 has conscience told him what his conduct ought to be in the presence of temptation4 ,what he wanted to know1 what he was yearning to learn was some positive rule of life that would govern and guide him in the formation of correct religious doctrines4 ,in those times it was thought no evil to indulge in card playing and pastimes of a similar character4 ,he occasionally took a hand in these games1 but soon withdrew from such recreation1 since he believed card playing to be a vice4 ,his journal shows that he understood the dangers that arise from the so-called respectability of companionship when such companions are thoughtless1 indifferent1 and self-indulgent4 ,the religious influence of such men1 he writes1 where it is bad is most to be dreaded4 ,the vulgar and dissipated will not have much influence over the man who intends to maintain a fair standing in society4 ,on the other hand1 the respectable man may lead him step by step into such evils that bring upon him1 before he is aware of it1 sorrow1 disgrace1 misery1 and shame4 ,if ,i was ever led to stake anything at the card table1 ,i had the providential good fortune to lose4 ,there was thus cut off the natural encouragement to engage in such a vice4 ,in all these recreations there was a spirit working within me which drew my attention to inner thoughts of a nobler sort until ,i lost all desire for cards and the ball room and for the company of those who enjoyed that kind of pleasure4 ,so much was this the case1 that ,i felt like a speckled bird in the midst of my companions4 ,indeed1 ,i learned by experience and by the workings of the spirit of the ,lord within my own soul that the transitory pleasures of human life do not in any way constitute true and lasting happiness4 ,before launching out in business for himself1 he says3 ,i had not acquired much taste for reading4 ,having at my disposal each day several leisure hours1 ,i felt impressed that ,i must not #be squander time in idleness4 ,i did not care for novel reading4 ,i believed it to be useless4 ,nor had ,i much taste for history1 having read but little of it4 ,one day while reading a school book1 ,i came across these remarkable words3 ',he that will spend his life in that manner which is most exaltant will find that custom will render it most delightsome4' ,these words made a strong impression upon his mind4 ,he at once began to read history4 ,at first he read too much at a time to remember1 to digest1 and to profit by it4 ,after a judicious regulation of this mental pastime1 he read carefully histories of the ,united ,states1 ,england1 ,scotland1 ,greece1 and ,rome4 ,he read ,rollin's ,ancient ,history1 ,josephus1 and other books4 ,they became to him a delight1 and from them he gained much that was helpful4 ,by perusing history1 he writes1 we hold converse with men of judgment1 wisdom1 and knowledge4 ,i finally took up the ,bible as a study of history and ,i never found any history equally interesting until later on ,i read the ,book of ,mormon4 ,while reading these books we converse1 as it were1 with the ,lord and with ,his holy prophets and apostles4 ,in studying the ,word of the ,lord we learn truths which cannot be acquired from any other source4 ,those books which contain the revelations of heaven are of far more interest than books containing merely the opinions1 theories1 and doctrines of men4 ,during his further stay with his ,aunt ,helen1 he encountered other religious revivals without any benefit to him further than to emphasize his convictions that the gospel in its purity was not among the people at that time and place4 ,at that time he was called upon to mourn the demise of his beloved brother1 ,philo4 ,a few months prior to his death1 ,philo dreamed that an angel from heaven was going through the streets of the town with a roll containing a list of those who should die during the year in that town4 ,the angel approached ,philo and unfolded to him the roll1 at the same time he informed him that on ,november #bgth there would be a funeral at his father's house4 ,philo recorded the dream in his journal4 ,on the very day named by the angel his own funeral occurred at his father's home4 ,the fulfillment of this strange dream made a lasting impression on ,wilford's mind4 #bf ,the year following1 another very remarkable circumstance occurred which was equally impressive to his thoughtful and spiritual mind4 ,he writes3 ,i was called to sit up for the night with the remains of a young man named ,henry ,miller4 ,he had been very wicked and profane4 ,the day before his death1 he attended a celebration of the nation's birthday1 ,july #dth4 ,the boy's father1 who was a religious1 ,god-fearing man1 reproved the son for his profanity and wickedness4 ,shortly after this1 he and his father were on the way to the field to get some hay when there suddenly arose a heavy shower accompanied by thunder and lightning4 ,henry made sport of the roaring elements and mocked ,god in the thunder4 ,the next moment1 while standing by his father's side1 he was struck by a thunderbolt from heaven4 ,i attended his funeral4 ,the circumstances of his death made a lasting impression on me4 ,like many1 for whom there is in store a remarkable religious future1 ,wilford was called to suffer financial reverses that he might learn how uncertain are the goods of this world and that he might feel the full force of that divine fiat3 ,cursed is he that trusteth in riches2 cursed is he that trusteth in man1 or maketh flesh his arm4 ,he had earned considerable money while running the flour mill for his ,aunt ,helen1 but lost much of it by lending it to an unprincipled man1 and by helping others who were unable to repay him4 ,these peculiar experiences1 temporal and spiritual1 fortunes and misfortunes1 accidents and trials among people away from his own home filled his soul with grave reflections and brought him to take a stand relative to his own future course in life4 ,he was high-minded1 had no vices or bad habits1 and his standard of purity and excellence was so high that he never indulged in light-mindedness or in trifling recreations4 ,to him they were grievous sins in the sight of ,god2 and he believed with the ,prophet ,joseph that they should be eschewed4 ,he was constantly striving for a higher plane upon which he might firmly plant his feet4 ,i was twenty-three years of age2 and in reflecting upon the past1 ,i became sincerely convinced that there was no real peace of mind or true happiness except in the service of ,god and in doing those things which would meet ,his approval4 ,as far as my imagination would enable me1 ,i brought before my mind all the #bg honor1 glory1 and happiness of the whole world4 ,i thought of the gold and the wealth of the rich1 of the glory1 grandeur1 and power of kings1 presidents1 princes1 and rulers4 ,i thought of the military renown of ,alexander1 ,napoleon1 and other great generals4 ,i cast my mind over the innumerable paths through which the giddy world travels in search of pleasure and happiness4 ,in summing up the whole matter in the vision of my mind1 ,i had to exclaim with ,solomon3 ',all is vanity of vanities sayeth the preacher4' ,i could see that within a few years all would end alike in the grave4 ,i was convinced that no man could enjoy true happiness and obtain that which would feed the immortal soul1 except ,god was his friend and ,jesus ,christ his advocate4 ,i was convinced that man became their friend by doing the will of the ,father1 and by keeping ,his commandments4 ,i made a firm resolution that from then ,i would seek the ,lord to know ,his will1 to keep ,his commandments1 and to follow the dictates of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,upon this ground ,i was determined to stand and to spend my future life in the maintenance of these convictions4 ,it will be here easily seen that determination which led him through all the subsequent years of his life to do whatever he did for the glory of ,god4 ,in ,may1 #ahcj1 he was employed to run a flour mill for ,mr4 ,samuel ,collins of ,collinsville1 ,connecticut4 ,at first he went to board with about thirty young men4 ,these being of a worldly turn of mind1 he did not enjoy their influence and therefore took up his residence in the family of ,mr4 ,dudley ,d4 ,sackett4 ,about this time1 under the influence of a religious revival1 his brother ,asahel made profession of religion and seemed very devoted4 ,wilford became specially anxious to know the will of the ,lord4 ,i prayed night and day1 and the ,lord blest me with much of ,his spirit4 ,these began to be the happiest days of my life4 ,i felt that the sun1 moon1 and stars2 the mountains1 hills1 and valleys2 and that all creation were united in the praise of the ,lord4 ,my work in the mill was very light and ,i passed much of my time in reading1 in meditation1 and in prayer4 ,i read the ,bible and it was like a new book to me4 ,i received much light in perusing its sacred pages4 ,if ,i was cast down1 tried1 or #bh tempted1 ,i found in it relief in connection with the ,spirit of ,god4 ,the religious reformation continued in ,farmington and a number of my relatives were actively engaged in the service of the ,lord according to the best light they had4 ,among them were my ,uncle ,ozem ,woodruff and his wife ,hannah4 ,they were good people and ,i was much attached to them1 having lived with them a good deal in my early life4 ,i enjoyed their society very much4 ,a short distance from the mill was a beautiful island upon the top of which was a level field covered with flowers4 ,the island was surrounded by a rapid current of water dashing over the rocks4 ,the banks of the current were thickly studded by tall1 waving pines4 ,i chose this pleasant retreat on the top of the island as my place of prayer and supplication4 ,i retired to it many times1 both by day and by night and offered up my soul in prayer to the ,lord4 ,i never shall forget the happy hours ,i spent alone in mediation and prayer upon that solitary island4 ,when sitting there alone1 there would come to my mind the words of ,robert ,pollock3 ',in the wide desert where the view was large1 ,pleasant were many scenes1 but most to me ,the solitude of vast extent untouched by hand ,whose nature sowed herself and reaped her crop2 ,whose garments were the clouds2 whose minstrels1 brooks2 ,whose lamps1 the moon and stars2 whose organ choir1 ,the voice of many waters2 whose banquets1 ,the falling leaves2 whose heroes1 storms2 whose warriors1 ,mighty winds2 whose lovers1 flowers2 ,whose orators1 the thunderbolt of ,god2 ,whose palaces1 the everlasting hills2 ,whose ceilings1 ,heaven's unfathomable blue2 ,and from whose rocky turrets battled high ,prospects immense spread out on all sides in air1 ,lost now between the welkin and the main1 ,now walked with hills that slept above the storm4' ,the ,lord blest me with joy and happiness such as ,i had never before enjoyed1 doubtless because ,i was living up to the best light ,i had4 ,i had no apostle or prophet to teach me the right way2 so ,i had to do the best ,i could4 ,in my zeal to promote #bi good1 ,i got up prayer meetings in our village and prayed for light and knowledge4 ,it was my desire to receive the ordinances of the gospel1 as ,i could plainly see by reading the ,bible that baptism by immersion was a sacred ordinance4 ,in my eagerness1 yet being ignorant of the holy priesthood and of the true authority to officiate in the ordinances of eternal life1 ,i requested the ,baptist minister to baptize me4 ,at first he refused because ,i told him ,i would not join his church as it did not harmonize with the apostolic church which our ,savior established4 ,finally after several conversations1 he baptized me on the #eth of ,may1 #ahca4 ,he also baptized my brother ,asahel4 ,this was the first and only gospel ordinance ,i sought for until ,i joined the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,wilford continued with ,mr4 ,collins for less than a year1 but left him with the best feelings4 ,the latter told ,wilford that he would always be welcome at his home1 and that as an honorable young man1 worthy of trust1 he would cheerfully give him any recommendations he desired4 ,wilford held himself aloof from membership in any of the churches4 ,he visited their meetings and conversed with their ministers4 ,he wanted to know why there were no more apostles and prophets4 ,he was told that they were done away with1 because they were no longer needed4 ,such a statement only intensified his disbelief in sectarian churches4 ,on one occasion1 after praying most earnestly to know about the people of the ,lord1 if any such there were on earth1 he says3 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord said unto me3 ',go to my ,word and ,i will there show thee my will and answer thy prayer4' ,i opened the ,bible promiscuously1 praying the ,lord to direct me to that portion of his ,word which would answer my prayer4 ,i opened to the #efth ,chapter of ,isaiah4 ,i was satisfied it was in response to my prayer4 ,i felt that the salvation of ,god was about to be revealed and ,his righteousness come forth4 ,i was also satisfied that ,i should live to see the people of ,god gathered4 ,from this time on until the gospel found me ,i was contented and felt that ,i should trouble myself no more about the churches and the ministers4 ,in our zeal my brother ,azmon and ,i adopted the worship of the ,lord on ,saturday instead of ,sunday4 ,i felt that a change from the seventh to the first day of the week was likely #cj a perversion made by man without authority from heaven4 ,it was while staying with ,mr4 ,cowles in the spring of #ahcb that he saw for the first time an account of the ,mormons4 ,these were described in a newspaper article as a new sect claiming to have new revelations and to be built upon the foundation of prophets and apostles the same as the ancient ,saints4 ,the editor of the newspaper ridiculed the ,mormons1 but ,wilford was favorably impressed4 ,from that time on he desired to see these new people2 for if they enjoyed the gifts which were bestowed upon the ancient ,saints1 they were the very people for whom he was seeking4 ,soon after this he made a settlement with ,mr4 ,cowles and arranged his affairs with a view of moving to western ,new ,york4 ,of the circumstances leading up to this change in his life1 he writes3 ,the spirit that was upon me day and night said1 ',go to ,rhode ,island4' ,my mind was greatly exercised over the matter for ,i could not comprehend what it meant4 ,i went to live with my brother ,azmon until our departure for ,new ,york4 ,after saluting him1 ,i said3 ',i wonder what the ,lord wants of me in ,rhode ,island6 ,the spirit of the ,lord has rested upon me for two weeks and said1 ,go to ,rhode ,island4' ,in about an hour after this my brother ,asahel arrived on a visit4 ,after shaking hands with him1 almost the first words he spoke were3 ',i wonder what the ,lord wants of me in ,rhode ,island6 ,the spirit of the ,lord has been upon me for two or three weeks and has told me to go to ,rhode ,island4' ,this caused us to marvel exceedingly4 ,we had not seen each other for several months4 ,my brother ,azmon thought that as we were ready to go to ,new ,york1 we better not go to ,rhode ,island4 ,to this we consented with great reluctance4 ,i felt sure it was our duty to go there1 although at that time it was a mystery4 ,later on when the gospel came to them in ,new ,york1 ,wilford learned that if they had gone to ,rhode ,island they would have met ,elders ,orson ,hyde and ,samuel ,h4 ,smith and would have thus received the gospel at an earlier date than they did by at least one year4 ,had they gone to ,rhode ,island and received the gospel there1 they would have undoubtedly gone direct to ,kirtland1 ,ohio4 ,as it was1 they stopped in ,new ,york where they purchased a farm4 #ca ,this incident furnished an illustration of the safety of obeying the spirit of the ,lord1 even when the reason at the time is not apparent4 ,the example of ,adam is a further illustration of that same beautiful truth4 ,adam1 why dost thou offer sacrifice8 asked the angel4 ,i know not1 was the reply1 save that ,god has commanded me4 ,such illustrations show the folly of basing one's conduct wholly upon experience1 or upon the powers of human understanding4 ,there are other lamps to guide our feet than that of experience or the wisdom of man4 ,the incident is a striking illustration also of the untruth of that sometime infidel dogma which says3 ,we doubt all things in order to prove all things4 ,it is better to hold with inspired men3 ,we believe all things from ,god in order to know all things4 ,wilford ,woodruff and his brother ,azmon bade their father good-bye4 ,with #hjj1 and a tin trunk each1 they journeyed to ,richland1 ,oswego ,county1 ,new ,york4 ,there they purchased a farm of #adj acres and a good dwelling house at a cost of #a1hjj4 ,they paid the amount they had with them1 the balance at a subsequent date4 ,during their residence in ,richland1 the cholera made its appearance in the ,united ,states4 ,azmon was seized by the dread malady4 ,of this circumstance and the faith of his brother1 ,wilford writes3 ,azmon was a very peculiar person from his childhood4 ,he was very strict in reading the ,bible and in attending to his prayers4 ,he enjoyed much of the spirit of the ,lord and had considerable light4 ,i was greatly edified by his teachings and conversations4 ,when he was sick1 he did not employ a physician1 but trusted in the ,lord absolutely4 ,in the fall of #ahcc he had a very severe attack of the cholera4 ,his wife and ,i laid our hands upon his head agreeable to his request and prayed for him4 ,we asked the ,lord to rebuke the disease and commanded it to depart from him4 ,from that hour the cholera was checked4 ,he was immediately healed4 ,the next morning he was able to arise from his bed and walk4 ,such was his faith4 ,he had passed through many ordeals of sickness and was always healed by the power of ,god and without medical aid4 ,this recital brings us to the winter of #ahcc when the full blaze of the gospel light was about to shine in splendor upon the soul of ,wilford ,woodruff4 #cb ,,chapter #e4 ,,baptism1 #ahcc4 ,elders ,visit ,richland1 ,n4 ,y4--,the ,new ,message4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,testimony4--,the ,book of ,mormon4--,healing ,power4--,baptism4--,ordained a ,teacher4 ,the movement westward when ,wilford ,woodruff located in ,richland1 ,new ,york was in full accord with the restless energy and ambitious purposes of a new and active generation4 ,the movement called for the best talent and most ardent workers of those times4 ,in ,richland this young man gave his old time zeal to a new found occupation4 ,what lay at hand to do he did with all his might4 ,the duties and occupations of his life were with him never temporary1 never makeshifts1 and he never waited for something to turn up4 ,nor did the frequent interruptions in his occupations all through life ever give to him an unsteady aim1 or a waning enthusiasm4 ,when he plowed in the earth1 he saw ,god's will in the furrows4 ,there was divine harmony in the click of the mill1 and the song of heaven in the warblings of the birds4 ,he settled down in ,richland with the fervent expectation that1 ,god willing1 it should be to him a permanent home4 ,in the midst of the busy life he had taken up in his new home1 there came to him a message of joy1 a warning voice1 to whose accents his soul had long been attuned4 ,in the winter of #ahcc1 and on the #bith day of ,december1 there came to his home two humble elders of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,they were ,zera ,pulsipher and ,elijah ,cheney4 ,at the time of their appearance1 he and his brother ,azmon were away from the house engaged in their daily labors2 but ,azmon's wife knew very well the frame of mind1 both of her husband and his brother ,wilford4 ,their hopes and expectations had been the subject of conversation in their humble home4 ,she therefore received the elders kindly and gave them to understand that her husband and his brother would be anxious to hear them preach4 ,according to the custom of the ,mormon elders then1 as now1 a meeting was appointed at the schoolhouse and notices were circulated throughout the village4 ,the story of this new experience is told by ,wilford ,woodruff in a simple and beautiful manner3 #cc ,upon my arrival home my sister-in-law informed me of the meeting4 ,i immediately turned out my horses and started for the schoolhouse without waiting for supper4 ,on my way ,i prayed most sincerely that the ,lord would give me ,his spirit1 and that if these men were the servants of ,god ,i might know it1 and that my heart might be prepared to receive the divine message they had to deliver4 ,when ,i reached the place of meeting1 ,i found the house already packed4 ,my brother ,azmon was there before ,i arrived4 ,he was equally eager to hear what these men had to say4 ,i crowded my way through the assembly and seated myself upon one of the writing desks where ,i could see and hear everything that took place4 ,elder ,pulsipher opened with prayer4 ,he knelt down and asked the ,lord in the name of ,jesus ,christ for what he wanted4 ,his manner of prayer and the influence which went with it impressed me greatly4 ,the spirit of the ,lord rested upon me and bore witness that he was a servant of ,god4 ,after singing1 he preached to the people for an hour and a half4 ,the spirit of ,god rested mightily upon him and he bore a strong testimony of the divine authenticity of the ,book of ,mormon and of the mission of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,i believed all that he said4 ,the spirit bore witness of its truth4 ,elder ,cheney then arose and added his testimony to the truth of the words of ,elder ,pulsipher4 ,liberty was then given by the elders to any one in the congregation to arise and speak for or against what they had heard as they might choose4 ,almost instantly ,i found myself upon my feet4 ,the spirit of the ,lord urged me to bear testimony to the truth of the message delivered by these elders4 ,i exhorted my neighbors and friends not to oppose these men2 for they were the true servants of ,god4 ,they had preached to us that night the pure gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,when ,i sat down1 my brother ,azmon arose and bore a similar testimony4 ,he was followed by several others4 ,no more beautiful illustration of the manner in which this new message found its way into the homes of thousands of people could be given than that taken from the quotations herein given4 ,the power of an elder's testimony has borne down upon #cd the souls of men and women until like the ,saints of old they have exclaimed3 ,men and brethren1 what shall we do4 ,the spirit of this meeting was not only convincing1 but controlling in its power4 ,no man arose to say nay4 ,if there were present in that meeting a spirit of dissent1 opposition1 or hatred1 it was quelled and silenced by the power of ,god manifested in the testimonies of those humble men4 ,the ,woodruff brothers were aroused to a spirit of investigation4 ,they were full of hope and of grand expectations4 ,they wanted to harmonize the new message with the word of ,god as pronounced in ,holy ,writ4 ,they had rested heretofore their faith upon its teachings4 ,in all matters religious1 it had been their supreme guide4 ,they were anxious to know more1 and therefore took the elders with them to their home and sat up late that night conversing upon the principles of the gospel4 ,wilford began at once to read the ,book of ,mormon4 ,as ,i did so1 he writes1 the spirit bore witness that the record which it contained was true4 ,i opened my eyes to see1 my ears to hear1 and my heart to understand4 ,i also opened my doors to entertain the servants of ,god4 ,he at once became a living witness to the truth of the promise made in that book that whoso should read it with a prayerful heart should have a witness of its truth1 and whoso should receive the record and not condemn it because of the imperfections which might appear in its language should know greater things to come4 ,the spirit of that book brought divine harmony to his soul so wonderfully attuned to the spirit and language of the ,bible4 ,those were days of grand opportunities for a soul that had been so long in a state of hunger and thirst after righteousness4 ,the new message brought to him a new enthusiasm4 ,on the #cjth of the month1 ,wilford and the elders called upon ,noah ,holton1 a preacher of the ,freewill ,baptist denomination1 whose daughter was very ill4 ,after listening to the elders for some time1 ,mr4 ,holton made a solemn covenant to go forward and be baptized if the ,lord would heal his daughter4 ,the elders laid their hands upon her and she was healed by the power of ,god4 ,it was not a time for delay4 ,these brothers had long waited for the message which had now brought the glorious tidings of a divine call4 ,they would not delay obedience to those ordinances #ce which opened the door to the enjoyment of greater light4 ,they asked for baptism at the hands of the elders4 ,on ,december #cast1 the last day of the year1 #ahcc1 there assembled at the water's edge about #aa o'clock in the morning a large number of people who witnessed the baptism of ,wilford ,woodruff by ,zera ,pulsipher4 ,there were baptized at the same time his brother ,azmon1 also two young ladies who had been healed the day before4 ,of this circumstance he writes in his journal3 ,the snow was about three feet deep1 the day was cold1 and the water was mixed with ice and snow1 yet ,i did not feel the cold4 ,there was a public meeting held that night by candle-light and a large congregation assembled2 but unlike the meeting that was first held1 there was a spirit of opposition4 ,after explaining to the people the ordinance of the laying on of hands1 the elders confirmed ,wilford and his companions members of the ,church by the laying on of hands for the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,speaking of this meeting he says3 ,there was a good deal of darkness in the room2 but when the congregation dispersed1 the people took away with them that darkness4 ,the ,holy ,ghost fell upon us and we had a time of great rejoicing4 ,the next day1 ,january #ast1 #ahcd1 my brother ,azmon reproached ,noah ,holton for his tardiness in receiving the gospel after he had made a covenant to obey it on condition that his daughter be healed4 ,holton received the warning and was baptized4 ,the story of ,wilford ,woodruff's conversion was simply a continuation of the life carefully prepared to receive the new message1 and to embrace in all sincerity the truth which it contained4 ,what a similarity of experience is found in the lives of ,joseph ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,john ,taylor1 and indeed thousands of ,latter-day ,saints6 ,it was the same spirit of inquiry1 the same profound and heartfelt desire to know the whole truth of ,god's existence and ,his divine purpose respecting the children of men4 ,the truth is1 the new spirit of a coming dispensation was upon them4 ,their hearts were strongly inclined to worship4 ,they were eager to know how they should worship2 for they saw in the religious contentions of those days a spirit strange to the teachings of the ,bible4 ,they were in very truth1 ,sheep who knew the shepherd's voice and a stranger they would not follow4 #cf ,there is something beautiful in the ambitions of ,wilford ,woodruff throughout a long life of great service4 ,he was ambitious to know the will of ,god and to be worthy of ,divine approbation4 ,if he could only be an active worker in the ,church of ,christ2 if the ,lord would only receive him into ,divine service1 his ambitions would be realized4 ,on ,january #beth1 #ahcd1 ,elder ,pulsipher organized the ,saints in ,richland into a branch of the ,church4 ,he ordained ,wilford ,woodruff to the office of a teacher and gave him a written license which embodied the certificate of his baptism and his ordination4 ,i felt1 he writes1 that ,i could truly exclaim with the prophet of ,god1 ',i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my ,god than to dwell in the tents of wickedness4' ,the fulness of the everlasting gospel had come at last4 ,it filled my heart with great joy4 ,it laid the foundation of a greater and more glorious work than ,i ever expected to see in this life4 ,i pray ,god in the name of ,jesus ,christ to guide my future life1 that ,i may live to ,his honor and glory1 and be a blessing to my fellowmen1 and in the end be saved in ,his celestial kingdom1 even so1 ,amen4 #cg ,,chapter #f4 ,,zion',s ,,camp1 #ahcd4 ,his ,first ,call4--,leaves for ,kirtland4--,his ,neighbors' ,warning4--,first ,meeting with ,prophet4--,a ,remarkable ,prophetic ,gift4--,zion's ,camp4--,zelph4--,escape ,mob at ,fishing ,river4--,epidemic of ,cholera4--,his ,residence in ,missouri4--,consecrations4 ,perhaps no man in the ,church ever felt more profoundly the truth of the words1 ,god moves in a mysterious way ,his wonders to perform1 than ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,he was so intensely spiritual1 so completely devoted to the service of ,god1 that all through his life the miraculous manifestations of ,god's purposes were abundantly given4 ,he had never based his faith upon miracles1 they merely confirmed what he believed with all his heart and supported his ideas of the teachings of ,holy ,writ4 ,confirming the divine power which attended his baptism1 the words of the ,prophet ,joseph contained in ,george ,q4 ,cannon's history are here given3 ,in view of all that has since occurred1 it is a remarkable fact that the ,prophet recorded in his journal of the #cast of ,december1 #ahcc1 the fact that ',wilford ,woodruff was baptized at ,richland1 ,oswego ,county1 ,new ,york1 by ,zera ,pulsipher1' and this was before the ,prophet and the future apostle and president had ever met in the flesh4 ,this is not the only mention of ,wilford ,woodruff in ,joseph's diary prior to their meeting4 ,in one place the ,prophet notices that ,wilford had been ordained a teacher4 ,it was the #beth day of ,april1 #ahcd1 when ,wilford ,woodruff visited the ,prophet at ,kirtland1 and from that time on until ,joseph's death they were intimately associated4 ,it was clear that ,joseph felt the staunch worthiness of his young brother1 and in relying upon him1 the ,prophet was leaning upon no weak or broken reed2 for ,wilford ,woodruff had then and has ever since shown the fidelity of a ,saint1 and the integrity and prophetic power of an apostle of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he was one of the most faithful of all the men who were gathered near to the ,prophet's person1 to share his trials and his confidences4 ,wilford ,woodruff never made any attempt to cultivate showy qualities1 and yet he was always marked among his fellows2 his characteristic humility and unswerving honesty being sufficient to attract #ch the attention of all who have known him4 ,his is another of the names to be recorded with that of ,joseph1 and it is worthy to stand side by side with the names of ,brigham ,young and ,john ,taylor1 for he was as loyal to them as he and they were to ,joseph1 the first prophet of this dispensation4 ,from the outset1 the subject of this biography became a most ardent worker in the cause he had espoused4 ,he was ordained a teacher and found immediate opportunity to give expression to his intense desire to declare his belief in the purposes of his ,maker4 ,he and the ,brother ,holton herein mentioned1 shortly after their baptism1 walked sixty-five miles to ,fabius to hold a meeting4 ,events of far-reaching importance were rapidly closing in upon him4 ,on the #ast of ,april1 ,elders ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,harry ,brown arrived at ,richland4 ,they were there on an important mission4 ,they were in search of young and able-bodied men in the eastern branches of the ,church--young men whose services were needed in ,zion's ,camp1 and organization which at that time was being effected for the purpose of assisting in the redemption of ,zion1 and of carrying supplies to the suffering ,saints who had been expelled by mob violence from their homes in ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri4 ,this was the first time ,wilford ,woodruff had met ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 to whose instructions he listened with great interest and attention1 and says he was greatly edified by what he had to say4 ,elder ,pratt informed him that it was his duty to prepare himself to go up to the land of ,zion4 ,he accordingly settled up his business affairs1 and bade good-bye to his brother and kinsfolk in ,richland4 ,on ,april #aath ,wilford took ,harry ,brown and ,warren ,ingles in his wagon and started with them for ,kirtland1 ,ohio4 ,on the way he met for the first time ,elders ,orson ,pratt and ,john ,murdock4 ,they all arrived in ,kirtland ,april #beth1 #ahcd4 ,before he left ,richland1 many of his friends and neighbors warned him not to go1 and declared that if he did go1 he would be killed4 ,he replied that the ,lord had commanded him1 and that he would go2 that he had no fears of any evil consequences as long as he obeyed the ,lord4 ,he gives an account of his first meeting with the ,prophet #ci as follows3 ,here for the first time in my life ,i met and had an interview with our beloved ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 the man whom ,god had chosen to bring forth ,his revelations in these last days4 ,my first introduction was not of a kind to satisfy the preconceived notions of the sectarian mind as to what a prophet ought to be1 and how he should appear4 ,it might have shocked the faith of some men4 ,i found him and his brother ,hyrum out shooting at a mark with a brace of pistols4 ,when they stopped shooting1 ,i was introduced to ,brother ,joseph1 and he shook hands with me most heartily4 ,he invited me to make his habitation my home while ,i tarried in ,kirtland4 ,this invitation ,i most eagerly accepted1 and was greatly edified and blest during my stay with him4 ,he asked me to help him tan a wolfskin which he said he wished to use upon the seat of his wagon on the way to ,missouri4 ,i pulled off my coat1 stretched the skin across the back of a chair1 and soon had it tanned--although ,i had to smile at my first experience with the ,prophet4 ,that night we had a most enjoyable and profitable time in his home4 ,in conversation1 he smote his hand upon his breast and said1 ',i would to ,god ,i could unbosom my feelings in the house of my friends4' ,he said in relation to ,zion's ,camp1 ',brethren1 don't be discouraged about our not having means4 ,the ,lord will provide1 and ,he will put it into the heart of somebody to send me some money4' ,the very next day he received a letter from ,sister ,vose1 containing one hundred and fifty dollars4 ,when he opened the letter and took out the money1 he held it up and exclaimed3 ',see here1 did ,i not tell you the ,lord would send me some money to help us on our journey8 ,here it is4' ,i felt satisfied that ,joseph was a ,prophet of ,god in very deed4 ,prior to his departure with ,zion's ,camp1 ,wilford ,woodruff became acquainted with many leading men and private members of the ,church1 some of whom were destined to be his co-laborers throughout subsequent years of his life4 ,besides the ,prophet1 the patriarch and their families1 he became acquainted with ,brigham ,young1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,milton ,holmes1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 and many others whose names occur in the early history of the ,church4 ,i passed one ,sabbath in ,kirtland1 he writes1 and heard many of the elders speak4 ,i rejoiced before ,god because of the light and knowledge which were manifested to me during that #dj day4 ,the first day of ,may1 #ahcd1 was appointed for the ,camp of ,zion to start from ,kirtland4 ,only a few of those composing the ,camp were ready4 ,the ,prophet asked those who were ready1 to go as far as ,new ,portage and there await the arrival of those who would follow later4 ,i left in company with about twenty men with baggage wagons4 ,at night we pitched our tents4 ,climbing to the top of the hill1 ,i looked down upon the ,camp of ,israel4 ,there ,i knelt upon the ground and prayed4 ,i rejoiced and praised the ,lord that ,i had lived to see some of the tents of ,israel pitched1 and a company gathered by the commandment of ,god to go up and help to redeem ,zion4 ,we remained at ,new ,portage until the #fth when we were joined by the ,prophet and eighty-five more men4 ,the day before their arrival1 while passing through the village of ,middlebury1 the people tried to count them1 but the ,lord multiplied them in the eyes of those people so that those who counted them said there were four hundred4 ,on the #gth1 the ,prophet ,joseph organized the ,camp which consisted of about one hundred and thirty men4 ,the day following we continued our journey4 ,we pitched our tents at night and had prayers night and morning4 ,the ,prophet gave us our instructions every day4 ,we were nearly all young men brought together from all parts of the country1 and were therefore strangers to each other4 ,we soon became acquainted and had a happy time in each others association4 ,it was a great school for us to be led by a ,prophet of ,god a thousand miles through cities1 towns1 villages1 and through the wilderness4 ,when persons stood up to count us1 they could not tell how many we numbered4 ,some said five hundred1 others1 a thousand4 ,many were astonished as we passed through their towns4 ,one lady ran to the door1 pushed her spectacles to the top of her head1 raised her hands and exclaimed3 ',what under heavens has broken loose4' ,she stood in that position the last ,i saw of her4 ,during our travels we visited many mounds thrown up by the ancient inhabitants1 the ,nephites and ,lamanites4 ,this morning1 ,june #crd1 we went on to a high mound near the river4 ,from the summit we could overlook the tops of the trees as far as we could see4 ,the scenery was truly beautiful4 ,on the summit of #da the mound were stones which presented the appearance of three altars1 they having been erected1 one above the other1 according to the ancient order of things4 ,human bones were seen upon the ground4 ,brother ,joseph requested us to dig into the mound2 we did so2 and in about one foot we came to the skeleton of a man1 almost entire1 with an arrow sticking in his backbone4 ,elder ,milton ,holmes picked it out1 and brought it into the ,camp1 with one of the leg bones1 which had been broken4 ,i brought the thigh bone to ,missouri4 ,i desired to bury it in the ,temple ,block in ,jackson ,county2 but not having this privilege1 ,i buried it in ,clay ,county1 ,missouri1 near the house owned by ,col4 ,arthur and occupied by ,lyman ,wight4 ,the arrowhead referred to is now in the possession of ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah4 ,brother ,joseph1 continues ,wilford1 feeling anxious to learn something of this man1 asked the ,lord1 and received an open vision4 ,the man's name was ,zelph4 ,he was a white ,lamanite1 the curse having been removed because of his righteousness4 ,he was a great warrior1 and fought for the ,nephites under the direction of the ,prophet ,onandagus4 ,the latter had charge of the ,nephite armies from the ,eastern sea to the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,although the ,book of ,mormon does not mention ,onandagus1 he was a great warrior1 leader1 general1 and prophet4 ,zelph had his thigh bone broken by a stone thrown from a sling1 but was killed by the arrow found sticking in his backbone4 ,there was a great slaughter at that time4 ,the bodies were heaped upon the earth1 and buried in the mound1 which is nearly three hundred feet in height4 ,the ,lord delivered ,israel in the days of ,moses by dividing the ,red ,sea1 so they went over dry shod4 ,when their enemies tried to do the same1 the water closed upon the latter and they were drowned4 ,the ,lord delivered ,zion's ,camp from their enemies on the #aith of ,june1 #ahcd1 by piling up the waters in ,fishing ,river forty feet in one night1 so our enemies could not cross4 ,he also sent a great hailstorm1 which broke them up and sent them seeking for shelter4 ,james ,campbell1 who had threatened the life of the ,prophet and his brethren1 was drowned1 with six others1 the same night1 after his threat4 ,his body was washed down the stream1 and was eaten by eagles and turkey-buzzards4 #db ,the people of ,richmond1 ,missouri1 declared the ,camp should not pass through that city2 but on the morning of the #aith1 before the people were up1 the brethren passed through unmolested4 ,we intended to enter ,clay ,county that day1 but the ,lord knew best what was for our good1 says ,wilford1 and so began to hinder our progress4 ,one wheel broke down1 another ran off1 and one thing after another hindered us so that we had to camp between two forks of ,fishing ,river4 ,five armed men soon rode up1 and told us that large companies of men from ,jackson and ,clay ,counties1 and other parts1 would be upon us before morning1 and were sworn to encompass our destruction4 ,shortly after these five men left us1 a small cloud arose1 and spread with great rapidity1 until the whole heavens gathered blackness1 and a mighty storm burst forth with fury upon our enemies4 ,if the ,camp had not been hindered1 they would have crossed into ,clay ,county1 and would have been at the mercy of the mob4 ,thus the ,lord1 in a marvelous manner1 preserved the lives of ,his servants4 ,colonel ,sconce1 who came into the ,camp the next day1 with several leading men1 said that surely ,jehovah fought the battles of ,joseph and his followers4 ,the ,prophet addressed the visitors at some length1 and recounted the wrongs heaped upon the ,saints in ,missouri4 ,his address touched the hearts of the visitors1 bringing tears to their eyes4 ,they promised to do all they could to allay the prejudice of the people4 ,it appears from ,wilford ,woodruff's journal that they kept their word1 and rode through the country endeavoring to allay the excitement4 ,previous to this event1 says ,wilford1 ,elders ,hyrum ,smith and ,lyman ,wight had joined the ,camp with a company of volunteers from ,michigan4 ,the ,camp now consisted of two hundred and five men and twenty-five baggage wagons4 ,lyman ,wight was made commander-in-chief4 ,joseph appointed twenty men to be his body-guard2 ,hyrum ,smith was captain1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith armor-bearer4 ,the ,camp of ,zion arrived at ,brother ,burk's1 in ,clay ,county1 ,missouri on the #bdth of ,june1 #ahcd4 ,we pitched our tents on his premises4 ,he told some of the brethren of my company that he had a spare room which some of us might occupy if we would clean it4 ,our company accepted the offer2 and1 fearing #dc that some other company would get it first1 we left all other business and went to work1 cleaned out the room1 and immediately spread down our blankets1 so as to hold a right to the room4 ,it was but a short time afterwards that our brethren who were attacked by cholera were brought in and laid upon our beds4 ,none of us ever used those blankets again1 for they were buried with the dead2 so we gained nothing but experience by our selfishness1 and we lost our bedding4 ,when the cholera broke out in ,camp1 ,joseph attempted to rebuke it1 but was shown by the ,lord that when ,he sends a judgment man must not attempt to stay it4 7,joseph returned to me the sword which ,i had given him1 and it still remains in my family as a relic of that expedition47 ,those who died in ,zion's ,camp were ,a4 ,s4 ,gilbert1 ,john ,s4 ,carter1 ,eber ,wilcox1 ,seth ,hitchcock1 ,erastus ,rudd1 ,alfred ,frisk1 ,edward ,jones1 ,noah ,johnson1 ,jesse ,b4 ,lawson1 ,robert ,mc,cord1 ,eliel ,strong1 ,jesse ,smith1 ,betsey ,parrish1 and ,warren ,ingles4 ,the ,prophet called the brethren together at ,lyman ,wight's and told them the cholera had been sent in fulfillment of his prediction4 ,nearly all had suffered from it1 and fourteen had died4 ,joseph said that if we would now humble ourselves1 the cholera would be stayed4 ,we covenanted with uplifted hands to keep the commandments of ,god1 and the cholera was stayed from that hour2 not another case appeared among the ,saints4 ,the journey of ,zion's ,camp to ,missouri was necessarily one of trial and hardship4 ,several of the brethren murmured1 and found fault4 ,joseph prophesied that a scourge would come upon the ,camp1 and it came in the form of cholera1 thirteen of the brethren being stricken in death4 ,during the journey1 when brethren would have killed the serpents which at times came into the tents and coiled up near the beds1 the ,prophet taught his brethren the beautiful principle that men themselves must become harmless before they can expect the brute creation to be so4 ,when man shall lose his own vicious disposition and cease to destroy the inferior animals1 the lion and the lamb may dwell together1 and the suckling child play with the serpent in safety4 ,in all the trials incident to the journey1 ,wilford ,woodruff never murmured4 ,he was a staunch supporter of the ,prophet ,joseph in all the latter's counsels and desires1 and was so wrapt #dd in the spirit of his calling and labor that it is doubtful if a thought of trial or hardship ever entered his mind4 ,this was characteristic of his entire life4 ,he never undertook a labor assigned him by the ,lord and wished he had not undertaken it4 ,when he put his hand to the plough1 he never turned back4 ,after the disbanding of ,zion's ,camp a great trial came to him4 ,he was a devoted lover of his parents1 brothers1 and sisters1 and had a deep interest in their salvation4 ,since he left ,new ,york1 his brother ,azmon had become disaffected1 and wrote a long letter finding fault with the proceedings of the ,church1 endeavoring to turn ,wilford from his course4 ,the effect upon ,wilford1 however1 was a deep sorrow for his brother1 and a stronger determination on his own part to live the life of a ,latter-day ,saint4 ,he answered his brother's letter1 explained the fallacy of the latter's arguments and complaints1 warned him against opposing the ,church1 exhorted him to repent1 and bore a solemn and unswerving testimony to the divinity of the calling and the upright1 honorable course of life of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,the ,prophet advised all the young men with ,zion's ,camp who had no families to stay in ,missouri1 and not return to ,kirtland4 ,not having any family1 says ,wilford1 ,i stopped with ,lyman ,wight1 as did also ,milton ,holmes and ,heman ,hyde4 ,we spent the summer together1 laboring hard1 cutting wheat1 quarrying rock1 making brick1 or at anything else we could find to do4 ,the ,prophet organized the ,saints in ,zion1 with a presidency of three1 and a high council4 ,on the #agth of ,july1 #ahcd1 he met the authorities of the ,church at ,lyman ,wight's1 where he gave us many glorious instructions1 he being clothed with the power of ,god4 ,he ordained the presidency and the twelve high councilors4 ,all present voted1 with uplifted hands1 to sustain the ,prophet and the authorities of ,zion4 ,we had a glorious time4 ,this was the last meeting ,i ever attended with the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith in the ,state of ,missouri4 ,wilford ,woodruff continued to attend faithfully to all of his religious duties4 ,illustrative of his zeal and earnestness is his action relative to what property he possessed4 ,notwithstanding the ,saints had been dispossessed of their homes in their central city of ,zion1 where they had endeavored to carry out the principle of consecration1 and were now in a broken and scattered #de condition1 ,wilford desired to comply with every law relative to ,zion4 ,on ,december #ca1 #ahcd1 he consecrated to the ,lord all his earthly possessions4 ,believing it to be the duty of the ,latter-day ,saints1 he writes1 to consecrate and dedicate all their property1 with themselves1 unto ,god in order to become lawful heirs to the celestial ,kingdom of ,god1 ,i therefore1 with this view1 consecrated all ,i had 7though but little7 before ,edward ,partridge1 the ,presiding ,bishop of the ,church1 in ,clay ,county1 ,missouri1 in this form3 ',be it known that ,i1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 do freely covenant with my ,god1 that ,i freely consecrate and dedicate myself1 together with all my properties and effects1 unto the ,lord1 for the purpose of assisting in the building up of ,his ,kingdom and ,his ,zion upon the earth1 that ,i may keep ,his law4 ,i lay all before the ,bishop of ,his ,church1 that ,i may be a lawful heir to the celestial ,kingdom of ,god4' ,the whole life of ,wilford ,woodruff shows that he would have been willing to do the same thing at any time1 for the same purpose1 even though his possessions could have been counted by the millions4 ,he was whole-souled1 and wholly given up to the service of his ,god and the welfare of ,his people4 #df ,,chapter #g4 ,,mission ,,to ,,southern ,,states1 #ahcd-ahcf4 ,a ,prayerful ,ambition to ,preach4--,departure on ,mission to ,southern ,states4--,traveling without ,purse or ,scrip4--,treatment ,received from ,minister4--,tribulations4--,a remarkable ,dream4--,its ,fulfillment4--,preaching in ,memphis4--,ordained an ,elder4--,successful ,labors4--,ordained a ,seventy4--,a ,mob ,court4--,return to ,kirtland4 ,after ,wilford ,woodruff received the gospel1 he felt an intense desire to deliver in turn the same message that had brought him such joy1 such assurance1 such satisfaction in the service of the ,master4 ,the message that came to him was the most glorious event of his life1 and it is quite natural that he should wish to be a messenger of the same divine truth to others4 ,the talents with which he had been endowed by his ,maker awakened within him those hopes1 aspirations1 and ambitions that were in harmony with those gifts which were peculiar to the man4 ,his talents made him pre-eminently a messenger of salvation to the world4 ,it is no wonder that he was prompted by a heartfelt desire to bestow upon others that which had come with such joy and with such abundance to him4 ,he wanted to go on a mission1 but felt that he should be called1 and yet he sincerely believed that the ,lord would prompt those whose duty it was to bestow upon him such an honor1 such a privilege4 ,he retired to the woods in prayer4 ,there upon his knees in humility and childlike simplicity1 he told the ,lord his wishes and his hopes4 ,he asked ,him1 if it was within ,his holy will1 that the way might be opened for him to preach the gospel in the world4 ,before ,i arose from my knees1 he says1 the spirit of the ,lord rested upon me and bore witness that my prayer was heard and should be answered upon my head4 ,i arose very happy and walked through thick woods about forty rods into an open road4 ,as ,i entered the roadway1 ,i met ,judge ,elias ,higbee4 ,brother ,hibgee was a high priest and a very faithful man1 one of the noblest men of ,god in the last days4 ,i had associated with him daily1 but never mentioned to him my desire to preach the gospel4 ,to my surprise1 as soon as ,i approached #dg him he said3 ',brother ,wilford1 the spirit of the ,lord tells me that you should be ordained to go and preach the gospel4' ,a few days later1 on the #eth of ,november1 #ahcd1 by vote of the branch of the ,church at ,adam-ondi-,ahman1 ,wilford ,woodruff was ordained a priest by ,simeon ,carter who also ordained ,stephen ,winchester and ,heman ,hyde at the same meeting4 ,he received his license and by appointment of ,bishop ,partridge was assigned to ,arkansas and ,tennessee4 ,in eight days he left to perform his mission1 to be one of the very foremost in introducing the gospel into the ,southern ,states--a section of the ,union where1 since then1 so many thousands have received the gospel and have been gathered to ,zion4 ,his faith had been great4 ,the spirit of the ,lord rested upon him and his prayers were promptly answered4 ,his stay in ,missouri after his arrival there with ,zion's ,camp was not of long duration4 ,the ,saints had been driven from ,jackson ,county and were busily occupied in building up new communities in other counties4 ,he was then a young man without a family1 and though actively engaged in every kind of work peculiar to the conditions of those times1 he was free for almost any kind of service that might be required of him4 ,the spirit of the man1 however1 was that of the missionary2 and the spirit was so strong within him that he found satisfaction only when the opportunity came to give expression to his fellow-men of the testimony which had brought such consolation to his own life4 ,the law of ,god to us in those days1 says ,wilford in his journal1 was to go without purse or scrip4 ,our journey lay through ,jackson ,county1 from which the ,saints had just been driven1 and it was dangerous for a ,mormon to be found in that part of the state4 ,we put some ,books of ,mormon and some clothing into our valises1 strapped these on our backs1 and started on foot4 ,we crossed the ferry into ,jackson ,county1 and went through it4 ,in some instances the ,lord preserved us1 as it were by miracle1 from the mob4 ,we dared not go to houses and get food1 so we picked and ate raw corn1 slept on the ground1 and did any way we could until we got out of the county4 ,we dared not preach while in that county1 and we did little preaching in the state of ,missouri4 ,the first time ,i attempted to preach was on ,sunday1 in a tavern1 in the early part of #dh ,december1 #ahcd4 ,it was snowing at the time1 and the room was full of people4 ,as ,i commenced to speak1 the landlord opened the door1 and the snow blew on the people2 when ,i inquired the object of having the door opened in a snowstorm1 he informed me he wanted some light on the subject4 ,i found that it was the custom of the country4 ,how much good ,i did in that sermon ,i never knew1 and probably never shall know until ,i meet that congregation in judgment4 ,in the southern part of ,missouri and the northern part of ,arkansas1 in #ahcd1 there were very few inhabitants4 ,we visited a place called ,harmony ,mission1 on the ,osage ,river1 one of the most crooked rivers in the ,west4 ,this mission was kept by a ,presbyterian minister and his family4 ,we arrived there on ,sunday night at sunset4 ,we had walked all day without anything to eat1 and were very hungry and tired4 ,neither the minister nor his wife would give us anything to eat1 or let us stay over night1 because we were ,mormons1 and the only chance we had was to go twelve miles farther down the river1 to an ,osage ,indian trading post kept by a ,frenchman named ,jereu2 and the wicked priest who would not give us a piece of bread lied to us about the road1 and sent us across the swamp1 where we wallowed knee-deep in mud and water till ten o'clock at night1 in trying to follow the crooked river4 ,we then left the swamp and put out into the prairie1 to lie in the grass for the night4 ,when we got out of the swamp1 we heard an ,indian drumming on a tin pail and singing4 ,it was very dark1 but we traveled toward the noise1 and when we drew near the ,indian camp quite a number of large ,indian dogs came out to meet us4 ,they smelled us1 but did not bark or bite4 ,soon we were surrounded by ,osage ,indians1 and were kindly received by ,mr4 ,jereu and his wife who was an ,indian4 ,she gave us an excellent supper and a good bed1 which we were thankful for after the fatigue of the day4 ,as ,i laid my head upon my pillow1 ,i felt to thank ,god from the bottom of my heart for the exchange from the barbarous treatment of a civilized ,presbyterian priest to the humane1 kind1 and generous treatment of the savage ,osage ,indians4 ,may ,god reward them both according to their deserts6 ,we arose in the morning1 after a good night's rest4 ,i was somewhat lame1 from wading in the swamp the night before4 #di ,we had a good breakfast4 ,mr4 ,jereu sent an ,indian to see us across the river1 and informed us that it was sixty miles to the nearest settlement of either white or red men4 ,we were too bashful to ask for anything to take with us to eat2 so we crossed the river and started on our day's journey of sixty miles without a morsel of food of any kind4 ,we started about sunrise and crossed a thirty-mile prairie1 apparently as level as a house floor1 without shrub or water4 ,we arrived at timber about two o'clock in the afternoon4 ,as we approached the timber1 a large black bear came out towards us4 ,we were not afraid of him1 for we were on the ,lord's business1 and had not mocked ,god's prophets as did the forty-two wicked children who said to ,elisha1 ',go up thou bald head1' for which they were torn by bears4 ,when the bear got within eight rods of us he sat on his haunches1 looked at us a moment1 and ran away2 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,we had to travel in the night1 which was cloudy and very dark1 so we had great difficulty to keep the road4 ,soon a large drove of wolves gathered around1 and followed us4 ,they came very close1 and at times it seemed as though they would eat us up4 ,we had materials for striking a light1 and at ten o'clock1 not knowing where we were1 and the wolves becoming so bold1 we thought it wisdom to make a fire2 so we stopped and gathered a lot of oak limbs that lay on the ground1 and lit them1 and as our fire began to burn the wolves left us4 ,as we were about to lay down on the ground--for we had no blankets--we heard a dog bark4 ,my companion said it was a wolf2 ,i said it was a dog2 but soon we heard a cowbell4 ,then we each took a firebrand1 went about a quarter of a mile1 and found the house1 which was sixty miles from where we started that morning4 ,it was an old log cabin1 about twelve feet square1 with no door1 but an old blanket was hung up in the door-way4 ,there was no furniture except one bedstead1 upon which lay a woman1 several children1 and several small dogs4 ,a man lay on the bare floor with his feet to the fireplace1 and all were asleep4 ,i went in and spoke to the man1 but did not wake him4 ,i stepped up to him1 and laid my hand on his shoulder4 ,the moment he felt the weight of my hand he jumped to his feet and ran around the room as though he were #ej frightened2 but he was quieted when we informed him we were friends4 ,the cause of his fright was that he had shot a panther a few nights before1 and he thought its mate had jumped upon him4 ,he asked us what we wanted2 we told him we wished to stop with him all night1 and would like something to eat4 ,he informed us we might lie on the floor as he did1 but that he had not a mouthful for us to eat1 as he had to depend on his gun to get breakfast for his family in the morning4 ,so we lay on the bare floor1 and slept through a long1 rainy night1 which was pretty hard after walking sixty miles without anything to eat4 ,that was the hardest day's work of my life4 ,the man's name was ,williams4 ,he was in the mob in ,jackson ,county2 and after the ,saints were driven out1 he1 with many others1 went south4 ,we got up in the morning and walked in the rain twelve miles to the house of a man named ,bemon1 who was also one of the mob from ,jackson ,county4 ,the family were about to sit down to breakfast as we came in4 ,in those days it was the custom of the ,missourians to ask you to eat even though they were hostile to you2 so he asked us to take breakfast1 and we were very glad of the invitation4 ,he knew we were ,mormons2 and as soon as we began to eat1 he began to swear about the ,mormons4 ,he had a large platter of bacon and eggs1 and plenty of bread on the table1 and his swearing did not hinder our eating1 for the harder he swore the harder we ate1 until we got our stomachs full2 then we arose from the table1 took our hats1 and thanked him for our breakfast4 ,the last we heard of him he was still swearing4 ,i trust the ,lord will reward him for our breakfast4 ,in the early days of the ,church1 it was a great treat to an elder in his travels through the country to find a ,mormon2 it was so with us4 ,we were hardly in ,arkansas when we heard of a family named ,akeman4 ,they were in ,jackson ,county in the persecutions4 ,some of the sons had been tied up there and whipped on their bare backs1 with hickory switches1 by the mob4 ,we heard of their living on ,petit ,jean ,river1 in the ,arkansas ,territory1 and we went a long way to visit them4 ,recently there had been heavy rains1 and a creek that we had to cross was swollen to a rapid stream of eight rods in width4 ,there was no person living nearer than two miles from the crossing1 and no boat4 ,the people living at the last house #ea on the road1 some three miles from the crossing said we would have to tarry till the water fell before we could cross4 ,feeling to trust in ,god1 we did not stop4 ,just as we arrived at the rolling flood1 a negro1 on a powerful horse1 entered the stream on the opposite side and rode through it4 ,on making our wants known to him1 he took us1 one at a time1 behind him and carried us safely over1 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,we arrived that night within five miles of ,mr4 ,akeman's1 and were kindly entertained by a stranger4 ,during the night ,i had the following dream3 ,i thought an angel came to us1 and told us we were commanded of the ,lord to follow a certain straight path1 which was pointed out to us1 let it lead us wherever it might4 ,after we had walked in it awhile we came to the door of a house1 which was in the line of a high wall running north and south1 so that we could not go around4 ,i opened the door and saw the room was filled with large serpents1 and ,i shuddered at the sight4 ,my companion said he would not go into the room for fear of the serpents4 ,i told him ,i would try to go through the room though they killed me1 for the ,lord commanded it4 ,as ,i stepped into the room the serpents coiled themselves up1 and raised their heads some two feet from the floor1 to spring at me4 ,there was one much larger than the rest1 in the center of the room1 which raised his head nearly as high as mine and made a spring at me4 ,at that instant ,i felt as though nothing but the power of ,god could save me1 and ,i stood still4 ,just before the serpent reached me he dropped dead at my feet2 all the rest dropped dead1 swelled up1 turned black1 bust open1 took fire and were consumed before my eyes1 and we went through the room unharmed1 thanking ,god for our deliverance4 ,i awoke in the morning and pondered upon the dream4 ,we took breakfast1 and started on our journey on ,sunday morning to visit ,mr4 ,akeman4 ,i related to my companion my dream1 and told him we should see something strange4 ,we had great anticipations of meeting ,mr4 ,akeman1 supposing him to be a member of the ,church4 ,when we arrived at his house1 he received us very coldly1 and we soon found that he had apostatized4 ,he brought railing accusations against the ,book of ,mormon and the authorities of the ,church4 ,word was sent through all the settlements on the river for #eb twenty miles that two ,mormon preachers were in the place4 ,a mob was soon raised1 and warning sent to us to leave immediately or we would be tarred and feathered1 ridden on a rail1 and hanged4 ,i soon saw who the serpents were4 ,my companion wanted to leave2 ,i told him1 no4 ,i would stay and see my dream fulfilled4 ,there was an old gentleman and lady named ,hubbel1 who had read the ,book of ,mormon and believed4 ,father ,hubbel came to see us1 and invited us to make our home with him while we stayed in the place4 ,we did so1 and labored for him some three weeks with our axes1 clearing land1 while we were waiting to see the salvation of ,god4 ,february #adth1 #ahce1 was an important day to me4 ,in company with ,brother ,brown1 ,i took my axe went into the woods to help ,brother ,hubbel clear some land4 ,we chopped till #c o'clock in the afternoon4 ,the spirit of the ,lord came upon me like a rushing of mighty wind4 ,the voice of the spirit said1 ',go up again and visit ,mr4 ,akeman and again bear testimony to him of the truth of the ,book of ,mormon and of the work of ,god4' ,i marveled at this and told ,brother ,brown what the spirit said to me4 ,he replied that ,i might go if ,i wished to do so1 but that he would not go4 ,i carried my ax to the house and walked up to ,mr4 ,akeman's about one and a half miles through a pleasant grove4 ,while on my way ,i reflected upon this strange operation of the spirit within me4 ,i was in a deep1 gloomy frame of mind and thought4 ,as ,i approached the house ,i saw the door open and ,mr4 ,akeman walking the floor4 ,i felt particularly impressed to ask if he was well4 ,he said he never felt better in health4 ,i told him ,i had come to bear testimony again to him of the truth of the ,book of ,mormon and of the work of ,god and of the danger of opposing that work4 ,he was soon filled with wrath and indignation and he opposed me in the strongest terms and raged against the leaders of the ,church4 ,my mouth was more closed up than ever before4 ,i felt that the house was filled with devils and with an awful darkness4 ,i felt horrible4 ,i did not understand why the ,lord should send me into the midst of such spirits to bear testimony of his work4 ,i felt very strange4 ,my tongue seemed glued to my mouth4 ,i could not #ec speak4 ,i arose to my feet to leave the house4 ,i felt as though the floor moved under my feet and when ,i stepped upon the ground ,i felt as though ,i was surrounded by evil spirits4 ,i had a desire to flee as ,lot did when he went out of ,sodom1 without looking behind me4 ,mr4 ,akeman followed me out of the door and kept within about four rods of me4 ,neither of us spoke a word4 ,i knew he was following1 but when he was about four rods from the house1 the strange feeling left me4 ,when ,mr4 ,akeman reached the place where my feelings so instantly changed1 he fell dead at my feet as though he had been struck with a thunderbolt from heaven4 ,i heard him fall to the earth1 but ,i did not look behind me4 ,his daughter stood in the doorway and saw him fall4 ,she fainted and fell at about the same time4 ,neither of them spoke a word that ,i could hear4 ,i continued to walk down to ,mr4 ,hubbel's as fast as ,i could1 meditating all the while upon the strange dealings of ,god with me4 ,i still did not know that ,mr4 ,akeman was dead4 ,i arrived at ,mr4 ,hubbel's just at dark in a peculiar state of mind4 ,supper was ready4 ,we all sat down to the table4 ,the blessing was asked1 and ,i took up my knife and fork and began to eat1 when ,i heard a horse coming up on the full ran4 ,i dropped my knife and fork and listened4 ,a man rode up to our door and cried out3 ',mr4 ,akeman is dead4 ,i want you to go there immediately4' ,in a moment my eyes were opened1 so that ,i understood the whole matter4 ,i felt satisfied with the dealings of ,god with me in calling me to go and warn him4 ,as soon as his daughter1 who fell to the ground about the same time1 came to her senses1 she ran to her nearest brother and gave the alarm4 ,we walked up to ,mr4 ,akeman's house as soon as we could4 ,when we arrived there1 we found all his sons in the house around his body wailing in an awful manner4 ,he was naturally a large man1 but his body was swollen to a great extent4 ,it appeared as though his skin were ready to burst open4 ,he was black as an ,african4 ,we at once went to work and made a large box in which to put him4 ,i continued to think of my dream1 which ,i had had some time before the events here related took place4 ,his family1 as well as ourselves1 felt it was the judgment of ,god upon him4 ,i preached his funeral sermon4 ,many of the #ed mob died suddenly4 ,we stayed about two weeks after ,akeman's death and preached1 baptized ,mr4 ,hubbel and his wife1 and then continued on our journey4 ,we concluded to go down the ,arkansas ,river and cross into ,tennessee4 ,we could not get passage on the boat1 because of the low water2 so we went on the bank of the river and cut down a sound cottonwood tree1 three feet through1 and cut off a twelve foot length from the butt end2 in two days we dug out a canoe4 ,we made a pair of oars and a rudder1 and on the #aath day of ,march1 #ahce1 we launched our canoe1 and commenced our voyage down the ,arkansas ,river1 without provisions4 ,the first day we sailed twenty-five miles1 and stopped at night with a poor family who lived on the bank of the river4 ,these kind folks gave us supper and breakfast1 and1 in the morning1 gave us johnny-cake and a piece of pork to take with us on our journey4 ,we traveled about fifty miles that day1 and at night stopped at an old tavern1 in a village called ,cadron1 which was deserted because it was believed to be haunted by evil spirits4 ,we made a fire in the tavern1 roasted a piece of our pork1 ate our supper1 said our prayers1 went into a chamber1 lay down on the bare floor1 and were soon asleep4 ,i dreamed ,i was at my father's house in a good feather bed1 and ,i had a good night's rest4 ,when ,i awoke the bed vanished1 and ,i found myself on the bare floor and well rested1 not having been troubled with evil spirits or anything else4 ,we thanked the ,lord for ,his goodness to us1 ate the remainder of our provisions1 and continued our journey down the river to ,little ,rock1 the capital of ,arkansas1 which then consisted of only a few cabins4 ,after visiting the place1 we crossed the river and tied up our canoe1 which had carried us safely one hundred and fifty miles4 ,we then took the old military road leading from ,little ,rock to ,memphis1 ,tennessee4 ,this road lay through swamps1 and was covered with mud and water most of the way for one hundred and seventy miles4 ,we walked forty miles in a day1 through mud and water knee-deep4 ,on the #bdth of ,march1 after traveling some ten miles through mud1 ,i was made lame with a sharp pain in my knee1 and sat down on a log4 ,my companion1 who was anxious to get to his home in ,kirtland1 left me sitting in an alligator swamp4 #ee ,i did not see him again for two years4 ,i knelt down in the mud and prayed1 and the ,lord healed me and ,i went on my way rejoicing4 ,on the #bgth of ,march ,i arrived at ,memphis1 weary and hungry4 ,i went to the best tavern in the place1 kept by ,mr4 ,josiah ,jackson4 ,i told him ,i was a stranger and had no money1 and asked him if he would keep me over night4 ,he inquired what my business was1 and ,i told him ,i was a preacher of the gospel4 ,he laughed and said that ,i did not look much like a preacher4 ,i did not blame him1 as most of the preachers he ever had been acquainted with rode on fine horses or in fine carriages1 dressed in broadcloth1 had large salaries1 and would likely see this whole world sink to perdition before they would wade through one hundred and seventy miles of mud to save the people4 ,the landlord wanted a little fun1 so said he would keep me if ,i would preach4 ,he wanted to see if ,i could preach4 ,i must confess that by this time ,i became a little mischievous1 and pleaded with him not to set me preaching4 ,the more ,i pleaded to be excused the more determined ,mr4 ,jackson was that ,i should preach4 ,he took my valise1 and the landlady got me a good supper4 ,i sat down in a large hall to eat4 ,before ,i got through1 the room began to be filled by some of the rich and fashionable people of ,memphis1 dressed in their broadcloth and silk1 while my appearance was such as you can imagine1 after traveling through the mud as ,i had done4 ,when ,i had finished eating1 the table was carried out of the room over the heads of the people4 ,i was placed in the corner of the room1 with a stand having a ,bible1 hymn book1 and candle on it1 hemmed in by a dozen men1 with the landlord in the center4 ,there were present some five hundreds persons1 who had come together1 not to hear a gospel sermon1 but to have some fun4 ,i read a hymn1 and asked them to sing4 ,not a soul would sing a word4 ,i told them ,i had not the gift of singing2 but with the help of the ,lord1 ,i would both pray and preach4 ,i knelt down to pray1 and the men around me dropped on their knees4 ,i prayed to the ,lord to give me ,his spirit and to show me the hearts of the people4 ,i promised the ,lord1 in my prayer1 that ,i would deliver to that congregation whatever ,he would give to me4 ,i arose and spoke one hour and a half1 and it was one of #ef the best sermons of my life4 ,the lives of the congregation were open to the vision of my mind1 and ,i told them of their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain4 ,the men who surrounded me dropped their heads4 ,three minutes after ,i closed1 ,i was the only person in the room4 ,soon ,i was shown to a bed1 in a room adjoining a large one in which were assembled many of the men whom ,i had been preaching to4 ,i could hear their conversation4 ,one man said he would like to know how that ,mormon boy knew of their past lives4 ,in a little while they got to disputing about some doctrinal point4 ,one suggested calling me to decide the point4 ,the landlord said1 ',no2 we have had enough for once4' ,in the morning1 ,i had a good breakfast4 ,the landlord said if ,i came that way again to stop at his house1 and stay as long as ,i might choose4 ,after leaving ,memphis1 ,i traveled through the country to ,benton ,county1 and preached on the way1 as ,i had opportunity4 ,i stopped one night with a ,squire ,hardman1 an ,episcopalian4 ,most of the night was spent by the family in music and dancing4 ,in the morning1 at the breakfast table1 ,mr4 ,hardman asked me if we believed in music and dancing4 ,i told him we did not really consider them essential to salvation4 ,he said he did1 and therefore should not join our ,church4 ,on the #dth of ,april1 #ahce1 ,i had the happy privilege of meeting ,elder ,warren ,parrish at the house of ,brother ,frye4 ,he had been preaching in that part of ,tennessee1 in company with ,david ,w4 ,patten1 and had baptized a number of persons and organized several small branches4 ,brother ,patten had returned home1 and ,brother ,parrish was laboring alone4 ,i joined him in the ministry1 and we labored together three months and nineteen days1 when he was called to ,kirtland4 ,during the time we were together1 we traveled through several counties in ,tennessee for the distance of seven hundred and sixty miles1 and preached the gospel daily1 as we had opportunity4 ,we baptized some twenty persons4 ,by the counsel of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and ,oliver ,cowdery1 ,elder ,parrish ordained me an elder1 and left me to take charge of the branches that had been raised up in that neighborhood4 ,as soon as ,i was left alone ,i extended my circuit #eg and labors4 ,for a season ,i had large congregations2 many seemed to believe1 and ,i baptized a number4 ,on the #aeth of ,august ,i had an appointment at the house of ,brother ,taylor1 the step-father of ,abraham ,o4 ,smoot4 ,i had to cross ,bloody ,river1 which ,i had to swim1 in consequence of heavy rains4 ,while crossing1 my horse became entangled in a tree-top1 and almost drowned2 but ,i succeeded in getting him loose4 ,we swam to the shore separately4 ,he reached the shore first1 and waited till ,i came out4 ,i got into the saddle1 went on my way in good spirits1 and had a good meeting4 ,on the #bjth of ,october ,i baptized three ,campbellites1 one of whom was a deacon4 ,i then rode twelve miles to ,mr4 ,green wood's1 who was eighty years old1 and had been a soldier under ,general ,washington4 ,his wife1 who was ninety-three years old1 ,i found quite smart1 and busy carding wool4 ,i preached at their house and baptized both of them4 ,on the following day ,i preached at the house of ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp1 and baptized seven ,campbellites and one ,baptist4 ,on the #afth of ,november1 ,i preached at ,brother ,camp's1 and baptized three4 ,on the day following1 it being ,sunday1 ,i preached again at ,brother ,clapp's1 and baptized five4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i mounted my horse to ride to ,clark's ,river1 in company with ,seth ,utley1 four other brethren1 and two sisters4 ,the distance was twenty miles4 ,we came to a stream which was so swollen by rains that we could not cross without swimming our horses4 ,to swim would not be safe for the women1 so we went up the stream to find a ford4 ,in the attempt we were overtaken by a severe storm of wind and rain1 lost our way in the darkness1 and wandered through creeks and mud4 ,but the ,lord does not forsake ,his ,saints in any of their troubles4 ,while we were in the woods suffering under the blast of the storm1 groping like the blind for the wall1 a bright light suddenly shone around us1 and revealed to us our dangerous situation on the edge of a gulf4 ,the light continued with us until we found the road2 we then went on our way rejoicing1 though the darkness returned and the rain continued4 ,we reached ,brother ,henry ,thomas' in safety about nine o'clock at night1 having been five hours in the storm1 and forded streams many times4 ,none of us felt to complain1 but were thankful to #eh ,god for ,his preserving care4 ,on the following day ,i preached at ,damon ,creek1 and organized a branch called ,damon ,creek ,branch1 and ordained ,daniel ,thomas a teacher4 ,on the #aith of ,december ,i again preached at the house of ,brother ,clapp1 and baptized five persons2 one was a ,campbellite preacher4 ,on the following day ,i preached at the house of ,brother ,henry ,thomas1 when a mob of about fifty persons collected1 headed by a ,baptist preacher1 who1 after asking one question1 advised the mob not to lay hands on any man on account of his principles4 ,the advice was good and well taken4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i baptized three persons1 one seventy-eight years old4 ,this brings the year #ahce to a close--the first year of my mission--during which time ,i had traveled three thousand two hundred and forty-eight miles1 held one hundred and seventy meetings1 baptized forty-three persons--three of whom were ,campbellite preachers--assisted ,elder ,parrish to baptize twenty more1 confirmed thirty-five1 organized three branches1 ordained two teachers and one deacon1 procured thirty subscribers for the ,messenger and ,advocate1 one hundred and seventy-three signers to the petition to the governor of ,missouri for redress of wrongs done the ,saints in ,jackson ,county1 had three mobs rise against me--but was not harmed--wrote eighteen letters1 received ten1 and1 finally1 closed the labors of the year #ahce by eating johnny cake1 butter and honey1 at ,brother ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot's4 ,i spent the fore part of ,january1 #ahcf1 7the weather being very cold71 at the house of ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 in ,kentucky1 studying ,kirkham's ,english ,grammar4 ,i continued to travel and preach in ,kentucky and ,tennessee and baptized all that would believe my testimony4 ,on the #bfth of ,february we held a conference at the house of ,brother ,lewis ,clapp 7father of ,b4 ,l4 ,clapp74 ,there were represented one hundred and three members in that mission4 ,i ordained ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,benjamin ,boyston elders1 and ,daniel ,thomas and ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp priests4 ,i also ordained one teacher and two deacons4 ,after conference ,i took ,brothers ,smoot and ,clapp with me to preach4 ,the former traveled with me constantly till the #bast of ,april1 when we had the privilege of meeting with ,elder ,david ,w4 ,patten1 who had come direct from ,kirtland1 and who #ei had been ordained one of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,it was a happy meeting4 ,he gave us an account of the endowments at ,kirtland1 the glorious blessings received1 the ministration of angels1 the organization of the ,twelve ,apostles and seventies1 and informed me that ,i was appointed a member of the second quorum of seventy4 ,all this was glorious news to me1 and caused my heart to rejoice4 ,on the #bgth of ,may we were joined by ,elder ,warren ,parrish1 direct from ,kirtland4 ,we had a happy time together4 ,on the #bhth1 we held a conference at ,brother ,seth ,utley's1 where were represented all the branches of the ,church in the ,south4 ,on the #cast of ,may ,i was ordained a member of the second quorum of seventy1 under the hands of ,david ,w4 ,patten and ,warren ,parrish4 ,at the close of the conference we separated for a short time4 ,elders ,patten and ,parrish labored in ,tennessee1 ,brother ,smoot and myself in ,kentucky4 ,on the #ith of ,june we all met at ,damon ,creek ,branch1 where ,brother ,patten baptized two4 ,one was ,father ,henry ,thomas1 who had been a revolutionary war soldier under ,general ,washington1 and was father of ,daniel and ,henry ,thomas4 ,a warrant was issued1 on the oath of a priest1 against ,d4 ,w4 ,patten1 ,w4 ,parrish and myself4 ,we were accused in the warrant of the great 'crime' of testifying that ,christ would come in this generation1 and that we promised the ,holy ,ghost to those whom we baptized4 ,brothers ,patten and ,parrish were taken on the #aith of ,june4 ,i1 being in another county1 escaped arrest4 ,the brethren were put under two thousand dollars bonds to appear at court4 ,albert ,petty and ,seth ,utley were their bondsmen4 ,they were tried on the #bbnd of ,june4 ,they pleaded their own cause4 ,although men came forward and testified that they did receive the ,holy ,ghost after they were baptized1 the brethren were condemned2 but finally were released by paying the expenses of the mob court4 ,one peculiar circumstance was connected with this trial by a mob court1 which was armed to the teeth4 ,when the trial was through1 the people were not willing to permit more than one to speak4 ,warren ,parrish had said a few words1 and they were not willing to let ,david ,patten say anything2 but he1 feeling the injustice of the court1 and being filled with the power of #fj ,god1 arose to his feet and delivered a speech of about twenty minutes1 holding them spell-bound while he told them of their wickedness and of the abominations they were guilty of1 also of the curse of ,god that awaited them1 if they did not repent1 and for taking up two harmless1 inoffensive men for preaching the gospel of ,christ4 ,when he had got through his speech the judge said1 ',you must be armed with secret weapons1 or you would not talk in this fearless manner to an armed court4' ,brother ,patten replied1 ',i have weapons that you know not of1 and they are given me of ,god1 for ,he gives me all the power ,i have4' ,the judge seemed willing to get rid of them upon almost any terms1 and offered to dismiss them if their friends would pay the costs1 which the brethren present freely offered to do4 ,when the two were released1 they mounted their horses and rode a mile to ,seth ,utley's2 but as soon as they had left1 the court became ashamed that they had been let go so easily1 and the whole mob mounted their horses to follow them to ,utley's4 ,one of the ,saints1 seeing the state of affairs1 went on before the mob to notify the brethren1 so that they had time to ride into the woods near by4 ,they traveled along about three miles to ,brother ,albert ,petty's1 and went to bed4 ,the night was dark1 and they fell asleep1 but ,brother ,patten was warned in a dream to get up and flee1 as the mob soon would be there4 ,they both arose1 saddled their animals1 and rode into the adjoining county4 ,the house they had just left was soon surrounded by the mob1 but the brethren escaped through the mercy of ,god4 ,i was invited to hold a meeting at a ,baptist meetinghouse2 this was on the #bgth of ,june4 ,on my arrival ,i met a large congregation1 but1 on commencing services1 ,parson ,browning ordered the meeting to be closed4 ,i told the people ,i had come ten miles to preach the gospel to them1 and was willing to stand in a cart1 on a pile of wood1 on a fence1 or any other place they would appoint1 to have that privilege4 ,one man said he owned the fence and land in front of the meetinghouse1 and we might use both1 for he did not believe ,mormonism would hurt either4 ,so the congregation crossed the road1 took down the fence and made seats of it1 and ,i preached to them one hour and a half4 ,at the close1 ,mr4 ,randolph ,alexander bore testimony to the truth of what had been said4 ,he invited me home with him1 bought #fa a ,book of ,mormon and was baptized1 and ,i organized a branch in that place4 ,on the #ahth of ,july1 ,brother ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,i arrived at a ferry on the ,tennessee ,river1 and1 as the ferryman was not at home1 the woman kindly gave us permission to use the ferryboat4 ,we led our horses on board1 and took the oars to row across the river4 ,brother ,smoot never had used an oar1 and ,i had not done so for some years1 so we made awkward work of it4 ,soon he broke one oar1 and ,i let another fall overboard1 which left us only one broken oar to get to shore with4 ,we narrowly escaped running into a steamboat4 ,we struck shore half a mile below the landing place1 tied up the boat1 jumped on the bank with our horses1 and went on our way with blistered hands1 thankful to get off so well4 ,on ,sunday1 the #cast of ,july1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot and ,i preached at ,mr4 ,david ,crider's1 ,weakley ,county1 ,tennessee4 ,after the meeting1 ,mr4 ,crider was baptized4 ,a mob gathered and threatened us1 and poisoned our horses1 so that the one ,i rode1 belonging to ,samuel ,west1 died a few days after4 ,this horse had carried me thousands of miles while preaching the gospel4 ,i continued to travel with ,brothers ,smoot1 ,patten1 and ,parrish in ,tennessee and ,kentucky1 and we baptized all who would receive our testimony4 ,on the #bnd day of ,december we held a general conference at ,damon ,creek ,branch4 ,elder ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh1 ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles1 presided4 ,all the branches in ,tennessee and ,kentucky were represented4 ,brothers ,randolph ,alexander1 ,benjamin ,l4 ,clapp1 and ,johnson ,f4 ,lane were ordained elders1 and ,lindsay ,bradey was ordained to the lesser priesthood4 ,i assisted ,president ,marsh to obtain fifteen hundred dollars from the ,southern brethren to enter land in ,missouri for the ,church4 ,the brethren made me a present of fifty dollars1 which ,i sent by ,president ,marsh to enter forty acres of land for me4 ,elder ,smoot and ,i were released from the ,southern mission1 with permission to go to ,kirtland4 ,during his mission1 ,wilford ,woodruff organized a company of ,saints1 and went with them a short distance1 starting them on the way to ,zion--a portion of the work of gathering in which he did so much subsequently1 both in the ,united ,states and ,great ,britain4 ,most of his travels for over two years had been on #fb foot4 ,since leaving ,richland1 ,new ,york1 he had journeyed over six thousand miles4 ,under his administration the sick were healed1 mobacrats were destroyed by the power of ,god1 light from heaven had been sent in the darkness of the night to lead him from a lost condition in the forest and to save him from being dashed to pieces over a rocky precipice1 other miracles were wrought1 and ,wilford ,woodruff1 in his early youth and manhood1 had become in a marked degree a choice witness for ,god and for the divine mission of ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet4 ,let it be remembered1 too1 that to enjoy all this power it was not necessary to be an apostle1 a patriarch1 a high priest1 or a seventy4 ,for the greater part of his mission1 ,wilford ,woodruff was only a priest after the order of ,aaron4 ,like ,john the ,baptist1 he magnified his calling2 his soul was in the work2 he loved his fellowbeings1 and yearned for their salvation4 ,his whole experience is a striking lesson worthy of being learned1 and an example to be followed profitably by all the young men and elders of ,israel4 ,more than once1 thousands of the ,saints have heard ,wilford ,woodruff say in assemblies of worship that in all his life he never had enjoyed more of the spirit and power of ,god than when he was a priest doing missionary work in the ,southern ,states4 ,his first mission being completed1 he approached the city of the ,saints--,kirtland--whence he had departed over two years previously4 ,the ,temple of the ,lord1 says he1 came in sight--first in importance to our vision4 ,i truly rejoiced when the ,house of the ,lord rose into view as we drew near to this ,stake of ,zion4 ,it was the first time ,i had seen the ,temple of ,god--the first ,temple built in this generation4 ,after my long absence1 ,i rejoiced greatly to strike hands with the ,prophet ,joseph1 and with many others engaged in rolling on the mighty work of the ,lord in the last days4 ,two years and a half had elapsed1 he writes further1 since ,i left ,kirtland with my brethren in poverty to go up to visit our brethren in tribulation in ,zion4 ,the ,saints at ,kirtland were then poor1 despised1 and looked upon by the pomp of ,babylon with disdain1 and people watched with eager eyes to behold them sink into forgetfulness4 ,but what a change has come6 ,now ,i behold a cheerfulness beaming from every countenance1 #fc and the scenes around indicate prosperity4 ,the noise of the ax and the hammer1 the stir of their bank and market1 and especially the presence of the ,house of ,god1 speak in language loud as thunder that the ,saints will have a city in spite of all the false prophets of ,baal1 and in spite of even earth and hell combined1 because ,god is with them1 and ,his ,temple stands in honor of ,his ,kingdom1 while ,babylon begins to wonder and soon will perish4 #fd ,,chapter #h4 ,,in ,,kirtland1 #ahcf4 ,wilford's ,first ,attendance at ,meeting in the ,temple4--,called to ,speak4--,church's ,attitude ,toward the ,use of ,liquor4--,wilford in the ,first ,quorum of ,seventy4--,receives ,temple ,endowments4--,troubles in ,kirtland4--,greatness of the ,prophet ,joseph4--,wilford's ,marriage4--,receives a ,patriarchal ,blessing4 ,the missionary experiences of ,wilford ,woodruff in the ,southern ,states gave to him a firmness and a comprehension that came from the testimony of the spirit of ,god4 ,from the day he joined the ,church1 he was in active service4 ,he was not among those who required special training and who needed the constant guidance of the leaders to keep them within the bounds of the ,church4 ,his first experience was in ,zion's ,camp4 ,he remained a short time in ,missouri and then set out upon his mission4 ,his life was therefore governed by the workings of the spirit within him4 ,that spirit was his guide--the rock upon which his faith and understanding were established4 ,his return1 therefore1 to ,kirtland did not subject him to the temptations of evil1 nor to the rebukes of the ,prophet4 ,he knew that he was about his ,father's business and was not swerved by the sophistries of men1 or the speculative spirit of those times4 ,when he entered the city1 he beheld1 to his great joy1 the ,temple of the ,lord4 ,it contained for him grand opportunities4 ,its ordinances which he so fervently revered gave comfort and consolation to his life4 ,on ,sunday the #bgth1 #ahcf1 he attended his first public meeting in the ,temple4 ,he had visited the building previously and viewed with pleasure its sacred apartments4 ,on the forenoon of that day in company with ,elders ,warren ,parrish and ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 he listened with pleasure to the words of ,elder ,s4 ,carter1 and to an impressive discourse from the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,in the afternoon of the same day1 ,elders ,woodruff and ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot were invited to address the congregation4 ,elder ,woodruff first opened by prayer and then turned at random to a page in the ,bible4 ,to his surprise1 he opened to the #efth chapter of ,isaiah1 the same chapter he had turned to on the night of his #fe eventful prayer in ,connecticut4 ,here the memories of that night flashed upon his mind1 and he told the incidents thereof with impressive force and inspiration upon the congregation4 ,the people were greatly interested4 ,those who knew the voice of the good shepherd recognized in him a man truly born of the spirit of ,god1 a fit companion of prophets and apostles4 ,on the #ast of ,december1 #ahcf1 he attended for the first time in his life a meeting called for the purpose of giving certain persons their patriarchal blessings4 ,father ,joseph ,smith was the patriarch of the ,church in those days4 ,this new experience brought to him new evidences that the ,god of the ,bible1 the ,god of the patriarchs of old1--,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1--was truly the ,god of the new dispensation whose spirit and purposes were kindred to those in ancient times when the patriarchs of old blest the people4 ,the spiritual manifestations of those times in ,kirtland brought with them heartfelt desires to observe every rule of correct living4 ,that spirit was not at all in harmony with the use of intoxicating liquors2 and whatever became an obstacle to the spirit of worship must be removed if the worship were to be enjoyed4 ,it was important that the use of liquor should be discontinued1 and ,elder ,woodruff records in his journal that on the #dth day of ,december1 that year1 ,sidney ,rigdon called for a vote of the people on the discontinuance of the use of liquor in the ,church both in sickness and in health4 ,an exception to the rule was made in the case of the washing of the bodies2 and under proper regulations1 wine might be used for the ,sacrament4 ,the vote was unanimous4 ,on the #aath of ,december1 the ,prophet sharply rebuked the ,kirtland ,saints for their sins and backsliding4 ,he warned them to repent1 lest judgment should come upon them as it had come upon the ,saints in ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri4 ,those were trying times4 ,they were days of separation when it became necessary to separate the unworthy from those who were of the household of faith4 ,kirtland was not to be the abiding place of the ,saints4 ,they must give up their possessions and their love for the city they had striven so hard to adorn4 ,many had placed themselves in opposition to a divine purpose whose wisdom they could not comprehend4 ,that opposition invited the #ff presence of the evil one who both tempted and beguiled them4 ,wilford ,woodruff1 however1 was among those who could say then1 as he ever after kept himself in a condition to say1 ,thy will1 not mine be done4 ,before the close of #ahcf1 there came to ,elder ,woodruff one of those choice blessings which he esteemed so highly4 ,he was advanced in the priesthood to a place in the first quorum of seventies4 ,his faithful friend and missionary companion1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 was likewise ordained to the office of a seventy4 ,this ordination of his friend was in fulfillment of a prophesy which he had pronounced upon the head of ,elder ,smoot on the #cjth day of ,june1 that year1 while they were together in ,tennessee4 ,the call of ,wilford ,woodruff to take his place in the first quorum of seventy took place on the #crd day of ,january1 #ahcg1 though he had been ordained to his new calling in the priesthood on the #bjth of the preceeding ,december4 ,his love for missionary service made this calling one of special honor to him4 ,to be a witness for ,jesus ,christ to the nations was his soul's delight4 ,the manner in which he honored that calling is known to all who are at all familiar with the early history of the ,church4 ,the early part of ,april1 #ahcg1 ,wilford ,woodruff devoted himself to the meetings which were held in the ,temple during those days4 ,those who were absent from ,kirtland in the spring of #ahcf1 and had not therefore the privilege of receiving their endowments at that time were granted the opportunity to do so in the following spring4 ,this was another blessing that he received with feelings of gratitude and praise to his ,maker4 ,the influence of the ,temple ordinances is1 perhaps1 the most potent of any influence in the ,church in the establishment of union1 in the perpetuity of brotherly love1 and in the preservation of a ,god-like purity4 ,it is not too much to say that one1 upon whom the spirit of these ordinances has fastened itself1 never escapes in his conscience the sacred obligations they impose upon him4 ,referring to the administration of the ,temple ordinances on that occasion1 he writes in his journal3 ,the ,prophet ,joseph arose and addressed the congregation for the space of three hours4 ,he was clothed with the power1 spirit1 and image of ,god4 ,he presented many things of great importance to the elders of ,israel4 ,o1 that the record could be written as with an iron pen1 of the #fg light1 principles1 and virtue that came from the mouth and heart of the ,prophet ,joseph1 whose soul1 like that of ,enoch1 seemed as wide as eternity6 ,that day strikingly demonstrated that he was1 indeed1 a prophet of ,god raised up for the deliverance of ,israel4 ,he presented to us a plan of the city of ,kirtland which was given him by vision4 ,the future will prove that the visions of ,joseph concerning ,jackson ,county and concerning the various stakes of ,zion will be fulfilled in the time appointed of the ,lord4 ,after his remarks1 the ,sacrament was administered and all were made glad at the table of the ,lord in association with apostles1 prophets1 patriarchs1 evangelists1 and teachers4 ,in the evening a meeting was held in which many took part by speaking in tongues1 giving the interpretations thereof1 prophesying1 etc41--a veritable feast of ,pentecost4 ,temple work in ,kirtland in the early part of #ahcg afforded him that spiritual satisfaction which was so helpful in those subsequent years of his life when he was employed in missionary service and upon the plains as a pioneer4 ,he also learned during those days in ,kirtland that the more remarkable the spiritual manifestations1 the greater the opposition of the evil one4 ,he was present at the ,sunday services in the ,temple1 ,april #ith1 when ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,sidney ,rigdon laid before the ,saints the condition of the ,church respecting temporal affairs4 ,a financial panic was on throughout the ,united ,states4 ,its depressing influence was severely felt in ,kirtland4 ,before it reached that place1 however1 many of the leading brethren had given their time and talent to speculation and were absorbed in schemes detrimental to their religious standing1 and quite contrary to the counsel of the ,prophet4 ,speculations brought on jealousies and hatreds1 and those evil attributes manifested themselves toward ,joseph who sought so diligently to suppress them4 ,prominent men--men who had shown the highest degree of loyalty to the ,prophet became disaffected4 ,their financial speculations brought on a spirit of self-sufficiency1 and that spirit made them wise in their own conceit4 ,the affairs of the ,church were put to the test of wisdom--wisdom as they understood it4 ,such wisdom1 however1 was undermining their integrity to the ,church4 ,the meek and humble maintained their fidelity and brought encouragement #fh and solace to the ,prophet1 and the noble men who stood with him in the hours of financial distress4 ,on one occasion he met ,wilford ,woodruff1 and after scrutinizing him very closely as though he were reading his inmost thoughts1 said3 ,brother ,woodruff1 ,i am glad to see you4 ,i hardly know when ,i meet those who have been my brethren in the ,lord1 who of them are my friends4 ,they have become so scarce4 ,elder ,woodruff felt throughout all the subsequent years of his life a supreme satisfaction over the loyalty he had manifested in those trying times to the ,prophet of ,god4 ,elder ,woodruff was so faithful in the discharge of his duties1 so humble in his demeanor1 so sincere and devoted that he was rewarded by a discerning spirit which kept him in the path of safety when some of his brethren were struggling in the meshes of misgivings and doubt4 ,the correctness of ,wilford ,woodruff's attitude in those days was manifested in his ability to see in the ,prophet the same spiritual power that had been manifested to him on former occasions4 ,of a meeting held on ,april #aith1 when the ,prophet spoke1 he writes3 ,he seemed a fountain of knowledge from whose mouth streams of eternal wisdom flowed4 ,as he stood before the people1 he showed clearly that the authority of ,god was upon him4 ,when speaking of those who professed to be his friends and the friends of humanity1 but who had turned against the people and opposed the prosperity of ,kirtland1 he declared the ,lord would deal severely with them4 ,joseph uttered the feelings of his soul in pain1 while reviewing the poverty and afflictions of his people1 and while finding false brethren whose course brought peril upon the ,saints4 ,joseph is a father to ,ephraim and to all ,israel in these last days2 and he mourned because of unbelief and treachery among many who had embraced the gospel4 ,he feared lest few in ,kirtland should remain worthy to receive an inheritance4 ,there is not so great a man as ,joseph standing in this generation1 he wrote later on4 ,the ,gentiles look upon him1 and he is like a bed of gold concealed from human view4 ,they know not his principle1 his spirit1 his wisdom1 his virtue1 his philanthropy1 of his calling4 ,his mind1 like ,enoch's1 expands as eternity1 and ,god alone can comprehend his soul4 ,misfortune and affliction so often unsettle men's minds and #fi move them from their moorings that they are prone to doubt the goodness of ,god and ,his protecting care over them4 ,the highest type of saintly life and divine loyalty among men1 alike in affliction and prosperity1 was ,job4 ,job was one of those beautiful characters in ,old ,testament history that appealed strongly to the mind and heart of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,his reference to ,job in public discourses shows how deeply that worthy character of ,holy ,writ had influenced his life4 ,at the time herein mentioned1 ,wilford had reached his #cjth year4 ,he now felt that it was his duty to assume the responsibility of husband and father4 ,he was1 no doubt1 strongly actuated in this feeling by an inspiration which the new-found message brought to his soul4 ,on the #acth day of ,april1 #ahcg1 he received in wedlock ,miss ,phoebe ,whitmore ,carter1 an estimable young lady from the state of ,maine4 ,she was the daughter of ,ezra ,carter of ,scarboro4 ,with other members of her father's household1 she had been baptized some time previously by ,elder ,john ,f4 ,boynton4 ,like her husband1 she belonged to that sturdy ,new ,england race that gave strength and force to the new movement4 ,they had been acquainted only about two months when they joined hands in holy wedlock4 ,the ceremony was performed by ,president ,frederick ,g4 ,williams4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph had intended to marry them1 but owing to severe persecution1 he was compelled to be absent from home4 ,she had already received her patriarchal blessing from ,father ,joseph ,smith on ,november #aj1 #ahcf4 ,it contained many glorious promises which1 so far as they related to this life1 have been fulfilled4 ,some were fulfilled in a remarkable manner4 ,on the #aeth of ,april1 two days subsequent to their marriage1 ,elder ,woodruff likewise received his patriarchal blessing4 ,these blessings gave hope and courage to the new life which they were hereafter to experience together4 ,such a blessing brought joys and assurances greatly in excess of those which came from wedding tours4 ,they therefore began life together in faith and in perfect reliance upon the goodness of ,god4 ,elder ,woodruff's blessing contained the promise that he should bring all of his relatives into the ,church4 ,the fulfillment of that promise was realized in a remarkable manner1 and was one of those evidences which gave him support and comfort throughout all the subsequent years of life4 #gj ,,chapter #i4 ,,first ,,mission ,,to ,,fox ,,islands1 #ahcg4 ,troubles at ,kirtland4--,mission to ,fox ,islands4--,evil ,spirits ,cast ,out4--,healing the ,sick4--,visits his ,home ,enroute4--,from ,connecticut to ,maine4--,description of ,fox ,islands4--,begins ,ministry in ,vinal ,haven4--,a ,minister ,comes to ,grief4--,baptisms4--,excitement4--,retu rn to ,scarboro4 ,the condition of affairs in ,kirtland during the winter of #ahcf-g was not at all to the liking of ,elder ,woodruff4 ,to his mind there was no place in the ,church for contentions1 misgivings1 and opposition4 ,the work was of ,god--that was enough4 ,there were the properly appointed authorities4 ,upon them the responsibilities of the kingdom had been placed4 ,he was not therefore concerned about what others thought was a lack of wisdom in them4 ,he was not avaricious2 and financial reverses1 to his mind1 could never thwart the purposes of ,god2 and he was not troubled about how much of this world's goods came to his possession4 ,a glorious message had been given to the earth1 and he wanted every one to know its value to the human family and to understand the blessings of salvation to those who yielded obedience4 ,wilford ,woodruff always felt out of place in the midst of contention4 ,he shunned it1 and never cared for the association of those who were given to fault-finding1 criticisms1 and personal griefs4 ,he never saw the necessity for them4 ,it was never hard for him to agree with his brethren4 ,he was never unreasonable in his demands1 never had private ends to foster1 and never hesitated when there was something important to be done4 ,he was loyal to the ,prophet1 true to his brethren2 and as he was now a seventy1 he wanted to magnify his office by service in the missionary field4 ,he felt impressed that he wanted to take a mission to ,fox ,islands1 off the coast of ,maine1 although he was not at all familiar with the locality nor with the conditions there4 ,to his impressions of the spirit of ,god1 he found a hearty response in the minds of the apostles4 ,feeling1 he said1 that it was my duty to start at once upon #ga this mission1 ,i did not tarry at home one year after having taken a wife as the law of ,moses allowed4 ,on the contrary1 ,i started just one month and one day after that important event4 ,i left my wife with a ,sister ,hale with whom she expected to stay for a season4 ,i left ,kirtland in good spirits1 in company with ,elder ,jonathan ,hale1 and walked twelve miles to ,fairport1 where we were joined by ,elder ,milton ,holmes4 ,there we went aboard the steamer ,sandusky1 made our way to ,buffalo1 and proceeded thence to ,syracuse by way of the ,erie ,canal4 ,we then walked to ,richland1 ,oswego ,county1 ,new ,york1 where ,i met my two brothers whom ,i had not seen for several years4 ,the elder of these brothers had become1 through trial and temptation1 indifferent to the ,church4 ,this was a source of deep sorrow to ,wilford1 who warned him against opposing the truth1 and faithfully instructed him in his duty to the gospel which he had embraced4 ,from ,richland they proceeded to ,sackett's ,harbor1 thence across ,lake ,ontario by steamer1 ,oneida1 to ,kingston1 ,upper ,canada1 and along the canal to ,jones' ,falls1 whence they walked to a place called ,bastard1 ,leeds ,county4 ,there they found a branch of the ,church presided over by ,john ,e4 ,page and ,james ,blakesly4 ,we accompanied them to their place of meeting1 said ,elder ,woodruff1 and attended a conference1 at which three hundred members of the ,church were present4 ,thirty-two persons presented themselves for ordination4 ,i was asked to officiate in company with ,elder ,william ,draper4 ,we ordained seven elders1 nine priests1 eleven teachers1 and five deacons4 ,we addressed the people several times during this conference1 and at its close were called to administer to a woman who was possessed of a devil4 ,at times she was dumb and greatly afflicted with the evil spirits that dwelt in her4 ,she believed in ,jesus1 and in us as ,his servants1 and wished us to administer to her4 ,four of us laid our hands upon her head1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ commanded the devil to depart from her4 ,the evil spirits left immediately1 and the woman arose with great joy and gave thanks and praise unto ,god2 for1 according to her faith1 she was made whole from that hour4 ,a child that was sick was also healed by the laying on of hands1 according to the word of ,god4 #gb ,we walked thirty miles to visit another branch of the ,saints at ,leeds1 where we met with ,john ,gordon and a ,john ,snider4 ,there we held a meeting1 and bore testimony to the people4 ,a ,sister ,carns came to us and asked that the ordinance for the healing of the sick be performed for two of her children who were afflicted4 ,one was a nursing babe which was lying at the point of death4 ,i took it in my arms and presented it before the elders1 who laid their hands upon it1 and it was made whole immediately4 ,i handed it back to the mother entirely healed4 ,we afterwards laid hands upon the other1 and it was also healed4 ,it was done by the power of ,god1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 and the parents praised ,god for ,his goodness4 ,from ,leeds they went to ,schenectady1 ,new ,york4 ,on this journey they were accompanied by ,elders ,isaac ,russell1 ,john ,goodson1 and ,john ,snider4 ,in ,new ,york they expected to join ,apostles ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,orson ,hyde who were soon to leave on a mission to ,england4 ,elder ,russell seemed to be troubled constantly by evil spirits4 ,they were also troublesome to him while in ,england1 where ,apostles ,hyde and ,kimball had a severe contest with them1 when administering to him4 ,after separating from the three brethren named1 ,elder ,woodruff and his companions went by rail to ,albany1 and walked from there to ,canaan1 ,connecticut1 where they found a branch of the ,church4 ,here they met ,jesse and ,julian ,moses and ,francis ,k4 ,benedict4 ,they held a two day's meeting at ,canaan1 and ,elder ,woodruff ordained ,julian ,moses and ,francis ,k4 ,benedict to the office of an elder4 ,at ,colebrook1 ,elder ,woodruff visited his half-sister1 ,eunice ,woodruff1 who taught school there4 ,i spent five hours1 he wrote1 watching her in the performance of her school duties4 ,five years before1 when ,i last beheld ,eunice at our father's house1 she was a child of only twelve years2 but now ,i beheld her an instructor of the youth4 ,as ,i looked upon her1 my heart was filled with admiration for those accomplishments in her which adorn the female sex4 ,her spirit was blithe1 and her step1 as she moved among her pupils1 showed the energy of youth4 ,she handed me a bundle of letters from her brother ,asahel4 ,the teachings and instructions contained in those letters1 if followed by the youth1 would lead them past a thousand snares4 ,as ,i read1 ,i #gc smiled and wept1 and prayed in my heart1 ',o ,god1 protect my brothers1 my sisters1 my wife1 and my parents4' ,wilford's affection for his family and relatives was strong and beautiful4 ,from ,colebrook he proceeded to ,avon4 ,there ,i visited1 he wrote1 many of my former neighbors1 and my relatives1 also the grave of my mother1 ,beulah ,woodruff1 who died ,june #aath1 #ahjh1 when she was twenty-six years of age4 ,the following verse was upon her tombstone3 ',a pleasing form1 a generous heart1 ,a good companion1 just without art2 ,just in her dealings1 faithful to her friend1 ,beloved through life1 lamented in the end4' ,at the close of the day ,i walked six miles to ,farmington1 where my father1 ,aphek ,woodruff1 was living1 and ,i had the happy privilege of once more meeting him and my stepmother1 whom ,i had not seen for seven years4 ,they greeted me with great kindness4 ,it was a happy meeting4 ,after visiting with my father for a day or two1 ,i returned to ,avon1 where most of my relatives lived1 and held meetings with them4 ,on the #abth of ,june1 #ahcg1 ,i baptized my uncle1 ,ozem ,woodruff1 his wife1 ,hannah1 and their son1 ,john1 and we rejoiced together2 for this was in fulfillment of a dream ,i had in #ahah1 when ,i was eleven years of age4 ,on the #aeth of ,july ,i had an appointment to preach at the house of my uncle1 ,adna ,hart4 ,while there ,i had the happy privilege of meeting with my wife ,phoebe ,w4 ,woodruff1 who had come from ,kirtland to meet me and accompany me to her father's home in ,scarboro1 ,maine4 ,those who had assembled to hear me preach were relatives1 neighbors1 and former friends4 ,after meeting1 we returned to ,farmington1 to my father's home1 where ,i spent the night with my father1 stepmother1 sister1 and wife4 ,elder ,hale was also with us4 ,on the #aith of ,july1 ,elder ,hale left us to go to his friends in ,new ,rowley1 ,massachusetts4 ,the same evening ,i held a meeting in the ,methodist meetinghouse in the town of ,farmington4 ,i had a large congregation of citizens with whom ,i #gd had been acquainted from my youth4 ,my parents1 wife1 and sister attended the meeting4 ,the congregation seemed satisfied with the doctrines ,i taught1 and requested me to hold another meeting2 but ,i felt anxious to continue my journey1 and on the #bjth of ,july ,i parted from father1 stepmother1 and sister1 and1 with my wife1 took stage for ,hartford4 ,on my arrival there1 not having money to pay fare for both of us1 ,i paid my wife's fare to ,rowley1 ,massachusetts1 where there was a branch of the ,church presided over by ,brother ,nathaniel ,holmes1 father of ,jonathan and ,milton ,holmes4 ,i journeyed on foot4 ,the first day ,i walked fifty-two miles1 the second day forty-eight1 and the third day thirty-six miles1 arriving at ,rowley at #b o'clock1 having made the one hundred and thirty-six miles in a little over two and a half days4 ,on the second day1 when within a mile or two of my stopping place1 ,i felt so weary and worn-out that every step was made with painful effort4 ,just then a gentleman came dashing along in his carriage4 ,as he came up ,i prayed to the ,lord that he would invite me to ride4 ,instead of doing this1 he went by with great speed until about ten rods ahead1 when his horse1 without being spoken to1 or reined up1 and for some cause unknown to the driver1 came to a sudden stop4 ,it appeared as if a barrier1 unseen by others1 stood in his way4 ,instantly the gentleman turned and asked me to ride4 ,the invitation ,i accepted gladly1 and we sped on our way4 ,i spent eight days at ,new ,rowley1 holding meeting and visiting with the ,saints1 including the ,holmes family1 and left there on the #ast of ,august4 ,on the #hth of ,august1 in company with my wife and ,elder ,hale1 ,i visited my wife's father1 ,ezra ,carter1 and his family in ,scarboro1 ,maine1 it being the first time ,i had ever seen any of her relatives4 ,we were received very kindly4 ,my wife had been absent from her father's home about one year4 ,i remained eight days with ,father ,carter1 and household1 and one day ,i went out to sea with ,fabian and ,ezra ,carter1 my brothers-in-law1 in a boat to fish with hooks4 ,we caught two hundred and fifty cod1 haddock1 and hake1 and we saw four whales1 two at a time4 ,it was the first time ,i had ever seen the kind of animal which is said to have swallowed ,jonah4 #ge ,on the #ahth of ,august1 #ahcg1 ,i parted with my wife and her father's household1 leaving her with them1 and1 in company with ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale1 started upon the mission that ,i had in view when ,i left ,kirtland4 ,we walked ten miles to ,portland1 and took passage on the steamboat1 ,bangor1 which carried us to ,owl's ,head where we went on board a sloop which landed us on ,north ,fox ,island at #b o'clock a4 m4 on ,august #bjth4 ,the town of ,vinal ,haven includes both ,north and ,south ,fox ,islands1 in latitude #dd north longitude #fi #aj' west4 ,the population numbered1 at the time of my visit1 about eighteen hundred4 ,the inhabitants were intelligent and industrious1 and hospitable to strangers4 ,they got most of their living and wealth by fishing4 ,the town fitted out over one hundred licensed sailing vessels1 besides smaller craft4 ,north ,fox ,island is nine miles long by two miles in width1 and has a population of eight hundred4 ,they have a postoffice1 one store1 a ,baptist church and a meetinghouse1 four schoolhouses1 and a tide grist-mill4 ,the land is rather poor1 yet there are some good farms4 ,the products are wheat1 barley1 oats1 potatoes1 and grass4 ,the principal timber consists of fir1 spruce1 hemlock1 and birch4 ,raspberries and gooseberries grow in great abundance1 and some upland cranberries are raised4 ,the principal stock are sheep4 ,south ,fox ,island comes as near being without definite form as any spot on earth ,i ever saw4 ,it would be difficult for any person to describe it4 ,it is about ten miles in length by five in width1 and is a mass of rocks1 formed into shelves1 hills1 and valleys1 and cut up into necks and points to make room for the coves and harbors that run into the island4 ,the population is one thousand4 ,the inhabitants get their living entirely by fishing4 ,there is no chance for farming upon the island4 ,there are a few garden patches which are cultivated at great expense4 ,some few sheep are raised there4 ,many of the inhabitants fish in the vicinity of ,newfoundland1 and bring their fish home1 where they cure them on flakes and prepare them for the market4 ,they supply the market with great quantities of cod1 mackerel1 and boxed herring4 ,upon this island there are two stores1 three tide mills1 six schoolhouses1 and a small branch of the ,methodist church presided over by a priest4 ,what timber there is upon this #gf island1 such as pine1 fir1 spruce1 hemlock1 and birch1 and likewise whortleberries1 raspberries1 and gooseberries1 grow mostly out of the cracks in the rocks4 ,great quantities of fish in almost endless variety inhabit the coves and harbors around the islands4 ,the whale1 blackfish1 shark1 ground-shark1 pilot-fish1 horse-mackerel1 sturgeon1 salmon1 halibut1 cod1 polleck1 tom-cod1 hake1 haddock1 mackerel1 shad-bass1 alewife1 herring1 pohagen1 dolphin1 whiting1 frost-fish1 flounders1 smelt1 skate1 shrimp1 skid1 cusk1 blueback1 scallop1 dog-fish1 mutton-fish1 lumpfish1 squid1 five-fingers1 monkfish1 horse-fish1 sun-fish1 sword-fish1 thrasher1 cat-fish1 scuppog1 tootog1 eye-fish1 cunner1 ling1 also the eel1 lobster1 clam1 mussel1 periwinkle1 porpoise1 seal1 etc41 are found4 ,i have given a brief description of ,vinal ,haven4 ,it was quite dark when we landed1 without a farthing of money4 ,we made our way over the rocks and through the cedars the best we could until we found a house4 ,we rapped at the door4 ,a woman put her head out of the window and asked who we were and what was wanted4 ,i told her we were two strangers1 and wanted a bed to lie down upon till morning4 ,she let us in and gave us a bed4 ,we slept until quite late1 it being ,sunday morning4 ,when we came out and took breakfast it was nearly noon4 ,i asked her what she charged for our accomodation4 ,she replied that we were welcome4 ,i then asked her if there were any minister or church on the island4 ,she informed us that there was a ,baptist minister1 named ,newton1 who had a congregation and a meetinghouse about five miles from there4 ,we thanked her for her kindness1 walked to the meetinghouse1 and stepped inside the doorway4 ,we stood there until a deacon came to the door4 ,i asked him to tell the minister in the pulpit that there were two servants of ,god at the door1 and that they had a message to give to the people and wished the privilege of delivering it4 ,he sent for us to come to the pulpit1 so we walked through the congregation with our valises and took a seat by the side of the minister1 who was about to speak as we came to the door4 ,he arose and delivered his discourse to the people1 occupying about half an hour4 ,when he closed he asked me what my wish was4 ,i told him we wished to speak to the people at any hour that would suit his or their convenience2 so he gave notice #gg that there were two strangers present who would speak to the people at #e o'clock that evening4 ,we were quite a source of wonderment to the people1 as they had no idea who we were4 ,mr4 ,newton asked us home to tea with him1 and we gladly accepted the invitation4 ,when we arrived at his house1 ,i opened my valise and took out the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1 ,doctrine and ,covenants1 laid them upon the table1 and took my seat4 ,mr4 ,newton took up the books and looked at them1 but said nothing4 ,i then inquired if there were any schoolhouses upon the island1 and if so1 whether they were free to preach in4 ,he answered that there were four1 numbered respectively from one to four1 and that they were free4 ,mr4 ,newton and family accompanied us to the meeting-house1 where we met a large congregation1 none of whom knew who we were or anything about our profession1 except the minister4 ,elder ,hale and ,i went to the stand1 and ,i arose with peculiar feelings and addressed the congregation for one hour1 taking for my text ,galatians #a3h1 #i4 ,this was the first time that ,i1 or any other elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 had 7to my knowledge7 attempted to preach the fulness of the gospel and the ,book of ,mormon to the inhabitants of any island of the sea4 ,i had much liberty in speaking1 and informed the people that the ,lord had raised up a prophet and organized ,his ,church as in the days of ,christ and the ancient apostles1 with prophets1 apostles1 and the gifts as anciently1 and that he had brought forth the ,book of ,mormon4 ,at the close of my remarks ,elder ,hale bore testimony4 ,i gave liberty for any one to speak who might wish to do so4 ,as no one responded1 ,i announced that we would hold meetings the next four evenings at the schoolhouses1 beginning at ,no4 #a4 ,during the first thirteen days of our sojourn upon the island1 we preached seventeen discourses1 being invited by the people to tarry with them4 ,i left a copy of the ,doctrine and ,covenants with ,mr4 ,newton for his perusal4 ,he read it1 and the spirit of ,god bore testimony to him of its truth4 ,he pondered over it for days1 and walked his room until midnight trying to decide whether to receive or reject it4 ,he and his family attended about a dozen of my first meetings1 and then he made up his mind1 contrary to the dictation of the spirit of ,god to him1 to reject the #gh testimony and come out against me4 ,however1 we commenced baptizing his flock4 ,the first two we baptized were a sea-captain1 by the name of ,justin ,eames1 and his wife4 ,brother ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale went down into the sea on the #crd of ,september1 and baptized them2 these were the first baptisms performed by proper authority upon any of the islands of the sea 7to my knowledge7 in this dispensation4 ,before we left ,kirtland some of the leading apostates there had tried to discourage ,brother ,hale about going on his mission1 telling him he never would baptize anyone1 and had better remain at home4 ,when ,captain ,eames offered himself for baptism1 ,i asked ,brother ,hale to baptize him1 and prove those men to be false prophets1 which he did4 ,on the following ,sabbath ,i baptized ,justin ,eames' brother1 ,ebenezer ,eames1 another sea-captain1 and a young lady4 ,mr4 ,newton1 the ,baptist minister1 now commenced a war against us1 and sent to the ,south ,island for a ,mr4 ,douglass1 a ,methodist minister1 with whom he had been at variance for years1 to come over and help him put down ',mormonism4' ,mr4 ,douglass came over and they got together as many people as they could1 and held a conference4 ,he railed against ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 and the ,book of ,mormon1 and taking that book in his hand1 with outstretched arm1 declared that he feared none of the judgments of ,god that would come upon him for rejecting it as the word of ,god4 7,i never heard what his sentiments upon this subject were at the end of his term of fourteen years' imprisonment in the ,thomaston penitentiary1 for an outrage upon his daughter4 ,the judgment was given upon the testimony of his wife and daughter74 ,i was present and heard ,mr4 ,douglass' speech upon this occasion1 and took minutes of it4 ,when he closed ,i arose and informed the people that ,i would meet them the next ,sunday in the meeting-house and answer ,mr4 ,douglass2 and ,i wished him1 as well as the people1 to be present4 ,i informed the people that ,mr4 ,douglass had made many false statements against ,joseph ,smith and the ,latter-day ,saints1 with whom he had no acquaintance2 and he had misquoted much ,scripture1 all of which ,i would correct4 ,we continued to baptize the people on ,north ,island until #gi we baptized every person who owned an interest in the ,baptist meeting-house4 ,i then followed ,mr4 ,douglas home to ,south ,island1 and preached the gospel to the members of his church1 and baptized nearly all of them4 ,the excitement became great on both islands1 and on ,sunday1 the #agth of ,september1 ,i met a large assembly from both islands1 and took up the same subject that ,mr4 ,douglass had dwelt upon in his remarks against the ,book of ,mormon and our principles4 ,i spoke two and a half hours1 and answered every objection against the ,book of ,mormon1 ,joseph ,smith1 or our principles4 ,i had good attention1 and the people seemed satisfied4 ,at the close of the meeting ,elder ,hale administered the ordinance of baptism4 ,mr4 ,newton1 in order to save his cause1 went to the mainland1 brought over several ministers1 and held a protracted meeting4 ,they hoped by this to stop the work of ,god1 but all to no avail2 for all the people would attend our meetings and receive the word of ,god1 and we continued to baptize4 ,we visited the homes of most of the inhabitants4 ,upon one occasion1 while standing upon ,mr4 ,carver's farm1 on the east end of ,north ,island1 we counted fifty-five islands in that region1 most of which were not inhabited4 ,we also saw twenty ships under sail at the same time4 ,we did not lack for food while upon the island1 for if we did not wish to trouble our friends for a dinner1 we had only to borrow a spade or a hoe and a kettle1 and go to the beach and dig a peck of clams4 ,these1 when boiled1 make a delicious meal1 of which we often availed ourselves4 ,one day ,elder ,hale and ,i ascended to the top of a high granite rock on ,south ,island for prayer and supplication4 ,we sat down under the shade of a pine tree which grew out of a fissure in the rocks1 and ,elder ,hale read the sixteenth chapter of ,jeremiah1 where mention is made of the hunters and fishers that ,god would send in the last days to gather ,israel4 ,we were1 indeed1 upon an island of the sea1 standing upon a rock where we could survey the gallant ships1 and also the islands which were as full of rocks1 ledges1 and caves as any part of the earth4 ,and what had brought us here8 ,to search out the blood of ,ephraim1 the honest and meek of the earth1 and gather them from these #hj islands1 rocks1 holes1 and caves of the earth unto ,zion4 ,we prayed1 and rejoiced together4 ,the spirit of ,god rested upon us4 ,we spoke of ,christ and the ancient prophets and apostles in ,jerusalem2 of ,nephi1 ,alma1 ,mormon1 ,moroni1 in ,america2 of ,joseph1 ,hyrum1 ,oliver1 and the apostles in our own day2 and we rejoiced that we were upon the islands of the sea searching out the blood of ,israel4 ,while filled with these meditations and with the spirit of ,god1 we fell upon our knees and gave thanks to the ,god of heaven1 and felt to pray for all ,israel4 ,after spending most of the day in praise and thanksgiving1 we descended to the settlement and held a meeting with the people4 ,on the #fth of ,september we called upon ,captain ,benjamin ,coombs1 and visited his flakes1 where he had one thousand quintals of codfish drying for the market4 ,they had been caught mostly in the neighborhood of ,newfoundland4 ,while we were passing ,carvey's ,wharf1 our attention was called to a large school of mackerel playing by the side of the warf4 ,several men were pitching them out with hooks4 ,we also caught what we wanted and went on our way4 ,we continued to labor1 to preach1 and to baptize4 ,we organized a branch of the ,church upon each island4 ,finally1 on the #bnd of ,october1 we parted with the ,saints on ,north ,island to return to ,scarboro for a short time4 ,we walked from ,thomaston to ,bath1 a distance of forty-six miles in one day1 and at the latter place attended a ,baptist convention4 ,i also preached there in the evening to a large congregation1 and the people gave good attention and wished to learn more about our doctrines4 ,on the following day we walked thirty-six miles to ,portland1 and the next day to ,scarboro4 ,there ,i again met my wife and her father's family4 ,the time had come for me to give the parting hand to ,brother ,jonathan ,h4 ,hale4 ,during the season we traveled over two thousand miles together1 united in heart and spirit4 ,he felt it his duty to return to his family in ,kirtland1 but duty called me to return to my field of labor upon the islands4 ,on the #ith of ,october ,i accompanied ,brother ,hale one mile on his journey4 ,we retired to a grove and knelt down and prayed together1 and had a good time2 after commending each other to ,god1 we parted1 he to return to ,kirtland1 and ,i to the ,fox ,islands4 #ha ,i spent fourteen days visiting the ,saints and friends1 and holding meetings among them4 ,on the #bhth of ,october ,i took leave of ,father ,carter and family1 and1 in company with my wife1 rode to ,portland1 to the home of my brother-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter4 ,a severe storm arose1 so we could not go to sea until ,november #ast1 when we took steamer to ,owl's ,head1 carriage to ,thomaston1 and sloop to ,fox ,islands4 #hb ,,chapter #aj4 ,,called ,,to ,,the ,,apostleship1 #ahch4 ,again on the ,fox ,islands4--,opposition ,increases4--,manifestation of the ,gifts of the ,holy ,ghost4--,sign of the ,prophet ,jonas4 ,wilford ,visits ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood in ,prison4--,baptizes ,his ,father and ,other ,relatives4--,birth of ,his ,first ,child4--,called ,to ,be ,one of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and ,to ,take a ,foreign ,mission4--,assists ,fox ,islands ,saints in ,migrating to the ,west4--,mrs4 ,woodruff ,miraculously ,healed4--,they ,reach ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,the second arrival of ,wilford ,woodruff at the ,fox ,islands was under circumstances very different from those of the first landing4 ,on the earlier visit he was an entire stranger1 and knew not how he could obtain a meal or a night's comfortable rest2 the people also were strangers to the gospel message which he had come to deliver4 ,on the second visit1 however1 he knew he would be received with a cordial welcome2 and he met many ,saints who had accepted the gospel through his ministrations1 and who hailed him1 and his companion also1 with glad hearts4 ,on ,sunday1 ,november #e1 he met with a large assembly of ,saints and friends1 and again engaged in baptizing those who received his testimony4 ,a few days later he went with ,captain ,coombs to another island called the ,isle of ,holt1 where he preached to an attentive audience at an evening meeting1 and spent the night with ,john ,turner1 ,esq41 who purchased a copy of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,on the following day1 writes ,wilford1 we returned to ,fox ,islands1 and as ,st4 ,paul once had to row hard to make land in a storm1 we had to row hard to make it in a calm4 ,after preaching on ,north ,island again1 and baptizing two persons at the close of the meeting1 ,i went again to the mainland1 in company with ,mrs4 ,woodruff and others1 and there spent fifteen days1 during which time ,i visited among the people1 held twelve meetings1 and baptized several persons4 ,on the #acth of ,december ,i returned to ,north ,island1 where ,i held several meetings1 then crossed over to ,south ,island4 ,on the #bjth of ,december ,i spent an hour with ,mr4 ,isaac ,crockett1 in clearing away large blocks of ice from the water in #hc a cove1 in order to baptize him1 which ,i did when the tide came in4 ,i also baptized two more in the same place1 on the #bfth1 and still two others on the #bgth4 ,on the #bhth ,i held a meeting at a schoolhouse1 when ,william ,douglass1 the ,methodist minister1 came and wanted me to work a miracle1 that he might believe4 ,at the same time he railed against me4 ,i told him what class of men asked for signs1 and that he was a wicked and adulterous man4 ,i predicted that the curse of ,god would rest upon him1 and that his wickedness would be made manifest in the eyes of the people4 7,while visiting the islands several years afterward1 ,i learned that the prediction had been fulfilled in his imprisonment for a fourteen years' term1 for a beastly crime47 ,on the last day of the year #ahcg1 ,mrs4 ,woodruff crossed the thoroughfare in a boat and walked ten miles1 the length of the island1 to meet me4 ,i held a meeting the same day in the schoolhouse1 and at the close of the services baptized two persons in the sea1 at full tide1 before a large assembly4 ,january #ast1 #ahch1 found me upon one of the islands of the sea1 a minister of the gospel of life and salvation unto the people1 laboring alone1 yet blessed with the society of ,mrs4 ,woodruff as my companion4 ,i had been declaring the word of the ,lord through the islands many days1 the spirit of ,god was working among the people1 prejudice was giving way1 and the power of ,god was manifest by signs following those who believed4 ,i spent this ,new ,year's day visiting the ,saints and their neighbors1 and met a congregation at the home of ,captain ,charles ,brown1 where ,i spoke to them for a while1 and at the close of my remarks led three persons down into the sea and baptized them4 ,two of these were sea-captains2 namely1 ,charles ,brown and ,jesse ,coombs1 and the third was the wife of ,captain ,coombs4 ,after confirming them1 we spent the evening in preaching1 singing1 and praying4 ,i held meetings almost daily with the ,saints up to the #acth1 when ,i crossed to ,north ,island4 ,there ,i found that the seed ,i had sown was bringing forth fruit4 ,six persons were ready for baptism4 ,but my mission to these islands was not an exception to the general rule2 success did not come without many obstacles presenting themselves4 ,those who rejected the word were frequently inspired by the evil one to make an attempt at persecution4 ,some #hd of those who felt to oppose me went down to the harbor and got a swivel and small arms1 planted them close by the schoolhouse1 near the sea shore1 and while ,i was speaking they commenced firing their cannon and guns4 ,i continued speaking in great plainness1 but my voice was mingled with the report of musketry4 ,i told the people my garments were clear of the blood of the inhabitants of that island1 and asked if any wished to embrace the gospel4 ,two persons came forward and wished to be baptized1 and ,i baptized them4 ,on the following day when ,i went down to the seaside to baptize a man1 the rabble commenced firing guns again1 as on the previous night4 ,i afterwards learned that notices were posted up1 warning me to leave town1 but ,i thought it was better to obey ,god than man1 and1 therefore1 did not go4 ,the next day ,i baptized three persons1 and two days subsequently a couple of others4 ,i had ample evidence of the fact that lying spirits had gone out into the world1 for three persons whom ,i had baptized had been visited by ,mr4 ,douglass1 who told them that ,i denied the ,bible and could not be depended upon2 and they yielded to his insinuations until the devil took possession of them4 ,they were in a disaffected condition1 and sent for me4 ,when ,i met them they were in great affliction1 but when ,i instructed them in the principles of the gospel and administered to them1 they were delivered from the evil influence and rejoiced4 ,on the #aeth of ,february ,i again crossed to ,north ,island2 and after remaining there seven days visiting1 we returned to ,camden1 where ,i met ,brother ,james ,townsend1 who had just arrived from ,scarboro4 ,i ordained ,brother ,townsend to the office of elder4 ,we then concluded to take a journey to ,bangor and offer the gospel to the inhabitants of that city4 ,we traveled on foot1 in the dead of winter when the snow was very deep1 and the first day broke the road for seven miles to ,scarsmont4 ,the day following being ,sunday1 we held two meetings1 preached the ,gospel to the people1 and were kindly entertained4 ,on the evening of the next day we wallowed through snowdrifts for a mile1 to meet an appointment to preach in a schoolhouse1 and on the way ,i got one of my ears frozen4 ,notwithstanding the severity of the weather1 we had a large and #he attentive audience4 ,we also spent the next two days there1 and held meetings4 ,on the evening of the #bast of ,february1 as we came out of the schoolhouse1 a light appeared on the northeastern horizon and spread to the west1 and soon rolled over our heads4 ,it had the appearance of fire1 blood1 and smoke1 and at times resembled contending armies4 ,the heavens were illuminated for a period of half an hour4 ,it seemed at times as though the veil were about to rend in twain1 and the elements were contending with each other4 ,we looked upon it as one of the signs in the heavens predicted by the prophets of old to appear in the last days4 ,we were wading through deep snowdrifts most of the time while witnessing this remarkable scene4 ,the following day we walked fifteen miles through deep snow to ,belfast1 and1 after being refused lodging for the night by eight families1 were kindly entertained by a ,mr4 ,thomas ,teppley4 ,there was an interesting incident connected with our stay at his house4 ,after eating our supper 7it being late in the evening71 a stand was placed before me by ,mr4 ,teppley1 with a ,bible upon it1 and he asked me to read a chapter and have prayers with them1 he being a religious man4 ,i opened the ,bible mechanically1 and the twenty-fifth chapter of ,matthew being the first to catch my eye1 ,i read it2 as ,i closed the book ,mr4 ,teppley turned to his wife and said1 ',is not this a strange thing8' ,then he explained to us that he had just read that chapter and closed the book when we rapped at the door1 and he felt impressed to say1 ',walk in1 gentlemen4' ,there is probably no other chapter in the whole book that would have the same influence in causing any one to feed a person who professed to be a servant of ,god and asked for bread4 ,after becoming acquainted with ,mr4 ,teppley's circumstances ,i thought it providential that we were led to his house1 for although he was a professor of religion and a ,methodist1 he was in a state of despair1 believing that he had committed the unpardonable sin4 ,however1 ,i told him what the unpardonable sin was1 and that he had not committed it1 but that it was a trick of the devil to make him think so1 in order to torment him4 ,he then acknowledged that a few evenings before he went down to the wharf with the intention of drowning himself1 but when he looked #hf into the cold1 dark water1 he desisted and returned home1 and said nothing about it to anyone previous to telling me4 ,i taught him the principles of the gospel1 which proved a comfort to him4 ,we spent the next day in visiting the people of ,belfast1 and in the evening preached in a brick schoolhouse1 provided by ,mr4 ,teppley4 ,many wished to hear more from us4 ,we next visited ,northport and ,frankfort1 holding meetings at both places4 ,on the #ast of ,march1 #ahch1 we entered ,bangor1 which at that time had a population of ten thousand4 ,this was my birthday1 ,i being thirty-one years of age4 ,i visited some of the leading men of ,bangor4 ,they granted me the use of the city hall1 where ,i preached to good audiences for two successive evenings4 ,this was the first time a ,latter-day ,saint elder had preached in that town4 ,many were anxious to learn more about our principles1 but our visits through all the towns from ,thomaston to ,bangor were necessarily brief1 owing to our appointments upon the islands4 ,it was like casting bread upon the waters and trusting in ,god for the result4 ,on the #eth of ,march we sailed from ,penobscot for the ,isle of ,holt1 where ,i held a meeting the following evening4 ,the next day ,i took passage on the mail boat for ,north ,fox ,island1 where ,i again had the privilege of meeting with the ,saints for prayer and praise before the ,lord4 ,on my arrival ,i received a package of letters from friends4 ,one was from ,kirtland1 and gave an account of the apostasy and tribulations which the ,saints were passing through4 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 and others1 with their families1 had gone to ,far ,west1 ,missouri1 and the ,saints were following him4 ,at ,north ,island1 ,brother ,townsend left me and returned home1 and ,i was again alone in the ministry4 ,on the afternoon of the #bbnd of ,march1 ,brother ,sterrett and ,i1 accompanied by our wives1 went several hundred yards from the shore to a sandbar 7it being then low tide71 to dig clams4 ,the ground near the shore was much lower than the bar1 and while we were busy digging clams and talking ,mormonism the dashing of the waves of the incoming tide against the shore suddenly made us conscious that we had fifty yards of water between that desirable place and ourselves4 ,the surf waves added to our difficulty1 and1 as we had no boat1 our only choice was to #hg cross our four arms1 thus forming a kind of armchair for our wives to sit upon1 and carry them in turn to the shore1 wading through two and a half feet of water4 ,by the time we had our wives and clams safely landed1 there was impressed firmly upon our minds the truth of the old saying1 that 'time and tide wait for no man1' not even for a preacher of the gospel4 ,on the #bhth of ,march ,i received a letter from ,zion1 requesting me to counsel the ,saints ,i had baptized to sell their property and gather to ,zion4 ,about this time the ,lord was manifesting ,himself in various ways upon the islands1 by dreams1 visions1 healings1 signs1 and wonders4 ,i will relate one peculiar circumstance of this kind that occurred4 ,mr4 ,ebenezer ,carver had been investigating our doctrines for quite a length of time1 and having a great desire to know the truth of our religion1 walked to the sea shore1 wishing he might have some manifestation in proof of its truth4 ,there came to his mind the passage of ,scripture which says there will be no sign given 'but the sign of the ,prophet ,jonas4' ,while this thought was in his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water1 out at sea some distance1 and suddenly sank out of sight4 ,he greatly desired to see it again1 and it soon arose the second time1 accompanied by another fish of about the same size1 and one of them swam on the water in a straight line towards ,mr4 ,carver1 as he stood upon the shore4 ,it came as near as the water would permit1 stopped and gazed at him with a penetrating eye1 as if it had a message for him1 then returned to its mate in the ocean1 and swam out of sight4 ,mr4 ,carver retraced his steps homeward1 meditating upon the scene and the wonderful condescension of the ,lord4 ,it is proper to say that this occurred at a season of the year when fish of that size are never known upon those shores or seas1 and they are never1 at any season1 known to come so far inshore as in the case mentioned4 ,mr4 ,carver was convinced that it was intended by the ,lord as a sign to him4 ,two days after this event ,i visited ,mr4 ,carver at his house1 where his wife was confined to bed with a fever1 and was requested to administer to her4 ,i placed my hands upon her head1 the power of ,god rested upon me1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ ,i commanded her to arise and walk4 ,she arose and was healed from that instant2 she walked down to the sea1 and ,i baptized her in #hh the same place where the fish visited her husband4 ,i also confirmed her there1 and she was filled with the ,holy ,ghost and returned to her home rejoicing4 ,i called the people together and exhorted them to sell their property and prepare to accompany me to the land of ,zion4 ,i had labored hard for many days for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the inhabitants of those islands1 and the ,lord had blessed my labors and given me many souls as seals of my ministry1 for which ,i felt to praise ,him2 and now ,i felt to labor quite as zealously to gather out those who had embraced the gospel1 and lead them to ,zion4 ,among the sad experiences of ,wilford ,woodruff during his mission to the ,fox ,islands was the fact that his former missionary comrade1 ,warren ,parrish1 with others in ,kirtland1 had apostatized and left the ,church4 ,wilford had been especially attached to ,warren ,parrish1 because of their former missionary companionship4 ,elders who travel in the mission field realize how great is the love of missionaries for each other when they enjoy the spirit of their calling4 ,he was pained severely to learn that ,warren ,parrish had made shipwreck of his faith and taken the downward road4 ,the cause thereof he explained as follows3 ,it might be stated here that ,warren ,parrish fell through disappointed ambition4 ,he aspired to the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 or to be a leading spirit of the ,church4 ,he was what is termed a smart man1 and through his smartness1 which was distorted by ambition1 envy1 and bitterness1 he turned against ,joseph and the ,church1 having fallen into darkness and given himself up to the power of ,satan4 ,the failure of ,warren ,parrish was but one instance out of many4 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 warned the elders against being thus envious and striving to excel each other through envy1 instead of being excellent in doing good4 ,at this period the ,prophet and ,saints were moving to ,missouri4 ,apostasy and rebellion were rampant at ,kirtland2 but ,wilford ,woodruff was undaunted1 and continued his labors and baptized a considerable number who listened to his message4 ,a scurrilous letter sent by ,warren ,parrish to the postmaster at ,vinal ,haven aroused a strong opposition1 but did not hinder the work of the ,lord there4 #hi ,on the #aath of ,april1 ,elders ,milton ,holmes1 ,james ,townsend1 and ,abner ,rogers1 who had come to the islands to attend the conference1 again met with ,elder ,woodruff1 and on ,april #acth conference was held on ,north ,fox ,island1 with a goodly representation of the various branches of the ,church on the islands4 ,on the #agth of ,april1 writes ,wilford1 ,mrs4 ,woodruff left the islands1 returning to her father's home in ,scarboro1 ,maine1 and a few days afterwards ,i called the ,saints of ,north ,island together and gave them some instructions4 ,i also informed them that the spirit of ,god bore record to me that it was our duty to leave the islands for a season1 and take a mission westward4 ,they had been faithfully warned1 and the ,saints were established in the truth1 while the wicked were contending against us and some were disposed to take our lives if they had the power4 ,on the #bhth of ,april we left the island in an open sailboat1 made our way to ,owl's ,head1 and from there walked twenty miles4 ,the following day we walked forty miles and suffered some from weary limbs and blistered feet1 but we felt it was for the gospel's sake1 and did not wish to complain4 ,the next day a walk of thirty miles brought us to ,scarboro1 where we spent the night at ,father ,carter's4 ,on the #hth of ,may ,i parted with ,mrs4 ,woodruff and ,father ,carter and family1 and in company with ,milton ,holmes walked thirty-three miles towards ,portsmouth1 which city we reached the following day1 spending several hours there1 visiting the navy yard4 ,we then walked to ,georgetown1 formerly ,new ,rowley1 and spent the night with ,father ,nathaniel ,holmes4 ,on the #aath of ,may ,i visited ,charleston and the ,bunker ,hill ,monument1 and spent several hours in the city of ,boston1 which then contained a population of one hundred thousand4 ,i ascended to the cupola of the courthouse1 from which ,i had a fine view of the city2 then ,i visited several of the ,saints1 and walked over the long bridge to ,cambridge and ,cambridgeport4 ,i visited the jail there to have an interview with ,brother ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood1 who had been cast into prison on a charge of debt1 to trouble and distress him because he was a ,mormon4 ,this was the first time he and ,i had met4 ,the jailer permitted me to enter the room where he was4 ,it was the first time in my life that ,i had entered a prison2 the jailer turned the key upon us1 and locked us both in4 #ij ,i found ,brother ,rockwood strong in the faith of the gospel4 ,he had the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1 ,voice of ,warning1 and ,evening and ,morning ,star as companions1 and read them daily4 ,we conversed together for three hours in his solitary abode4 ,he informed me of many things which had occurred at the jail while he was confined there as a prisoner4 ,among other things he related that the jail had taken fire a few days previous to my visit4 ,he said it looked a little like a dark hour2 the fire was roaring over his head1 while uproar and confusion were upon every hand2 fire-engines were playing rapidly around the building2 the water was pouring into every room2 the people were hallooing in the streets2 prisoners were begging for mercy's sake to be let out1 or they would be consumed in the fire2 one was struggling in the agonies of death2 while others were cursing and swearing4 ,brother ,rockwood said he felt composed in the midst of it all4 ,the fire was finally extinguished4 ,at #h o'clock the jailer unlocked the prison door and let me out1 and ,i gave the parting hand to the prisoner4 ,we had spent a pleasant time together1 and he rejoiced at my visit2 and who would not1 to meet with a friend in a lonely prison8 ,i left him in good spirits1 and wended my way back to ,boston4 ,after spending several days in ,boston1 holding meetings with the ,saints1 ,i walked to ,providence1 ,rhode ,island1 preaching by the way4 ,there ,i took steamer1 and arrived in ,new ,york on the #ahth of ,may1 where ,i met ,elder ,orson ,pratt1 his family1 ,elijah ,fordham and nearly one hundred ,saints who had been baptized in the city of ,new ,york4 ,i remained in ,new ,york three days1 visiting the ,saints and holding meetings2 several new converts were baptized while ,i was there4 ,leaving ,new ,york1 ,i traveled through ,new ,jersey and returned to ,farmington1 ,connecticut1 to the residence of my father1 where ,i arrived on the #abth of ,june4 ,it was with peculiar sensations that ,i walked over my native land where ,i had spent my youth1 and cast my eyes over the ,farmington meadows and the hills and dales where ,i had roamed in my boyhood with my father1 stepmother1 brothers1 and sister4 ,on my arrival at my father's home1 ,i had the happy privilege of again taking my parents and sister by the hand4 ,i also #ia met my uncle1 ,ozem ,woodruff1 who was among the number ,i had baptized the year before4 ,after spending an hour in conversation1 we sat down around father's table1 supped together1 and were refreshed4 ,then we bowed upon our knees in the family circle1 and offered up the gratitude of our hearts to ,god for preserving our lives and reuniting us4 ,i spent the next eighteen days in ,farmington and ,avon1 visiting my father's household1 my uncles1 aunts1 cousins1 neighbors1 and friends1 preaching to them the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 and striving to bring them into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,on the #ast of ,july1 #ahch1 there occurred one of the most interesting events of my whole life in the ministry4 ,when ,father ,joseph ,smith gave me my patriarchal blessing1 among the many wonderful things he promised me was that ,i should bring my father's household into the ,kingdom of ,god2 and ,i felt that if ,i ever obtained that blessing1 the time therefor had come4 ,by the help of ,god ,i preached the gospel faithfully to my father's household and to all who were with him1 as well as to my other relatives1 and ,i appointed a meeting at my father's home on ,sunday1 the #ast of ,july4 ,my father was believing my testimony1 as were all in his household2 but upon this occasion it appeared as if the devil were determined to hinder the fulfillment of the promise of the patriarch to me4 ,it seemed as if ,lucifer1 the son of the morning1 had gathered together the hosts of hell1 and was exerting his powers upon us all4 ,distress overwhelmed the whole household1 and all were tempted to reject the work2 and it seemed as if the same power would devour me4 ,i had to take to my bed for an hour before the time of meeting4 ,there ,i prayed to the ,lord with my whole soul for deliverance2 for ,i knew then that the power of the devil was exercised to hinder me from accomplishing what ,god had promised ,i should do4 ,the ,lord heard my prayer and answered my petition4 ,when the hour of meeting came1 ,i arose from my bed and could sing and shout for joy to think ,i had been delievered from the power of the evil one4 ,filled with the power of ,god1 ,i stood in the midst of the congregation and preached unto the people in great plainness the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,at the close of the meeting we assembled on the banks of the #ib ,farmington ,river1 'because there was much water there1' and ,i led six of my friends into the river and baptized them for the remission of their sins4 ,all of my father's household were included in this number1 as the patriarch had promised1 and all were relatives except ,dwight ,webster1 who was a ,methodist class-leader1 and was boarding with my father's family4 ,i organized the small number of nine persons1 eight of whom were my relatives1 into a branch of the ,church1 ordained ,dwight ,webster to the office of priest1 and administered unto them the ,sacrament4 ,it was truly a day of joy to my soul4 ,i had baptized my father1 stepmother1 and sister1 and ,i afterwards added a number of other relatives4 ,i felt that the work of this day alone amply repaid me for all my labors in the ministry4 ,while upon ,fox ,islands ,i was impressed to visit my father's home4 ,now that the purpose of the mission had been accomplished ,i felt it my duty to return to the ,islands4 ,monday1 ,july #b1 #ahch1 was the last day and night ,i spent at my father's home while upon this mission4 ,at the setting of the sun ,i took with my sister the last walk ,i ever had with her in my native state4 ,we walked by the canal1 viewed the river and the fields1 and conversed about the future4 ,after evening prayer with the family1 my father retired to rest1 and ,i visited awhile with my stepmother1 who had reared me from infancy4 ,in conversation we felt sensibly the weight of the power of temptation out of which the ,lord had delivered us4 ,i also spent a short time with my sister ,eunice1 the only sister ,i ever was blessed with in my father's family4 ,i had baptized her into the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god1 and we mingled our sympathies1 prayers1 and tears together before the throne of grace4 ,how truly the bonds of consanguinity and the blood of ,christ unite the hearts of the ,saints of ,god6 ',how blessings brighten as they take their flight6' ,this being the last night ,i was to spend beneath my father's roof while upon this mission1 ,i felt its importance1 and my prayer was1 ',o ,lord1 protect my father's house1 and bring them to ,zion6' ,my prayer was granted4 ,on the morning of ,july #crd1 ,i took leave of my relatives and my native state1 and started on my return to ,maine4 ,i arrived in #ic ,scarboro on the #afth1 and on the #adth my first child1 a daughter1 was born1 at ,father ,carter's house4 ,we named her ,sarah ,emma4 ,on the #cjth of ,july ,i left my wife and child at ,father ,carter's1 and started for ,fox ,islands4 ,while holding meeting with the ,saints at ,north ,vinal ,haven1 on the #ith of ,august1 ,i received a letter from ,elder ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh1 who was then ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles1 informing me that the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith had received a revelation from the ,lord1 naming as persons to be chosen to fill the places of those of the ,twelve who had fallen4 ,those named were ,john ,e4 ,page1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff and ,willard ,richards4 ,in his letter ,president ,marsh added3 ',know then1 ,brother ,woodruff1 by this1 that you are appointed to fill the place of one of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and that it is agreeable to the word of the ,lord1 given very lately1 that you should come speedily to ,far ,west1 and1 on the #bfth of ,april next1 take your leave of the ,saints here and depart for others climes1 across the mighty deep4' ,the substance of this letter had been revealed to me several weeks before1 but ,i had not named it to any person4 ,it was on the #hth of ,july1 just one week after ,wilford's memorable experience at his father's home1 that this humble1 faithful1 diligent elder was called by the voice of ,god1 through ,his prophet1 to be one of the ,twelve ,apostles of the ,lamb in this dispensation2 and ,wilford being at the time many hundreds of miles distant from the ,prophet1 the ,lord then revealed to him the fact of that calling4 ,wilford had been true to the ,lord as a teacher1 priest1 elder1 and seventy in ,his ,church1 and thus was worthy of the higher call that had come1 and to be trusted with its increased responsibility4 ,he was prepared by the revelations of heaven to his own soul to be an apostle of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 and his ordination and leave-taking of the ,saints at the designated place1 on the #bfth of the succeeding ,april1 under the circumstances then existing1 were a manifestation of the miraculous power of ,god in witness of the prophetic office and gift that had been conferred from heaven upon ,joseph ,smith1 the great ,prophet of this dispensation4 ,the time having come for me to prepare to leave ,fox ,islands1 wrote ,wilford1 ,i had a desire to take with me all the #id ,saints ,i could get to go to ,zion4 ,already there had been a line drawn between the ,saints and those on the islands who had rejected the ,gospel1 and enemies were very bitter against me and against the work of ,god ,i had labored to establish4 ,they threatened my life1 but the ,saints were willing to stand by me4 ,i spent four days with the ,saints1 visiting them1 holding meetings1 and encouraging them1 while the devil was raging upon every hand4 ,i baptized into the ,church and organized1 while upon the islands1 nearly one hundred persons2 and there seemed a prospect of gathering with me about half of them1 but the devil raged to such an extent that some of them were terrified4 ,the inhabitants of the islands had but little acquaintance with the management of horses or wagons2 in fact1 most of them knew more about handling a shark than a horse4 ,however1 in company with ,nathaniel ,thomas1 who had sold his property and had money1 ,i went to the mainland and purchased ten new wagons1 ten sets of harness1 and twenty horses4 ,when ,i had everything prepared for the company to start1 ,i left affairs with ,brother ,thomas and went ahead of the company to ,scarboro1 to prepare my own family for the journey4 ,the outfit which ,i purchased for the company cost about two thousand dollars4 ,before leaving ,brother ,thomas ,i counseled him regarding the course to pursue1 and charged him to be not later than the #ast of ,september in starting from the mainland4 ,i arrived at ,father ,carter's on the #aith of ,august1 and waited with great anxiety for the company from the islands1 but instead of reaching here by the #ast of ,september1 they did not come till the #crd of ,october2 and when they did arrive the wagon covers were all flying in the breeze4 ,it took a good day's work to nail down the covers1 paint the wagons and get them ready for the journey4 ,it should be remarked that in the very starting of this company ,nathaniel ,thomas cheerfully stepped forward to the assistance of the poor and invested about one thousand dollars in wagons1 horses1 tents1 etc41 to fit out this company4 ,while others who possessed this world's goods drew back and did not go with the poor lest they should be under the necessity of helping them4 ,at this time ,wilford had still another trial1 and the integrity of his wife was further tested4 ,her parents1 relatives1 and friends #ie strongly opposed her starting upon the journey1 and used every influence and argument they could against her accompanying her husband4 ,they had been very kind to him1 but when it came to parting with her on a journey of such a distance at such a time of the year1 and to a land where her people were subjects of such bitter persecutions as were being inflicted upon the ,saints in ,missouri at that time1 it was too much for them to acquiesce in4 ,they knew that he must go1 but they insisted that she must stay4 ,like her husband1 she was of a spirit that did not shrink from duty when she knew it4 ,wilford said of her at the time3 ,yes1 ,phoebe possessed too much firmness and faith and confidence in ,god to put her hand to the plough and then look back1 or to give way to trials1 however great4 ,like ,ruth1 she was determined to forsake kindred and country for my sake and for the cause in which we were engaged4 ,under these circumstances1 and with a realizing sense of the dangers and hardships of the journey1 and of painful conditions prevailing at their destination1 they did not falter4 ,on the afternoon of the #ith of ,october1 wrote ,wilford1 we took leave of ,father ,carter and family1 and started upon our journey of two thousand miles at this late season of the year1 taking with me my wife1 her nursing babe1 to lead a company of fifty-three souls from ,maine to ,illinois1 and to spend nearly three months traveling in wagons1 through rain1 mud1 snow1 and frost4 ,it was such a trial as ,i never before had attempted during my experience as a minister of the gospel4 ,we were joined at ,georgetown by ,elder ,milton ,holmes1 and traveled each day as far as we could go1 camping wherever night overtook us4 ,on the #acth of ,october1 while crossing the ,green ,mountains1 ,i was attacked by something resembling cholera1 and was very sick2 ,i stopped at a house about two hours1 and the elders having administered to me1 ,i revived4 ,on the #bdth ,i was taken sick again1 and my wife and child also were stricken down4 ,several others of the company were sick1 through exposure4 ,on the #cast we had our first snowstorm1 and the horses dragged our wagons all day through mud1 snow1 and water4 ,on the #bnd of ,november ,elder ,milton ,holmes left us1 and took steamer for ,fairport2 two days later1 ,nathaniel ,thomas' little child1 about six years of age1 died1 and we had to bury it at ,westfield4 #if ,the roads finally became so bad and the cold so severe that ,nathaniel ,thomas and ,james ,townsend concluded to stop for the winter2 we parted with them on the #bast of ,november1 near ,new ,portage1 ,ohio4 ,my wife ,phoebe was attacked on the #bcrd of ,november by a severe headache1 which terminated in brain fever2 she grew more and more distressed daily as we continued our journey4 ,it was a terrible ordeal for a woman to travel in a wagon over such rough roads1 afflicted as she was4 ,at the same time our child was also very sick4 ,the #ast of ,december was a trying day to my soul4 ,my wife continued to fail1 and about four o'clock in the afternoon appeared to be stricken with death4 ,i stopped my team1 and it seemed as if she then would breathe her last1 lying there in the wagon4 ,two of the sisters sat beside her1 to see if they could do anything for her in her last moments4 ,i stood upon the ground1 in deep affliction1 and meditated4 ,then ,i cried to the ,lord1 praying that she might live and not be taken from me1 and claiming the promises the ,lord had made to me through the ,prophet and ,patriarch4 ,her spirit revived1 and ,i drove a short distance to a tavern1 got her into a room and worked over her and her babe all night1 praying to the ,lord to preserve their lives4 ,in the morning circumstances were such that ,i was under the necessity of removing them from the inn1 as there was so much noise and confusion there that my wife could not endure it4 ,i carried her out to her bed in the wagon and drove two miles1 when ,i alighted at a house and carried my wife and her bed into it1 with a determination to tarry there until she recovered her health or passed away4 ,this was on ,sunday morning1 ,december #bnd4 ,after getting my wife and things into the house and providing wood to keep up a fire1 ,i employed my time in taking care of her4 ,it looked as if she had but a short time to live4 ,she called me to her bedside in the evening1 and said she felt as if a few moments more would end her existence in this life4 ,she manifested great confidence in the cause we had embraced1 and exhorted me to have confidence in ,god1 and to keep ,his commandments4 ,to all appearances she was dying4 ,i laid hands upon her and #ig prayed for her1 and she soon revived1 and slept some during the night4 ,december #crd found my wife very low4 ,i spent the day in taking care of her1 and the day following ,i returned to ,eaton to get some things for her4 ,she seemed to be sinking gradually1 and in the evening the spirit apparently left her body1 and she was dead4 ,the sisters gathered around1 weeping1 while ,i stood looking at her in sorrow4 ,the spirit and power of ,god began to rest upon me until1 for the first time during her sickness1 faith filled my soul1 although she lay before me as one dead4 ,i had some oil that was consecrated for my anointing while in ,kirtland4 ,i took it and consecrated it again before the ,lord1 for anointing the sick4 ,i then bowed down before the ,lord1 prayed for the life of my companion1 and in the name of the ,lord anointed her body with the oil4 ,i then laid my hands upon her1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ ,i rebuked the power of death and of the destroyer1 and commanded the same to depart from her and the spirit of life to enter her body4 ,her spirit returned to her body1 and from that hour she was made whole2 and we all felt to praise the name of ,god1 and to trust in ,him and keep ,his commandments4 ,while ,i was undergoing this ordeal 7as my wife related afterwards7 her spirit left her body1 and she saw it lying upon the bed and the sisters there weeping4 ,she looked at them and at me1 and upon her babe2 while gazing upon this scene1 two persons came into the room1 carrying a coffin1 and told her they had come for her body4 ,one of these messengers said to her that she might have her choice--she might go to rest in the spirit world1 or1 upon one condition1 she could have the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and of continuing her labors upon the earth4 ,the condition was that if she felt she could stand by her husband1 and with him pass through all the cares1 trials1 tribulations1 and afflictions of life which he would be called upon to pass through for the gospel's sake unto the end1 she might return4 ,when she looked at the situation of her husband and child she said1 ',yes1 ,i will do it4' ,at the moment that decision was made the power of faith rested upon me1 and when ,i administered to her1 her spirit re-entered #ih her tabernacle1 and she saw the messengers carry the coffin out of the door4 ,on the morning of the #fth of ,december1 the spirit said to me1 ',arise1 and continue thy journey1' and through the mercy of ,god my wife was enabled to arise and dress herself2 she walked to the wagon1 and we went on our way rejoicing4 ,the weather being very cold1 on the night of the #aath ,i stopped for the night at an inn4 ,i there learned of the sudden death of my brother1 ,asahel ,h4 ,woodruff1 a merchant of ,terre ,haute1 ,indiana4 ,i had anticipated that the following day ,i should have a joyful meeting with this brother2 instead of this1 ,i had only the privilege of visiting his grave1 in company with my wife1 and of examining a little into his business4 ,i was offered the position of administrator of his affairs1 but ,i was leading a company of ,saints to ,zion1 and could not stop to attend to his temporal business4 ,strangers settled his affairs and took possession of his property2 his relatives obtained nothing from his effects but a few trifling mementoes4 ,i left this place on the #acth of ,december and crossed into ,illinois1 arriving at ,rochester on the #aith4 ,getting information there of the severe persecutions of the ,saints in ,missouri1 and of the unsettled state of the ,church at that time1 we concluded to stop at ,rochester and spend the winter there4 ,thus ended my journey of two months and sixteen days4 ,i had led the ,fox ,island ,saints to the ,west1 through all the perils of a journey of nearly two thousand miles1 in the midst of sickness and great severity of weather4 ,in the spring ,i took my family and removed to ,quincy1 ,illinois1 where ,i could mingle with my brethren2 and ,i felt to praise ,god for ,his protecting care over me and my family in all our afflictions4 #ii ,,chapter #aa4 ,,call ,,to ,,great ,,britain1 #ahch4 ,mobocrats ,seek ,to ,prevent the ,fulfillment of a ,revelation ,given ,through the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 but ,are ,disappointed4--,temple ,cornerstone at ,far ,west ,laid4--,wilford ,returns to ,illinois4--,the ,prophet ,joseph ,liberated from ,prison in ,missouri4--,a ,survivor of ,haun's ,mill ,massacre4--,selection of ,nauvoo as a ,place for the ,settlement of the ,saints4--,a ,day of ,god's ,power4--,many ,sick ,are ,healed1 and a ,dying ,man ,raised to ,life4--,incident of ,wilford ,receiving a ,hankerchief from the ,prophet ,joseph4--,instructed as to ,what ,he ,shall ,preach on ,his ,mission4--,lesson in ,humility4--,warning against ,treachery4--,wilford ,starts on ,his ,mission1 ,sick and without ,money4--,experience of ,his ,journey to ,new ,york4--,sails for ,liverpool1 ,england4 ,the revelation calling ,wilford ,woodruff to the apostleship1 and directing him1 with others1 to engage in missionary labors abroad1 fixed a time and a place for the departure of these apostles on their mission to ,great ,britain4 ,it was the declared purpose of the mob to prevent the fulfillment of this revelation4 ,when the word of the ,lord was given on this matter1 all was peace and quiet in ,far ,west1 ,missouri1 the city where most of the ,latter-day ,saints dwelt at that time2 but before the day of fulfillment came1 the ,saints had been driven out of the ,state of ,missouri into the ,state of ,illinois1 under the edict of ,governor ,boggs2 and the ,missourians had sworn that if all the other revelations to ,joseph ,smith were fulfilled1 this one should not be4 ,but man cannot stay the purposes of ,god2 this occasion was no exception to the rule1 and it affords one of many notable instances that show how the ,almighty maintains a special guidance over the work of this dispensation which ,he has committed to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in this revelation1 given ,july #h1 #ahch1 ,he said3 ,let them take leave of my ,saints in the city of ,far ,west1 on the #bfth day of ,april next1 on the building spot of my house1 saith the ,lord4 ,let my servant ,john ,taylor1 and also my servant ,john ,e4 ,page1 and also my servant ,wilford ,woodruff1 and also my servant ,willard ,richards1 be appointed to fill the places of those who have fallen1 and be officially notified of their appointment4 ,of this period1 ,wilford writes in his journal that1 it seemed #ajj as though the ,lord1 having a foreknowledge of what would take place1 had given the revelation in this manner to see whether or not the ,apostles would obey it at the risk of their lives4 ,when the time drew near for the fulfillment of this commandment1 ,brigham ,young was the ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles1 ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh1 who had been the senior apostle1 had fallen4 ,brother ,brigham called together those of the ,twelve who were then at ,quincy1 ,illinois1 to see what their minds would be about going to ,far ,west in fulfillment of the revelation4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph1 his brother ,hyrum1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,lyman ,wight1 and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 were in prison in ,missouri2 but ,father ,joseph ,smith1 the patriarch1 was at ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,he and others who were present did not think it wisdom for us to attempt the journey1 as our lives would be in great jeopardy4 ,they thought the ,lord would take the will for the deed4 ,but when ,president ,young asked the ,twelve what their feelings were1 all of them1 as the voice of one man1 said the ,lord had spoken1 and it was for them to obey4 ,it was the ,lord's business to take care of ,his servants1 and they would fulfill the commandment1 or die trying4 ,to understand fully the risk the ,twelve ran in making this journey1 it should be understood that ,lilburn ,w4 ,boggs1 governor of the state of ,missouri1 had issued a proclamation in which all the ,latter-day ,saints were required to leave ,missouri or be exterminated4 ,far ,west had been captured by the militia1 who really were only an organized mob2 the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms2 all the leading men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners2 the rest of the ,saints--men1 women1 and children--had to flee out of the state as best they could to save their lives1 leaving their houses1 lands and other property1 which they could not carry with them1 to be taken by the mob4 ,the latter shot down the cattle and hogs of the ,saints wherever they could find them1 and robbed the people of nearly everything they could lay their hands on4 ,the ,saints were treated with merciless cruelty1 and had to endure the most outrageous abuses4 ,it was with the greatest difficulty that many of them1 especially the prominent ones1 got out of ,missouri1 for at that time many people of that state acted as though they thought it no more harm to shoot a ,mormon than to shoot a mad dog4 ,from this #aja brief explanation it will be understood why some of the brethren thought we were not required to go back to ,far ,west1 to start from there upon our mission across the ocean to ,europe4 ,having determined to carry out the requirements of the revelation1 continues ,wilford ,woodruff1 on the #ahth of ,april1 #ahci1 ,i took into my wagon ,brigham ,young and ,orson ,pratt2 ,father ,cutler took into his wagon ,john ,taylor and ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and we started for ,far ,west4 ,on the way we met ,john ,e4 ,page1 who was going with his family to ,quincy1 ,illinois4 ,his wagon had turned over1 and when we met him he was trying to gather up with his hands a barrel of soft soap4 ,we helped him with his wagon4 ,he then drove into the valley below1 left his wagon1 and accompanied us on our way4 ,on the night of the #beth of ,april we arrived at ,far ,west1 and spent the night at the home of ,morris ,phelps4 ,he had been taken a prisoner by the mob1 and was still in prison4 ,on the morning of the #bfth of ,april1 #ahci1 notwithstanding the threats of our enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day should not be fulfilled2 notwithstanding ten thousand of the ,saints had been driven out of the state by the edict of the governor2 and notwithstanding the ,prophet ,joseph and his brother ,hyrum ,smith1 with other leading men1 were in the hands of our enemies in chains and in prison1 we moved on to the ,temple grounds in the city of ,far ,west1 held a council1 and fulfilled the revelation and commandment given to us4 ,we also ex-communicated from the ,church thirty-one persons who had apostatized and become its enemies4 ,the ',mission of the ,twelve' was sung1 and we repaired to the southeast corner of the ,temple ground1 where1 with the assistance of ,elder ,alpheus ,cutler1 the master workman of the building committee1 we laid the southeast chief cornerstone of the ,temple1 according to revelation4 ,there were present of the ,twelve ,apostles3 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,john ,e4 ,page1 and ,john ,taylor2 they proceeded to ordain ,wilford ,woodruff and ,george ,a4 ,smith to the apostleship4 ,darwin ,chase and ,norman ,shearer1 who had just been liberated from ,richmond prison1 were then ordained to the office of seventy4 #ajb ,the ,twelve then gave the parting hand to the following ,saints1 agreeable to revelation3 ,a4 ,butler1 ,elias ,smith1 ,norman ,shearer1 ,william ,burton1 ,stephen ,markham1 ,shadrach ,roundy1 ,william ,o4 ,clark1 ,john ,w4 ,clark1 ,hezekiah ,peck1 ,darwin ,chase1 ,richard ,howard1 ,mary ,ann ,peck1 ,artimesia ,granger1 ,martha ,peck1 ,sarah ,granger1 ,theodore ,turley1 ,hiram ,clark1 and ,daniel ,shearer4 ,bidding good-by to this small remnant of the ,saints who remained on the ,temple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandment of ,god1 we turned our backs on ,far ,west1 ,missouri1 and returned to ,illinois4 ,we had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us1 or any man saying1 ',why do ye so8' ,we crossed the ,mississippi river on the steam ferry1 entered ,quincy on the #bnd of ,may1 and all of us had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace and safety4 ,thus the word of ,god was complied with4 ,while on our way to fulfill the revelation1 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 and his companions in chains were liberated1 through the blessings of ,god1 from their enemies and prison1 and passed us4 ,we were not far distant from each other1 but neither party knew it at the time4 ,they were making their way to their families in ,illinois1 while we were traveling to ,far ,west into the midst of our enemies2 so they came home to their families and friends before our return4 ,may #crd1 #ahci1 was a very interesting day to me1 as well as to others4 ,in company with five others of the quorum of the ,twelve1 ,i rode to ,mr4 ,cleveland's1 four miles out of town1 to visit ,brother ,joseph ,smith and his family4 ,once more ,i had the happy privilege of taking ,brother ,joseph by the hand4 ,two years had rolled away since ,i had seen his face4 ,he greeted us with great joy1 as did ,hyrum ,smith and ,lyman ,wight1 all of whom had escaped together from their imprisonment4 ,they had been confined in prison six months1 and had been under sentence of death three times2 yet their lives were in the hands of ,god4 ,he delivered them1 and now they were mingling with their wives1 children1 and friends1 out of the reach of the mob4 ,joseph was frank1 open1 and familiar as usual1 and our rejoicing was great4 ,no man can understand the joyful sensations created by such a meeting1 except one who has been in tribulation for the gospel's sake4 #ajc ,after spending the day together we returned to our families at night4 ,the day following was ,may #dth2 we met in conference at ,quincy1 the ,prophet ,joseph presiding1 his presence causing great joy to all the ,saints4 ,on ,sunday1 ,may #eth1 ,joseph ,smith addressed the assembly4 ,he was followed by ,sidney ,rigdon and the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,the spirit of the ,lord was poured out upon us1 and we had a glorious day4 ,on ,may #fth ,i met with the seventies1 and we ordained sixty men into the quorums of elders and seventies4 ,brother ,joseph met with the ,twelve1 and with bishops and elders1 at ,bishop ,partridge's house4 ,there were with us a number who were wounded at ,haun's ,mill2 among these was ,isaac ,laney1 who1 in company with about twenty others1 had been at the mill when a large and armed mob fired among them with rifles and other weapons1 shot down seventeen of the brethren1 and wounded others4 ,brother ,laney fled from the scene1 but they sent a volley of lead after him1 piercing his body in many places4 ,he showed me eleven bullet holes in his body4 ,there were twenty-seven bullet holes in his shirt1 and seven in his pantaloons4 ,his coat was literally cut to pieces4 ,one ball entered one armpit and came out at the other2 another entered his back and came out at the breast2 a ball passed through each hip1 each leg1 and each arm4 ,all these were received while he was running for his life2 and1 strange as it may appear1 though he also had one of his ribs broken1 he was able to outrun his enemies1 and his life was saved4 ,we can acknowledge this deliverance to be only through the mercy of ,god4 ,president ,joseph ,young was also among the number who escaped at ,haun's ,mill4 ,as he fled1 the balls flew around him like hail1 yet he was not even wounded4 ,how mysterious are the ways of the ,lord6 ,before starting on our mission to ,england1 we were under the necessity of locating our families4 ,a place called ,commerce1 afterwards named ,nauvoo1 was selected as the site on which our people should settle4 ,in company with ,brother ,brigham ,young and our families1 ,i left ,quincy on the #aeth of ,may1 arriving in ,commerce on the #ahth4 ,after an interview with ,joseph1 we crossed the river at ,montrose1 ,iowa4 ,president ,brigham ,young and myself1 with our families1 occupied one room about #ajd fourteen feet square4 ,finally ,brother ,young obtained another room and moved into it2 then ,brother ,orson ,pratt and family moved into the same room with myself and family4 ,while ,i was living in this cabin in the old barracks we experienced1 with the ,prophet ,joseph1 a day of ,god's power4 ,it was a very sickly time2 ,joseph had given up his home in ,commerce to the sick1 and had a tent pitched in his dooryard and was living in that himself4 ,the large number of ,saints who had been driven out of ,missouri were flocking into ,commerce1 but had no homes to go to1 and were living in wagons1 in tents1 and on the ground2 many1 therefore1 were sick through the exposure to which they were subjected4 ,brother ,joseph had waited on them until he was worn out and nearly sick himself4 ,on the morning of the #bbnd of ,july1 #ahci1 he arose1 reflecting upon the situation of the ,saints of ,god in their persecutions and afflictions4 ,he called upon the ,lord in prayer1 the power of ,god rested upon him mightily1 and as ,jesus healed all the sick around ,him in ,his day1 so ,joseph1 the ,prophet of ,god1 healed all around on this occasion4 ,he healed all in his house and dooryard2 then1 in company with ,sidney ,rigdon and several of the ,twelve1 went among the sick lying on the bank of the river1 where he commanded them in a loud voice1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to rise and be made whole1 and they were all healed4 ,when he had healed all on the east side of the river that were sick1 he and his companions crossed the ,mississippi ,river in a ferry-boat to the west side1 where we were1 at ,montrose4 ,the first house they went into was ,president ,brigham ,young's4 ,he was sick on his bed at the time4 ,the ,prophet went into his house and healed him1 and they all came out together4 ,as they were passing by my door1 ,brother ,joseph said3 ',brother ,woodruff1 follow me4' ,these were the only words spoken by any of the company from the time they left ,brother ,brigham's house till they crossed the public square1 and entered ,brother ,fordham's house4 ,brother ,fordham had been dying for an hour1 and we expected each minute would be his last4 ,i felt the spirit of ,god that was overpowering ,his ,prophet4 ,when we entered the house1 ,brother ,joseph walked up to ,brother ,fordham and took him by the right hand1 his left hand holding his hat4 #aje ,he saw that ,brother ,fordham's eyes were glazed1 and that he was speechless and unconscious4 ,after taking his hand1 he looked down into the dying man's face and said3 ',brother ,fordham1 do you not know me8' ,at first there was no reply1 but we all could see the effect of the spirit of ,god resting on the afflicted man4 ,joseph again spoke4 ',elijah1 do you not know me8' ,with a low whisper ,brother ,fordham answered1 ',yes'4 ,the ,prophet then said3 ',have you not faith to be healed8' ,the answer1 which was a little plainer than before1 was3 ',i am afraid it is too late2 if you had come sooner1 ,i think ,i might have been4' ,he had the appearance of a man waking from sleep2 it was the sleep of death4 ,joseph then said3 ',do you believe that ,jesus is the ,christ8' ',i do1 ,brother ,joseph1' was the response4 ,then the ,prophet of ,god spoke with a loud voice1 as in the majesty of ,jehovah3 ',elijah1 ,i command you1 in the name of ,jesus of ,nazareth1 to arise and be made whole4' ,the words of the ,prophet were not like the words of man1 but like the voice of ,god4 ,it seemed to me that the house shook on its foundation4 ,elijah ,fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead4 ,a healthy color came to his face1 and life was manifested in every act4 ,his feet had been done up in ,indian meal poultices2 he kicked these off his feet1 scattered the contents1 then called for his clothes and put them on4 ,he asked for a bowl of bread and milk1 and ate it4 ,he then put on his hat and followed us into the street1 to visit others who were sick4 ,the unbeliever may ask1 ',was there not deception in this8' ,if there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever1 there was certainly none with ,elijah ,fordham1 the dying man1 or with those who were present with him2 for in a few minutes he would have been in the spirit world1 if he had not been rescued4 ,through the blessing of ,god he lived up till #ahhj1 when he died in ,utah2 while all who were with him on that occasion1 with the exception of one 7myself71 are in the spirit world4 ,among the number present were ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith1 ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,as soon as we left ,brother ,fordham's house1 we went into the home of ,joseph ,b4 ,noble1 who was very low4 ,when we entered #ajf the house1 ,brother ,joseph took ,brother ,noble by the hand1 and commanded him1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 to arise and be made whole4 ,he did arise1 and was healed immediately4 ,while this was going on1 the wicked mob in the place1 led by one ,kilburn1 had become alarmed1 and followed us into ,brother ,noble's house4 ,before they arrived there1 ,brother ,joseph called upon ,brother ,fordham to offer prayer4 ,while he was praying1 the mob entered1 with all the evil spirits accompanying them4 ,as soon as they entered1 ,brother ,fordham1 who was praying1 fainted1 and sank to the floor4 ,when ,joseph saw the mob in the house1 he arose and had the room cleared of both that class of men and their attendant devils4 ,then ,brother ,fordham immediately revived1 and finished his prayer4 ,the case of ,brother ,noble was the last one of healing upon that day4 ,it was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of ,god through the gift of healing since the organization of the ,church4 ,when we left ,brother ,noble's1 the ,prophet ,joseph1 with those who had accompanied him from the other side1 went to the bank of the river1 to return home4 ,while waiting for the ferry-boat1 a man of the world1 knowing of the miracles which had been performed1 came to ,joseph and asked him if he would not go and heal twin children of his1 about five months old1 who were both lying sick nigh unto death4 ,they were some two miles from ,montrose4 ,the ,prophet said he could not go2 but1 after pausing some time1 said he would send some one to heal them2 and he turned to me and said3 ',you go with the man and heal his children4' ,he took a red silk hankerchief out of his pocket1 gave it to me1 told me to wipe their faces with the handkerchief when ,i administered to them1 and they should be healed4 ,he also said to me3 ',as long as you will keep that handkerchief1 it shall remain a league between you and me4' ,i went with the man1 did as the ,prophet commanded me1 and the children were healed4 ,i have possession of the handkerchief unto this day4 ,on the first of ,july1 #ahci1 ,joseph ,smith and his counselors1 ,sidney ,rigdon and ,hyrum ,smith1 crossed the river to ,montrose1 to spend the day with the ,twelve1 and to set them apart and bless #ajg them before they started upon their missions4 ,there were twelve of us who met there1 and we dined in my house4 ,after dinner we assembled at ,brother ,brigham ,young's house for our meeting4 ,brother ,hyrum ,smith opened by prayer2 after which the ,presidency laid their hands upon our heads and gave each of us a blessing4 ,president ,rigdon was mouth in blessing me1 and also blessed ,sisters ,young1 ,taylor1 and ,woodruff4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph promised us that if we were faithful we would be blessed upon our mission1 save many souls as seals of our ministry1 and return again in peace and safety to our friends2 all of which was fulfilled4 ,brother ,hyrum advised me to preach the first principles of the gospel2 he thought that was about as much as this generation could endure4 ,then ,joseph arose and preached some precious things of the ,kingdom of ,god unto us1 in the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 some of which ,i here copy3 ',ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy1 and be ready to forgive your brethren on the first intimation of their repentance and desire for forgiveness2 for your heavenly ,father will be equally merciful to you4 ,we ought also to be willing to repent of and confess our sins1 and keep nothing back4 ,let the ,twelve be humble and not be exalted1 and beware of pride1 and not seek to excel one another1 but act for each other's good1 and honorably make mention of each other's names in prayer before the ,lord and before your fellowmen4 ,do not backbite or injure a brother4 ,the elders of ,israel should seek to learn by precept and example in this late age of the world1 and not be obliged to learn by sad experience everything they know4 ,i trust the remainder of the ,twelve will learn wisdom1 and will not follow the example of those who have fallen4 ,when the ,twelve1 or any other witnesses of ,jesus ,christ1 stand before the congregations of the earth1 and preach in the power and demonstration of the ,holy ,ghost1 and the people are astonished and confounded at the doctrine and say1 those men have preached powerful sermons1 then let them take care that they do not ascribe the glory unto themselves1 but be careful to be humble1 and to ascribe the glory to ,god and the ,lamb2 for it is by the power of the ,holy ,priesthood and the ,holy ,ghost that they have #ajh the power thus to speak4 ,who art thou1 ,o man1 but dust6 and from whom dost thou receive they power and blessings1 but from ,god6 ,then let the ,twelve ,apostles and elders of ,israel observe this key1 and be wise3 ,ye are not sent out to be taught1 but to teach4 ,let every man be sober1 be vigilant1 and let all his words be seasoned with grace1 and keep in mind that it is a day of warning1 and not of many words4 ,act honestly before ,god and man2 beware of sophistry1 such as bowing and scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence4 ,be honest1 open1 and frank in all your intercourse with mankind4 ,i wish to say to the ,twelve1 and to all the ,saints3 profit by this important key1 that in all your trials1 troubles1 temptations1 afflictions1 bonds1 imprisonments1 and deaths1 you do not betray ,jesus ,christ1 that you do not betray the revelations of ,god1 whether in the ,bible1 ,book of ,mormon1 or ,doctrine and ,covenants1 or in any of the words of ,god4 ,yea1 in all your troubles1 see that you do not this thing1 lest innocent blood be found upon your skirts1 and ye go down to hell4 ,we may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to a fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil1 so as to neglect the first known duty2 but whatever you do1 do not betray your friend4' ,the foregoing are some of the instructions given by the ,prophet ,joseph1 before the ,apostles started upon their missions4 ,inasmuch as the devil had been thwarted in a measure by the ,twelve going to ,far ,west and returning without harm1 it seemed as though the destroyer was determined to make some other attempt upon us to hinder us from performing our missions2 for as soon as any one of the ,apostles began to prepare for starting he was smitten with chills and fever1 or sickness of some kind4 ,nearly all of the quorum of the ,twelve or their families began to be sick1 so it still required the exercise of a good deal of faith and perseverance to start off on a mission4 ,on the #beth of ,july1 ,i was attacked with chills and fever1 for the first time in my life2 this ,i had every other day1 and whenever attacked1 ,i was laid prostrate4 ,my wife1 ,phoebe1 was also taken down with the chills and fever1 as were quite a number of the ,twelve4 ,i passed thirteen days in ,montrose with my family1 after #aji ,i was taken sick1 before ,i started on my mission4 ,the #gth of ,august was the last day ,i spent at home in ,montrose4 ,although sick with the chills and fever most of the day1 ,i made what preparations ,i could to start on the morrow on a mission of four thousand miles1 to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth2 and this1 too1 without purse or scrip1 with disease resting upon me1 and an attack of fever and ague afflicting me once every two days4 ,early upon the morning of the #hth of ,august1 ,i arose from my bed of sickness1 laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife1 ,phoebe1 and blessed her4 ,i then departed from the embrace of my companion1 and left her almost without food or the necessaries of life4 ,she suffered my departure with the fortitude that becomes a saint1 realizing the responsibilities of her companion4 ,i quote from my journal3 ',phoebe1 farewell6 ,be of good cheer2 remember me in your prayers4 ,i leave these pages for your perusal when ,i am gone4 ,i shall see your face again in the flesh4 ,i go to obey the commands of ,jesus ,christ4' ,although feeble1 ,i walked to the banks of the ,mississippi ,river4 ,there ,president ,young took me in a canoe 7having no other conveyance71 and paddled me across the river4 ,when we landed1 ,i lay down on a side of sole leather1 by the postoffice1 to rest4 ,brother ,joseph1 the ,prophet of ,god1 came along and looked at me4 ',well1 ,brother ,woodruff1' said he1 'you have started upon your mission4' ',yes1' said ,i1 'but ,i feel and look more like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary4' ,joseph replied3 ',what did you say that for8 ,get up1 and go along2 all will be right with you4' ,i name these incidents that the reader may know how the brethren of the ,twelve ,apostles started upon their missions to ,england in #ahci4 ,elder ,john ,taylor was going with me2 we were the first two of the quorum of the ,twelve who started upon that mission4 ,brother ,taylor was about the only man in the quorum who was not sick4 ,soon a brother came along with a wagon1 and took us in4 ,as we were driving through the place1 we came to ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 who was stripped to his shirt and pants1 with his head and feet bare4 ,he was hewing a log1 preparatory to building a cabin4 ,he said3 ',brother ,woodruff1 ,i have no money1 but ,i have an empty #aaj purse1 which ,i will give you4' ,he brought it to me1 and ,i thanked him for it4 ,we went a few rods farther and met ,brother ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 in the same condition1 also hewing a log to build a cabin4 ,he said3 ',as ,parley has given you a purse1 ,i have got a dollar ,i will give you to put in it4' ,he gave me both a dollar and a blessing4 ,we drove sixteen miles across a prairie1 and spent the night with a ,brother ,merrill4 ,the day following we rode ten miles to a ,brother ,perkins'4 ,he took us in his wagon to ,macomb1 and from there to ,brother ,don ,carlos ,smith's4 ,during the day ,i rode four hours over a very rough road of stones and stumps1 lying on my back in the bottom of the wagon1 shaking with the ague1 and suffering very much4 ,we held a meeting in a grove near ,don ,carlos ,smith's1 and there ,elder ,taylor baptized ,george ,miller1 who afterwards was ordained a bishop4 ,at the meeting the ,saints gave us nine dollars1 and ,george ,miller gave us a horse to help us on our journey4 ,i rode to ,rochester with ,father ,coltrin1 and there had an interview with several families of the ,fox ,islands ,saints1 whom ,i had brought with me from the ,fox ,islands in #ahch4 ,i spent several days with them and at ,springfield1 where ,elder ,taylor published1 in pamphlet form1 fifteen hundred copies of a brief sketch of the persecutions and sufferings of the ,latter-day ,saints1 inflicted by the inhabitants of ,missouri4 ,we sold our horse1 and1 in company with ,father ,coltrin1 ,brother ,taylor and myself left ,springfield and continued our journey4 ,i had the chills and fever nearly every other day4 ,this made riding in a lumber wagon very distressing to me1 especially when ,i shook with the ague4 ,on the #bdth of ,august we rode to ,terre ,haute1 and spent the night with ,dr4 ,modisett4 ,i suffered much with the chills and fever4 ,up to this time1 ,elder ,john ,taylor had appeared to enjoy excellent health1 but the destroyer did not intend to make him an exception to the rest of the apostles4 ,on the #bhth of ,august he fell to the ground as though he had been knocked down4 ,he fainted1 but soon revived4 ,on the following day the enemy made a powerful attack upon his life4 ,he fainted several times1 and it seemed as if he would die4 ,we stopped several hours with him at a house by the wayside4 ,we then took him into the wagon1 #aaa drove to ,horace ,s4 ,eldredge's and spent the remainder of the day and night doctoring him4 ,in the morning he was so far recovered that he thought he would be able to ride2 so we started on our journey on the morning of the #cjth1 traveled forty miles to ,louisville1 and spent the night with the family of ,brother ,james ,townsend4 ,we felt terribly shaken up1 being in such a weak state4 ,brother ,townsend was away from home1 but we were kindly entertained by ,sister ,townsend4 ,in the morning1 ,elder ,taylor1 though very weak1 felt disposed to continue the journey1 and we traveled fourteen miles to ,germantown4 ,elder ,taylor was quite sick that night1 and a bilious fever seemed to settle upon him4 ,i was also very feeble4 ,the day following being ,sunday1 ,september #ast1 ,brother ,taylor concluded to remain for the day1 and hold a meeting4 ,it was a ,german settlement4 ,he wished me to speak1 and ,i did so1 dwelling upon the first principles of the gospel4 ,he followed me1 and spoke until he was exhausted4 ,after we returned to the inn where we were stopping1 ,i was taken with a chill and fever1 and had a very bad night4 ,brother ,taylor also was very sick4 ,the next day1 ,september #bnd1 was a painful day to my feelings4 ,it was evident that ,brother ,taylor had a settled fever upon him1 and would not be able to travel4 ,father ,coltrin was resolved to continue his journey1 and1 in conversing with ,brother ,taylor1 the latter thought it better for one sick man to be left than for two1 as ,i was so ill with chills and fever that ,i was not able to render him any assistance1 nor1 indeed1 to take care of myself4 ,under these circumstances1 ,brother ,taylor advised me to continue my journey with ,brother ,coltrin1 and make the best of my way to ,new ,york4 ,after committing ,elder ,taylor into the hands of the ,lord1 ,i gave him the parting hand--though painful to me--and started4 ,i left him in ,germantown1 ,wayne ,county1 ,indiana1 in the hands of a merciful ,god and a kind and benevolent family who promised to do everything in their power to make him comfortable till his recovery4 ,this they did1 though he passed through a severe course of bilious fever1 and was sick nigh unto death4 ,through the mercy of ,god1 however1 he recovered from his sickness1 and continued his journey4 ,we next met in the city of ,new ,york4 #aab ,i continued on with ,father ,coltrin1 and reached ,cleveland on the #ahth of ,september4 ,there we took steamer for ,buffalo1 but were in a storm three days before we made the harbor4 ,we landed at midnight1 and in doing so ran into a schooner and stove it in4 ,from ,buffalo ,i traveled to ,albany in a canal boat1 and had an attack of the ague daily4 ,at ,albany ,i took a stage in the night1 and rode to my father's home in ,farmington1 reaching there on the #bast of ,september4 ,i was glad to meet with my father's family1 and the other members of the small branch of the ,church which existed there upon this occasion1 as ,i found them all strong in the faith of the gospel1 and glad to meet me4 ,i was still suffering with the ague4 ,on the #bgth of ,september1 my grandmother 7on my mother's side71 ,anna ,thompson1 died at ,avon4 ,she was eighty-four years of age4 ,it was a singular coincidence that she1 with her husband1 ,lot ,thompson1 also ,mercy ,thompson1 and ,samuel ,thompson1 all of one family1 died when they were eighty-four years of age4 ,i was not able to attend my grandmother's funeral4 ,on the #dth of ,october1 #ahci1 my uncle1 ,adna ,hart1 died1 aged forty-three years4 ,i had visited him in his sickness1 preached the gospel to him1 and he was believing4 ,i had been associated with him from my youth up4 ,on his death bed he sent me a request that ,i preach his funeral sermon4 ,i was having the chills and fever daily at the time1 attended with a very severe cough1 so much so that my father thought ,i would never leave his home alive2 but when they brought me the request of my dying uncle1 and the day came for his burial1 ,i told my father to get his horse and buggy ready1 as ,i was going to attend the funeral4 ,he thought ,i was very reckless about my own life1 as ,i had suffered with chills and fever some fifteen days1 and to attempt to speak in my weak state1 and to begin at the same hour that my chill was to come on1 seemed to him foolhardy4 ,my parents were quite alarmed1 yet according to my request my father got up his team1 and ,i rode with him and my stepmother five miles1 through a cold1 chilly wind1 and commenced speaking to a large congregation at the same hour that my chills had been accustomed to come on4 ,i spoke with great freedom for over an hour2 my chills left me for that time1 and ,i had no more attacks for many days4 ,on the ,monday following1 ,october #agth1 ,i felt sufficiently #aac restored to health to continue my journey4 ,i took leave of my father and sister1 and left for ,new ,york1 where ,i arrived on the morning of the #hth of ,november4 ,i spent two months and seven days after my arrival in ,new ,york1 in traveling and preaching in that city1 and in ,new ,jersey and ,long ,island1 a portion of the time with ,parley and ,orson ,pratt4 ,during this period ,i had frequent attacks of the chills and fever1 but ,i preached almost daily4 ,on the #acth of ,december1 ,i attended our conference in ,new ,york ,city1 with ,elder ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 who prophesied that the mission of the ,twelve to ,great ,britain would be known to all nations1 as it surely has been4 ,on this day ,elder ,john ,taylor arrived in our midst4 ,it was a happy meeting2 he had passed through a severe siege of sickness after we parted1 but through the mercy of ,god had been preserved1 and was able to continue his journey4 ,he informed us that others of the ,twelve had suffered a great deal of sickness1 and that it was with difficulty that they could travel4 ,after spending six days in ,new ,york1 ,elder ,john ,taylor1 in company with ,elder ,theodore ,turley and myself1 sailed out of ,new ,york harbor on the #aith of ,december1 #ahci1 on board the packet ship ,oxford4 ,we took steerage passage1 which cost fifteen dollars each4 ,we had storms and rough weather1 but most of the winds were favorable to a quick passage4 ,while on the ship1 a ,methodist minister got into a discussion with some ,catholics who were in the company1 and the arguments of the minister ran rather more into abuse than sound argument4 ,elder ,taylor told the ,methodist minister that he did not think it was becoming in a daughter to find so much fault with the mother2 for1 as the ,methodists came out of the ,catholics1 ,elder ,taylor thought the mother had as much right to enjoy her religion unmolested as the daughter had4 ,that ended the argument4 ,our company consisted of one hundred and nine souls1 composed of ,americans1 ,english1 ,scotch1 ,irish1 ,welsh1 and ,dutch4 ,while in ,new ,york preparing for his departure for ,europe1 ,elder ,woodruff twice saw his wife in a dream4 ,the second time she was weeping1 and both times was in great affliction4 ,upon his inquiring after their little daughter4 ,sister ,woodruff answered1 ,she is dead4 ,the warning in this dream received fulfillment on the #agth of the following ,july1 the child dying on that date1 while he was in ,england4 #aad ,,chapter #ab4 ,,mission ,,in ,,great ,,britain1 #ahdj4 ,wilford's ,arrival in ,england4--,missionary ,work ,begun4--,casting ,out a ,devil4--,directed by the ,spirit of the ,lord to ,another ,field of ,labor4--,meets with the ,united ,brethren4--,many ,conversions to the ,gospel4--,ministers ,hold a ,convention ,to ,ask ,parliament for ,legislation against the ,mormons4--,first ,publication of the ,book of ,mormon and the ,hymn ,book in ,england4--,the ,millennial ,star4--,in the ,british ,metropolis4--,unable to ,secure a ,hall ,to ,preach in1 the ,elders ,hold ,street ,meetings4--,first ,baptism in ,london4--,opposition from ,preachers4--,work of ,god ,makes ,marvelous ,progress4 ,the voyage across the ,atlantic ocean was made in twenty three days1 and ,wilford ,woodruff and his companions landed at ,liverpool1 ,england1 on the #aath day of ,january1 #ahdj4 ,after visiting ,george ,cannon1 father of ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and family1 they left ,liverpool on ,january #acth1 going to ,preston1 where a branch of the ,church had been built up in #ahcg1 by ,elders ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 and ,willard ,richards4 ,the latter had remained in ,england1 while ,elders ,kimball and ,hyde had returned to ,america4 ,the meeting with ,elder ,richards was very pleasant4 ,on ,january #agth a council was held at his home to determine the future actions of the elders4 ,after consultation as to the best course for us to pursue1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 it was finally resolved that ,elders ,john ,taylor and ,joseph ,fielding should go to ,liverpool2 ,elder ,woodruff1 to ,staffordshire ,potteries2 ,elder ,theodore ,turley1 to ,birmingham2 ,elder ,richards1 wherever the spirit might direct him2 and that ,elder ,william ,clayton preside over the branch in ,manchester4 ,after various principles of the ,church had been expounded by the ,apostles present1 the council adjourned4 ,elder ,willard ,richards had been called to be one of the quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 but had not yet received his ordination4 ,on the day following ,i parted with ,elders ,taylor and ,fielding1 who went to ,liverpool1 and with ,elder ,richards1 who tarried in ,preston4 ,elder ,turley and ,i went to ,manchester2 it was the first time ,i had visited that city4 ,there ,i met for the first time ,elder ,william ,clayton4 ,as soon as ,i was introduced to him1 he informed me that one of the sisters in that place was possessed of #aae a devil4 ,he asked me if ,i would not go and cast it out of her4 ,he thought one of the ,twelve ,apostles could do most anything in such a case4 ,i went with him to the house where the woman lay1 in the hands of three men1 in a terrible rage4 ,she was trying to tear her clothing from her4 ,i also found quite a number of ,saints present1 and some unbelievers1 who had come to see the devil cast out and a miracle wrought4 ,had ,i acted upon my own judgment ,i should have refrained from administering to her in the company of those present2 but as ,i was a stranger there1 and ,brother ,clayton presided over the branch1 ,i joined with him in administering to the woman4 ,the unbelief of the wicked who were present was so great that we could not cast the devil out of her1 and she raged worse than ever2 ,i then ordered the room to be cleared1 and when the company1 except the few attending her1 had left the house1 we laid hands upon her head1 and in the name of ,jesus ,christ ,i commanded the devil to come out of her4 ,the devil left1 and she was entirely healed and fell asleep4 ,the next day being the ,sabbath1 the woman came before a large congregation of people1 and bore testimony to what the ,lord had done for her4 ,we had a large assembly through the day and evening1 to whom ,i preached the gospel4 ,on ,monday morning1 the devil1 not being satisfied with being cast out of the woman1 entered into her little child1 which was but a few months old4 ,i was called upon to visit the child1 and found it in great distress1 writhing in its mother's arms4 ,we laid hands upon it and cast the devil out2 the evil spirits thereafter had no power over that household4 ,this was done by the power of ,god1 and not of man4 ,we laid hands upon twenty in ,manchester who were sick1 and most of them were healed4 ,on ,january #bast1 ,i arrived in ,burslem by coach1 and for the first time met ,elder ,alfred ,cordon4 ,this being my field of labor1 ,i began my work there4 ,elder ,turley stopped in the ,pottery district some eight days1 then went to ,birmingham1 his field of labor4 ,on the #ajth of ,february ,i received a letter from ,elder ,john ,taylor1 who was at ,liverpool1 saying they had commenced there1 and had baptized ten persons4 ,i labored in the ,staffordshire ,potteries1 in ,burslem1 ,hanley1 #aaf ,stoke1 ,lane ,end1 and several other villages1 from the #bbnd of ,january until the #bnd of ,march1 preaching every night in the week and two or three times on the ,sabbath4 ,i baptized1 confirmed and blessed many1 and we had a good field open for labor4 ,many were believing1 and it appeared as thought we had a door open to bring into the ,church many in that part of the vineyard4 ,march #ast1 #ahdj1 was my birthday2 ,i was thirty-three years of age4 ,it being ,sunday1 ,i preached twice during the day to a large assembly in the city hall1 in the town of ,hanley1 and administered the ,sacrament to the ,saints4 ,in the evening ,i again met with a large assembly of the ,saints and strangers1 and while singing the first hymn the spirit of the ,lord rested upon me and the voice of ,god said to me1 ',this is the last meeting that you will hold with this people for many days4' ,i was astonished at this1 as ,i had many appointments out in that district4 ,when ,i arose to speak to the people1 ,i told them that it was the last meeting ,i should hold with them for many days4 ,they were as much astonished as ,i was4 ,at the close of the meeting four persons came forward for baptism2 we went down into the water and baptized them4 ,in the morning ,i went in secret before the ,lord1 and asked ,him what was ,his will concerning me4 ,the answer ,i received was that ,i should go to the south2 for the ,lord had a great work for me to perform there1 as many souls were waiting for ,his word4 ,on the #crd of ,march1 #ahdj1 in fulfillment of the directions given me1 ,i took coach and rode to ,wolverhampton1 twenty-six miles1 spending the night there4 ,on the morning of the #dth ,i again took coach1 and rode through ,dudley1 ,stourbridge1 ,stourport1 and ,worcester1 then walked a number of miles to ,mr4 ,john ,benbow's1 ,hill ,farm1 ,castle ,frome1 ,ledbury1 ,herefordshire4 ,this was a farming country in the south of ,england1 a region where no elder of the ,latter-day ,saints had visited4 ,i found ,mr4 ,benbow to be a wealthy farmer1 cultivating three hundred acres of land1 occupying a good mansion1 and having plenty of means4 ,his wife1 ,jane1 had no children4 ,i presented myself to him as a missionary from ,america1 an elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 who had been sent to him by the commandment of ,god as a messenger of salvation1 to preach the gospel of life to him and his household and the inhabitants #aag of the land4 ,he and his wife received me with glad hearts and thanksgiving4 ,it was in the evening when ,i arrived1 having traveled forty-eight miles by coach and on foot during the day1 but after receiving refreshments we sat down together1 and conversed until two o'clock in the morning4 ,mr4 ,benbow and his wife rejoiced greatly at the glad tidings which ,i brought them4 ,i also rejoiced greatly at the news ,mr4 ,benbow gave me1 that there was a company of men and women--over six hundred in number--who had broken off from the ,wesleyan ,methodists1 and taken the name of ,united ,brethren4 ,they had forty-five preachers among them1 and for religious services had chapels and many houses that were licensed according to the law of the land4 ,this body of ,united ,brethren were searching for light and truth1 but had gone as far as they could1 and were calling upon the ,lord continually to open the way before them and send them light and knowledge1 that they might know the true way to be saved4 ,when ,i heard these things ,i could clearly see why the ,lord had commanded me1 while in the town of ,hanley1 to leave that place of labor and go to the south2 for in ,herefordshire there was a great harvest-field for gathering many saints into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,after offering my prayers and thanksgiving to ,god1 ,i retired to my bed with joy1 and slept well until the rising of the sun4 ,i arose on the morning of the #eth1 took breakfast1 and told ,mr4 ,benbow ,i would like to commence my ,master's business by preaching the gospel to the people4 ,he had in his mansion a large hall which was licensed for preaching1 and he sent word through the neighborhood that an ,american missionary would preach at his house that evening4 ,as the time drew nigh1 many of the neighbors came in1 and ,i preached my first gospel sermon in the house4 ,i also preached at the same place on the following evening1 and baptized six persons1 including ,mr4 ,john ,benbow1 his wife1 and four preachers of the ,united ,brethren4 ,i spent most of the following day in clearing out a pool of water and preparing it for baptizing1 as ,i saw that many would receive that ordinance4 ,i afterwards baptized six hundred persons in that pool of water4 ,on ,sunday1 the #hth1 ,i preached at ,frome's ,hill in the morning1 at ,standley ,hill in the afternoon1 and at ,john ,benbow's1 ,hill #aah ,farm1 in the evening4 ,the parish church that stood in the neighborhood of ,brother ,benbow's1 presided over by the rector of the parish1 was attended during the day by only fifteen persons1 while ,i had a large congregation1 estimated to number a thousand1 attend my meetings through the day and evening4 ,when ,i arose to speak at ,brother ,benbow's house1 a man entered the door and informed me that he was a constable1 and had been sent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest me4 ,i asked him1 ',for what crime8' ,he said1 ',for preaching to the people4' ,i told him that ,i1 as well as the rector1 had a license for preaching the gospel to the people1 and that if he would take a chair ,i would wait upon him after meeting4 ,he took my chair and sat beside me4 ,for an hour and a quarter ,i preached the first principles of the everlasting gospel4 ,the power of ,god rested upon me1 the spirit filled the house1 and the people were convinced4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i opened the door for baptism1 and seven offered themselves4 ,among the number were four preachers and the constable4 ,the latter arose and said1 ',mr4 ,woodruff1 ,i would like to be baptized4' ,i told him ,i would like to baptize him4 ,i went down into the pool and baptized the seven4 ,we then came together4 ,i confirmed thirteen1 administered the ,sacrament1 and we all rejoiced together4 ,the constable went to the rector and told him that if he wanted ,mr4 ,woodruff taken for preaching the gospel1 he must go himself and serve the writ2 for he had heard him preach the only true gospel sermon he had ever listened to in his life4 ,the rector did not know what to make of it1 so he sent two clerks of the ,church of ,england as spies1 to attend our meeting1 and find out what we did preach4 ,they both were pricked in their hearts1 received the word of the ,lord gladly1 and were baptized and confirmed members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the rector became alarmed1 and did not venture to send anybody else4 ,the ministers and rectors of the south of ,england called a convention and sent a petition to the ,archbishop of ,canterbury1 to request ,parliament to pass a law prohibiting the ,mormons from preaching in the ,british dominions4 ,in this petition the rectors stated that one ,mormon missionary had baptized fifteen hundred #aai persons1 mostly members of the ,english ,church1 during the past seven months4 ,but the ,archbishop and council1 knowing well that the laws of ,england afforded toleration to all religions under the ,british flag1 sent word to the petitioners that if they had the worth of souls at heart as much as they valued ground where hares1 foxes1 and hounds ran1 they would not lose so many of their flock4 ,i continued to preach and baptize daily4 ,on the #bast day of ,march ,i baptized ,elder ,thomas ,kington4 ,he was superintendent of both preachers and members of the ,united ,brethren4 ,the first thirty days after my arrival in ,herefordshire1 ,i had baptized forty-five preachers and one hundred and sixty members of the ,united ,brethren1 who put into my hands one chapel and forty-five houses1 which were licensed according to law to preach in4 ,this opened a wide field for labor1 and enabled me to bring into the ,church1 through the blessings of ,god1 over eighteen hundred souls during eight months1 including all of the six hundred ,united ,brethren except one person4 ,in this number there were also some two hundred preachers of various denominations4 ,this field of labor embraced ,herefordshire1 ,gloucestershire1 and ,worcestershire1 and formed the conferences of ,garway1 ,gadfield ,elm1 and ,frome's ,hill4 ,during this time ,i was visited by ,president ,young and ,dr4 ,richards4 ,on the #adth of ,april1 #ahdj1 ,elder ,woodruff records the ordination of ,willard ,richards to the apostleship4 ,two days later the ,twelve1 in council1 voted to publish a ,church periodical in ,great ,britain4 ,elder ,woodruff proposed that it be called the ,millennial ,star1 and it was so named4 ,brother ,john ,benbow furnished us with #cjj to print the first edition of the ,book of ,mormon that was published in ,england1 wrote ,elder ,woodruff2 and on the #bjth of ,may1 #ahdj1 ,brigham ,young1 ,willard ,richards1 and ,i held a council on top of ,malvern ,hill1 and there decided that ,brigham ,young should go direct to ,manchester and publish three thousand copies of the ,book of ,mormon and the ,hymn ,book4 ,the power of ,god rested upon us and upon the mission1 said ,elder ,woodruff1 in our field of labor in ,herefordshire1 ,worcestershire1 and ,gloucestershire4 ,the sick were healed1 devils were cast out1 and the lame made to walk4 ,one case ,i will #abj mention3 ,mary ,pitt1 who died later in ,nauvoo1 sister of ,william ,pitt1 who died years after in ,salt ,lake ,city1 had not walked upon her feet for eleven years4 ,we carried her into the water1 and ,i baptized her4 ,on the evening of the #ahth of ,may1 #ahdj1 at ,brother ,kington's house in ,dymock1 ,elders ,brigham ,young1 ,willard ,richards1 and ,i laid hands upon her head and confirmed her4 ,brigham ,young being mouth1 rebuked her lameness in the name of the ,lord1 and commanded her to arise and walk4 ,the lameness left her1 and she never afterwards used a staff or crutch4 ,she walked through the town of ,dymock next day1 and created a stir among the people thereby2 but the wicked did not feel to give ,god the glory4 ,the whole history of this ,herefordshire mission shows the importance of listening to the still small voice of the spirit of ,god1 and the revelations of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the people were praying for light and truth1 and the ,lord sent me to them4 ,i declared the gospel of life and salvation1 some eighteen hundred souls received it1 and many of them have been gathered to ,zion in these mountains4 ,many of them have also been called to officiate in the bishopric1 and have done much good in ,zion4 ,in all these things we should ever acknowledge the hand of ,god1 and give ,him the honor1 praise1 and glory1 forever and ever4 ,amen4 ,on the #aath of ,august1 #ahdj1 ,i took the parting hand of the ,saints in ,herefordshire1 and started on a mission to ,london1 in company with ,apostles ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,we rode from ,leigh to ,cheltenham1 where we tarried for the night1 and in the morning took coach and rode forty miles through a most delightful country1 which everywhere wore the golden hue of plentiful harvest4 ,we passed through ,oxfordshire1 in sight of ,stowe1 the family residence of the ,duke of ,buckingham1 and at ,farmington station took train for ,london1 where we arrived at #d p4 m4 ,we changed conveyances and went to the center of the city by omnibus1 walked across ,london ,bridge into the ,borough1 and called upon ,mrs4 ,allgood1 the sister of ,elder ,theodore ,turley's wife4 ,she treated us with kindness1 gave us refreshments1 and then directed us to a public house1 the ,king's ,arms1 ,king ,street1 ,borough4 ,there we tarried for the night4 ,we were now in ,england's great metropolis1 to sound therein #aba the first proclamation of the latter-day work4 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and myself were the first three elders in ,london to preach the gospel and establish the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,we took a walk into the city1 passed ,london ,bridge twice1 and returned and spent the night at ,king's ,arms4 ,on the following day we called upon the ,rev4 ,j4 ,e4 ,smith1 ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 also visited ,john ,pye1 #af ,curiosity ,street1 ,chancery ,lane4 ,he was a strong believer in the prophecies of ,joanna ,southcott1 and was one of the society4 ,we then returned and had a view of ,st4 ,paul's ,cathedral1 the largest in the world except ,st4 ,peter's at ,rome4 ,we crossed ,london ,bridge1 took tea at #ai ,king ,street1 then went to ,union ,chapel1 ,waterloo ,road1 and heard a comical sermon delivered by an ,aitkenite preacher4 ,i spent the night at #eh ,king ,street1 at ,mrs4 ,loftus4' ,the next day1 ,august #bast1 was the most interesting sight-seeing day in my life4 ,i started in company with ,elders ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,george ,a4 ,smith for a walk over the city of ,london4 ,we crossed ,london ,bridge1 passed through ,king ,william ,street and several other streets1 and visited ,covent ,garden2 then through ,st4 ,martin ,street and ,court1 ,leicester ,square1 ,sidney ,alley1 ,coventry ,street1 ,picadilly1 ,glass ,house ,street1 and through most of ,regent ,street--one of the most splendid streets in the world4 ,we passed through ,langham ,place and ,all ,souls' ,church--which has a spire naked from its base to the top--then through ,oxford ,street1 and returned by way of ,st4 ,paul's1 ending our sight-seeing of the day by visiting the noted monument erected in commemoration of the great fire in ,london in #afff1 and built under the direction of that famous architect1 ,sir ,christopher ,wren4 ,we entered a door at its base1 paid sixpence on entering1 and ascended three hundred and forty-five black marble steps1 which brought us up two hundred feet into the air1 and about one hundred feet higher than the highest houses4 ,we stepped on the outside of the pillar1 which is surrounded by an iron railing1 and there was presented to our view on every hand the wonderful scenery of the greatest city in the world1 a city that boasted of a history covering nearly two thousand years4 ,at our feet1 as it were1 lay a historical panorama1 stretching out to our view in all directions4 #abb ,we were located so as to overlook nearly every part of the city4 ,east of us lay the ancient ,tower of ,london2 east of us also lay the ,mint2 north the ,mansion ,house of the ,lord ,mayor of ,london2 northwest1 ,st4 ,paul's ,church2 west1 ,westminster ,abbey and the ,house of ,parliament2 south lies the river ,thames1 with five of the large bridges across in full view1 and one not seen from the monument1 making six4 ,these six bridges are fine sights in themselves4 ,they are the architectural monuments of the ,thames1 and our view of them from our high pinnacle1 with their crowds of moving and everchanging human masses1 and cabs1 omnibuses1 carriages1 drays1 etc41 which dash along1 presented to us a picturesque sight4 ,in addition to all this1 within our view was ,london ,borough1 on the south of the river1 and all around us hundreds of churches1 chapels and spires1 standing in the midst of one universal mass of buildings1 covering six square miles of ground4 ,while viewing this prospect on a clear day1 we conversed with a ,prussian traveler1 a citizen of ,berlin1 who had traveled much over ,europe and ,asia and other parts of the world1 and he declared that there was not1 to his knowledge1 another spot on the face of the earth that presented to view such a grand scene as that before us4 ,august #bcrd we went to ,zion's chapel and heard the celebrated ,rev4 ,robert ,aitken preach two sermons4 ,he delivered a powerful warning to the ,gentiles1 and presented some of the most sublime truths ,i ever heard from a sectarian priest2 but he was building without the foundation4 ,on the #bdth we removed our lodgings to ,mr4 ,robert ,merryfield's1 ,no4 #ae ,gloucester ,row1 ,grange ,road1 where we obtained a room for all three of us4 ,on the #beth of ,august we attended a meeting of the ,temperance ,society1 at their hall1 which we secured for the #gth of the next month4 ,brother ,smith made a short speech4 ,on the following day we started out in quest of places in which we might preach4 ,brother ,kimball went to one part of the city and ,brother ,smith and myself to another4 ,we called upon two ,baptist ministers and asked one for his chapel4 ,in the evening we attended a ,methodist meeting in ,long ,lane4 ,next day we again went to the ,temperance ,hall1 in ,st4 ,george's ,road1 near the ,elephant and ,castle1 and by the request #abc of the committee ,i addressed the meeting upon the subject of temperance4 ,i was followed by ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,we gave out an appointment to preach the gospel at that place ,september #gth4 ,the day after1 we all started to go through the city of ,london to see if we could find a man with the spirit of ,god2 and after wandering through the city1 not knowing whither we went1 we came upon a man whom we stopped1 and to whom we spoke4 ,brother ,kimball asked him if he was a preacher4 ,he said he was4 ,he seemed to have a good spirit1 and informed us that he had been in ,america1 and had come to ,london for the purpose of going to ,south ,australia1 but had just buried one child and another lay at the point of death4 ,brother ,kimball told him his child should live4 ,he gave us some information where we could preach4 ,on the same day we called upon him and found his child better1 but he was not at home4 ,we then went and heard a ,calvinist preach1 and he gave us an invitation to call and see him4 ,next day we again went over the city to see if we could find any of the children of ,god4 ,we found one man and his household who received our testimony1 and he opened his doors for us to preach4 ,we appointed a meeting at his house for ,sunday evening4 ,his name was ,corner1 and he lived at #eb ,ironmonger ,row1 ,st4 ,luke's ,parish1 near the church4 ,we had spent twelve days in going to and fro through ,london1 trying to find a people willing to receive our testimony2 but finding the doors shut against us1 we determined to go into the streets and lift up our voices in the name of ,god4 ,accordingly1 ,elders ,kimball1 ,smith1 and myself started on ,sunday morning1 ,august #cj1 walked three miles1 and stopped in ,tabernacle ,square1 ,old ,street1 where we found an ,aitkenite preaching to the people4 ,he was followed by a ,presbyterian4 ,just as the latter was about to begin1 ,elder ,kimball informed him that there was a preacher from ,america present who would like to speak when he got through4 ,the preacher then informed the people that there was an ,american minister present1 and proposed that he should speak first4 ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith got into the chair and spoke about twenty minutes2 then the ,presbyterian spoke4 ,george ,a4 had informed the people that there were two other ,american preachers present who would like to address them1 and1 when the ,presbyterian closed1 #abd ,elder ,kimball asked him if there would be any objection to our preaching there at #c o'clock4 ,he answered1 ',no1 not at all4 ,to what denomination do you belong8' ',to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1' was the reply4 ',oh1 ,i have heard of them1' he said2 'they are a bad people2 they have done much hurt2 they divide churches2 we don't want to hear you4' ,he then mounted the chair again and said to the people3 ',i have just heard that the last man who spoke belongs to the ,latter-day ,saints1' and he began to rail against us4 ,elder ,kimball asked him to let him step into the chair to give out an appointment for a #c o'clock meeting1 but he would not4 ,brother ,kimball then raised his voice and informed the people that some ,american preachers would speak there at #c o'clock4 ,at the appointed time we were at the place4 ,the conduct of the preacher and the excitement upon the subject brought a large congregation to hear us4 ,i opened the meeting by singing and prayer1 and spoke about twenty minutes1 from ,gal4 i3#h and #i1 and was followed by ,elder ,kimball1 for about the same length of time4 ,the people gave good attention and seemed to be much interested in what they heard4 ,after meeting1 ,mr4 ,corner invited us home2 but soon after we arrived at his house ,elder ,kimball felt impressed to return to the place where we had preached4 ,when he got there he found a large company talking about the things which they had heard1 and they wished him to speak to them again4 ,he did so1 and addressed them at considerable length1 and afterwards several invited him home to their houses4 ,while he was away1 a man who had been a preacher came to ,mr4 ,corner's2 ,i gave him a brief account of the great work of ,god in the last days1 and he and the others who were listening received the things which ,i spoke unto them4 ,mr4 ,corner offered himself for baptism2 he was the first man in ,london to do so4 ,we appointed the next evening as the time to administer the ordinance of baptism to him4 ,after supping with him1 we returned home4 ,i was weary and ill during the night1 but felt thankful unto the ,lord for the privilege of preaching to the inhabitants of that great city1 and of having gained one soul as a seal to our ministry4 ,on the #cast of ,august we reaped the first fruits of our #abe labors1 and laid the first living stone of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ in ,england's great metropolis4 ,we walked into the city and called upon ,mr4 ,corner1 who went forward with us to the public baths1 and received the initiatory ordinance of the gospel4 ,returning to the house of ,brother ,corner1 ,elders ,kimball1 ,smith1 and myself laid our hands upon his head and confirmed him a member of the ,church4 ,we returned to our homes that night1 thankful to ,god for ,his goodness in blessing our labors even thus much4 ,on the #bnd of ,september ,i was quite ill4 ,i had not been well for several days1 but now ,i was obliged to keep in my room4 ,elders ,kimball and ,smith went into the city to visit the people1 and found some who hearkened favorably to them4 ,by this time we had learned that ,london was the hardest place for a mission that we had ever undertaken2 but we did not feel discouraged in the least1 and were determined in the name of the ,lord to set up the standard of ,christ's ,kingdom in that city4 ,the following day ,i was still confined to my room most of the time1 but on the next1 ,elders ,kimball and ,smith went to ,debtford1 and ,i took a walk into the city1 called upon ,brother ,corner1 and found him in good spirits4 ,i also called upon ,mr4 ,panther1 #ag ,warf1 ,city ,road1 ,basin1 who was a director of a ,methodist chapel2 ,i asked him for the chapel to preach in4 ,he said he had a schoolhouse which would hold two hundred persons1 and ,i might have that on ,sunday1 so ,i gave out an appointment at ,bowl ,court1 #acg ,shoreditch4 ,i conversed with several others who received my testimony1 and one woman said she would be baptized4 ,next day ,i wrote to ,elder ,browett of my ,herefordshire field of labor1 walked to ,brother ,corner's and visited several other friends4 ,two offered themselves for baptism4 ,i visited ,st4 ,paul's1 then returned home4 ,elders ,kimball and ,smith had just returned from a visit to the ,rev4 ,robert ,aitken4 ,he received them kindly1 acknowledged their doctrine to be true1 but was afraid of deception4 ,his mind was in a disturbed condition4 ,in the evening we held a meeting in the ,temperance ,hall2 but we had almost the bare walls to preach to1 there being only about thirty present4 ,i preached to those for about an hour1 and ,elder ,kimball followed me4 ,after paying seven shillings and sixpence for the use of the hall1 we returned to our lodgings4 #abf ,on ,september #ith ,i paid my bills1 called upon friends in company with ,brothers ,kimball and ,smith1 and on the day following ,i parted from the brethren and friends in ,london to return to ,herefordshire4 ,we had spent twenty-three days in the great ,babylon of modern times1 and had found it harder to establish the ,church there than in any other place we had ever been4 ,we had baptized one man1 and ordained him a priest2 six others had given in their names to be baptized on the following ,sunday2 and at this time there was some little prospect of the ,rev4 ,robert ,aitken receiving the work4 ,i therefore left ,london1 feeling that our mission and labors had not been altogether in vain4 ,i was rejoiced on my return to the churches to find that in ,herefordshire the work was rapidly progressing4 ,in some cases it was even reaching the nobility1 and a lady of title had become convinced1 through our ministry1 of the work of ,god4 ,lady ,roberts was of the nobility of ,england1 and a lady of wealth2 she had withdrawn form the ,church of ,england and had traveled much in search of truth1 looking for the fulfillment of the prophets4 ,she became acquainted with the fulness of the gospel through a female servant in the employ of ,squire ,dowdswell1 and began to investigate the subject4 ,the spirit of ,god rested upon her and convinced her of the truth of the work4 ,she obtained the four published numbers of the ,millennial ,star1 and1 fearing that she would not be able to obtain them for herself1 copied the whole of them with her pen4 ,she also read the ,book of ,mormon and copied a part of that1 and became perfectly convinced of the truth of the work of which she read2 she said she would go a thousand miles if necessary to see some of the ,twelve and be baptized under their hands4 ,hearing that ,i was in ,london1 she was about to take a journey there to see me and the other brethren1 and be baptized4 ,she had two brothers who were ministers of the ,church of ,england4 ,on the #bast of ,september1 #ahdj1 we held the ,frome's ,hill conference1 at which were represented #bd churches with #ged members1 #ad elders1 #ea priests1 #i teachers1 and #a deacon4 ,the ,bran ,green and ,frome's ,hill conferences were now composed of #dj churches1 #ajjg members1 #ai elders1 #gh priests1 #ae teachers1 and #a deacon4 ,these two conferences1 with their forty branch churches #abg and over a thousand organized members1 under the direction of one hundred and thirteen ordained officers1 had been raised up within six and one-half months4 ,surely the work of ,god had been marvelous--unparalleled perhaps in the history of any new religious movement4 ,i meditated upon these things1 and in my journal of ,september #bast1 #ahdj1 ,i wrote thus3 ',this has been a busy day with me4 ,after standing upon my feet from morning till evening4 ,i am called to shake hands with hundreds of ,saints who have glad hearts and cheerful countenances4 ,it is with no ordinary feelings that ,i mediate upon the cheering fact that a thousand souls have been baptized into the new and everlasting covenant in about half a year1 in one field which ,god has enabled me to open4 ,i pray ,him to accept the gratitude of my heart for ,his mercies and blessings unto me in this thing1 and to enable me to stand with these ,saints and all the righteous in ,his celestial kingdom4' ,this day ,i stood upon my feet eight hours in conference1 conversed much of the time in suggesting1 speaking1 etc42 ordained about thirty1 confirmed some1 healed many who were sick1 shook hands with about four hundred ,saints1 walked two miles1 and ended with about four hours chimney-corner preaching4 ,i then lay down to rest1 and dreamed of catching fish4 ,the church ministers in this region were stirred up very much at this time1 because of the success of the work of ,god in the midst of the people1 and every exertion was made by them to stay its progress4 ,they were finding that the ,lord was delivering their flocks out of their hands and giving them unto the shepherds of the ,church of the ,saints4 ,they were alarmed1 and were holding conventions and meetings to contrive plans and adopt means to overthrow the latter-day work of ,god1 which they understood not1 and believed not1 yet feared its power4 ,and well indeed they might2 for in some instances they did not have more than ten or fifteen at their churches on the ,sabbath1 while around them on every hand they had seen forty branches of two organized conferences of the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints spring up in about six months1 with over a thousand members and between one and two hundred offices ordained to scatter the seed of the gospel everywhere in this prolific field4 #abh ,on the #beth of ,september ,i again took leave of the ,saints in my ,herefordshire field of labor1 to attend the ,staffordshire conference which was held at ,hanley4 ,the day after the conference ,i baptized one1 and preached at ,tunstell2 and on the next evening ,i preached at ,burslem to a crowded house4 ,the power of ,god rested upon me1 and great solemnity pervaded the congregation4 ,the spirit of ,god was moving the people1 and they felt that the ,lord was doing a work in their midst4 #abi ,,chapter #ac4 ,,british ,,mission1 #ahdj-da4 ,rapid ,increase of the ,church in ,great ,britain4--,mysterious ,spirit ,personage ,attempts to ,strangle ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,wounds ,him ,severely4--,he ,is ,relieved and ,healed by ,three ,heavenly ,visitors4--,first ,placard of the ,church ,posted in ,london4--,death of ,wilford's ,daughter4--,difficult ,missionary ,work in and around ,london4--,arrival of ,lorenzo ,snow ,to ,take ,charge of the ,british ,mission4--,all of the ,twelve ,called ,home4--,attending ,various ,conferences4--,springing of the ,spaulding ,story4--,wilford ,bids ,farewell to the ,saints in ,fields ,where ,he ,had ,labored4--,general ,conference of the ,british ,mission1 and ,only ,occasion of the ,twelve ,apostles ,acting as a ,quorum in a ,foreign ,land4--,wilford's ,departure for ,home1 and ,arrival at ,nauvoo4--,made a ,member of the ,nauvoo ,city ,council4 ,a general conference of the ,british ,mission was held at ,manchester1 ,england1 on the #fth of ,october1 #ahdj1 at which there were present six of the ,twelve ,apostles--,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,willard ,richards1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,the presiding officers in the mission represented twenty-seven conferences1 besides other churches or branches not yet included in organized conferences4 ,the ,church membership in ,great ,britain was given as #c1fba1 being an increase of #a1aac members since the conference held the ,april previous4 ,on the evening of ,october #gth1 the first discussion of any note of ,mormonism1 held in ,great ,britain1 took place at ,manchester1 between ,elder ,alfred ,cordon and a minister of one of the denominations whom ,elder ,woodruff does not name4 ,it was attended by the members of the ,twelve then in ,england4 ,the subject under discussion was the ,book of ,mormon2 and although the view of the ,latter-day ,saints was upheld therein by an elder of less prominence than one of the ,apostles1 the result evidently was very satisfactory to the ,saints1 and their cause received further favorable impression in the minds of a great majority of the fifteen hundred persons present on the occasion4 ,i left ,manchester on the #adth of ,october1 writes ,wilford #acj ,woodruff1 to return to my labors in ,london2 and on my way1 with ,elder ,alfred ,cordon1 ,i visited the ,staffordshire ,potteries and ,birmingham4 ,on the #agth ,i arrived in ,london1 where ,i found ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and we were glad to meet each other again4 ,we hired lodgings1 board1 and sitting-room at ,no4 #dj ,ironmonger ,row1 ,st4 ,luke's4 ,everything was costly1 and we found that with the greatest economy we could not do with much less than a pound per week each4 ,what few ,saints there were in ,london were very poor1 and unable to assist us4 ,most of the means used in my labors in ,london was supplied by my converts in ,herefordshire4 ,the prospect in ,london at that time was the darkest it had ever been in since entering the vineyard2 but the ,lord was with us1 and we were not discouraged4 ,on ,sunday we met with the ,saints three times at ,brother ,corner's1 read the ,book of ,mormon1 gave instruction1 and broke bread unto them4 ,we had a good time1 though there were only about half a dozen present4 ,i felt the spirit bear testimony that there would be a work done in ,london4 ,having retired to rest in good season1 ,i fell asleep and slept until midnight1 when ,i awoke and meditated upon the things of ,god until #c o'clock in the morning2 and1 while forming a determination to warn the people in ,london and by the assistance and inspiration of ,god to overcome the power of darkness1 a person appeared to me1 whom ,i consider was the prince of darkness4 ,he made war upon me1 and attempted to take my life4 ,as he was about to overcome me ,i prayed to the ,father1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 for help4 ,i then had power over him and he left me1 though ,i was much wounded4 ,afterwards three persons dressed in white came to me and prayed with me1 and ,i was healed immediately of all my wounds1 and delivered of all my troubles4 ,during the following week we visited the ,british ,museum and other notable places1 also attended a ,wesleyan mission meeting over which the ,lord ,mayor of ,london presided4 ,while in the performance of our missionary labors we circulated and posted handbills4 ,the following is a copy of the first placard of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints posted in ,england's great metropolis3 ',he that judgeth a matter before he #aca heareth it is not wise4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints meet for public worship at ,mr4 ,j4 ,barrett's ,academy1 #eg ,king's ,square1 ,goswell ,road 7entrance door in ,president ,street7 every ,sabbath at #c1 and half-past #f o'clock p4 m42 also on ,tuesday and ,thursday evenings each week1 at #h o'clock4 ,lectures will be delivered by ,elders ,woodruff and ,smith 7late from ,america71 who respectfully invite the citizens of ,london to attend4 ,the first principles of the ,everlasting ,gospel in its fulness2 the gathering of ,israel2 the second coming of the ,savior2 and the restitution of all things spoken of by all the holy prophets1 will be among the subjects discussed4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints' ,millennial ,star1 published monthly1 and other publications1 can be had at #eb ,ironmonger ,row1 ,st4 ,luke's4 7,city ,press1 ,long ,lane1 ,doudney ,scryngour47' ,the following ,sunday1 at #c o'clock1 we preached for the first time in ,barrett's ,academy4 ,there were present about fifty persons to whom ,i preached1 and to whom ,elder ,smith preached in the evening2 but it was the most difficult task ,i had ever found to awaken in the people an interest on the subject4 ,there was so much going on in this great modern ,babylon to draw the attention of the people1 that it seemed to require almost the trumpet blast from heaven to awaken the attention of the inhabitants to our proclamation of the restoration of the fulness of the gospel4 ,we were there like the apostles of old1 without purse or scrip1 to warn the city of ,london1 where we had to pay high prices for everything we required1 and to pay for a place to preach in2 we were at this time about out of money1 but still we felt to trust in ,god4 ,next day after this meeting1 ,i received a package of letters from ,america1 one from my wife announcing the death of my little daughter ,sarah ,emma4 ,november #ast ,i preached at the ,academy in the afternoon to about thirty1 and in the evening to about fifty4 ,we broke bread unto the ,saints1 and this evening there seemed to be some interest manifested by inquiry about the work4 ,we preached again on the following ,sunday4 ,during the week we received counsel from our brethren of the ,twelve for ,george ,a4 ,smith to go immediately to the ,potteries1 and spend his time with the churches there4 ,after his departure ,i felt very lonely for several days1 but ,elder ,william ,pitt came from ,dymock #acb and labored with me a short time1 after which he took a mission to ,ipswich4 ,brother ,hulme1 a captain of one of the ',pickford's ,boats' on the ,london ,canal1 was present at my next preaching after the departure of ,elder ,pitt1 and with him were two of his hands whom he had baptized4 ,on the following day ,i dined with him and with the two brethren on board their boat4 ,on the afternoon and evening of ,sunday1 the #bbnd of ,october1 ,i held a public meeting at the ,academy1 when four offered themselves for baptism2 and on the following ,sunday ,i again preached twice1 and baptized three more applicants4 ,these were the first fruits of my labors in ,london4 ,next day ,i took a very interesting walk with ,dr4 ,wm4 ,copeland1 through every part of the ,college of ,surgeons at ,lincoln's ,inn ,fields1 and on my return home was joined by ,elders ,brigham ,young and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 who had come to spend a week or two in ,london4 ,this was the first time ,president ,brigham ,young was in the metropolis of ,england4 ,we met for service on ,wednesday evening1 at the ,academy1 when ,brother ,brigham preached1 followed by ,brother ,heber4 ,we had a good time4 ,in company with ,presidents ,young and ,kimball1 on the #crd of ,december1 ,i visited the ,tower of ,london1 without seeing which1 the traveler would lose a capital page in the history of his travels in ,europe4 ,during the week we also visited ,st4 ,paul's1 ,buckingham ,palace1 ,westminster ,abbey1 the ,queen's stables1 and many other noted sights of ,london4 ,sunday we held a public meeting at the ,academy1 at which there were about fifty present4 ,brother ,kimball preached4 ,an ,independent minister invited me home to take tea with him4 ,i accepted his invitation1 had an interesting time1 and preached the gospel to him4 ,he received my testimony and offered me his chapel1 which held eight hundred people4 ,he said he thought he would be baptized1 and would try and get his society to do the same4 ,we met again in the evening1 and had more at our meeting than ever before4 ,brother ,brigham ,young preached1 and was followed by ,brothers ,kimball1 ,williams1 ,corner1 ,hulme1 and myself4 ,we had a very interesting time1 and one person offered himself for baptism4 ,there were present some of the ,aitkenites1 one of whom purchased a hymn book4 ,they wished #acc us to call upon them1 and thought they would be baptized4 ,we then met at ,father ,corner's1 and communed with the ,saints and had a good time4 ,i rejoiced at the prospect which was opening before us1 for we had labored a long time and the work had gone slow2 but now a wide opening was being made to roll on the work of the ,lord in the metropolis of ,england4 ,having spent about ten days in ,london1 ,president ,young left for ,cheltenham4 ,on the same day ,i visited ,mr4 ,james ,albion1 a minister of the ,independent order1 who1 with his household1 believed our doctrine1 and on the ,sunday we found more than ever an interest being awakened in ,london2 our prayer meeting the next evening was attended by the ,reverend ,james ,albion1 who received our testimony4 ,we walked home with him1 and found his household growing in the faith and ready for the work of the ,lord4 ,two days after1 in the evening1 we baptized four persons--,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,morgan1 with whom we lodged1 ,christopher ,smith1 their apprentice1 and ,henry ,corner1 ,jun4 ,dr4 ,copeland spent the afternoon of the following day with us2 he received our testimony1 and in the evening we preached at our meeting place4 ,i visited ,rev4 ,james ,albion several times1 and gave him an account of the rise and progress of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he believed in our mission and offered me his chapel1 which would seat about a thousand persons4 ,on ,sunday morning we accompanied our reverend friend and convert to his chapel1 and were introduced to the committee1 one of whom was a preacher who had traveled much in ,russia and other parts of the world4 ,at the close of the meeting the ,rev4 ,james ,albion gave out an appointment for us to preach on the next ,sabbath evening4 ,in the afternoon we met with the ,saints1 had a full house1 and confirmed four new members2 in the evening we preached again1 and a good feeling prevailed4 ,after meeting1 the ,rev4 ,james ,albion called upon us at our room and told us that he had given out our appointment to preach in his chapel2 he also had informed his congregation that he was a ,latter-day ,saint1 and would be baptized and join our ,church1 and that they need not longer consider him a member of their body unless they joined the ,saints with him4 ,he told us this made a division among the #acd committee2 some were for going with him1 and some were against following their pastor into the true fold1 which he had found4 ,on the following ,sunday evening we preached1 by the appointment of its minister1 in the ,independent chapel1 to the largest congregation we had ever before addressed in ,london4 ,there were present priests and people of many denominations4 ,i addressed them for the space of about one hour4 ,a ,wesleyan minister arose and opposed me2 this had a good effect1 for the congregation1 seeing the spirit he was of1 turned against him1 and the committee refused him permission to speak there again4 ,i was much bound by the opposing spirit2 still the conduct of the enemy gave us friends4 ,the next evening we attended what was said to be the largest temperance meeting ever held in ,london2 and the next two days brought us to the close of the year4 ,i give here a synopsis of my travels and labors in #ahdj3 places visited or labored in--,liverpool1 ,preston1 ,manchester1 ,newcastle1 ,tunstall1 ,burslem1 ,hanley1 ,stoke1 ,longton1 ,stafford1 ,wolverhampton1 ,birmingham1 ,worcester1 ,hereford1 ,ledbury1 ,malvern ,hill1 ,gloucester1 ,cheltenham1 ,oxford1 ,london4 ,i traveled #d1dfi miles1 held #bcj meetings1 established #ec places for preaching1 and planted #dg churches and jointly organized them4 ,these churches chiefly comprised the two conferences raised up in ,herefordshire1 consisting of about #a1ejj ,saints1 #bh elders1 #aaj priests1 #bd teachers1 and #aj deacons4 ,the baptisms of the year were #ccf persons under my own hands1 and ,i assisted at the baptism of #hf others4 ,i baptized #eg preachers1 mostly those connected with the ,united ,brethren1 also two clerks of the ,church of ,england4 ,i confirmed #dbj members1 and assisted in confirming #ej others2 ordained #ah elders1 #ig priests1 #cd teachers1 and one deacon2 blessed #abj children1 and administered to #abj sick1 by prayer1 anointing and the laying on of hands1 and in many instances the sick were healed1 and devils cast out4 ,i assisted in procuring #a1jjj for the publication of #c1jjj copies of the ,hymn ,book1 #e1jjj copies of the ,book of ,mormon1 for the printing of the ,millennial ,star1 and to assist #bjj ,saints to emigrate to ,nauvoo4 ,i wrote #bjj letters1 and received #aab4 ,the new year1 #ahda1 continues ,wilford ,woodruff1 found ,elder ,kimball and myself in the metropolis of ,england1 in the enjoyment #ace of good health4 ,we celebrated ,new ,year's day by baptizing two persons into the fold of ,christ4 ,the ,church in ,london now numbered #ba members4 ,the next ,sunday we held a meeting in the ,academy1 confirmed two1 and partook of the ,sacrament4 ,during the week ,i baptized the daughter of the ,rev4 ,james ,albion2 the day after this1 ,elder ,kimball started for ,woolwich to break new ground4 ,on ,sunday he preached there for the first time1 when four persons offered themselves for baptism4 ,next day they came to ,london1 and we immediately repaired to our private bath in ,tabernacle ,square1 where ,elder ,kimball baptized five persons1 one of whom was ,dr4 ,wm4 ,copeland4 ,this was indeed an interesting occasion1 and we felt thankful to ,god to see the cloud beginning to break2 for we had struggled hard to do the little which had been done4 ,on the #aeth of the month we baptized three more of ,brother ,morgan's household1 and on the following ,sunday ,i preached to a full house and to many new hearers4 ,several offered themselves for baptism2 during the week there had been seven souls added to the ,church4 ,next day ,elder ,kimball received a letter from ,president ,young1 who wished us to be ready early in ,april to set sail for home4 ,several days later1 ,i baptized the ,rev4 ,james ,albion and ,mr4 ,hender1 and before the close of ,january ,i baptized three others into the ,church4 ,i visited ,greenwich and ,woodwich1 where ,elder ,kimball had raised up a small branch of the ,church1 then ,i returned to ,london with ,elder ,kimball4 ,on ,sunday we communed with the ,saints1 and in the evening we both preached to a large congregation4 ,on the #hth of ,february1 having a package of twenty ,books of ,mormon and two dozen ,hymn ,books1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,i went to ,stationer's ,hall and secured the copyright of the ,book of ,mormon in the name of ,joseph ,smith1 ,jun4 ,we left five copies of the book1 and paid three shillings for the copyright4 ,in the evening we baptized four persons1 one of whom was the wife of the ,rev4 ,james ,albion1 who already had received the gospel4 ,elder ,brigham ,young1 per letter1 informed us of the large emigration of that season4 ,there were to go on one ship #bce1 and on another #ajj4 ,to the reader acquainted with the immense emigration #acf of the ,saints in later years1 the fact that we considered three or four hundred as a large emigration will be noteworthy4 ,elder ,lorenzo ,snow arrived in ,london on ,february #aa1 to take charge of the ,church after our departure4 ,i was truly glad once more to greet him1 for ,i had not seen him since #ahcg4 ,on the same day ,elder ,william ,pitt also arrived at our lodgings1 and we had an interesting meeting in the evening4 ,brother ,snow preached1 and ,elder ,kimball and myself followed him2 the next day ,brothers ,heber and ,lorenzo went to ,woolwich to give impetus to the work of ,god in that important town4 ,i give here the minutes of the first ,london conference1 held at the ,academy1 #eg ,king's ,square1 ,goswell ,road1 ,february #ad1 #ahda3 ',there were present of officers of the ,church1 ,elders ,h4 ,c4 ,kimball1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,wm4 ,pitt1 besides four priests4 ,the meeting was called to order by ,elder ,h4 ,c4 ,kimball1 at #b o'clock p4 m41 ,sunday1 the #adth of ,february1 #ahda1 when it was moved by ,elder ,kimball and seconded by ,elder ,pitt that ,wilford ,woodruff be the president of the conference4 ,moved by ,elder ,kimball and seconded by ,elder ,woodruff1 that ,dr4 ,wm4 ,copeland be the clerk4 ,carried unanimously4 ,the meeting was then opened by singing1 and prayer by ,elder ,kimball4 ,the president then called for the representation of the branches of the ,london conference4 ,the church at ,bedford was represented by ,priest ,robert ,williams1 containing #db members and one priest2 seven removed1 and two dead4 ,the church at ,ipswich1 represented by ,elder ,wm4 ,pitt1 consisted of #ab members1 one elder1 one priest1 and one teacher4 ,the church at ,woolwich1 represented by ,priest ,john ,griffith1 consisted of six members and one priest4 ,the church at ,london1 represented by ,h4 ,c4 ,kimball1 consisted of #df members1 one elder and two priests2 excellent prospect of continued increase4 ,moved and seconded by ,elders ,kimball and ,woodruff1 that ,james ,albion be ordained an ,elder2 moved and seconded by ,elders ,kimball and ,snow1 that ,thomas ,barnes be ordained a teacher2 moved and seconded by ,elders ,kimball #acg and ,pitt1 that ,robert ,williams be ordained an elder to oversee the church at ,bedford2 moved and seconded by ,elders ,robert ,williams and ,wm4 ,pitt that ,wm4 ,smith1 at ,bedford1 be ordained a priest2 moved and seconded by ,elders ,kimball and ,pitt that ,richard ,bates be ordained a priest in the ,woolwich branch2 moved and seconded by ,elders ,robert ,williams and ,pitt that ,john ,sheffield be ordained a teacher at ,bedford2 moved and seconded by ,elder ,kimball and ,brother ,griffith that ,brother ,a4 ,painter be ordained a teacher at ,woolwich4 ,these motions were carried unanimously1 and those present were ordained under the hands of ,elders ,kimball1 ,woodruff1 and ,snow4 ,afterward1 ,elder ,kimball moved1 and ,elder ,woodruff seconded1 that ,elder ,lorenzo ,snow be appointed president of this conference1 and to take the superintendency of the ,church in ,london4 ,much valuable instruction was given by ,elders ,kimball and ,woodruff in relation to the duties of official members1 after which it was moved by ,elder ,kimball and seconded by ,elder ,snow that this conference be adjourned till ,sunday1 the #afth day of ,may1 #ahda2 after which the conference closed4 ,wilford ,woodruff1 president2 ,dr4 ,wm4 ,copeland1 clerk4' ,during this conference meeting1 we also broke bread with the ,saints1 and confirmed four new members4 ,at half past six in the evening we met again1 and had the largest congregation which had assembled at our preaching place4 ,one person came forward for baptism4 ,this was a day which we had desired long to see2 for we had labored exceedingly hard to establish a church in ,london1 and at times it seemed as though we would have to give it up2 but by holding on to the work of our ,divine ,master and claiming the promises of ,god we were now to leave an established ,london conference with a prosperous church planted in the metropolis1 under the care of our beloved brother1 ,lorenzo ,snow4 ,brother ,kimball1 on the #aeth1 received a letter from his wife1 informing us that the ,prophet ,joseph had written for the ,twelve to come home immediately4 ,at this time there was a prospect of war between ,america and ,england1 over the imprisonment of ,mc,cloud1 a ,british officer1 by the state of ,new ,york1 and also over the northeastern boundary question4 ,in consequence of this prospect1 the ,prophet ,joseph wrote for the ,twelve to come home1 after first thoroughly organizing the ,british mission and calling out a number of native elders to send in every direction throughout ,great ,britain4 ,i spent the #beth of ,february in visiting the ,saints previous #ach to my departure1 and in the evening preached in ,london for the last time before my return to ,nauvoo4 ,next day ,i parted from ,lorenzo ,snow and the ,london ,saints1 and took train for ,bristol1 to visit the branch which had been raised up there by my convert1 ,elder ,thomas ,kington1 who1 it will be remembered1 was the superintendent of the ,frome's ,hill circuit of ,united ,brethren4 ,leaving ,bristol1 ,i visited the churches which ,i had raised up1 holding conferences and bidding farewell to the ,saints1 hundreds of whom ,i myself had baptized4 ,when ,i arrived at ,monmouth ,i found that ,elder ,james ,morgan awaited my coming1 and had given out an appointment for me to preach in the town at #g o'clock1 at the house of ,robert ,davis4 ,there was a crowded meeting1 and many were unable to get into the house4 ,four offered themselves for baptism4 ,the spirit witnessed to me that there would be many embrace the gospel in ,monmouthshire1 and ,i said1 'the harvest is great and the laborers few4' ,i arose in the morning1 refreshed by sleep1 and having taken breakfast with ,mr4 ,matton1 ,i walked ten miles through mud and water1 in a driving ,march rainstorm1 to ,sister ,mary ,morgan's1 at ,little ,garway1 where ,i found a pleasant family of the ,saints4 ,we were drenched with rain1 but found a good fire1 spent the day comfortably1 and in the evening ,i had an interesting interview with ,elder ,littlewood2 the next day ,i remained at ,sister ,morgan's1 reading with much interest the history of ,rome1 and in the evening ,i met the officers of the ,church there in council1 and had a good time4 ,sunday morning ,i preached at the house of ,brother ,thomas ,rood1 and in the evening at the ,kitchen1 upon the ,book of ,mormon1 and had the place full4 ,on ,march #h1 #ahda1 ,i met with the ,garway conference1 at the ,kitchen4 ,elder ,levi ,richards was chosen president1 and ,elder ,james ,morgan1 clerk4 ,there were present one of the quorum of the ,twelve1 one high priest1 seven elders1 eleven priests1 two teachers1 and one deacon4 ,the meeting opened with prayer by ,elder ,woodruff1 after which the churches were represented as follows3 members #acd1 elders #d1 priests #e1 teachers #c1 deacons #a4 ,after the representation1 it was moved that ,john ,needham be ordained an elder1 ,william ,morris1 priest1 and ,thomas ,rough1 teacher4 ,these were ordained under the hands of ,elders ,woodruff #aci and ,richards4 ,the meeting adjourned till #c o'clock1 and one person was baptized4 ,in the afternoon1 ,elder ,levi ,richards spoke and ,i followed him4 ,after meeting1 the ,saints contributed one pound sterling to help me1 and ,i sold them three ,books of ,mormon and fifty addresses to the citizens of ,london4 ,i then walked five miles with ,brother ,richards1 to ,brother ,holley's1 and spent the night4 ,this was the first time ,i had seen ,brother ,levi for about two years4 ,next day1 in company of ,elders ,levi ,richards and ,thomas ,pitt1 ,i walked to the city of ,hereford1 where ,elder ,ray and others had been preaching4 ,on ,sunday a preacher arose before two or three thousand people in the market house and informed the multitude that he had a fresh letter direct from ,america1 showing the origin of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,so he read the old ,spaulding story4 ,when he got through1 ,elder ,levi ,richards arose and informed the people that instead of its being a new story it had been published for seven years throughout the ,united ,states and ,england4 ,this caused a great uproar1 for while some were for driving the man out of the place for lying1 others were crowding around ,elders ,richards and ,ray to hear them preach4 ,the crowd1 however1 was so excited that the elders left the ground with hundreds following them4 ,there never was a time when the people were so much stirred up and so eager to hear the ,latter-day ,saints as at the present1 and it was expected that we should not get through the city without having crowds around us4 ,we did1 however1 and had a view of ,hereford cathedral as we passed along and reached ,sister ,bufton's4 ,there was at this time a small branch of the ,church at ,hereford1 numbering seven members4 ,we parted from ,brother ,pitt at ,hereford1 and continued to ,lugwardine1 where ,i met with the church there for the last time1 and preached from the #bdth chapter of ,isaiah4 ,on the morrow ,i walked to ,shucknell ,hill and had an interesting meeting with the ,saints and preached upon the gathering to ,zion and ,jerusalem4 ,it was my last meeting with them1 and ,i bade them farewell4 ,next day ,i walked to ,standley ,hill and dined with ,brother ,ockey1 whom ,i was truly glad to see once more4 ,we went together through ,standley ,hill and called upon the ,saints4 ,six months had passed since ,i had #adj parted from the churches in this region1 but now ,i was again in the field where the ,lord by ,his blessing and the power of the ,holy ,ghost had made my labors so abundantly fruitful4 ,next day ,i went to ,greenway and preached1 blessed a child1 confirmed a member1 and administered the ordinance of the gospel to five sick persons2 and on the morrow continued to ,turkey ,hill4 ,there1 on the ,sunday1 ,i communed with the ,saints and preached to a large congregation upon the gathering4 ,i found the ,saints in the region around very desirous to gather to the body of the ,church1 but they were poor and had not the means to emigrate to ,america4 ,on the #aeth day of ,march1 #ahda1 the ,bran ,green and ,gadfield ,elm conference again assembled1 this time at ,gadfield ,elm chapel1 when the meeting was called to order by ,elder ,woodruff4 ,there were present1 one of the quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 one high priest1 ten elders1 twenty-one priests1 six teachers1 and one deacon1 besides the congregation of the ,saints2 there were represented1 #ai churches1 #cfg members1 #h elders1 #cc priests1 #aa teachers1 #a deacon2 removed1 #da2 died1 #a2 expelled1 #b4 ,wilford ,woodruff was president1 and ,john ,hill1 clerk of the conference4 ,we had a very interesting time at the conference4 ,there was a large assembly of the ,saints4 ,it was the last time that ,i could attend in that part of my old and beloved field of labor during my present mission in ,england2 and whether or not ,i should ever again meet there in a conference assembly of ,saints was one of the secrets of my future life for time to reveal4 ,we had held our meeting without disturbance from some mobocrats who were present1 for these were kept quiet by police in attendance1 in disguise4 ,no sooner had the meeting closed than multitudes of the ,saints crowded around me1 and hands were presented on every side1 to bid me farewell4 ,many called for me to bless them before ,i departed2 others cried out1 ',lay hands upon me and heal me before you go4' ,one came with1 ',brother ,woodruff4 ,i am turned out of doors for my religion2 what shall ,i do8' ,another with1 ',i am ready to go to ,zion1 but my wife won't go with me2 shall ,i leave her1 to gather with the ,saints8' ,a wife in turn says1 ',my husband beat me and turned me out of doors because ,i was baptized4 ,i have money enough to carry me and the children to ,zion2 will you #ada let me go without him8' ',brother ,woodruff1 my mother is over eighty years of age and has willed me sixty pounds at her death1 but will not emigrate with me2 must ,i stay for her to die1 or leave her now to go with the ,saints8' ,one said1 ',i have sold my little place and shall have thirty pounds tomorrow1 but must go out into the street4 ,i have not enough to carry my family to ,america2 can you help me to a few pounds1 or tell me what to do8' ,an elder cried out1 ',how much longer must ,i preach in ,england before you will let me go to ,america8' ,from others of the ,saints came such as this3 ',brother ,woodruff1 will you come and preach in ,cheltenham8' ',my head is in great pain1 will you heal me8' ',i want you to consecrate this bottle of oil before you go4' ',will you write to me8' ',i have been waiting a long time to get a chance to speak to you2 good-bye1 remember me to ,mrs4 ,woodruff1 good-bye2 ,god bless you6' ,thus for more than an hour after the close of the meeting ,i was hailed with the affectionate outbursts and adieus1 and a host of perplexities1 of these ,saints1 who crowded around me as children around their father4 ,many of the ,saints parted from me in tears1 and many followed me to ,turkey ,hill1 where ,i spent the night and they filled the house until a late hour1 begging counsel and instruction of me4 ,one of these was a ,baptist minister who had just been baptized into the ,church4 ,on the morrow1 in company with ,elder ,needham1 ,i walked to ,keysend ,street1 where ,i preached to a crowded congregation of ,saints1 and thence continued to ,colwall4 ,there ,i met with a large congregation of ,saints1 and preached to them upon the gathering4 ,next day1 with ,elder ,levi ,richards1 ,i walked over to ,malvern ,hill and called upon ,elder ,samuel ,jones2 thence through ,great ,malvern to ,crowcat2 ,i held a meeting at ,brother ,george ,brooks's1 and had an interesting time with a large number of ,saints whom ,i had baptized about a year before4 ,i went to ,dunsclose the day after1 visiting many of the ,saints by the way1 laying hands upon the sick1 and blessing and counseling others of the flock4 ,all were happy to see me2 for ,i had baptized most of them when ,i first opened that field of labor4 ,next day we traveled to ,frome's ,hill1 and visited the ,saints by the way4 ,at ,frome's ,hill ,i met with the ,saints on ,sunday morning1 #adb and had a crowded house2 in the afternoon we held a meeting at ,standley ,hill1 where ,i communed with the ,church4 ,at the close of the meeting ,i had a busy time shaking hands with the ,saints1 and parting from them4 ,many of them wished me to bless them1 and others to heal them4 ,i spent the night with ,brother ,levi ,richards1 at ,elder ,edward ,ockey's1 and on the morrow we held the ,frome's ,hill conference at ,standley ,hill4 ,there were present one of the traveling high council1 two high priests1 twenty elders1 thirty priests1 nine teachers1 and two deacons4 ,after calling the meeting to order1 ,i moved that ,elder ,levi ,richards preside over the conference1 and he was sustained by the meeting4 ,i was chosen clerk4 ,after singing and prayer1 the president called upon the officers for the representation of the various branches1 which was given as follows3 branches1 #cc2 members1 #ieg2 elders1 #bd2 priests1 #fh2 teachers1 #bg2 deacons1 #h4 ,robert ,gunnery1 ,edward ,phillips1 and ,john ,spires were ordained to the office of elder under the hands of ,elders ,richards1 ,kington1 and myself2 ,thomas ,bishop1 to the office of priest2 and ,wm4 ,rowley1 to the office of deacon4 ,in the afternoon1 after speeches from ,elders ,richards and ,kington1 ,i delievered my farewell address1 and pronounced the benediction on the conference4 ,after the meeting was dismissed1 ,i was almost three hours shaking hands with the ,saints1 healing the sick1 and giving counsel to the multitude which surrounded me1 many of whom were in tears when we parted4 ,nearly fifty came to ask me to take them to ,zion1 when ,i had not means to take myself4 ,however1 ,i gave ,sister ,foxal five pounds to help her and her husband and children to the land of ,america4 ,she had made every exertion for six months1 to save money to gather with the ,saints1 and had raised thirty pounds4 ,the five pounds ,i gave to her was a donation from ,elder ,edward ,ockey1 who was parting with his substance to help the poor of the ,church to gather4 ,after bidding the multitude of ,saints farewell1 ,i went to ,elder ,ockey's to spend the night1 accompanied by ,elders ,richards1 ,kington1 and ,ray4 ,we had been in the house but a short time when three of ,edward ,ockey's brothers came in for the purpose of having a contest1 because their brother and sister had embraced the gospel and were about to gather with the ,saints4 #adc ,they manifested much wrath against me1 and1 after conversing with me about three hours1 they left the house and we were once more in peace4 ,after conversing together until the third watch of the night1 we retired to rest1 closing one of the busiest days of my life4 ,i arose in the morning1 refreshed by sleep1 and after conversing several hours with ,elders ,richards1 ,kington1 ,ray1 ,ockey1 and others1 ,i was under the necessity of parting with the ,saints in this region4 ,in bidding them farewell1 we found in the memories of our associations many ties which bound us together4 ,among the faithful ones were the ,ockeys4 ,brother ,edward ,ockey and his sister ,ann were of a good and wealthy family4 ,they had many trials to pass through to do the will of ,god and to gather with the ,saints1 for their brothers were set against them exceedingly4 ,brother ,edward maintained his integrity like a man of ,god and was making every preparation to gather with the ,saints1 but his sister ,ann had fears that her brothers would hinder her gathering4 ,having bidden farewell to the ,saints of ,standley ,hill1 ,i walked to ,frome's ,hill and conversed with the ,elders until two o'clock1 when ,i took the parting hand of ,elders ,richards1 ,kington1 ,ray1 and others1 and1 with my carpet bag with about twenty pounds weight in it1 walked fifteen miles to ,worcester1 in four hours4 ,when ,i arrived there ,i was so very lame and weary with my heavy load and fast walking that ,i could scarcely walk at all4 ,i then took rail and arrived in ,birmingham at #aj o'clock at night1 but was exceedingly lame and weary4 ,i spent the night with ,elder ,james ,riley1 #bd ,park ,street4 ,i had now fairly ended my ,herefordshire mission1 and bidden a last farewell to that field of labor where the ,lord had blessed me beyond all my expectations4 ,i now left three conferences in the region which ,i opened one year before1 on the #eth of the same month that ,i left this vineyard1 now planted all over with churches1 numbering fifteen hundred ,saints4 ,the minutes which ,i have recorded will show at a glance the rise and progress of the churches in ,herefordshire1 and the regions around4 ,on ,sunday1 the #bhth of ,march1 the ,staffordshire ,conference met1 and there were present of the ,twelve1 ,george ,a4 ,smith and ,wilford ,woodruff1 with #a high priest1 #ac elders1 #bh priests1 #aj #add teachers1 and #h deacons4 ,the conference was held in the ,magistrate's ,assembly ,room4 ,at the close of the conference it was voted that 'this conference grant ,elders ,woodruff and ,george ,a4 ,smith a letter of recommendation manifesting that the ,church in this region accept of their labors and consider that they have filled their mission with honor and dignity4' ,we had a very interesting time on this occasion4 ,the conference was held in a place which would contain #hjj1 and it was crowded2 but there was perfect order and much good feeling manifested during the day4 ,there was prospect of a continued increase in the ,potteries4 ,george ,a4 ,smith was the president of the conference1 and ,t4 ,j4 ,fitcher and ,o4 ,shaw1 clerks4 ,next day ,george ,a4 ,smith and myself met the officers in council at the ,hanley meeting rooms1 and gave such advice as we deemed wisdom2 we then took our farewell4 ,on the following day we also parted from the ,saints at ,burslem1 took coach to ,manchester1 and called upon ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 #dg ,oxford ,street2 we found him and his family enjoying good health4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 #ahda1 the ,general ,conference of the ,british ,mission was held in ,carpenter's ,hall1 ,manchester1 at which there were present nine of the quorum of the ,twelve2 namely1 ,president ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,willard ,richards1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,john ,taylor1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,the total membership of the ,british mission at that time was represented as #e1had1 and #hjj besides had emigrated to ,america under the transportation arrangements of the ,church4 ,at this conference the ,twelve blessed and set apart ,orson ,hyde for his mission to ,jerusalem1 to which he had been called by the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,this was the first and only time in this dispensation that the ,twelve ,apostles sat in conference as a quorum in a foreign land4 ,immediately after the ,general ,conference1 those of the ,twelve who were about to return home hastened to ,liverpool1 and embarked for ,america on the #bjth of ,april1 on board of the ship ,rochester4 ,next day1 the wind being favorable1 the ship weighed anchor4 ,there were on board ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,willard ,richards1 and ,john ,taylor1 of the ,twelve1 #ade with ,elder ,reuben ,hedlock and #abj of the ,british ,saints4 ,on our passage across the ,atlantic we had some very tempestuous weather and became familiar with 'a storm at sea4' ,on the #bjth of ,may we landed in ,new ,york1 and on the next day ,george ,a4 ,smith and myself took up our abode for a few days at ,brother ,foster's4 ,while there ,i met my brothers-in-law1 ,ezra and ,ilus ,carter1 and also ,dr4 ,charles ,fabyan1 my wife's relative4 ,on the #bbnd of ,may1 at the house of ,brother ,foster1 in ,new ,york1 and in the presence of the quorum of the ,twelve1 ,i performed the service of marriage between ,mr4 ,edward ,ockey and ,miss ,eliza ,brewer1 both of them my converts of ,castle ,frome4 ,this was the first marriage ceremony at which ,i officiated4 ,on the #bnd of ,june ,i arrived at ,scarboro by stage1 and was permitted to embrace my wife1 and also my first born son1 ,wilford1 ,jr41 whom ,i had not seen before4 ,after two years of separation from my wife1 it was indeed a happy reunion4 ,there ,i stayed with my father-in-law until the #eth of ,july1 and then left for my native place1 ,farmington1 ,conn41 where ,i arrived the third day after4 ,while tarrying at my father's house ,i married my sister ,eunice ,woodruff to ,mr4 ,dwight ,webster4 ,at my sister's marriage there were present between forty and fifty persons1 mostly our relatives4 ,this was on the #dth of ,august1 #ahda4 ,a few days afterwards my aunt ,beulah ,hart was baptized into the ,church1 and on the #ahth of the month ,i bade farewell to my father's house1 after a stay of forty-one days4 ,this was a longer visit than ,i had paid to any of my friends for the past ten years4 ,on the #ith ,september1 a little company1 consisting of myself1 wife1 and son1 and four others1 started on board the boat ,sandusky for ,albany4 ,our ultimate destination was ,nauvoo1 where we arrived on the #eth of the next month4 ,when ,i left ,nauvoo1 two years before1 there were not more than a dozen houses in the place1 but on my return to the city there were several hundred4 ,we passed by the ,temple1 then building1 and had a view of it2 we then called at the house of ,elder ,brigham ,young1 and there spent the night4 ,brother ,brigham was sick1 and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,willard ,richards were with him4 ,we laid hands upon him and he soon recovered4 ,i saw many of my old friends and acquaintances1 #adf and was informed that others of them were dead4 ,i met with many friends on the day after my return to ,nauvoo1 and also sat in council with the ,twelve1 and was happy once more to meet with my quorum4 ,i moved my things to ,elder ,kimball's4 ,my wife and child were sick4 ,on the #cjth of ,october1 #ahda1 the city council met1 and in course of its business ,i was appointed one of the city council of ,nauvoo4 #adg ,,chapter #ad4 ,,review ,,of ,,his ,,mission4 ,wilford ,renders ,aid to the ,persecuted ,saints4--,his ,care in ,recording the ,events1 also ,sermons and ,sayings of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4--,elder ,woodruff's ,humility1 and ,appreciation of the ,work of ,others4--,at a ,wesleyan ,methodist ,missionary ,convention4--,letter from ,his ,wife ,announcing the ,death of ,their ,daughter4--,revelation ,foreshadowing the ,troubles of the ,saints in the ,expulsion from ,illinois4 ,in the fullest sense ,wilford ,woodruff was a man of industrious habits4 ,during the interval between his return from the ,fox ,islands and his departure with others of the ,twelve for the ,european mission1 he not only labored hard to provide for his family2 but1 true to the spirit of a faithful saint and disciple of the ,lord1 he devoted much time to visiting the afflicted ,saints in ,montrose1 ,iowa1 and in ,nauvoo1 ,illinois4 ,he also rendered efficient service in getting teams and money to assist the ,saints in their exodus from ,far ,west1 ,missouri1 to ,illinois4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith being in prison1 ,presidents ,brigham ,young and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 with other leading brethren1 made a solemn covenant that they would not rest until they had made every possible effort to free the ,saints from their persecutors in ,missouri1 and lead them safely to ,nauvoo4 ,in this movement1 as at all other times1 ,wilford ,woodruff was a staunch supporter of the presiding authorities of the ,church4 ,in his journal he makes prominent mention of the mobbings in ,missouri1 the martyrdom of ,elder ,david ,w4 ,patten and others1 the imprisonment of ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith and other leading men of the ,church1 their escape from prison1 and of other events of those times4 ,indeed1 whether or not ,wilford ,woodruff was present at the occurrence of some important event in ,church history1 he made careful investigations and recorded the results of his research4 ,were it not for this care1 the history of many events now looked upon as important never would have been written4 ,he also reported in considerable fullness nearly every sermon he heard preached by the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,almost every gem from the sayings of the ,prophet ,joseph published in the #adh ,compendium is found in ,wilford ,woodruff's journal2 also are many others which have not been published4 ,whenever he made the acquaintance of men or women whose integrity to the gospel and generosity to the ,saints were notable1 their names have an honored place in his journal4 ,in this connection1 for the comfort and encouragement of their immediate friends and descendants1 it may be said that the names of ,william ,clayton1 ,john ,benbow1 ,william ,pitt1 ,edward ,ockey1 ,alfred ,cordon1 with others whom he met first in ,england1 and some of whom he baptized1 are mentioned many times by him1 with feelings of love and admiration4 ,these all died in the faith2 may their descendants follow in their footsteps1 and the prayers of ,wilford ,woodruff in their behalf not go unanswered4 ,his first mission to ,great ,britain was a land mark in ,church history4 ,his wonderful success is without a parallel in the missionary experiences of that or of any subsequent period4 ,its importance grows with the growth of the work4 ,he here returns to that mission in a reminiscent spirit and recounts events overlooked in his hasty survey contained in the narrative of the previous chapter4 ,what follows picks up loose ends and is not given as a summary4 ,on the #ajth of ,february1 #ahdj1 he records this item3 ,on this day ,queen ,victoria of ,england was married to ,prince ,albert4 ,as many were on this day celebrating the marriage of the queen1 ,i thought it right to honor the ,king of ,heaven by advocating ,his cause and preaching the gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i walked into the market place at ,burslem1 accompanied by ,elder ,alfred ,cordon and two other brethren1 and we began to sing and pray unto ,god1 and call upon ,his name4 ,a congregation flocked around us1 and we preached to them2 ,i bore testimony of the great work which ,god had set ,his hand to accomplish and of the second coming of ,christ1 and warned the people to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins4 ,while viewing the beauties of ,english landscape1 many times his soul was filled with intense admiration for the works of the ,creator4 ,describing a visit to ,malvern ,hill1 he says3 ,in my walk to ,colwell on the #ith1 ,i had a great survey of nature and of the power of the ,creator2 this was while standing upon the summit of ,marlvern ,hill1 elevated from twelve hundred to fifteen #adi hundred feet above the level4 ,the surrounding country was before my view1 stretched out many miles4 ,worcester town lies on the north1 clearly seen in the prospect1 ,gloucester on the south1 with several large villages between1 ,ledbury and other villages on the west1 and a fine1 beautifully cultivated vale upon every hand4 ,while upon this noted hill1 beholding the grand and charming prospect before me1 the thunder began to roll1 and the lightning flashed in the vale below1 on which the rain descended in torrents4 ,the solemnity and grandeur of the scene was impressive as ,i stood upon the hill above the clouds1 surveying the beautiful works of the ,creator1 and ,his majesty in the storm4 ,while upon this mission1 on ,march #bb1 #ahdj1 a son1 ,wilford ,woodruff ,jr41 was born4 ,at this writing he is living1 and is a faithful worker in the ,salt ,lake ,temple4 ,upon leaving ,herefordshire in ,june1 #ahdj1 to attend the ,manchester conference1 ,wilford comments3 ,i never before left a field of labor with as much satisfaction with the results of my work2 ,i felt to render unto ,god the gratitude of my heart for giving me so many souls as seals to my ministry2 and ,i note the remarkable fact that ,i had been led by the spirit 7only a little more than three months before7 through a densely populated country for eighty miles1 and chose no part of it for my field of labor until ,i was led by the ,lord to the house of ,john ,benbow1 at ,frome's ,hill1 where ,i preached for the first time on the #eth of ,march1 #ahdj2 now1 on the #bbnd of ,june1 ,i was going to the ,manchester conference1 to represent this fruitful field of my labors with thirty-three organized churches numbering #eda members1 #cjj of whom received the ordinance of baptism under my hands4 ,in that labor1 attended with such unprecedented success in this dispensation1 he never1 for a moment1 felt to take honor to himself2 yet with characteristic humility and meekness he failed not to make honorable mention of the labor of other brethren who came to assist him4 ,for instance1 of ,presidents ,brigham ,young and ,willard ,richards he writes3 ,elder ,brigham ,young labored with me in this vineyard about one month2 from him the ,saints and ,i received much benefit1 for he is mighty in counsel1 and is endowed with much wisdom4 ,elder ,willard ,richards had labored with me two months1 and was also a great blessing to us1 for he had passed through a notable school of experience and learned much wisdom1 and his #aej sound judgment was very manifest in the councils and conferences in which we had acted together4 ,at that time the ,british mission numbered forty-one branches of the ,church1 with #b1eac members1 the local officers including #ef elders1 #abf priests1 #fa teachers1 and #ac deacons2 #hdb members had been the increase in the preceding three months4 ,it was about this time that a local elder who was in the ,british army was ordered with his regiment to ,india1 where he went in good spirits1 determined to carry the gospel to that land1 he being the first to do so4 ,at this time ,wilford also notes in his journal the death of ,bishop ,edward ,partridge1 and makes this comment3 ,bishop ,partridge was one of the wisest and best men of the last generation4 ,like ,nathaniel of old1 in him there was no guile4 ,he had passed through much persecution with the ,saints1 for the word of ,god and the testimony of ,jesus4 ,brother ,woodruff relates that ,elders ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and himself were once locked out of an ,aitkenite meeting because the preachers were afraid the spirit of the ,latter-day ,saints mission would break up their society4 ,he also narrates this incident3 ,in company with ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,i attended the ,wesleyan ,methodist missionary convention held on ,city ,road1 ,london4 ,it was considered one of the greatest of the kind ever held in that city4 ,the chair was filled by the ,lord ,mayor4 ,he was a noble-looking man1 and the insignia of office which hung about his neck consisted of six gold chains1 which were large and very heavy4 ,the object of the meeting was to arrange for sending out missionaries1 and to make collections to liquidate a debt of fifty thousand pounds sterling4 ,some of the best talent of ,europe was gathered on this occasion4 ,much policy was manifested in this combination of ministers and their influence for raising means4 ,the speeches were from ten to twelve minutes' duration4 ,one minister from ,scotland arose and said3 ',my ,lord and ,wesleyan friends1 let my tongue cleave to my mouth and my right hand forget her cunning when ,i do not take a ,wesleyan by the hand and call him brother4' ,one from the ,church of ,england said3 ',my ,lord and ,wesleyan friends1 ,i wish you1 while looking at the ,church of ,england1 to cover her imperfections with the cloak of charity--,i would readily cover the imperfections of the ,wesleyan society1 but ,i know not #aea where they are4 ,i would not hesitate to cover the imperfections of the ,church of ,rome were it in my power1 but they are all scarlet4' ,a ,wesleyan minister then arose and said3 ',we are highly favored on this occasion by having for our chairman the ,lord ,mayor of ,london1 the chief magistrate of the most renowned city of the world2 and his lordship has1 like ,caesar1 submitted himself to the worship of ,christ in this condescension2 but1 when rightly considered1 is not my ,lord as highly honored in presiding over this vast body of respectable citizens this evening on so important a matter as he would be were he reigning upon a throne8 ,for the angels in heaven honor every effort that is made on earth for the spread of the gospel1 and the saving of the souls of men4 ,my ,lord and ,christian friends1 how did the ancient apostles prevail8 ,they were illiterate1 and had neither money nor influence1 and their doctrines were unpopular1 yet they established the gospel1 maintained the doctrines of ,christ1 and caused the nations to tremble2 but this was all by the power of ,god1 and not of man4 ,my ,lord1 our circumstances are different from theirs4 ,we have influence and wealth2 we have splendid chapels and respectable bodies1 and our members are many2 yet if ,god is not with us we cannot prevail4' 7,i shouted1 ',amen6'7 ,these speeches continued until #aj p4 m41 when a collection was made1 and the ,lord ,mayor arose and addressed the three thousand people present4 ,this was in ,city ,road chapel--the first ever erected by the celebrated ,john ,wesley4 ,the ,lord ,mayor said3 ',it is with pleasure that ,i have been permitted to preside over this respectable body this evening1 on so important an occasion1 which will be indelibly fixed upon my mind as one of the most pleasing events of my life2 and ,i trust ,i shall ever be as ready to perform every duty required of me by the citizens of ,london as ,i have been to meet with our ,wesleyan friends this evening4' ,the house rang with applause4 ,in the midst of all this1 who can imagine our feelings8 ,none but those in like situation4 ,here were we with a mission and message from the ,lord to the inhabitants of ,london4 ,we stood in their midst ready to deliver that message as the ,lord might open our way1 and yet we were as little known to the people as was ,jonah to the citizens of ,nineveh while in the belly of the whale4 ,notwithstanding all this display of talent1 yet the people needed a humble servant of the ,lord to teach them #aeb the gospel in its purity1 as ,nineveh needed a prophet to cry repentance therein4 ,i retired alone1 and reflected upon these things4 ,scenes of this kind stirred ,wilford ,woodruff1 in his deeply conscientious nature1 with great anxiety and concern1 lest he might fail to deliver his divine message to the very uttermost of the requirement made of him4 ,the grief that bowed down ,wilford ,woodruff's heart at receiving news of the death of his little daughter finds pathetic expression in his journal1 in which also appears the letter from his wife bearing the sorrowful tidings4 ,it reads3 ,my ,dear ,wilford3 ,what will be your feelings when ,i say that yesterday ,i was to witness the departure of our little ,sarah ,emma from this world8 ,yes1 she is gone4 ,the relentless hand of death has snatched her from my embrace4 ,she was too lovely1 kind1 and affectionate to live in this wicked world4 ,when looking upon her ,i have often thought how ,i should feel to part with her4 ,i thought ,i could not live without her1 especially in the absence of my companion2 but she is gone4 ,the ,lord has taken her home to ,himself1 for some wise purpose4 ,it is a trial to me1 but the ,lord has stood by me in a wonderful manner4 ,he will take better care of her than ,i possibly could do4 ,we have one little angel in heaven1 and ,i think it likely that her spirit has visited you before this time4 ,she used to call her ,papa1 and left a kiss for her ,papa before she died4 ,today1 little ,wilford and ,i with a number of friends1 came over to ,commerce1 to pay our last respects to our darling in seeing her decently buried4 99 99 ,she had no relatives to follow her to the grave1 or to shed for her a silent tear1 except her ,mamma and little ,wilford4 ,she lies alone in peace4 ',the ,lord giveth1 and the ,lord taketh away4 ,blessed be the name of the ,lord4' ,,phoebe ,w4 ,,woodruff4 ,under date of ,october #b1 #ahdj1 ,wilford being at that time with ,elder ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 says in his journal3 ,elder ,kimball and ,i arose from our bed that morning with the power of ,god resting upon us1 yea1 ,his spirit was like fire shut up in our bones4 ,i said1 ',o my ,god1 why is ,thy spirit thus upon me8 #aec ,why are mine eyes like a fountain8 ,what art ,thou about to do1 ,o ,lord1 that causes this thing8 ,i ask ,thee1 ,father1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 ,they ,son1 to make it known unto me4' ,the spirit of revelation came upon me1 and ,i was answered3 ',thus saith the ,lord ,god unto thee1 my servant ,wilford4 ,this is my spirit which resteth upon thee to enlighten thy mind1 to show thee things to come2 and not only upon thee but upon all my faithful servants upon the face of the whole earth1 saith the ,lord4 ,mine indignation is about to be poured out without mixture upon all the nations of the earth1 and they shall not escape4 ,the cry of the poor1 of the widow and the orphan ascendeth to mine ears1 saith the ,lord1 and ,i am about to avenge the cry of mine elect by laying low the oppressor1 and executing the decree of mine heart upon all the ungodly amongst men4 ,here ,i put my spirit upon thee and say unto thee1 lift up thy voice and spare not1 and call upon all men that come within the sound of thy voice to repent1 and many souls shall be given unto thee1 and great shall be thy reward1 and eternal shall be thy glory1 saith the ,lord4' ,about this time the spirit of the ,lord rested in similar manner upon the other apostles and elders1 and indeed upon many of the ,saints throughout the ,british ,isles4 ,they had vivid impressions of the trouble and persecutions about to be heaped upon the ,saints in ,america and ,europe4 ,elder ,woodruff further says3 ,but my mind was troubled1 for the spirit manifested unto me much discomfort and persecution among the ,saints throughout ,europe and ,america1 and that many will fall away2 also that the powers that be in ,america will rise up against the ,church and it will be driven2 and that while trouble lay in the future before the people of ,god1 greater calamities await the world4 ,the ,saints were receiving testimonies of the clouds which were gathering over the ,church1 and afterwards over the whole world1 for judgments begin at the house of ,god4 ,how completely the revelation thus given to ,wilford ,woodruff by the ,spirit of prophecy which rested upon him1 and to his brethren and the ,saints in ,europe1 was fulfilled1 is well known to those familiar with the history of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints during the score of years succeeding the manifestation herein recorded4 #aed ,,chapter #ae4 ,,in ,,nauvoo1 #ahda4 ,prophetic ,insight4--,teachings of the ,prophet4--,baptism for the ,dead--,hyrum ,kimball4 ,the life of ,wilford ,woodruff is a remarkable example of the manner in which those who are pre-eminently qualified as preachers of the gospel are required to fill out a well rounded life of experiences1 touching most important phases of human conduct in almost all the walks of life4 ,had ,wilford ,woodruff belonged to some religious denomination of his day1 it is consistent to suppose that he would have been exclusively a preacher1 as he loved to expound the ,scriptures and speak of the goodness of ,god and ,his wondrous ways4 ,mormonism1 however1 made of him both a preacher and a man of affairs1 and his service in life covered a wide range of useful activities4 ,he was1 in the days of ,nauvoo's municipal glory1 a member of its city council4 ,the responsibility of such a position at that time when municipal government was little understood was one of special weight4 ,on the #gth of ,november1 #ahda1 on the ,sabbath day he tells us that he made a call upon the ,prophet ,joseph and from there went to the home of ,brigham ,young4 ,later he attended a meeting of the ,saints and listened to an address of a certain elder who was reprimanded by the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,that reprimand carried with it such prophetic insight into the character of the man who still lives1 that the incident is taken from ,elder ,woodruff's journal as follows3 ,brother ,joseph rose and reprimanded him as pharisaical and hypocritical1 and he was told that he had not edified the people by his two hours' talk4 ,the man's life has ever since been in keeping with this characterization of the ,prophet4 ,he aims to be a fellow well met with all denominations4 ,he occasionally visits the ,saints1 and while with them professes faith in the gospel and claims brotherhood with them4 ,the ,prophet then addressed himself to the ,saints1 told them that if they would not falsely accuse one another1 the ,lord would not accuse them2 and if they had no accusers1 they should enter #aee into the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,he also spoke at some length upon the character of sin and declared that many things which the denominations of that day taught as sins were really not sins at all1 that many things were done in the purposes of ,god to break down superstitions of men and loosen from them the fetters of traditions by which their souls were bound4 ,the #bast of ,november1 #ahda1 was a red-letter day in the history of ,nauvoo4 ,elder ,woodruff says1 ,the ,twelve met in council at ,president ,brigham ,young's home4 ,afterwards there was a general meeting of the ,saints who were addressed by ,john ,taylor and ,hyrum ,smith4 ,the ,twelve then returned to ,brigham ,young's home and were occupied in counsel until four in the afternoon when they repaired to the baptismal font in the basement of the ,nauvoo ,temple4 ,again quoting from ,elder ,woodruff's journal we read3 ,it was truly an interesting scene4 ,it was the first font built in this dispensation for the glorious provision in the gospel which provided for the redemption of the dead4 ,it was dedicated by ,president ,joseph ,smith and the ,twelve4 ,a large congregation assembled to witness the baptism of about forty persons by ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,john ,taylor4 ,elders ,willard ,richards1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and myself assisted in confirming them4 ,afterwards ,i passed the evening with the quorum of the ,twelve at the home of ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,along with these religious duties came the daily responsibilities of the material interests of the ,church4 ,at this time the ,nauvoo ,house was in the process of construction4 ,elder ,woodruff had charge of the provision store and through it took an active part in the construction of that important building4 ,during these times1 ,saints were arriving in considerable numbers from ,england4 ,many of them had received the ordinance of baptism at his hands4 ,they needed instruction1 encouragement1 and the sympathy of a brotherly love4 ,they found in the messenger who had brought the word of the ,lord to them as consistent a friend in their new home as he had been when an elder abroad4 ,on the #beth of ,november1 #ahda1 about two hundred ,saints from ,new ,york arrived in ,warsaw4 ,their arrival was in the midst of a heavy snow storm4 ,elder ,woodruff records the work of love at that time in providing for them every comfort that #aef could be found4 ,he mentions in his journal the names of those whose integrity and love he cherished4 ,those early friendships were always dear to his memory1 and it mattered not to him what station in life a man occupied if he was loyal to ,god and true to his brethren4 ,he speaks of ,kington1 ,benbow1 ,ockey1 ,bruitt1 and ,pitt4 ,the words of the ,prophet fell upon ,elder ,woodruff's ears as the voice of ,scripture4 ,he puts them in the journal because he believes that some day they will contain enlightenment and guidance for those who faithfully read them4 ,he says about this time that the ,prophet spoke of those who complained of him because he did not bring forth more of the word of the ,lord4 ,to those who professed to be able to receive more of the word of ,god than had been given them1 he said3 ,a man might command his son to do a certain thing and before it was done he might for good and sufficient reason require him to do something else4 ,the exercise of parental authority in such a manner is considered quite proper2 but if the ,lord gives a command and afterward revokes it and commands something else1 there are those ready to cry out1 ',a false prophet6' ,those who will not receive chastisement from a prophet and apostles are often chastised by the ,lord with sickness and death4 ,let not any man publish his own righteousness1 others can do that for him4 ,let him rather confess his sins1 and he will then be forgiven and bring forth more and better fruit4 ,the reason we do not have more of the secrets of the ,lord revealed unto us is because we do not keep to our own secrets1 but reveal them and make our difficulties known even to our enemies4 ,what greater love hath any man than that he will lay down his life for his friends8 ,why not then stand by them unto death8 ,elder ,woodruff's journal containing an account of the utterances of the prominent men of that day clearly indicates the deep anxiety which ,president ,brigham ,young felt for the completion of the ,temple4 ,his interest in the building was scarcely less than that of the ,prophet himself4 ,the responsibility of its completion weighed heavily upon his mind and he gave himself up heart and soul to the construction of that great edifice4 ,in view of the fact that some years later after the ,prophet's death the responsibility of its completion and the ordinances to be performed #aeg therein rested most heavily upon him1 one can appreciate his heart-felt admonition on the subject when he was constantly urging the ,saints before the death of the ,prophet4 ,on ,christmas day of #ahda ,elder ,woodruff says that he and other members of the ,twelve visited the home of ,hyrum ,kimball1 who1 before they left1 presented each of the ,twelve with a lot to which he gave them the deed4 ,on the #bfth and #bgth the ,twelve visited the home of the ,prophet1 and on one of these days ,elder ,woodruff says in his journal that the ,prophet showed him and others for the first time the ,urim and ,thummim4 ,during that year the subject of this biography had visited ,london1 ,bristol1 ,liverpool1 ,manchester1 ,staffordshire ,potteries1 ,wolverhampton1 ,birmingham1 ,worcester1 ,hereford1 ,ledbury1 ,malvern ,hill1 ,gloucester1 ,cheltenham1 ,oxford1 ,woolwich1 and ,monmouth4 ,in ,america he visited and preached the gospel in ,new ,york1 ,portland1 ,boston1 ,hartford1 ,new ,haven1 ,albany1 ,buffalo1 ,detroit1 ,mackinaw1 and ,chicago4 ,he held #hc meetings1 attended #aj conferences1 baptized #ba persons and assisted in the baptism of #ah others1 confirmed #df1 and ordained #ch persons to offices in the priesthood4 #aeh ,,chapter #af4 ,,troubles ,,in ,,nauvoo1 #ahdb4 ,building of the ,temple4--,book of ,moses4--,words of the ,prophet4--,nauvoo ,legion4--,business ,trip to ,st4 ,louis4--,return of ,orson ,hyde4 ,elder ,woodruff was a messenger of peace1 a man by temperament and faith pre-eminently fitted to be a missionary of the word of ,god to the nations of the earth4 ,as one studies his life and the life of the early leaders of the ,church1 one is constantly reminded of their peculiar fitness and qualifications for the work needed in the ,church in its early life4 ,new year of #ahdb found him at home in ,nauvoo enjoying with his family and friends the festive season4 ,he had been a member of the ,church eight years1 but during that membership had been absent from home perhaps four-fifths of the time4 ,he records the fact that he with the quorum of the ,twelve passed the day at the home of ,brother ,stoddard4 ,nauvoo was at this time taking on a new interest4 ,the erection of the ,temple awakened within such men a heartfelt desire1 not only to take part in the work1 but to enjoy its ordinances at the earliest possible opportunity4 ,they felt that these ordinances would give to them a new spiritual life and that they would be better qualified in consequence as messengers of the word of ,god to the nations of the earth4 ,in his journal he writes3 ,it is an interesting occasion for us to meet with our families during the festive season in the ,city of the ,saints in the midst of peace and love4 ,we prize more highly this privilege as we are so often separated in the vineyard of the ,lord4 ,it is a privilege to be at home for a season and provide for my family4 ,this is the first time since ,i have been in the ,church that ,i have been thus privileged as ,i have been on missions most of the time for eight years4 ,during the early part of ,january he paid a visit to his old time friend1 ,john ,benbow1 who lived on the prairie six miles from ,nauvoo4 ,elder ,benbow had been a very liberal man in promoting the missionary work of ,apostle ,woodruff abroad4 ,he was just as liberal when he joined the ,saints near ,nauvoo4 ,besides #aei his regular offerings1 he loaned money to the ,prophet to meet pressing obligations of himself and the ,church4 ,this was the first time ,i had visited him since my return home4 ,i passed the time there very pleasantly4 ,his farm looked almost like a ,garden of ,eden4 ,i have never seen more work done in one year on a prairie farm than was done on his4 ,he had surrounded and crossed it with heavy ditches1 and had planted thorn hedges4 ,his dwelling1 barns1 sheds1 garden1 yards1 and orchards were all beautifully arranged4 ,the farm resembled very much the farms of old ,england4 ,elder ,benbow had been a well-to-do-farmer on about three hundred acres of land4 ,this place was a pleasant retreat for a summer's ride from ,nauvoo4 ,the little neighborhood consisted of five families from ,england4 ,all were united except one family that had denied the faith4 ,before my return to the city ,i paid ,john ,benbow two hundred dollars for ,president ,smith and had it endorsed on his note4 ,the activity in and about ,nauvoo directed toward the erection of the ,temple must have presented the appearance of men who worked with a will to accomplish definite purposes4 ,elder ,woodruff himself was engaged in hauling large stones from the river to ,temple ,hill4 ,whatever he set himself to do he did as though it were the occupation of his life and never a makeshift4 ,it was that whole-souled devotion that enabled him to turn from one occupation to another without any disappointment or distaste4 ,it is only the half-hearted that complain at interruptions1 who are distracted when taken from one condition of life to another and are subjected to radical as well as frequent changes4 ,from the occupation of a rock hauler he was called to the printing press1 and with ,john ,taylor he took up the work of publishing the ,times and ,seasons1 which thereafter was to be under the direction of ,joseph1 the ,seer4 ,he began work in his new calling by taking charge of the business department of the paper4 ,joseph was editor in chief and ,john ,taylor was his assistant4 ,about this time the ,prophet was occupied in the translation of the ,book of ,moses from an ,egyptian papyrus4 ,parts of the book were published in the ,times and ,seasons1 and its subject matter created a peculiar satisfaction in the heart of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,wilford ,woodruff was himself a student of ,holy #afj ,writ1 a man of pronounced religious convictions1 untouched by the religious persuasions of his time4 ,his complete surrender1 and his perfect devotion to his new-found calling are sufficient in themselves to command attention and persuade others that there must have been something remarkable in his new-found faith1 otherwise he would not have been one of its apostles4 ,i have been much edified of late1 he says1 in listening to the ,prophet converse upon the mysteries of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,surely the ,lord is with him and is making him mighty in knowledge and wisdom4 ,i am convinced that none of the prophets or seers have ever accomplished a greater work than the ,lord will bring to pass through the instrumentality of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,wilford ,woodruff knew his ,bible1 he knew himself1 and the simplicity and purity of his own soul fitted him for the reception of a new light4 ,he was not a mere enthusiast1 he was never fanatical1 and was not easily touched by the sophistries of men4 ,such a testimony of the ,prophet ,joseph has therefore a peculiar significance to those who honestly and without bias study the life of ,joseph ,smith4 ,march #ast of that year1 ,elder ,woodruff's natal day1 he observed by making a feast for his friends4 ,sundry duties occupied his time4 ,he was chaplain of the ,nauvoo ,legion2 he took part in the organization of the ,masonic ,lodge of ,nauvoo2 and was present when it was addressed by the ,grand ,master of the ,masonic ,lodge of ,illinois4 ,he1 with the ,prophet and others1 was a member of the ,masonic fraternity4 ,the fraternity sought for in that organization was superseded by a more perfect fraternity found in the vows and covenants which the endowment in the ,house of ,god afforded members of the ,church4 ,besides1 the ,saints learned that they must surrender worldly affiliations1 since the world was opposed to the mission of ,joseph ,smith and his followers4 ,those who seek their highest guidance in precedence quote the circumstance as an argument for the return to the condition of those times4 ,the ,church1 however1 rests upon the rock of revelation and must follow divine guidance rather than precedence4 ,passing on in the journal of ,wilford ,woodruff we find recorded the synopsis of a discourse by the ,prophet ,joseph on death1 #afa the resurrection1 and baptism4 ,we have1 says the ,prophet1 the warning voice again sounded in our midst1 a voice which heralds the uncertainty of human life4 ,in my leisure moments ,i have meditated and asked the question3 ,why is it that innocent children are taken away from us1 especially those who seem to be the most intelligent8 ,this world is a very wicked world1 and it is a proverb that it grows weaker and wiser4 ,if so it becomes more corrupt4 ,in the early ages of the world the righteous man1 the man of ,god and of intelligence had a better opportunity to do good1 to be received and believed than at the present day4 ,in these days such a man is opposed and persecuted by most of the inhabitants of the earth and has to pass through much sorrow1 hence the ,lord takes away many in infancy that they may escape the envy of man and escape the sorrows and evils of the world4 ,they are too pure and too lovely to live on the earth2 therefore1 if rightly considered1 we have reason to rejoice instead of mourning1 as their death is their deliverance from evil and we shall soon have them again4 ,what chance is there for infidelity when we are parting daily with our friends8 ,there is none at all4 ,the infidel will grasp at every straw for help until death stares him in the face and then his infidelity takes flight2 for the realities of the eternal world are resting in mighty power upon him4 ,when every earthly support fails him1 he sensibly feels the eternal truths of the immortality of the soul4 ,respecting the doctrine of baptism1 or sprinkling of children1 in order that they may not be consigned to hell ,i wish to say1 it is not true1 nor is it supported by ,holy ,writ4 ,it is not consistent with the character of ,god4 ,the moment children leave this world they are taken into ,abraham's bosom4 ,the only difference between the old and young in death is that one lives longer in heaven and in eternal light and glory than the other and was freed a little earlier from this wicked world4 ,notwithstanding all this glory we for a moment lose sight of it and mourn our loss1 but we mourn not as those without hope4 ,we should take warning and not wait for deathbed repentance4 ,let it be a warning not to procrastinate repentance1 not wait for death4 ,it is the will of ,god that men should repent and serve him in health and strength and in the power of their minds #afb in order to secure divine blessings4 ,god has made certain decrees which are fixed and unalterable4 ,he set the sun1 the moon1 and the stars and gave them their laws1 conditions1 and bounds which they cannot pass except by ,his command4 ,they all move in perfect harmony in their spheres and are as wondrous lights and signs to us4 ,the sea also has its bounds which it cannot pass without ,his command4 ,god has set many signs in the earth as well as in the heavens4 ,the oaks of the forest1 the herbs of the field1 the fruit of the tree all bear signs that seeds have been planted4 ,it is a decree of the ,lord that every tree or herb bearing seed shall bring forth after its own kind4 ,upon the same principle ,i contend that baptism is a sign and ordinance of ,god for every believer in ,christ in order that he may enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the ,savior said3 ',except a man be born of the water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4' ,it is a sign and a commandment that ,god hath given whereby man may enter into ,his ,kingdom4 ,those who seek to enter in any other way will seek in vain4 ,god will never receive them nor will angels acknowledge their works if they have not taken upon themselves those ordinances and signs which ,god ordained in order that man might receive the celestial glory4 ,god has decreed that all who will not obey ,his voice shall not escape the damnation of hell4 ,and what is the damnation of hell8 ,it is to be numbered with the society of those who have not obeyed ,his commandments4 ,baptism is a sign to ,god and to the angels and to heaven that we do the will of the ,father2 and there is no other way ordained of ,god for man to come unto ,him4 ,the laying on of hands is a sign given for the healing of the sick and we do not obtain the blessing by pursuing any other course4 ,the same is true in reference to the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,there is a difference between the ,holy ,ghost and the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,cornelius received the ,holy ,ghost before he was baptized1 but he could not receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost until after he had been baptized4 ,had he not received the ordinance of baptism1 the ,holy ,ghost1 which convinced him of the truth of ,god1 would have left him until he had obtained the ordinances of baptism and received the gift of the ,holy ,ghost by the laying on of hands4 ,it mattereth not whether we live long or short after we come #afc to a knowledge of the principles of the gospel and obey them4 ,i know that all men will be damned if they come not in the way which ,god has ordained4 ,concerning the resurrection ,i will say merely that we will come from the grave as we lie down1 whether we die old or young4 ,not one cubit will be added to or taken away from our stature4 ',blessed are the dead which die in the ,lord1 for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them4' ,the ,prophet1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 then called upon the people to assemble themselves in prayer before ,god and call upon ,him in mighty faith1 prayer1 and fasting that the inhabitants of the city might escape the power of the destroyer which rageth upon the face of the earth1 and that the earth might be sanctified under their feet4 ,here the ,prophet clearly sets forth the principle that the blessings of our spiritual lives1 the blessings of the world hereafter are the result of obedience to spiritual laws1 or divine command1 just as the consequences in the material world are based upon ,god's laws and so-called laws of nature4 ,all1 says the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing and the conditions thereof as they were instituted from before the foundation of the world4 ,after this discourse1 we are told that the ,prophet went into the river and baptized about eighty persons for the remission of their sins4 ,among them was ,l4 ,d4 ,wasson1 a nephew of the ,prophet's wife4 ,he was the only one of her kindred thus far who had accepted the faith4 ,at the close of this interesting scene the ,prophet lifted up his hands to heaven and implored the blessings of ,god upon the people1 and verily the spirit of ,god rested upon the multitude to the joy and consolation of our hearts4 ,at various times1 at intervals between the meetings1 large numbers received at the hands of the ,twelve in the ,temple font the ordinance of baptism for the dead4 ,during these times the emigration from ,england brought to ,nauvoo a great many people4 ,lyman ,wight had just returned from the ,east with one hundred and seventy ,saints1 and brought with him three thousand dollars worth of property for the benefit #afd of the ,temple and the ,nauvoo ,house4 ,the annual conference of that year was full of interest to the people1 though the season was a rainy one4 ,on the second day of the conference when ,elder ,john ,taylor was addressing the assembled multitude1 other elders were baptizing in the font and elsewhere4 ,elder ,woodruff and six others of the ,twelve were ordaining elders4 ,we ordained #bge elders1 the most that we ever ordained in one day before in the ,church4 ,the day following conference was the funeral of ,ephraim ,marks4 ,in the course of his remarks at the funeral1 ,elder ,woodruff quotes the ,prophet as saying3 ,some have supposed that the ,prophet ,joseph could not die4 ,this is a mistake4 ,it is true there have been times when ,i have had the promise of my life to accomplish certain ends4 ,these ends have been accomplished1 and at present ,i have no lease upon my life4 ,i am as liable to die as other men4 ,shortly after this we have the following quotation from a discourse delivered by the ,prophet who addressed the people at the grove after ,william ,law had spoken to them4 ,i wish to say a few words to suit the condition of the general masses1 and ,i shall speak with the authority of the priesthood in the name of the ,lord4 ,notwithstanding this congregation profess to be ,saints1 ,i stand in the midst of all kinds of characters and all classes of men4 ,if you wish to go where ,god is1 you must be like ,him or possess the principle which ,he possesses4 ,if we are not drawing toward ,god in principle1 we are going from ,him and drawing toward the devil4 ,search your hearts and see if you are like ,god4 ,i have searched mine and ,i feel to repent of all my sins4 ,we have among us thieves1 adulterers1 liars1 and hypocrites4 ,if ,god should speak from the heaven1 ,he would command you not to steal1 not to commit adultery1 not to covet1 not to deceive1 but to be faithful over a few things4 ,as far as we degenerate from ,god1 we descend to the devil and lose our knowledge1 and without knowledge we cannot be saved4 ,while our hearts are filled with evil there is no room in them for good4 ,is ,god good8 ,then be ye good4 ,if ,he is faithful1 then be ye faithful4 ,add to your faith virtue2 and to virtue1 knowledge2 and seek for every good thing4 ,the ,church must be cleansed and ,i proclaim against all iniquity4 ,a man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge1 for if he does not get #afe knowledge he will be brought into captivity by some evil power4 ,in the other world evil spirits have more knowledge and consequently more power than many men on earth have4 ,we1 therefore1 need revelation to assist us and give us knowledge of the things of ,god4 ,the priests of the world cloak their iniquity by saying there is no more revelation4 ,when revelation comes from ,god they are universally opposed to it1 if it reveals their wickedness and abominations4 ,turning from the work of teaching and instructing the ,saints1 we find the ,prophet and the people taking part in a grand military parade4 ,on the seventh of ,may the ,nauvoo ,legion of nearly two thousand men in uniform marched through the streets of ,nauvoo to the inspiring strains of music by the militia band and under the leadership of ,joseph ,smith4 ,the ,prophet and the people were fulfilling their obligations to the state by the maintenance and discipline of a militia that did so much to become an honor to the people of ,illinois4 ,what they did1 they did well1 but even this citizens' duty of maintaining a splendid milita was used for the purpose of creating prejudice in the eyes of the people throughout the country4 ,the enemies at home never lost any opportunity to inflame the public mind1 and to justify themselves therefore by the consummation of a conspiracy to encompass the life of the ,prophet4 ,one day some of the elders found themselves in martial array1 the next day in the font baptizing for their kindred dead4 ,all things the faithful sought to do for the honor and glory of ,god and for the salvation of their souls4 ,on the #bbnd of ,may that year1 ,elder ,woodruff baptized ,george ,a4 ,smith for the restoration of the latter's health4 ,in those days in performing the ordinances for the dead1 men were baptized for women1 and women for men4 ,later on1 however1 the ,prophet was shown that in the sacred ordinances of baptism men and women should be baptized for their ancestors1 each for his own sex4 ,it seems very remarkable that in view of these temple ordinances men should seek to attribute the origin of these ordinances to ,brigham ,young4 ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal1 records the temple work1 unconscious that its practice would ever be questioned in generations to come4 ,on the #ahth of ,june a large congregation of ,saints assembled in the grove near the ,temple4 ,to these thousands there assembled1 #aff ,elder ,woodruff says1 ,joseph1 the prophet1 arose and spoke in great plainness upon the corruption and wickedness of ,john ,c4 ,bennett4 ,he also prophesied that if the merchants of the city and the rich did not open their hearts and contribute to the poor they would be cursed by the hand of ,god and cut off from the land of the living4 ,the words of the ,prophet were fulfilled4 ,there had been organized an agricultural and manufacturing society in view of giving aid to the poor4 ,on the #bdth of ,june that year there was a meeting of the ,nauvoo ,masonic ,lodge for the celebration of ,st4 ,john4 ,a number of the leading men of the ,church took part1 and ,sidney ,rigdon delivered an appropriate address4 ,all efforts to stand upon a common ground with the citizens generally of ,nauvoo were1 however1 unavailing4 ,john ,c4 ,bennett1 who had been cut off the ,church1 became vindictive and took advantage of the political conditions to create an agitation abroad against the ,saints4 ,about this time most of the ,twelve were sent forth again into the world to preach the gospel4 ,as ,apostles ,taylor and ,woodruff were publishing the ,times and ,seasons they remained at home4 ,in his work as the business manager of that publication he labored with his usual zeal4 ,he speaks of a voyage he took down the ,mississippi by steamer to purchase material in ,st4 ,louis4 ,he was sick on the way and after reaching the city had only twenty-four hours in which to make his purchases1 load his material on board1 and begin his homeward journey4 ,to accomplish this he says1 ,i walked till ten o'clock at night1 and ,i went to bed weary and sick and in severe pain and did not sleep till two in the morning4 ,i was awakened shortly after that hour with the bleeding of the nose1 through which ,i must have lost a pint of blood4 ,notwithstanding my weakness from fatigue and loss of blood1 ,i began work before breakfast the following morning4 ,in the afternoon my supplies were all on board the boat4 ,i ate dinner and went to bed tired and sick4 ,the boat left at six in the evening and arrived in due time at ,keokuk4 ,from there he went to ,montrose by stage and crossed the river to ,nauvoo1 where he found the printing press stopped for want of paper4 ,notwithstanding his impoverished physical condition1 ,elder ,woodruff took a skiff and rowed down the river to the steamboat which had been delayed for five days1 unable to go #afg over the rapids4 ,he obtained there sufficient paper for immediate use4 ,returning over the rapids he reached home about midnight1 still in a feverish condition and suffering from a severe cold4 ,since the boat had landed our freight and ,i had seen it distributed to the several departments1 ,i went home where ,i was confined to my bed and passed through the severest siege of sickness ,i ever had in my life4 ,he was confined to his room and most of the time to his bed for forty days4 ,upon his partial recovery he found himself again actively engaged in his work4 ,during his recovery he was once taken by ,brigham ,young in his carriage to attend a meeting of the ,council of the ,twelve4 ,he had been in the house only a few minutes when his strength began to fail him4 ,he lay down upon a bench and became unconscious4 ,his breath ceased for a few moments1 but he revived through the administration of his brethren4 ,remarkable testimonies came to him respecting the healing power which was then in the ,church4 ,apostle ,woodruff suffered much less from sickness than he did from his inability to meet the ,prophet and to listen to the glorious truths which he had to impart to the brethren4 ,the ,prophet was then much of his time in hiding1 owing to the accusation that he was accessory to the shooting of ,governor ,boggs and therefore wanted in ,missouri4 ,those were trying times2 many of the people questioned their leader and the wisdom of his policy4 ,they argued among themselves that the ,prophet ,joseph had done nothing wrong1 he had nothing to fear4 ,they wanted him to clear himself with the world and with his enemies2 that was the honorable thing1 as they saw it1 to do4 ,nothing less would satisfy them4 ,but the ,prophet knew very well the sentiment behind those who demanded his presence in ,missouri4 ,the fear of the enemy was less trying to him than the folly of many of his brethren who were swayed by the spirit of the age and the peculiar sophistries of those times4 ,they were sophistries as full of folly and recklessness as many that have prevailed in the ,church since then1 and are now prevalent in many places4 ,on the #cjth of ,october1 #ahdb1 for the first time1 the ,saints held a meeting in the ,nauvoo ,temple4 ,a temporary floor was laid within the unfinished walls2 and about three thousand ,saints1 #afh full of joyful anticipations1 assembled to hear the ,prophet of ,god4 ,they were disappointed1 as sickness and other causes prevented his appearance on that occasion4 ,those who were faithful and true were sad over the enforced absence of their leader4 ,steps were taken by the city council with the view of passing a bill granting the right of the writ of habeas corpus within the city4 ,they thought such a law would be a protection to ,joseph and other leading men who were constantly harrassed by their enemies without a cause4 ,the writ of habeas corpus was a burning question in those days1 as the liberties of the elders were constantly menaced4 ,on the #gth of ,december that year1 ,elder ,orson ,hyde returned from his mission to ,jerusalem1 where he had gone by appointment through revelation to dedicate the ,holy ,land for the return of the ,jews4 ,after performing the mission he returned home to give an account of his experiences and of the country4 ,the ,holy ,land came within the hopes1 promises1 and blessings of the new dispensation4 ,the promise of its redemption had been made4 ,many of the elders rejoiced in what they hoped would be its early fulfillment4 ,as children in their new found calling1 they possessed the impatience of youth1 and the fulfillment of ,god's purposes they hoped speedily4 ,most of the year #ahdb found ,elder ,woodruff at home1 with his family4 ,he was engaged in all sorts of occupations1 and his journal records a great variety of work4 ,on the #aith of ,september he had cut an acre of corn and stacked it4 ,during the days immediately following he was occupied in hauling wood to his door4 ,he had traveled only #dej miles that year1 a modest journey for him4 ,during those times he had learned to know more of the ,prophet1 more of the doctrines which he taught1 and more of the spirit by which he was actuated4 ,joseph ,smith1 himself1 was a revelation to ,president ,woodruff2 he was a marvel and wonder to his mind4 ,he was no less than a prophet of ,god1 equally important with the prophets of old2 aye6 more so4 ,the privilege of associating with the ,prophet of ,god was the most glorious opportunity of his life1 and his journal contains unnumbered manifestations of sublime satisfaction over the dispensations of his ,heavenly ,father4 #afi ,,chapter #ag4 ,,teachings ,,of ,,the ,,prophet ,,joseph1 #ahdc4 ,change in ,governors of ,missouri and ,illinois4--,prophet's ,release4--,discourse on ,authority4--,signs in the ,heavens4--,new ,arrivals of ,saints4--,death of ,lorenzo ,barnes4--,discourse on ,knowledge4--,great ,truths4--,prophet's ,knowledge of ,men4--,wilford ,woodruff's ,bond for ,temple ,funds4--,opposition to ,revealed ,truth4--,hell ,defined4--,prophet ,arrested4--,his ,release4 ,elder ,woodruff celebrated ,new ,year's day1 #ahdc1 by a sleigh ride over in ,iowa4 ,there he had gone fifteen miles to perform a marriage ceremony in behalf of ,abraham ,newbury and ,miss ,eliza ,duty4 ,the ,new ,year brought relief to the ,prophet and to the ,church in consequence of a political change in the governorship of both ,missouri and ,illinois4 ,while ,governors ,carlin and ,reynolds held the office of governors of these states1 justice was beyond all hope4 ,they were bitter and would yield themselves gladly to the demands of those who were persecuting and hounding the ,prophet4 ,the #agth day of ,january was appointed by general proclamation a day of humiliation1 fasting1 prayer1 and thanksgiving4 ,the deliverance of the ,prophet from the hands of his enemies and his return to the ,saints in ,nauvoo were sources of unbounded joy to them4 ,elder ,woodruff met1 with others1 at the ,prophet's home and took part there in friendly and brotherly greetings with those who welcomed the liberty and return of their leader4 ,the day following1 the ,twelve were among those who met at ,joseph's home where he and his wife entertained about seventy people4 ,among them were twenty men who had attended him at his trial in ,springfield and returned with him to ,nauvoo4 ,there was an apparently universal joy over the outcome of his trial4 ,the people in those days1 however1 like ,israel of old associated certain worldly successes with their ideas of right1 and misfortunes with their ideas of wrong4 ,who hath sinned1 ,jesus was asked upon healing a man of ,his times1 he or his parents8 ,those sacrifices1 tribulations1 trials1 and persecutions accompany those who are valiant for their ,god and maintain ,his commandments4 #agj ,men are prone1 nevertheless1 to attribute worldly misfortunes to wrong doing even though men suffer in the performance of some ,god-given requirement4 ,while ,joseph was driven from his home and affairs into seclusion1 and persecuted and afflicted by his enemies1 there were those who were ready to listen to the sophistries and cunning arguments of the hypocrite and the ,pharisee in their midst4 ,in his absence and in his seclusion the powerfulness of his personalty was not so strongly felt1 and the evil inclinations of men found opportunities for gratification and justification4 ,now that he had returned to their midst1 free to preach1 and free to rebuke1 there was rejoicing among even those who have no higher conception of divine purposes than to associate worldly success with ,god's favors and misfortune with ,his displeasure4 ,on the #bbnd of ,january1 #ahdc1 at the ,nauvoo ,temple the ,prophet delivered a discourse to the multitude present4 ,elder ,woodruff1 ever faithful to his mission as a journalist of early ,church history1 gives a synopsis of the discourse from which the following is taken3 ,in consequence of rejecting the gospel of ,jesus ,christ and the prophets whom ,god hath sent1 ,his judgments have rested upon peoples1 states1 and nations in various ages of the world4 ,this was the case with the cities of ,sodom and ,gomorah which were destroyed for rejecting prophets4 ,i will now give my testimony4 ,i care not what man can do4 ,i speak boldly and faithfully and with authority4 ,where there is no ,kingdom of ,god there is no salvation4 ,where there is a prophet1 or a priest1 or a righteous man unto whom the ,lord gives ,his oracles1 there is the ,kingdom4 ,where the oracles are not1 the ,kingdom of ,god is not4 ,in these remarks ,i make no allusion to the kingdoms of the earth4 ,we will keep the laws of the land2 we do not speak against them1 nor have we ever done so4 ,we can scarcely make mention of the ,state of ,missouri and our persecutions there without a cry going forth that we are guilty of treason4 ,we speak of the ,kingdom of ,god on the earth and not of the kingdoms of man4 ,the plea of many is that we have no right to receive revelations1 but if we do not receive revelations we do not have the oracles of ,god1 and they who do not have ,his oracles are not ,his people4 ,you ask4 ',what will become #aga of the world and the various professors of religion who do not believe in revelation and in the oracles of ,god as contained in ,his ,church in the ages of the world when he had a people upon the earth8' ,i tell you in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 they will be damned1 and when you get into the eternal world you will find it so4 ,they cannot escape the damnation of hell4 ,as touching the gospel and baptism of ,john1 ,i would say that ,john came preaching the gospel for the remission of sins4 ,he had authority from ,god1 and his oracles were with him1 and the ,kingdom for a season seemed to rest with ,john alone4 ,he was a legal administrator4 ,those who were baptized were subjects for the ,kingdom4 ,the laws and oracles of ,god were there2 so also was the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,no man could have better authority to administer than ,john1 and even the ,savior ,himself submitted to that authority by being baptized of ,john4 ,john was a priest after the order of ,aaron and held the keys of that priesthood4 ,he came forth preaching repentance and baptism for the remission of sins1 but at the same time crying3 ',there cometh one after me mightier than ,i1 the latchet of whose shoe ,i am not worthy to unloose4' ,christ came1 according to the word of ,john4 ,he was greater than ,john because he held the keys of the ,melchizedek priesthood and the ,kingdom of ,god1 and had before revealed the priesthood to ,moses4 ,jesus says in his teachings3 ',upon this rock will ,i build my ,church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it4' ,what rock8 ,the rock of revelation4 ,yet ,christ was baptized by ,john to fulfill all righteousness4 ,he says1 ',except ye are born of the water and of the spirit ye cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 though the heavens and the earth pass away my word shall not pass away4' ,if a man be born of the water and the spirit he can enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,it is evident that the ,kingdom of ,god was upon the earth and that ,john prepared subjects for that ,kingdom by preaching the gospel and by baptizing them4 ,he preached the same gospel and baptism that ,jesus and the apostles preached after him4 ,the endowment of ,pentecost was to prepare the disciples for their mission in the world4 ,whenever a man can find out the will of ,god and find an administrator legally authorized from ,him1 there is the ,kingdom of ,god2 but where these are not1 #agb there the ,kingdom of ,god is not4 ,all the ordinances1 systems1 and administrations on the earth are of no use to the children of men unless they are ordained and authorized of ,god4 ,none others will be acknowledged either by ,god or by angels4 ,i know what ,i say1 ,i understand my mission1 ,god almighty is my shield and what can man do if ,he is my friend4 ,i shall not be sacrificed until my time comes1 then ,i shall be offered freely4 ,i thank the ,lord for delivering me from my enemies4 ,i have no enmity1 ,i have no desire but to do all men good4 ,i feel to pray for all men4 ,we do not ask people to throw away any good which they have1 we only ask them to come and receive more4 ,what if all the world should embrace this gospel8 ,we should then see eye to eye and the blessings of ,god would be poured out upon the people1 which is my whole soul's desire4 ,amen4 ,we are not informed whether there were present men and women ready to criticize this address as a want of discretion in the ,prophet for the use of such language4 ,no doubt there were4 ,he had just gotten out of trouble and they1 no doubt1 argued1 why should he use language that would bring upon him more trouble4 ,the ,prophet was not thinking of trouble2 he was not occupied in selecting the most discreet words4 ,he had a mission that put upon him obligations2 come what may1 these obligations must be fulfilled4 ,he was not concerned so much about his personal welfare and safety as he was about the welfare and salvation of mankind4 ,not long after this1 on the #ajth of ,march1 ,elder ,woodruff gives an account of peculiar signs which he witnessed in the heavens4 ,the occurrence took place about seven o'clock in the evening and lasted for about three hours4 ,there was a stream of light in the form of a drawn broadsword with the hilt downward and the blade pointing upward from the southeast at an angle of #de degrees4 ,this sign appeared for five successive evenings4 ,on the evening of the #adth it moved to a position near the moon4 ,it then formed itself into a large ring on the inside of which appeared balls of light1 something like sundogs4 ,another half ring issued from these balls in the shape of a horseshoe4 ,they extended outside of the ring with one line running through the center of the moon4 ,of this manifestation he quotes the ,prophet as saying3 ,as sure as there is a ,god who sits in the #agc heavens1 and as sure as ,he ever spoke by my mouth1 there will be a bloody war2 and the broadsword sign in the heavens is a sign thereof4 ,several days later other remarkable signs were seen in the heavens4 ,orson ,pratt1 professor of mathematics in the ,university of ,nauvoo1 sketched a diagram of the halos and perihelion1 or circles2 and mock suns were discovered in the heavens on the morning of ,march #bcrd1 #ahdc2 there were still other signs4 ,as in the case of the sword there was seen on the opposite side of the horizon a streak of blackness1 the other appeared like the blaze of a comet4 ,during these times the river banks along ,nauvoo presented busy scenes4 ,the city was full of activity and was constantly enlarging by reason of the emigration from abroad4 ,on the #abth and #acth of ,march steamboats landed at ,nauvoo bringing #dhj ,saints1 #bej of these wintered in ,st4 ,louis4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,dr4 ,levi ,richards were among the returning elders4 ,many of the ,saints were old acquaintances of ,president ,woodruff who hailed them with delight and they in turn were happy to meet again the man who had first brought the gospel to them4 ,they were made welcome by the authorities and the ,saints in ,nauvoo4 ,the day after their arrival1 they were addressed in public assembly by the ,prophet4 ,about this time word came that ,elder ,lorenzo ,barnes1 then a missionary of the ,church1 had died in a foreign land4 ,speaking of the death of ,elder ,barnes1 the prophet1 in a discourse delivered on the #afth of ,april in reference to ,elder ,barnes1 said3 ,i should have been more reconciled to the death of ,elder ,barnes could his body have been laid in the grave in ,nauvoo or among the ,saints4 ,i have very peculiar feelings in the matter of receiving an honorable burial with my fathers4 ,the ancient ,saints were very particular about their burial places4 ,joseph1 before his death1 made his kindred promise to carry his bones to the land of ,canaan1 and they did so4 ,they embalmed his body and buried him with his fathers4 ,there is a blessing in such a privilege which many do not comprehend2 still it is true that in the resurrection the ,saints will all rise to meet the ,lord and they will all be brought together though their bodies be scattered on the face of the whole earth4 #agd ,i wish the ,saints to be comforted by the thought of the victory they will gain through the resurrection4 ,the thought is sufficient to encourage the ,saints to overcome obstacles in the midst of their trial1 trouble1 and tribulation4 ,though the thunders roar and the earthquakes roar or bellow2 though lightnings flash and war be on every hand1 suffer not a joint to tremble nor let your hearts faint for the great ,eloheim will deliver you4 ,if you are not delivered before the resurrection1 you will be set free by it from all those things and from pain1 sorrow1 and death4 ,i have labored hard and endeavored in every way to prepare this people to comprehend the things which ,god is unfolding to me4 ,he hath given me a vision of the resurrection of the dead and ,i saw the graves open1 and the ,saints1 as they rose1 took each other by the hand and great joy and glory rested upon them4 ,on the #aith of that month ,elder ,woodruff with ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,william ,smith were appointed to missions in the ,east for the purpose of holding conferences and gathering funds for the completion of the ,temple4 ,others were appointed to missions in ,england1 and ,addison ,pratt1 with three others1 was called to carry the gospel to the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,may #adth a meeting was held in ,lima where the ,prophet addressed those present1 among whom was ,elder ,woodruff4 ,he records in his journal the following from the discourse of the ,prophet3 ,it is not wisdom that we should have all knowledge presented to us at once1 but a little at a time that we may comprehend it4 ,the principle of knowledge is the principle of salvation4 ,any one who will not receive knowledge to be saved will be damned4 ,the principle of salvation is given to us through the knowledge of ,jesus ,christ4 ,salvation is nothing more nor less than the triumph over all our enemies in this world and over all evil spirits in the world to come4 ,in the case of ,jesus ,christ ,he was to reign until ,he had put all enemies under ,his feet1 and the last enemy was death4 ,there is a principle here that few men have thought of4 ,no person can have this salvation except through a tabernacle4 ,in this world men are naturally selfish and ambitious4 ,they strive to excel1 yet some are willing to build up others as well as #age themselves4 ,in the other world there is a variety of spirits1 some of whom also seek to excel4 ,this was the case with the devil when he fell4 ,he was seeking things which were unlawful1 he was1 therefore1 cast down and it is said that he carried away many with him4 ,his punishment is great in that he is not permitted to have a tabernacle4 ,lucifer1 planning to overthrow the decree of ,god1 goeth up and down the earth seeking whom he may destroy4 ,any person who will yield to him1 he will bind and take into possession his body and reign therein and glorify himself1 forgetting that he has not a body of his own4 ,by and by some one comes along having divine authority and casts him out and restores the tabernacle to its rightful owner4 ,speaking upon the #aith verse1 first chapter of ,second ,peter which reads3 ,we have also a more sure word of prophecy3 whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto the light that shineth in a dark place1 until the day dawn of the day star arises in your hearts4 ,the ,prophet said3 ,there is a grand secret here and a key that unlocks4 ,notwithstanding the apostle exhorts them to add to their faith1 virtue1 knowledge1 temperance1 and so forth1 he still exhorts them to make their calling and election sure4 ,though they had heard the audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that ,jesus was the ,son of ,god1 yet they have a more sure prophecy4 ,wherein could they have a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of ,god saying1 ',this is my beloved ,son8' ,this would be no evidence that their calling and election were made sure1 that they do have a part with ,christ and be a joint heir with ,him4 ,they would need that more sure word of prophecy that they were sealed in the heavens1 and had the promise of eternal life in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,having this promise sealed unto them it was an anchor to their souls1 sure and steadfast4 ,this knowledge would support the soul in their hour of trial and tribulation4 ,knowledge through our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ is the grand key which unlocks the glorious mysteries of the ,kingdom4 ,compare this principle of knowledge with ,christendom at the present time1 and what becomes of their religion and piety4 ,christendom is crying out against prophets and apostles1 angels1 visions1 and revelations2 it is ripening for the damnation of hell1 for it rejects the most glorious principle of the gospel #agf of ,jesus ,christ2 it rejects and disdains the key which unlocks the ,heavens and puts into our possession the glories of the celestial world4 ,the men of ,christendom with all their professed ,godliness will be damned unless they repent and turn unto the ,lord4 ,i would exhort you1 then1 to call upon ,god until you make your calling and election sure by obtaining this more sure word of prophecy and wait patiently until you obtain it4 ,these words contained no element of compromise4 ,the language of the ,prophet could not be mistaken4 ,he was much less concerned about his personal liberty than about delivering the message which he had to give to the world4 ,whatever the ,prophet said was always of deep significance to the mind of ,elder ,woodruff1 and he recorded the private sayings of his leader with the same fidelity that he recorded his public discourses4 ,after the meeting where the discourse above mentioned was delivered1 he took supper with the ,prophet and others at the home of ,calvin ,beebe4 ,in this social pastime the ,prophet gave utterance to sentiments and ideas which he entertained4 ,the following quotations from the ,prophet find a place in ,elder ,woodruff's journal3 ,the way to get along in any important matter is to call to yourself wise men1 men of experience and age to give counsel in times of trouble4 ,handsome men are not usually wise and strong-minded4 ,the strength of a strong-minded man will create coarse features like the rough1 strong bough of the oak4 ,you may always discover in the first glance at a man1 in the outline of his features1 something of his mind4 ,excitement has almost become the essence of my life1 when it dies away ,i feel almost lost4 ,when a man is reigned up continually he becomes strong and gains knowledge and power2 but when he relaxes for a season he loses much of his power4 ,in all matters1 whether temporal or spiritual1 preaching the gospel or leading an army to battle1 victory almost entirely depends upon moderation and good discipline4 ,let no confusion seize your breast1 act firmly1 strike a heavy blow1 and conquer4 ,a man can bear a heavy burden by practice and by continuing to increase it4 ,the inhabitants of this continent were so constituted1 that #agg is1 were so determined and persevering in their righteousness or wickedness1 that ,god visited them immediately1 either with great judgment or blessings4 ,if the present generation receive any assistance from ,god1 they will have to obtain it by faith4 ,in the midst of his missionary activities1 ,apostle ,woodruff began the construction of a new home4 ,during all the years of his labor in the ,church he had been without a home of his own4 ,his unselfish devotion to the work of the ,church and the circumstances with which he was surrounded led his brethren to encourage him in the erection of a house for his family4 ,he took up the work with the same heart-felt enthusiasm that he gave to every undertaking4 ,the home1 when finished1 was1 for those days1 modest and respectable4 ,it stands to-day in ,nauvoo with the homes of other leading brethren of those times in a fairly good state of preservation4 ,on the #bgth of ,may1 he says1 the ,twelve and the ,first ,presidency met to try ,benjamin ,winchester for slandering the ,saints in ,philadelphia and for rejecting the counsel of the ,lord given through ,his servants4 ,his license to preach was taken away and he was required to repent or lose his standing in the ,church4 ,speaking of this circumstance the subject of this biography says1 ,hyrum pled for mercy2 ,joseph1 for right2 and the ,twelve decided according to the testimony4 ,during the trial1 the ,prophet gave the following instructions3 ,in all your counsels1 especially where you have cases to try1 observe the spirit relating to the subject1 and discern the spirit by which either party is governed4 ,the council should not be imposed upon by any unruly conduct4 ,the ,saints need not think because ,i am familiar and cheerful with them that ,i am ignorant of what is going on4 ,iniquity of any kind cannot be retained in the ,church and it will not fare well where ,i am2 for ,i am determined that while ,i lead the ,church to lead it aright4 ,before taking their departure on their missions to gather funds for the erection of the ,temple1 they each gave a bond in the sum of two thousand dollars for the faithful performance of their duties in making a strict return to the trustee-in-trust of all funds collected by them4 ,there had been much false accusation #agh and comment about the use of funds contributed for the erection of the ,temple4 ,these funds not only placed the ,twelve under financial obligations1 but did what was of perhaps more consequence1 gave assurance to those who made contributions that their money would be strictly accounted for4 ,the bond given by ,elder ,woodruff was signed by ,aaron ,johnson as bondsman4 ,to all the ,saints and honorable men of the earth greeting3 ,dear ,brethren and ,friends1-- ,i1 ,joseph ,smith1 a servant of the ,lord and ,trustee-in-,trust for the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 do hereby certify that the bearer hereof1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 an elder and one of the ,twelve ,apostles of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 has deposited with me his bond and security to my full satisfaction according to the resolution of the conference held in this city on the #fth day of ,april1 #ahdc4 ,he1 therefore1 is recommended to all ,saints and honorable people as legal agent to collect funds for the purpose of building the ,nauvoo ,house and ,temple of the ,lord4 ,confident that he will honor this high trust as well as ardently fulfill his commission as a messenger of peace and salvation as one of the ,lord's noble men1 ,i can fervently say1 may the ,lord clear his way before him and bless him and bless those that obey his teachings wherever there are ears to hear and hearts to feel4 ,he is1 in the language of the ,hebrews1 ',the friend of ,israel1' and worthy to be received and entertained as a man of ,god4 ,yea he has 7as had the ancient apostles7 the good word that leadeth unto ,eternal ,life4 ,wherefore1 brethren and friends1 while you hear the assurance of the integrity1 fidelity1 and ability of this servant of the living ,god ,i trust that your hearts and energies will be enlivened and deeply engaged in the building of these houses directed by revelation for the salvation of all ,saints and that you will not rest where you are until all things are prepared before you and you are gathered home with the rest of ,israel to meet your ,god4 ,i feel strong in the belief and have a growing expectation that you will not withhold any means in your power that can be used to accomplish this glorious work4 #agi ,finally1 as one that greatly desires the salvation of man1 let me remind you all to strive with a ,godly zeal for virtue1 holiness1 and the commandments of the ,lord4 ,be wise1 be just1 be liberal1 and above all be charitable1 ever abounding in all good works1 and may health1 peace1 and the love of ,god our ,father and the grace of ,jesus ,christ be and abide with you all is the sincere prayer of ,your devoted ,brother and ,friend in the ,everlasting ,gospel1 ,,joseph ,,smith4 ,city of ,nauvoo ,june #ast1 #ahdc4 ,on the #aath of ,june there was a meeting of the ,saints in the ,temple wherein the ,prophet addressed those present upon various subjects such as baptism for the dead1 spirits in prison1 different degrees of glory1 and the ,godhead4 ,the ,temple ordinances were occupying the ,prophet's mind and he was urging strenuously the completion of the ,temple4 ,to its sacred ordinances he attached the highest importance1 and1 indeed1 he declared them necessary to a fulness of the glory of ,god4 ,he began by reading the words of ,jesus3 ,o6 ,jerusalem1 ,jerusalem1 how oft would ,i have gathered thy children together1 even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings1 and ye would not4 ,the main purpose in gathering the people of ,god was to build unto the ,lord a house wherein ,he could reveal to them the ordinances and glories of ,his ,kingdom4 ,there are certain ordinances and principles which were taught and practiced which must be done in a temple of the ,lord built for that purpose4 ,this was ordained in the mind of ,god before the world was and through this purpose the ,lord designed the gathering of the ,jews1 but they rebelled against ,him4 ,for the same reason the ,lord gathers ,his ,saints in the last days4 ,one of the ordinances of the ,house of the ,lord is baptism for the dead4 ,god decreed before the foundation of the world that this ordinance should be administered in a house prepared for that purpose4 ,if a man obtains the fullness of the gospel1 he must do as ,jesus did by keeping all the ordinances of the ,house of the ,lord4 ,men will say1 ',i will never forsake you but will stand by you at all times1' yet the moment you teach them some of the #ahj mysteries retained in the heavens to be revealed in the last days they are ready to stone you and put you to death4 ,it was the same spirit which crucified our ,savior4 ,the doctrine of baptism for the dead is clearly shown in the ,new ,testament1 and if the doctrine is not good then throw away the book2 but if it is the ,word of the ,lord1 let the doctrine be acknowledged as coming from ,him4 ,in regard to the spirits in prison much has been said1 especially regarding the words of the ,savior to the thief on the cross3 ',to-day thou shalt be with ,me in paradise4' ,the translators and commentators make ,jesus say1 'paradise4' ,this is a modern word and does not answer at all to the original which ,jesus used4 ,there is nothing in the original of any language signifying 'paradise4' ,it should be1 ',to-day thou shalt be with ,me in the spirit world4' ,he did not say 'paradise or heaven4' ,much has been said about the word 'hell4' ,but what is hell8 ,it is another modern term4 ,it is taken from ,hades1 the ,greek1 or ,sheol1 the ,hebrew1 and its true meaning is 'world of spirits4' ,the words ',hades1' ',sheol1' 'paradise1' and 'spirits in prison1' are used in the ,scripture as one word4 ,the righteous and the wicked all go to the same world of spirits4 ',i believe1' says one1 'in one heaven and one hell4 ,all are equally happy or equally miserable4' ,yet ,paul speaks of three glories3 'celestial1 terrestial1 telestial2' and the ,savior says that in ,his ,father's house there are 'many mansions4' ,paul says he knew a man caught up to the 'third heaven4' ,the world believes that the ,godhead physically is all embodied in the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 but this is not true4 ,peter and ,stephen say that ,jesus sat on the right hand of ,god1 and any person who has seen the heavens opened knows that there are three personages in the heavens holding the keys of power4 ,as the ,father hath power in ,himself so also hath the ,son power in ,himself4 ,then the ,father has at some time laid down ,his body and taken it again3 so ,he has a body of ,his own1 so also has the ,son4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is the spirit of prophecy1 and if a man claimed to have that testimony and yet denied the spirit and principle of revelation and prophets1 he is damned by his own mouth4 ',a man may be happy in the belief that ,jesus ,christ is ,god1 and yet not obey ,his commandments4 ,a man of ,god should #aha be endowed with wisdom1 knowledge1 and understanding in order to teach and lead the people4 ,the blind may lead the blind and both fall in the ditch together4 ,i will ask this assembly and all the ,saints if they will build this house and receive the ordinances and blessings which the ,lord has in store for them1 or will they not1 but let ,him pass by and bestow ,his blessings upon another8 ,passing from the mysteries and glories of the ,godhead1 ,elder ,woodruff makes record of his work upon a plot of prairie land which he was bringing under cultivation4 ,in all of his thoughts and labors1 whether secular or spiritual1 he sustained the same lofty inspiration4 ,when he preached1 he preached in the name of the ,lord1 when he plowed1 he plowed for the glory of ,god's ,kingdom4 ,all that he said and all that he did was to him but a united whole in the dispensation of ,god's purposes4 ,life to him1 in its highest and best sense1 was the fulfillment of the ,divine will4 ,wherever he was1 whatever he was doing1 he was thinking of his ,maker with whom he worked1 walked1 and talked in this life4 ,it was all glorious1 it was all a part of ,god's decree4 ,work of the hands was with him a great privilege and he never let an opportunity pass by to exercise his body1 and he rejoiced in the opportunity to earn his bread by the sweat of his brow4 ,how could he think of work as a drudgery1 how others could look upon it as such was incomprehensible to him4 ,being always ready to put his hand to the plow1 he found many opportunities in the course of a long life to gratify his passion for work4 ,the joy and peace of toil on his prairie farm were not left long uninterrupted4 ,the ,saints were constantly disturbed by the never ceasing demands made by the ,governor of ,missouri for the body of the ,prophet4 ,the chief executive of that state made another call on the ,governor of ,illinois to deliver ,joseph to the state of ,missouri4 ,the ,prophet was twenty miles away from home when information reached him4 ,on ,sunday1 ,june #beth1 ,hyrum ,smith came into a meeting and requested the ,masonic ,fraternity there to meet him in the lodge room within half an hour4 ,it was an occasion of great excitement4 ,when the members of the lodge convened1 the people1 who were full of anxiety1 also gathered4 ,not a fourth of them could secure entrance to the house4 ,they thereupon formed in a #ahb hollow square upon the green and ,hyrum conveyed to them the information that ,joseph had already been arrested with drawn pistols1 by ,wilson of ,carthage and ,reynolds of ,missouri4 ,stephen ,markham went courageously to the ,prophet's assistance and threatened to knock their pistols down1 but they pointed their pistols at the ,prophet and threatened if he did so to kill the ,prophet and he therefore desisted4 ,they took ,joseph to ,carthage and then started for ,missouri4 ,they had gone about ten miles1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 when they were stopped by citizens in the country who swore they should not take ,joseph ,smith any farther without giving him a hearing before the law4 ,writ of habeas corpus was taken out in behalf of ,joseph and against sheriffs ,reynolds and ,wilson4 ,a company was then called for to go to the ,prophet and to see that he had his rights4 ,hyrum called for volunteers and the whole city spoke together in response4 ,a choice was then made of about a hundred mounted men under the command of ,generals ,law and ,charles ,c4 ,rich4 ,besides the mounted men about one hundred went down the river by steam-boat1 ,the ,maid of ,iowa4 ,five days later at one p4 m41 the citizens of ,nauvoo went out in great numbers on horseback1 on foot1 and in carriages to meet the ,prophet4 ,the whole scene was a demonstration of great joy4 ,he was escorted home by a band of music and by the great multitude that had gone out to meet him4 ,reynolds of ,missouri1 and ,wilson of ,carthage1 who had taken him by force of arms1 were brought to ,nauvoo with him4 ,they looked as though they had the ague4 ,the ,prophet1 however1 heaped upon their heads coals of fire by reason of the great kindness he showed them4 ,they had treated him inhumanely1 and in return they were taken to the ,prophet's home1 seated at the head of the table and treated to the best his home afforded4 ,joseph's wife1 who had been denied by these men the privilege of seeing her husband after his arrest1 treated them with the utmost kindness4 ,after dinner they repaired to the court room where ,joseph was delivered to the municipal court for trial4 ,before he went into the court he mounted a wagon and spoke to the assembled multitude4 ',i am out of the hands of the ,missourians1 thank ,god6' ,he thanked the people for their kindness and love to him4 ,he said he would address them at four p4 m4 in the grove near the ,temple4 ,at that hour #ahc nearly seven thousand people assembled full of joyful anticipation in the thought of hearing the words that should fall from their ,prophet's lips4 ,these were1 indeed1 exciting times2 the depths of the human soul were reached by the constant recurrences of the joys and sorrows of those times4 ,anxiety1 however1 rested upon the ,saints4 ,they could feel the increasing spirit of opposition2 its murderous intent was more fully revealed to them as time went on4 ,their joys were constantly broken by the sorrows that were ever increasing and the dangers that constantly threatened their peace of mind4 ,they felt the approach of a coming storm that might do irreparable harm to their peace of mind as well as to their physical well being4 ,the hearts of the more faithful men were saddened by both the growing demands and the increasing power of the enemy4 ,the thought that the evil one was gaining power over them saddened their lives1 and their only support and courage came from the assurance they had in the ultimate triumph of ,god's purposes4 ,the lessons of their sadness and the admonition that comes to us through the gloom of those days have been our gain4 ,assurance of ,god's deliverance in the past has always been helpful to men and women in the support of their faith2 what a tender and loving ,god in the consummation of ,his purposes had once done1 ,he would do again4 ,in all those trials there was greater buoyancy in the life of the ,prophet whose death was sought by his enemies than in the lives of any other men of those times4 ,he was their leader1 the hope and assurance of his words inspired others with confidence in his leadership4 ,he was their guiding star1 and while his life lasted1 its brilliancy eclipsed the lights of all those about him4 ,they knew that he was not a fallen ,prophet4 ,there was no tremor in his voice2 he never faltered by the way-side4 ,he stood up in the midst of his high and holy calling and rebuked sin and sinners4 ,it was a marvelous life1 every detail of which grows in importance as time goes on1 and the greatness of the ,church affords the highest guarantee of the fulfillment of the glorious predictions he made concerning it--thanks to the pen of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,it gives us deeper and better insight not only into the spirit of those times but into the life of the man1 who1 as days go on1 is becoming more and more a glorification of the age in which he lived4 #ahd ,,chapter #ah4 ,,mission ,,to ,,the ,,east1 #ahdc4 ,address of the ,prophet on ,constitutional ,rights4--,orson ,hyde's ,call to ,russia4--,prophet ,explains ,his ,position with ,respect to ,missouri4--,origin of ,nauvoo ,legion4--,political ,explanation4--,departure of the ,twelve for the ,east4--,brigham ,young's ,fidelity4--,phrenological ,chart by ,o4 ,s4 ,fowler4--,return of the ,twelve to ,nauvoo4--,w4 ,w4 ,sealed to ,wife4--,adultery4--,governor of ,missouri ,again ,issues ,requisition for ,prophet4--,endowments4 ,the people of ,nauvoo during these exciting times were greatly agitated over the safety of their ,prophet and leader4 ,in keeping with his promise1 ,joseph ,smith addressed the assembled multitude who anxiously awaited the words which were to fall from his lips4 ,there were no stenographic reporters then1 and ,wilford ,woodruff's account of what was said is without doubt the fullest and most accurate statement on record4 ,the following is taken from his journal1 wherein he recorded the words of the prophet3 ,i meet you with a heart full of gratitude to ,almighty ,god1 and you doubtless feel as ,i do4 ,i hardly know how to express my feelings4 ,i feel as strong as a giant4 ,i pulled sticks with the men coming along1 and with one hand ,i pulled up the strongest man on the road1 and two could not pull me up4 ,i continued to pull till ,i pulled them to ,nauvoo4 ,notwithstanding the excitement1 ,i feel cool and dispassionate through it all4 ,thank ,god ,i am now in the hands of those who preside over the municipal court1 not in the hands of the ,missourians4 ,relative to our right of habeas corpus we have full power4 ,if there is not power in our charter and courts1 then there is none in the state of ,illinois1 nor in ,congress1 nor in the constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,congress gave to ,illinois her constitution1 and ,illinois has given to ,nauvoo the charter which protects us in our vested rights4 ,i want you to learn1 ,o ,israel6 what is for the happiness and peace of this city and its people4 ,our enemies are determined to oppress us and deprive us of our rights and privileges as they have done in the past4 ,if the authorities on earth will not give us that protection which the laws and the constitution of the ,united #ahe ,states and of this state guarantee1 then we will appeal to a higher power1 to heaven1 to ,god ,almighty1 for our constitutional rights4 ,the ,lord1 in my past troubles has raised up friends to me1 though they were strangers1 and they would have lost their lives to deliver me from my enemies and to protect my rights in this state4 ,i have told them to do no violence for ,i should be delivered by the power of ,god4 ,i have brought the men who arrested me to ,nauvoo1 and ,i have treated them kindly4 ,i have had the privilege of rewarding them1 good for evil4 ,they took me unlawfully1 treated me rigorously1 strove to deprive me of my right and would have carried me into ,missouri to be murdered had not ,providence interposed4 ,now they are in my hands4 ,i took them into my home1 set them at the head of the table1 and placed before them the best that my home afforded4 ,they were waited upon by my wife whom they deprived of seeing me when ,i was taken4 ,there is a time1 however1 when forbearance ceases and when suffering longer without resistance is a sin4 ,i shall not bear it any longer1 ,i will spill the last drop of blood ,i have rather than endure it2 and all who feel that they will not bear it any longer say1 ',aye4' ,the vast assembly shouted1 ',aye4' ,whatever may be your feeling about the heavy hand of oppression ,i wish you to restrain yourself from violence against those men who have arrested me4 ,my word is at stake1 a hair of their heads shall not be harmed4 ,my life is pledged to carry out this great work1 ,i know you are ever ready to do right1 you have done great things and you have manifested your love for me in rushing to my assistance on this occasion1 and ,i bless you in the name of the ,lord4 ,i know the ,almighty will bless all good men1 and may you not have to suffer as ,i have suffered heretofore4 ,however1 ,i shall restrain you no longer1 from this time forth4 ,if occasion require ,i will lead you to battle1 if you are not afraid to die and to spill your blood in your own defense you will not offend me4 ,be not the aggressor4 ,bear until they strike you on one cheek and then offer the other4 ,they will be sure to strike that also2 then defend yourself and ,god will bear you off victorious4 ,if ,i am under the necessity of giving up our chartered rights1 privileges1 and freedom for which our fathers fought and bled1 and which the constitution #ahf of the ,united ,states as well as this state grants to us1 ,i will do it at the point of the bayonet and sword4 ,many lawyers contend for that which is against the rights of men1 and ,i can only excuse them because of their ignorance4 ,go forth1 ,o ye lawyers6 and advocate the rights of the people1 for we shall rise up ,washington-like and break off the fetters which bind us and we shall not be mobbed4 ,after discussing at some length the charter of ,nauvoo and the writ of habeas corpus1 he gave an interesting account of his recent arrest and of the return to ,nauvoo4 ,he explained that he had prophesied to his wife the day before his presence in the neighborhood1 where the people befriended him1 that they were a good people1 and that he knew it by the spirit of ,god4 ,when ,mr4 ,cyrus ,walker1 an attorney1 came to me1 those who had arrested me said that ,i should speak to no man and they would shoot any man who spoke to me4 ,an old man came up and said that ,i should have counsel and told them he was not afraid of their pistols4 ,my freedom began from that time4 ,speaking of the law1 the ,prophet said3 ,almighty ,god has taught me the true principle of law and the true meaning of the writ of habeas corpus4 ,it is to protect the innocent and to prevent innocent men from being dragged into other states and from being punished by the avowed enemy4 ,it did my soul good to witness the manifestation of your feelings and love toward me4 ,i thank ,god ,i have the honor to lead so virtuous and honest a people1 to be your law-giver as ,moses was to the children of ,israel4 ,hosanna6 ,hosanna6 ,hosanna6 to the most high ,god6 ,i commend you to ,his grace and may the blessings of ,heaven rest upon you1 ,i ask it in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 ,july #ast the trial of the ,prophet came off4 ,there were present ,brigham ,young1 ,hyrum ,smith1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,lyman ,wight1 and ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,they were all called as witnesses and duly sworn4 ,they recounted the history of the ,missouri persecutions from the time they were driven from ,jackson ,county until their expulsion from ,far ,west by force of arms4 ,the recital of these scenes1 says ,president ,woodruff1 caused my blood to boil and the spirit of war was awakened in me1 even the ,gentile #ahg lawyers were shocked1 and in their speeches counseled the people to stand by their rights whatever the issue might be4 ,the ,fourth of ,july was at hand and great preparations had been made for its celebration4 ,about fifteen thousand people assembled in the grove4 ,orson ,hyde addressed the vast multitude4 ,he had lately returned from ,palestine1 and was then under appointment to carry the gospel to ,saint ,petersburg1 ,russia4 ,in the afternoon the multitude of ,saints was greatly augmented by three steamboat loads of visiting ladies and gentlemen from ,st4 ,louis1 ,quincy1 and ,burlington4 ,as the visitors arrived they were escorted to the stand by the ,nauvoo band1 and their presence welcomed by the firing of cannon4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt spoke at some length1 and was followed by the ,prophet ,joseph1 who took this occasion to speak of himself4 ,elder ,woodruff quotes him as follows3 ,if the people will give ear a moment1 ,i will address a few words in my own defense4 ,in the first place ,i will state to those who can hear me that ,i never spent more than six months in ,missouri except the time ,i was in prison4 ,while at ,liberty1 ,missouri1 ,i was at work for the support of my family4 ,i never was a prisoner of war during my stay there1 for ,i had not made war4 ,i never took a gun1 nor a pistol1 nor a sword and what has been said by our enemies on that subject is false4 ,i have always been willing to go to any governor1 judge1 or tribunal where justice could be had and have the matter investigated4 ,i could not have committed treason as ,i had no control of affairs except in spiritual matters4 ,i was driven from ,missouri by force of arms under the exterminating order of ,governor ,boggs4 ,i have always been a peaceable citizen1 yet there is scarcely a crime that can be committed that is not laid at the door of ,joseph ,smith4 ,i have been dragged before the courts time and again on charges that were false and every time ,i have been acquitted4 ,as often as ,god sees fit for me to suffer ,i am ready1 but ,i am as innocent of those crimes imputed as the angels in heaven4 ,i am not an enemy to mankind1 neither am ,i an enemy to ,missouri1 its governor1 nor its people4 ,as for the military station ,i hold and the reasons for holding it ,i have this to say3 ,when we came here the state required us to bear arms and to do military duty4 ,as the ,church had just #ahh been driven from ,missouri and our people had been robbed of their property and their arms had been taken from them1 they1 therefore1 had no arms with which to do duty1 yet they were liable to a fine if they did not respond to the orders of the state in the matter of military service even though they had no arms4 ,i advised them to organize into independent companies and to ask the state for arms4 ,this they did4 ,there were1 however1 many elders who had license to preach4 ,they are exonerated by the law from military duties4 ,the officers1 however1 would not release them on those grounds4 ,i then told the ,saints that although ,i was free from military duty by law in consequence of a lameness in one of my legs ,i would set them an example and do military duty myself4 ,they wanted me for their leader4 ,from these circumstances and conditions the ,nauvoo ,legion came into existence and ,i was made ,lieutenant ,general4 ,it was not because ,i was seeking for power4 ,there are those who say we all vote together and that our people vote as ,i say1 but ,i never tell any man how to vote nor whom to vote for4 ,let me make a comparison4 ,suppose there were a ,methodist society here1 and that outside of that society there were two candidates running for office4 ,one of them says3 ',if you will elect me to the gubernatorial chair ,i will take away the charter of your city and exterminate the ,methodists4' ,the other says3 ',if ,i am elected all men shall be equal before the law1 and ,i will discriminate against no man or society4' ,now whom would the ,methodists vote for8 ,certainly not for the man who was their bitter enemy and who would not protect them in their rights4 ,it has been so with us4 ,joseph ,duncan said if the people would elect him he would exterminate the ,mormons1 take away their charter4 ,mr4 ,ford made no such threats1 but manifested a disposition to give every man his rights4 ,the people1 therefore1 voted for him and he was elected governor4 ,however1 he has issued writs against me twice at the demands of the ,missourians2 this has caused me much trouble and expense4 ,during these remarks much prejudice was removed4 ,there was present a vast multitude of about fifteen thousand people1 many of whom were not members of the ,church4 ,they gave the strictest attention and were edified by what they saw and heard4 #ahi ,on the morning of ,july #gth1 #ahdc1 ,wilford ,woodruff rose early1 blessed his wife and daughter1 ,phoebe1 and in company with ,brigham ,young and ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith1 started on a mission to the ,east to strengthen the branches of the ,church there and gather funds for the ,temple and the ,nauvoo ,house4 ,they left ,morrison's landing on the steamer ,rapid and arrived in ,st4 ,louis the next day4 ,here ,elder ,woodruff purchased supplies for the ,times and ,seasons and shipped them to ,nauvoo4 ,the day following the missionary party boarded the steamer ,lancet and went up the ,ohio to ,cincinnati1 where they landed on the #acth1 their sixth day from ,nauvoo4 ,enroute they obtained a view of the tomb of ,president ,harrison4 ,on the night of their arrival in ,cincinnati1 ,elder ,woodruff dreamed that ,joseph would again be arrested and tried in ,illinois1 and the same night ,brigham ,young dreamed that the ,twelve were called home4 ,these dreams were the preparation for coming events which cast their shadows before4 ,the hearts of those brave men and devoted missionaries were receiving a preparation for the troublous times that were to come4 ,in ,cincinnati ,elder ,woodruff made further purchases for the ,times and ,seasons4 ,from that city they went on to ,pittsburg1 ,pennsylvania1 with the steamer ,adelaide4 ,they reached the place at six p4 m4 and immediately repaired to the ,temperance ,hall1 where a meeting of the ,saints was convened4 ,here they met ,elders ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,john ,e4 ,page4 ,the last named was preaching as they entered the hall2 and1 contrary to the counsel of the ,prophet1 ,elder ,page was making war upon sects of the day4 ,next day the ,twelve held a council1 in which ,john ,e4 ,page was severely reproved by ,president ,young for disorganizing a branch in ,cincinnati which three of the ,twelve had just before that time organized1 and for disobeying the ,prophet's counsel in the matter of preaching against religious denominations4 ,these acts of disobedience to the counsels of his file-leaders had1 no doubt1 something to do with his apostasy later on4 ,elder ,woodruff never forgets to put in his journal the historical items of general interest and speaks of ,pittsburg as a city which at that time numbered about thirty-five thousand inhabitants4 ,the city had ninety-five churches1 one hundred and twenty #aij preachers1 and twenty-one denominations4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints numbered there at that time seventy-five souls4 ,on ,sunday1 the #cjth1 six of the ,twelve ,apostles met in conference with the ,saints in ,temperance ,hall4 ,they held three meetings and imparted many valuable instructions to the ,saints and visitors in attendance4 ,elder ,woodruff took minutes of the meeting and noted especially the teachings of ,president ,young1 as he attached most importance to the words of the man standing highest in authority when giving an account of what was said on any occasion4 ,president ,young on this occasion bore a strong testimony to the divinity of the work and to the mission of the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,who1 he said1 is the author of this work8 ,god is its author1 ,joseph ,smith being the instrument in the hands of ,god4 ,he is the greatest man on earth4 ,no other man of this age has power to gather such a great people from all the nations of the earth and with all their peculiar dispositions cement them together4 ,this the ,prophet is doing by the power of ,god1 as the ,saints are led by the ,holy ,spirit in their own hearts4 ,july the #cjth the members of the ,twelve made a tour of the city4 ,they visited the glass-works1 the water-works1 and other places of note and interest4 ,speaking of the water-works1 ,elder ,woodruff says3 ,descending the hill we had a view of the city water-works4 ,the building was patterned after ,roman architecture4 ,the works cost two hundred thousand dollars4 ,the building was designed by ,elder ,charles ,beck1 who was a member of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,elder ,beck was present at the visit of the ,twelve to ,pittsburg and showed them every courtesy4 ,he further paid the railroad fare of the six members to ,baltimore4 ,from there they proceeded to ,philadelphia1 where they arrived ,august #eth4 ,the following day 7,sunday7 they met about three hundred ,saints in conference4 ,elder ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant was also present and opened the conference by prayer4 ,president ,young1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith occupied the principal part of the time in both of the meetings1 afternoon and evening4 ,in the forenoon ,elder ,woodruff accompanied ,president ,young and others to hear the ,reverend ,mr4 ,litz1 the ,millerite preacher4 ,the reverend gentleman strongly contended that the ,jews would never be restored to the land of ,palestine or be gathered together4 #aia ,on the #hth the ,twelve took a steamboat excursion1 and while thus riding for their enjoyment1 a number of subjects came up for discussion4 ,among others the question3 ,is the prosperity of any religious denomination a positive evidence of the truth of its contention8 ,john ,e4 ,page took the affirmative1 and ,elder ,j4,m4 ,grant the negative4 ,president ,young1 who was chairman1 decided in favor of the negative4 ,during the stay of the ,twelve in this historic city1 ,elder ,woodruff was very active in visiting the ,saints1 strengthening them in their faith and laying before them the purpose of their mission4 ,at intervals in his labors he occupied himself in gathering a great variety of useful information within his reach4 ,his journal is1 indeed1 an interesting history of the places visited by him in those early days4 ,he speaks of the visit of himself1 ,elders ,young1 ,pratt1 ,smoot1 and ,hessy to the state house1 also of his visit to ,independence ,hall4 ,we saw1 he remarks1 the room where the patriots signed the ,declaration of ,independence4 ,we sat in the chair occupied by ,john ,hancock when he signed that immortal instrument4 ,on the #adth1 ,elders ,orson ,pratt1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,william ,muir parted with the ,saints in ,philadelphia and went by steamer to ,schuylkill1 then walked six miles to a ,mr4 ,mosley's1 where they preached in the evening4 ,for several days ,elder ,woodruff traveled and preached in various neighborhoods of that vicinity4 ,he visited the scene of the ,battle of ,brandywine4 ,on the #bast the party returned to ,philadelphia1 where they learned that the other apostles had gone on to ,new ,york4 ,they remained two days1 then followed their companions4 ,in ,new ,york they held a conference on ,august #bfth and #bgth4 ,at this conference many questions which are well understood doctrines of the ,church were commented upon in such a manner as to show that they were not plain to the missionaries of those early days1 a fact1 no doubt1 due to the traditions and religious teachings which men of those times brought with them into the ,church4 ,among other things1 the question was asked whether a man could be deprived of his priesthood and still retain his standing in the ,church4 ,president ,young answered decidedly1 ,no4 ,on the #bith of that month ,elder ,woodruff went to ,boston #aib with ,elders ,davis and ,wandell4 ,this afforded him an opportunity to visit his father and family in his old home at ,farmington1 ,connecticut4 ,on the #ith of ,september1 after reaching ,boston1 he1 with six other members of the ,twelve2 namely1 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,john ,e4 ,page1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith1 held conference in ,boylston ,hall4 ,from his notes the following is taken3 ,president ,young said3 ',the spirit of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 is a gathering spirit1 and its tendency is to gather the virtuous and good1 the honest and meek of the earth1 in other words the ,saints of ,god4 ,now is the set time for the ,lord to redeem ,israel4 ,he does not require every soul to leave his home as soon as he believes1 but requires him to hearken to counsel and follow the counsel which the ,lord points out to him4 ,you say the ,lord may save us as well where we are4 ,yes1 if the ,lord says so1 but when ,he commands us to gather and we do not do it1 ,he will not save us4 ,you might have been baptized seventy times in any other way than that ordained of ,god and you would not have received the ,holy ,ghost4 ,can you get an endowment in ,boston8 ,no1 only in that place which ,god has appointed4 ,if you do not help to build the ,temple and the ,nauvoo ,house1 if you do not help to build up ,zion and the cause of ,god1 you will not inherit the land of ,zion4 ,be faithful or you will not be chosen2 for the day of choosing is at the door4 ,why be afraid of sacrifice8 ,i have given my all many times and would be willing to do so again4 ,i would be glad to hear the ,lord say to ,his servant ,joseph1 ,let my servant ,brigham give all he has4 ,i would obey in a moment if it took the last coat from my back4' ,from a discourse of ,heber ,c4 ,kimball the following is taken3 ,we do not profess to be polished stones like some of the elders4 ,the more we roll through the forests and get the corners knocked off the better we are4 ,if we were polished and smooth it would deface us to have the surface chipped off4 ,this is the case with ,joseph ,smith1 he never professed to be smooth and polished4 ,rolling around among the rocks has not hurt him at all1 but in the end he will be as polished as any stone1 while many who were so very polished in the beginning will become badly defaced4 ,do the ,saints of ,boston know1 said ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 that they are identified in laying the foundation of so great and mighty #aic a work that it will include all the great and glorious purposes of ,god which are to be fulfilled in the dispensation of the fullness of times8 ,millions will yet celebrate the day when the foundation of this work was laid4 ,the ,twelve little dreamed that when they would meet again in ,boston it would be on the sad #bgth day of ,june1 when the ,prophet and the ,patriarch would be called upon to lay down their lives at the hands of a murderous mob4 ,on the #abth ,elder ,woodruff left for ,portland1 ,maine4 ,the express train conveying him to his destination was thrown from the track4 ,the engineer was killed and a lady passenger bruised2 all the rest escaped in a marvelous manner4 ,from ,maine ,elder ,woodruff wrote an account of the wreck to the ,boston ,bee as well as to the ,times and ,seasons in ,nauvoo4 ,he occupied some several days in visiting his wife's father1 ,ezra ,carter1 and the family of ,arthur and ,lucy ,milliken1 the latter being the youngest sister of the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,after his visit he returned to ,boston1 where he again joined the members of this quorum4 ,while there he and several members of the ,twelve were examined phrenologically by the noted ,professor ,o4 ,s4 ,fowler4 ,from his chart we take the following character delineation of ,president ,woodruff3 ,,phrenological ,,chart4 ,wilford ,woodruff3 ,is a man of great action1 both physical and mental2 does up things in a hurry2 lets nothing sleep in his hands2 great resolution2 steamboat speed2 loves his liberty2 is not disposed to be subject to the will or dictation of others2 has great independence2 difficulties only stimulate him to increased action2 goes in for the largest liberty of the mass and is a democrat of the old school2 prefers utility to beauty and substance to show2 highly social and fond of family and friends2 has but few secrets of his own and tells the plain1 unvarnished facts2 fears but little danger2 is not irresolute1 but decides and proceeds at once to action2 his first thoughts are always his best2 he does his own religious thinking and does not hang his hopes upon the faith of others4 ,he believes but little without proof2 is a two edged sword--if he does not cut one way1 does another4 ,he makes positive #aid friends or positive enemies--has much severity2 is sarcastic2 bitter in reproaches2 means to do right2 fears the force of moral obligations4 ,his jokes have more vinegar than molasses in them4 ,he recollects and explains facts well2 reasons by inference from the facts1 by analogy and induction2 has good talking talents1 and is noted for his clear illustrations4 ,boston1 ,september the #bjth1 #ahdc4 7,signed7 ,o4 ,s4 ,,fowler4 ,b4 ,j4 ,,gray1 ,secretary4 ,soon after this the ,twelve began their return to ,nauvoo4 ,they met in ,philadelphia1 and on the #eth of ,october continued their journey homeward4 ,the same day a large company of ,saints left by rail to gather with the ,saints in ,illinois4 ,on the #aith they crossed the ,alleghanies by means of an incline which hoisted the car1 passengers1 and freight from one elevator to another until the summit1 nearly fifteen hundred feet above1 was reached4 ,they were let down on the other side in the same manner4 ,in those days this was a novel contrivance1 and the mechanism employed not being so perfect as that of today was attended with many dangers4 ,the whole passage across the mountains was a constant scene of danger1 and ,i called upon ,god in my heart to preserve our lives4 ,even while on the level we were running on the edge of a precipice a hundred feet above the bottom of a chasm4 ,in conversation with a mate in the evening upon the subject of our passage across the mountains1 he said that we were not aware of one-half the dangers we had encountered4 ,at ,pittsburg ,elder ,woodruff took passage for ,st4 ,louis and thence up the river to ,nauvoo1 which he reached ,november #dth4 ,on the #gth he met in council with the ,twelve4 ,he was appointed to raise five hundred dollars for the purchase of paper upon which to print the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,on the #aath ,president ,hyrum ,smith sealed ,wilford ,woodruff and ,phoebe ,woodruff for time and eternity according to the patriarchal order of marriage which had previously been revealed to the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,about this time the ,prophet delivered a strong discourse on the sin of adultery and kindred crimes4 ,the discourse was the result of the action taken in the case of ,john ,c4 ,bennett1 who1 with #aie other prominent men1 had been adjudged guilty of adultery4 ,the ,saints were warned against such crimes4 ,the ,prophet thought that the example made of ,john ,c4 ,bennett and others was sufficient to show the fallacy of those who advocated or justified such a course4 ,he condemned adultery in unqualified terms and warned those present against its commission4 ,it was also about this time that ,general ,fryeson came to ,nauvoo and met with the ,prophet and ,twelve to arrange for a memorial to congress in behalf of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,affidavits on the ,missouri atrocities were given by ,hyrum ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 ,p4 ,p4 ,pratt1 ,lyman ,wight1 ,george ,w4 ,pitkin1 and ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,trouble was again fomented about this time by the ,missourians4 ,a messenger had just arrived from ,st4 ,louis informing the brethren that the governor of ,missouri had issued another requisition for the ,prophet4 ,joseph had just made a touching appeal to the ,green ,mountain boys of ,vermont1 his native state1 for assistance in obtaining redress for the wrongs heaped upon the ,saints in ,missouri4 ,the appeal was published in pamphlet form and sent to the authorities of the government in ,washington4 ,a few days later a man named ,elliot was arrested and proven guilty of kidnapping brethren and of threatening the life of the ,prophet4 ,notwithstanding the guilt of this man1 ,joseph forgave him1 and he subsequently left in peace4 ,a warrant was also issued for the arrest of ,colonel ,williams1 the leader of the kidnapping party4 ,he1 however1 gathered a mob and resisted the officers4 ,december #bnd on the ,sabbath morning ,p4 ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,orson ,spencer received their anointings2 and on ,december #bcrd they met in ,joseph ,smith's home1 where endowments were given to ,elder ,marley and wife1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,mrs4 ,lot1 ,fanny ,murray1 ,phoebe ,woodruff1 ,bathsheba ,smith1 ,sister ,orson ,spencer1 and ,sister ,phelps4 ,christmas day of #ahdc was spent by ,elder ,woodruff with his old-time friend1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot4 ,they paid a visit to the ,saints who had come from ,tennessee to ,nauvoo4 ,part of that day ,elder ,woodruff worked upon his house and discharged many duties of a home nature4 ,thus another year in his life was closed4 ,during #ahdc he had traveled in thirteen states over five thousand #aif miles1 held many meetings1 baptized a half dozen persons1 reported several sermons1 endured a severe sickness1 encountered dangers by rail and by water1 and closed an eventful year with feelings of gratitude1 and with the fullest recognition of ,god's tender mercies in his behalf4 #aig ,,chapter #ai ,,early ,,days ,,of #ahdd4 ,conduct of the ,laws and the ,marks4--,discourse on ,elijah by the ,prophet4--,the ,celestial ,law4--,prophet's ,candidacy for ,president of ,u4 ,s4--,exploring ,expedition to ,california ,planned4--,joseph1 ,mayor of ,nauvoo4--,hostility in ,carthage4--,mischief ,makers in ,nauvoo4--,the ,prophet ,talks on ,politics4 ,the year #ahdd1 a year pregnant with momentous events--events which history has magnified because of their importance to mankind in general and to the ,latter-day ,saints in particular1 was ushered in with a cold1 blustering snow storm4 ,characteristic of his busy life1 ,elder ,woodruff celebrated the day by plastering and whitewashing the printing office4 ,he was enthusiastic over his new-found occupation and gave his heart and hand to the work before him4 ,into the midst of the busy1 hopeful life of the ,saints1 there entered an element of uncertainty and of deep concern1 and whispered threats against the life of the ,prophet were circulated4 ,the false charges of the apostate element were growing in intensity4 ,as the outgrowth of these conditions in ,nauvoo at that time1 there was held on the #crd of ,january1 in ,joseph's store1 a court of inquiry4 ,the inquiry was directed to the conduct of ,william ,law1 ,wilson ,law1 and ,william ,marks4 ,of ,william ,law ,elder ,woodruff writes in his journal3 ,he professes to believe that ,joseph has instructed the police to kill him1 but the truth is that the ,laws have turned traitors and are breeding mischief which is intended to take the life of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,on the #eth of the month a second court was held relating to the same matter4 ,in contradistinction to the spirit of the ,laws there was an enthusiastic1 hopeful spirit which caused faithful men and women to look forward with fond anticipations to the completion of the ,temple4 ,work in the house of ,god was then taking hold upon the feelings of men and women who had had revealed to them the relation and duties they sustain to their progenitors as well as to their posterity4 ,the spirit of ,elijah was upon the elders of the ,church4 ,on ,january #bast1 ,elder ,woodruff records the fact that ,apostle #aih ,parley ,p4 ,pratt had just received second anointings and that he had been instructed by the ,prophet that it was his duty to have his wife sealed to him for eternity in order that his glory might be full4 ,elder ,woodruff records the following words from the prophet3 ,what shall ,i talk about today8 ,i discern that ,brother ,cahoon wishes me to speak upon the coming of ,elijah4 ,the ,bible says1 ',i will send you ,elijah before the great and terrible day of the ,lord shall come1 that he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the chidren and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest ,i come and smite the earth with a curse4' ,the word 'turned' should read 'point' or 'seal4' ,but1 what is the object of this important mission1 or how is it to be fulfilled8 ,the keys are to be delivered1 the spirit of ,elijah is to come1 the gospel is to be preached1 the ,saints of ,god are to be gathered1 ,zion is to be built up1 and the ,saints are to come forth as ,saviors on ,mount ,zion4 ,but how are they to come as ,saviors on ,mount ,zion8 ,by building temples1 erecting baptismal fonts and receiving in the temples all the ordinances1 sealings1 and anointings in behalf of our progenitors who are dead1 that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be with us exalted to thrones of glory4 ,i would to ,god that this ,temple were now completed1 that we might go forth and attend to these ordinances in their fullness6 ,i would advise all the ,saints to gather their living relatives to this place and be prepared against the day when the destroying angel shall go forth4 ,my only trouble now is that which concerns ourselves4 ,the ,saints may be divided1 broken up and scattered before we accomplish the work now in view4 ,there are so many fools in the world for the devil to act upon that it oftimes gives him the advantage4 ,any person who is exalted to the highest mansion must abide the celestial law and the whole law1 too1 but there has been much difficulty in getting understanding into the hearts of this generation4 ,even the ,saints are slow to understand4 ,how many will be able to abide the celestial law1 endure the trials1 and receive their exaltation ,i am unable to say4 ',many are called1 but few are chosen4' ,the ,temple was still incomplete4 ,the ,presidency and the ,twelve were urging the work upon it4 ,in order that the ,twelve might be prepared to administer in the ordinances of the house of ,god they were given their endowments and their wives sealed to #aii them for eternity4 ,elder ,woodruff gives the exact dates when certain members of the ,twelve received these ordinances4 ,he says1 in his journal1 ,there is at this time quite a revival throughout ,nauvoo and an inquiry after the things of ,god by all the quorums of the ,church generally4 ,there was a strange commingling of spirits in ,nauvoo at that time4 ,spirits of life and death were at war1 and the ,prophet's approaching end was made manifest to him in a dream which he related in his office to ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,willard ,richards1 and ,w4 ,w4 ,phelps4 ,the ,prophet clearly saw the coming storm of persecution which awaited him4 ,his release from opposition was represented by his power to pass through the air and be lifted up by the power of ,god above the earth4 ,furthermore this year was one for a presidential election4 ,the ,saints had been constantly ground between the political parties of those days4 ,whatever significance may be attached to the candidacy of ,joseph ,smith at that time for the presidency of the ,united ,states1 it has since been the subject of all sorts of speculation4 ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal1 says3 ,a congregation of the citizens met in the room over ,joseph's store to hear his views upon the affairs of government1 views which he had written and which were read by ,w4 ,w4 ,phelps4 ',i would not have permitted my name to be used by my friends as a candidate for the ,president of the ,united ,states if we could have enjoyed1 unmolested1 our religious and civil rights as ,american citizens--the rights which the constitution guarantees to all citizens1 but rights which have been denied us from the beginning4 ,i feel it my right and privilege to obtain what influence and power ,i can1 lawfully1 for the protection of injured innocence4' ,at the close of the meeting there was a unanimous vote passed to support ,joseph ,smith4 ,the ,prophet had reason to appreciate the rights and liberties of mankind1 of which he had been so often unlawfully and wantonly deprived4 ,on the #bast of ,february1 ,elder ,woodruff writes1 ,i met with the quorum of the ,twelve at ,joseph's store1 and according to ,joseph's counsel a company was selected to go on an exploring expedition to ,california1 and to select a place for the building of a city4 ,jonathan ,dunham1 ,david ,fulmer1 ,phineas ,young1 ,samuel ,w4 ,richards and several others were named for the expedition4 #bjj ,the ,prophet subsequently1 in company with a number of his brethren1 left ,nauvoo on this proposed expedition1 but turned back1 as all know from the sad story of his last days1 to be a martyr to the work he had been instrumental in establishing4 ,a curious circumstance of those times was the preaching of an ,episcopalian minister in an adjoining room4 ,following the preacher1 ,joseph said1 ,the object with me is to obey and to teach others to obey ,god and all that ,he commands us to do4 ,it matters not whether the principle be popular or unpopular1 ,i will always maintain it though ,i stand alone in doing so4 ,according to ,elder ,woodruff the ,prophet1 in #ahdb1 predicted that within five years the ,saints would be established beyond the ,rocky ,mountains and became a mighty people in the inter-mountain regions4 ,on the evening of ,february #beth the news of the death of ,joseph ,duncan and ,governor ,reynolds of ,missouri reached ,nauvoo4 ,they were among the most persistent enemies of the ,saints4 ,the news of their death called forth a notable prophecy from ,joseph ,smith1 who wished his words recorded that they might be remembered when they were fulfilled4 ,he declared that in five years the ,saints would be rid of their old enemies1 whether they were apostates or men who were never in the ,church4 ,five years saw the ,saints located in the valleys of the mountains4 ,those predictions were more the voice of the spirit than any expectations of the people who were eagerly working for an early completion of the ,temple4 ,on the #gth of ,march there was a large meeting of the ,saints in ,nauvoo4 ,eight thousand people had gathered by invitation to listen to the words of their ,prophet and the ,twelve4 ,the latter directed their remarks more particularly to the ordinances which should take place in the house of ,god4 ,one of the great objects ,i had in calling this meeting1 said the ,prophet1 was to make a few remarks relative to the laws and ordinances of the city and to the building of the ,temple4 ,the reason ,i want to speak of the laws is that the officers have difficulty in administering them4 ,we wish to have the people rule1 but rule in righteousness4 ,the laws are enacted and they can be repealed1 if the people wish it1 but the people should not complain of the officers4 ,i am instructed by the city council to tell this people that if you do not like any law we have passed1 we will repeal it for we are your servants4 ,there are #bja those in this community who would oppose anything good4 ,if you preach virtue to them they will oppose it4 ,if a case is tried here1 they want it appealed to ,carthage4 ,in those days ,carthage contained the chief enemies of the ,prophet1 and the town became a gathering place for those bent upon his destruction4 ,any movement in opposition to him or to the ,latter-day ,saints in ,nauvoo found sympathetic support there4 ,justice for the ,prophet in ,carthage was therefore absolutely impossible4 ,the lawyers and those encompassing his destruction took advantage of the law on a question of venue to put the object of their venom at the mercy of men whose attitude towards him was always malignant4 ,during these days the ,prophet was the mayor of ,nauvoo1 and his home-town sheltered men who were seeking to encompass the ,prophet and his devoted followers4 ,such men were indeed a very small minority1 but they were able to make a great amount of noise and do endless mischief4 ,a certain individual had undertaken to appropriate the wharfage lands at the foot of ,water ,street1 and thus create an issue between himself and the city4 ,such conduct awakened antagonism between people outside of ,nauvoo desiring to carry on business there in the city4 ,outsiders did not always discriminate between the conduct of the mischief-makers and the people at large4 ,everything disagreeable and annoying was laid at the door of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,these facts will explain the ,prophet's outburst of indignation when he said3 ,i want every fool to stay at home and let the steamboats and captains and peace officers alone4 ,how can we prevent mobs and the shedding of innocent blood unless we strike at everything that rises up in disorder4 ,there were in the city secret combinations planned to thwart the purposes of ,joseph and to bring confusion upon him and the great majority of the people4 ,among those plotting his ruin were men who professed personal friendship4 ,i despise1 he says1 the man who betrays with a kiss4 ,a certain man has been writing to the ,new ,york ,tribune4 ,i will not mention his name4 ,he says much that was appropriated for the ,temple has been spent for other purposes4 ,but any man who has paid anything for the ,temple can learn from the books that every farthing has been used for that building4 ,there are many men in our midst who are trying #bjb to build themselves up at our expense1 and others are watching for some pretended iniquity1 and make a man an offender for a word4 ,after an article entitled1 ,a ,voice of ,innocence from ,nauvoo1 was read1 ,brigham ,young addressed in the afternoon the assemblage4 ,i wish to speak on the duties of lawyers1 he said1 classing myself with the lawyers in the house of ,israel4 ,when any man who is a lawyer takes a course to break peace instead of promoting it1 he is out of the way of his duty4 ,a doctor of law should be a peacemaker4 ,the great object we have before us is the completion of the ,temple this season4 ,we have felt the effects of slander and want a cure1 or balm for it4 ,i carry one with me all the time1 and ,i want you to do the same4 ,i will tell you what it is4 ,it is to mind our own business and let others alone1 to suffer rather than to do wrong4 ,if anyone will take your property away let him alone and have nothing to do with him4 ,a spirit intended to divide the ,saints has been manifested in this city4 ,we have built up this city4 ,would steamboats have landed here if the ,saints had not come1 or would speculators make anything out of our lands if we had not come to give them value8 ,israel is to be the head1 and not the tail4 ,all who have gone from us have gone from the head to the foot4 ,oppose this work and it will roll over you4 ,when since it began did this work ever stop8 ,what the ,saints need to know is what the ,lord wants of them and then have the courage to do it4 ,if the ,saints will keep the law of ,god1 the hypocrites and the scoundrels will not be comfortable in their presence4 ,closing the meeting the ,prophet said1 ,i care but little for politics2 ,i would not give much for the presidential chair in comparison with the office ,i now hold2 but as men in the world have used the powers of government to oppose and persecute us1 it is proper for us to use those powers for our own protection and rights4 ,were ,i ,president of the ,united ,states ,i would never say to an oppressed people1 ',your cause is just but ,i can do nothing for you4' ,continuing1 he spoke of the annexation of ,texas1 and he further believed that the ,united ,states should receive all the territory that it could4 ,he was in favor of paying for the slaves and further believed that steps should be taken to give freedom to all colored #bjc children after a fixed period4 ,by these means he believed that much bloodshed would be averted and that in the end it would be less expensive to the country at large4 ,this government1 he said1 will receive no suggestions from me4 ,those who hold the responsible places are controlled by a spirit of self-sufficiency1 but they will have to meet with fear and trembling in a day to come the false position they have taken4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal1 favored the admission of ,canada into the ,united ,states4 ,he regarded all of ,north and ,south ,america as the land of ,zion1 and believed that the principles upon which the government of the ,united ,states was founded should govern as well all the various nations on this continent4 ,on the #hth of ,march1 a number of leading citizens met to consider the question of vice-president on the presidential ticket4 ,through all the teachings of the ,prophet in those days there ran a spirit of deep concern for the completion of the ,temple1 so that the ordinances to be performed therein might be enjoyed by the ,saints4 ,these ordinances1 ,joseph insisted1 must be performed in this life4 ,he spoke on the land of ,zion and of the days to come when there would be stakes established throughout ,north and ,south ,america4 ,his words were like the sounds of a distant echo2 their realization was then scarcely within the compass of the most vivid imagination4 ,now that stakes of ,zion are spreading out into ,canada1 ,mexico1 and various states of the ,union1 the fulfillment of these prophetic utterances is within the understanding of all ,latter-day ,saints4 ,and in view of these prophecies one may exclaim with the psalmist of old3 ,go about ,zion2 count the towers thereof4 #bjd ,,chapter #bj4 ,,the ,,martyrdom ,,of ,,joseph ,,and ,,hyrum1 #ahdd4 ,mission of the ,apostles to the ,east4--,a ,warning to ,w4 ,w4--,a ,sad ,parting4--,political ,news of the ,prophet ,published4--,w4 ,w4 ,arrives in ,boston1 ,june #bf4--,the ,martyrdom4--,its ,announcement ,reaches ,w4 ,w4 in ,portland1 ,maine4--,his ,return to ,boston4--an ,epistle to the ,elders and ,saints in the ,world4--,w4 ,w4 ,visits ,his ,old ,home4--,return to ,nauvoo4--,conditions in ,that ,city4 ,the fourth of ,march1 #ahdd1 brought to ,elder ,woodruff's life the satisfaction that comes to those who esteem it a divinely appointed joy to sit beneath their own vine and fig tree4 ,he moved on that day to the new home he had erected in ,illinois2 and for the first time he could leave his family1 while abroad preaching the gospel1 in some measure of comfort and independence4 ,he felt now1 more than ever1 from a material point of view1 that he had prepared for the missionary service which belonged to his calling4 ,the opportunity for missionary service soon came4 ,the ,laws1 ,higbees1 ,fosters1 ,blakesley1 and others came out in open rebellion against the ,prophet of ,god1 who now felt a foreboding of evil days to come4 ,the ,prophet1 therefore1 made a call upon the ,twelve to take a mission to the ,eastern ,states4 ,he would not have their lives jeopardized by the enmity which was intensifying about him4 ,upon the ,twelve rested the responsibility of the ,kingdom1 should he be called to lay down his life4 ,elder ,woodruff left ,nauvoo in company with ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,j4 ,m4 ,grant1 ,ezra ,thayer1 and the latter's son4 ,of this circumstance he writes1 ,this was the last mission the ,prophet ever gave to the ,twelve ,apostles in this dispensation4 ,he wished none of us to remain by him except ,willard ,richards4 ,apostle ,john ,taylor was later required to remain and take charge of the printing and publications4 ,the ,prophet then turned to me and said3 ',brother ,woodruff1 ,i want you to go1 and if you do not you will die4' ,his words rested with mighty weight upon me when he spoke1 and ,i have often thought since1 in contemplation of the awful tragedy of his and ,hyrum's martyrdom1 how truly his #bje words would have been verified had ,i remained4 ,elder ,taylor barely escaped4 ,willard ,richards escaped the bullets altogether4 ,he escaped1 as was written of him later1 'without even a hole in his robe4' ,i took the parting hand of ,hyrum and ,joseph1 at their own dwellings4 ,joseph stood in the entry of his door when ,i took his hand to bid him farewell4 ,brother ,j4 ,m4 ,grant was with me4 ,as he took me by the hand1 he said3 ',brother ,woodruff1 you are about to start upon your mission4' ,i answered1 ',yes4' ,he looked me steadily in the eye for a time without speaking a word2 he looked as though he would penetrate my very soul1 and at the same time seemed unspeakably sorrowful as if weighed down by a foreboding of something dreadful4 ,he finally spoke in a mournful voice3 ',god bless you1 ,brother ,woodruff2 go in peace4' ,i turned and left him with a sorrowful heart1 partaking of the same spirit which rested upon him4 ,this was the last time ,i ever saw his face or heard his voice again--in the flesh4 ,sad were the last months of the ,prophet's life4 ,they were like the last days of ,him who died on ,calvary for the redemption of a fallen world4 ,the ,apostles of this dispensation1 while not aware of the coming events in all their fullness1 were yet more fully prepared for the sad event than were the ,apostles of ,jerusalem4 ,those of the latter days had been endowed with power from on high1 and they did not slumber while their ,prophet suffered1 as did those 'in the ,garden of ,gethsemane4' ,after departing upon his mission1 ,elder ,woodruff and others passed the first week in holding public meetings1 and on the #ahth of ,may held their first conference in ,newark1 ,kendall ,county1 ,illinois4 ,with him at this conference was ,george ,a4 ,smith of the ,twelve4 ,at its close they were joined by ,elders ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,david ,fulmer1 and ,henry ,jacobs from ,nauvoo4 ,the evening following they held a political meeting over which ,wilford ,woodruff presided4 ,henry ,jacobs read the views of ,joseph ,smith on the policy and powers of the general government4 ,spirited addresses were made by ,david ,fulmer1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,the day following they rode thirty miles to ,joliet1 where a similar meeting was held1 and where a good impression was made upon the minds of the people4 ,in his journal he says3 ,we continued from place to place1 holding forth in public assemblage upon political subjects1 reading the #bjf views of ,joseph ,smith and placing him before the public as a fit candidate for the presidency of the ,united ,states4 ,on the first of ,june we held conference in ,comstock1 ,kalamazoo ,county1 ,michigan4 ,there were present two of the ,quorum1 myself and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,there were eight high priests2 ,s4 ,bent1 ,charles ,c4 ,richor1 ,david ,fulmer1 ,h4 ,green1 ,z4 ,coltrin1 ,moses ,smith1 ,ezra ,thayer1 and ,g4 ,coltrin2 eight seventies and fourteen elders2 two priests and one deacon4 ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 in council with the officers1 appointed the elders to their respective stations in the several counties of the state1 and he manifested much wisdom in arranging to carry out his work both in politics and religion in the state of ,michigan4 ,on the eighth day they held a conference in ,pleasant ,valley1 and another in ,franklin on the fifteenth4 ,soon after this ,elder ,woodruff proceeded to ,boston1 where he arrived on the #bfth of ,june4 ,on the #bgth1 the most sorrowful day of this dispensation1 he was in company with ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,of this day he subsequently wrote3 ,the day of the martyrdom1 ,brigham ,young and myself were seated in the railroad station at the time ,joseph and ,hyrum were assassinated4 ,this was ,june the #bgth1 at quarter past five in the evening1 at ,carthage1 ,illinois4 ,it was half-past six in ,boston4 ,as we sat in the station1 ,brigham was very sorrowful and depressed in spirit1 not knowing the cause4 ,this was the time when ,satan struck the heaviest blow he had struck since the ,son of ,god was crucified4 ,we well knew afterwards why all the ,twelve1 wherever they were on that day and at that time1 were1 like the president of our ,quorum1 sorrowful1 and burdened in spirit without knowing why4 ,on the #bith of ,june the ,twelve held a conference with the ,saints in ,boston4 ,they met in ,franklin ,hall4 ,there were present ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,william ,smith1 and ,lyman ,wight4 ,president ,young presided4 ,it occupied two days4 ,the conference was well attended1 and every effort was made to present the views of the ,prophet and explain the character of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the conference also received instructions in political matters4 ,july first1 by previous appointment1 a convention was held in #bjg ,melodian ,hall4 ,brigham ,young of ,nauvoo presided4 ,william ,smith and ,lyman ,wight were vice presidents4 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,a4 ,mc,allister of ,boston1 and ,n4 ,h4 ,felt of ,salem were secretaries4 ,resolutions were passed and proceedings of the meeting were published in the ,boston ,times of ,july #bnd1 #ahdd4 ,an evening session of the convention was held4 ,a number of rowdies made their appearance in the galleries4 ,while ,president ,young was speaking1 a woman by the name of ,folsom1 arose and began to harangue the audience2 then a rowdy1 supported by a large number of kindred spirits1 made such a disturbance that the police came in to quell those creating the confusion4 ,the police1 however1 were overpowered by the rough element and the meeting was broken up4 ,the convention1 however1 adjourned until #d p4 m4 the following day1 to meet at ,bunker ,hill4 ,here ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,george ,b4 ,wallace were elected delegates to attend the ,baltimore ,national ,convention4 ,on ,july #bnd the ,twelve met in council and made their plans to support and attend the several conferences in the various states4 ,elder ,woodruff and his old-time friend1 ,milton ,holmes1 whom he had not seen for five years1 went into ,maine4 ,we left ,boston1 he says1 at seven p4 m4 on the #bnd and arrived at ,father ,carter's home in ,scarboro early the next afternoon4 ,i found my wife's father and mother and ,brother ,fabyan and family all well4 ,a ,brother ,stoddard had already made the appointment for their conference on the #fth and #gth at ,scarboro1 in a ,presbyterian chapel4 ,about six hundred people assembled4 ,there were present besides himself ,s4 ,b4 ,stoddard1 ,milton ,holmes1 ,elbridge ,tufts1 and ,samuel ,parker4 ,on the #ith1 in company with ,milton ,holmes and ,father ,carter1 ,elder ,woodruff visited ,portland1 and dined with his brother-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter4 ,while there he saw for the first time the announcement in the press of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith4 ,it was published in the ,boston ,times4 ,in consequence of the shocking news1 he repaired at once to ,boston1 and the day following his arrival there he met with the ,saints and gave them counsel and comfort in the hour of their bereavement4 ,the next day1 he says in his journal1 ,i wrote a letter to the editor of the ,prophet1 published in ,new ,york1 giving a word of exhortation #bjh to the ,saints abroad to maintain their integrity1 and to keep the faith and endurance of the ,saints even unto death4 ,the following morning we obtained information from ,quincy1 giving full account of the horrible affair at ,carthage and the great loss which the ,church had sustained4 ,the governor himself acknowledged the death of ,joseph and ,hyrum to be a wanton murder4 ,the state of ,illinois was in commotion1 and ,governor ,ford made ,quincy his headquarters and issued a proclamation to the citizens of the state4 ,the news of the day stated that the ,mormon leaders in ,nauvoo had done all they could to restrain the disciples of the martyred ,prophet from vengeance4 ,still there was evidently a disposition on the part of the people and the troops to destroy ,nauvoo1 lest the ,mormons should hold a fearful reckoning with the mobocratic element in desperation over the assassination of their ,prophet and ,patriarch4 ',the wicked flee when no man pursueth4' ,on ,sunday1 the #adth1 ,elder ,woodruff preached twice to the ,saints in ,boston1 he being the only one of the ,twelve then in that city4 ,on the morning of the #afth of ,july he received a letter from ,erastus ,snow and one from ,john ,e4 ,page1 both confirming the report of the martyrdom4 ,the same day he received the first letter he had obtained from his wife since leaving ,nauvoo4 ,this letter contained the narration of a dream given to the ,prophet ,joseph a few days before his death4 ,in the dream there was clearly indicated to him the conspiracy and treachery of ,william and ,wilson ,law1 and the fact1 too1 that they would yet cry unto ,joseph to deliver them from the grasp of the monster into whose hands they had wilfully placed themselves2 and that his power to help them would be like that of ,lazarus1 to whom the rich man appealed4 ,there was a gulf between them4 ,on the #agth of ,july he says1 in his journal3 ,elder ,brigham ,young arrived in ,boston4 ,i walked with him to ,no4 #eg ,temple ,street and called upon ,sister ,vose4 ,brother ,young took the bed and ,i the armchair1 and then we veiled our faces and gave vent to our grief4 ,until now ,i had not shed a tear since the death of the ,prophet4 ,my soul had been nerved up like steel4 ,after giving vent to our grief in tears we felt more composed4 ,brother ,brigham left the city the same day1 but soon returned4 ,elders #bji ,kimball1 ,hyde1 and ,orson ,pratt also came4 ,we held a council and ,i was directed to write a letter to the ,prophet1 edited in ,new ,york1 advising the elders who had families in ,nauvoo to go immediately to them1 and all the elders of the ,church to assemble forthwith at ,nauvoo for a council4 ,it was signed by order of the quorum of the ,twelve1 ,brigham ,young1 president1 and ,wilford ,woodruff1 clerk4 ,this order of the quorum was subsequently published in the ,news1 ,volume #g1 ,no4 #ddg4 ,on ,july #ahth1 meeting was held in a hall on ,washington ,street1 opposite ,boylston ,hall4 ,elder ,hyde spoke on the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum1 and was followed by ,brigham ,young1 who said3 ,be of good cheer4 ,the testimony is not in force while the testator liveth2 when he dieth1 it is enforced4 ,so it is with ,joseph4 ,when ,god sends a man to do a work1 all the devils in hell cannot kill him until his work is accomplished4 ,it was thus with ,joseph4 ,he prepared all things and gave the keys to men on the earth and said1 ',i am soon to be taken from you4' ,soon after this the ,twelve left for ,nauvoo4 ,elder ,woodruff started on the #bjth1 and two days later found himself at his native home in ,farmington1 ,connecticut4 ,i found my father and stepmother alone1 there was not a child with them in their decline of life to watch over them4 ,i had twenty-four hours to stay and ,i happily improved the time4 ,my father was sixty-seven years of age1 and ,i might never see him again in mortality4 ,i felt deeply impressed of late that ,i had something to do for my parents4 ,as the sable shades of a serene night drew their curtain over the earth and sealed the cares of the day1 we went alone to prayer4 ,there were none but congenial spirits there4 ,i rose and with a spirit like that of ,joseph of old towards his father ,jacob1 opened my heart to my father1 and he reciprocated my sentiments4 ,i then laid my hands upon his head and ordained ,aphek ,woodruff a high priest and patriarch after the order of ,melchisedek1 and sealed him up unto eternal life4 ,i shall never forget the deep satisfaction and heavenly spirit of that night beneath my father's roof4 ,sleep departed from me1 and ,i was wrapped in the meditations and visions of days gone by and of days to come4 ,the day following he journeyed on to ,new ,york1 where he #baj met ,orson ,hyde and ,orson ,pratt4 ,when they reached ,schenectady they met ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,lyman ,wight4 ,the six journeyed together until they reached ,fairport1 where ,elder ,hyde separated from them to visit his family in ,kirtland4 ,on this journey homeward ,president ,young requested ,elder ,woodruff to keep an account of the events of those times1 for some day he would be called upon to give a record of them4 ,it was during this journey that ,lyman ,wight testified that while he was in jail in ,missouri with the prophet1 that ,joseph informed him that he 7,joseph7 would not live to see his #djth birthday1 but enjoined him not to speak of it until after his words had been fulfilled4 ,it was during this journey also that ,elder ,kimball had a dream4 ,it showed the policy of the nation toward the work of ,god and the important part the ,twelve would perform in building upon the foundation laid by the ,prophet4 ,the ,twelve arrived in ,nauvoo on the sixth day of ,august1 where they received a hearty welcome by families and friends4 ,when we landed in the city1 a deep gloom seemed to rest over ,nauvoo such as we had never before experienced4 ,those were days of heartfelt anxiety4 ,conflicting spirits were at work in a struggle for ascendency4 ,selfish ambitions and sinister motives were operating among the few4 ,the ,saints1 generally1 were trusting themselves to an overruling ,providence2 they believed that at the proper time and in a manner unmistakeable1 there would be some manifestation of ,god's watchcare over ,his ,saints4 ,the personal ambitions of men had gained no decided sway over the hearts and minds of the great body of the ,church4 ,the ,apostles had just arrived4 ,they were strong men1 and the people felt the power of their influence4 ,those who were promoting their own selfish ends were likewise concerned over the arrival of the ,twelve4 ,to them the presence of these men meant more a contest for supremacy than it did an opportunity for more light and a better understanding4 ,the humble and the ,god-fearing among the people possessed the key of their own safety4 ,they were seeking a will higher than their own1 and were willing when they found it to yield obedience4 ,they knew that it was not their work4 ,they appreciated fully the fact that they were humble instruments and therefore wanted to place themselves in harmony #baa with that divine authority which had been their guide and their anchor in bygone days4 ,those who were seeking the light were the first to behold it4 ,the days following the arrival in ,nauvoo of ,president ,young and other members of the ,twelve were days of great future significance in the history of the ,church2 every event of those days has been a land-mark in the history of ,god's people4 ,what followed of importance is carefully recorded by ,elder ,woodruff in his journal4 ,the contents of that journal are of supreme historical importance in the annals of the ,church4 #bab ,,chapter #ba4 ,,the ,,succession1 #ahdd4 ,sidney ,rigdon's ,claim to ,guardianship4--,rigdon's ,spiritual ,condition4--,comparison of ,sidney ,rigdon and ,frederick ,williams4--,remarks of ,brigham ,young4--,meeting on ,aug4 #h1 #ahdd4--;,brigham ,young ,follows ,sidney ,rigdon in ,address to the ,people4--,members of the ,twelve ,speak4--,vote on ,question of ,leadership4 ,the return of the ,twelve to ,nauvoo at that particular time was both opportune and providential4 ,elder ,woodruff's careful record of what was said and done gives us an insight into the condition of the city and into the feelings of the people4 ,the minds of the ,saints were agitated1 their hearts were sorrowful and darkness seemed to becloud their path2 they were like sheep without a shepherd1 since their beloved ,prophet had been taken away4 ,elder ,john ,taylor was recovering from his wounds2 and on the #gth of ,august1 #ahdd1 the ,twelve met in the forenoon in council at his home4 ,at four o'clock in the afternoon the ,twelve1 the high council1 and the high priests met in the ,seventies' ,hall4 ,it was there that ,sidney ,rigdon made his appearance1 he having returned from ,pittsburg4 ,on invitation of ,president ,young he took charge of the meeting4 ,sidney ,rigdon presented to the people his claims to the guardianship of the ,church4 ,he recounted to those present1 a vision which he said he received in ,pittsburg on the #bgth of ,june1 the day of the ,prophet's martyrdom4 ,this vision is given by ,elder ,woodruff in his journal as follows3 ,this was presented to my mind1 not as an open vision1 but rather as a continuation of the vision mentioned in the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,it was shown to me that ,his ,church must be built up unto ,joseph and that all the blessings we received must come through him4 ,i have been ordained as spokesman to ,joseph and must see that the ,church is governed in a proper manner4 ,joseph sustains the same relationship to this ,church as he has always done4 ,no man can be a successor of ,joseph4 ,the ,kingdom has to be built up to ,jesus ,christ through ,joseph4 ,there must still be revelation4 ,the martyred ,prophet is still the head of this ,church4 ,every quorum should stand in #bac the order in which its members received their anointings4 ,i have been ordained a spokesman to ,joseph and was commanded to speak for him4 ,the ,church is not disorganized though our head is gone4 ,we have a diversity of feelings on this matter4 ,i have been called to be a spokesman unto ,joseph and ,i want to build up the ,church unto him2 and if the people call me to sustain this place1 ,i want it upon the principle that every individual shall acknowledge my right for himself4 ,i propose to be a guardian to the people4 ,in this matter ,i have discharged my duty and have done what ,god has commanded me to do4 ,the people may please themselves whether they accept me or not4 ,it will be remembered that although ,sidney ,rigdon had for a long time been faithful and had passed through many persecutions and tribulations with ,joseph1 he had weakened and had become weary in well doing4 ,when he came out of ,liberty jail he made an expression both presumptuous and sacrilegious by saying1 in substance1 that the ,savior was nothing in suffering1 compared with himself4 ,again when the ,prophet gazed upon ,commerce1 the place where ,nauvoo was built1 he prophetically remarked3 ,it is a beautiful site but not long a resting place for the ,saints4 ,sidney was so impetuous and so weary of suffering that in a tone of vexation he said of ,joseph's words3 ,i thought that ,joseph knew better than to prophesy evil concerning the ,saints4 ,the foregoing remarks disclose the state of ,elder ,rigdon's mind and explain the interpretation which he put upon the sacrifices he had made for the gospel's sake4 ,from these sacrifices he sought honor rather than the knowledge and spirit they contained4 ,elder ,rigdon further manifested a weakness in his faith by his critical attitude towards the ,prophet whose mind1 to ,sidney ,rigdon's knowledge1 had been so wonderfully enlightened by a divine power that enabled him to foresee future events4 ,when ,elder ,rigdon1 in closing his talk1 remarked that the people could do as they pleased about it1 he manifested a weakness of conviction and a spirit of indifference to his own claims that created an equal indifference in the minds of those who listened to his words4 ,before his death1 ,joseph had conferred the keys of his divine authority upon the ,twelve who stood next in authority to the #bad ,presidency of the ,church and they succeeded to the leadership when the latter for any reason became disorganized4 ,before the ,prophet's death ,elder ,rigdon became separated from the body of the ,church and really abandoned his calling by his return to his former home in ,pittsburg4 ,associated in this particular event in the history of the ,church are the words of the ,prophet which so perfectly portrayed1 not only ,sidney ,rigdon's character and future life1 but also the marvelous inspiration which characterized the words of the ,prophet4 ,from ,church ,history1 ,volume ,i41 page #ddh1 the following is given3 ,brother ,sidney is a man whom ,i love but is not capable of that pure and steadfast love for those who are his benefactors that should characterize a president of the ,church of ,christ4 ,this with some other little things1 such as selfishness and independence of mind1 which too often manifested1 destroy the confidence of those who would lay down their lives for him--these are his faults4 ,but notwithstanding these things1 he is a very great and good man2 a man of great power of words1 and can gain the friendship of his hearers very quickly4 ,he is a man whom ,god will uphold1 if he will continue faithful to his calling4 ,o ,god1 grant that he may for the ,lord's sake4 ,amen4 ,and again1 blessed be brother ,sidney1 notwithstanding he shall be high and lifted up1 yet he shall bow down under the yoke like unto an ass that croucheth beneath his burden1 that learneth his master's will by the stroke of the rod2 thus saith the ,lord3 yet1 the ,lord will have mercy on him and he shall bring forth much fruit1 even as the vine of the choice grape when her clusters are ripe1 before the time of the gleaning of the vintage2 and the ,lord shall make his heart merry as with sweet wine1 because of him who putteth forth his hand1 and lifteth him up out of the deep mire1 and pointeth him out the way1 and guideth his feet when he stumbles and humbleth him in his pride4 ,blessed are his generations2 nevertheless one shall hunt after them as a man hunteth after an ass that has strayed in the wilderness1 and straightway findeth him and bringeth him into the fold4 ,thus shall the ,lord watch over his generation1 that they may be saved1 ,even so1 ,amen4 ,the man who willeth to do well1 we would extol his virtues1 and speak not of his faults behind his back4 ,a man who #bae wilfully turneth away from his friend without a cause1 is not easily forgiven4 ,the kindness of a man should never be forgotten4 ,that person who never forsaketh his trust should ever have the highest place of regard in our hearts1 and our love should never fail1 but increase more and more1 and this is my disposition and these are my sentiments4 ,brother ,frederick ,g4 ,williams is one of those men in whom ,i place the greatest confidence and trust1 for ,i have found him ever full of brotherly love1 and kindness4 ,he is not a man of many words but is ever winning because of his constant mind4 ,he shall ever have a place in my heart1 and is ever entitled to my confidence4 ,he is perfectly upright and honest and seeks with all his heart to magnify his ,presidency in the ,church of ,christ1 but often fails because of lack of confidence in himself4 ,god grant that he may overcome all evil4 ,blessed be ,brother ,frederick for he shall never want a friend1 and his generation after him shall flourish4 ,the ,lord hath appointed him an inheritance upon the land of ,zion3 yea1 and his head shall blossom1 and he shall be as an olive branch that is bowed down with fruit4 ,even so4 ,amen4 ,the fulfillment of these words were wonderfully brought about recently through the discovery of ,sidney ,rigdon's son1 ,john ,w41 in ,new ,york4 ,the son1 most of his life1 had been separated from the ,church and all its interests4 ,the proselyting of the elders in that city awakened in him a spirit of inquiry into the doctrines which his father had so ably expounded4 ,the son became converted to the divinity of those doctrines and espoused the teachings of the ,church4 ,on the other hand1 the posterity of ,frederick ,williams became numerous and faithful4 ,in view of such divine insight into the lives of men as well as into the course of events1 who can doubt8 ,joseph ,smith stood forth in prophetic majesty like ,moses1 ,samuel1 ,isaiah1 ,peter1 ,james1 ,john1 and others of old4 ,returning to that important meeting in the ,seventies' ,hall1 we find recorded in ,elder ,woodruff's journal the words of ,president ,young4 ,they are given by that faithful chronicler as follows3 ,i do not care who leads the ,church as long as the ,lord directs it4 ,one thing ,i must know and that is what ,god says about it4 ,i have the keys1 and1 therefore1 the means of obtaining the mind of ,god upon this subject4 ,i know there are those in our #baf midst who will seek the lives of the ,twelve as they did the lives of ,joseph and ,hyrum4 ,we shall ordain others and give them the fulness of priesthood1 so that if we are killed the priesthood shall remain4 ,joseph conferred upon our heads all the keys and powers belonging to the apostleship which he held before he was taken away4 ,no man1 no set of men1 can get between ,joseph and the ,twelve in this world or in the world to come4 ,how often ,joseph has said to the ,twelve3 ',i have laid the foundation1 and you must build thereon2 for upon your shoulders the ,kingdom rests4' ,the ,twelve as a quorum will not be permitted to tarry here long1 they will go abroad and bear off the ,kingdom to the nations of the earth4 ,they will baptize people faster than mobs can kill them4 ,i would like it1 were it my privilege1 to take my valise and travel and preach until we had a people gathered who would be true4 ,my private feelings would be to let the affairs of men and women alone1 except to preach the gospel and to baptize people into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,however1 what duty places upon me ,i intend to fulfill4 ,upon the suggestion of ,president ,young1 a special conference was appointed for the following ,tuesday1 ,august #h1 at ten a4 m4 ,to this those present gave unanimous assent4 ,at the request of ,william ,marks1 who then presided over the stake in ,nauvoo1 a special meeting was held in the morning to choose a guardian for the ,church4 ,at that time ,sidney ,rigdon took his position in a wagon about two rods in front of the stand and talked to the people for about an hour and a half upon the choice of a guardian for the ,church4 ,those who were present on that occasion and who were familiar with the eloquence of ,sidney ,rigdon1 say that all his former inspiration and eloquence had vanished while setting forth his personal claims for recognition4 ,he spoke as one who had forsaken the path of duty and had become1 like many others1 indifferent to his obligations in the ,church4 ,when this meeting was dismissed1 ,president ,young made an appointment with the brethren to assemble at two p4 m4 that day4 ,there were present among the assembled multitude1 ,president ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,willard ,richards1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,the various quorums were assigned to their respective places around the stand4 #bag ,after the opening exercises1 ,president ,young arose and said3 ,attention all6 ,this congregation makes me think of the days of ,king ,benjamin when the multitude was so great that all could not hear4 ,let none complain of the size of this congregation1 it was necessary to call you together4 ,for the first time in the history of our lives1 for the first time in this dispensation of the gospel1 we are without the ,prophet ,joseph in our midst4 ,i step forth1 therefore1 to act in my calling in connection with the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 the ,apostles of ,jesus ,christ of this generation--,apostles whom ,god has called by revelation through the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and who are ordained and anointed to carry the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god unto all the world4 ,hitherto the people have walked by sight and not so much by faith4 ,we have had the ,prophet as the mouthpiece of the ,lord2 now he is gone4 ,he has sealed his testimony with his blood4 ,we are called for the first time to walk by faith4 ,now that our ,prophet and ,patriarch are taken from our midst1 in behalf of the ,twelve ,i submit to the people this question3 ,do you want someone to guard1 to guide1 to lead you into the ,kingdom of ,god as a guardian1 spokesman1 or something else8 ,if so1 signify it by raising your right hand4 7,there was no vote74 ,when ,i came to this stand ,i had peculiar feelings and impressions4 ,the faces of this people seemed to say3 we want a shepherd to guide us through this world4 ,to all who want to draw apart from the ,church ,i say1 let them do it if they choose1 but they will not prosper4 ,they will find that there is a power with the ,apostles which will carry the work off victoriously and which will build up and defend the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god in all the world4 ,what do the people want8 ,i want the privilege of weeping and mourning for thirty days at least1 and then rising up and shaking myself and telling the people what the ,lord wants of them4 ,although my heart is too full of mourning to launch out into business transactions and into the organizations of the ,church1 ,i feel compelled this day to step forth and discharge all those duties which ,god has placed upon me4 ,i now wish to speak of the organization of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the ,church is organized1 and you want to know how it is organized1 ,i will tell you4 ,i know your feelings4 ,do you want me to tell you your feelings8 ,there #bah is ,president ,rigdon who was counselor to ,joseph4 ,i ask1 where are ,joseph and ,hyrum8 ,they are gone beyond the veil1 and if ,president ,rigdon wants to act as his counselor1 he must go beyond the veil where he is4 ,there has been much said about ,president ,rigdon being ,president of the ,church and leading the people--being the head1 etc41 etc4 ,brother ,rigdon has come sixteen hundred miles to tell you what he wants to do for you4 ,if the people want ,president ,rigdon to lead them they may have him2 but ,i say unto you that the ,quorum of the ,twelve have the keys of the ,kingdom in all the world4 ,the ,twelve are appointed by the finger of ,god4 ,here is ,brigham1 have his knees ever faltered8 ,have his lips ever quivered8 ,here are ,heber and the rest of the ,twelve1 an independent body who have the keys of the priesthood2 the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god to deliver to all the world2 this is true1 so help me ,god6 ,they stand next to ,joseph and are as the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,i do not know whether my enemies will take my life or not and ,i do not care1 for ,i want to be with the man ,i love4 ,you cannot fill the office of a prophet1 seer1 and revelator4 ,god must do that4 ,you are like children without a father1 and sheep without a shepherd4 ,you must not appoint any man at your head2 if you do1 the ,twelve must ordain him4 ,you cannot appoint any man at your head1 but if you do want any other man or men to lead you1 take him or them1 and we will go our way to build up the ,kingdom of ,god in all the world4 ,i know who are ,joseph's friends and who are his enemies2 ,i know where the keys of the ,kingdom are1 where they will eternally be4 ,you cannot call a man to be a prophet4 ,you cannot take ,elder ,rigdon and place him above the ,twelve2 if so1 he must be ordained by them4 ,i tell you there is an over-anxiety to hurry matters here4 ,you cannot take any man and put him at the head4 ,you would scatter the ,saints to the four winds4 ,you would sever the priesthood4 ,so long as we remain as we are1 the ,heavenly ,head is in constant co-operation with us2 and if you go out of that course1 ,god will have nothing to do with you4 ,again1 some perhaps think that our beloved ,brother ,rigdon would not be honored1 would not be looked to as a friend2 #bai but if he does right and remains faithful1 he will not act against our counsel nor we against his1 but act together and be as one4 ,i again repeat--no man can stand at our head except ,god reveals it from the heavens4 ,i have spared no pains to learn my lesson of the ,kingdom in this world and in the eternal worlds3 and if it were not so1 ,i could go and live in peace2 but for the gospel and your sakes1 ,i shall stand in my place4 ,we are liable1 all the day long1 to be killed4 ,you have never lived by faith4 ,brother ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 has laid the foundation for a great work and we will build upon it4 ,you have never seen the quorums built one upon another4 ,there is an almighty foundation laid and we can build a ,kingdom such as there never was in the world4 ,we can build a ,kingdom faster than ,satan can kill the ,saints off4 ,what do you want8 ,do you want a patriarch for the whole ,church8 ,to this we are perfectly willing4 ,if ,brother ,samuel ,h4 ,smith had been living1 it would have been his right and privilege1 but he is dead4 ,he is gone to ,joseph and ,hyrum4 ,he is out of the reach of bullets and spears and he can associate himself with his brothers1 his friends1 and the ,saints4 ,do you want a patriarch8 ,here is ,brother ,william left4 ,here is ,uncle ,john ,smith1 uncle to the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,it is their right4 ,the right of the patriarchal priesthood belongs to ,joseph's family4 ,do you want a trustee-in-trust8 ,has there been a bishop who has stood in his lot yet8 ,what is his business8 ,to take charge of the temporal affairs so that the ,twelve and the elders may go on their business4 ,joseph condescended to do their business for them4 ,joseph condescended to offer himself for ,presidency of the ,united ,states1 and it was a great condescension4 ,do you want a spokesman8 ,here are ,elder ,rigdon1 ,brother ,amasa ,lyman1 7whom ,joseph expected to take as a counselor7 and myself4 ,do you want the ,church properly organized1 or do you want a spokesman4 ,elder ,rigdon claims to be spokesman to the ,prophet4 ,very well--he was4 ,but can he now act in that office8 ,if he wants now to be a spokesman to the ,prophet he must go to the other side of the veil for the ,prophet is there1 but #bbj ,elder ,rigdon is here4 ,why will ,elder ,rigdon be a fool8 ,who knows anything of the priesthood or of the organization of the ,kingdom of ,god8 ,i am plain4 ,does the ,church want it as ,god organized it1 or do you want to clip the power of the priesthood1 and let those who have the right go and build up the ,kingdom in all the world wherever the people will hear them8 ,if there is a spokesman1 if he is a king and priest1 let him go and build up a kingdom unto himself4 ,the ,twelve are at the head of the ,church4 ,i want to live on the earth and spread truth through all the world4 ,you ,saints of ,latter-days want things right4 ,if ten thousand should rise up and say they have ,joseph's shoes1 ,i know they would be imposters4 ,in the priesthood you have a right to build up a kingdom if you know how the ,church is organized4 ,now if you want ,sidney ,rigdon or ,william ,law to lead you1 or any body else1 you are welcome to them both1 but ,i tell you in the name of the ,lord that no man can put another between the ,twelve and the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,why8 ,because ,joseph was their file leader and he has committed into their hands the keys of the ,kingdom in this last dispensation for all the world4 ,i ask1 who has stood next to ,joseph8 ,i have2 and ,i will stand next to him4 ,we have a head and that head is the ,apostleship1 the spirit and power of ,joseph1 and we now can begin to see the necessity of that ,apostleship4 ,president ,rigdon was at his side1 not above4 ,no man had a right to counsel the ,twelve but ,joseph ,smith4 ,think of these sayings4 ,you cannot appoint a prophet2 but if you let the ,twelve remain and act in their place1 the keys of the ,kingdom are with them1 and they can manage the affairs of the ,church and direct all things aright4 ,now all this does not lessen the character of ,president ,rigdon4 ,let him magnify his calling and ,joseph will want him behind the veil4 ,let him be careful what he does lest that thread which binds us together be cut asunder4 ,may ,god bless us all4 ,following the remarks of ,president ,brigham ,young1 ,amasa ,lyman spoke a few words fully sustaining ,president ,young and the ,twelve4 ,elder ,lyman had been chosen as a counselor to the ,prophet ,joseph and in reference to the matter pending said3 ,i am gratified with the open1 frank1 and plain exposition #bba of ,president ,young4 ,he has seen the relation ,i bear to our deceased brother4 ,i never did conceive that it gave me a right to stand above the ,twelve4 ,i make no exceptions1 whatever1 to anything he has said4 ,president ,young has stood next to the ,prophet ,joseph with the ,twelve and ,i have stood next to them and will be with the ,twelve forever4 ,we have a head here4 ,what is that head8 ,the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,the words1 the appearance1 and the spirit of ,brigham ,young were so convincing and so like those of the ,prophet ,joseph that the people knew the voice of their new shepherd4 ,president ,rigdon next called upon ,w4 ,w4 ,phelps to speak for him as he could not speak for himself4 ,although ,elder ,phelps spoke at some length1 he did not advocate the claims of ,elder ,rigdon4 ,he sustained the right and duty of the ,twelve ,apostles to stand at the head1 and expressed his hope that ,elder ,rigdon would submit to that authority4 ,apostle ,parley ,p4 ,pratt then spoke in support of ,president ,young and the ,twelve and said with reference to the wicked men in ,nauvoo3 ,if there are wicked men here1 it is because we support them4 ,stop dealing with them and they will go away4 ,i am willing to do good to all men1 especially to the household of faith4 ,mobs and wicked men will cease only when you cease to support them4 ,i know we can all live and be happy--when we deal with honest men4 ,if some men want a doctor to cure them1 they will send directly for the worst man they can find4 ,i would die a natural death rather than have a wicked doctor help me off4 ,cunning device and hypocritical sophistry gain an ascendency in ,nauvoo1 and this they have often done elsewhere in the ,history of the ,church4 ,at the close of ,elder ,pratt's remarks ,president ,young arose and said3 ,if ,brother ,rigdon is the person you want to lead you1 vote for him2 but if you do1 then follow him and take his counsel hereafter as you did the counsel of ,joseph2 and do not say so unless you mean to follow him4 ,i will say the same for the ,twelve4 ,don't make a covenant to support them unless you intend to abide by their counsel4 ,president ,rigdon wants me to bring up the first question of sustaining the ,twelve4 ,if the ,church wants the ,twelve to stand at its head1 to be the ,presidency of the ,church in all the world1 standing next to ,joseph1 to #bbb walk in their calling and to hold the keys of this ,kingdom1 manifest it by holding up the right hand4 7,there was a unanimous vote in favor of the proposition47 ,if there be any of a contrary mind1 lift up your hands in like manner4 7,no hand went up74 ,this supercedes the other question and the necessity of putting it to the quorums4 ,the remarks of ,president ,young on this occasion clearly indicate that there was no disposition to treat unkindly or with disrespect the feelings of ,elder ,rigdon1 or to disregard the fact of his long experience1 and of his sufferings for the gospel's sake4 ,president ,young continued3 ,we feel as though we could take ,brother ,rigdon along with us4 ,we want such a man4 ,let him be one with us and we one with him4 ,later in his remarks ,president ,young asked the congregation if they would sustain ,elder ,rigdon in his relationship to the ,twelve4 ,the vote to do so was unanimous4 ,of the deceased ,prophet1 ,president ,young said3 ,you did not know whom you had amongst you4 ,joseph so loved this people that he gave his life for them4 ,hyrum loved his brother and this people unto death4 ,joseph and ,hyrum have given their lives for the ,church4 ,very few knew ,joseph's character1 who loved you unto death4 ,he has now sealed his testimony with his blood4 ,if the ,twelve had been here1 they would not have seen him given up4 ,he should not have been given up4 ,he was in your midst and you did not know him4 ,he has been taken away1 for the people are not worthy of him4 ,i do not know whether my enemies will kill me or not4 ,i would wish to be with the man ,i love4 ,the patriarch of the ,church had been taken away and the office therefore left vacant4 ,of this matter ,president ,young said3 ,we shall have a patriarch1 and the right to this office is in the family of ,joseph ,smith4 ,it belongs to some of his relations4 ,here is ,uncle ,john4 ,he has been ordained a patriarch4 ,brother ,samuel would have received it1 but he also has been taken away4 ,the right is in ,uncle ,john or in one of his brothers4 ,the matter of selecting a patriarch was left to the ,twelve for future action and for the purpose of learning the will of the ,lord concerning it4 ,at that time the ,patriarch ,hyrum's son1 ,john1 who now fills the office was only ten years of age4 ,uncle ,john1 brother #bbc to ,joseph's father1 was finally chosen to fill the place which he did with honor and satisfaction during the rest of his life4 ,since that memorable conference all therein said by ,president ,young and his associates is confirmed by the position taken with respect to the authority or the leadership in the ,church4 ,notwithstanding the predictions of a migration by the ,saints to the valleys of the ,rocky ,mountains1 the leaders adhered strictly to the divine command1 admonishing them to complete the ,temple4 ,by the conscientious regard for the word of ,god which was manifested to them from day to day they accomplished the work at hand and trusted their future movements to the guidance of their ,heavenly ,father4 ,they waited upon the ,lord and were taught by ,him the lessons of patience as well as the lessons of faith4 ,the conference just closed was a notable landmark in the history of the ,church4 ,its decisions have been faithfully kept and the wisdom of those decisions1 time has justified4 #bbd ,,chapter #bb4 ,,second ,,call ,,to ,,great ,,britain1 #ahdd4 ,the ,new ,leadership4--,second ,call to ,great ,britain4--,warning ,against ,leading ,companies from ,nauvoo4--,instructions ,to ,finish the ,temple and ,to ,build up the ,city4--,w4 ,w4 ,visits ,emma ,smith and ,others4--,parting ,address to the ,saints4 ,the mid-summer days of #ahdd were full of uncertainties1 wonderment1 some misgivings1 many jealousies1 and considerable resistance to the newly established authority and leadership in the ,church4 ,joseph ,smith was a wonderful man1 a man with a marvelous career4 ,the full force of his prophetic mission had not fallen upon those who were his contemporaries4 ,a person's relationship with him in those days was no doubt a favored opportunity4 ,his magnetism1 individual force1 and the personal qualities of his life impressed those with whom he was most intimately associated1 those who had sincerely accepted his divine calling4 ,it is not true1 however1 that the highest and best understanding of his prophetic mission could be had by personal contact4 ,the highest and best testimony that ever came to men and women in the world respecting the prophetic calling of ,joseph ,smith came to them through the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,by that spirit men who never saw him1 never felt the magnetism of his personality1 were among the most devoted in their adherence to his teachings4 ,those ,saints who saw in ,joseph ,smith the instrumentality of a divine purpose1 and saw above and beyond their young ,prophet the glories of a new dispensation1 did not hesitate at the call of a new shepherd1 the accents and tones of whose voice had the ring of the same inspiration that had moved other hearts in the days gone by4 ,ambitions had to be reckoned with1 and they are full of seduction and danger when they obscure the vision by selfish aims4 ,there is always darkness when men stand in their own light2 there is nothing that dims a man's vision so much as his own shadow4 ,there were aspiring men who cherished the desire to put to the test their own personal influence4 ,it is so easy for personal influence to beget pride1--pride which not only shuts off that influence1 but which also makes men helpless #bbe to realize its absence long after it has departed4 ,even after the vote of the conference had been general to sustain the new leadership1 there were small factions who wandered away from the body of the ,church4 ,at a meeting of the ,twelve ,apostles on the #abth of ,august1 the subject of missionary work came up for consideration4 ,the new movement called forth a proselyting spirit that was just as strong after ,joseph's death as it was before4 ,the ,american continent was considered none too large for a field of operation4 ,it was districted for missionary purposes and presidents were appointed over the several divisions4 ,at this meeting ,elder ,woodruff was chosen to preside over the ,european mission4 ,one never reads of his call abroad without some feeling of regret that so faithful a chronicler of current events should be separated from the main body of the ,church1 and future generations deprived of the detailed narrative which he gave of the counsels1 teachings1 and movements of the leaders4 ,on ,sunday1 the #ahth1 ,president ,young addressed a vast congregation of ,saints1 a synopsis of whose teachings is found in ,elder ,woodruff's journal4 ,i discover1 says ,president ,young1 a disposition in the sheep to scatter abroad now that their former shepherd has been taken from them4 ,i do not mean to say that it will never be right for the people to leave this place1 but they should wait until the proper time comes and until they can go under proper counsel4 ,the report has gone through the city that the ,twelve have secret understandings with those who are going away1 and with those who are taking companies with them2 and that although the ,twelve will speak against it publicly1 yet privately they approve such migration4 ,if it were the last words ,i had to speak before going into the eternal world1 ,i would solemnly declare that there is not one word of truth in such a report4 ,no man has any right through consent of the ,twelve to lead one soul out of this city except ,lyman ,wight and ,george ,miller who have the privilege of taking the ,pine ,company4 ,if they go contrary to our counsel1 they will go to their own self-destruction4 ,if men do not cease striving to be great by exalting themselves and by leading people astray1 they shall fall and not rise again4 ,those were great words1 words remarkably fulfilled in the subsequent career of ,lyman ,wight who rebelled against the authority #bbf of the ,twelve and led a little body of people into ,texas4 ,his influence1 however1 soon departed4 ,his followers scattered and he died of mountain fever4 ,the same fate befell others who pursued the same course4 ,it was too bad that ,wight should thus obscure what had been in him in earlier days1 a great loyalty and a great devotion4 ,continuing1 ,president ,young said3 ,i wish you distinctly to understand that the counsel of the ,twelve is for every family that does not belong to the ,pine ,company to stay in ,nauvoo to build the ,temple and obtain the endowments to be given therein4 ,do not scatter4 ,united we stand1 divided we fall4 ,it has been whispered abroad that all who go into the wilderness with ,wight and ,miller will get their endowments4 ,they cannot give an endowment in the wilderness4 ,if we do not carry out the plan laid down by ,joseph we can get no further endowments4 ,i want this to sink deep into your hearts that you may appreciate it4 ,do the people leave here because they are afraid8 ,if so1 ,i tell them before ,god that they shall have no place to rest1 but shall flee from place to place like the ,jews4 ,i would rather have the dead body of the ,prophet than some men who are alive4 ,we want to build the ,temple in this place even if we have to do as the ,jews did in their erection of the ,temple at ,jerusalem3 work with a sword in one hand and a trowel in the other4 ,stay here4 ,plow1 sow1 and build4 ,put your plow shares into the prairie4 ,one plow share will do more to drive off the mob than two guns4 ,do you suppose the mouth of ,god is closed to be opened no more8 ,if this were true1 ,i would not give the ashes of a rye straw for this ,church4 ,if ,god has ceased to speak by revelation or by the ,holy ,ghost1 there is no salvation1 but such is not so4 ,woe6 ,woe6 ,woe6 to all who have shed the blood of the ,saints and the ,lord's anointed4 ,if you have the spirit of ,god you can discern right from wrong4 ,when a man is not right1 even though his language is as smooth as oil1 there will be many queries about him1 he will not edify the body of the ,saints and ,i give this to you as a key4 ,store your grain in ,nauvoo1 for it will be needed there while you are building the ,temple4 ,i want to say to the hands upon the ,temple1 be united2 and to the committee1 don't turn away any person because he is ,english1 ,irish1 or ,scotch4 ,employ every man you can1 and build #bbg the ,temple and build your homes4 ,i would rather pay out every cent to build up this place and receive an endowment1 even were ,i driven the next minute without anything to take with me4 ,i had a dream which ,i will relate here4 ,i saw a fruit tree and went to it in search of fruit4 ,i soon discovered that some of the main branches at the top of the tree growing from the body were dead4 ,it seemed necessary to cut off the dead branches in order to save the tree4 ,i asked someone to help me cut them off4 ,he stepped on a large green limb4 ,he was afraid it would break1 so ,i put my shoulder under it and held it up while he cut off the dead branches4 ,the green limb was cracked but it did not break4 ,after we cut off the dead branches the wounds healed up and the tree grew nicely4 ,now let us cut off the dead branches of the ,church that good fruit may grow4 ,the central idea now in the mind of ,brigham ,young and the paramount influence actuating him in those days may easily be seen in the steadfast purpose he manifested to build upon the foundation which the ,prophet had already laid4 ,he had no ambition to excel his predecessor and was therefore loyal to the ,prophet1 and throughout all his life he magnified his calling by sustaining the prophetic mission of ,joseph ,smith4 ,a few of the leaders fell by the wayside1 but those who were foremost in supporting the ,prophet at the time of his martyrdom were found faithful after his death4 ,elder ,woodruff was no less enthusiastic in the great latter day work than he had formerly been4 ,the men he most respected he regarded simply as instrumentalities of a divine purpose2 for to his mind it was a great thing to be an instrument in the hands of ,god in the furtherance of a new and grand dispensation4 ,his missionary zeal never waned and those mid-summer days of #ahdd found him busily occupied making preparations for his departure to ,england where he was to preside over the ,british ,mission4 ,his wife was to accompany him1 and arrangements were made to leave their son1 ,wilford1 during their absence with his old time friend1 ,john ,benbow4 ,before leaving ,nauvoo1 he paid a visit to ,emma ,smith to whose life he sought to bring consolation in the hour of her bereavement4 ,she gave him a piece of oak for a staff4 ,the oak had been taken from ,joseph's coffin4 ,she also presented him with #bbh a pair of white cotton gloves1 and to his wife she gave a handkerchief4 ,he and ,mrs4 ,woodruff next called upon ,mary ,smith1 widow of ,hyrum1 and the mother of ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,she gave ,elder ,woodruff several small locks of hair taken from the heads of ,joseph1 ,hyrum1 ,samuel1 and ,don ,carlos1 all brothers who had passed away into the other world4 ,speaking of these relics ,elder ,woodruff says3 ,i also obtained some hair of the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,my purpose in getting it was that ,i might put a part of each of these collections in the knob of my staff as a relic of those noble men1 the master spirits of the nineteenth century4 ,these relics he held as something sacred during his life time1 and they are now in the possession of his family4 ,i next visited ,mother ,lucy ,smith1 the mother of the ,prophet1 and of a large family of sons4 ,this noble mother and prophetess felt sorely grieved over the loss of her children1 and lamented the cruel treatment she had received at the hands of an unfeeling world4 ,she begged a blessing at my hands4 ,i laid my hands upon her head and by the spirit of ,god pronounced upon her a blessing4 ,this was ,august #bc1 #ahdd4 ,i quote from that blessing as follows3 ',let thy heart be comforted in the midst of thy sorrow for thou shalt be held forever in honorable remembrance in the congregations of the righteous4 ,thou shalt be remembered in thy wants during the remainder of thy days2 and when thou shalt be called upon to depart1 thou shalt lie down in peace having seen the salvation of thy ,god who has laid the everlasting foundation for the deliverance of ,israel through the instrumentality of thy sons4' ,that ,god had made her sons the instrumentality in the opening of a new dispensation gave the aged mother an abiding consolation in the midst of her grief4 ,on the #bdth of ,august ,elder ,woodruff was set apart for his mission to ,europe under the hands of the ,twelve ,apostles1 ,john ,taylor pronouncing the blessing4 ,on ,sunday the #beth ,elder ,woodruff addressed the ,saints in ,nauvoo1 and from the synopsis he made of his remarks1 the following quotation is here given3 ,there is a spirit in man1 and the inspiration of the ,almighty giveth him understanding4 ,it is through this spirit which giveth understanding that this congregation is assembled at this place4 ,you have #bbi the spirit of ,god and you therefore understand ,his ways and purposes4 ,i have now one important declaration to make to you and that is that inasmuch as you have been anointed in heart1 mind1 and action in supporting your counselors1 the priesthood of ,god1 the present authorities of the ,church1 as you have supported the ,prophet while he was alive1 you will be safe and you will be blessed4 ,you will also be protected1 but if you are divided and reject the counsels of ,god1 you will fall4 ,union and faithfulness are necessary for your salvation4 ,it is true that you have been led by one of the best men that ever graced humanity or tabernacled in the flesh1 but he is gone1 he sealed his testimony with his blood1 he loved this people unto death4 ,i now call upon the people to be united in building upon the foundation which the ,prophet laid during his lifetime4 ,you have been called to suffer much for the cause in which you are engaged1 but if judgment begins at the ,house of ,god1 ,babylon will not escape4 ,if there is fire in the green tree1 what shall happen to the dry tree4 ,no people are better prepared for the shock that is coming to this world than are the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the real object we have is to secure the blessings which lie beyond the veil and which will be found in the first resurrection4 ,for these blessings we are preparing ourselves4 ,the fact that the ,prophet sealed his testimony with his blood does not destroy the gospel or lessen the power and purposes of ,god4 ,truth has not been annihilated1 neither has the priesthood found its burial4 ,the testimony of ,jesus is now in force4 ,my counsel1 therefore1 is to follow the example of those who are gone and who have been faithful unto death4 ,if you would be united1 go in all your might and build that ,temple and get your endowments4 ,i earnestly exhort you to faithfulness and ask your faith and prayers in my behalf4 ,i also want your forgiveness for any wrong ,i may have done4 ,i bid the congregation farewell4 ,the next week ,i went to the river with ,mrs4 ,woodruff where we were baptized for some of our dead friends4 ,at midnight of that day ,elder ,woodruff and his wife1 accompanied by ,chas4 ,c4 ,rich1 ,elder ,goddard1 and several others ascended the walls of the ,temple where they knelt in solemn prayer4 ,elder ,woodruff1 being mouth1 poured out his soul to ,god for the successful #bcj completion of the ,temple4 ,he also implored divine aid for a prosperous season for the ,church4 ,in the completion of the ,temple was centered the hope of all the devoted ,latter-day ,saints of those days4 ,the leaders of the ,church prayed and labored unceasingly for its completion4 ,the spirit of apostasy in those times manifested itself most strongly in the efforts of those who sought to get away from ,nauvoo1 who wanted to establish in some distant place the ,church anew4 ,these dissenters argued that ,nauvoo must be abandoned1 and they were right in that conclusion2 but ,nauvoo was not to be abandoned at that time nor under their leadership4 ,it sometimes happens in this life that greater wisdom and virtue are found in the time an event is accomplished than in the accomplishment of the event itself4 ,the great truth of the exodus from ,nauvoo was to be sought for rather in the circumstances of that exodus1 than in the fact itself4 ,that was not the first time nor was it the last time that men1 anticipating the accomplishment of some divine purpose1 placed themselves in front of those appointed for the accomplishment of ,god's will4 ,it sometimes requires as much virtue to refrain from doing when the time has not yet arrived1 as it required to do when the command was given4 ,it is not always easy for men to wait upon the ,lord1 especially when they are actuated by an overweening ambition to anticipate ,his purposes and be the first to undertake their accomplishment4 ,the men in those days who were opposing the completion of the ,temple1 were full of sophistries4 ,they argued then1 as men argue now1 largely in harmony with their own selfish ends and overpowering ambitions4 ,if their arguments could not be1 to their minds1 successfully answered1 they must be right4 ,to their minds it was evident that the ,saints must sooner or later leave ,nauvoo4 ,why build the ,temple1 they asked1 and thus throw away the labor of their hands in the hour of its completion4 ,they argued the folly of such a course1 and some who were loosely anchored in their faith were led away by the sophistries contained in such arguments4 ,with the thoughtful1 it was otherwise4 ,the ,temple might be destroyed even before its completion1 or they might not be permitted to enjoy1 at any length1 its blessings after it was finished4 #bca ,with them that was not the question4 ,their highest guidance was found in the observance of ,god's will4 ,he had said so2 if so1 enough4 ,the spirit bore testimony long before the mind had evidence of the great truth contained in ,god's command4 ,the same spirit that actuated ,christ in the garden of ,gethsemane1 actuated ,his faithful followers in those trying days in ,nauvoo4 ,thy will be done4 ,it is hard for men who have strong wills to yield to other wills1 even though it be ,god's will which is at variance with their own4 ,men were taught then1 as they were taught in ancient ,israel1 to wait upon the ,lord4 ,the over-anxious1 the ambitious1 the rebellious1 would not wait upon the ,lord4 ,they went their own way2 they were scattered abroad4 ,not having learned the lesson of self-restraint1 the light and truth of the gospel became obscured in their minds1 and their own will they mistook for ,god's will4 ,they fell by the wayside4 ,a letter containing his appointment is given in his journal as follows3 ,nauvoo1 ,august #bb1 #ahdd4 ,to all ,elders and ,saints in ,great ,britain ,greeting3 ,we send our beloved ,brother ,wilford ,woodruff to ,england to take charge of all business transactions pertaining to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 both spiritual and temporal4 ,we wish you to give diligent heed to his counsel in all things1 and as we have not the opportunity of informing you of what has transpired this season by letter1 our beloved ,brother will make known unto you all things4 ,we wish the brethren to be faithful and diligent in keeping all the commandments of ,god1 and in hearkening to the counsels of those who are sent to counsel them4 ,let no man or set of men think they have power of authority or the keys of the ,kingdom above ,apostle ,wilford ,woodruff whom we send unto you to instruct you in the things pertaining to life and salvation4 ,though our ,prophet be slain for the word of ,god and the testimony of ,jesus1 yet the keys of the ,kingdom remain in the ,church and the heavens are not closed1 neither is the mouth of the ,almighty sealed up that ,he cannot speak4 ,the ,god of ,israel will communicate to ,his disciples all things necessary for the building up of ,his ,kingdom on the earth until #bcb ,israel is gathered1 yea even all the blood of ,abraham scattered over all the earth1 ,zion established1 ,jerusalem rebuilt1 and the whole earth be filled with the glory and knowledge of ,god4 ,we wish all the ,saints in ,england to continue their gathering as usual to the land of ,america2 and they may have the privilege of appointing a committee to visit the land of ,america to prepare a location for a settlement of the brethren from ,europe according to their desire under the direction and counsel of ,elder ,wilford ,woodruff2 and further we would say unto the ,saints in all the world that may be visited by ,elder ,wilford ,woodruff that inasmuch as they will hearken to his counsel1 they shall be blest1 inasmuch as they will render him any assistance in his mission they will be doing the will of ,god and shall not lose their reward2 and we desire that all ,saints may use their efforts to sustain him in this important mission which he is called to fulfill by their faith1 prayers1 and brotherly love according to the grace of ,god2 for he is qualified to teach in all things pertaining to the ,church and and ,kingdom of ,god established in these last days4 ,therefore1 dear brethren1 we would say unto you in conclusion be humble and faithful and hearken diligently unto the counsel of this our beloved brother in the ,lord1 ,elder ,wilford ,woodruff1 and the blessings of the ,lord will attend you1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 ,,brigham ,,young1 ,president of the ,twelve1 ,,willard ,,richards1 ,clerk4 #bcc ,,chapter #bc4 ,,in ,,the ,,british ,,mission1 #ahdd-de-df4 ,departure4--,route4--,visits ,home of ,solomon ,mack4--,a ,peculiar ,dream4--,on the ,ocean4--,copyright of ,doctrine and ,covenants4--,visit to ,scotland4--,lemington4--,troubles in ,nauvoo4--,condition of the ,mission4--,preparation for ,his ,return4 ,august #bhth1 #ahdd1 was the day appointed for the departure of ,wilford ,woodruff and his companions to the ,british ,mission4 ,those who were to accompany him were his wife and two children1 ,hyrum ,clark and wife1 and ,captain ,dan ,jones and wife4 ,he said good-by on the ,temple ,block at ,nauvoo to his fellow members of the ,twelve and started at once for ,chicago whither he and his companions were conveyed by teams4 ,on the #hth of ,september1 they left ,chicago on the propellor1 ,oswego1 and made their journey eastward on the ,lakes4 ,they stopped about three hours at ,manatou ,islands where he with others had been wrecked on the ,chesapeake in ,september1 #ahda4 ,while here they carved their names on some white stones1 and also the events associated with the wreck4 ,at midnight while on their way a fire alarm was sounded and the passengers were brought together by terror of the alarm4 ,the flame1 however1 was soon extinguished and they all retired again to their rest4 ,they continued their journey on ,lake ,erie1 the ,williams ,canal1 and ,lake ,ontario4 ,elder ,woodruff then went by rail to his birthplace in ,farmington1 ,connecticut1 where he paid his aged father another visit4 ,while he was laboring among the ,saints in and about ,boston1 his wife paid a visit to her home in ,scarboro1 ,maine4 ,the branches of the ,church in ,boston and ,lowell were not in a healthy condition4 ,he1 therefore1 worked zealously to bring about a reformation and to warn the ,saints against some iniquities which had crept into the ,church4 ,while in the ,eastern ,states he visited the home of ,lucy ,smith's brother1 ,soloman ,mack4 ,the old homestead of ,mother ,smith awakened within him a feeling of reverence which he had for the ,prophet1 and for the scenes associated with his mother's home4 #bcd ,from ,vermont he went to ,scarboro1 ,maine1 to join his wife and children there4 ,leaving his oldest child1 ,phoebe1 at the home of ,ezra ,carter1 his father-in-law1 he left with his wife and youngest child1 ,susan1 for ,new ,york4 ,the scenes of his former missionary experiences in the ,eastern ,states were both familiar and interesting to him4 ,he knew the inroads that are often made upon the faith of the saints when left too long without a shepherd4 ,he encouraged1 admonished1 and warned them to be faithful to the covenants they had made4 ,he makes note in his journal during this visit of ,october #bb1 #ahdd1 the last day set by the ,millerites for the second coming of ,christ4 ,speaking of his visit to ,maine he says3 ,while ,i was at the home of my father-in-law ,i had a peculiar dream4 ,much of it was unutterable and cannot be written2 indeed1 ,i do not comprehend it myself4 ,among other things ,i was called with the ,twelve to hold the keys of the ,kingdom in all the world4 ,i traveled with them over much of the earth and ,i also traveled through many countries alone4 ,when ,i finished my journey ,i saw many things which ,i cannot write1 but in the end1 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 assisted me to come where he was and pointed out to me my place and work4 ,i immediately entered into the duties of the new calling to which ,i was appointed4 ,the same night ,i had another dream4 ,i was in the presence of the ,prophet1 and was conversing with him about his death4 ,i told him ,i felt bad over it1 and that had ,i known he would have been taken so soon ,i should have conversed with him more while he lived4 ,i would have asked him many questions4 ,in reply he said that it was not his fault that ,i did not4 ,whatever the significance of these dreams may have had1 they clearly indicated the loving remembrance in which he held his great leader4 ,around the name and memory of the man there was to him a great halo4 ,the influence of ,joseph ,smith upon the life of ,wilford ,woodruff never waned4 ,there was something about this modern ,prophet that invited the veneration of his devoted followers who proclaimed his name and mission from the housetops of every part of the world where their duties and missions might take them4 ,after reaching ,new ,york on the #bith of ,november1 he paid a visit to ,elder ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant who was then performing a #bce mission in ,philadelphia4 ,on his return to the former city he made preparation for his voyage to ,europe4 ,he speaks of a letter he received in ,new ,york from ,president ,young in which the latter gives him an account of the reckless and unwarranted course of ,william ,smith and ,george ,j4 ,adams4 ,on the #hth he and his party1 together with ,milton ,holmes and ,leonard ,hardy1 set sail for ,liverpool on the packet ship1 ,john ,r4 ,skiddy4 ,on the #aath they encountered a severe storm at sea1 a storm which greatly terrified the passengers4 ,we kneeled down1 he said1 and unitedly prayed that the storm might cease and that the wind might change so that we could go forward and not backward4 ,in a short time the wind suddenly ceased and finally changed to the southwest which gave us a fair wind4 ,christmas day they passed upon the ocean4 ,on the #bhth they entered the ,irish ,channel where they were driven about for some days by foul winds4 ,finally on the #crd of ,january1 #ahde1 they landed in ,liverpool with feelings of thanksgiving and prayer for their safe arrival4 ,they were twenty-seven days at sea4 ,the day following their arrival they were met by ,elders ,hedlock and ,ward4 ,they inquired into the affairs of the mission and on ,january #eth he addressed the people in ,music ,hall4 ,they made their headquarters with a ,brother ,william ,powell1 who1 ,elder ,woodruff observes1 boarded the elders for a quarter of a century4 ,the new year witnessed the beginning of his active work in the missionary field4 ,arrangements had to be made for the emigration of the saints to ,nauvoo4 ,in those days they went to ,new ,orleans1 thence up the ,mississippi to ,nauvoo4 ,conferences had to be visited1 business affairs of the mission transacted1 and attention given to the opening of new fields for missionary activities4 ,the work in the ,british ,mission1 however1 did not occupy wholly the thoughts and feelings of ,elder ,woodruff4 ,he had left ,nauvoo in an unsettled condition1 the future of that city was full of uncertainty4 ,the work on the ,temple was all important1 with the conviction he had long since formed that that sacred structure must be completed4 ,letters from home1 however1 brought him encouragement and assurances4 ,president ,young #bcf wrote him encouraging letters informing him of the unity and prosperity of the ,church in ,america4 ,he also told him of the call of parley ,p4 ,pratt to the presidency of the ,eastern ,states ,mission4 ,he explained the plan to publish a paper in ,new ,york ,city4 ,on the #afth of ,march special conference was held in ,manchester4 ,elder ,woodruff was there with his two counselors1 ,reuben ,hedlock and ,thomas ,ward4 ,he mentions the fact that there were present five other high priests1 thirty elders1 twenty-one teachers1 and four deacons4 ,the conference there was crowded with eager listeners1 both members and non-members of the ,church4 ,the spirit of the ,lord1 he said1 was with us4 ,love and union pervaded the congregation4 ,it was a scene that made the heart glad when we beheld in a foreign land so many ,saints assembled1 ,saints united in the everlasting covenant4 ,i had often thought how much ,i would like to see the ,prophet ,joseph meet with a conference of ,saints in ,england4 ,it was not granted1 however1 to the ,british ,nation to have the ,prophet of ,god in that land4 ,this was one of the most interesting conferences ,i had ever attended abroad4 ,it fulfilled a prophecy ,i had made in the ,house of the ,lord in ,kirtland in #ahcg to the effect that ,i should attend a conference with ,elder ,milton ,holmes in the ,british ,isles4 ,these old associates of ,wilford ,woodruff1 men tried and true1 were always held in loving remembrance by him4 ,he loved those who loved ,god4 ,the names of those old-time friends lingered in his memory throughout all the years of a long1 busy life4 ,since he could conveniently do so1 immediately after the ,manchester conference1 he repaired to ,idle1 in ,yorkshire1 that he might visit the last resting place of the remains of ,elder ,lorenzo ,barnes1 the first elder in this dispensation who had laid down his life in a foreign land4 ,it was not that fact alone which brought forth this respect4 ,the memory of ,lorenzo ,barnes grew out of an old-time companionship in their early associations1 and especially in the journey of ,zion's ,camp4 ,of this visit to the grave of his beloved friend he writes3 ,before arriving we passed through a beautiful green valley which is located on the top of a hill4 ,the fields of grass were as green as in ,may1 although it was now ,february4 ,this gave to the landscape a charm both picturesque #bcg and inspiring4 ,as we traveled the road1 we reflected that we were covering the footsteps of a departed brother who had traversed the same roadway many a time in his mission to disseminate the teachings of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i felt sorrowful1 ,i was filled with meditation4 ,we called upon ,elder ,thomas ,cordingly and family who cared for ,elder ,barnes in his last sickness4 ,they pointed out to us the room where he spent the last hours of his mortal life4 ,after taking some refreshments we walked to the churchyard where we gazed upon the peaceful1 silent grave of our departed brother4 ,my feelings were sensitive and sad4 ,while standing over his grave ,i offed up a prayer to ,israel's ,god that ,i too might die the death of the righteous1 that my end might be as peaceful and secure as that of our departed brother4 ,there is an illustration in that prayer1 a marked characteristic in the life of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,the burden of his thoughts1 the great object of his supplication was that he might endure to the end4 ,what the end should be was with him the great concern of his life4 ,he envied those1 if he ever envied at all1 who were valiant in every crisis and who were steadfast to the death4 ,to him there was no triumph in life like the triumph in death4 ,he was not so concerned about worldly greatness1 about the race of the swift1 nor the battle of the strong2 what he sought above all else was endurance1 that endurance which1 after all1 contains the greatest virtue1 as it embodies the greatest strength4 ,yet often men underrate the supreme value of endurance in their ambition to be great and strong4 ,on the #bcrd of ,september1 ,elder ,woodruff attended a conference in ,bradford4 ,the meetings were attended by large numbers4 ,elder ,elijah ,f4 ,sheets1 long and honorably known throughout ,utah as ,bishop ,sheets1 was then presiding over that conference4 ,of that occasion he writes in his journal3 ,the congregation was as still as death4 ,he spoke upon the mission and teachings of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith whose recent martyrdom had still its mournful affects upon the ,saints who were sorely disappointed that they had not the opportunity in life to hear the words that dropped from the lips of him whom ,god had called to open the great dispensation of the last days4 ,on my birthday1 ,march #ast1 #ahde1 ,i received a letter from #bch a friend4 ,it contained a copy of a letter dated ,pittsburg1 ,january #cjth1 #ahde1 and was written by ,john ,greenbow to his father in ,kendall4 ,the letter contained a statement to the effect that he was getting the ,doctrine and ,covenants stereotyped and that he would bring the plates to ,england for the purpose of printing1 publishing1 and copyrighting the book so that the ,church could not print and publish it4 ,this was a bold scheme by apostates to steal the book containing the revelations of ,god to the ,church4 ,there was in this proposed action1 no doubt1 an intention to change the wording and thus deceive the world4 ,i regarded the receipt of the letter as nothing less than providential1 an interposition of our ,heavenly ,father who knew the evil design of the wicked and therefore caused the letter to come into my hands4 ,i spent the day examining the laws of ,england relative to copyrights4 ,this information aroused ,elder ,woodruff to immediate action1 and as early as ,june #g1 #ahde1 he secured the copyright of the book which was entered at ,stationer's ,hall1 ,england4 ,on the #ith of ,march ,elder ,woodruff records the fact that he held conference in ,preston where he visited the old cock-pit1 where ,elders ,kimball and ,hyde first openly declared the message of the gospel to the people of ,england1 and where they were soon followed by ,willard ,richards4 ,he with his companion also walked up and down the river where so many hundreds of the ,saints had been baptized4 ,at the ,preston conference he mentions the fact that there were several branches represented with the total membership of five hundred souls4 ,this was the first conference organized in the ,british ,mission eight years before by ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,throughout ,elder ,woodruff's journal of those times may be found minute descriptions of historical places and of public monuments4 ,he was also deeply interested in the history of the countries which he visited1 and his journal shows the special significance which historical monuments had to his mind4 ,he further knew that his sympathy and interest in the people would be increased by knowledge of their national history and of those conditions which in the past had been foremost in shaping their character4 ,many an elder has1 no doubt1 realized the mistake of either falsely or imperfectly estimating the character of those whose #bci ear he was seeking to gain4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal shows1 however1 that he greatly appreciated the superior qualities of the ,english people and their great contributions to the system of free governments4 ,from the history of the ,english people he often found it convenient to take his text2 in short1 he made himself at home among the ,english by his knowledge of them and their institutions4 ,on the #acth of ,march he left ,liverpool1 on the steamer ,commodore1 for ,scotland1 whither he went to attend a conference in ,glasgow4 ,he was accompanied by his counselors ,hedlock and ,ward1 also by ,elder ,banks4 ,they reached the mouth of the ,clyde ,river at six o'clock in the morning4 ,the highlands were covered with snow and a severe storm was raging in ,glasgow4 ,on the way they passed the famous rock known in ,scottish history as ,dumbarton on which was then stationed a regiment of soldiers to protect the river ,clyde4 ,he also mentions ,bell's monument erected in memory of ,john ,bell who was the first to run a steamer up the river ,clyde to ,glasgow4 ,on the evening of their arrival1 a council was held with the officers of the ,church in that city4 ,two days later a conference was held in ,felon's ,hall4 ,there1 fifteen branches of the ,church were represented containing a total membership of #a1jfe persons4 ,there were present also thirty-five elders1 fifty-one priests1 thirty-seven teachers1 and twenty-four deacons4 ,then1 as now1 ,scotland was the home of a large number of the blood of ,israel4 ,while here1 he paid visits to ,cots ,bridge1 ,whifflett1 and ,sterling4 ,he also visited manufacturing establishments and historical places4 ,he found special interest in those places that were so full of the memories of ,bruce and of ,wallace and of ,john ,knox4 ,the company later went to ,edinburgh where they visited the ,saints and the chief historical places about that city4 ,the conference there consisted of eleven branches with the membership of #dji souls4 ,he was particularly interested in the high cliff known as ,arthur's ,seat4 ,it was there that ,elder ,orson ,pratt who first brought the gospel to ,edinburgh was wont to go that he might engage himself in meditation and prayer4 ,this elevation affords a most excellent view of the city and its surroundings4 ,leaving ,edinburgh the company returned to ,liverpool where a conference was held on the #cjth of ,march1 #ahde4 ,at this conference #bdj there were present four high priests1 eighteen elders1 thirteen priests1 and eight teachers4 ,it consisted of twelve branches with a membership of #fgf souls4 ,liverpool was then1 as it has ever since been1 the headquarters of the ,church in ,great ,britain4 ,preparations were made at the ,liverpool conference for the general conference of the ,british ,mission to be held ,april #fth in ,manchester4 ,the meetings there convened in ,science ,hall4 ,it was the largest conference up to that time ever held in the ,british ,mission4 ,this mission at that time contained many of the finest characters ever known in the ,church4 ,the men who embraced the gospel1 as a whole1 in those days were strong characters whose endurance and whose will power peculiarly fitted them for the pioneer work they were soon to undertake in the development of this inter-mountain region4 ,upon his return to ,liverpool1 ,elder ,woodruff sent the following epitaph to ,elder ,e4 ,f4 ,sheets to be placed upon the tombstone of ,elder ,lorenzo ,d4 ,barnes3 ,in memory of ,lorenzo ,d4 ,barnes1 who died on the #bjth of ,december1 #ahdb1 aged thirty years4 ,he was a native of the ,united ,states1 an elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 a member of the high priests' quorum and also ,zion's ,camp in ,a4 ,d4 #ahcd1 and the first gospel messenger from ,nauvoo who has found a grave in a foreign land4 ,sleep on1 ,lorenzo1 but ere long from this ,the conquered tomb shall yield her captured prey4 ,then with thy ,quorum shalt thou reign in bliss ,as king and priest for an ,eternal ,day4 ,the latter part of ,april he paid a visit to ,newton where he examined the great vitriol works which are among the largest in the world4 ,he also went through the great engine factory at that place where a number of the brethren were working4 ,they were men well qualified to carry on the work in all its branches4 ,he relates the circumstances of a peculiar tradition of a church in the vicinity of the city3 ,from the ,newton ,engine ,factory ,i walked several miles through very pleasant scenery consisting of green fields1 hedges1 trees1 and gardens4 ,i visited a church #bda on the side of which was the figure of a pig in stone1 and a stone was hung around its neck4 ,according to tradition the materials for this church were drawn to another place quite a distance from where the church now stands4 ,the pig came along and took a stone in his mouth and carried it1 squealing as he went4 ,the pig finally dropped the stone on the spot where the church now stands4 ,the circumstance the people regarded as an omen and erected their church on its present site4 ,in the beginning of ,may he visited the churches in ,preston and ,blackburn and then walked with ,brother ,speakman to ,whaley where he visited the old ,abbey1 the largest he had ever seen4 ,it covered several acres of ground and was then almost in total ruin4 ,it was built as early as one thousand ,a4 ,d4 ,the following day they visited the ,jesuit ,college at ,stoneyhurst4 ,on ,sunday ,may #aath they attended the ,clithero conference4 ,of this conference the following is taken from his journal3 ,elder ,speakman was called to preside in the afternoon1 the ,sacrament was administered and the power of ,god rested so abundantly upon the congregation that many were moved to tears4 7,this is the conference of which ,brother ,kimball speaks in his journal47 ,i was so overwhelmed by the spirit of ,god and the simplicity of the people that ,i could scarcely speak4 ,they were like little children1 as pure-minded and innocent as angels4 ,many of them bore their testimony to the work of ,god4 ,on the #aeth of the same month1 he took a steamer for ,carlisle to attend a conference there4 ,of the steamship and voyage he wrote4 ,it was newly painted from stem to stern and we could not sit down without carrying away the paint4 ,i accordingly paid two shillings for the use of a bunk among the sailors4 ,i had no sooner gone below than ,i was enveloped in the most horrid stench rising from a cargo of guano4 ,i lay down but became as sick as death and vomited at intervals for five hours4 ,i was strained to such a degree that blood ran out of my nose4 ,the sailors filled the place with tobacco smoke which was more intolerable than the other stench which ,i had to endure4 ,this was the most horrible night ,i ever passed at sea4 ,we reached port at two o'clock in the morning4 ,i crossed the ferry and took a canal boat to ,carlisle4 #bdb ,at the ,carlisle conference six branches of the ,church were represented and the membership of the conference was #afe4 ,he returned1 at the close of the conference1 to ,liverpool by the same boat which on the return voyage1 however1 was loaded with sheep1 horses1 and cattle4 ,his journal at this time contains the following3 ,on the #bdth of ,may1 which was the seventh day of the week1 at six o'clock in the morning1 the last stone was laid on the ,temple of the ,lord at ,nauvoo with shouts of joy and ',glory to ,god in the ,highest4' ,the ,lord finished his work on the seventh day and rested4 ,on the #fth of ,june1 #ahde1 ,president ,woodruff left ,liverpool for ,london by rail for the purpose of securing the copyright of the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,he immediately employed a printer and published three thousand copies4 ,this was the first edition of that book published in the ,british ,mission4 ,as the #bgth of ,june approached1 ,president ,woodruff appointed that day a day of prayer and fasting throughout all the churches of the ,british ,isles4 ,it was the day of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum4 ,on the #ahth of the following month there was born to him in ,liverpool a son whom he named ,joseph1 in honor of the ,prophet4 ,on the #acth of ,september he attended a conference at ,manchester4 ,that conference then numbered #a1gfi souls1 including #dd elders1 #ii priests1 #eg teachers1 and #bg deacons4 ,during the three months preceding this conference1 there had been baptized into the ,church in that conference a hundred and fifteen souls4 ,on ,october #eth he paid a visit to the ,lemington conference4 ,there was much prejudice at that place against the ,saints4 ,shortly before this visit there1 mobs had assembled and broken up the bannisters1 stairs1 benches1 and tables in the building where the ,saints met for worship4 ,of ,lemington he said3 ,this is one of the first aristocratic towns in ,england4 ,here the nobility come together for the select society of their own class1 and because of the sulphur springs at this place4 ,the streets and buildings of the town are rich and splendid in appearance4 ,of ,warwick ,castle in that region he says3 ,it is considered the most splendid castle in ,england and is furnished #bdc with all the magnificence which art and the wealth of ,earldom could bestow upon it4 ,it is #ccc feet long and is divided into a large number of rooms4 ,the walls are hung with gorgeous tapestry1 and the rooms furnished with the costliest furniture and the richest damask4 ,chairs1 tables1 and stands were inlaid with pearl1 and other precious stones4 ,some of these articles of furniture cost seventy-five thousand dollars each4 ,from the windows of the castle we looked out upon the stately cedars of ,lebanon1 upon oaks1 firs1 and a great variety of shrubbery4 ,the castle is eight hundred years old4 ,the tower is #aej feet high4 ,elder ,woodruff always availed himself of every opportunity to visit historic places which he describes at great length in detail4 ,from ,warwick ,castle ,elder ,woodruff went with his counselor1 ,hedlock1 to ,birmingham4 ,here they were received with great demonstration1 and preparations were made for a joyous reception for the ,president of the ,mission4 ,five hundred ,saints awaited ,elder ,woodruff and his companions as they entered the door1 and round after round of applause went up to greet them4 ,there was such clapping of hands and stamping of feet that the room in which they were gathered trembled4 ,all wished to shake the hand of their ,president and it was with great difficulty that he reached the stand upon entering the room4 ,he talked to the people at some length4 ,the manifestation of love for him1 however1 was not confined to ,birmingham4 ,he enjoyed the affection and enthusiasm of the ,saints wherever he went4 ,while all this enthusiasm was manifested by the ,saints in the ,british ,mission1 their brethren and sisters over the sea in the city of ,nauvoo were filled with deep anxiety and fear4 ,mobs were gathering against the ,saints and the enemy were pressing in upon them with the spirit of hatred that brought depression and sorrow to the hearts of the people in the beautiful city of ,nauvoo1 which was fast reaching its doom4 ,he called a meeting of his counselors and the leading men before whom he laid the spiritual and temporal conditions of the ,church in ,england and gave them some idea of conditions at home4 ,soon thereafter he received word from ,president ,young that the mob was growing in numbers and in violence1 #bdd that the only terms of peace they would accept from the ,saints was their exile from the state4 ,this condition of affairs ,elder ,woodruff characterizes in his journal as unjust1 tyrannical1 and un-,american4 ,such news naturally depressed his spirit greatly and made his continuance in the ,british ,mission so uncertain that he looked forward for an early release4 ,he at once called a special conference to be held in ,manchester ,december #ad1 #ahde4 ,according to the statistics he gives1 there were during the eight months previous #aegc baptized4 ,the total membership of the ,church in the ,british ,isles had now reached #aa1jcb exclusive of those in the ,staffordshire conference which were not reported at that time4 ,there were reported in the priesthood one ,apostle1 eight high priests1 #cib elders1 #eij priests1 #caa teachers1 and #ahh deacons4 ,this would make1 including those of the ,staffordshire conference something like #a1ejj men in the mission bearing the priesthood4 ,those were days of marvelous activity in proselyting4 ,within eight years the ,church had grown in that land to large proportions1 and the people were constantly emigrating to ,america4 ,on ,christmas ,evening of that year he attended with his wife ,st4 ,john's ,market where high mass was held in the ,catholic ,church4 ,this was the first time in his life that he had attended such services4 ,he desired to acquaint himself with the religious ceremonies as well as the religious beliefs of others1 and took advantage of opportunities to learn all he could in view of his probable return in the near future to ,nauvoo4 ,his release soon came and he began at once to put the ,church financially as well as spiritually in a safe and prosperous condition4 ,he reported property in excess of the debts to the amount of #egd pounds and #af shillings4 ,this was over #bhjj4jj4 ,wherever a financial trust was put upon him he regarded his duties in the matter as both sacred and important4 ,all his life long he guarded himself against the temptations that so frequently overtake men in administering the property of others4 ,he fully realized that financial dishonor robs men not only of the confidence of their fellow-men but of the blessings of ,god4 ,he was scrupulously careful to account for every farthing entrusted to him1 and his presidency1 therefore1 of the ,british ,mission was #bde marked both by zeal in preaching the gospel1 and by high-minded honesty in the administration of funds4 ,the year #ahde was now drawing to a close4 ,during the entire year his work had been directed in a foreign land4 ,he had personally baptized but few1 had administered to something like a hundred persons1 published three thousand copies of the ,doctrine and ,covenants1 and twenty thousand copies of the ,proclamation of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,he had collected three hundred pounds for the ,nauvoo ,temple and had been indefatigable in the management of the ,british ,mission4 ,he was now released to return home4 ,on the #crd of ,january1 #ahdf1 he visited ,preston4 ,on the #ajth he made a feast for a few of his brethren1 and on the #aeth took his family on board the ship ,liverpool4 ,he went with them #aj miles and then returned to the shore4 ,it was planned that his wife should go with the ,saints then emigrating to ,nauvoo4 ,as soon as the business of the mission could be attended to1 he expected to leave1 himself4 ,he wrote a valedictory for the ,millennial ,star and on the #bcrd of ,january he set sail for ,america and arrived in ,new ,york ,march #fth4 ,the voyage was uneventful except that the second mate fell overboard and was lost at sea4 ,he was performing some perilous duty that he did not require of his men4 ,the voyage at that season of the year was attended by cold weather and the usual winter storms4 ,they were forty-three days en route4 ,after reaching the ,united ,states1 he paid a hasty visit to his old home in ,connecticut where his father and step-mother were preparing to emigrate to ,nauvoo4 ,he also went to ,maine where he found his daughter who had remained there during his absence4 ,they reached ,nauvoo in his father's party on the #acth of ,april4 ,he says3 ,we stopped at ,keokuk1 and at two o'clock in the afternoon we began to ascend the rapids4 ,i took my spy glass and enjoyed a view of the city and the ,temple in the distance4 ,they looked very beautiful to me4 ,he had been a zealous mission president4 ,he kept a careful record4 ,he attended with scrupulous care to all the details of the mission4 ,he made himself familiar with the conditions in every conference4 ,he promoted peace and good will among the ,saints everywhere throughout ,great ,britain4 ,he was humble #bdf and unassuming4 ,he was simply the instrumentality of ,god's purposes in promulgating the ,gospel of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he was devoid of those ambitions that engender jealousy1 misgivings1 and hatreds4 ,his own industrious life inspired those with whom he was associated with the same indefatigable spirit with which he was possessed4 ,to this day the landmarks of his mission in ,great ,britain are pointed out to the elders who perform ministerial labors there4 ,he is referred to as a model missionary and is a man with a record that others are happy to emulate4 #bdg ,,chapter #bd4 ,,on ,,the ,,banks ,,of ,,the ,,missouri1 #ahdf4 ,dedication of the ,temple in ,nauvoo4--,the ,exodus to ,council ,bluffs4--,accident to ,his ,father4--,reaches ,mt4 ,pisgah4--,meets ,brigham ,young4--,recruiting of the ,mormon ,battalion4--,colonel ,kane4--,departure of the ,battalion4--,organizations at ,winter ,quarters4--,a ,conference with the ,chiefs of the ,leading ,indian ,tribes4--,explorations4--,remarks by ,president ,young4 ,before ,elder ,woodruff reached his home in ,nauvoo1 ,president ,young with a number of the ,saints had already commenced their memorable exodus from that city4 ,the ,saints were in a state of active preparation for their departure westward4 ,the mob was active1 determined1 and vindictive4 ,the hatred against the ,saints had become so intense among the anti-,mormon element in ,western ,illinois that it was a source of great disquietude among the people of ,nauvoo4 ,in the midst of the persecutions1 however1 there had been a faithful devotion to the work on the ,temple which resulted in its completion and preparation for dedication4 ,under date of ,april #cjth1 #ahdf1 ,elder ,woodruff's journal contains the following3 ,in the evening of this day ,i repaired to the ,temple with ,elder ,orson ,hyde and about twenty other elders of ,israel4 ,there we were all clothed in our priestly robes and dedicated the ,temple of the ,lord1 erected to ,his most holy name by the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,notwithstanding the predictions of false prophets and the threat of mobs that the building should never be completed nor dedicated1 their words had fallen to the ground4 ,the ,temple was now finished and dedicated to ,him4 ,after the dedication1 we raised our voices in a united shout of ',hosanna to ,god and the ,lamb6' ,after offering our prayers we returned to our homes1 thankful for the privilege enjoyed in our evening services4 ,on ,may #ast1 #ahdf1 a public dedication of the ,temple took place at which ,elder ,woodruff opened the services by prayer4 ,elder ,orson ,hyde made appropriate remarks and then offered the dedicatory prayer4 ,on ,sunday the #crd the assembly room of the ,temple was filled and addresses were made by ,elders ,hyde #bdh and ,woodruff4 ,a point had been gained2 under stress and strain the ,temple had been completed and dedicated4 ,more1 however1 than the completion of the ,temple had been accomplished by the construction of that sacred edifice4 ,its rites and ceremonies had enlarged the vision of the ,saints and broadened their conceptions of eternity4 ,their relations and obligations to the dead brought home to them greater responsibilities than they had ever heretofore imagined4 ,furthermore1 they perceived the importance of a new gathering place wherein they might erect other ,temples to the worship of their ,god4 ,from that day to the present time1 temple work has had a peculiar influence upon the lives of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,it has engendered brotherly love1 a spirit of unity1 and a steadfast devotion to ,god that perhaps nothing else in all their experience in the ,church has given them4 ,the work in ,nauvoo was done2 henceforth the city of the ,saints was to be nothing more to them than a memory until ,god should determine otherwise4 ,it brought its joys2 but its history was also full of sad reminiscences1 apostasy1 murderous intent1 and destruction4 ,i was in ,nauvoo1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 on the #bfth of ,may1 #ahdf1 for the last time1 and left the city of the ,saints feeling that most likely ,i was taking a final farewell of ,nauvoo for this life4 ,i looked back upon the ,temple and ,city as they receded from view and asked the ,lord to remember the sacrifices of ,his ,saints4 ,elder ,woodruff had already left ,nauvoo on the #afth and had preached his farewell sermon there on the previous ,sunday4 ,the farewell of which he now speaks followed his return to the ,city a few days later to obtain goods which he had left behind4 ,there he met a company of ,saints who had just arrived from ,pennsylvania4 ,among them was ,brother ,sidwell who gave to ,orson ,hyde several hundred dollars for the ,camp of ,israel4 ,he also gave a hundred dollars each for ,elders ,hyde and ,woodruff4 ,the little company of which he had charge consisted of his wife and children1 his father1 and a few other members of the family4 ,they had three baggage wagons1 one family carriage1 six yoke of oxen1 six cows1 four calves1 one yearling1 and a pair of mules1 making in all twenty-five head of animals4 ,the father was #bdi aged and had no grown sons other than ,wilford to assist him1 so that the weight and responsibility fell upon the son4 ,there began now the tedious and distressing journey across the state of ,iowa4 ,the inconveniences of loaded wagons and the inclemency of the weather superseded the comforts and conveniences of well-appointed homes4 ,on the first day out their wagon mired down in the mud2 the wagon tongue and several chains were broken in the effort to extricate it4 ,similar accidents occurred at intervals1 and on the twenty-seventh he says in his journal that while his father was trying to climb into the wagon fell to the ground4 ,both wheels of the wagon which was loaded with twenty-five hundred pounds ran over his legs4 ,it was marvelous that no bones were broken4 ,at ,farmington1 ,iowa1 they bought a supply of flour consisting of four barrels4 ,there they crossed the ,des ,moines ,river at the ferry4 ,they were then twenty-five miles from ,nauvoo on the #bhth day of ,may4 ,several days later they overtook the ,ramus ,company consisting of about twenty-five wagons4 ,on the evening of ,sunday the #gth they traveled some distance when they came to a long swail which covered a distance of one and a half miles4 ,it was wet and miry4 ,he succeeded in getting his carriage across by dark1 but in the center of the swamp his baggage wagons cut through the turf1 and the wheels went down almost to the hubs4 ,he worked most of that night in mud and water nearly knee deep and at the same time kept a watch upon the cattle4 ,about daylight he rolled himself up in a buffalo robe and went to sleep4 ,all day ,monday they were obliged to rest and prepare for the journey the following day4 ,his anxiety to overtake the main body of the pioneers led to this violation of his custom to refrain wholly from work on the ,lord's day4 ,tuesday1 the #ith1 the company traveled twelve miles and camped with a body of ,saints from ,macedonia4 ,the latter had thirty-one wagons4 ,here and there they were joined by scattered families of ,saints who were wending their weary way westward4 ,on the #aeth of ,june they reached the ,camp of ,israel called ,mt4 ,pisgah4 ,president ,kimball and others of the ,twelve were still ahead4 ,elder ,charles ,c4 ,rich had been left in charge at ,mt4 ,pisgah4 ,there were many of his old-time friends there and the meeting brought with it reminiscences of earlier days4 ,there was an exchange #bej of the experiences which they had undergone since ,brother ,woodruff had left them for his mission1 more than a year before4 ,i encamped1 he says1 on the east side of the creek near the ,camp of ,israel4 ,here ,i learned that ,brother ,noah ,rogers recently from a mission to the ,south ,sea ,islands had died and was the first to find a resting place in the burial ground at ,mt4 ,pisgah4 ,brother ,turnbow1 one of our company1 lost a child today4 ,i was present at its funeral4 ,lorenzo ,snow was also in this company and was suffering from sickness1 but found great relief in the administration of ,elder ,woodruff4 ,on the #bast he preached to a large congregation of ,saints and was followed by ,elders ,rich1 ,benson1 and ,sherwood4 ,that day a messenger arrived from ,president ,young1 who was at ,council ,bluffs4 ,the messenger brought a call for one hundred mounted men who were to serve as dragoons and as buffalo hunters for the ,camp of ,israel4 ,in response to the call1 ,elder ,woodruff and sixty others stepped to the front4 ,he reported the response to ,president ,young4 ,on the #bfth the camp was thrown into some excitement by the appearance of ,captain ,allen and three dragoons of the ,united ,states army4 ,the object of their visit was to raise volunteers for the ,mexican ,war4 ,he was sent by ,colonel ,kearney who was acting under instructions from ,president ,james ,k4 ,polk4 ,these messengers were shown every courtesy1 but were asked to confer with ,president ,young4 ,the day following1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote ,president ,young a letter in advance of the messengers who were commissioned to make a call for volunteers4 ,when the #bgth of ,june arrived1 the anniversary of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum1 ,elder ,woodruff though in poor health at the time addressed the ,saints in ,pisgah4 ,it was his farewell sermon at that place1 for on the following day he took up his travels again for ,council ,bluffs4 ,i stopped my carriage1 he says1 on the top of a hill in the midst of a rolling prairie where ,i had an extended view of all about me4 ,i beheld the ,saints coming in all directions from hills and dales1 groves and prairies with their wagons1 flocks1 and herds1 by the thousands4 ,it looked like the movement of a nation4 ,traveling a few miles from this point of observation he met #bea ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 who was returning from ,council ,bluffs with a message to raise a company of men to go in advance to the ,rocky ,mountains without their families4 ,the ,quorum of the ,twelve had volunteered to go and in ,elder ,woodruff's breast there was a heart-felt desire to take up the proposed pioneer movement into the wilderness4 ,he therefore hurried on with as much speed as the ox-teams could endure4 ,they traveled more than twenty miles that day4 ,the day following they were overtaken by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt who was returning to ,council ,bluffs after having delivered his message4 ,he was accompanied by ,ezra ,t4 ,benson who had recently been chosen to take the place in the ,quorum of the ,twelve formerly occupied by ,john ,e4 ,page4 ,these brethren expressed a wish that ,elder ,woodruff accompany them to the ,bluffs4 ,the latter1 in response1 saddled his horse1 and leaving his family and company1 went on to join ,president ,young and those with him at the front4 ,on the #dth of ,july they rode ten miles and breakfasted with some of the brethren whom they met4 ,to their great surprise they were informed that ,president ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,willard ,richards were near by on their way to ,pisgah to raise volunteers for the service of the ,united ,states army4 ,we immediately rode down to where they were located1 he says in his journal4 ,it was truly a happy meeting4 ,i rejoiced to strike hands once more with those noble men4 ,it was the first time we had met since ,i left ,nauvoo on my mission to ,england soon after the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum4 ,this changed somewhat his plan of travel1 and upon the invitation of ,president ,young1 ,elders ,woodruff and ,benson returned with him until he met his family and company with whom he journeyed to ,council ,bluffs which he reached on the #gth of ,july1 #ahdf4 ,upon his arrival at the ,missouri ,river1 he set about the task of raising volunteers for the government service4 ,it was about this time that the ,saints there were visited by ,thomas ,l4 ,kane from the ,city of ,washington4 ,his interest in the ,latter-day ,saints1 his deep and unfeigned sympathy for them1 naturally awakened feelings of gratitude toward one whose sympathies for them were so genuine4 ,the ,colonel's description of ,nauvoo1 #beb and his defense generally of the ,latter-day ,saints1 have always made his name with them a synonym of friendship4 ,to what extent their faith and beliefs brought conviction to his soul1 it will perhaps be impossible to say4 ,it is certain1 however1 that the new religion awakened in him some belief that these unpopular people were perhaps after all the instrument of a divine providence in transforming the religious views of the modern world2 for on the #gth of ,september he sought and received a patriarchal blessing under the hands of father ,john ,smith1 who at the time was living in a tent4 ,elder ,woodruff wrote the blessing as it fell from the lips of the ,patriarch and presented it to the ,colonel4 ,it was ,colonel ,kane's belief1 and it was so represented by him to the ,saints1 that ,president ,polk was favorable to them and had really proposed the ,mormon ,battalion with the intention in his heart of helping them across the plains by government aid4 ,there was1 however1 some skepticism1 and a belief among some that the whole scheme was an anti-,mormon device1 and intended to weaken the ,saints in their exodus1 and make them an easy prey to the ,indians who might encompass the complete destruction of the ,saints on the plains4 ,brigham ,young and other leaders were actively engaged in recruiting men for service in the ,battalion4 ,president ,young had returned from ,mt4 ,pisgah and met in council with the ,twelve4 ,colonel ,kane was present4 ,such tasks as these required just such enthusiasm and heart-felt conviction as men like ,wilford ,woodruff could give to them4 ,on ,july the #aeth ,elders ,orson ,hyde1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 and ,john ,taylor were appointed to a mission in ,great ,britain for the purpose of regulating the affairs of the ,church there and of appointing a new presidency over that mission4 ,on the #afth of ,july ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,it was a great day in the ,camp of ,israel4 ,four companies of volunteers were organized and ready for marching4 ,they were brought together and formed in a hollow square by their captains4 ,they were then addressed by several of the ,quorum of the ,twelve after which the ,battalion began its march in double file over the ,redemption ,hill1 seven miles across the ,missouri ,river bottom to the ferry4 ,the brethren who formed these companies left their families1 teams1 wagons1 and cattle by the wayside not expecting #bec to meet them again for one or two years4 ,they left their wives and children to their brethren and to the tender mercies of ,god1 before they went4 ,with cheerful hearts they believed that they were doing the will of their ,heavenly ,father4 ,as ,i viewed them ,i felt as though ,i was looking upon the first ,battalion of the army of ,israel1 engaged in the service of the ,united ,states4 ,upon the departure of the ,battalion1 the ,twelve proceeded at once to ordain ,ezra ,t4 ,benson who had been called to their ,quorum4 ,that evening ,elder ,woodruff entertained the ,apostles as his guests at supper4 ,that body of men felt some pride in the success that had attended their efforts to enlist the ,battalion4 ,they were full of joy and were rejoicing together over the satisfaction which they felt in accomplishing that which they hoped would be of lasting benefit and honor to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,a few days later while the ,battalion of five hundred were in camp at the ferry1 they were addressed by ,president ,young1 who bestowed freely upon them his blessings and his promises of safety4 ,after that a concert was given in honor of ,colonel ,allen1 the commander of the men1 who were now ready to begin their long and perilous march to the sea4 ,with the departure of the ,battalion1 another great move in the exodus had been made4 ,the way across the plains1 however1 had to be blazed and a route established for the travel of the tens of thousands who should follow the first company in quest of a home far removed from the confines of civilization1 a home where the saints of ,god might enjoy the freedom and the rest that had been denied them ever since the organization of the ,church in ,april1 #ahcj4 ,during that period of sixteen years the ,saints had been constantly fleeing from mobs and from the tyranny of oppressors4 ,they were in a state of constant uncertainty and could find comfort and consolation only in the divine assurance that they were a peculiar people1 a chosen people1 destined to open a new and marvelous dispensation among the children of men4 ,the primitive conditions in which the ,saints now found themselves along the banks of the ,missouri ,river naturally gave rise to misgivings1 murmurings1 discontent1 and sometimes rebellious sentiment4 ,to maintain peace and order under such circumstances #bed was no easy task4 ,the leaders labored early and late and urged constantly1 peace1 fraternity1 and good will4 ,a new burden had been imposed upon those who were left behind and who were required to provide for the welfare of the families of the soldiers4 ,about ninety men were appointed among the ,saints to act as bishops4 ,one of their special duties was to look after the families of those who were left dependent upon the ,church at large4 ,on the #bast of the month a high council was appointed4 ,isaac ,morley became senior member4 ,preparatory to the march across the plains the coming summer1 some explorations were begun4 ,elder ,woodruff traveled along the country of the ,big ,pigeon ,river on which the camp of the ,saints was established4 ,on the #beth of ,july he crossed the river to the ,nebraska side with his family1 wagons1 and household effects4 ,on the #bnd of ,august the ,twelve met in council and decided that ,winter ,quarters should be established on the site then occupied by the camp4 ,on the evening of that day ,president ,young and ,elder ,richards called at the tent of ,wilford ,woodruff where ,president ,young gave him and his family some instructions on the subject of the priesthood and of the sealing power4 ,that day was also marked by the arrival of a messenger from the ,mormon ,battalion that was now within thirty miles from ,leavenworth4 ,after settling the question of a location for the winter1 twelve men were selected to serve in the joint capacity of a ,high ,council and ,city ,council for the transaction of all business relating to the settlement of the ,saints during the winter4 ,about this time there was a meeting of the ,saints with ,colonel ,kane1 and in it the adoption of certain resolutions of respect and gratitude to ,president ,polk for the steps taken by him in arming five hundred men and of furnishing them an opportunity to reach the valleys of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,at this time they also urgently protested against the appointment of ,lilburn ,w4 ,boggs1 the former governor of ,missouri1 and a bitter enemy of the people1 as governor of ,california and ,oregon1 a position he was anxious to occupy and one which his friends were helping him to secure4 ,at this time ,president ,young informed ,colonel ,kane that it was the intention of the ,saints to settle in the ,great ,basin1 and #bee that as soon as they were located to apply for a territorial government4 ,thus their plans were early revealed to a tried and trusted friend4 ,the ,sunday following1 a meeting was held at a place prepared for worship1 a place capable of seating about three hundred people4 ,after the people were addressed by ,apostle ,woodruff1 ,president ,young declared that when the ,latter-day ,saints should finally reach their resting place1 he would labor hard to build another temple4 ,the erection of a temple whose blessings they so meagerly enjoyed in ,nauvoo was constantly in the mind of the leaders who were inspired by a desire to enjoy the ordinances for the living and dead which belonged1 peculiarly1 to the temples of ,god4 ,in the management of the affairs at ,winter ,quarters1 the ,saints were divided into encampments and these again into subdivisions4 ,president ,young took charge of division #a4 ,that allotted to ,elder ,woodruff was ,no #aj4 ,it consisted of thirty-six men1 thirty-two wagons1 nine horses1 #abi oxen1 #ei cows1 four mules1 and forty sheep4 ,the whole of ,winter ,quarters consisted at this time of #edi men1 #eig wagons1 #bbi horses1 #b1aaj oxen1 #a1afh cows1 #di mules1 and #ffj sheep4 ,the entire population of those that located at ,council ,bluffs at that time is not stated in his journal4 ,on ,august #ag ,orrin ,p4 ,rockwell arrived in camp and brought with him the mail from ,nauvoo4 ,the letters from home showed that the mob were still active1 that some of the ,saints had been whipped in a shameful manner and that there was no hope of any return to the city they loved so well4 ,there was nothing in the information that reached them from ,nauvoo to give the least encouragement to any of their number to turn back2 their hope was now all directed westward4 ,there was naturally much suffering in the midst of all the exposure to which the ,saints were subjected4 ,elder ,woodruff records the fact that his wife suffered a great deal from sickness and it was with great difficulty that she was kept alive4 ,the ,mormon ,battalion constituted the advance-guard for the pioneer movement4 ,it is true that they were taking a route different from that which the body of the ,saints intended to follow1 but the ,battalion was penetrating the great and unknown #bef wilderness4 ,its difficulties would be their difficulties1 its hardships1 their hardships4 ,all news therefore brought back from the ,battalion was discussed by the ,saints on the banks of the ,missouri with intense interest4 ,they had reason to be proud of their representatives in blue4 ,the soldiers were making a good record4 ,they were spoken highly of because of their exemplary habits1 their willing service1 and their powers of endurance4 ,he writes in his journal of ,august #bbnd that he1 in company with other members of the ,twelve1 crossed the river to ,council ,point where they found many of the people sick4 ,they went about administering to them1 and after rebuking the diseases that were afflicting the ,saints1 they went on to what is called ,redemption ,hill4 ,upon their return to ,council ,point1 they found1 to their great pleasure and gratification1 that the exercises of the healing power with which the ,lord had clothed them was resulting in the restoration of those to whom they had administered4 ,the leaders here were planning an exodus for the coming year4 ,preparations of all kinds were therefore being made for a journey of a thousand miles through the wilderness1 the country of the red man4 ,the ,book of ,mormon taught them who the red man was and the promises of which some day he should be a happy recipient4 ,their sympathy for the ,indian1 therefore1 rested upon religious convictions which they entertained for his future1 a future in which he would find redemption from the slothful and slovenly conditions of life into which he had fallen4 ,on the #bgth the ,twelve and the high council met with the representatives of two great ,indian tribes4 ,the object of the meeting was to get the permission to remain upon their lands and use the wood1 grass1 and water as long as they wished to stay4 ,we first met with the ,ottos between whom and the ,omahas there was a dispute as to who owned the land4 ,the ,ottos said the land was theirs4 ,the chief with five or six others was present4 ,we talked to him1 after which he returned home4 ,we later met in council with the ,omahas4 ,the old chief's name was ,big ,elk and his son1 a young chief1 called ,young ,elk4 ,there were also present with them about sixty old men and braves of the tribe4 ,as it was late1 the council adjourned until the morrow4 ,on the #bhth we met in the morning with the ,omaha chiefs4 ,we smoked the pipe of peace and ,president ,young then spoke to #beg them through their interpreter4 ,he told them it was our desire to winter there2 and if they wished it we would do some work for them1 make them a field1 repair their guns4 ,big ,elk replied3 ,my son1 thou hast spoken well4 ,i have all thou hast said in my heart4 ,i have much ,i want to say4 ,we are poor1 when we go to hunt game in one place we meet the enemy and so in another1 and our enemies kill us4 ,we do not kill them4 ,i hope we shall be friends4 ,you may stay on these lands two years or more4 ,our young men may watch your cattle4 ,we would be glad to have you trade with us4 ,we will warn you of danger from other ,indians4 ,much more was said by ,big ,elk after which the council closed and the ,indians1 after being fed1 returned to their homes4 ,on ,september #aa1 #ahdf1 the leaders rode out in search of ,old ,council ,bluffs4 ,they built a bridge to cross a creek1 and after traveling over flats and hills they came to the object of their search about sundown4 ,they found that there was once on that place some old barracks4 ,nothing was left of it except the body of the magazine with one gable end4 ,the object of this search was to make themselves familiar with the surrounding country and to gain information4 ,orson ,pratt had been on a visit to the ,otto and ,omaha ,indians1 and on his return reported that it was the wish of each of these tribes to perform a war dance before the people4 ,the ,omahas were then on their way to war with the ,sioux4 ,it was necessary to secure a certain class and a certain amount of provisions for the journey of the coming season4 ,bishop ,whitney and several others were delegated to proceed to ,saint ,louis and make the necessary purchases4 ,there was a busy life in the camp4 ,as winter approached1 men were actively engaged in putting up log cabins1 making dugouts1 and taking what precautions they could1 under the circumstances1 against the inclemency of the winter season4 ,the situation was so full of anxiety and attended by so many fears1 that it was necessary to keep up the spirits and cultivate the hopes of the people4 ,amusements1 chiefly dancing1 were provided4 ,these amusements gave opportunity to unruly characters to demonstrate their unworthiness4 ,mirth1 especially #beh excessive mirth1 breaks down the natural reserve of man and discloses much of his motives and especially his follies and vices4 ,the ,saints assembled at that time were gathered from all parts of the states and from ,great ,britain4 ,that community consisted of men and women of all shades of thought1 all traditions1 beliefs1 and customs4 ,the grave and austere1 and devoted ,saints mingled with the light-minded1 the indifferent1 and the gay4 ,there were those that constituted the drift wood of the community4 ,they were found piled up where the current had taken them4 ,some in the camp had no faith1 others made no pretensions to faith4 ,there were young men who were wild and unruly4 ,such conditions naturally gave the leaders much anxiety and brought to them some discouragement4 ,they realized that it would be easy to bring disorder and confusion into their midst4 ,recording the remarks of ,president ,young to the people on ,sunday1 ,sept4 #acth1 ,elder ,woodruff quotes as follows3 ,i wish to say a few words upon principle4 ,there is one thing ,i want you to realize and that is that ,god1 angels and saints--,heaven and all of ,god's creations--are governed by law4 ,i want the ,camp of ,israel to understand that we must be so governed4 ,if ,heaven were not so controlled1 what sort of a place would it be8 ,every man would be in danger of losing his rights and of having them trampled upon4 ,all celestial beings are governed by law and order1 for the celestial law is a perfect order of things1 a perfect system of light1 law1 intelligence1 exaltation1 and glory4 ,we do not arrive at this all at once4 ,a prophet once declared that we should have precept upon precept1 line upon line1 here a little and there a little until we arrive at a fullness of knowledge and glory1 even a fullness which reigns in the ,heavens4 ,we must begin to be governed by law here before we are prepared to receive the fullness that reigns in the ,heavens4 ,we must have law and order in our midst4 ,some agitation was manifested at this time in consequence of certain favors received by those who then on the banks of the ,missouri ,river were permitted to have more than one wife4 ,respecting this ,president ,young is quoted as saying3 ,some young men are jealous for fear ,i shall receive more blessings1 more wives1 or some other blessings than themselves4 ,these men have #bei never preached the gospel in their lives4 ,if they will travel the world over in poverty as ,i have done and on foot with blood in their shoes and spend years and years to save the world they will cease to be jealous of the blessings that ,i enjoy4 ,a woman who has the spirit of ,god will join herself to a good man who honors and bears the ,holy ,priesthood4 ,such a man1 if he continues faithful1 will be saved in eternal glory and all who are with him4 ,i am determined that my affections shall be with ,god4 ,i will not allow them to be placed upon things that perish4 ,when plagues and disease get hold of our bodies we become loathsome1 our beauty fades away4 ,our affections should be placed upon things that are noble1 exalted1 lasting1 and glorious4 ,i love an exalted mind1 it is eternal and cannot fade4 ,i want all my affections to be subject to ,god and to the principles of glory and eternal life4 ,a pleasure loving camp in those days had many of the same temptations that beset the pleasure loving world now4 ,those1 then1 in whose minds every thing was associated with a pleasure loving spirit attributed self gratification to the motives of their leaders who were then inculcating faith by teaching and practicing the doctrine of plural marriage4 ,on the #bcrd of ,september the ,saints removed their encampment from the prairie ridge where they had been located to the tableland on the bank of the ,missouri ,river4 ,at the latter place a townsite was laid out into blocks1 #abj by #dj rods4 ,each block was divided into lots four by ten4 ,two days later ,daniel ,h4 ,wells and ,elder ,cutler arrived from ,nauvoo4 ,at the meeting on ,sunday afternoon of the #bgth they gave an account of the ,battle of ,nauvoo1 where the ,saints were engaged in resisting the encroaching mob4 ,three of the ,saints were killed and two wounded4 ,it was never known how many of the mob lost their lives4 ,the skirmish resulted in a treaty which required the ,saints to leave the city within five days4 ,the little remnant of those compelled to leave was composed chiefly of men and women whose circumstances did not permit them to leave with the main body of the ,church4 ,a few remained to protect the property rights of the people who had been driven from the city4 ,there were a few who fostered some lingering thoughts of returning to ,nauvoo1 or of mercenary advantages in days to come4 #bfj ,these property rights which the ,saints sought to retain only excited the cupidity and murderous disposition of the mob4 ,it was the property of the ,saints they craved and bloodshed did not stand between them and the cravings of their own selfish dispositions4 ,this lingering remnant was1 therefore1 inhumanely treated and driven into the wilderness without provisions and without shelter4 ,their distress was pitiful4 ,the ,battle of ,nauvoo removed from the hearts of all the ,saints the last lingering hope of any return to that city4 ,all was gone1 their property rights destroyed1 and their homes passed to new ownerships4 ,the destruction of all hope in their return to the city they loved made their undertaking in a new and perilous journey the only thing to be reckoned with4 ,the first ,sunday in ,october1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,amasa ,lyman1 and ,wilford ,woodruff began the organization of the new city of ,winter ,quarters4 ,it was divided into #ac wards1 with a bishop over each4 ,thus1 responsibility was extended and order more firmly established throughout the ,camp4 ,on the #aeth ,elder ,woodruff met with one of those serious experiences recorded in his chapter of accidents4 ,he was struck by a falling tree and disabled for a number of weeks4 ,while he was recovering his little son ,joseph was stricken with disease and died on the #abth of ,november4 ,on the #agth of that month ,elder ,woodruff took up again his manual labor4 ,writing in his journal of those times he says3 ,i had never seen the ,latter-day ,saints in any situation where they seemed to be passing through greater tribulations4 ,after being exposed to the sufferings of a tedious journey of ten months in tents and wagons1 they were obliged to build a city of log houses numbering more than one thousand4 ,all this work had only a temporary enjoyment4 ,we had to go a great distance for wood and timber1 and it was difficult to secure from the deep ravines and hollows where we found it4 ,the labor was hard to endure4 ,i was endeavoring to build a log house for myself and one for my father4 ,quite a number died during the winter of #ahdf-dg1 in ,winter ,quarters4 ,elder ,woodruff records the death of ,sister ,benbow1 the wife of his time-honored friend4 ,on the #hth of ,december there was born to him a son whom #bfa he named ,ezra who lived only a few days and was buried by the side of his brother ,joseph4 ,thus afflictions and death visited the ,saints while they were camping along the banks of the ,missouri ,river4 ,by the close of that year their numbers reached #cdhc4 ,christmas day was duly observed and such joy and such gratitude as were possible under the circumstances were manifested throughout the ,camp4 ,on the #bith the ,twelve met to consider the organization of a pioneer company whose duty it would be to set out for the valleys the following spring4 ,from now on there was a feverish excitement in consequence of the preparation going on for the accomplishment of a journey whose vicissitudes they could not even imagine4 ,truly they had to walk in the light of faith4 ,in turn it filled their hearts with hope and fond anticipations4 ,faith taught them to look on the bright side of life and anticipate the best1 that they might endure cheerfully the worst that was to overtake them4 ,thus ended the year #ahdf in the life of ,wilford ,woodruff4 #bfb ,,chapter #be4 ,,departure ,,of ,,the ,,pioneers4--,,april #g1 #ahdg4 ,arrival of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,john ,taylor at ,winter ,quarters4--,organization of the ,pioneers4--,manner of ,forming ,camp4--,horse ,feed ,enroute4--,pawnee ,indians4--,a ,practical ,joke4--,crossing ,loup ,fork4 ,on the outskirts of civilization1 near the banks of the ,missouri ,river1 on the #gth day of ,april1 #ahdg1 might have been seen a large body of men and women anxiously gazing on a band of pioneers just taking their departure from wives and children1 friends and neighbors1 and setting out upon a perilous journey in quest of a resting place in the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,in the hearts of wives and friends there was a strange mixture of fear and faith4 ,what the outcome would be1 none could foresee2 and the probabilities of danger from the hostile red man were only mitigated by the fervent faith which had served them well in the trying ordeal of other troublous times through which the ,church had passed4 ,the pioneers were missionaries whose trust in the direction and care of an over-ruling ,providence was uppermost in their minds4 ,just to the west of ,winter ,quarters1 there arises one of those rolling1 undulating ridges which skirt the ,missouri for many miles4 ,when the top of this elevation was reached1 ,elder ,woodruff took a parting view of the city1 and through his field glasses he could see his wife and children whose lingering gaze followed the pioneers as long as they could be seen4 ,the first day's journey covered a distance of seven miles from ,winter ,quarters4 ,naturally enough1 many things necessary for such a journey had been forgotten2 some needed counsel had been overlooked2 some words of caution had not been spoken4 ,the leaders of the pioneers not only faced the uncertainties of a long and tedious journey1 but they left behind them a large number of brethren and sisters whose welfare and unity might be greatly disturbed in the absence of those trusted leaders1 whose counsels had been their watchword and whose leadership seemed necessary for their safety4 ,under these circumstances a few days passed before the company was well on its way4 #bfc ,in the meantime1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt had just arrived from his mission to ,great ,britain1 and the tidings which this prince of missionaries had brought from a foreign land were a matter of supreme importance to the ,prophet ,brigham ,young who returned to ,winter ,quarters to greet the newly arrived missionary4 ,during this time1 ,wilford ,woodruff was exploring the neighboring country4 ,the delay of ,president ,young led him likewise to return to ,winter ,quarters4 ,he was within a half mile of his home when he met the ,twelve returning to the camp of the pioneers4 ,with characteristic submission to order and discipline1 he turned about without seeing his family and joined the brethren on their return4 ,the camp had scarcely been set in motion when news of the arrival of ,john ,taylor from ,great ,britain caused the ,twelve to return again to ,winter ,quarters4 ,this time they were accompanied by ,wilford ,woodruff who succeeded in adding to his equipment another horse for the journey4 ,these reunions in the midst of troublous times were heartfelt demonstrations of brotherly love and mutual good will4 ,the importance of ,elder ,taylor's return was enhanced by the fact that he had brought with him two sextants1 two barometers1 two artificial horizons1 one circle of reflection1 and one telescope1 which were highly valuable for the acquisition of important data along the journey4 ,the next return of the leaders to the camp of the pioneers was final and the journey was taken up with renewed enthusiasm and a determination to move on unremittingly to the goal of their undertaking4 ,the first week of the journey was passed in reaching and crossing the ,elk ,horn ,river which flows into the ,platte whose banks were soon to be1 for most of the distance1 the guide of the pioneers4 ,it is a stream whose small tributaries were to give the ,saints considerable trouble in their efforts to get their wagons and teams over the treacherous quicksands that were common along the banks of the ,platte in eastern ,nebraska4 ,it was during these early days that ,jesse ,c4 ,little returned from the ,eastern ,states mission4 ,he brought with him presents for the ,twelve from friends in the ,east4 ,col4 ,kane had sent me a patent life preserver and a stop compass4 ,brothers ,little1 #bfd ,rockwood1 and ,reading returned to ,winter ,quarters next morning 7,april #af71 and the company continued four miles up the ,platte4 ,before we left this morning1 the camp came together and was organized as a military body into companies of hundreds1 fifties1 and tens4 ,stephen ,markham and ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood were appointed captains of hundreds4 ,of this organization ,brigham ,young was ,lieutenant ,general and ,wilford ,woodruff was appointed captain of the first ten1 an appointment which characterized the man4 ,his nervous energy1 his untiring effort1 his prompt and ready action naturally fitted him for the leading captain4 ,the camp consisted of seventy-three wagons1 one hundred and forty-three men1 three women1 and two children1 making in all one hundred and forty-eight souls4 ,the general orders from ,brigham ,young for the camp were as follows3 ',the whole regiment was to journey in a compact body as they were in an ,indian country1 and every man was to carry his gun loaded4 ,the caplocks were to be shut on a piece of buckskin with the caps ready to slip on in an instant in case of attacks2 for flint-locks1 guncotton or tow was to be put in the pan and the powder flask kept handy to prime without delay4 ,every man was to walk by the side of his wagon and not to leave it except sent away by order4' ,the object of all this caution was to prevent accident1 for strict discipline was necessary while traveling through a hostile ,indian country4 ,on ,saturday1 the #agth1 continues ,wilford ,woodruff1 some traders came down from the ,pawnees and camped with us over night2 they had plenty of buffalo meat dried1 and gave us what we needed1 and informed us that we were in two days' drive of a large band of ,pawnees4 ,on the following morning ,president ,young called the captains together and gave the following instructions3 ',we were to start in the morning1 two wagons abreast4 ,all who were not driving teams were to carry their guns and walk beside the wagons1 and no man was to go hunting or get out of sight of the wagons4 ,in the morning the bugle was to be blown at five o'clock and the pioneers were to arise and pray1 cook1 eat1 and feed the horses and start at the call of the bugle at seven o'clock4 ,in the evening the bugle was to be blown at half past eight when all were to go to prayers in their several wagons and retire by #bfe nine o'clock4 ,each ,saturday night we were to pitch what tents we had and prepare our camps for rest on the ,sabbath4' ,on the morning of the #aith of ,april1 ,prof4 ,pratt took an observation and found the latitude to be #da degrees #bg minutes and #e seconds4 ,the point of observation was on the north bend of the ,platte1 #aj #a_/b miles north of where the ,saints had crossed the river4 ,it was while camping at this place that ,elder ,little overtook the ,saints on his return from the ,eastern ,states mission4 ,on the evening of that day we camped near a grove of timber on the banks of the ,platte where we formed a semi-circle4 ,the river on one side was our defense1 and one of the four wheels of each wagon was driven up to the back wheel of the wagon ahead of it1 and all the horses and cattle were taken into the corral thus formed so that we might be secure against the ,indians4 ,there was a hard wind during the night and the morning was fair with a strong southwest wind which covered our wagons with sand dust4 ,at this season of the year1 the grass was not sufficiently high and matured for suitable feed for the horses2 and during the early part of the journey cottonwood trees were cut down in order that the horses might gnaw off the bark and browse from the limbs1 a kind of food which the horses at this season of the year seemed to enjoy4 ,the ration of corn for each horse was two quarts per day4 ,on ,tuesday1 the #bjth1 three islands in the ,platte ,river were reached1 the largest of which1 including an area of about ten acres1 was covered with timber4 ,thereafter for miles along the river there continued a chain of islands4 ,it was about this time that they approached the inhabited territory of the ,pawnee ,indians who were somewhat given to petty thefts1 but not so dangerous as the ,sioux4 ,here and there individual ,indians of the ,pawnee tribe would approach in concealment in the grass the horses of the pioneers and a few were stolen1 presumably by the ,indians4 ,what caused the ,pawness to gather in villages about #aej miles from the ,missouri ,river was doubtless the presence of large herds of buffaloes1 and the further fact that they were far removed from the outposts of civilization on that great river4 ,the question of food was1 of course1 an important consideration2 #bff and the existence of game at this stage of the journey gave rise to the appointment of a body of men to be known as the hunters4 ,among the names given1 that of ,wilford ,woodruff does not appear1 and yet he was a skilled hunter and fisher all his subsequent life1 and the part he took in the buffalo chases indicates that he was an excellent hunter in fact1 if not so named4 ,in the spring of the year1 the rain and the wind produced a sort of raw weather which created a chilly sensation and consequent discomfort4 ,in consequence of the rains1 the streams were often swollen and means for crossing them had to be improvised4 ,it was necessary1 therefore1 to send men in advance of the pioneers for the purpose of constructing bridges or selecting fords and making general observations respecting the lay of the country4 ,on the #bjth they crossed a small stream called ,shell ,creek4 ,from this point ,elders ,woodruff and ,pratt went ahead for the purpose of taking observations4 ,that night they cut down cottonwood trees from the barks of which their horses fed4 ,the following day the ox-teams started at #g o'clock1 an hour in advance of the horses1 and in the course of the journey an ,indian made his appearance on a mound about five miles distant4 ,he was mounted on a pony4 ,he soon disappeared but in a short time again came in sight at a full gallop4 ,as he approached the camp he was met by the brethren who shook hands with him in a friendly manner and with the seven others who had accompanied him4 ,they were escorted through the camp that they might learn that there were no hostile intentions among the pioneers4 ,at #ab3cj we came in sight of seventy horses and mules1 and soon in sight of a large ,pawnee village on the north side of ,loup ,fork1 and also one on the south side of it4 ,we drove on by the village1 and soon they began to sally out to meet us4 ,we camped in the form of a half-moon1 the bank of the river forming a parallel line in front4 ,the ,indians1 numbering about two hundred on the south side of the river1 came down to the shore4 ,some waded over and about seventy-five came into camp1 including the grand chief of the nation1 with many war chiefs4 ,we met them and made them presents of four pounds of tobacco1 fifteen pounds of lead1 powder1 fish-hooks1 beads1 flour1 salt1 etc41 but still they #bfg were not satisfied2 considering our numbers1 they thought they ought to have more4 ,when we left the ground1 the ,indians appeared very dissatisfied1 but we harnessed up our horses and drove on to ,looking-glass ,creek and camped at its mouth for the night on the bank of the ,loup ,fork4 ,after our horses were turned out1 we were called together2 and in consequence of the dissatisfaction of the ,indians1 a guard of one hundred men was called for4 ,the ,quorum of the ,twelve with nearly the whole camp volunteered to stand guard1 one-half of them the fore part of the night1 and a half the other part4 ,we also had a picket guard of five men with their mules at each watch4 ,i was one of the picket guards4 ,we had a hard wind with rain in the afternoon which continued a portion of the time that ,i was on guard4 ,i rolled myself up in my buffalo robe and let the wind and rain beat on me4 ,we were released at about one o'clock and went to rest4 ,no ,indians appeared during the night4 ,looking-glass ,creek was crossed fifteen minutes before nine on the day following1 ,april #bbnd1 and a westerly course continued and ,beaver ,creek reached at noon4 ,prof4 ,o4 ,pratt took the meridian observation of the sun by the sextant for the latitude which was found to be #da degrees #be minutes and #ac seconds4 ,he also made other observations4 ,we crossed ,beaver ,creek at half past two o'clock and traveled seven miles and came to the ,pawnee missionary station and camped for the night4 ,the bluff was skirted with oaks on the north side of the road in the hills4 ,we kept out a guard through the night as we were in danger of the ,sioux on the one side and the ,pawnees on the other4 ,while watering the horses at the creek at the station this evening1 ,brother ,george ,a4 ,smith's horse mired1 pitched forward1 and jumped on him1 treading upon his feet and breast1 and holding him fast in the mud until ,i caught the horse by the bit and backed him off4 ,i was fearful that ,brother ,smith was badly injured1 but found that he was not4 ,on the morning of the #bcrd1 the camp enjoyed some diversion in one of those practical jokes which characterize men traveling under similar circumstances4 ,some of the guards during the #bfh night had fallen asleep1 and when awakened1 found their guns taken4 ,col4 ,markham had lost his hat4 ,fatigue from their duties and arduous labors made it difficult for men to remain awake when nature so persistently demanded sleep4 ,as the company made its way along ,loup ,fork ,river1 a fording place was sought1 as the purpose of the pioneers was to follow up the ,platte into which ,loup ,fork emptied4 ,in the evening a ,pawnee missionary station was reached--a station which had been abandoned4 ,there were several good log houses and considerable land under cultivation4 ,here they found large lots of old and new iron1 all apparently left to ruin4 ,a quarter of a mile below the missionary village was a government station where ,father ,chase had been employed as a government farmer at a salary of #cjj a year4 ,when1 however1 ,major ,harvey learned that ,father ,chase had joined the ,mormons1 he was dismissed from service4 ,the ,sioux had burned the government station houses and blacksmith shop1 but had spared the missionary village4 ,some of the hay and fodder was used by the pioneers1 but none of it was carried away4 ,some of the plows were taken on an account which ,father ,chase held against the government for arrears in wages1 but a strict report to the government was ordered and the things taken were regarded as the property of ,father ,chase4 ,the crossing of ,loup ,fork was a mile-post on the journey2 and the #bcrd was a day of great anxiety to those who had been looking carefully for a suitable fording place from which they might drop down again on to the banks of the ,platte4 ,in the morning twelve of us started on horseback to search out a ford across the dangerous and troublesome ,loup ,fork of the ,platte ,river4 ,we went down the river some distance when several men waded across4 ,they found the water so deep1 and so much quicksand that we came to the conclusion to drive up to the old ,pawnee village4 ,so we returned to the camp and harnessed up our horses4 ,my gray horse named ,titus was sick1 yet ,i started out with him1 and the camp drove up with some difficulty to the old ,indian village1 or a little below it4 ,the men commenced searching out a ford and found the #bfi whole bed of the river one body of quicksand into which if a horse or wagon stopped it would begin to sink4 ,we had two channels to cross and a sand-bar in the middle4 ,the deepest water was from three to four feet and very rapid and about three hundred yards across4 ,at some places the quicksand sank both man and beast instantly2 and the more they struggled to get out1 the more they would sink4 ,of course1 we avoided such places as much as possible4 ,as ,i led the van with my ten1 being captain of the first ten1 it fell to my lot to make the first trial4 ,prof4 ,o4 ,pratt1 having a pair of strong horses1 went forward and ,i followed him4 ,i had two yoke of cattle and my horses on my carriage with about ten hundred on it4 ,as soon as ,i started1 ,i immediately saw that the cattle did but little good1 being slow and in the way1 we would begin to sink4 ,i jumped out of my carriage into the water up to my waist4 ,about ten men came to my assistance with a rope and hitched it to the oxen and helped me in getting across the first stream1 though with great difficulty4 ,we stopped on a sand-bar out in the water1 but my horses and wagon began to sink4 ,by treading the ground a little1 it would become a perfect quagmire1 and though we were sinking in it1 the men had to leave the wagon where it was and go to the assistance of ,orson ,pratt1 who1 in trying to cross the second stream1 had sunk into a bed of quicksand1 and all the men had to go to his relief to get his horses and wagon out4 ,the horses were unhitched from the wagon1 and the load taken out and carried to shore2 the wagon was drawn out by the men4 ,i took off most of my load in a boat and went through the second stream4 ,i got two other wagons in the same way1 but it was so difficult an undertaking that the rest of the camp would not follow us1 so here we found ourselves on the opposite side of the river1 six men of us1 to spend the night1 together with our horses and wagons to guard against the whole ,pawnee band1 who were then camped below us on the same side of the river1 and it was supposed that they numbered six hundred warriors4 ,we divided our company1 putting three on guard at a time4 ,brother ,pack1 ,orson ,pratt1 and myself went on guard the fore part of the #bgj night4 ,although ,i had been in the water the whole afternoon1 ,i stood guard in my wet clothing one-half of the night and slept in them the other half4 ,when we had guarded our part of the night we were joined by five men from the camp who crossed in a boat4 ,they were sent by ,president ,young to assist us1 making eleven of us in all1 and we divided our force accordingly4 ,the night1 however1 passed off in peace1 with no disturbance from the hostile ,indians4 ,the morning was pleasant and ,prof4 ,pratt took an observation on the south bank of the fording place of the ,loup ,fork4 ,the latitude was found to be #da degrees1 #bb minutes1 and #cg seconds4 ,the camp on the other side was now busy devising plans to cross the river4 ,they drew together timber and rails to build two rafts and began to put them together4 ,some of the brethren made another trial to cross with wagons by putting on several horse and mule teams4 ,they went a little higher up than we did and got over with much less difficulty4 ,the more the ground was trod in the water1 the smoother and harder it grew1 so the whole company turned their wagons back to the ford and abandoned the raft4 ,by unloading one-half of the baggage1 they could cross in safety2 and they all crossed by doubling teams and by going back and forth until all were over4 ,each captain with his ten assisted the others across4 ,in this way all ,israel who were present went over the ,loup ,fork of the ,platte ,river in safety without hurt to man or beast2 and we felt thankful to ,god for ,his mercies and rejoiced that we were on the south side of the river4 ,we all loaded up our wagons and drove four miles and camped for the ,sabbath on the bank of the river2 and after our wagons were arranged1 the ,twelve took a walk on the high table lands to make observations1 through their glasses1 of the surrounding country4 #bga ,,chapter #bf4 ,,pioneer ,,journey ,,continued1 #ahdg4 ,elijah ,newman ,healed4--,indians ,attempt ,theft4--,antelopes ,killed4 ,encounter with ,indians4--,a ,buffalo ,hunt4--,meet ,traders from ,laramie4--,a ,decision ,to ,keep the ,north ,bank of the ,platte4--,immense ,herds of ,buffaloes4--,william ,clayton's ,mile ,gage4--,letter ,left for ,next ,company4--,description of the ,rodometer4 ,the task of crossing ,loup ,river had been accomplished safely and there was a general spirit of gratitude throughout the camp4 ,the following day was the ,sabbath1 ,april #beth4 ,meeting was held and general instructions given respecting the observance of the ,sabbath4 ,it was on that day that ,elijah ,newman was baptized for the restoration of his health4 ,he was afflicted by a black scurvy in his legs to such an extent that he could not walk except by aid of sticks and crutches4 ,after the ordinance and confirmation1 he returned to the camp without any help4 ,a number of hunters were appointed to go ahead of the camp in quest of game1 seven to be horsemen2 and ten1 footmen4 ,here ,elder ,woodruff saw for the first time in his life either elk or antelope4 ,four of each appeared at different times on the opposite side of the river4 ,although he was not one of the hunters1 the members of the ,twelve were allowed to join those appointed4 ,from later accounts1 it will be seen that ,elder ,woodruff took an active part in the chase4 ,from now on till the foothills of the ,rocky ,mountains were reached1 a strict guard against the ,indians was kept4 ,of the first early troubles with ,indians1 ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,early in the morning1 before the break of day1 two ,indians crept upon their hands and knees1 approaching the camp to steal horses4 ,they got within three years of the guard before they were discovered4 ,the guard at first thought them to be wolves and snapped at them4 ,they rose and ran4 ,two of the guards fired and four others rose out of the grass4 ,the bugle was sounded and all arose to arms1 but no more were seen then4 ,i started out in the morning with the hunters4 ,we saw eight deer and four antelopes1 but caught nothing4 ,after traveling #bgb eight miles1 we camped for noon4 ,on the opposite side of the river were relics of an old ,indian town4 ,in the afternoon1 we traveled seven miles and camped on ,clear ,creek which had a hard gravel bottom1 the first of the kind we had found on the road4 ,we killed one wild goose1 and saw fresh signs of buffalo where we camped1 the first we had seen4 ,brothers ,young1 ,kimball1 ,richards1 and ,i went on to a high bluff to view the country4 ,just at dusk1 a tremendous alarm was given through the camp4 ,the ,indians had crawled up and taken ,porter ,rockwell and his horse and made off with them4 ,many men mounted their horses and rode after them with all speed1 but it was soon discovered that ,rockwell was in camp4 ,only two horses were gone4 ,they belonged to ,dr4 ,richards and ,brother ,little4 ,about twenty men1 mounted and armed1 went in search of the horses4 ,on the morrow we continued our journey in a southerly direction to try to get on the ,platte ,river4 ,we came to some beautiful green grass1 saw a great many buffalo signs1 but found no wood or water4 ,we baited our horses in a green valley after twelve miles' travel4 ,just as we were starting in the afternoon1 we rose to a small bluff and saw two antelopes in the valley before us4 ,brothers ,young1 ,kimball1 and myself were together4 ,brother ,brown and another brother were on the other side of the hill and saw them also4 ,brother ,brown first fired at one1 and then the other man and ,i fired4 ,we all hit him1 but he did not fall1 so we rode up and cut his throat4 ,this was the first antelope killed4 ,he was dressed and put on board the wagon1 and we continued on and in a short time saw three more looking at us from the top of a mound4 ,brother ,brown and ,i went after them1 but could not get them1 so we turned about ten degrees east of south and went to the creek and camped4 ,our cattle and horses were very dry1 not finding any water during the day4 ,we had a heavy storm of thunder1 lightning1 wind1 and some rain which lasted about an hour4 ,a rifle went off in ,brother ,brown's wagon by accident and the ball went through a bag of clothes1 set it on fire1 then through the wagon1 and broke the leg of a fine horse4 ,the result was the breaking up of one of the teams of the pioneer company4 ,brother ,rockwell and three others had gone in the morning #bgc again in search of the horses which the ,indians were supposed to have stolen4 ,toward evening they returned and reported that they had been attacked by fifteen ,indians1 who were in ambush in the grass4 ,they came upon them1 determined to take their horses from them1 but the brethren kept them off by their rifles and pistols4 ,the ,indians were armed with guns and bows4 ,when they found that they could not scare the brethren1 they professed friendship to get to them2 but the brethren were resolute and determined not to move but to fight1 though only four to fifteen4 ,the ,indians finally rushed upon them to catch the horses by the bits4 ,the brethren drew their pistols upon them1 determined to fight and do their best4 ,the ,indians1 seeing their determination1 broke and ran1 but fired their guns upon the brethren4 ,the balls whistled around them1 but no one was injured4 ,the brethren did not return the fire1 not wishing to kill any of them if they could help it4 ,the morning of ,april #bhth the company reached the eastern end of ,grand ,island4 ,there ,elder ,woodruff accompanied the hunters1 but a wolf and a goose were all they secured4 ,in the evening1 they camped on ,wood ,creek4 ,great numbers of deer could be seen on the island1 but ,president ,young thought it dangerous to cross over1 as the ,indians might be in ambush4 ,the morning following was very cold4 ,the camp was moved at five o'clock2 and after a drive of three miles1 a stop was made for breakfast4 ,here the hunters explored ,grand ,island which they found covered by rushes and cottonwood4 ,the grass was now in greater abundance4 ,the cattle and horses were greatly in need of improved feed2 and better grazing meant the entrance into the lands of the deer and buffalo4 ,they saw great numbers of antelope1 but could not reach them4 ,the hunters killed four geese4 ,elder ,woodruff killed two of them and shot one deer which he could not overtake4 ,on ,may #ast the pioneers were well into the home of the buffalo4 ,it was a great day for the hunters and welcomed by the pioneers who were greatly in need of fresh meat4 ,those who knew ,president ,woodruff's ardent love of the chase will read the experience of his first buffalo hunt with some appreciation of what that day meant to him4 #bgd ,this was an interesting day to the hunters of the camp of ,israel4 ,the pioneers made an early start1 and after traveling six miles1 camped for breakfast on the prairie in sight of a herd of buffaloes feeding on a bluff to the right of us4 ,there were about two hundred4 ,three only of the hunters started out4 ,they rode as near to them as possible and crawled along the grass1 but the buffaloes became frightened and ran away4 ,we had not traveled more than two miles farther before we discovered another large herd five miles before us4 ,the hunters assembled and held a council4 ,we determined to get some of the buffalo meat if possible4 ,we traveled1 however1 with the camp until within a mile of the herd when a halt was made and fifteen hunters started together4 ,amasa ,lyman and myself of the ,twelve were with them4 ,we went along together until we reached a bluff within a few rods of the herd and then divided1 ,brother ,grover and ,luke ,johnson went on to the bluff1 ,o4 ,p4 ,rockwell and ,brother ,brown took the entire left1 and so we divided into companies on the right1 left1 and center4 ,i was with the company in the center of the herd4 ,we all made a charge upon them from the bluffs and rushed on to the plain4 ,the herd ran down the rough bluff into the plain1 but when we reached the plain we soon overtook them1 and each company singled out its game4 ,we made choice generally of cows1 then rushed up to the side of them and fired upon them with our pistols1 which we found much better to carry than the rifles which were very cumbersome in running4 ,the first we gave chase to was a cow with her calf4 ,i rode up to her side and fired two balls1 both of which took effect4 ,the other brethren with me also fired at her until she was killed4 ,i then ran my horse to the assistance of another party who had wounded one which was soon dispatched4 ,i then saw that ,o4 ,p4 ,rockwell had three bulls at bay on the prairie4 ,brother ,pack and myself ran with our horses to his assistance4 ,at the same time ,brother ,kimball came up4 ,we surrounded them and commenced firing4 ,they bolted ahead4 ,i put spurs to my horse and ran in front and was within about a rod of them when they all pitched at me and gave me a chase for a fight4 ,it hurried me to get out of their way4 ,two broke for the bluff and ,brother ,brown followed them2 but ,rockwell1 ,kimball1 ,pack1 #bge and myself stayed with an old bull4 ,i fired two balls into him1 ,kimball one1 and ,pack one4 ,the bull fell dead4 ,we also shot a calf that was with him4 ,i returned to ,brother ,brown on the bluff and found that one of the bulls to which he had given chase was wounded and had lain down2 but ,brother ,brown having no more powder or ball1 the bull got up again and ran into the herd on the bluff before ,i could reach him4 ,we now all returned to our hunting ground to gather up the buffaloes we had killed1 there being three cows1 three bulls1 and five calves1 making eleven in all4 ,in the morning1 ,brother ,solomon ,hancock had gone out to hunt buffaloes on foot4 ,as he did not return in the evening1 we felt greatly concerned about him2 but in the morning he returned1 having killed a three year old cow which he watched during the night to keep the wolves from eating her4 ,three wolves came upon him4 ,he shot one and the rest ran away4 ,this was our first day's buffalo hunt and we considered the results quite good in as much as we were all strangers to a buffalo hunt1 very few of us having ever seen one before4 ,we dressed our meat and the wagons came from the camp to take it in4 ,a part of our chase was through an immense prairie dog town nearly ten miles long by two miles wide1 with burrows at nearly every rod4 ,this was very dangerous for our horses4 ,my horse1 in fact1 ran into one and nearly fell1 but no harm was done to any of the hunters by the prairie dog holes4 ,the next day was the ,sabbath1 and all were busy cooking and saving their meat4 ,in the afternoon1 the camp was moved on three miles in order that better feed might be found4 ,while the pioneers were in camp1 a herd of buffaloes came to the river to drink at a place within two miles of the camp4 ,the hunters were anxious to give them a chase1 but ,president ,young prevailed on them not to do so4 ,it was not a work of necessity4 ,here the ,indians impeded the progress of the company by setting fire to the prairie1 which rapidly burned a large area of country4 ,that evening ,presidents ,young and ,kimball went ahead several miles to examine the fire and make general observations4 ,on ,monday1 the #crd of ,may1 the pioneers did not move camp on account of the weakened condition of the teams4 ,a company #bgf of twenty hunters were called to go in quest of game4 ,we started out with two wagons4 ,i had taken a severe cold which had settled in my side where my bones had been broken last fall1 and it made me sick and ,i was not fit for the hunt1 yet ,i started with the hunters4 ,i had shaken myself up badly the ,saturday before and was now feeling the effects of it4 ,at the same time another party were out to explore the country ahead of them1 as the ,indians had been burning the grass for several days4 ,after traveling about ten miles to and fro1 and seeing no game1 ,elders ,woodruff and ,lyman began a retreat for camp4 ,we sat down upon the edge of a bluff in sight of the camp when a company of horsemen approached1 bearing a red flag4 ,when they came within a mile of us1 we trailed our guns and went down to meet them4 ,we were informed that the party who had gone up the river had come upon a camp of about four hundred ,indian warriors1 and that about one hundred of them had followed the party down a ravine to cut off retreat4 ,these horsemen had gone out to call in the hunters4 ,on their return the horsemen came on to a herd of buffaloes4 ,they brought in with them three calves and four antelopes4 ,during the night a strong guard was kept and early in the morning the cannon was fired twice to let the ,indians know the company was awake4 ,to provide against surprises1 the wagons were driven five abreast4 ,after traveling about five miles1 some wagons were seen on the opposite side of the river1 going down the ,platte4 ,one of their men waded the river to find out who the pioneers were and to learn what he could of their movements4 ,they were traders from ,fort ,laramie1 and had been on the way sixteen days from that place4 ,the grass1 he informed us1 was good on the south side of the river1 but burned on the north side by the ,indians4 ,he consented to carry letters for us to ,sarpee who lived near ,winter ,quarters4 ,here the pioneers stopped long enough to write fifty-two letters4 ,an epistle was written to the ,church at ,winter ,quarters2 and three of the brethren accompanied the ,frenchman across the ,platte1 where they met the other men of his company1 nine in all4 ,they informed the brethren that they had not seen an ,indian since they left ,laramie where there was a ferry4 #bgg ,we drove on three miles and let our teams graze until the brethren returned from the ,french traders4 ,they made a report to the camp of what was said to them4 ,a council of the whole company of the pioneers was then called to determine whether we should cross the ,platte1 or continue along the north side of the river4 ,we were convinced that it would be better for us to cross the river on to the old traveled road to ,laramie as there was good grass on that side1 while the ,indians were burning it off on the north side where we were traveling4 ,when1 however1 we took into consideration the fact that other companies would soon follow and that we were the pioneers1 and had not our wives and children with us1 we thought it best to keep on the north banks and face the difficulties of burning prairies4 ,a road would thus be made which would serve as a permanent route1 independent of the old immigrant trail4 ,there was the further consideration that the river would separate us from other immigrant companies that might be disposed to quarrel with us over grass or water4 ,besides1 by the time the next company came along1 the grass would be much better than on the south side of the river4 ,a vote was called for1 and the decision was unanimous that we continue along the north banks of the ,platte4 ,col4 ,markham called the men together and drilled them in a military capacity4 ,the cannon was unloaded and carried on wheels4 ,the ,frenchman informed us that he had never seen so many buffaloes on the route before as there were this season and that several times the traders were compelled to stop while the herds passed4 ,we saw many deer and antelope today and a few buffaloes4 ,at night we camped near a herd a short distance from us4 ,we also afterwards learned that the alarm of the #crd about the four hundred ,indian warriors was a false one1 and that a man had been frightened by a herd of antelope4 ,he supposed them in the distance to be ,indians4 ,the decision to keep the north bank of the ,platte was justified by the needs of the people in the movements of subsequent companies1 and the general lay of the country4 ,later1 when the engineer applied the accuracy of his instrument to the scientific methods of road building1 the old ,mormon ,trail1 as it was popularly called1 was chosen for the ,union ,pacific ,railroad which #bgh covered that trail for hundreds of miles4 ,in the years of follow there was a rush to the gold fields of ,california4 ,the frontiers-men of ,illinois and ,missouri who had given the ,saints so much trouble were among the gold seekers4 ,it was the part of wisdom to have between them and the migrating ,saints the ,platte ,river4 ,on ,may #eth a guard was kept in advance to keep the buffaloes from mixing with the cattle4 ,in the afternoon1 one cow and five calves were killed4 ,a wounded bull calf was brought into camp with the intention of keeping it4 ,it was true to its instincts and bunted men and dogs about whenever it could reach them4 ,the day following1 it died4 ,we stopped for the night1 but found the grass on fire and had to return a mile1 and then camped on the bank of the river on a spot which had escaped the flames4 ,some1 however1 took their horses on to an island near by in the river and cut down cottonwoods1 from the barks of which they fed4 ,on the morning of the #fth1 an early start was made2 and the camp1 after traveling three miles1 stopped where the grass was better for breakfast4 ,this morning the herds of buffaloes were numerous on both sides of the river and the antelope were in great abundance1 some of which ran into camp4 ,a young buffalo calf also came in and followed us4 ,we gave it some milk and left it4 ,as we continued our journey1 we saw many herds of buffaloes and antelopes and one large herd of elk4 ,two antelopes were killed in the morning4 ,as there was much meat in the camp already1 it was thought best not to kill any more game than we needed4 ,dr4 ,richards1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and myself walked up quite near several herds of buffaloes and examined them through our glasses4 ,they were shedding their coats4 ,one bull had a mass of hair swinging by his side like a loose robe4 ,our herd of cows started to run among the buffaloes1 but ,president ,young galloped his horse to separate them and had great difficulty in doing so4 ,he lost a glass worth forty dollars in the chase4 ,we continued our journey among herds of buffaloes and were not at any time out of sight of them4 ,they had eaten the grass to such an extent that there was little remaining for the cattle1 and timber was also scarce4 ,at night we camped near a herd of buffaloes #bgi that reached as far as the eye could see4 ,this day the camp made twenty miles4 ,the day following was given in part for rest for the cattle and horses4 ,the meagre supply of grass made it necessary to lay over where there was any supply of feed4 ,a part of the day was devoted to military tactics4 ,such drills had a double purpose4 ,they prepared the men for discipline in case it became necessary to defend themselves against the ,indians1 and it further occupied their minds and consumed energy that might otherwise have made them restless1 and dissatisfied4 ,porter ,rockwell and those who went back with him in search of the field-glass1 lost the day before by ,president ,young1 were successful4 ,others went ahead to mark out a road4 ,ever since the pioneers had left the crossing at ,loup ,fork1 they were obliged to pioneer their way4 ,had they chosen to take the other side of the river1 they would have found a road already made for them4 ,we saw today ten thousand buffaloes1 and came near one herd with an unusual number of calves1 yearlings1 and two-year olds4 ,we also saw several large dead ones being devoured by wolves which could be seen on every hand following the herds to eat those that died by wounds and from other causes4 ,the next morning1 ,may #hth1 was very pleasant and not so cold and windy as the day before4 ,a start was not made until #aj o'clock as the teams needed rest and feed badly4 ,i rode forward to-day with the ,twelve and others1 and the buffaloes that our eyes beheld were most astonishing4 ,thousands upon thousands would crowd together as they came from the bluffs to the bottom-land to go to the river and sloughs to drink1 until the river and land on both sides of it looked as though the face of the earth was alive and moving like the waves of the sea4 ,brother ,kimball remarked that he had heard many buffalo tales told1 but never expected to behold what his eyes now saw4 ,the half had not been told him4 ,when we stopped at noon1 many of the buffaloes walked along side of our wagons so that it would have been easy to shoot them down4 ,o4 ,p4 ,rockwell did shoot one through the neck and she dropped dead4 ,it was a two year old heifer and good meat4 ,we #bhj had great difficulty in keeping our cattle and horses from getting among the herds2 and if they had got mixed1 it would have been almost impossible ever to get them again4 ,we traveled eleven and one-fourth miles this day until we came to the bluffs that made down to the river and then we camped for the night4 ,brother ,william ,clayton had prepared a mile-gage on the hind wheel of his wagon so that the distance could be measured easily4 ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and myself went on the highest bluff near by and took a survey of the surrounding country without glasses1 and the scene before us1 north1 east1 and west as far as our vision extended1 looked as rough as the sea in a storm with the ridges and valley mostly sand and scarcely any green thing upon it except a little scattering grass1 and the ,spanish soap root1 which the ,mexicans used for washing4 ,the top resembles a pineapple4 ,i brought in one root twenty-four inches long and two inches in diameter4 ,i pounded a little of it and found that it would fill a dish with suds like soap4 ,the bones of buffaloes had been more or less abundant since the company left ,loup ,fork4 ,this probably indicated the eastern limit of the buffalo range4 ,among their bones there were frequently found skulls of human beings1 probably ,indians4 ,on ,sunday the #ith the camp moved four miles and laid over for the day4 ,timber grew scarcer and the pioneers learned the value of the buffalo chip for making fires4 ,at this season of the year1 the cottonwood trees became green and were not fit for fires4 ,i wrote two letters for ,brother ,wolsen to take with him to ,pueblo4 ,one was to ,brother ,ferguson and the other to ,brother ,bevin4 ,we had a meeting and a good one4 ,the spirit of ,god ruled over the camp4 ,peace1 quiet1 and contentment pervaded almost every heart4 ,the ,twelve met and it was thought best for the brethren not to start for ,pueblo until they arrived at ,laramie4 ,i rode with the ,twelve and others four miles up the river and saw large herds of buffaloes come to water4 ,the tenth was cold1 the thermometer standing at #cc degrees1 with a moderate wind4 ,before leaving camp1 a letter was put in a board by sawing an opening the width of the saw4 ,it was nailed #bha to a post which was planted firmly in the earth4 ,the letter was for the next company which was expected along in six or eight weeks4 ,on the board were the words3 ,open this box and you will find a letter2 #caf miles from ,winter ,quarters2 ,pioneers2 ,latitude #dj degrees4 ,the letter contained an account of the journey4 ,the grass was so completely eaten off that the cattle were very poor and unfit for long journeys4 ,the movement of the buffaloes was eastward and they ate everything before them4 ,it did not require many days1 however1 at this season of the year for the grass to make a considerable growth4 ,we passed through some miles of dead grass which we burned to give new feed for the next company4 ,it made a great fire indeed4 ,here in the midst of the journey1 more than #cjj miles from the ,missouri ,river1 with scant material1 and few mechanical appliances1 the ingenious nature of man asserted itself to meet a daily desire to know just how far the pioneers were traveling each day4 ,william ,clayton writes under date of ,may #h1 #ahdg3 ,i have counted the revolutions of a wagon wheel in order to get the exact distance we have traveled4 ,the reason why ,i have taken this method which is somewhat tedious1 is because there is generally a difference of two1 and sometimes four1 miles in a day's travel between my estimation and that of some others1 and they have all thought ,i underrated it4 ,this morning ,i determined to take pains in order to know for a certainty how far we would travel today4 ,accordingly ,i measured the circumference of one of the hind wheels of ,brother ,kimball's wagon1 being the one ,i sleep in1 in charge of ,philo ,johnson4 ,i found the wheel exactly fourteen feet eight inches in circumference1 not varying one eighth of an inch4 ,i then calculated how many revolutions it would require for one mile and found it precisely #cfj1 not varying one fraction1 which somewhat astonished me4 ,i have counted all the revolutions during the day's travel and find it to be a little over #aa #a_/d miles4 ,according to my previous calculations we were #bhe miles from ,winter ,quarters this morning before we started1 and after traveling ten miles ,i placed a small cedar post in the ground with these words inscribed on it with a pencil4 ',from ,winter ,quarters #bie miles1 ,may #h1 #ahdg4 ,camp #bhb all well4 ,wm4 ,clayton4' ,some have estimated the day's journey at #ac and some #ad miles1 which serves to convince more strongly that the distances are overrated4 ,i have repeatedly suggested a plan of fixing machinery to a wagon wheel to tell the exact distance we travel1 and many begin to be sanguine for carrying it into effect4 ,this tedious effort led to a mechanical contrivance which was later put into effect4 ,considering the circumstances of the pioneers1 it was not a little extraordinary that such a rodometer should be constructed at such a time and under such circumstances4 ,here is a description of it3 ,let a wagon wheel be of such a circumference1 that #cfj revolutions make one mile4 7,it happens that one of the requisite dimensions is now in camp47 ,let this wheel act upon a screw in such a manner that six revolutions of the wagon wheel shall give the screw one revolution4 ,let the threads of this screw act upon a wheel of sixty cogs1 which will evidently perform one revolution per mile4 ,let this wheel of sixty cogs1 be the head of another screw1 acting upon another wheel of thirty cogs2 it is evident that in the movements of this second wheel1 each cog will represent one mile4 ,now1 if the cogs were numbered from #j to #cj1 the number of miles traveled will be indicated during every part of the day4 ,let every sixth cog of the first wheel be numbered from #j to #aj1 and this division will indicate the fractional parts of a mile1 or tenths2 while if any one should be desirous to ascertain still smaller divisional fractions1 each cog between this division1 will give five and one-third rods4 ,this machinery 7which may be called the double endless screw7 will be simple in construction1 and of very small bulk1 requiring scarcely any sensible additional power1 and the knowledge obtained respecting distances in traveling will certainly be very satisfactory to every traveler1 especially in a country but little known4 ,the weight of this machinery need not exceed three pounds4 #bhc ,,chapter #bg4 ,,pioneers ,,reach ,,fort ,,laramie1--,,june #b1 #ahdg4 ,in the ,redman's ,country4--,indian ,customs4--,hunting ,became ,excessive4--,description of the ,bluffs4--,guide ,board #dji ,miles ,from ,winter ,quarters4--,chimney ,rock4--,brigham ,young ,rebukes ,card ,playing and ,frivolity4--,fasting and ,prayer4--,arrive at ,fort ,laramie4--,ascending the ,plateaux4--,word ,from the ,mormon ,battalion4 ,about the #aath of ,may1 the pioneers found themselves in the heart of the ,indians' country4 ,the red man would naturally take some alarm at the approach of so numerous a body of men1 and his presence along the route was indicated1 as a rule1 by the camping ground which had been deserted at the approach of the white man4 ,here and there solitary ,indians were observed1 and occasionally a small number approached the camp4 ,the ,sioux were a somewhat treacherous1 warlike tribe2 and following the habits of the ,indian1 some of their tribe would follow the pioneers for days1 remaining concealed in daylight1 hoping for opportunities to steal horses and cattle by night4 ,fortunately the pioneers adopted the most precautionary methods of guarding against the loss of their horses and cattle4 ,the ,indians were not without some knowledge of the retreat of their ancestors before the western movement which was going on rapidly in those days4 ,their viewpoint therefore justifies both the fear and the dislike of the white man4 ,the pioneers1 realizing the attitude of the ,indian1 did all in their power to assure him of their friendship1 but it was not easy on a journey such as that to cultivate any particular acquaintance4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal shows the remarkable interest that he took in whatever related to the customs and manners of the ,indians4 ,speaking of the ,sioux1 he says3 ,we found ourselves traveling over their hunting grounds4 ,some eight or ten days prior to our encampment on the #aath of ,may1 there had been a large band of some #ejj to #a1jjj located at one place4 ,they had taken the brains out of a large buffalo4 ,generally they took the hide and some of the meat1 and sometimes they broke the bones for the #bhd marrow4 ,in one place we found a hundred calves with nothing taken except the tongues1 the legs to the knees1 and the entrails4 ,in another place thirty-five buffalo calves were found dead where they had been washed up in heaps in their unsuccessful effort to cross the river4 ,on one of the bluffs1 ,i found a medicine bag tied to a stick six feet long1 the stick having been stuck into the bank4 ,i also found a saddle tied to a large buffalo for the purpose1 ,i supposed1 of showing the next party of ,indians which direction the buffaloes had gone4 ,wishing to explore the country somewhat1 ,i left my horse to feed in the valley while ,i went on to an elevated bluff4 ,while gone1 the horse started off1 and not seeing the camp1 took an opposite direction and ,i was compelled to run after him4 ,in doing this1 ,i ran through a great camping ground of the ,sioux where lodges had been on their hunting expeditions4 ,here ,i left my gun and followed my horse until ,i overtook him4 ,on my return ,i examined the ground more minutely and estimated that there had been something like #ejj lodges4 ,there were acres of ground covered with buffalo wool where they had dressed the skins of buffaloes and wolves1 etc4 ,i brought in a good dressed white wolf skin with me4 ,the day following1 many of the brethren went out and brought in parts of robes1 leather1 etc41 which had been left4 ,the next day1 the pioneers made a journey of eleven miles4 ,the bluffs1 for the first time on the journey along the north fork1 came boldly up to the river front so that we were obliged to go over these bluffs with our wagons4 ,there is one thing concerning the ,platte ,river worthy of note4 ,it is much of the way a mile in width1 generally covered with water1 but very shallow4 ,when the south wind blows hard1 the water all rushes to the north shore so that one would suppose that there was a great rise in the tide4 ,when the wind shifts to the north1 the water immediately recedes from the north shore until one can walk across two-thirds of the river on bare ground4 ,thus the river constantly ebbs and flows like a tide4 ,early on the morning of the #adth1 ,i went out to hunt buffaloes and returned to breakfast and started out again with ,phineas ,young4 ,i was lost among the bluffs1 but after a time1 found my way out again4 ,brother ,phineas shot a buck antelope which ,i carried into camp4 ,all told1 three antelopes and one #bhe buffalo were killed4 ,some of the hunters thought they heard ,indian guns during the night on the opposite side of the river4 ,an ,indian had gone up to a pair of mules that were tied together and grabbed at them1 but the mules sprang back and got out of the way4 ,one of the guards shot at him and he ran4 ,all the horses were then brought into the circle of our camp and the cannon prepared1 but no ,indian being seen1 it was not fired4 ,such a large company would naturally be conspicuous to the ,indians1 and no doubt the sound of music in those solitary regions attracted them1 as the camp was often animated in the evening by the sounds of music from all parts4 ,on the morning of the #aeth1 bear foot tracks were seen in large numbers4 ,that day the distance covered was only eight miles4 ,this short distance was due in part to the difficulty encountered in crossing over the numerous bluffs along the river4 ,in those regions there was nothing to break the cold1 raw winds that came from the north4 ,civilization had not then set up its wind breaks1 and the winds made the climate often quite disagreeable away into the month of ,may4 ,sunday1 the #afth of ,may1 he says1 was cold4 ,with ,brothers ,young1 ,kimball1 ,benson1 ,rockwell1 and ,stephens1 ,i rode four miles over the bluffs to pick out a road for the pioneers that they might again get on to the bottom land4 ,we had a good meeting in the afternoon and the laws of the camp were read4 ,one of the brethren had shot an antelope and a buffalo4 ,it was a violation of the camp to go hunting on the ,sabbath4 ,the #agth was warm and pleasant1 but the road was difficult4 ,for two and a half miles we drove through sand bluffs and again struck the bottom land four and a half miles from the camping place4 ,the hunters brought in three buffaloes which detained the camp for some time4 ,president ,young was not pleased with the excessive hunting1 as they already had much meat in the camp4 ,large herds of deer were seen in the valley1 more than had been seen before4 ,a young fawn was picked up and brought into camp4 ,i led the company of pioneers mostly through the bluffs in the morning before ,brothers ,young and ,kimball came up4 ,upon their arrival1 we rode together all day picking out the road4 ,the next day the camp was called together and ,president ,young reproved sharply the hunters for killing more game than #bhf was necessary1 for detaining the camp1 and because of their indifference in helping to pick out the road4 ,he said there were but two men who had manifested any interest in helping to get the pioneers along4 ,afterward the horsemen went forward to pick out the road instead of hunting1 and ,i did not hear a gun fired during the day4 ,the spring was well advanced and rain began to take the place of wind4 ,elder ,woodruff in his journal entry of ,may #aith says3 ,we encountered today the worst sandhill on the journey2 and what made it worse1 the rain was pouring down continuously4 ,we had more rain today than during the whole journey4 ,i rode forward during the day1 picking out the road4 ,we made eight miles4 ,next morning we made seven miles and nooned near ,ash ,creek1 on the south side of the river where the ,oregon road first strikes the north fork of the ,platte4 ,several of the brethren went over in the boat1 which we were taking along1 to examine the rocky bluffs1 roads1 creek1 etc4 ,in the afternoon1 we traveled eight and three-quarters miles and camped for the night4 ,we had a very good road most of the day on the bank of the river4 ,there was a good deal of rocky bluff on both sides of the river1 and some on the south side was formed into natural terraces1 rotundas1 squares1 etc41 from fifty to a hundred feet high and looked like good foundations for fortifications and strong-holds4 ,they resemble the works of art and look something like the old castles of ,england and ,scotland4 ,they were level on the top4 ,there is a beautiful ,cedar ,island in the river a short distance above ,ash ,creek which is a good landmark to show travelers where the ,oregon road strikes the river4 ,near by the nooning place was a cedar tree in the branches of which an ,indian child was deposited for burial4 ,along with it were utensils necessary for its future enjoyment4 ,on the #bast a large petrified bone was found4 ,it was the leg bone from the knee down4 ,its length was seventeen and a half inches1 greatest width eleven inches1 greatest thickness six inches1 its weight was twenty-seven pounds4 ,before we left the encampment in the morning1 ,brother ,clayton put up a guide board for the benefit of the next company4 #bhg ',from ,winter ,quarters1 #dji miles2 from the ,junction #ic #a_/d miles2 ,cedar ,bluff #cf #a_/b2 ,ash ,creek #h miles and #acc from ,fort ,laramie4' ,when we reached our camping place for the night1 two ,indians came up from the bluffs1 making signs for us to come to them4 ,it was a ,sioux ,indian and his squaw4 ,they talked by signs and went away4 ,our road on the journey the day following was very straight1 but we came over two and a half miles of the worst sand hill that we had passed4 ,the bluffs presented the most singular natural scenery ,i had ever beheld in all my travels4 ,they had the appearance of the old walls and ruins of the castles of ,europe4 ,the next day was ,sunday the #bcrd4 ,in company with ,brigham ,young and the ,twelve1 ,i visited the top of the highest bluff ruins that were opposite our encampment1 which were truly a curiosity4 ,we had a fair view of ,chimney ,rock from where we were4 ,i carried a bleached buffalo's head on the top and we wrote upon it our names and the distance from several places4 ,orson ,pratt took a barometrical observation on the solitary cedar tree on the top of the bluff ruins4 ,the camp met at half past eleven in the morning for ,sabbath services4 ,erastus ,snow addressed the meeting1 followed by ,president ,young who said he was satisfied that the ,lord was with us and leading us4 ,he had never seen a company of people more united than the camp had been thus far on the journey1 that we should pluck the fruit of the mission through all eternity1 that he had many things to teach us but could not do it except in a stake of ,zion1 but he was well satisfied with his brethren and the ,twelve1 and the camp at large4 ,one thing he would say to the praise of the company and that was that not one had refused to obey his counsel on the journey4 ,his peace with ,god was continually like a river1 and he felt that the spirit of peace rested upon the whole company4 ,several others spoke and the meeting was then dismissed4 ,we intended to ride out in the evening1 but saw that a storm was gathering4 ,it began to blow very hard and it was all we could do to save our wagon bows and covers from being destroyed4 ,it continued for about an hour and then rained for another hour accompanied by hail4 ,i covered all my horses with all the blankets ,i could get1 and got up several times in the night to see them4 ,it #bhh rained occasionally and the horses shook with cold1 but when morning came all were alive and we continued our journey4 ,as soon as we camped at noon1 two ,indians came to the camp4 ,they were ,sioux and well dressed and clean4 ,we gave them dinner and they left4 ,we camped at night near the ,quicksand ,mountain1 making sixteen and one half miles that day4 ,i rode about two miles forward to find grass and a camping ground1 and on my return saw about thirty ,sioux plunge their horses into the river on the opposite side and made towards us4 ,i rode with several others to the river and met them as they came out4 ,they shook hands with us very friendly4 ,the chief unfurled a large ,american flag with the eagle1 stars1 and stripes and presented me a letter written in ,french which we1 however1 made out4 ,they were all well dressed and the chief was in a military coat4 ,the brethren brought a white flag and planted it by the side of theirs4 ,they wanted to go into camp4 ,we proposed for five of them to go and the rest to remain1 but they all wished to go1 so we let them and gave them supper4 ,they were in camp all night1 but were good and stole nothing4 ,some trading was done with the ,sioux next morning and we gave them breakfast4 ,they behaved well also when we started across the river4 ,i had to keep my carriage today having the rheumatism in my shoulders and back1 and my teeth ached4 ,we nooned next day1 ,tuesday1 ,may #beth1 in good grass two miles above ,chimney ,rock2 and ,i rode with ,brothers ,kimball and ,benson to look out a road4 ,by our imperfect measurement by a trigonometrical observation by the sextant1 ,professor ,pratt made ,chimney ,rock to be two hundred and sixty feet above the level of the river4 ,just before camping at noon while traveling on a smooth prairie1 an ,indian horse that was bought of the ,sioux ran away with a singletree at his heels and gave tremendous fright to the cows1 oxen and horses4 ,in an instant a dozen or more wagons were darting by each other like lightning and the horses and mules dashing over the ground1 some turning to the right and some to the left and some ran into other wagons4 ,the horses and mules that ,brother ,fowler was driving leaped by my carriage like electricity and came within one inch of a collision with my wheels which would have made a wreck4 ,another wagon with a pair #bhi of mules and a yoke of cattle dashed by which would also have smashed my carriage had they locked4 ,by this time1 my own horses started to run1 but were held back by the driver4 ,fowler's wagon continued regardless of rough or smooth ground about fifty rods1 he being dragged the whole distance by the bit which was the case with many others2 but all were soon stopped and returned to their lines without accident which appeared truly a miracle4 ,a person can hardly conceive the power manifested by animals1 especially mules1 in such a fright4 ,it gave us some idea of what an ,indian yell would do in a camp with teams hitched to wagons4 ,brother ,kimball and myself picked the road during our journey of the following morning1 and in the afternoon ,i piloted as straight as any road yet made on the whole route1 and picked out a camping ground on the bank of the river in good feed4 ,it should be understood that we were pioneering a road for the whole ,house of ,israel to travel over for many years to come and it required1 therefore1 the greatest care in marking the route4 ,a cold rainy morning followed and we concluded not to start until the rain stopped4 ,we remained till #aj o'clock and traveled eleven and one-half miles and camped for the night4 ,during the evening1 ,president ,young called at my fire1 and seeing several brethren playing dominoes in a wagon near by1 he began to teach1 saying that the devil was getting power over the camp which had for several days given way to cards and dominoes1 etc41 and that if they did not speedily repent1 their works1 labors1 and journey would be in vain4 ,he said that to be sure the camp did not quarrel1 for the devil would not set them at that as long as he could draw them gradually away from their duty and fill them with nonsense and folly1 for the devil was very cunning in winning away the people of ,god4 ,i felt the force of his remarks4 ,during the evening ,i went into ,dr4 ,richards' wagon and read a chapter in the ,book of ,mormon and prayed with him1 after which ,president ,young1 ,h4 ,c4 ,kimball1 ,willard ,richards1 ,e4 ,t4 ,benson1 and myself met in council in ,brother ,brigham's wagon4 ,president ,young wrote some of the words of the ,lord concerning the camp and expressed his views and feelings--that they must speedily repent or they would be cursed1 that they were forgetting their mission1 and that he would rather travel #bij with ten righteous men who would keep the commandments of the ,lord than the whole camp while in a careless manner and forgetting ,god4 ,we stayed together until ten o'clock4 ,next morning ,president ,young called the camp together and required each captain separately to call out his men and when all were present1 except two who had gone out hunting1 he addressed them in something like the following words3 ',i think ,i will take as my text to preach my sermon from1 ,i am about to revolt from traveling with this camp any further with the spirit they now possess4 ,i had rather risk myself among the savages with ten men who are men of faith1 men of mighty prayer1 men of ,god1 than to be with the whole camp when they forget the ,lord and turn their hearts to folly and wickedness4 ,yes1 ,i would rather be alone and ,i am now resolved not to go any farther with the camp unless you will consent to humble yourselves before the ,lord and serve ,him and cease your folly and wickedness4 ,for a week past1 nearly the whole camp has been card playing1 and checkers and dominoes have occupied the attention of the brethren1 and dancing has been going on continually4 ',now it is time to quit it4 ,there have been trials and lawsuits upon every nonsensical thing2 and if this is suffered to go on1 it will be but a short time before you are fighting1 knocking each other down and taking life4 ,it is time it was stopped4 ',i do not want to hear any more such reports as ,i heard last ,sunday of men going to meeting and preaching to the rest after playing cards until meeting time4 ,you are a pretty set of men going to look out a location among the mountains for a resting place for the ,saints--even the whole ,church of ,god--who have been driven out from the ,gentiles and rejected of them4 ,and after you have established a location1 you are then going out to preach the ,gospel1 seal salvation upon the house of ,israel1 and gather the nations4 ',how would you look if they should know your conduct and ask you what you did when you went to seek out ,zion and find a resting place for the ,saints where the standard of the ,kingdom of ,god could be reared and her banners unfurled for the nations to gather unto8 ',did you spend a good deal of your time in dancing1 pitching #bia quoits1 jumping1 wrestling1 and the like8 ,yes1 yes4 ,did you play cards1 dice1 checkers1 and dominoes8 ,o1 yes4 ,what could you do with yourselves8 ,why you would shrink from the glance of the eyes of ,god1 angels and men--even wicked men4 ,then are you not ashamed of yourselves for practicing these things8 ,yes1 you are1 and you must quit it4' ,after speaking somewhat lengthily upon these matters1 ,president ,young called the ,twelve together1 and the high priests1 seventies1 and elders4 ,there were present eight of the quorum of the ,twelve1 eighteen high priests1 eighty seventies1 and eight elders4 ,after this was done1 ,president ,young said unto the ,twelve3 ',if you are willing to humble yourselves before the ,lord and consent to the right1 and walk humbly before ,him1 make it manifest by raising the right hand4' ,then each one raised his hand4 ,the same question was put to the high priests1 seventies1 elders1 and members and all consented with uplifted hands to humble themselves before the ,lord1 repent of their sins and keep ,his commandments4 ,president ,young then spoke of those who were not in the ,church1 as there were some present4 ,they would be protected in their rights1 but they must not introduce wickedness into the camp1 for it would not be suffered4 ,he also spoke of the standard and ensign that would be reared in ,zion4 ,elder ,kimball followed and said that the words of ,president ,young were as the words of the ,lord unto him and just as binding as though they were a written revelation1 and that they were just as binding upon the whole camp as they were upon him1 and he urged the pioneers to give heed to the teachings that had been given4 ,orson ,pratt remarked that if the ,saints had leisure hours1 they could spend them to much better advantage than playing cards1 as there was a world of knowledge and science to be obtained and every moment should be improved in storing the mind with some good principle4 ,he acknowledged the teachings we had received to be of the ,lord4 ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,a burned child dreads the fire4 ,he had not forgotten his journey in the ,camp of ,zion in #ahcd2 and should he live to the age of ,methuselah1 he should not forget the #bib hour when the ,prophet and ,seer1 ,joseph ,smith1 stood upon the wagon wheel and addressed that ,camp and said that because they had not hearkened unto his counsel1 but disobeyed and transgressed from time to time1 judgment would come and that we should be visited by the destroying angel4 ,and so we were1 and more than twenty of our members fell by the stroke and we all suffered much in our feelings4 ,i pray the ,lord ,i may not see another such time2 and ,i would now advise my brethren to be careful in keeping the covenant we have made lest the word of the ,lord come unto us as in the days of ,joseph and we cannot escape a judgment4 ,i would advise all the brethren who have cards and the like to burn them1 for if you keep the covenants you have made1 you will have no time to use them2 and if you keep them for your children1 they will only prove a curse to them4 ,my prayer to ,god is that we may all be enabled to keep our covenants with the ,lord and each other4 ,i rejoice that the watchmen in our midst are quick to comprehend and warn of evil and reprove us when wrong that we may be saved and do the will of ,god4 ,the change in the camp it would appear was quite as sudden as a gust of wind4 ,it was only a short time before this that the pioneers were commended for their zeal and unity4 ,the dangers of self-satisfaction were here demonstrated4 ,dancing1 card playing1 and a hilarious life were not in consonance with the solemn mission of that band of pioneers whose journey was to be likened in years to come to the exodus of the children of ,israel4 ,that journey was to be an inspiration to generations that would follow4 ,the ,sabbath following1 ,may #cjth1 was set apart for prayer and fasting4 ,in the morning ,i shaved1 cleansed my body1 put on clean clothing1 etc41 read a chapter in the ,book of ,mormon1 humbled myself before the ,lord1 and poured out my soul in prayer before ,him1 and ,his spirit descended upon me and ,i was blessed and prepared for the service of the day4 ,then ,i spent some time in writing in my journal4 ,the camp had a prayer meeting in the morning and met again for public meeting4 ,president ,young1 with the ,quorum of the ,twelve and a few others went into a valley of the hills and prayed according to the order of the priesthood4 ,porter ,rockwell and ,brother ,carrington watched to see that no ,indians came #bic upon us4 ,we had a good time4 ,a heavy shower appeared1 but most of it went around us and there was but little rain where we were4 ,we returned to our wagons1 took some refreshments1 having eaten nothing all day2 and soon the sun came out pleasantly4 ,in the evening ,i went out two miles with the ,quorum of the ,twelve on to a high bluff4 ,we had a good view of the ,black ,hills4 ,there we also engaged in prayer4 ,two days afterward we camped opposite ,fort ,laramie4 ,this was ,june #ast4 ,when we arrived1 we saw some men approaching us from the ,fort4 ,we found them to be a part of the company of ,mississippi brethren who had been in ,pueblo through the winter4 ,brother ,crow and his family1 seven wagons and fourteen mules were at ,fort ,laramie4 ,he informed us that the remainder of the ,mississippi company with a portion of the ,mormon ,battalion at ,pueblo would start for ,laramie about the #ast of ,june and follow our trail4 ,he told us of four of the brethren who had died1 but he had heard nothing of the main body of the ,battalion4 ,president ,young suggested the propriety of our leaving all our ploughs at the ,fort except such as we needed to use immediately when we got to our destination1 and also to do our blacksmithing1 mending of wagons as soon as possible so that we might go on our journey speedily4 ,a company was appointed to attend to the herding and other branches of business4 ,june the #bnd1 in company with the ,twelve and others1 ,i crossed the river to visit the ,fort4 ,we examined ,fort ,st4 ,john which was now vacant1 but was still standing4 ,the dimensions of this ,fort were #add by #aeb outside1 and inside contained sixteen rooms4 ,the largest on the north side was #ic feet long and #dg feet wide4 ,the ,oregon trail ran one rod from the ,s4 ,w4 corner of the ,fort4 ,we next visited ,fort ,laramie1 then occupied by thirty-nine persons1 mostly ,french who had married the ,sioux4 ,mr4 ,burdoe was the superintendent4 ,this ,fort was #afh by #aaf feet outside with six rooms inside4 ,it was quite a pleasant location for a ,fort4 ,mr4 ,burdoe was a ,frenchman4 ,he received us kindly and invited us into a large sitting room4 ,he gave us all the information #bid he could in relation to our route and furnished us with his flat bottom boat on reasonable terms to assist us in ferrying the ,platte4 ,he informed us that ,governor ,boggs and his men had much to say against the ,mormons and cautioned him to take care of his horses and cattle1 etc41 lest they should steal them4 ,he tried to prejudice him all he could against us4 ,burdoe said that ,boggs' company were quarreling all the time1 and most of them had deserted him4 ,he finally told ,boggs and company that let the ,mormons be what they might1 they could not be worse than he and his men4 ,after conversing with ,mr4 ,burdoe some time we got into the flat bottom boat1 about twenty of us1 and went down the ,laramie ,fork to its mouth about two miles and then up the ,platte one-half mile to our camp4 ,after dinner we met in council and decided that ,amasa ,lyman should go to ,pueblo with several other brethren to meet the detachment of the ,battalion that was there1 and for them to come as soon as convenient to ,laramie and follow our trail4 ,the pioneer company now found it necessary to cross the north fork of the ,platte1 just opposite ,fort ,laramie1 the first permanent post erected in ,wyoming4 ,the low even country of ,nebraska had been passed1 and hereafter the company began its journey in ,wyoming4 ,they now found themselves ascending the great eastern plateau of the ,rocky ,mountain system4 ,thence forward there began a gradual ascent to the ,rocky ,mountains in which they hoped to find a safe retreat4 ,the ,fort was a trading post in the center of ,indian commerce1 and had been established as early as #ahcd4 ,the ,fort1 however1 was located on the ,laramie ,fork4 ,some time was taken in exploring the region as it was to be in the future an important mile post in the journey of the ,saints4 ,the name of the river and the fort was taken from a ,french trapper whose name was ,laramie1 and who was killed by the ,indians on the stream which now bears his name4 ,the ,saints presented a busy scene repairing wagons and making preparations for the ascent of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,they had kept well to the north1 but the route had been established by trappers and explorers4 ,the river afforded a water supply for their animals as well as for domestic purposes4 ,at this time there were practically #bie only two routes across the continent1 one to southern ,california by way of ,pueblo1 the other along the present route of the ,union ,pacific railroad4 ,as ,oregon was a great objective point in those days1 emigrants turned to the northwest before reaching ,utah4 ,we continued our journey on the #dth of ,june4 ,the scenery grew more interesting as we began to ascend the ,black ,hills4 ,brother ,robert ,crow had joined us which added to our company nine men1 five women1 and three children1 six wagons1 thirteen yoke of oxen1 twenty cows1 three bulls1 ten young cattle and horses which made our camp now one hundred and forty-eight men1 eight women1 five children1 seventy-nine wagons1 ninety-six horses1 fifty-one mules1 ninety oxen1 forty-three cows1 three bulls1 nine calves1 sixteen dogs1 and sixteen chickens4 ,as we traveled farther into the hills1 they grew lofty and we began to come into an elk1 bear1 and mountain-sheep country4 ,soon after we arrived at the ,springs1 fifteen miles from ,laramie1 the first company of ,missouri emigrants came up1 twelve wagons of them4 ,we journeyed ten and one-half miles farther in the after-noon4 ,the ,missouri company camped one-fourth mile below us4 ,next day was ,sunday1 the #fth1 which we devoted to prayer and fasting1 but the ,missouri company of emigrants started on in the morning4 ,the camp met for prayer-meeting at #h o'clock and the spirit of the ,lord was with the people who met again for preaching at #aa o'clock4 ,we had a shower of rain and the meeting closed4 ,another company of ,missouri wagons1 twenty in number1 passed us4 ,the rain soon cleared off1 and our company moved forward five miles and camped for the night on ,bitter ,creek4 ,the two ,missouri companies which had camped near us at night started before us in the morning1 and while nooning1 another company of thirteen wagons passed us4 ,we were in a fair view of ,laramie ,peak with its snow covered top4 ,we camped for the night on the ,horse ,shoe ,creek in the best feed we had found on our journey4 ,the hunters brought in two black-tailed deer and one antelope4 ,next day we formed a company of men and went forward with our teams and cleared the road of stone4 ,we used pick-axes1 bars1 spades1 etc41 and it was a great help to our weak wagons4 #bif ,in the afternoon we traveled eight and three quarters miles over the most mountainous road on our way and then descended into the valley and camped for the night on ,labent ,creek where there was an abundance of timber1 water1 and good grass4 ,brother ,john ,higbee went forward hunting1 and saw the ,missouri companies of emigrants1 and when they started out they had much strife one with another in trying to start first4 ,they did not stop to milk their cows2 and in clearing up their breakfast1 they strewed their meal1 salt1 bacon1 short cake1 beans1 and other things upon the ground throughout their encampment2 and when we came up1 three wolves were feeding upon the fragments4 ,in coming over the hills to-day1 we found it so cold it pierced us like winter4 ,on reaching the valley1 we found fires the companies in advance had built and we piled on the wood and soon got warm4 ,an antelope lay before us which the hunters had brought in4 ,we carved it up with our knives1 forked it on sticks1 roasted it1 and satisfied ourselves without the seasoning of salt4 ,we started in the morning at #e o'clock into better feed a mile farther on and we turned out our teams4 ,the brethren did some trading with the hunters who camped near us4 ,at #g o'clock1 fifteen of our wagons were formed into a company to go forward to make a boat to ferry the ,platte4 ,they went forward and we followed them4 ,the traders started at the same time4 ,soon another party of traders who were direct from ,sante ,fe overtook us4 ,they informed us that the ,mormon ,battalion was in ,california1 that they went in ,january1 and that ,capt4 ,brown was in ,sante ,fe for money for the detachment and would come on to us as soon as possible4 ,in the afternoon of the next day1 ,president ,young and ,brother ,kimball rode with us4 ,our detached company had not been heard of since last night when they camped with the fore-most company4 ,we camped to-night1 ,june #ith1 at ,deer ,creek4 ,we had good feed and our horses and cattle were gaining daily4 #big ,,chapter #bh4 ,,pioneers ,,enter ,,salt ,,lake ,,valley4 ,ferrying the ,missourians over the ,river4--,construction of ,rafts--,obtaining ,provisions4--,ten ,men ,left at the ,ferry4--,independence ,rock4--,devil's ,gate4--#age ,miles from ,fort ,laramie4--,south ,pass4--,meet ,major ,harris1 and ,mr4 ,bridger4--,cross ,green ,river4--,meet ,samuel ,brannon4--,independence ,day4--,meet a ,detachment of the ,battalion4--,fort ,bridger4--,report of the ,missouri ,company ,that ,perished4--,reach ,salt ,lake ,valley1 ,july #bd1 #ahdg4 ,on ,june #ajth1 ,i examined a splendid grinding stone quarry on the east side of the road as it leaves the hills and strikes the ,platte1 and ,brother ,carrington found a very excellent coal bed on ,deer ,creek4 ,the specimens produced were good4 ,at the blowing of the horn at night1 ,i did not feel much like retiring to bed1 so walked half a mile from the camp on the bank of ,deer ,creek and found ,brother ,william ,clayton fishing with a hook4 ,he had caught two dozen good fish4 ,they resembled the eastern herring4 ,another brother had also caught some4 ,as they were leaving they left their lines for me4 ,i sat down for half an hour musing alone as unconcerned as though ,i had been on the banks of ,farmington ,river in my native place1 when suddenly ,i heard a rustling in the bushes near me1 and for the first time the thought flashed across me that ,i was in a country abounding with the grizzly bear1 wolves1 and ,indians1 and was liable to an attack at any moment from any one of them4 ,i was away from my company and had no weapon to defend myself1 even against a badger4 ,i thought it wisdom to return to camp1 and picking up my fishing rods1 ,i walked leisurely home and retired to rest4 ,next day we rode our horses into the river several times during our journey to find a fording place1 but could not find one4 ,our detached company was reported at the ferry ten miles or so above us4 ,our hunters brought in thirteen antelopes and the ,missouri company killed three buffaloes4 ,i started on the following morning to go forward in company with ,brother ,a4 ,p4 ,rockwood1 who was riding ,president #bih ,young's steed1 which unexpectedly sprang upon my horse1 but instead of striking him1 he took my knee into his jaw and bruised me considerably1 sinking one tooth to the bone through three thicknesses of clothing and one of them buckskin4 ,george ,a4 ,smith and myself then rode on to the ferrying place and found our detachment ferrying over the ,missouri company who paid the brethren #a4ej for each wagon and load1 and paid in flour at #b4ej per cwt41 while flour through this country was worth at least #aj4jj per cwt4 ,it was very difficult to get over the river4 ,they carried the goods over in a boat1 but drew the wagons over with ropes by hand2 and when the current would strike them1 they would frequently roll over several times in the water1 and they were likely to drown some of the horses4 ,one of the men would have been lost had not the brethren picked him up with the boat4 ,on the road the ,missouri company had a stampede of their teams1 turning over their wagons1 bruising women and children and smashing their things4 ,one ran into the river and would probably have drowned and lost all1 had not a little boy jumped out beside the off ox1 which gave him a fright and he 'sided off' and ran upon a sand bank1 dragging the others after him4 ,the boy was knocked into the water and hurt1 but the scene ended without any loss of life4 ,our blacksmiths have been working for the ,missouri company for which they get flour1 money1 etc41 and our hunters have been busily engaged4 ,they had killed five fat buffaloes1 one old she bear and three cubs and shot at two grizzly bears1 but did not get them4 ,those killed were black bears4 ,our hunters also brought into camp eight antelopes4 ,sunday1 the #acth of ,june1 was a very warm day1 and the camp met for prayer meeting at #i o'clock1 and at #aj we had a regular meeting4 ,president ,kimball first addressed the meeting and was followed by ,president ,young1 who remarked upon the great difference between us as a camp and the ,missouri companies who were traveling the same road4 ,he said1 ',they curse1 swear1 rip1 and tear1 and are trying to swallow up the earth2 but though they do not wish us to have a place on it1 the earth will soon open and swallow them up and they will go to the land of forgetfulness2 #bii while the ,saints1 if faithful1 though they suffer some privations here1 will ultimately inherit the earth and increase in power1 dominion1 and glory4' ,he spoke much to our edification1 and was followed by ,elder ,o4 ,pratt1 after which the meeting was dismissed4 ,the ,twelve1 colonels1 captains1 etc41 of the camp then met at ,president ,young's wagon and consulted about the measures to be adopted to get across the river4 ,it was finally agreed to go immediately to the mountains with wagons and teams1 and for every two tens to get poles and lash two or four wagons abreast to keep them from turning over and float them across the river with boats and ropes4 ,so a company of horsemen started for the mountains with teams to draw the poles4 ,in the evening the flour1 meal1 and bacon which had been earned from the ,missouri company for ferrying them over were distributed through the camp equally4 ,it amounted to five and one-half pounds of flour1 two pounds of meal and a small piece of bacon for each individual in the camp4 ,it looked as much of a miracle to me to see our flour and meal bags replenished in the midst of the ,black ,hills as it did to have the ,children of ,israel fed with manna in the wilderness2 but the ,lord had been truly with us on our journey and wonderfully preserved and blessed us4 ,at daylight the next morning the first two tens were called together to make arrangements for crossing4 ,some of our party did not like the mode proposed of lashing wagons together1 as the current was so strong1 so we appointed ,brother ,grover as our captain to direct the rafting and concluded to put our poles into a raft and carry our goods over in a boat and ford our wagons on the raft4 ,we commenced at #e o'clock in the morning and in four hours we had landed eleven wagons of goods upon the north shore with our little leather boat1 and during the day we got over all the wagons belonging to our tens1 there being eleven wagons in all4 ,the rest of the encampment--being twelve tens--got over only the same number of wagons as ourselves4 ,they floated their wagons by tying from two to four together1 but the wagons turned clear over each other1 bottom side up and back again1 breaking #cjj the bows1 covers1 and boxes to pieces1 and losing ploughs1 axes1 and iron that were left in the boxes4 ,most of our company were in the water from morning till night1 and all were very weary when the work was done4 ,just as we had drawn ,dr4 ,richards' two wagons to the shore and loaded his goods into them1 a storm struck us4 ,i sprang into my carriage1 tied all down very tight and applied my whole strength in holding my wagon cover on1 but the rain1 wind1 and hail beat so heavily that it was a task1 and my bed and things were nearly drenched4 ,it lasted only seven minutes1 but was severe on our wagons and goods1 and our horses ran two or three miles in the storm4 ,i crossed the river1 went after them1 tied them up1 and returned weary1 but had some pleasant dreams that night4 ,i felt unwell next day from the exposures of the day before4 ,my teeth ached4 ,i had suffered much from them on my pioneer journey4 ,it was quite windy and our companies crossed the river very slowly4 ,another ,missouri company came up with us4 ,president ,young thought it wisdom to leave a number of the brethren here until our companies which were expected to follow us should come up4 ,those who remained were to keep a ferry for the emigrants on the road not of our people4 ,such immigrants were to pay #a4ej per wagon in flour at #b4jj per cwt41 and in cows at #aj4jj each4 ,the brethren made two new rafts on the third day of our fording the river and got quite a number of our pioneer wagons over4 ,i was still unwell1 but in company with ,orson ,pratt1 ,i went on to some of the bluffs to view the country1 and shot an antelope4 ,this was the first antelope ,i ever killed4 ,we had some strong wind and heavy rain1 and in the evening many of us went over the river and tied up our horses4 ,when one company was returning in the leather boat1 it half filled with water1 and they came nearly sinking4 ,early on the following morning1 we swam our horses over1 and one mule was nearly drowned by being tangled in a rope1 but the current carried him ashore4 ,the day before1 twenty men went down the river to dig out two large canoes to cover over and make a ferry boat4 ,the emigrants #cja were arriving daily at our fording place1 and they reported one thousand wagons between here and ,laramie4 ,this was the #eth day spent in ferrying our pioneer company across the river1 but now we had succeeded in getting all over1 and we once more formed our wagons into a circle4 ,our brethren helped some of the ,missourians to cross1 and ran their boat all night in ferrying them over4 ,next day while we were still ferrying them over another large company arrived4 ,we gathered our cattle at #aj o'clock and harnessed our horses1 but did not start1 as all were not ready1 so we turned our teams out again4 ,in the afternoon we held a council and resolved to leave nine men to conduct the ferry and to ford emigrant companies and also our own brethren who should come after us4 ,the men were chosen and we met with them again in the evening4 ,president ,young rebuked one who had asked to stay1 but who later wished to continue on with us4 ,he also instructed the brethren who were to tarry to keep together and divide their means accumulated equally according to their labor1 for each to esteem his brother as himself1 in no wise to retain that which belonged to the traveler1 to be careful of the lives and property of those they ferried1 not to forget their prayers1 and to come up after us with the next company of ,saints4 ,the men to remain at the ferry were ,thomas ,grover1 captain2 ,john ,s4 ,higbee1 ,luke ,johnson1 ,william ,empy1 ,edmund ,elsworth1 ,benjamin ,f4 ,stewart1 ,francis ,pomeroy1 ,james ,davenport1 and ,appleton ,harmon4 ,after seven days we continued our journey1 traveled during the day twenty and one-half miles1 and had the most wretched camping ground at night we had found on the way4 ,president ,young thought it might properly be called ',hell ,gate4' ,the country abounded with alkali and the water was extremely nauseating4 ,our horses and cattle1 being thirsty1 drank some and left it4 ,some of the cattle got badly mired in the marshes4 ,our hunters brought in one buffalo1 one deer1 and three antelopes4 ,early on ,sunday morning1 the #bjth1 we hitched up without feed or water and left our encampment of death1 poison waters1 and alkaline marshes and drove three miles to a good camping #cjb ground and sweet water4 ,this was on the ,willow ,spring branch1 about three miles from the head4 ,we halted two hours and took breakfast4 ,president ,young wished me to go on about fifteen miles and look up a camping ground for the night4 ,so ,i went forward with ,george ,a4 ,smith to the head of the ,willow ,spring4 ,here he stopped with a doctor of a ,missouri company1 who had been attending a sick family1 to wait for our wagons to come up1 and ,i rode on alone4 ,after traveling alone several miles1 ,brother ,john ,brown came up1 and we rode on together over a sandy1 barren1 sage country to a creek of good water about ten miles west of the ,willow ,spring4 ,we arrived here at half past #a o'clock1 and turned our horses out to graze4 ,here we tarried till four o'clock and watched for our wagons to come in sight1 but we could see none4 ,at length two horsemen were seen approaching and we waved a small flag for them to come to us1 supposing they were of our company1 but they turned out to be two hunters of the ,missouri company1 carrying in buffalo meat to their camp4 ,in the distance they thought we were ,indians and made off4 ,i mounted my horse and put after them and soon overtook them and made inquiries concerning our company4 ,they said they had not seen it1 but had seen about a dozen wagons coming by themselves4 ,i then concluded that our camp had stopped at the ,willow ,spring4 ,captain ,smith1 who was of the ,missouri company1 invited us to go on and camp with them for the night1 as they did not expect to go more than a few miles farther than the creek we were then on4 ,we could see five miles on the road back1 and no wagons were in sight2 and as it was now five o'clock1 ,i concluded our company would not come on1 and if they did1 they would come no farther than the creek4 ,we accepted ,captain ,smith's proposal1 and went on with him to spend the night in his camp2 but instead of journeying only a miles or so1 he continued on mile after mile1 finding neither feed nor water1 excepting salt and alkaline ponds until we struck the ,sweet ,water at ,independence ,rock1 so noted already in ,fremont's #cjc journal1 and by other travelers4 ,this was twelve miles from the creek before spoken of4 ,the ,sweet ,waters were sweet indeed1 both to man and beast1 after traveling through so much alkali country1 and there was good feed for the stock4 ,after a good supper of bacon1 buffalo meat1 corn bread1 coffee1 milk1 etc41 ,i lay down in the tent with the ,missourians1 but did not rest well4 ,i found that there was a great difference between these ,missouri emigrants and our own1 where there was no such thing as cursing1 swearing1 quarreling1 contending with other companies1 etc41 allowed or practiced4 ,but to return to our pioneer company4 ,at a late hour they came up to the creek which we had left twelve miles back1 and grass being poor continued on four miles west of the creek1 and camped for the night4 ,not finding me at the creek1 nor hearing from me at all1 they felt somewhat alarmed lest ,i was lost1 or had got into trouble with the ,indians4 ,they blew the bugle and watched for me till midnight1 and finally fired the cannon1 while ,i was camped ten miles from them1 not thinking that ,i was giving them any trouble4 ,i traveled this day a distance of thirty miles and our pioneer company twenty4 ,i arose early this morning1 ,june #ba1 took breakfast1 and in company with ,brother ,brown rode around ,independence ,rock4 ,we examined the many names and lists of names of the trappers1 traders1 travelers1 and emigrants1 nearly all in black1 red1 and yellow paint4 ,some had been washed out or otherwise defaced4 ,the greatest number was put on during recent years1 but we found some of thirty years standing4 ,nearly all the companies who pass put their names on it4 ,after going around and examining it1 we staked our horses and mounted it4 ,i went forward and gained the high point on the south end of the ,rock which contains the names4 ,i then went to the north end1 which is the highest point of ,independence ,rock4 ,there is an opening or cavern that would contain thirty or forty persons and a rock standing upon the highest peak of about three tons weight4 ,upon this rock we climbed to the highest point and offered up our prayers according to the order of the priesthood1 praying #cjd earnestly for the blessing of ,god to rest upon ,president ,young and his brethren the ,twelve and all the ,pioneer ,camp1 the whole ,camp and ,house of ,israel in the wilderness1 our wives1 children1 and relatives1 the ,mormon ,battalion1 and the churches abroad4 ,while offering up our prayers the spirit of the ,lord descended upon us4 ,i was the first ,latter-day ,saint on ,independence ,rock4 ,we had a view of our camp from the rock1 and expected they would noon there1 so we mounted our horses and concluded to examine the country around4 ,we rode five miles to the northeast1 went on the top of the high bluff and saw our camp in motion4 ,we then rode to the foot of the mountain and traced the way to the ,devil's ,gate1 through which the ,sweet ,water runs4 ,here we spent but a few moments1 and then hurried back to ,independence ,rock4 ,as our camp had come up1 before we could get to them1 and camped half a mile east of it1 ,i saw ,president ,young going up to ,independence ,rock1 and ,i related to him my travels since ,i left the company4 ,he asked me to go back with him1 so ,i turned out my horse1 having ridden him twenty miles during the forenoon1 and returned with ,president ,young1 ,willard ,richards1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and others4 ,we spent half an hour on the ,rock and then returned to our camp1 mounted our horses and rode to the ,devil's ,gate1 five miles from ,independence ,rock4 ,we rode as far as we could into the ,gate1 hitched our horses1 and walked into about the centre of the cavern4 ,the ,devil's ,gate is about four hundred feet high1 one hundred and twenty feet wide1 and fifty rods long1 and the water rushes through it with a roar4 ,the rocks are coarse1 gray granite with a vein of black trap rock running through them4 ,we spent about half an hour here1 and then had to back our horses out1 after which we rode around it on the south side4 ,some of the footmen walked over the top of it4 ,we camped for the night about one mile west of the ,devil's ,gate1 on the bank of the ,sweet ,water4 ,a guide board was put up at ,devil's ,gate1 stating that it was one hundred and seventy-five and one-fourth miles from ,fort ,laramie1 and fifty and one-fourth from our ferry on the ,platte ,river4 ,two more ,missouri companies overtook us at noon on our next day's travel1 and they informed us that a man was drowned #cje at the ferry1 after we left1 in trying to swim his horses1 and that his body had not been found4 ,the camp started on again after our company had nooned2 but ,brothers ,young1 ,little1 ,benson1 and myself went back to meet ,lorenzo ,young1 who had broken an axletree of his wagon1 and we were behind all the afternoon4 ,after a journey of twenty and three-fourths miles1 the pioneers camped at night at the foot of a mound about two-hundred feet high1 on the bank of ,sweet ,water4 ,brother ,kimball and myself went to the top of it and looked down upon the camp1 and it appeared to us delightful4 ,we offered up our prayers and the spirit of the ,lord rested upon us1 and then we descended to the camp4 ,the moon was shining beautifully4 ,on the #bdth the best horse in camp1 ,president ,young's1 was shot by accident4 ,on the evening of the #bfth of ,june1 after a travel of eighteen and three-fourths miles1 we camped opposite the ,table ,rock and near the summit of the ,south ,pass4 ,i was quite astonished at the road and country to-day1 considering we were crossing at the ,south ,pass of the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,it was the best road we had traveled over for many days1 and had it not been for the ,wind ,river range of mountains in full view on our right covered with eternal snow1 and some snow banks ten feet deep by the side of the road as we passed along1 with the ,table ,rock on the left1 ,i should almost have thought myself traveling over the beautiful prairies of ,illinois and ,missouri1 except that the country was covered with more sage than prairie grass4 ,the road for many miles1 and also the plain of beautiful grass lying north of the ,table ,rock1 were strewn with very handsome cornelian stones4 ,i saw more in one hour this evening than ever before during my whole life1 either in the rude state or polished1 in all the jewelers' shops ,i ever saw in my travels4 ,elders ,kimball1 ,pratt1 ,g4 ,a4 ,smith1 and ,brown had gone on to take observation on the dividing ridge4 ,they continued on to the ,green ,river1 seven miles from us1 which runs into the ,pacific1 while we were on the ,sweet ,waters1 that run in an easterly direction4 ,they supposed that we would come on to them1 and as they did not return1 several of us mounted our horses to go in search of them1 but we soon met ,brother ,kimball returning1 and #cjf he informed us that the rest of the brethren would camp on the ,green ,river with some men from ,oregon on their way to the ,states4 ,june #bgth1 #ahdg1 was the third anniversary of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith4 ,it was ,sunday morning1 but we harnessed up our teams and drove to where ,brothers ,pratt and ,smith had camped with ,major ,harris1 who had been traveling through ,oregon and ,california for twenty-five years1 and had a wide acquaintance with the country4 ,he brought a file of ,oregon papers and one published by ,s4 ,brannon of ,california4 ,we had a great deal of conversation with him4 ,he spoke unfavorably of the ,salt ,lake country for a settlement1 but spoke of other places not far off that were good4 ,we parted with ,major ,harris next day1 after doing some trading with him1 and in our afternoon's travel met ,mr4 ,bridger of the ,fort on the way with men going to ,fort ,laramie4 ,he was expecting us and wished to have an interview with ,president ,young and the ,twelve4 ,we also wished to have an interview with him4 ,we immediately returned to the ,creek upon which we had nooned and camped for the night1 and ,mr4 ,bridger and his men camped with us4 ,we met in council with ,mr4 ,bridger1 and spent some hours in conversation1 and found him to be a great traveler1 possessing an extensive knowledge of nearly all ,oregon and ,california1 the mountains1 lakes1 rivers1 springs1 valleys1 mines1 ore1 etc4 ,he spoke more highly of the ,great ,basin for a settlement than ,major ,harris had done4 ,he said it was his paradise and that if this people settled in it he would settle with them2 and that there was but one thing that could operate against its becoming a great grain country1 and that would be frost1 as he did not know but the frost might affect the corn4 ,he conversed with us about a great variety of subjects connected with the country2 said he was ashamed of the maps of ,fremont1 who knew nothing about the country1 only the plain traveled road1 and that he could correct all the maps published of the western world4 ,we parted next day from ,mr4 ,bridger who remarked that it would not be prudent to bring a great population to the ,basin until we ascertained whether grain would grow or not4 ,o4 ,p4 #cjg ,rockwell and myself went forward to pick out a camping ground4 ,we traveled fifteen miles from where we nooned before we could get grass1 and this made the longest day's journey on the whole route1 making twenty-three and three-fourths miles4 ,we traveled three miles on the last day of ,june1 and camped on the bank of the ,green ,river at the ferry4 ,the afternoon was spent in building a raft1 as the river was high and could only be crossed upon rafts or boats4 ,during the afternoon1 the arrival of ,elder ,samuel ,s4 ,brannon from the bay of ,san ,francisco was announced in camp1 and we were glad to meet with him1 and to hear from the ,saints who went with him4 ,he gave us an account of their landing1 their travels1 and present settlement1 which was two hundred miles up the river from the bay4 ,they were putting in wheat and building up their place4 ,during the following three days we were fording ,green ,river4 ,on the afternoon of the second1 the ,twelve held a council and four men were appointed to return and meet the ,camp of ,israel and pilot them4 ,we each wrote our wives concerning the counsel to be given the camp4 ,i wrote letters next day to my father1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 and ,john ,benbow1 to be taken back by the pilots4 ,the ferrying was finished on the evening of the third day and we moved on three miles and camped4 ,the ,fourth of ,july came on ,sunday4 ,i accompanied ,president ,young1 ,brothers ,kimball1 ,richards1 and others with the pilots to the ferry to put them across2 and when we arrived at the river we saw thirteen horsemen on the opposite bank with their baggage on one of our rafts4 ,to our great joy1 who should they be but our brethren of the ,mormon ,battalion belonging to ,captain ,brown's detachment1 who had been at ,pueblo during the winter4 ,amasa ,lyman1 whom we had sent to them1 had reached them with information of our movements and the whole detachment of one hundred and forty of the brethren were within seven days' drive of us4 ,when we met these brethren there was truly a hearty greeting and shaking of hands4 ,we put them all over the river excepting one who returned with our pilots to meet the following companies of the ,saints4 ,this small detachment of the ,battalion had #cjh about a dozen of their horses stolen by some horse thieves1 but they overtook them and got them all back but two which had gone on to ,bridger4 ,we left ,green ,river 7the headwaters of the ,colorado7 on the #eth1 drove twenty miles1 and camped on ,black's ,fork4 ,there was neither feed nor water between this place and ,green ,river1 but similar to the last two hundred miles1 a sandy desert covered with sage brush4 ,next evening we camped on the west side of ,ham's ,fork1 which we crossed on the following day and drove to ,fort ,bridger4 ,in the region of the ,fort1 before we got on to our camping ground1 we crossed more than a dozen trout brooks1 the water running swiftly but clear1 with hard1 gravelly bottoms1 and the whole region of country up and down these streams was covered with grass knee deep4 ,the brethren caught several brook trout which was the first ,i had seen since ,i left ,england1 and as we were to spend the next day at the ,fort1 ,i calculated on a day of fishing4 ,as soon as ,i had my breakfast next morning1 ,i rigged up my fishing rod that ,i had brought with me from ,liverpool1 fixed my reel line and artificial fly1 and went to one of the brooks close by to try my luck4 ,the men at the ,fort said that there were but few trout in the streams1 and a good many of the brethren were already at the creeks with their rods trying their skill1 baiting with fresh meat and grasshoppers1 but no one was catching any4 ,i threw my fly into the water1 and it being the first time that ,i ever tried the artificial fly in ,america or ever saw it tried1 ,i watched it as it floated upon the water with as much interest as ,franklin did his kite when he was experimenting in drawing lightning from the sky2 and as he received great joy when he saw the electricity descend on his kite string1 so was ,i highly gratified when ,i saw the nimble trout dart at my fly hook1 and run away with the line4 ,i soon worried him out and drew him to shore4 ,i fished two or three hours during the morning and evening and caught twelve in all4 ,one half of them would weigh three-fourths of a pound each1 while all the rest of the camp did not #cji catch three pounds in all1 which was taken as proof that the artificial fly is far the best to fish with4 ,in the afternoon ,i went to ,bridger's house and traded off my flint-lock rifle for four buffalo robes which were large1 nice1 and well dressed4 ,i found things generally at least one-third higher than ,i had ever known them at any other trading post ,i ever saw in ,america4 ,i arose in the morning quite unwell and felt threatened with the mountain fever1 yet ,i mounted my horse and rode till ten o'clock2 but before ,i started ,i was called upon to administer to ,brother ,carter1 who was taken with the fever4 ,there were new cases of the mountain fever every day in camp4 ,at ten o'clock ,i had to give up and take to my bed in the wagon with distressing pain in my head1 back1 joint bones1 marrow and all through my system1 attended with cold chills and hot flashes through the body4 ,we traveled over thirteen miles of as bad road as any we had on our journey1 which made it exceedingly painful to the sick4 ,the day seemed very long to me4 ,when we stopped at night1 ,i took composition1 cayenne1 and a dose of vegetable pills1 had a better night than ,i expected2 and though ,i was feeble in the morning1 ,i felt that my fever was broken up and ,i was recovering4 ,the night of the #ajth we camped one and a half miles from ,bear ,river1 by the best stream of water we had found on the route1 and a small stream near by a valley six miles long1 grass knee deep1 strong mineral springs1 copper1 lead1 coal1 and lime4 ,camp fires were discovered about three miles from our camping ground and ,george ,a4 ,smith and others went over to them and found them to be in the camp of a ,mr4 ,miles ,goodyear4 ,he had settled at ,salt ,lake and had a garden and vegetables1 he said1 doing well4 ,several ,missourians were with him going to the ,states4 ,the subject was brought up concerning the emigrant company who had perished in the mountains last winter4 ,they were mostly from ,independence and ,clay ,counties1 ,missouri1 and were a mob company that threatened to drive out the ,mormons who were in ,california1 and started with that spirit in their hearts4 ,but it seemed as though they were ripe for judgment4 ,the snows #caj fell upon them eighteen feet deep on a level1 many died and others turned cannibal4 ,about forty persons perished4 ,they were mostly eaten up by those who survived them4 ,mrs4 ,l4 ,murphy of ,tennessee1 whom ,i baptized while on a mission in that country1 but since apostatized and joined the mob1 was in that company and died1 or was killed1 and eaten4 ,her bones were sawed to pieces for her brains and marrow1 and then left strewn upon the ground4 ,we spent the ,sunday in camp1 but some of the brethren rode out to seek out the road and found a tar spring about fifteen miles south of our camp4 ,early ,monday morning1 ,i rode to ,bear ,river1 and for the first time ,i saw the long-looked-for ,bear ,river ,valley4 ,the spot where we struck it was not very interesting4 ,there was considerable grass in the valley and some timber and thick brushes on the bank of the river4 ,my object in riding to the river before the camp was to try my luck in fishing for trout4 ,after fishing for several hours1 ,i started after the camp1 having caught eight trout in all4 ,the pioneers had traveled nine miles and nooned in a valley4 ,i found ,president ,young very sick with the fever4 ,the company had started on1 but ,president ,young lay so sick that he concluded not to move from where he was4 ,brothers ,kimball1 ,benson1 ,rockwood1 and others stayed with him with their wagons4 ,we drove without any road over hills and dales1 having to make our road as we went along4 ,we camped at night by the side of ,reddings ,cave4 ,the valleys were beginning to grow more fertile and the air more pacific4 ,i arose quite unwell in the morning4 ,several brethren went to meet ,president ,young1 and the camp lay still waiting for him to come up4 ,brother ,kimball came at noon and a council of the whole camp was called1 and it was resolved that ,orson ,pratt take a company of about twenty wagons and forty men and go on to the canyon and make a road as they went1 so we would not be hindered when we came along4 ,there were twenty-three wagons in all that started at #a o'clock4 ,we had found but little game for many days until yesterday1 when the hunters brought in twelve antelopes1 and ten today4 #caa ,president ,young was better today1 but decided not to move until to-morrow4 ,in the afternoon ,i walked out with ,elder ,richards1 in search of springs of water4 ,next morning ,i rode back seven miles to visit ,president ,young and found him much better in health and quite cheerful4 ,the evening before1 ,dr4 ,richards1 myself1 and ,george ,a4 ,smith went before the ,lord and prayed for ,brother ,young1 and we had a testimony that he would recover from that hour4 ,i found ,brother ,rockwood the sickest man that had been in our company4 ,i tarried until near night1 assisting the sick1 and then returned to our encampment4 ,i started early on the morrow with my carriage and horses to go back for ,president ,young and ,brother ,rockwood4 ,i was two hours driving seven miles to their camp4 ,i found them much better1 and they thought they could ride1 as my carriage was the easiest vehicle in our company4 ,i made up a bed and took them both into my carriage1 and the rest of the wagons started and drove to the main body4 ,the sick seemed refreshed by their ride4 ,after a short halt1 the whole company drove four and a half miles and camped for the night4 ,next day ,i again took ,brothers ,young and ,rockwood in my carriage and drove them during the day4 ,we had bad roads for the sick1 and ,brother ,brigham was worn out and worse at night4 ,at night ,i went to ,weber ,fork1 one mile from our encampment1 and caught a trout for him4 ,he was still sick in the morning1 and after we had driven three miles on to the ,weber's ,fork1 we camped the remainder of the day because ,president ,young was worse4 ,the ,twelve and others went out and prayed for him and for the sick generally1 according to the order of the priesthood4 ,sunday1 the #ahth1 was spent holding meeting2 and on the morrow morning1 forty-one wagons went on4 ,with them were ,dr4 ,richards' and ,george ,a ,smith's4 ,fifteen wagons remained with ,president ,young4 ,two of mine were of the number4 ,in company with ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,e4 ,t4 ,benson1 and ,howard ,egan1 ,i rode over the mountain called ,pratt's ,pass1 with the company that went on1 and then returned to ,president ,young4 ,next morning we started early and stopped for breakfast #cab after a five-mile drive4 ,i carried ,brother ,brigham in my carriage4 ,the fever was still on him1 but he stood the ride well4 ,after breakfast we traveled ten miles over the worst road of the whole journey4 ,our camping ground at night was on a trout creek4 ,here we found three wagons that had tarried in consequence of the sick4 ,brothers ,sherwood1 ,johnson1 and ,dewey were so sick they could not journey1 and we camped with them and baptized them for their health1 and ,i confirmed them4 ,this morning ,brother ,pratt's company was only eight miles further on than where we camped at night4 ,we remained in camp next day because of sickness4 ,we were on ,east ,canyon ,creek1 and the route we were taking was ,reed's ,pass1 which we named ,pratt's ,pass1 in consequence of his going on to make the road4 ,next day eight miles of our journey was made1 and ,east ,canyon ,creek was reached4 ,it was eight miles of the worst of roads1 and ,brother ,case smashed one of his hind wheels4 ,we had to wait two hours to bring his wagon up4 ,the sick stood the journey better than we expected during the day1 considering the bad road4 ,we left ,east ,canyon ,creek on the #bcrd and traveled to the west five miles up hill which brought us to the summit1 and then descended the mountain six miles through a thick timber grove4 ,the timbers had been cut out of the road1 yet it was full of stumps and it kept each teamster very busy to dodge the stumps and not break his wagon4 ,one man turned his wagon over and smashed the top all to pieces4 ,there were two children in the wagon1 but they were not hurt4 ,we nooned at a beautiful spring in a small birch grove4 ,there was more timber during this half day's travel than we had seen in a month1 and the valleys1 both ascending and descending1 were extremely fertile and covered with vegetation to the tops of the hills4 ,at the spring where we nooned we were met by ,brothers ,pack and ,matthews from the forward camps4 ,they brought us a letter informing us that it was only ten miles to the valley of the ,great ,salt ,lake1 or ,great ,basin1 and fourteen to their camp4 ,they had explored the country as far as possible and made choice of a #cac spot to put in crops4 ,after nooning we traveled up another very tedious hill and down into a valley and camped for the night4 ,this1 the #bdth day of ,july1 #ahdg1 was an important day in the history of my life1 and in the history of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,after traveling from our encampment six miles through the deep ravine valley ending with the canyon1 we came in full view of the valley of the ,great ,salt ,lake1 or the ,great ,basin--the ,land of ,promise1 held in reserve by the hand of ,god as a resting place for the ,saints4 ,we gazed with wonder and admiration upon the vast fertile valley spread out before us for about twenty-five miles in length and sixteen miles in width1 clothed with a heavy garment of vegetation1 and in the midst of which glistened the waters of the ,great ,salt ,lake1 with mountains all around towering to the skies1 and streams1 rivulets and creeks of pure water running through the beautiful valley4 ,after a hard journey from ,winter ,quarters of more than one thousand miles1 through flats of the ,platte ,river and plateaus of the ,black ,hills and ,rocky ,mountains and over the burning sands1 and eternal sage regions1 willow swails and rocky regions1 to gaze upon a valley of such vast extent surrounded with a perfect chain of everlasting mountains covered with eternal snow1 with their innumerable peaks like pyramids towering towards heaven1 presented at one view to us the grandest scenery and prospect that we could have obtained on earth4 ,thoughts of pleasant meditation ran in rapid succession through our minds at the anticipation that not many years hence the ,house of ,god would be established in the mountains and exalted above the hills1 while the valleys would be converted into orchards1 vineyards1 fields1 etc41 planted with cities1 and the standard of ,zion be unfurled1 unto which the nations would gather4 #cad ,,chapter #bi4 ,,return ,,of ,,the ,,pioneers ,,to ,,winter ,,quarters1 #ahdg4 ,in ,retrospect4--,first ,crop of ,potatoes ,planted4--,the ,beginning of ,irrigation4--,first ,sunday4--,explorations ,south to ,utah ,lake4--,choice of ,temple ,block4--,address by ,brigham ,young4--,return to ,winter ,quarters4--,meet the ,second ,company of ,pioneers4--,encounter with the ,indians4--,reach ,winter ,quarters1 ,oct4 #ca1 #ahdg4--;,first ,presidency ,organized1 ,dec4 #bg1 #ahdg4 ,as the valley presented itself to view before the gaze of this sturdy band of pioneers1 ,president ,young expressed his full satisfaction with the place4 ,the ,lord had shown him the view before in a vision2 and now as he lay upon his bed 7still physically indisposed7 in ,elder ,woodruff's carriage1 the ,lord also showed him many things concerning the future of the valley2 and with one united testimony1 the pioneer company felt that they had reached their destination4 ,they could now rest the soles of their feet in peace and be free from fury of angry mobs4 ,that was sixty years ago2 and in view of the great change which has been brought about1 we are led to exclaim1 ,what hath ,god wrought6 ,then1 sage-brush plain1 with no inhabitants excepting the wandering ,lamanite1 not a building1 not a fence1 not a furrow1 the silence of a barren desert reigned supreme4 ,to-day1 a mighty city of #ajj1jjj people stands1 with a ,temple of the ,lord1 many houses of worship and of learning1 modern inventions1 and all other evidences of civilization4 ,it is one of the most beautiful cities in all the land1 where the weary traveler and the home-seeker from nearly every land and clime have found a place of rest4 ,what a debt of gratitude these busy thousands owe to the pioneers of sixty years ago will not be fully known until they are quickened by a perfect understanding of man's relationship to ,god and man1 and the purposes of a ,supreme ,being4 ,orson ,pratt1 ,erastus ,snow1 and a number of others had entered the valley two days before and had already plowed by the side of two small streams nearly five acres of land4 ,after gazing a short time over the valley1 the company moved over the #cae table-land into the valley about four miles to the encampment of their brethren4 ,brother ,woodruff had one-half bushel of potatoes1 and before eating his dinner1 he planted them in the earth and hoped1 by the blessings of the ,lord1 to save enough for seed the following year4 ,there were no idlers in the camp1 all were busy as bees4 ,they dammed up one creek1 and before night had spread the water over a large tract and irrigated the parched ground4 ,this was the beginning of irrigation in the ,salt ,lake ,valley1 ,july #bd1 #ahdg4 ,since then the work of irrigation has spread abroad in all the arid regions of the ,west from ,nebraska to ,california4 ,the various methods of utilizing the water have been studied and improved4 ,irrigation has occupied the attention of great minds assembled in ,congresses to discuss the subject1 and has been considered in the legislative halls of the nation2 but the pioneers in this enterprise were the little band of faithful and great men led by the ,prophet ,brigham ,young to the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,of the future1 ,elder ,woodruff records the meditations of their minds on that occasion thus3 ,thoughts of pleasant meditations ran in rapid succession through our minds in anticipation that not many years hence the ,house of ,god would be established in the mountains and be exalted above the hills1 while the valleys would be converted into orchards1 vineyards1 and fields planted with cities1 and the ,standard of ,zion be unfurled for the gathering of the nations4 ,such positive utterances show how deeply convinced were the pioneers that ,god had led them to the valley4 ,they knew the future in general1 as well as we of to-day know the past in detail4 ,they said that the ,lord had shown it unto them1 and the fulfillment of their predictions proves that ,he did4 ,it would indeed be a wilful unbelief on the part of the descendants of these pioneers to doubt the inspiration which guided ,president ,young and his associates in the settlement of the ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,toward the evening of the #bdth1 as if to give hope of future moisture1 the ,lord sent a beautiful thunder shower1 and it rained for a short time over the entire valley4 ,president ,woodruff says3 ,we felt thankful for this1 as it was the general opinion that it never rained in the valley during the summer season4 ,thus closed the day1 the great ,pioneer ,day1 to be celebrated each #caf year by thousands and indeed by millions yet unborn4 ,the following day was ,sunday1 and the pioneers met for worship at about #aj a4 m4 ,the first sermon delivered in the valley was by ,president ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith1 and ,bro4 ,woodruff writes that1 ,it was an interesting discourse4 ,president ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson also spoke in the forenoon4 ,at #b p4 m41 the ,sacrament was administered4 ,the congregation was addressed by ,elders ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,willard ,richards1 and several others with closing instructions by ,president ,young in which he warned them against breaking the ,sabbath4 ,they must not work1 fish1 or hunt on that day4 ,he warned them against sin of every kind1 and thus there was begun the work of ,god in the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,on ,monday the #bfth ,president ,young and several brethren ascended the summit of a mountain on the north which they named ,ensign ,peak1 a name it has borne ever since4 ,elder ,woodruff was the first to gain the summit of the peak4 ,here they unfurled the ,american flag1 the ,ensign of ,liberty to the world4 ,it will be remembered that the country then occupied by the ,saints was ,mexican soil1 and was being taken possession of by the ,mormon ,battalion and pioneers as a future great commonwealth to the credit and honor of the ,united ,states4 ,elder ,woodruff soon became active in exploring the valley1 and penetrating southward to the ,utah ,lake4 ,he came in contact with roaming ,indians but found them friendly and desirous of trading with the whites4 ,after exploring a couple of days1 and seeing the new land1 with here and there a herd of mountain goats1 sheep1 and antelope1 he and his brethren returned to the pioneer encampment4 ,four days after the arrival of the pioneers in the ,valley1 they selected the site upon which to build the ,temple of the ,lord4 ,president ,young called the ,twelve together on this important occasion1 and all were united in the choice of the ,temple ,block4 ,those who were present on that occasion were ,president ,brigham ,young1 ,elders ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,willard ,richards1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,amasa ,lyman1 and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson4 ,at that time it was moved and carried that the ,temple lot #cag should contain forty acres1 but later it was deemed too large a tract to care for properly1 and the lot was limited to the ten acre block upon which the ,temple now stands4 ,the city was laid out in blocks of ten acres1 divided into eight lots1 of equal size1 one and a fourth acres in each4 ,president ,young expressed a desire that the houses be built in the center of the lot1 so that in case of fire the neighbors' houses would not be endangered1 being so far apart4 ,the design of ,president ,young was that no speculation in lands by the brethren should be allowed whereby the first comers should enrich themselves at the expense of their brethren who should follow4 ,close up to the city limits1 the farming land was parceled out in five acre plats1 joining them a little farther out into ten acres1 and outside of these1 twenty acre fields4 ,this arrangement prevented any one man from holding a large tract near the city1 and by so doing prevented speculation by the individual to the detriment of the whole community4 ,the city could easily extend its borders without purchasing much land from any one individual4 ,in other words1 the interest of the whole was to be uppermost in the mind of each man1 and the spirit of greed and avarice seldom asserted itself on the part of those noble founders of ,utah's great commonwealth4 ,i have heard my respected step-father1 ,jesse ,w4 ,fox1 say that he surveyed many of the cities and much of the land between ,logan and ,st4 ,george1 a distance of over #djj miles1 and the desire to select a town lot or a farm lot in any of the places for speculative purposes never entered his heart2 and if any one asked him to select one for him he promptly refused1 saying that those who owned the land should be the builders on it and that no one by his assistance should ever speculate at the expense of the poor ,saints coming to the ,valley to serve ,god and keep ,his commandments4 ,this was the spirit and sentiment of ,president ,young1 ,elder ,woodruff1 and all those noble men1 and it was generally shared throughout all the camp of ,israel4 ,indeed1 it is the spirit of the ,gospel of ,christ4 ,on ,july #bith1 about one hundred and forty of the ,mormon ,battalion came into camp with one hundred ,saints from ,mississippi4 ,captains ,brown1 ,higgins1 and ,lieutenant ,willis of the ,battalion #cah were among the number4 ,they were met about four miles out by ,president ,young and party1 and received from them a hearty welcome to the home of the ,saints4 ,they brought with them sixty wagons1 one hundred head of horses and mules1 three hundred head of cattle1 all of which served to strengthen very materially the settlement of the ,saints4 ,while some were exploring1 others were plowing and planting so that in less than a week from the #bdth of ,july they had fields planted with potatoes1 corn1 beans1 peas1 and buckwheat4 ,what a busy1 hopeful1 energetic scene the ,pioneer ,camp must have presented at that time6 ,they visited the warm and hot sulphur springs on the north1 and bathed in the latter4 ,a number of the ,utah ,indians visited the camp1 and the subject of the course to be pursued in dealing with them was discussed1 and the counsel to feed them and not fight them has been followed by the ,latter-day ,saints from that day to the present4 ,had this policy been pursued by all the whites1 much blood and treasure would have been saved to the nation2 and it is safe to say that many lives and much property have been saved the people by the course of peace and love pursued by the ,latter-day ,saints toward their red brethren4 ,sunday1 ,august #ast1 the ,saints assembled for worship and were edified by discourses from ,elders ,kimball1 ,pratt1 ,lyman1 and others4 ,elder ,willard ,richards read a letter from the commanding officers of the ,battalion highly commending the deportment of the ,mormon volunteers in the ,american service4 ,the revelation given to ,president ,young at ,winter ,quarters was read to the assembly and accepted as the word of the ,lord by their unanimous vote4 ,in the evening the ,twelve met in council and decided that ,brother ,ezra ,t4 ,benson and three others should return east until they met the company following the pioneers1 ascertain their welfare1 and bring on the mail4 ,elder ,woodruff joined with ,elder ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith in cutting and hauling logs for their cabins while awaiting also the preparation of adobes for their more permanent dwellings4 ,brother ,woodruff reports his first day at chopping logs as very fatiguing4 ,many of the horses belonging to the pioneers were exposed to the #cai ,indians1 but none was stolen1 and this1 writes ,elder ,woodruff1 increased our confidence in the ,indians4 ,about this time ,president ,young felt impressed that he and the brethren of the camp should renew their covenants by baptism4 ,august #fth1 the ,twelve were rebaptized by ,president ,young4 ,elder ,kimball baptized ,president ,young and the latter confirmed his brethren and re-sealed upon them all their former blessings4 ,following this1 the brethren selected their inheritances4 ,brother ,woodruff's was the corner diagonally across the street from the south-west corner of the ,temple ,block1 facing the east and north4 ,in the evening ,elder ,kimball baptized fifty-five members of the camp4 ,elder ,woodruff assisted in their confirmation4 ,august the #hth the general work of rebaptizing continued4 ,elders ,kimball1 ,snow1 ,lewis1 ,goddard1 ,everett1 and ,shumway did the baptizing1 while ,president ,young and the ,twelve confirmed4 ,this made #bhh in all who had been rebaptized during the last three days4 ,the camp assembled as usual at #aj o'clock for public meeting and was addressed by ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 much to our edification4 ,i followed and was never blessed with greater liberty of speech4 ,the practice of the ,saints coming into the ,valley to renew their covenants by baptism was followed for many years1 but later1 when the organizations abroad became more perfect1 and the ,saints came with speedy and direct transportation from their native lands to the stakes of ,zion1 this practice has been discontinued as not being of the same necessity as in the early pioneer days4 ,sunday1 ,august #aeth1 ,elder ,woodruff attended the services and reported a lengthy and very interesting discourse by ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,on the #aath a little child of ,brother ,crow was drowned and ,president ,young offered some consoling remarks bearing upon this sad event1 and he also spoke upon the resurrection4 ,much of his discourse was upon the authority of the priesthood1 from which we quote a few lines3 ,brother ,joseph received the ,patriarchal or ,melchisedek ,priesthood from under the hands of ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john4 ,from those ,apostles ,joseph received every power1 blessing1 and privilege of the highest authority of the ,melchisedek ,priesthood ever committed to man on the earth4 ,some have had fears that we had not power to #cbj obtain revelations since the death of ,joseph1 but ,i want this subject from this time and forever to be set at rest4 ,i want the ,church to understand from this day henceforth and forever1 that an ,apostle is the highest office and authority that there is in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god on the earth4 ,joseph ,smith gave unto me and my brethren1 the ,twelve1 all the priesthood1 power1 and authority which he held1 and those are powers which belong to the ,apostleship4 ,we shall take time1 and each step the ,saints take1 let them take time enough to understand it4 ,everything at ,nauvoo went with a rush4 ,we had to build the ,temple with the trowel in one hand and the sword in the other1 and mobs were upon us all the while1 and many crying out1 ',oh6 the ,temple can't be built4' ,i told them it should be built4 ,this ,church should not fall2 and the ,lord said if we did not build it we should be rejected as a ,church with our dead4 ,why did ,he say it8 ,because the ,saints were becoming slothful and covetous1 and would spend their means upon fine houses for themselves before they would put it into a ,house of the ,lord2 but we went at it and finished it and turned it over into the hands of the ,lord in spite of earth and hell1 and the brethren were so faithful that we labored day and night to give them their endowments4 ,when ,i look upon the great work the elders of ,israel have to perform1 and look around upon them1 and see them vain and foolish1 it makes me sorrowful4 ,they forget their calling4 ,o1 ye elders of ,israel1 think for a moment what manner of persons ought ye to be--men who hold the priesthood and keys of salvation1 who have power to go to the nations of the earth and say to the people1 ',we have salvation for you if you will receive it1 and celestial glory awaits you2 or condemnation1 if you reject it4' ,it is no trifling affair to have power put into your hands to deal with the eternal destinies of the sons and daughters of ,adam who form the nations of the earth4 ,in the afternoon ,elders ,orson ,pratt and ,erastus ,snow edified the people under the influence of the spirit of the ,lord4 ,in conference of the leading men1 they gave to the city the name of ,the ,city of the ,great ,salt ,lake4 ,it has since been abbreviated to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,the stream running westward was given the name of ,city ,creek1 which it still bears2 the river on the west1 ,western ,jordan1 to distinguish it from ,jordan in ,palestine2 the #cba two streams from the mountains on the east1 ,great ,canyon ,creek and ,little ,canyon ,creek4 ,in the main1 these names have been preserved4 ,it was also decided to fence the city1 and to appoint a president1 and high council for the new stake of ,zion4 ,elder ,woodruff and his associates were occupied until ,august #bfth in setting things in order and preparing for the pioneers' return to ,winter ,quarters4 ,on the way1 they met ,elder ,benson as a messenger from the moving camp of ,israel1 and later on met the camp itself in different bodies1 chiefly in charge of ,elders ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,john ,taylor4 ,the whole company consisted of #fjj wagons4 ,president ,woodruff met his father in the train but his step-mother had gone back to ,iowa to live with her daughter ,emma4 ,on the journey many interesting meetings were held and much choice instruction given and some reproofs meted out1 especially by ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,it was a constant schooling4 ,like ancient ,israel1 the ,saints were not free from faults1 and needed training and reproving to prepare them for greater things4 ,brother ,woodruff recorded in his journal nearly all the counsels1 teachings1 and ministrations of ,president ,young which occurred on the journey4 ,a few incidents of an exciting nature occurred on the route4 ,on the #ajth of ,september1 near the ,sweet ,water1 the horses were stolen1 and also those belonging to the ,saints on their way to the ,valley4 ,of this episode ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,the alarm was given early next morning that a lot of our horses and mules were stolen4 ,bells were found cut from the horses1 also lariats cut off1 an arrow picked up1 and other signs of ,indians were in evidence4 ,the trail was finally found and a company of #bjj horsemen started in pursuit of the ,indians4 ,it looked gloomy to see so many women and children here in the mountains with their horses and cattle stolen4 ,thirty horses were taken from the pioneer camps1 and twenty from the other camps4 ,the company remained together during the day1 and in the evening assembled for meeting and was addressed by ,orson ,pratt4 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,brigham ,young4 ,during the evening1 two of the brethren returned from the pursuit of the ,indians and brought back five of the horses4 ,next morning we parted with our friends who were going ,west1 and those of us who had not lost horses divided with those #cbb who had4 ,as we journeyed on1 we met the remainder of our brethren returning from the ,indian chase1 but with no more of the horses that were stolen4 ,the enemy had taken forty three4 ,ten days later1 on the morning of ,september #bast1 another exciting disturbance with the ,indians took place4 ,he writes3 ,about #i a4 m4 the call was made to get our horses4 ,i started for them in the timber1 one-half mile from camp4 ,when about two thirds of the way one of the most exciting scenes occurred4 ,i heard several reports of guns in quick succession4 ,at the same time1 our guard cried out1 ',indians6 ,indians6' ,in less than a minute the timber and bluffs were lined with mounted ,indians charging with all speed upon our guard1 horses1 and camps4 ,they shot at several of the guards but missed them4 ,the ,indians took a couple of the guards and tried to carry them off by force1 but the guards knocked them down with their fists and escaped4 ,some of the brethren snapped their guns at the ,indians but the guns missed fire and no blood was shed4 ,as soon as ,i heard the report of the guns and the cry of ,indians1 and saw them driving off horses1 and gathering thick and fast upon every hand1 ,i ran to camp with all speed and gave the alarm1 calling upon all to gather arms and mount their horses4 ,brothers ,kimball1 ,rockwood1 ,matthews1 and several others sprang to their horses with guns and pistols in hand and ran to stop the horses the ,indians were driving away4 ,one party of ,indians had driven about a dozen horses and mules over the hills4 ,brother ,kimball took after them4 ,two ,indians had gone over the bluff with my horse and mule4 ,brother ,rockwood went after them1 and at the same time about #bj of our horses came rushing toward camp1 frightened by the ,indians4 ,with great exertion ,president ,young and one or two others succeeded in getting them stopped and turned them into camp4 ,as soon as ,i arrived in camp1 ,i opened my trunk1 took out my belt containing #h pistol shots1 buckled it on as soon as possible1 put a saddle and bridle on a broken down horse1 for want of a better one1 and mounted without spur or whip and gave chase after my own horses4 ,i could not go fast over rough roads with a poor horse1 but went as fast as possible4 ,as soon as ,i began to ascend the bluffs1 ,i saw ,indians gathering thick on every hand1 closing in between me and the camp4 ,as ,i passed one ,indian1 #cbc he was priming his gun1 but ,i continued the chase4 ,while going up a ravine with steep bluffs on each side1 an avalanche of some thirty ,indians rushed down upon me and hedged me in so that ,i could not get out4 ,within a few feet of me a large ,indian drew a gun on me4 ,i presented a sixshooter at his breast and gave a yell1 which ,i had no sooner done than he gave a whoop and ran up the hill1 all the other ,indians following his example4 ,as soon as my horse and mule got over their fright and were out of sight of the camp1 they tried to return to it1 and troubled the ,indians in driving them4 ,brother ,rockwood soon came near them1 and when the ,indians found they were overtaken1 one stopped and professed friendship1 while the other tried to drive the horses on4 ,brother ,rockwood fired his pistol at him and the ,indians both ran away1 and we soon caught the horses4 ,while this was going on1 nearly forty ,indians surrounded ,brother ,kimball and some of the brethren started to his assistance4 ,indians were also on every side of me until ,i got to the camp4 ,the brethren who were with me having gone to the assistance of ,brother ,kimball1 the camp was left with but few to protect it1 so that when ,i arrived ,i found one hundred and fifty warriors had gathered around it1 all dressed in the greatest war style4 ,the old chief then addressed us and said they were good ,sioux1 and they had taken us to be ,crows or ,snakes4 ,when they found they could get no more of our horses and that three had been retaken1 they professed friendship4 ,there were eleven horses in all taken by the ,indians who numbered about #bjj warriors1 well mounted1 while there were not more than #bj of our men engaged in stopping and retaking the horses4 ,brother ,gould took one of the ,indian's horses and an ,indian brought back ,brother ,woolsey's horse and exchanged for him4 ,this1 with my two horses1 were the only ones taken during the skirmish4 ,when the ,indians gathered before our camp1 they saw that we were armed1 and knew that we had treated them kindly on our way to the ,valley4 ,the old chief then proposed that we smoke the pipe of peace2 and that if our chief1 pointing to ,president ,young1 would go to their camp1 they would smoke with him and give up the horses they had taken4 ,brother ,brigham was not well1 and we did not think it prudent for him to go4 ,while engaged in the above conversation with the ,indians1 #cbd ,brother ,kimball who had been out on the chase1 returned bare headed1 having dropped his hat4 ,he was accompanied by ,brother ,benson1 and in riding into camp rushed his horse through the midst of the ,indians4 ,they feared some treachery1 or that he was an enemy4 ,they leaped upon their horses and dashed away from the camp1 some even running into the creek4 ,as soon as they saw that no harm was intended1 they returned and took their places1 having a hearty laugh at their fright4 ,brother ,kimball volunteered to accompany the chief into his camp1 in place of ,president ,young1 that we might get our horses4 ,brother ,stephen ,markham and myself volunteered to go with him1 so we three mounted our horses and started on the expedition4 ,we took a ,frenchman with us who could speak a little of the ,sioux language4 ,the ,indians told us their camp was one mile away1 but we traveled seven miles over bluffs and valleys before we came in sight of it4 ,the camp was three miles distant yet1 so we halted and waited for them4 ,when they came up to us they pitched about one hundred lodges4 ,they numbered about six hundred1 men1 women1 and children1 and brought with them about one thousand horses and mules1 all of which we supposed were stolen from emigrants and from ,indian tribes4 ,their camps presented a very picturesque and amusing appearance4 ,among their horses we readily recognized our own1 which were stolen on the night we camped with ,brother ,grant's company4 ,we lost nearly fifty head that night and here they were in the drove which these ,indians had4 ,the old chief called together the war chiefs and placed them on his left hand1 and ourselves on his right1 and sat down upon the grass1 filled a long pipe with kinnikinic1 smoked it1 and passed it to his chiefs4 ,they smoked and passed it to us1 and we each smoked in turn4 ,the old chief then told us to pick out our horses1 which we undertook to do1 but found it no easy task to pick out a few horses from among one thousand others scattered for nearly two miles up the creek4 ,after a laborious search1 we got all but two that were stolen that morning4 ,we spoke to the chief about the two horses they still had in their possession1 but while they acknowledged they had them1 they gave us no encouragement that they would let us have them upon our arrival #cbe at ,laramie1 but would only let us have one of them now4 ,the brethren presented the chief with three bushels of salt and we then returned to camp4 ,thus ended the exciting scenes and business of the day4 ,in a subsequent effort to regain these stolen horses they were unsuccessful4 ,it appears that the ,indians did not fulfill their promise1 but spirited the horses away where they could not be found4 ,on the #bnd of ,october1 ,brother ,woodruff and ,luke ,johnson started out in search of some buffalo meat4 ,he writes of this as follows3 ,we started at day break1 and the wolves1 whose cries had rent the air during the night1 were slinking away in all directions as we rode along1 and the beautiful swans were floating upon the water1 adding charm to the scene4 ,soon1 a large herd of buffaloes was in sight4 ,we left our horses and stole upon them as stealthily as we could4 ,the picket guards were frightened several times1 but we managed to reassure them4 ,there is no well disciplined army of men more particular to have an old experienced guard on a close look out than a herd of buffaloes4 ,after an exciting hunt they succeeded in getting only one cow4 ,on the #hth they had a beautiful view of a herd of elk1 but did not succeed in procuring any4 ,on the #agth they organized a hunting expedition and succeeded in killing two buffaloes1 which supplied them with meat for a short time4 ,on the #aith they were met by the police from ,winter ,quarters1 who were led by ,brother ,hosea ,stout4 ,these brethren escorted the pioneer company back1 and they all arrived on the banks of the ,missouri1 ,october #cast1 #ahdg4 ,a few days previous to ,brother ,woodruff's arrival1 ,sister ,woodruff had given birth to a daughter4 ,mother and child were doing well1 and all were cheerful and happy4 ,the eventful year of #ahdg was now drawing to a close1 and ere it became merged into eternity1 one more great event had been catalogued in the great book of ,god's purpose for fulfillment4 ,on ,december #eth in a council held at ,elder ,orson ,hyde's1 ,president ,brigham ,young was chosen and sustained by the counsel to be the ,president1 ,prophet1 ,seer1 and ,revelator to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 with ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,willard ,richards as his first and second counselors4 #cbf ,father ,john ,smith1 uncle to the ,prophet ,joseph1 was chosen the following day to be the ,presiding ,patriarch of the ,church4 ,this action was ratified by the unanimous vote of the general conference held in the ,log ,tabernacle1 ,december #bgth1 #ahdg4 ,about #a1jjj souls were assembled1 and with one united vote sustained these brethren in the ,first ,presidency1 and in the ,patriarchal office of the ,church4 ,the ,apostles present at the council and the conference were ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,orson ,hyde1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,willard ,richards1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,amasa ,lyman1 and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson4 ,of the event1 ,president ,woodruff wrote in his journal3 ,from ,president ,young's teachings we learned that it was necessary to keep up a full organization of the ,church1 through all time1 as far as could be1 at least the ,first ,presidency1 ,quorum of the ,twelve1 ,seventies1 and ,patriarchs1 over the whole ,church4 ,the affairs of the ,saints at ,winter ,quarters were prosperous1 and prospects bright for the ,new ,year4 #cbg ,,chapter #cj4 ,a ,,mission ,,to ,,the ,,east1 #ahdh4 ,in ,winter ,quarters4--,battle of ,nauvoo ,commemorated4--,organization of ,pottowatamie ,county4--,bids ,president ,young and ,saints ,good-by4--,journey from ,winter ,quarters to ,nauvoo4--,from ,nauvoo to ,maine4--,a ,letter to ,his ,wife4--,healing the ,sick4--,discovery of ,gold in ,california4 ,during the first three months of the year #ahdh1 ,apostle ,woodruff devoted himself to the usual routine of business incident to frontier life4 ,they were laying the foundations of a commonwealth and strengthening the religious organizations which were to play an important part in the social and religious life of the people4 ,there were frequent meetings of the ,twelve and the ,presidency1 and the future aspects of both the people and the country were under daily consideration4 ,it was during the early part of this year that petitions were sent to the ,iowa ,legislature1 one asking for a county on the ,pottawatomie tract of land1 and the other for a post-office4 ,elder ,henry ,miller was the bearer of these petitions4 ,about the same time the question of a disposition of the ,nauvoo ,temple came up1 owing to the recent arrival from that city of ,almon ,babbit1 ,hyrum ,kimball1 and ,john ,snyder4 ,president ,young was firm in his view that the ,temple there should not be sold4 ,the battle of ,nauvoo1 which had been fought on ,september #abth1 #ahdf1 was commemorated on this anniversary by those who had taken part in the engagement4 ,they wore a red badge on the left arm1 as they had done during the contest1 to distinguish them from their enemies4 ,the disparity in numbers between the ,latter-day ,saints and their enemies1--about #ajj of the former and between eight and ten hundred of the latter--was so great that the ,saints felt that they had been the recipients of ,divine favor1 especially in view of the fact that only three of their number had been lost4 ,about the middle of the same month1 ,orson ,hyde returned from the ,east4 ,news also came at the same time of the success which the missionary work in ,wales was achieving1 principally #cbh through the labors of ,captain ,dan ,jones4 ,while the opposition there was intense1 the struggle redounded to the spread of the ,gospel and the increase of ,saints through baptism4 ,march #ast was the #dast anniversary of ,wilford ,woodruff's life4 ,a few days later1 on the night of ,march #aeth1 he records a remarkable dream in which he passed in spirit through the air from state to state1 escaped from his enemies and passed on to heaven4 ,i saw1 he says1 ,joseph and ,hyrum and many others of the ,latter-day ,saints who had died4 ,the innumerable company of souls which ,i saw seemed to be preparing for some grand and important event which ,i could not understand4 ,many were engaged in making crowns for the ,saints4 ,they were all dressed in white robes1 both male and female4 ,about this time ,wilford ,woodruff recorded in his journal the death of ,john ,quincy ,adams1 and made special mention of the death of ,john ,adams and ,thomas ,jefferson1 men in whose life and attainments he had taken great interest4 ,his life was not confined to the limits of his personal activity1 as he took a deep interest in all that was going on throughout the world4 ,on the #bgth of ,march1 the leaders of the ,church met in council for the purpose of establishing a political organization of ,pottawattamie ,county4 ,the relations of the ,church to political questions were carefully considered1 and from the outset it was determined to keep separate the religious and political organizations of the new county which they were bringing into existence4 ,they were a religious body of men in whose minds religious influences were dominant4 ,it would have been the most natural thing1 perhaps1 in the world1 for them to establish a politico-ecclesiastical government2 however1 they recognized from the outset1 the constitution of their country1 respected the forms of civil government1 and so separated it from their religious organizations that non-,mormons who should thereafter settle in their midst1 might enjoy with perfect freedom their political rights4 ,this1 however1 did not mean as some non-,mormons thought it ought to mean1 that they should be elected to office1 and the failure to recognize them became a source of disturbance4 ,as the time for holding the annual conference for ,april approached1 there appeared before the leaders several ,pawnee chiefs asking in behalf of their people who were starving for food1 #cbi for one hundred bushels of corn4 ,the request was granted1 the corn loaded upon the backs of the mules belonging to the ,indians1 who returned to their people with feelings of joy and appreciation4 ,the spirit begotten by such an act of generosity opened the hearts of the ,saints for the enjoyment of their conference1 and fitted them more perfectly for the worship of ,god4 ,president ,young commented upon the organization of the ,presidency which he said might have been effected the first conference after the ,prophet's death1 but it was not wisdom to do so4 ,the authority and keys had been committed to the ,twelve1 and the ,saints in following ,brigham ,young and the ,quorum of which he was president1 fully demonstrated their spirit to discern where the presiding authority of the ,church was to be found4 ,the interval between the death of the ,prophet and the organization of the new ,presidency gave the ,saints ample opportunity by experience to confirm their belief in the leadership of ,president ,young and his council4 ,before the conference closed1 officers of the high priests and elder's quorum where chosen1 also a high council for the ,church in ,pottawatamie ,county4 ,special attention was also given at that time to the condition of the poor1 particularly to the families of the soldiers who had enlisted in the ,mormon ,battalion4 ,a special committee was appointed to locate the poor and provide for their wants4 ,a call was made for teams and wagons1 and a hearty response was given4 ,after the conference1 ,philo ,dibble exhibited his paintings of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith1 and of ,joseph's last address to the ,nauvoo ,legion4 ,there are many of the present generation who will remember ,elder ,dibble's efforts to preserve and disseminate the early history of the ,church by exhibitions of his art1 which he gave for the benefit of the ,saints for many years throughout the stakes of ,zion4 ,soon after the close of conference three of the ,battalion boys arrived from ,salt ,lake ,valley1 popularly know as ,the ,valley1 and gave encouraging reports from the ,saints there4 ,they brought with them letters to the families that remained in ,winter ,quarters4 ,at about this time an effort was made to move the bodies of the dead to a new cemetery which had been selected4 ,the graves of many were so marked that they might be identified in years to come4 ,there1 two of ,wilford ,woodruff's sons1 #ccj ,joseph and ,ezra1 were buried in a grave designated ,no4 #cd1 and marked ,j4 ,e4 ,w4 ,while the spirit of gathering to their new found home in the tops of the mountains was uppermost in the minds of those at ,winter ,quarters1 the leaders kept constantly before them their mission of carrying the message of the new revelation to the nations of the earth4 ,apostle ,woodruff was preparing for a mission to the ,east1 and ,orson ,pratt1 to ,england4 ,these men were specially fitted by nature and experience for missionary work1 and their talents were fully recognized and made use of4 ,at the same time ,president ,young was making preparations for another journey across the plains to ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,these were busy days at ,winter ,quarters4 ,all were full of hope and grand expectations4 ,on ,sunday1 ,april #adth1 ,president ,young in an address prophesied that the ,saints would never be driven from the ,rocky ,mountains1 unless they were guilty of insurrection among themselves1 and he had no fear of that4 ,in the midst of preparations1 a steam-boat arrived on the ,missouri ,river at ,winter ,quarters loaded with groceries and general provisions needed by the people4 ,the same steam-boat afforded ,orson ,pratt an opportunity to embark on his mission to ,england4 ,a few days later another steamer came with #aej ,saints from ,england4 ,these were accompanied by ,elders ,franklin ,d4 and ,samuel ,w4 ,richards on their return from the ,british mission4 ,on ,friday the #bfth day of ,may1 #ahdh1 ,president ,young began his second journey to the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,in company with ,orson ,hyde1 ,e4 ,t4 ,benson1 and others1 on the #bbnd of ,june1 ,i rode out to the ,horn to meet ,presidents ,young and ,kimball and the ,camp of ,israel4 ,we found on our arrival that all had crossed1 and that ,lorenzo ,snow and ,zera ,pulsipher1 captains of hundreds1 had gone on1 each with his hundred4 ,there were about #fjj wagons in all and they made a grand encampment--a beautiful sight1 indeed4 ,i spent a little time with ,president ,young2 went through the camp1 and on the following day bade good-bye to the ,saints and returned to ,winter ,quarters4 ,the efforts to provide the necessary equipments for this second exodus across the plains brought its hardship to those who remained4 ,the latter were without sufficient means to meet #cca their wants4 ,president ,richards was at this time sick and in straightened circumstances1 so that he was unable to accompany the ,saints on their westward journey4 ,those who remained were naturally weakened in their ability to defend themselves by the departure of the strongest--those best able to endure the journey4 ,they naturally feared their weakened condition and the danger from ,indians1 to which they were subjected4 ,on the #adth there was a bugle sound ,to arms6 ,the report came that the ,indians were coming upon the people4 ,the alarm1 however1 was not justified1 although the people were greatly disturbed in their feelings by such excitement4 ,it was distinctly the ,indian's country in those days1 and the ,saints had no one but themselves to look to for protection4 ,the forces of the ,united ,states government were then engaged in ,mexico4 ,it is interesting at this point to observe that where the city of ,omaha now stands the ,saints were once busily engaged cultivating the soil and providing means for their expected journey westward1 although ,winter ,quarters was a few miles north from the present site of ,omaha4 ,on ,june #bast1 #ahdh1 ,elder ,woodruff with his family1 and several others1 eleven in all1 started upon his ,eastern mission4 ,they first went to ,mt4 ,pisgah where they found a number of the ,saints to whom they preached4 ,there would naturally be some misgiving as to the faith and continuity of those who remained some distance in the rear of the ,saints1 those who were unwilling to follow the lead of ,president ,young and the ,twelve would naturally discourage the more timid ones4 ,it was during this journey1 and on the #eth of ,july1 that ,elder ,woodruff records a miraculous escape by one of those spiritual impressions that frequently came across his life4 ,he had tied his mules to an oak-wood tree beside which he was camping4 ,his children were sleeping in the wagon1 and he felt impressed to move from his camping-ground1 so he moved his children into a house4 ,only a short time elapsed when a thunder-storm swept over the place in great fury4 ,of the circumstance he writes3 ,we had just retired when the storm reached us in great fury1 and in a moment the large oak came thundering down to the ground with a terrific crash4 ,had ,i not moved my mules1 it would probably have killed them4 ,had ,i not moved my carriage1 it would have #ccb been crushed to atoms1 and we would have been killed1 as the tree fell where my carriage stood4 ,it just missed ,brother ,kingsley's wagon4 ,i consider my impression an interposition of ,providence to save our lives4 ,on the #ith1 they arrived at ,nauvoo and went through the ,temple from basement to steeple1 and again gazed on the once beautiful1 but now desolate city of ,nauvoo4 ,while at the city1 in the home of ,almon ,babbit1 ,elder ,woodruff met a man who had come from ,michigan to hear the gospel1 and to whom he preached for one hour and then led him down into the waters of the ,mississippi4 ,during the same day1 in a house built by ,george ,a4 ,smith1 and occupied by ,elder ,john ,snyder1 he confirmed the man whom he had just baptized and ordained him an elder and sent him on his way rejoicing4 ,before leaving ,nauvoo on his eastward journey1 he sold his mules1 carriage and harness and took steamer down the river to ,st4 ,louis4 ,from this point ,elder ,woodruff boarded a steamer for ,la ,salle1 ,illinois1 and thence to ,louisville1 where he visited his brother-in-law and sister1 ,luther and ,rhoda ,scammon4 ,here death1 for the fourth time1 entered his family circle and called to the spirit world an infant of nine months4 ,here ,elder ,woodruff's industrious nature asserted itself1 and he went into the wheat field pitching bundles of grain4 ,after leaving his kinsmen he continued his journey by wagon1 rivers1 lakes1 and railways via ,chicago and arrived in ,boston on ,august #abth1 #ahdh4 ,the journey1 by the route which he had taken from ,council ,bluffs1 covered a distance of #b1eie miles4 ,he remained some time preaching the gospel at ,boston and then continued his journey to ,portland1 ,maine4 ,from there he went to ,scarboro where he met other relations4 ,it was a happy reunion after a separation of eight years4 ,the return of ,apostle ,woodruff to the ,east would naturally awaken within him the keenest satisfaction over the opportunity it afforded to meet1 after years of strenuous life and marvelous adventure1 old friends and kinsmen4 ,to them1 his affections first turned1 and he told all the wonderful things which ,god had wrought in the gathering of the ,saints to the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,from ,maine he returned to ,boston1 went on to ,new ,york1 and a little later took up his labors in ,philadelphia4 #ccc ,it was here he called on ,colonel ,kane1 a tried and true friend to the ,mormon people in the hour of their sorrow4 ,by ,colonel ,kane he was most cordially welcomed4 ,to his wife who remained with her people in ,maine1 he wrote on ,october #ahth1 #ahdh1 this very significant letter3 ,i have been much blessed by the spirit of ,god since ,i saw you4 ,i have felt more of the presence and power of ,god in me than ,i expected to enjoy on this ,eastern mission4 ,i have felt that someone has prayed for me much of late4 ,i wonder if it was ,phoebe6 ,i know how often you pray for me1 and ,i feel its power and prize it much4 ,i have never felt such a desire to prove worthy of your confidence and trust1 and shun every appearance of evil1 keep out of the path of all temptation1 and do right in all things4 ,i have had much of the spirit of secret prayer1 have poured out my soul in supplication to ,god with tears of joy1 and at the same time the visions of my mind have been opened so that ,i saw clearly my duty to my ,god1 to my wife1 to my children1 to the ,saints1 and to the world at large4 ,i have also seen the awful and certain judgments of ,god1 which like a gathering storm are ready to burst upon the whole ,gentile world1 especially this nation which has heard the sound of the gospel but rejected it1 together with the testimony of the servants of ,god2 has stoned and killed the prophets2 has become drunk with the blood of martyrs and ,saints2 and finally has driven the entire ,church with the priesthood and keys of eternal life out of its midst into the wilderness and mountains of ,israel4 ,at ,new ,haven1 on the #bast1 a remarkable case of healing occurred1 of which ,elder ,woodruff writes as follows3 ,a sister ,turtle was very low with yellow fever4 ,some of ,job's comforters had called upon her and reproached her for being a ,latter-day ,saint1 and had asked her why she did not get her elders to heal her4 ,while under this strain and reproach she cried out1 ',o1 that the ,lord would send ,brother ,woodruff here6' ,it was only a few moments before she received a note from me saying that ,i was coming to see her4 ,when ,i came1 we laid hands upon her and she was healed1 and ,i returned home praising ,god4 ,the following day1 ,sunday1 ,mr4 ,smith ,turtle and his wife1 who had been healed the day before1 were present in our meeting4 ,on the #bcrd of ,october1 #ahdh1 ,i ordained ,jairus ,sanford #ccd a high priest4 ,he was nearly #hf years of age4 ,he had been liberal with his means and faithful in his duties4 ,i left the aged patriarch rejoicing in ,god and went on my way to ,north ,haven4 ,on the #beth of ,october1 ,elder ,woodruff arrived in ,boston by rail and found himself in the midst of a grand demonstration4 ,the people were celebrating the inauguration of a new water system by which the water of the ,long ,pond was conveyed into the city of ,boston4 ,the procession covered a distance of seven miles1 requiring two and a half hours to pass any given point4 ,of that occasion ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,at the close of the speeches the mayor arose and said3 ',fellow citizens1 it is proposed that the water of ,lake ,cochitreate be admitted into the city of ,boston4 ,all those who favor it say1 'aye4' ,the response was in a voice of thunder4 ,at a given signal a column of water #h feet in diameter shot up #hj feet in the air and fell into a great reservoir4 ,in the evening there were fire-works and other illuminations4 ,this was considered at this time the grandest celebration ever witnessed in any ,american city4 ,on the following day1 ,october #bfth1 ,elder ,woodruff went to ,new ,bedford with ,brother ,nathaniel ,coray4 ,it was there he read with feelings of deep sorrow the burning of the ,nauvoo ,temple by a mob4 ,he then went to ,maine where he had parted from his wife earlier in the year1 and returned with her to ,cambridgeport on the #agth of ,november4 ,here he took a house for his family1 and finished the labors of the year in ,boston and its vicinity4 ,here he compiled a brief account of the current events among the nations of the earth4 ,he read history in the light of ,god's recent revelations1 and out of it he extracted the signs of the times4 ,the year had been a trying one to the ,saints in ,utah who were greatly distressed because of the cricket plague1 from which1 however1 they were measurably relieved by the miraculous destruction of these insects by the sea-gulls4 ,gold had been discovered in ,california by members of the ,mormon ,battalion1 and by others1 a circumstance which created a feverish excitement throughout the ,eastern ,states4 ,the rush to ,california again brought the ,saints in ,utah into conspicuous relations with the outside world4 ,that meant financial relief to the people in ,salt ,lake ,city4 #cce ,in his journal he records the fact that ,captain ,dan ,jones by his labors in ,wales was adding to the ,church many persons each month4 ,elder ,orson ,spencer gave very encouraging accounts of the work throughout the ,british ,isles4 ,it was at this time that ,almon ,babbit called upon ,elder ,woodruff and sought to induce him to go to ,washington for the purpose of accomplishing certain things which he said would be favorable to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,after hearing him1 ,i concluded that he was working on his own account and without the counsel of the ,president of the ,church4 ,i therefore concluded that my health1 calling1 and the spirit within me would not permit me to leave the mission upon which ,i was sent1 to go to ,washington4 ,subsequent events proved the correctness of his impressions4 ,concerning the events of the year he remarks3 ,at home new towns were laid out1 both to the north and south of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,elders were arriving from the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,walker1 the ,indian chief1 visited the ,saints in the ,valley and expressed friendship for them and his antipathy toward the ,spanish4 ,brothers ,brown1 ,browett1 ,allen1 and ,cox were killed by the ,indians in the ,california mountains1 while they were exploring the country4 ,these brethren ,i baptized in ,herefordshire soon after ,i commenced preaching at ,john ,benbow's4 ,brother ,browett had been an especially earnest1 true ,latter-day ,saint1 and ,i know nothing to the contrary of the others4 ,they went into the army as soldiers in the ,mormon ,battalion and died in the cause of their country4 #ccf ,,chapter #ca4 ,,elder ,,woodruff',s ,,return ,,from ,,the ,,east4 ,letter to ,orson ,pratt4--,baptism of ,his ,father-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter4--,labors in ,new ,england4--,meets ,dr4 ,john ,m4 ,bernhisel4--,healing the ,sick4--,interview with ,col4 ,kane4--,hears ,indian ,chief4--,release from ,his ,mission4--,return to the ,valleys4--,conditions at the ,frontier4--,stampede on the ,plains4--,brigham ,young ,appointed ,governor4--,salt ,lake ,temple ,planned4--,salt ,lake ,city ,given a ,charter4--,visit to the ,southern ,settlements4--,fourth ,celebrated at ,black ,rock4--,celebrating of ,twenty-fourth4--,death of ,his ,stepmother4--,judge ,brocchus ,speaks in ,conference4--,beautiful ,words of ,patriarch ,john ,smith4--,a ,vote ,to ,discontinue ,use of ,tea and ,coffee4 ,the beginning of the year #ahdi found ,wilford ,woodruff actively at work in the spread of the gospel4 ,it was a glorious message which he was bearing to the people of the ,east1 and he gave to it all the ardor of his intensely religious nature4 ,nor was he less concerned about the integrity and devotion of his wife to the faith they had espoused4 ,his family was carefully instructed in the duties and sacraments of the ,church4 ,on the #aeth of the month he wrote a lengthy letter to ,president ,young and ,council in which he reported his travels and labors4 ,he prepared a historical sketch for the historian's office1 and wrote to ,orson ,pratt1 who was presiding over the ,british mission1 as follows3 ,i am #db years old today1 ,march the #ast1 #ahdi4 ,how peculiar such figures look to a man while counting up his years in this probation4 ,the very sight of them crowds on to his mind a flood of thoughts more than tongue can utter or pen describe4 ,the last sixteen years of my life have been passed endeavoring to preach the gospel and build up the ,kingdom of ,god in association with my brethren4 ,the past is gone1 ,i have no desire to recall it4 ,i would not wish to live my life over again if ,i could4 ,i feel like looking forward and not backward4 ,while the ,jews were high-minded and in the height of their power1 the ,son of ,god1 in lamb-like meekness1 bowed to the ordinance of baptism and all other rites of the gospel and commandments of ,his ,father4 ,he was looking forward to a time when ,he #ccg should make ,his second visit to ,his brethren after having overcome death and the grave4 ,at the present day1 while emperors1 princes1 kings1 lords1 nobles1 and great men of the world have been making a wonderful effort to maintain their dignity1 and appear to good advantage before the world1 many of the noblest spirits that ever dwelt in the flesh1 like ,jesus and the ,apostles1 have been meekly submitting to the ordinances of the gospel1 and like little children have submitted to the authority of the holy priesthood4 ,during the month of ,march ,elder ,woodruff visited ,cape ,cod1 preaching to the ,saints and strangers1 the latter including sea-captains1 sailors1 and fishermen4 ,there he also organized a branch of the ,church with #ba members4 ,upon his return home to ,cambridgeport1 he found his father-in-law1 ,ezra ,carter ,sr41 awaiting him4 ,on the #bbnd of ,march ,father ,carter was baptized1 his wife having received the gospel before this4 ,elder ,woodruff records these events as the fulfillment of prophecy by ,father ,jos4 ,smith1 the patriarch1 who1 in blessing him and his wife years before1 promised that their household should receive the gospel and stand with them in the ,church4 ,elder ,carter lived to be #if years of age4 ,his old home1 in a beautiful rural district of southern ,maine1 still stands4 ,it is near the roadside as you go from ,saco to ,portland4 ,on the #abth of ,april he started a company of ,saints for ,zion4 ,there were #ga all told1 #ej of whom were from ,philadelphia4 ,from ,philadelphia he visited ,saints in the neighboring towns4 ,at ,hornerstown he baptized three members of the ,woolf family4 ,they had been believers for a number of years1 having been visited by the ,prophet and a number of the ,twelve4 ,leaving ,pennsylvania he traveled through ,new ,jersey to ,new ,york where he met ,t4 ,d4 ,brown1 just returning from ,england4 ,from ,new ,york he went on to ,cambridgeport to his family4 ,after journalizing the calamities occurring in ,st4 ,louis1 ,new ,orleans1 ,california1 and other parts of the world1 ,elder ,woodruff started on a visit to ,fox ,islands where he had introduced the gospel twelve years before1 having baptized nearly one hundred people4 ,he passed many weeks on the ,islands but with much less success than upon the first mission there4 ,from here he went to ,new ,brunswick1 ,canada1 performing a large part of the #cch journey on foot4 ,one day he walked #ce miles1 carrying a heavy load part of the distance4 ,arriving at the ferry of ,beauburs ,island1 he crossed in a boat and walked a mile through a pleasant grove to the home of ,elder ,joseph ,russell1 who for eleven years had been the owner of the entire island1 which is a mile and a half in length1 by a half a mile in width4 ,elder ,russell was a ship-builder and had constructed #bc ships with a tonnage of #fej tons each4 ,he was a man of considerable wealth1 worth at that time1 at a low estimate1 #cj1jjj4 ,he was liberal with his means and faithful in the discharge of his duties to the ,church4 ,at that place there was a small branch of the ,church over which he presided4 ,on the #bhth he went with ,elder ,russell and son to ,bedque4 ,while here he received word that ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards had been chosen members of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,on the #eth of ,august1 ,elder ,woodruff set out upon his return to ,cambridgeport1 ,elder ,russell having first contributed #a1ejj with which to aid the ,church in its newly chosen home4 ,he remained but a short time at home1 when he started for ,fall ,river and ,new ,bedford to visit the ,saints in those places4 ,on his return from his trip to the ,south1 he met at ,cambridgeport1 ,dr4 ,john ,m4 ,bernhisel1 who1 after giving an account of affairs in the ,valleys1 informed ,elder ,woodruff that he had come to ,washington as our representative1 bearing a petition for a ,territorial ,government4 ,under date of ,july #beth1 #ahdi1 the ,president of the ,church wrote ,brother ,woodruff a statement of conditions of the ,church in the ,valleys and expressed their desire to be admitted into the ,union as a sovereign state4 ,in that letter the ,president remarked3 ,the next time that you encounter the hardships1 privations1 and toil over the plains and mountains1 you will meet with a very different reception from that which you did on your first arrival here4 ,friends will greet you1 the products of the earth will be administered for your comfort4 ,we shall be very happy to see you again4 ,during the remainder of the year #ahdi1 ,elder ,woodruff visited the eastern branches1 preaching the gospel and comforting all who would listen4 ,in ,cape ,cod an aged lady of #hd years was #cci instantly healed by his administrations4 ,she immediately arose from her bed of sickness and went about her work4 ,he again went to ,philadelphia where he had several visits with ,colonel ,kane with whom he talked over the situation relative to a ,territorial ,government4 ,the following he quotes as the words of ,col4 ,kane3 ,i applied1 according to the wish of ,president ,young for a ,territorial ,government1 and had my last1 sad1 and painful interview with ,president ,polk4 ,i found he was not disposed to favor your people1 and had men of his own stamp picked out to serve as governor and in other positions1 many of whom would oppress you in any way simply to fill their own pockets4 ,president ,polk was unwilling to appoint men among yourselves1 and ,i saw it was absolutely necessary to have officers of your own people to govern you1 otherwise you would be better off without any government at all4 ,it was necessary for me to use my discretion and ,i therefore withdrew the petition4 ,on ,december #crd1 he paid a visit to ,gerard ,college of ,philadelphia4 ,on the #aeth of the month he attended a meeting there where a ,mr4 ,koh-,ge-,ga-,gah-,bow1 chief of the ,ozebwa nation1 delivered a lengthy and spirited address in behalf of the ,american ,indians1 in which he appealed to the citizens to induce the government to give the ,indians a territory they could call their own1 and to forbid the encroachment thereon of the whites4 ,he censured the white men in no uncertain terms for their pretended ,christianity and religious professions1 while in reality they were filled with deceit1 hypocrisy1 and wickedness4 ,the year #ahej witnessed a change in the character of ,elder ,woodruff's labors4 ,missionary work was in harmony1 not only with his spiritual nature1 but with the grand conceptions which he entertained for the future of the ,church with which he had associated himself4 ,upon his return from ,cambridgeport1 he received a letter from the ,presidency in which he was required to return to the ,valley1 and to bring with him all the ,saints he could gather1 and such means as could be collected from their properties and from contributions in the ,east4 ,the ,saints in the ,valleys of the ,mountains were so far removed from manufacturing centers that they felt the necessity of home manufacture1 especially in the establishment of woolen and cotton factories in order that they might be self-supporting4 ,the ,new ,england states #cdj where ,elders ,woodruff's labors had been directed contained many factories1 and it was the operatives from these factories whose services would be needed in the new enterprises at home4 ,on the #bnd of ,march1 he went to ,maine where arrangements were made to gather with him to the ,valleys of the ,mountains his wife's people4 ,his wife's brother1 ,ilus ,f4 ,carter1 had bought ten wagon loads of merchandise which was sent with ,elder ,woodruff4 ,mr4 ,carter1 however1 returned from the ,missouri ,river to his home in ,maine on account of ill health4 ,a number of the brethren had engaged in gold-mining in ,california and sent money to their friends in the ,east to assist them in their emigration4 ,the manufactured products of the ,east were greatly needed by the ,saints in the ,valleys1 and the money sent from ,california became very helpful in providing a stock of goods that would contribute to the comfort of the earlier settlers whose supply of clothing by this time was almost entirely depleted4 ,on the #bcrd of ,march1 ,elder ,orson ,pratt arrived from ,england on business1 intending to return before going to the ,valleys4 ,he found ,elder ,woodruff busily occupied in the purchase of such merchandise as would be most helpful to those who had gathered4 ,about the same time1 ,elder ,john ,taylor and ,curtis ,e4 ,bolton were on their way to ,france2 ,lorenzo ,snow and ,joseph ,toronto to ,italy2 ,erastus ,snow and ,peter ,hanson to ,denmark2 ,franklin ,d4 ,richards and several others to ,england4 ,elder ,erastus ,snow sailed from ,boston to his field of labor on ,april #crd4 ,by the #ith of the month1 ,wilford ,woodruff with his family and relatives1 and with about #ajj other ,saints left for ,new ,york where they were joined by another #ajj1 making all told #bji people4 ,their baggage amounted to #db1jjj lbs4 ,on their way to ,pittsburg1 they passed through ,philadelphia4 ,at the former place they secured passage to ,st4 ,louis where they arrived on the #ast day of ,may4 ,from ,st4 ,louis to ,council ,bluffs they took passage on the steamer1 ,sacramento4 ,they left ,st4 ,joseph on the #abth of ,may and ,ft4 ,kearney on the #aeth1 and the following day ,elder ,woodruff went to ,kanesville to visit ,elder ,orson ,hyde4 ,on this journey they were accompanied by ,elder ,orson ,pratt4 ,this frontier town was a busy place in those days4 ,the ,saints were constantly coming and going1 and the people were generally in a state of excitement1 and the very nature of the circumstances #cda gave rise to some discontent4 ,the well-to-do hurried on to the ,valleys1 and the poor were left to make such arrangements as they could for present support and their future emigration to the ,zion of their ,god4 ,provision1 of course1 for the emigration of the poor was made wherever possible1 but yet their numbers were so great as to bring distress to the people of ,kanesville4 ,president ,woodruff explained that he had received counsel from the ,presidency to stretch out his arms and gather all he possibly could to ,zion4 ,he had baptized1 while on this mission1 about #bjj people4 ,every effort was made to pacify those who were discontented in this frontier town4 ,the fact1 however1 that the authorities had instructed him to gather all he could was the guiding motive in bringing with him to ,kanesville the poor1 as well as those who were in fairly good circumstances4 ,elder ,woodruff1 when counsel came to him1 never quibbled1 never doubted1 never stopped to ask his file-leaders the whys and the wherefores4 ,he was like ,adam when the angel said to him3 ,adam1 why dost thou offer sacrifice8 ,and he answered1 ,i know not save that ,god has commanded me4 ,he was also like ,nephi of old who uttered the memorable saying3 ,for ,i know that the ,lord giveth no command unto the children of men save that ,he shall prepare the way for them to accomplish the thing which ,he commandeth them4 ,on the #bast of ,may the company starting to ,zion was organized into hundreds1 fifties1 and tens with a captain over each4 ,robert ,petty1 ,leonard ,w4 ,hardy1 ,edson ,whipple1 ,joseph ,hall1 ,james ,currier1 ,miner ,atwood1 and two others whose names are not given1 were appointed captains4 ,some of the teamsters of this company did not belong to the ,church1 and in time became unruly4 ,the ring-leader1 however1 was discharged1 and later the others also4 ,on the #ith of ,july1 ,lucy ,johnson1 ,matilda ,hardy1 a ,sister ,snow1 and ,emily ,huntington died4 ,deaths this year1 #ahej1 on the plains were frequent and ,elder ,woodruff's company suffered with others4 ,on the day following1 ,elder ,woodruff baptized fourteen in the ,platte ,river1 among them his wife's niece1 ,sarah ,e4 ,foss4 ,on the #aeth1 a few days later1 a severe thunder storm arose and ,brother ,ridge1 from ,staffordshire1 ,england1 and his oxen were killed by lightning4 ,the #cjth of the month witnessed one of those scenes not #cdb uncommon to the plains in the early days of emigration by ox teams4 ,those who have not witnessed a stampede can hardly imagine the scenes of confusion and dangers to which it gives rise4 ,there were often thirty or forty teams close together4 ,these teams consisted of from two to five yoke of oxen4 ,the wagons they drew were loaded with women1 children1 and merchandise4 ,the stampede generally took place without a moment's warning and the cattle ran in all directions4 ,writing of this scene ,elder ,woodruff says3 ,our stampede commenced in the following manner4 ,while my son ,wilford was mounting his horse1 ,william ,murphy struck the horse with a whip which started him to run4 ,wilford was thrown over the horse's head to the ground4 ,the saddle turned under the horse and as a result he ran away4 ,as he approached one of the wagons1 a ,mr4 ,cannon's team became frantic and started off at a great speed4 ,in a moment twenty or thirty teams followed the first that stampeded and the whole company was rushing apparently onward into the jaws of death4 ,on my carriage was a fine black steed1 and in it were ,rhoda ,foss and ,susan ,woodruff4 ,we were at the head of the company1 and when the stampede commenced1 ,i was by the side of my carriage4 ,i saw ,mrs4 ,woodruff rush into the midst of the scene with many other women and children4 ,their lives were in constant danger4 ,i told ,rhoda to let my horse run into the bluffs1 and do the best she could4 ,i gave him a cut to start him on to a run and left them to the care of ,providence4 ,i then rushed into the midst of the stampede in order to save the lives of my wife and as many others as possible1 but ,i had hard work to save even my own life4 ,mrs4 ,woodruff soon found an opening and fled out of the midst of the scene4 ,brother ,petty's wagons were turned over4 ,my family wagon with four yoke of oxen ran over one of his wagons1 and a wagon ran over one of his children4 ,prescott ,hardy was knocked down by his own team and badly injured in the thigh and arm4 ,wherever ,i saw women and children in danger1 ,i did what ,i could to rescue them4 ,however1 only little can be done at such times1 and each one must dodge the best he can to save his life if possible4 ,when ,i found ,i could do no more1 ,i ran forward to see what condition my family carriage and wagon were in4 ,i found #cdc my noble horse still running1 but on three legs4 ,one of the ox-teams had run on to the horse and carriage1 bent one of the axles and smashed one of the horse's legs4 ,rhoda was thrown out of the carriage and ,susan was lying upon her back with her feet hanging out between the wheels4 ,she held on1 however1 till ,i came and rescued my daughter4 ,later ,i had to shoot my horse to put him out of his misery4 ,it was very painful to have to do so4 ,it was a miracle that no one was killed1 and there was really but little damage done to oxen and wagons4 ,barring some break-downs and delays1 the company arrived in ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,october #ad1 #ahej4 ,soon after their arrival1 ,elder ,woodruff moved from the old ,fort into his house near ,temple ,block4 ,he was also occupied in disposing of ten loads of merchandise sent out to the ,valley by his brother-in-law1 ,ilus ,f4 ,carter4 ,in the ,council he read to the brethren the speech of ,mr4 ,copway 7,koh-,ge-,ga-,gah-,bow71 the ,indian chief1 and the views of ,col4 ,kane on the government of ,deseret4 ,wilford ,woodruff's work at this time as a missionary had given him distinction and he was frequently regarded by his brethren as the ,herald of the ,gospel4 ,the following winter two vacancies occurred in the legislature by the death of ,newell ,k4 ,whitney and ,cornelius ,p4 ,lott4 ,governor ,young appointed ,elders ,woodruff and ,charles ,c4 ,rich to fill these vacancies1 and thus began the experiences of ,elder ,woodruff as a legislator4 ,the new year1 #ahea1 witnessed the dedication of a new school house in the ,fourteenth ,ward of ,salt ,lake ,city--the ward in which ,elder ,woodruff first located and where he built his home on what was subsequently known as the old ,valley ,house corner4 ,the people were poor in those days1 but they nevertheless did all that a community could under similar circumstances to promote education4 ,they needed both schoolhouses and meeting-houses1 but their condition generally compelled them to make one building answer a double purpose4 ,the country to which the ,saints had come was a wilderness1 and the surroundings of the people were such that it was not always easy to keep men and women under proper restraint1 especially young men who in a wild country naturally were prone to be uncouth and sometimes profane in their language4 ,the ,puritan spirit of the early pioneers was so intense that an effort was made #cdd to check evils in their incipiency and to wage a crusade against them as fast as they made their appearance4 ,profanity was one of the evils that could not be endured4 ,the ,authorities on the #abth of ,january1 in a congregation of the ,saints1 called attention to the use of such language1 and the whole congregation voted to put down swearing throughout the ,city and the ,territory4 ,into the reform movement1 ,elder ,woodruff threw all his energies and preached with all the ardor of his soul against the improper use of words that profaned the name of ,deity4 ,the time had come to erect another temple for the holy ordinances that are peculiar and confined to that sacred structure4 ,the work should be begun as far as possible with the absence of every semblance of evil2 and on ,january #ai1 ,president ,young announced to the congregation assembled that the time had arrived for the erection of a temple4 ,truman ,o4 ,angel was appointed architect1 and during the day plans for the new ,temple were submitted for inspection in the ,seventies' ,hall4 ,that building now stands on ,state street in a good state of preservation4 ,on the #bhth1 news of the appointment of ,president ,young to be the first governor of ,utah reached the people4 ,this appointment gave universal satisfaction4 ,when the news came1 ,president ,young was about fifteen miles north of the city4 ,the leaders and a band went out to meet him2 and upon his arrival in the city1 he was welcomed by a salute of ten guns4 ,about this time1 on ,february #bnd1 a pretender arose who styled himself ,elijah1 and a ,mr4 ,bateman spoke for about #i minutes in his behalf4 ,the new ,elijah1 however1 received no encouragement4 ,it was about the same time also that there began those regular weekly meetings of the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles which have continued to the present time4 ,the object was to keep the ,twelve in harmony with one another1 that each might know what the other was doing1 that there might be uniformity1 and that they might be actuated by a spirit of unity4 ,early in ,february of that year1 the legislature granted a charter to the community that was to be known as a municipal organization under the name of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,concerning the charter ,president ,woodruff writes that ,president ,young said3 ,we do not want the ,church to pass laws to punish crime1 but #cde to try members only on questions of ,church fellowship4 ,if the members transgress the laws of the land1 turn them over to the authorities of the land4 ,we want to protect the ,church also in its rites of worship and protect every other sect that comes here4 ,when the kingdoms of this world become the ,kingdoms of our ,lord and ,savior ,jesus ,christ1 will their people all be members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ by obeying the ,gospel8 ,no1 not one-eighth part of them4 ,no more than a telestial kingdom is a celestial one1 and they stand in about the same relation to each other4 ,elder ,woodruff1 on the #bcrd of ,april1 in company with a party of about forty men with twenty wagons entered ,utah ,valley4 ,this was his first visit to the settlements there4 ,he met the ,indian chief ,walker4 ,he thought him rather an ugly looking specimen for an ,indian chief4 ,later on the company reached ,sanpete valley4 ,here there were about one hundred families located4 ,these families were engaged in farming4 ,they had erected a schoolhouse and had commenced a council house4 ,passing on from ,sanpete1 the company went through ,sevier ,valley to ,marysvale and on to ,cedar ,city4 ,we passed over the worst road the last few days that ,i ever knew4 ,we had to draw our wagons up and let them down with ropes in places where the roads were so bad1 and at places the slant was so great that we had to hold our wagons up to keep them from turning over4 ,in the valley near ,cedar ,city the company was met by ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith who at that time had charge of the southern settlements4 ,the settlers had been there only three months4 ,they had enclosed a fort of #ai acres1 plowed and sown #a1jjj acres with wheat1 had fenced #fjj acres1 built a sawmill1 and erected the first story of their council house4 ,the little community welcomed ,president ,young and party by the firing of a cannon and by waving the stars and stripes4 ,this small settlement of pioneers had about one hundred men4 ,the discovery of coal and iron ore in the vicinity of ,cedar ,city awakened in the ,latter-day ,saints a special desire to establish iron foundries4 ,men had been called to this work as a mission4 ,among the one hundred1 there were perhaps thirty who were discontented4 ,part of them desired to return to ,salt ,lake ,city to get their families1 and others to abandon the mission at ,cedar #cdf entirely4 ,apostle ,woodruff records the following words of ,president ,young to these men3 ,if you were now on a mission to ,france or ,england or to any other part of the earth1 you would not sit down and counsel together about going to get your families1 or about going home till your mission was ended4 ,this is of quite as much importance as preaching the ,gospel4 ,the time is now come when it is required of us to make the wilderness blossom as the rose4 ,our mission is now to build up stakes of ,zion and fill these mountains with cities1 and when your mission is ended you are at liberty to go4 ,only do what is right4 ,when ,i go on a mission1 ,i leave my affairs in the hand of ,god4 ,if my house1 flocks1 or fields are lost in my absence2 if my wife or children die1 ,i say1 ,amen1 to it4 ,if they live1 ,i say1 ,amen1 to that and thank the ,lord4 ,the words of ,president ,young removed much of the discontent and most of them remained to fill their mission in honor4 ,in speaking at this time of the ,indians in that section the ,president said3 ,these ,indians are the descendants of the ,gadianton robbers who infested these mountains for more than a thousand years4 ,at the conclusion of this visit1 the party returned to ,salt ,lake ,city which they reached on the #bdth of ,may1 #ahea4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal contains many of the discourses preached by ,president ,young in those days on subjects of practical religion1 home industry1 prayer1 financial integrity1 farming1 tithing1 and kindred subjects4 ,his talks contained just such subject matter as one would expect to hear from a leader whose mission it was to make the desert blossom as the rose4 ,elder ,woodruff1 here and there1 used stenographic characters in making notes in his journal4 ,he was not a stenographer1 however1 but he was so accustomed to writing the sermons in long hand that his memory was trained for the work1 and a large measure of accuracy was given to these journalistic efforts4 ,to this work he had been called by ,president ,young soon after the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum4 ,the day would come when the details of that early history would be in great demand among those who would love to know the beginning of the work of ,god in this dispensation4 ,some day1 said ,president #cdg ,young1 ,i shall look to you for my journal4 ,this work was so carefully done1 and the devotion of ,elder ,woodruff was so great towards his brethren that one is impressed by the splendid fidelity with which he honored the call4 ,on the ,fourth of ,july of #ahea the ,saints joined in a celebration at ,black ,rock on ,salt ,lake4 ,the procession was led by the general authorities with the ,nauvoo ,legion as an escort4 ,it consisted of #adj wagons which reached ,black ,rock at #b o'clock in the afternoon4 ,patriotic speeches were made1 and after the meeting1 social pastimes were indulged in1 and many enjoyed a bath in the lake4 ,it was as pleasant a ,fourth of ,july as ,i ever spent1 and my family was with me4 ,next day we returned to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,those were happy days4 ,the simplicity of their faith1 the candor of their words1 and the friendship of their lives produced a remarkable unity which in itself was both inspiring and joyful4 ,the ,twenty-fourth of ,july was honored by a celebration4 ,there was music by the ,nauvoo brass band4 ,the citizens came out in great numbers4 ,there was a procession at the head of which the aged fathers and mothers were placed--men and women whose frames were shaped by the hardships and struggles of those early days4 ,the procession ended at the bowery where there were speeches1 instrumental music and singing4 ,the songs of ,zion were sung not in a strange land1 nor were our harps hung upon the willows4 ,the shades of evening came over the city and there had been no accident to mar the proceedings of that hallowed day4 ,there were no curses1 no drinking1 no rabble1 no strife to mar the occasion4 ,there was1 perhaps1 a little ,church mixed up with the ,state in those days4 ,men had conceived the idea that ,god should be honored as much in the administration of civil as of religious affairs4 ,the harvest season followed the ,twenty-fourth and ,elder ,woodruff was as enthusiastic and energetic on the farm as he was in a celebration or as he was in preaching the ,gospel abroad4 ,he was a model of industry4 ,his little twenty-acre farm just south of the city was under a high state of cultivation4 ,with a cradle in his hands1 he went to the work of the harvest with singular pleasure4 ,his restless nature often carried him beyond #cdh his strength1 but he loved to work4 ,he always worked1 and with him one kind of work was as honorable as another2 for ,god honored honest toil4 ,at his home on the farm1 there lived with him his aged father4 ,the stepmother had remained with her daughter in ,iowa4 ,about this time1 he received word that she had died on the #bjth of ,march and that his brother ,azmon's wife had also died on the #crd of ,january of that year4 ,his brother also wrote him relating the sorrow and trouble he had encountered ever since he had left the ,church4 ,his letter bore evidence of humiliation and repentance1 much to the joy of his faithful brother ,wilford4 ,on the #gth of ,september1 there was a general conference of the ,church4 ,after addressing the ,saints upon practical affairs and the daily duties of life1 ,president ,young said3 ,no better man than ,joseph ,smith ever lived on this earth4 ,hear it1 ,o1 ye heavens1 ,o1 ye earth1 and all men6 ,it is my testimony that he was as good a man as ever lived1 save ,jesus4 ,in harmony with these words1 ,willard ,richards related his testimony to the mob in ,carthage at the time of the ,prophet's death to the effect that they were ,prophets of ,god1 and two of the best men that ever lived on earth4 ,during this conference1 ,judge ,brocchus of the ,united ,states court in ,utah1 requested the privilege of speaking4 ,the request was granted and he proceeded to cast unsavory reflections upon the character of the ,saints4 ,this ,president ,young resented in strong terms4 ,in the course of his remarks1 the ,prophet said to those who were going on missions3 ,don't go and tell the people of different denominations that because their sins are not forgiven that they are always going to dwell in hell2 for if they are honest1 they will have a glory greater than many who carry the gospel to them4 ,there are good people among all sects1 ,gentiles1 ,jews1 and heathens4 ,they act according to the best light they have4 ,what is the condition of the people of this country8 ,light has come into the world1 and many men love darkness rather than light4 ,they reject that light1 fight the prophets1 and shed their blood4 ,for this they will be damned4 ,at this conference ,n4 ,h4 ,felt and ,john ,banks were appointed traveling bishops4 ,e4 ,t4 ,benson1 ,j4 ,m4 ,grant1 and ,orson ,hyde were called on a mission to ,kanesville to gather out all the ,saints #cdi in that region4 ,elder ,woodruff here records the remarks made by ,patriarch ,john ,smith1 uncle of the ,prophet1 and father to ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,he had been a member of the ,church since #ahcb4 ,i was ordained an elder under the hands of ,joseph ,wakefield4 ,the ,smith family was called to bring forth this work4 ,my team hauled the first load of stone for the erection of the ,kirtland ,temple4 ,my son ,george ,a41 drove that team4 ,there were four brothers of us on the stand at ,kirtland4 ,i am now left alone4 ,i was in jail with my nephews1 ,joseph and ,hyrum1 the night before they were killed4 ,next day three guns were snapped at me4 ,i could not weep for a long time2 when ,i could1 ,i wept much4 ,i have labored much from that day till this4 ,now pay your tithing1 make your measures good when you sell anything1 and fulfill all your covenants if they are properly made4 ,then we shall prosper in this ,valley4 ,i am an old man and cannot say much4 ,when the pioneers returned to ,winter ,quarters from ,salt ,lake ,valley1 father ,john ,smith was left in charge of the ,church here4 ,he was a man of the utmost honor and of sterling integrity both to ,god and man4 ,three generations of this man have been apostles in the ,church4 ,it was at this conference that all the brethren and sisters voted to discontinue the use of tea1 coffee1 and tobacco4 ,it was then adjourned until ,october #fth4 #cej ,,chapter #cb4 ,,the ,,years1 #aheb1 '#ec1 '#ed4 ,discourse of ,brigham ,young on ,sin4--,the ,descendants of ,cain4--,edward ,hunter ,chosen ,presiding ,bishop4--,parowan ,stake ,organized4--,david ,patten4--,talk on ,dancing4--,death of ,willard ,richards4--,jedediah ,m4 ,grant ,chosen ,counselor to ,brigham ,young4--,journey ,south4--,walker1 the ,indian ,chief4--,john ,smith1 ,son of ,hyrum ,smith1 ,called ,to ,be the ,head ,patriarch of the ,church4--,visit ,north4--,legislature4--,philosophical ,society4 ,the beginning of the year #aheb found ,elder ,woodruff actively engaged in the legislative business of the new ,territory4 ,there was much to be done4 ,the foundation of a new commonwealth was being laid1 and the principles of civil government were emphasized and kept separate from the religious organization4 ,about three years and a half had elapsed since the pioneers entered ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,in #aheb the census showed that there were all told in ,utah1 #aa1ced souls4 ,counties were established with proper organizations1 and judges appointed for the administration of laws therein4 ,elder ,woodruff kept in his journals the civil and religious movements of those early days4 ,extracts from prominent sermons were written1 especially those delivered by ,president ,young4 ,the following is a partial extract of a discourse by him on the subject of ,sin4 ,if you sin against ,god1 go to ,him for forgiveness1 if that sin is not unto death4 ,there is a sin unto death which we are told we need not pray to have forgiven4 ,if you sin against your brother1 go to him for forgiveness4 ,ask forgiveness at the hands of the innocent4 ,if you sin against your family1 your parents1 your husband1 your wife1 or your children1 seek forgiveness at their hands2 for what is done in secret1 ,he will forgive in secret4 ,in seeking forgiveness for sins that are secret1 go no farther than is necessary to be forgiven of ,god4 ,but where sins are committed openly1 forgiveness should be sought openly4 ,the ,saints had not forgotten the troubles which their shortcomings and neglect of the things of ,god had brought upon them in days gone by4 ,the leaders understood very well the necessity #cea of avoiding the troubles of the past by keeping themselves in harmony with ,god's will4 ,they knew that sin meant trouble not only for the individual but for the ,church4 ,the authorities felt that if the people could be kept from sin there would be love and union and prosperity in the new homes which they were establishing in the ,rocky ,mountains4 ,the attitude of the ,saints on the question of slavery had been a source of trouble to them in ,missouri4 ,there was naturally throughout the ,united ,states some interest in the position which the new ,territory should take upon that question4 ,in those days the influence of the ,south was predominant1 and the pro-slavery party was asserting itself wherever possible4 ,the lines were drawn more distinctly between the pro and anti-slavery communities4 ,in those days men might have regarded it as good policy to keep friends with the ,south and the democratic party4 ,to be pronounced for or against slavery was sure to invite the opposition of the ,north or of the ,south4 ,president ,young felt it1 however1 to be his duty to make plain the attitude of the ,mormon people in ,utah on the subject4 ,in an address to the legislature he said3 ,the ,lord said ,i will not kill ,cain1 but ,i will put a mark upon him1 and that mark will be seen upon the face of every negro upon the face of the earth2 and it is the decree of ,god that that mark shall remain upon the seed of ,cain until the seed of ,abel shall be redeemed1 and ,cain shall not receive the priesthood1 until the time of that redemption4 ,any man having one drop of the seed of ,cain in him cannot receive the priesthood2 but the day will come when all that race will be redeemed and possess all the blessings which we now have4 ,i am opposed to the present system of slavery4 ,elder ,woodruff writes extensively in his journal of the teachings of the ,president4 ,in one of his discourses the ,prophet declares that ,god has passed through all the trials and experiences that we have1 and the ,savior likewise4 ,on another occasion1 he speaks of the responsibilities of parents2 the desirability of a prayerful spirit that they may not only receive the noble spirits from the spirit world1 but that they may enjoy the influence of the ,holy ,ghost which should be the inheritance of every child born into the world4 ,from a report of the tithing in those days it also appears #ceb that from ,october #ahdh to ,april #aheb1 there was paid in1 #cec1gee4fi1 a creditable showing when the hardships of those times and the limited numbers of ,saints are taken into consideration4 ,it was at this conference1 ,april #aheb1 that ,edward ,hunter was chosen and set apart as the ,presiding ,bishop of the ,church4 ,many people will remember the quaint words and sayings of ,edward ,hunter4 ,when asked to select his counselors1 on that occasion1 he arose and said3 ,i select for my counselors ,brigham ,young and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,on the #bcrd of ,april1 #aheb1 ,wilford ,woodruff accompanied the ,first ,presidency on a tour through the southern settlements as far south as ,cedar ,city1 which they had visited once before4 ,on this trip they organized the ,iron ,company for the purpose of developing the iron deposits of that region4 ,the rodometer showed the distance from ,salt ,lake to ,cedar via ,sanpete ,valley to be #cad #a_/b miles4 ,it was on this visit that the ,parowan ,stake was organized1 with ,john ,l4 ,smith as president1 ,john ,steele as first1 and ,henry ,lunt as second counselor4 ,on the #bhth of ,august1 #aheb1 a special conference was held and about one hundred missionaries were called to ,europe and other parts of the world4 ,the following ,october witnessed the call of still other missionaries4 ,in speaking of their blessings ,president ,woodruff said3 ,the spirit and power of ,god rested upon us in a great degree4 ,the heavens were opened1 and our minds were filled with visions1 revelations1 and prophecy1 while we sealed great blessings upon the heads of the elders and foretold what would befall them by sea and by land2 that they would do a great work and gather many ,saints and much wealth to ,zion4 ,before the close of the year1 there were special meetings of the ,council of the ,twelve in which the importance of keeping a history of the ,twelve was emphasized1 and ,elder ,woodruff was at that time appointed to write a history of his ,quorum4 ,speaking of the ,twelve at this time he says3 ,there has not been a death in the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles except that of ,david ,patten1 who fell a martyr to his religion1 according to the special request he made of the ,lord that he might die that death4 ,i lament the fact that ,david ,patten did not leave a record of his life1 for he was a true prophet1 an apostle1 and a fine man4 ,many #cec miracles were wrought by him4 ,he once told a rich man in ,tennessee who fought the work of ,god1 that he and his family would yet beg for their bread4 ,robert ,c4 ,petty saw that same man cry at a blacksmith shop because the blacksmith would not sharpen his plough on credit4 ,speaking upon the principle of writing a history he said that since he had been a member of the ,church he had been inspired to write not only of his own acts and life but to write the sermons1 teachings1 and prophecies of the ,prophet ,joseph1 ,president ,young1 and ,council of the ,twelve ,apostles as far as he was acquainted with their labors4 ,when the new year of #ahec opened ,wilford ,woodruff gave expression to those noble inspirations which characterized his life4 ,in his journal he writes3 ,a new year in a new era6 ,how time flies1 and how wonderful1 how magnificent are the events which are borne upon its wings6 ,it is the opening of a dispensation that includes all other dispensations since the world began4 ,the events of the one thousand years past pale into insignificance compared with the work of the present time4 ,on ,new ,year's day ,wilford ,woodruff1 with other members of his ,quorum1 all being present1 except ,orson ,pratt1 marched in a body to the homes of ,presidents ,young1 ,kimball1 and ,richards1 and to the home of ,father ,john ,smith1 the patriarch1 in the order named and with loving respect wished them a happy and prosperous ,new ,year4 ,each of the ,presidency and ,father ,smith pronounced their blessings1 and in return the ,twelve blessed them4 ,in the evening of that day1 the ,presidency and the ,twelve dedicated the ,social ,hall for social purposes1 and with about two hundred of the ,saints joined in a dance with praise and thanksgiving to the ,lord4 ,the #adth of ,february1 #ahec1 witnessed the dedication of the site of the ,salt ,lake ,temple4 ,the ,presidency and the ,twelve broke the ground with a pick4 ,it was an occasion of great joy among the ,saints1 as a temple meant so much to their hopes and faith4 ,on ,april the #fth1 the four corner-stones were dedicated1 and speeches were delivered4 ,forty years thereafter1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 more than #hf years of age1 presided at its completion and dedication4 ,on the #beth of ,august ,elder ,woodruff went with members #ced of the ,twelve to locate a new ,weber settlement4 ,the people there were growing dissatisfied and changed their location several times4 ,at the ,october conference1 following1 ,wilford ,woodruff and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson were appointed to select fifty families to settle in ,tooele ,valley4 ,the work in that valley engaged his time largely during the remainder of the year until the #abth of ,december1 when he again took up his work in the ,house of ,representatives4 ,the new year of #ahed dawned upon the ,sabbath day4 ,in the afternoon the ,saints were addressed by ,apostle ,woodruff4 ,on the evening of the #bnd there was a dancing party given in the ,social ,hall4 ,the parties there were attended by the leaders1 and an effort was made to give to those occasions an innocent joy and a high social quality that would uplift the dance and make it a suitable place for ,saints1 and not allow it to be the exclusive pastime of the sinners4 ,in those early days there was a much greater opposition on the part of the different religious denominations of the world than there is today4 ,this practice1 from the outset among the ,latter-day ,saints of taking their religion with them into the social life was one of the alleged faults which the religious world condemned4 ,in those times when there were so many difficulties1 so many hardships different from those which the people had to encounter in the ,east1 the dance was about the only sort of amusement which the ,saints could enjoy4 ,the following are the words of ,president ,young which give his views of the ball room1 and which he gave on the evening of the #bnd3 ,i consider this a suitable place to give some instructions4 ,the world considers it very wicked for a ,christian to hear music and to dance4 ,many preachers say that fiddling and music come from hell1 but ,i say there is no fiddling1 there is no music in hell4 ,music belongs to heaven1 to cheer ,god1 angels1 and men4 ,if we could hear the music there is in heaven1 it would overwhelm us mortals4 ,music and dancing are for the benefit of holy ones1 and all those who come here to-night who are not holy and righteous and do not worship ,god have no right to come here4 ,men and women were taught that in all they did on the week day as upon the ,sabbath they should honor ,god4 ,if1 #cee later on1 excesses in dancing and its improper practice were corrected by a ,prophet of ,god1 ,john ,taylor1 it was because of the excesses and the improprieties of certain classes1 and not because of the ball room itself4 ,to him1 there was great objection in permitting the dance room to become a financial scheme4 ,in the year of #ahed ,president ,willard ,richards was suffering from palsy1 and the attention which he received at the hands of ,elder ,woodruff was characteristic of the latter's tender regard and loving administration for those whom he esteemed4 ,besides giving his attention to the sick1 he also began the work of teaching and preparing the young men for their duties in the office of the lesser priesthood4 ,he was especially solicitous of the training of his young sons1 especially ,wilford junior4 ,those were days of extreme sociability and neighborly love4 ,in his journal ,elder ,woodruff writes of a visit to his home of ,ann ,whitney and ,eliza ,r4 ,snow3 ,i read over several of the old sermons of ,joseph that were not recorded anywhere except in my journal4 ,we passed a pleasant evening together1 and before they left they sang in tongues in the pure language which ,adam and ,eve spoke in the ,garden of ,eden4 ,this gift was obtained in the ,kirtland ,temple through a promise of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith4 ,he told ,sister ,whitney if she would rise upon her feet she should have the pure language4 ,she did so1 and immediately began to sing in tongues4 ,it was nearer to heavenly music than anything ,i ever heard4 ,this beautiful gift ,sister ,whitney retained throughout her life time1 and upon appropriate occasions exercised it to the edification and joy of the ,saints4 ,in those days ,elder ,woodruff found some time in the midst of public duties to devote to the reading of good books1 among them was the first volume of the life of ,benjamin ,franklin1 and into his journal he copied ,franklin's rules of perfection4 ,whatever was high-minded1 choice1 or of value as discipline1 ,wilford ,woodruff cherished4 ,on the #aath of ,january of that year ,president ,willard ,richards died4 ,he had been a sufferer for many years1 but through faith his life had been prolonged4 ,of him ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,he is the first of the ,twelve or of our ,presidency who has died in the faith a natural death4 ,all who have gone before in full fellowship have died martyrs4 ,he and ,president #cef ,richards had formed a strong attachment for each other1 and they had traveled together quite extensively in their missionary labors and pioneer work4 ,at the time of ,president ,richard's death1 ,president ,young was too ill to attend the funeral4 ,the following month of ,march ,elder ,woodruff visited ,tooele ,city1 ,grantsville1 and other places in ,tooele ,valley1 the colonization of which had been largely intrusted to himself and ,elders ,benson and ,maughan4 ,on the #bgth of that month1 he returned to ,salt ,lake ,city and met with the ,twelve at his home4 ,here1 the missionaries who were going to ,england had been set apart1 and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards was called to preside over the ,european mission4 ,the ,april conference which followed was one of considerable importance4 ,it became necessary to select someone to fill the place made vacant by the death of ,willard ,richards4 ,president ,young asked the ,twelve to suggest some man for the place1 but they considered it his privilege to choose his own counselor1 and so informed him1 at the same time promising to endorse his selection4 ,when the authorities were sustained1 ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant was taken into the ,first ,presidency of the ,church4 ,he had been a faithful and distinguished elder1 and was loved by all the ,saints4 ,it was at this conference that the question of ,consecration was presented4 ,speaking of that subject1 ,president ,kimball said3 ,i want all ,i have to be secured in the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,they knew the dangers and temptations of wealth1 the selfishness which it begets1 as well as its destruction of brotherly love4 ,at the same conference1 ,president ,kimball spoke on ,plural ,marriage and declared its divine origin4 ,many of you have fought it1 he said1 you may continue to fight it until you go down into your graves1 and it will still continue to be the work of ,god1 and will still continue through all ,eternity4 ,at that time ,elder ,parley ,p4 ,pratt was appointed to establish a stake of the ,church at ,horner's ranch in ,california4 ,erastus ,snow was called on a mission to ,st4 ,louis1 and ,orson ,pratt to ,cincinnati4 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 then a boy less than #af years of age1 was called upon his first mission to the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,on the #crd of ,may1 a party of the leaders1 of which ,elder ,woodruff was one1 started on a tour of the southern settlements4 #ceg ,their first day's drive was to ,union ,ward1 where the ,saints had been counseled to build their homes within a fort1 as a protection against the ,indians4 ,it appears that to some extent this counsel had been ignored by the people there4 ,in speaking of that fact ,president ,young said3 ,i am responsible for the counsel ,i give4 ,if you want to know any more concerning it--do right2 pray to the ,lord1 that you may have ,his mind revealed and may understand the truth and know for yourselves what lies before you--then you will not question these things1 but will go to work and do them with all your might4 ,in those days there was a special anxiety to protect the people1 who were scattering out to form new settlements1 against the attacks of the ,indians4 ,the people noted the special supervision of their leaders who were constantly directing the settlements which were in time to come to be the strongholds of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,every detail was thought out1 and nothing escaped the vigilant watch-care of their ,prophet4 ,in his journal ,elder ,woodruff recorded the remarks of ,president ,young spoken to the people of ,pleasant ,grove3 ,your stacks are so placed that one ,indian could fire the whole place1 and others could shoot you down4 ,while you were fighting the fire they could kill every man1 woman1 and child in this place4 ,the party continued the journey from here to ,provo1 ,springville1 and ,payson4 ,when they reached ,payson they were approaching the ,indian country1 and the ,indian question was discussed4 ,president ,young counseled the ,saints to feed the ,indians and treat them kindly4 ,when the company reached a place about fifteen miles south of ,payson an organization was effected3 ,robert ,t4 ,burton was made captain of the guard2 ,w4 ,woodruff1 historian2 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,john ,taylor1 chaplains2 ,edward ,hunter1 chief bishop2 and ,dr4 ,sprague1 physician and surgeon4 ,after leaving ,nephi1 ,elder ,woodruff makes this interesting record3 ,the next day1 ,may #aath1 we rode to ,chicken ,creek and spent the night near ,walker and his band4 ,president ,young and council tried to talk with him1 but he was sulky and not disposed to talk4 ,when we first formed our corral within forty rods of his camp1 he gathered all of his warriors and made quite a display1 but we did not go to meet them1 so they turned their horses out and went to their tents4 #ceh ,when we called upon ,walker1 he lay down in the dirt and was averse to talking4 ,brother ,young manifested great patience even when almost any other man would have been exhausted4 ,he went to him and lifted him out of the dirt and finally drew from him a conversation4 ,walker said he had no spirit1 he had no heart1 he did not wish to talk4 ',i want to sit still and hear ,president ,young and others talk4' ,president ,young gave him some tobacco4 ,the chief said when he had plenty of tobacco all his friends would come and smoke with him1 but when he had no tobacco they would stay away from him4 ,president ,young then said3 ',i have brought some beef cattle for you4 ,i want one killed so you can have a feast while we are here4' ,walker then wanted the ,mormons to sing before the parties took a smoke4 ,the chief said1 ',ezra ,t4 ,benson came1 and his heart was good4 ,diminick ,huntington came1 and his heart was running4' ,we then sang1 and when this was done ,walker said1 ',i have not got the spirit of the ,lord4 ,if there is anyone here who can give me the spirit of the ,lord ,i wish he would do it4' ,speaking further1 the old chief said1 ',white people in heaven are happy4' ,an ,indian by the name of ,tulpidge then spoke amid much crying and tears4 ,he was the ,indian who had his wife killed4 ,he said ,diminick ,huntington had been good to him1 and he had not seen him since his child's death4 ,he said3 ',we now have good hearts and the ,mormons who are now here have good hearts4 ,we can lie down in peace without fear1 and ,i want to live in friendship with this people4' ,we now left the ,indian camp and returned to our wagons1 but ,president ,young had another talk with ,walker the same day4 ,on the following day we again visited ,walker's tent1 but the chief was still sulky and would not talk4 ,he left his tent and went into the willows while the others talked4 ,the ,indians had a sick child which they wished the elders to administer to4 ,president ,kimball with ,elders ,benson and ,wells did so1 and ,dr4 ,sprague left some medicine for the child and for others who were sick4 ,the ,indian said if his sick child died he would have to kill an ,indian child or a ,mormon child to go with it--this is their tradition4 ,the interpreter told him he must not do it as that was wrong2 that when a ,mormon child died we did not kill another to go with it and they must not do it4 ,the ,indian said that #cei if the child got well1 he would go with us4 ,he said ,walker was a great chief1 and that ,president ,young was a great chief4 ,peteetnet spoke and said they would be good and not steal1 neither would they kill anybody1 and that anyone could go alone and not be killed4 ,walker wished ,president ,young to write a letter that he might show to the people and let them know that we were at peace with each other4 ,this1 ,president ,young did4 ,dr4 ,sprague gave them some medicine1 and after a talk of peace and good will from the old chief we shook hands and smoked the pipe of peace4 ,walker received his presents4 ,we killed a beef and made a great feast for the ,indians4 ,they traded blankets for horses and bought two ,indians who were prisoners4 ,after making peace we left them and rode on to ,sevier ,river4 ,walker1 ,squashead1 and many others went with us and spent the night on the ,sevier4 ,we made a raft and took our wagons over in an hour and a half4 ,next day we reached ,fillmore1 a distance of thirty-five miles4 ,from ,fillmore the party passed through ,beaver and ,parowan to ,cedar ,city4 ,here they visited the ,iron ,works and saw some of the products4 ,erastus ,snow was present and explained to them the difficulties to be contended with in the manufacture of iron1 as they were so far from railroads4 ,during this trip the company visited ,harmony and then returned to the ,north1 reaching ,salt ,lake the #cjth of the month1 having traveled a distance of #egd miles4 ,june the #bgth1 #ahed1 the anniversary of the martyrdom of ,joseph and ,hyrum1 was observed4 ,the ,church held a general conference1 according to previous appointment4 ,elder ,john ,taylor was called on a mission to ,new ,york1 while other elders were called to different parts of the world4 ,john ,smith1 son of ,hyrum ,smith1 was on that day called to the position of presiding patriarch of the ,church4 ,he was the fourth to occupy that place in this dispensation4 ,during those busy times of travel and teaching1 ,elder ,woodruff also found time to farm his land4 ,he records that on that year he raised #cfi bushels of wheat1 #djj bushels of potatoes and #bjj bushels of corn4 ,on ,november #bgth1 he set out upon a visit to the settlements in the north4 ,on the #bnd of ,december1 he paid his first visit to ,ogden1 where he found a large colony of ,saints on the east side #cfj of the ,weber ,river4 ,here he counseled the people respecting the payment of their tithing1 the ,poor ,fund1 the establishment of schools1 also the building of a wall around the city for protection against attacks by the ,indians4 ,at this time he also visited ,north ,ogden1 then called ,ogden ,hole1 seven miles north of ,ogden ,city4 ,it was at that time one of the most flourishing settlements north of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,there were forty-seven families and a school with fifty pupils4 ,the people here raised in #ahed1 #af1jjj bushels of wheat4 ,on the #dth of ,december1 ,elder ,woodruff visited ,willow ,creek1 now ,willard4 ,from there he went to ,box ,elder1 later known as ,brigham ,city1 which was then chiefly settled by ,saints from ,scandinavia and ,wales4 ,returning1 he reached home ,december #ith4 ,on the next day he listened to ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 who gave an account of the rise and progress of the settlement of the ,saints in ,san ,bernardino4 ,on the #aath of ,december the legislature met4 ,the ,council then consisted of four members3 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,orson ,pratt1 and ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,the ,house had nine members3 ,albert ,carrington1 ,leonard ,e4 ,harrington1 ,aaron ,johnson1 ,isaac ,morley1 ,john ,a4 ,ray1 ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith1 ,lorin ,farr1 and ,erastus ,bingham4 ,at that time there were only seven counties1 viz41 ,salt ,lake1 ,san ,pete1 ,millard1 ,iron1 ,davis1 and ,weber4 ,on ,christmas day of that year1 there was some excitement created by a drunken brawl among the soldiers who were quartered in the heart of the city4 ,some of the citizens became mixed up with it4 ,some of the soldiers fired upon the people who threw stones at them4 ,the officers1 however1 with the aid of the marshal and mayor restored peace4 ,in the evening1 ,col4 ,steptoe and ,judge ,kinney gave a ball and invited the ,presidency and ,twelve4 ,of the occasion ,brother ,woodruff writes3 ,it was a splendid affair4 ,we had a good supper and a splendid dance4 ,in order to give some intellectual pastime1 a ,philosophical ,society was organized to which the leaders gave special attention and encouragement to those who were anxious to improve their minds4 ,closing his journal for that year ,elder ,woodruff notes that he traveled over #a1hjj miles1 attended #dg meetings1 and preached #dd discourses4 ,he also attended two general conferences1 and passed twenty days in the legislature4 #cfa ,,chapter #cc4 ,,educational ,,efforts4 ,education ,promoted4--,adventurers4--,endowment ,house4--,president ,young ,speaks of the ,resurrection4--,death of ,judge ,schafer4--,provo4--,work in ,educational ,societies4--,in the ,legislature at ,fillmore4--,words of ,confidence from ,kanosh1 an ,indian ,chief4--,some ,peculiarities of ,wilford ,woodruff4--,poisoned4 ,the first day of the year #ahee was observed by a social entertainment which the ,governor and the ,legislature of ,utah gave in the new ,social ,hall4 ,it was the most splendid party up to that date ever gotten up in the ,territory4 ,the ,united ,states judges and military officers were invited4 ,dancing commenced at #c o'clock in the afternoon and closed with a supper at mid-night4 ,these hardy pioneers had grand ambitions in their humble homes1 amid humble surroundings4 ,they established a grammar school under the direction of ,orson ,hyde4 ,they also organized a ,universal ,scientific ,association for the study of science1 the promotion of education1 and the accumulation of a library and museum4 ,they already had their ,philosophical ,society and later organized a ,horticultural ,association for the purpose of encouraging the growth of fruit in the ,territory4 ,on the #dth of ,february1 at the ,sunday meeting1 some attention was given to the attitude which the ,saints had taken toward a host of new comers who were not of their faith4 ,most of them belonged to an adventurous class and were unscrupulous men4 ,against them the ,saints were warned4 ,this warning created considerable excitement among them4 ,the new comers were angry1 but the ,saints were firm4 ,in time excitement quieted down4 ,some of the outsiders soon learned that there was a social barrier which they could not break down4 ,they were not here to establish homes1 and many were disappointed when they could not prey upon the homes of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,as spring approached new problems arose4 ,the new country was a kind of experiment station1 and the people were anxious to get all kinds of seeds that they might experiment with the soil and climate4 ,elder ,woodruff was among the first to introduce fruit #cfb trees4 ,he obtained thirty-one different kinds of choice applegrafts4 ,the future began to look more hopeful4 ,they had in mind a grand commonwealth1 which by their faithful industry they would establish4 ,they were spreading out over the ,valleys of the ,mountains and establishing homes4 ,they were a happy people1 full of hope and grand expectations--if the soil responded to their efforts4 ,the political situation became disappointing4 ,at first ,brigham ,young had been appointed ,governor1 and had given satisfaction4 ,he was beloved by his people2 and respect for their local self-government and their wishes would have continued him as such1 but men were not slow in circulating evil reports and in creating prejudice and hatred in the hearts of those who leaned toward the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the word came that another was to succeed ,brigham ,young as governor4 ,announcement was made that on ,february the #ahth ,president ,young would give the views of our people concerning the government of the ,united ,states4 ,on that date the ,tabernacle was crowded1 and there were probably one thousand people on the outside who could not find entrance2 but ,president ,young was sick and unable to attend4 ,his statement1 however1 to the people was read in which he expressed loyalty to the ,constitution and laws of the country1 but disapprobation towards those who were severe1 and towards men in high places who disregarded the rights of the people here4 ,the address was published in the ,deseret ,news and later on1 in the ,journal of ,discourses4 ,on ,february #ahth ,john ,smith received his ordination to the office of ,patriarch of the ,church1 he having been previously called to that high station on the #ajth of ,march1 #ahec4 ,elder ,woodruff records the death of an old friend1 ,joseph ,russell1 who was faithful and true1 and who had given nearly all his means amounting to about #g1jjj4jj to the ,church4 ,the conference of that year began on ,april #fth1 with about #ab1jjj people in attendance4 ,times were somewhat exciting1 and there was a pronounced demonstration on the part of the ,saints in the matter of their adherence to the work of ,god4 ,at that time about one hundred missionaries were called4 ,a little later on in the same month the ,deseret ,theological ,society was organized4 ,on ,may the #aeth1 the ,endowment ,house was dedicated4 ,to the older of the present generation its sacred precincts1 its rites1 #cfc and ordinances are among the most cherished memories4 ,apostle ,woodruff was present at its dedication2 and later in life when the ,temple supplanted it1 he ordered it removed4 ,on the day following its dedication1 ,geo1 ,q4 ,cannon gave an interesting account of his mission to the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,on the same date ,president ,young in speaking of the resurrection1 as recorded by ,president ,woodruff1 said3 ,the identical particles of matter in which we have honored our spirits1 our tabernacles1 in which we have suffered1 traveled1 labored1 and built up the ,kingdom of ,god would be the identical bodies resurrected1 and no others4 ,they will be raised from the grave to immortality and eternal lives4 ,evil was placed upon the earth that man might know the good from the evil1 for without an experience in those things1 men could not know one from the other4 ,upon the earth the devil sowed the seeds of death in everything1 so that as soon as ,adam and ,eve began to eat of the fruit of the earth they received into their systems the seeds of mortality--death4 ,their children thus became mortal and subject to pain1 sorrow1 and death4 ,by this means they were redeemed and partook of life1 peace1 and happiness1 and they would know how to prize them4 ,father ,adam would never cease his labors to redeem his posterity and exalt them to all the glory they were capable of receiving4 ,yet man has his agency to act for himself--choose good or evil1 and to be rewarded according to his works4 ,on ,may the #aith ,elder ,woodruff set out upon another visit to the southern settlements in company with ,president ,young4 ,at ,cedar ,city they found the iron works in full blast4 ,they were making good iron1 casting pipes and other necessary appliances needed by the people4 ,while there1 they organized a stake of ,zion comprising ,iron ,county4 ,on reaching ,lehi on their return they had an interesting visit from ,aropene1 an ,indian chief4 ,this was the latter part of ,may1 and by this time the crops and gardens had almost entirely been destroyed by the grasshoppers4 ,in his journal of ,june #cjth of that year he records the funeral of ,judge ,schafer1 ,chief ,justice of the ,territorial ,supreme ,court of ,utah4 ,the funeral was held on that day4 ,the ,saints turned out in large numbers and showed great honor to the judge whose justice and uprightness were so greatly respected4 ,on ,july the #acth ,elder ,woodruff attended the conference #cfd in ,provo with ,presidents ,young1 ,kimball1 and ,grant4 ,during the conference1 they had a visit from an ,indian chief whose ,english name was ,high ,forehead4 ,he and others of his tribe addressed the congregation1 expressing their confidence in ,president ,young and the people over whom he presided4 ,there was in those days a class of people in ,provo whose conduct was not entirely satisfactory4 ,it was a gathering place for many uncouth miners1 whose habits of drinking and gambling did not give ,provo a very good name4 ,speaking of the town1 ,apostle ,woodruff says in his journal3 ,there was a strange spirit in ,provo and many had not the spirit of ,god4 ,many of the early inhabitants of the town will find in that remark something of the spirit of charity4 ,on ,elder ,woodruff's return to ,salt ,lake ,city he speaks of the excellent times they had in the ,polysophical ,society as well as in the ,universal ,scientific ,society4 ,these social gatherings for intellectual improvement afforded the progressive men of those days some opportunity to satisfy their desires for education4 ,elder ,woodruff rarely failed in his journal to give an account of the doings of those societies1 and to express the great delight he had had over the information imparted by the lectures4 ,in his journal he says3 ,on ,september #acth we met in the ,social ,hall under the organization of a ,pomological ,society4 ,the house was well filled and the subject discussed was the organization of a ,horticultural ,society4 ,a committee was appointed to draft the constitution and by-laws to govern said society4 ,i was chosen chairman of this committee1 and subsequently president of the society which did much to promote the culture and growth of fruit in the ,territory4 ,the spirit of ,wilford ,woodruff was pre-eminently missionary in every aspect of his life4 ,if he raised fruit1 it was in fulfillment of a mission to promote an industry4 ,when he sat in the legislative halls1 he regarded his work as a grand mission for the establishment and spread of the principles of civil government4 ,it all made him an enthusiastic worker4 ,if he farmed1 he did it as much to teach others how to farm as to obtain a livelihood from it4 ,with him1 all life and labor was a mission4 ,it was all in the spirit of a teacher and he was conscientious in the extreme about what and how he would teach4 ,in attending a #cfe quarterly conference at ,farmington in ,october1 #ahee1 he writes in his journal3 ,after retiring to bed ,i prayed to the ,lord to show me what we should teach the people1 and this ,i received as an answer4 ',let my servants obtain the ,holy ,ghost and keep ,my spirit with them and that will instruct them what to teach the people continually4 ,instruct the people to keep ,my spirit with them and they will be enabled to understand the word of the ,lord when it is taught unto them4' ,it is quite natural1 therefore1 that he should keep a careful account of missionary work both at home and abroad4 ,he notes in the fall of that year that ,nathaniel ,v4 ,jones returned from his mission to ,hindoostan1 also the appointment of ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,ezra ,t4 ,benson1 and ,phineas ,young to ,england4 ,elder ,woodruff was appointed as a missionary1 in connection with ,elders ,orson ,pratt1 and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 to travel throughout the ,territory4 ,he speaks of this event as giving him much pleasure and adds3 ,it is the first time since the organization of this ,church and ,quorum that ,i have had the privilege of being associated with these two men on a preaching mission4 ,we have met but little except in conference from time to time4 ,he mentions about this time the death of ,orson ,spencer who had died in ,st4 ,louis4 ,of him he says3 ,many friends mourn his loss4 ,he was a firm pillar in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,having been again elected to the legislature1 ,elder ,woodruff set out for ,fillmore which was then the capital of the ,territory4 ,he went in company with ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,loren ,farr1 and ,jonathan ,c4 ,wright4 ,while in ,fillmore1 in ,january1 #ahef1 he reported and wrote in his journal an account of an excellent discourse preached by ,president ,young4 ,the following was taken from his journal3 ,it is our duty to make every sacrifice 7if it may be called a sacrifice7 required of us by our ,father in ,heaven1 that ,he and ,his holy angels may know our integrity4 ,i see a thousand weaknesses in myself that ,i now regret1 and it is so with all those who have the spirit of ,god1 and they will try to overcome them4 ,people may be guilty of various sins1 and do you think they can be forgiven in a moment4 ,no1 every ,latter-day ,saint knows better4 ,this would be sectarianism4 ,the religion of the world is that a man may commit murder1 and when on the #cff gallows1 he can repent and be forgiven and go straightway to ,abraham's bosom4 ,it is a false doctrine4 ,it is not true4 ,some may say that they cannot overcome their passions when they are tempted and tried1 they cannot help scolding1 swearing1 etc41 but ,i tell you they can help it1 and must overcome it sooner or later or they cannot be saved4 ,we should improve day by day1 be a better man or woman to-morrow than we are to-day4 ,mothers1 when you are cross and attempt to correct you children1 conquer yourselves first4 ,fathers1 when you feel angry passions rise1 then you need the grace of ,god to bring yourselves into subjection to ,him that you may gain victory over your feelings4 ,live so that you may have the revelations of ,god concerning you in all things--that you cannot be deceived4 ,when ,sidney ,rigdon claimed to be the leader of the people1 the people knew not his voice4 ,parents are under the greatest obligation to live their religion1 so also the young men and women1 that when they marry and have a posterity their children may be born in holiness and righteousness1 and it will then be hard to make anything out of them but ,latter-day ,saints4 ,on ,january the #afth1 ,kanosh1 an ,indian chief1 made an address to the brethren1 as follows3 ,i am just beginning to get my eyes opened4 ,i know that ,president ,young's talk is good4 ,what he says is so4 ,he tells us more good1 and ,i am like the sun just rising in the ,east1 and so with my people4 ,we have been in the night1 ,i have had eyes but ,i could not see1 and ears1 but ,i could not hear2 and this has been the case with my people4 ,our hearts could not understand1 but now our eyes see1 our ears hear1 and our hearts understand4 ,all that ,brigham and ,heber have said is straight2 but when ,i talk with ,col4 ,steptoe and his men1 he is not straight1 ,i would not believe1 for a tenth part of their talk is not straight1 and so it is with the ,spaniards1 and with all the white men until ,i saw the ,mormons4 ,they are the first to tell me the truth4 ,you are here to make laws4 ,i hope you will make good laws to punish the guilty and spare the innocent4 ,i wish to do right and have my people do right4 ,i do not want them to steal nor kill4 ,i want to plant and raise wheat1 and to learn to plough1 and do as the white people do4 ,i want to learn to read and to write1 and to have my children learn so that we may understand what you say to us4 ,this is beautiful manifestation #cfg of the confidence which the better class of ,indians had in the ,mormon people4 ,after the adjournment of the legislature1 and on the #bfth of ,january1 a large mass meeting was held in ,salt ,lake ,city to consider the establishment of a mail and passenger service between the ,western ,states and ,california4 ,governor ,young was chosen chairman4 ,a committee was appointed to draft resolutions regarding the project4 ,about this time the ,first ,reader published in the ,deseret ,alphabet was gotten up4 ,to this work ,elder ,woodruff gave much of his time4 ,during the month of ,february he reports in his journal that three boys had been killed by the ,indians who had driven off a number of horses and cattle4 ,on the #crd of ,march ,elder ,woodruff was called on a mission to the ,east to secure type for the ,deseret ,alphabet4 ,on the #gth of ,april1 during the spring conference of that year1 he was appointed assistant historian of the ,church4 ,in those days missionaries were usually called at conference1 and that occasion had in it surprises for many who were called to go on a mission without a moment's notice4 ,at this time ,elders ,orson ,pratt and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson were called to ,england to preside over the ,european mission4 ,there was1 too1 a humorous side to ,wilford ,woodruff's nature1 notwithstanding the seriousness which he possessed4 ,it seems that in one of the ,sunday meetings ,president ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant found it necessary to refer to some thefts which had taken place a short time before4 ,among other things stolen was some flour that had been taken from ,elder ,woodruff's home4 ,after concluding his rebuke for these things ,president ,woodruff arose and said3 ,if they have taken the flour because of hunger and will ask the blessing upon the bread when it is made1 and send me home the bags1 ,i will bring no accusation against them4 ,the bags were put in a sack and brought to his home next morning4 ,a circumstance somewhat of the same nature as that referred to1 occurred in which the writer was a witness4 ,he and one of his companions were chasing a flock of tame ducks up the street along ,elder ,woodruff's fence4 ,the latter saw them and came out4 ,he being a nervous1 quick-spoken man1 the boys expected a scolding4 ,boys1 he said1 if you will let those ducks alone1 ,i #cfh will give you some apricots4 ,they hardly knew how to compose themselves--so great was their surprise--but they went with him to the orchard1 one of them filling his hat and the other a bucket4 ,nothing further disagreeable was said1 but the boys never thereafter chased the ducks4 ,on the #bbnd of ,april of that year1 the missionaries who were called on missions left the city for their fields of labor4 ,it was a greater effort in those days to take a mission4 ,the sacrifice was greater for all concerned4 ,the dreary plains had to be crossed again1 and the expense was naturally very great4 ,at this time ,george ,a4 ,smith and ,john ,taylor went to ,washington to urge claims of ,utah for admission into the ,union4 ,a few days after the missionaries left1 ,apostle ,woodruff was poisoned in consequence of skinning an animal which had been killed by poison4 ,his system became so infected that his life was despaired of1 but his faith was so unceasing and so disassociated from all doubt that through administration he was healed4 ,brother ,woodruff records in his journal the blessing which ,president ,young pronounced upon his head1 as follows3 ,brother ,woodruff1 ,i say to you in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 that you shall not die1 but you shall live to finish your work which was appointed you to do upon the earth4 ,the adversary has sought many times to destroy your life but the ,lord has preserved you1 and will preserve you until your work is done4 ,on his recovery he makes record of a letter received from the chief gardener of ,queen ,victoria1 who desired to open a correspondence with the ,horticultural ,society of ,utah4 ,such matters were of course highly interesting to the people here1 because those were days of experiments4 #cfi ,,chapter #cd4 ,,the ,,reformation1 #ahef4 ,hard ,times ,were ,difficult for ,some ,to ,endure4--,recording ,church ,history4--,dedication of ,historian's ,office4--,first ,hand-cart ,company4--,the ,reformation ,inaugurated4--,death of ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant4--,suffering of the ,hand-cart ,companies4--,heber ,c4 ,kimball's ,dream4 ,the year #ahef found the people engrossed in the labors incident to pioneer life4 ,they were beginning to appreciate more than ever the wonderful resources of their new ,zion4 ,the growing opportunities to accumulate means were absorbing the more progressive classes4 ,the social life of the people1 however1 was not neglected1 and there were picnics and celebrations4 ,the ,fourth and the ,twenty-fourth were great days4 ,the out door amusements of those times were more enjoyable because of the general surroundings4 ,this year the ,fourth was ushered in by the firing of cannon and the ringing of bells4 ,there were processions and orations that pleased and inspired the people4 ,the canyons were near by and they were agreeable resorts in days when there were few groves4 ,these occasions helped the people to forget many of the hardships incident to pioneer life4 ,some could not easily endure the trials of those days because they had not sufficient faith to penetrate in the least the future4 ,to them all was darkness and hardship4 ,some were discouraged4 ,about this time1 one of the chief clerks in the ,historian's ,office became weary of the hardships of those days1 was a victim of despair4 ,he entertained doubts of the truth of the work2 and though he was treated well by all the brethren1 he was nevertheless unhappy and returned to ,england to take up again the life in which he had been reared4 ,apostle ,woodruff wrote of him thus3 ,he could not stand the hard times1 and did not know whether ,mormonism was true or not1 so he returned home4 ,he had taken a very honorable course in all his business dealings4 ,the man was respected and spoken well of4 ,he felt that he had made a mistake1 but he was honest and honorable4 ,he never sought to shift the burden of his own unhappiness and discontent on to the #cgj shoulders of others4 ,he aimed to be fair and wanted to do what was right4 ,the man had not the faith to support him in the trying ordeals of those early years in ,utah4 ,it was one circumstance out of many2 and like some others who left the ,church1 he never felt it his duty to bring reproach upon those whose faith he could neither understand nor appreciate4 ,the man was not hindered in the execution of his wishes4 ,he was wished ,god speed1 and his old-time friends would still be friends1 even though there might be a great disparity in the matter of faith4 ,in those days1 ,elder ,woodruff was occupied largely in the historian's office reading ,church history to ,president ,young4 ,from the beginning of the ,church in ,utah1 ,president ,young had felt the importance of keeping an accurate and extended history of ,god's dispensation in the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,many important things connected with the ,church in its infancy had not been recorded1 and were then even becoming matters of hearsay4 ,on the #fth of ,september1 #ahef1 a large number of missionaries were set apart and the burden of the instructions to them then was the keeping of a journal4 ,the special instructions on that occasion were given to them by ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and ,wilford ,woodruff1 the latter outlined in a general way what should make up a journal4 ,the record was to be full1 correct1 and proper4 ,matters were to be so fully given that future generations would not be at a loss to understand them4 ,they should be so correct1 that credence could be given to what was written1 and so proper that inappropriate and irrelevant matters should not fill up and make a journal tedious and of no consequence1 except1 perhaps1 to the one who wrote it4 ,all official acts in the exercise of the authority of the priesthood should be carefully kept4 ,whenever it became important for the ,church to give a history of any event1 it should be able to put its hands on the records of those who took part in them4 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt said3 ,i have reflected upon this subject for years to know what a man should write1 and have come to the conclusion that he should write his official acts in the priesthood4 ,i am sorry that ,i have not kept more of a journal than ,i have4 ,i wish ,i had written every man's name that ,i ever baptized1 or administered to in any manner4 ,in setting forth the hand dealings of ,god with this people1 the elders of the ,church become personal #cga witnesses for ,god1 and every event which is a manifestation of ,god's power in their lives and ministry should be recorded4 ,they fully appreciated the fact that though an event may not be of great importance to-day1 it may be valuable to-morrow in the light of all that follows it4 ,on the #ajth of ,september1 ,apostle ,woodruff and the clerks in the historian's office moved to their new office1 which was an imposing building in those days1 and which still stands on ,south ,temple ,street between ,state and ,main ,streets4 ,elder ,woodruff was mouth in the dedication of this building on ,september #aeth1 #ahef4 ,elder ,woodruff records this blessing in his journal and exclaims therein3 ,wilt thou bless1 ,o ,lord1 with thy holy spirit this building1 that we may never profane thy name in this house1 or dishonor the holy priesthood1 or bring approach upon thy cause1 or grieve thy holy spirit in any way4 ,bring to our remembrance all things necessary to be written in the history of the ,church1 and cause that papers and documents that are necessary may be brought to us that we may be enabled to compile a correct1 useful1 and proper history4 ,on the #bfth of the same month1 the two first hand-cart companies entered ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,they were in charge of ,edmund ,ellsworth and ,daniel ,duncan ,mc,arthur1 the former was the husband of ,president ,young's oldest daughter4 ,elder ,ellsworth died some years ago1 but ,elder ,mc,arthur1 at this writing1 #aiji1 still lives in ,st4 ,george in the #hfth year of his age4 ,for some years he was president of the ,st4 ,george stake of ,zion4 ,these companies of ,saints were met at the mouth of ,emigration ,canyon to the east of the city and were escorted with much display and honor to the city4 ,president ,young and the general authorities went out to meet them4 ,bands of music enlivened the occasion1 and the presence of many ,saints gave great distinction to the scene4 ,they had pushed and pulled their hand-carts from the ,missouri ,river1 over a thousand miles4 ,they had waded the streams1 climbed the mountains1 and had made better time than either the ox or the horse teams4 ,this new method of crossing the plains had been first suggested and decided upon in ,england during the presidency in that mission of ,franklin ,d4 ,richards4 ,it was1 in a measure1 an outburst of the enthusiastic desire and spirit of the people there #cgb to gather with their religious comrades in the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,the first companies had fared measurably well1 but those who came later1 and were the victims of an unusual and extraordinary winter1 suffered greatly4 ,at this place in ,elder ,woodruff's journal1 he records a dream related by ,daniel ,h4 ,wells and the latter's interpretation of it4 ,he saw in his dream a butcher's cleaver in the heavens1 from which he was led to predict the near approach of war and bloodshed in the nation4 ,the time1 he declared1 was nearer than people imagined4 ,the completion of the ,historian's ,office this year was followed by the dedication of the ,endowment ,house on ,october #bnd4 ,the leading men of the ,church met at the baptismal font where the dedicatory prayer was offered by ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,elder ,woodruff says3 ,it was full of sublimity and prophecy which found its fulfillment in the history of the font and the building4 ,it would be difficult even to estimate the sacred influence which that building has exercised upon the lives of untold thousands who felt themselves within its sacred precincts in the presence of their ,god4 ,the purity that went out from that sacred house into the lives of those who were married there has been the guiding star and the savior of thousands of men and women in the ,church4 ,how strange1 how remarkable1 that a place with such sacred and uplifting influence should be made the object of vicious attacks by those who were the enemies of the ,church and its persecutors6 ,the completion of the font signalized the importance of the so-called ,reformation in the ,church which began in that year4 ,president ,young entered the font and baptized his counselors1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant4 ,later ,elder ,woodruff and others were baptized2 and the privilege extended to all the ,saints throughout the ,church to renew their covenants4 ,there was a spirit of trouble brewing2 a growing opposition throughout the ,united ,states toward the ,saints was felt by the leaders1 who were impressed by the spirit of reform4 ,it was important that the people should be so upright and chaste in their lives that the ,lord should have no occasion to punish them for their shortcomings4 ,it was a time of revival in the observance of the duties and the ordinances in the ,church4 ,the people were called upon #cgc to repent4 ,questions touching their morals and the manner of their worship were put to the people both in public places and in their homes4 ,the people generally were asked to renew their covenants by baptism4 ,an excerpt from the journal of ,elder ,woodruff illustrates something of the spirit of those times4 ,after explaining to a certain individual that he considered it a privilege to be re-baptized1 the man professed his immunity from sin4 ,in all the trials incident to the pilgrimage and pioneer life1 have you never sworn nor used bad language8 ,no sir1 was the prompt reply4 ,have you never broken the ,sabbath day8 ,no sir1 came the quick response4 ,have you never cheated your neighbor in trade8 ,no sir1 thundered the unrepentant man4 ,then1 for heavens sake1 go off and do something4 ,you are the only perfect man ,i ever saw1 and hope never to see another in this life4 ,subsequent events1 however1 proved that the man who was so self-assertive was the very sort of an individual who was greatly in need of repentance4 ,from the days of the gold excitement in ,california1 there had been an influx of adventurers into ,utah4 ,most of them were men of reckless lives1 men of improper habits4 ,their influence became greatly detrimental to many of the ,saints4 ,it must be counteracted1 and the so-called ,reformation was to be the means of setting the people right4 ,it was to be a time of repentance4 ,every responsible position that men held1 whether ecclesiastical or civil1 called for the most devout obedience to ,god's law4 ,men who were legislators observed the ordinance of baptism that they might more conscientiously and more uprightly enact laws for the happiness and welfare of the people4 ,the ,october conference which was then at hand was devoted to the proclamation of repentance throughout the ,church4 ,the new zeal was felt everywhere1 both at home and abroad4 ,there were frequent visits from house to house4 ,the leaders of the ,church were foremost in the new move4 ,a special call was put upon ,jedediah ,m4 ,grant4 ,to him the work of the ,reformation was a special mission4 ,he was by nature a most zealous man1 #cgd and this special call increased his zeal4 ,he gave to the work all his energies and carried more the burden of that mission than any other man of his time4 ,it proved too much for his physical nature1 which could not bear the incessant labors1 and consequently on the #ast of ,december1 #ahef1 he departed this life4 ,of him ,elder ,woodruff writes in his journal3 ,he died ,december #ast1 #ahef1 twenty minutes past #aj o'clock4 ,he was aged forty years1 nine months1 and seven days4 ,we went immediately to his house where we found his wives and children weeping bitterly4 ,jesse ,c4 ,little1 ,leonard ,w4 ,hardy1 ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,doctors ,sprague1 and ,dunyon1 and ,israel ,ivins1 stood by him as he breathed his last4 ,as ,i gazed upon his tabernacle of clay1 ,i felt to exclaim1 a mighty man in ,zion is laid low1 a valiant man in ,israel and a great champion of the ,kingdom of ,god is taken from us6 ,we feel his loss deeply4 ,for two months it seemed as though he had been hurried to close up his work4 ,he had been preaching for several months calling upon the people to repent4 ,his voice had been like the trumpet of the ,angel of ,god4 ,he has labored night and day until prostrated by sickness4 ,he called at the ,historian's office on the #aith of ,november which was his last day out4 ,during his sickness1 he beheld a glorious vision from which he related to the brethren all he had seen of the spirit world4 ,of ,president ,grant1 ,elder ,woodruff records the following testimony by ,brigham ,young3 ,we have no cause to mourn for ,brother ,grant4 ,he is well off4 ,he has lived in advance of his age and is better fitted for eternity in the forty years of his lifetime than many would be in one hundred years4 ,elder ,woodruff records among the closing events of those years the sufferings and other experiences of the hand-cart companies4 ,he tells of the anxiety about those who were overtaken by the storms in ,wyoming4 ,relief parties were sent out1 provisions were forwarded1 and at the fire sides of the ,saints1 there were fervent prayers for the protection of their unfortunate brethren and sisters struggling to reach the land of ,zion--the goal of their ambition1 and the object of their devotion4 ,on the #abth of ,october1 #ahef1 ,elder ,woodruff records the ordination of ,leonard ,w4 ,hardy and ,jesse ,c4 ,little as the first and second counselors to the presiding bishop4 ,edward ,hunter4 #cge ,about this time1 ,frederick ,kesler was ordained bishop of the #afth ward1 a position which he held with honor for nearly one-half century4 ,through all the latter months of #ahef1 the work of the ,reformation was going on4 ,there was quite a universal spirit favoring the highest and purest standard of life4 ,men of a sensitive and a religious nature found within themselves an excessive conscientiousness that sometimes made them imagine they were sinners because of a state of perfection they saw1 but could not feel4 ,such a condition brought with it doubts and misgivings4 ,some of the very best men in the ,church felt their unworthiness and shrank from responsibilities which they imagined others could fulfill better than they4 ,president ,woodruff records at this time that he and ,lorenzo ,snow called upon ,president ,young and offered to surrender their apostleship4 ,they had received it at his hands and were willing to give it up in favor of any one that the ,president might think more competent and more worthy4 ,president ,young expressed his perfect satisfaction with them and his confidence in their integrity and labors1 and gave them every assurance of his love and blessing4 ,there were those1 however1 in those days who were not so conscientious and by nature so upright4 ,they took advantage of the repentant and humble condition of others4 ,they exercised authority that was unjust and harmful4 ,the dangers of the excesses of a certain class began to be felt and restraint was put upon them4 ,when the movement had accomplished the good intended and dangers arose1 the ,reformation subsided and has gone into history with a mixture of evil with a vast amount of good4 ,elder ,woodruff records his belief that the ,reformation had a great effect for good upon the lives and the conduct of the people4 ,it also had a tendency to separate those who were insincere and untrustworthy4 ,it was a judgment upon the ,saints that they themselves pronounced in their willingness or unwillingness to be in harmony with the spirit of the times4 ,the spirit of the leaders at that time when the call to repentance was loudest was one of the most enthusiastic and ,god-fearing character4 ,they felt themselves in the presence of heavenly beings and constantly answerable to ,god for the condition of the people ,elder ,woodruff speaks of a tongue lashing which #cgf he received from one of his brethren who did not take kindly to the spirit and methods of the times4 ,the man did not care to have his conduct brought into question4 ,he had repented and been baptized once and the repetition of repentance was not in harmony with his feelings1 and he resisted the call made upon him by his brethren who did not hesitate and who were not easily brushed aside in their purpose and determination to bring about a reformation4 ,to those who did not take kindly to the spirit of those times1 it looked like an invasion of their personal liberty4 ,in his journal1 ,apostle ,woodruff records a dream related to him by ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 which reflected not alone the latter's views of the times1 but the general spirit among the leaders4 ,the dream runs as follows3 ,i dreamed that ,i was traveling with a companion1 and we came to a powerful1 rapid stream of water like the ,niagara ,river4 ,the waves were rolling very high and increasing in size4 ,they had been muddy1 but were getting clear4 ,as we came to this rushing stream1 we did not know how we should get over it4 ,i turned my eyes a few moments from my companion1 and when ,i looked back ,i saw him on the other side of the river and climbing a steep hill4 ,i did not know how he got there4 ,i wanted to cross1 so ,i called to him as loud as ,i could to stop and wait for me1 but he paid no attention to me1 but went on as fast as he could4 ,then a person came to me and said you have an iron rod in your hand1 which ,i perceived ,i had4 ,it was several feet long4 ,the angel said to me3 ',you must use this rod and feel your way over the river4' ,then ,i awoke4 ,i considered my dream and interpreted it as follows3 ,my companion was ,j4 ,m4 ,grant1 who had suddenly died and left me1 and was on the other side of the veil4 ,the waters mean the people4 ,they are increasing in strength and growing better and clearer4 ,the iron rod is the word of ,god1 which ,i must cling to till ,i get through life4 ,i consider there are great things awaiting this people4 #cgg ,,chapter #ce4 ,,celebration ,,of #bdth1 #aheg4 ,words of ,brigham ,young4--,talk by the ,indian ,chief1 ,aropene4--,assassination of ,parley ,p4 ,pratt4--,return of ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh to the ,church4--,celebration of the ,twenty-forth in ,big ,cottonwood ,canyon4--,news of the ,army's ,approach4 ,the year #aheg made its appearance in the midst of an unusual and extraordinary snowstorm4 ,the ushering in of the new year in such a manner was portentous of the stormy and extraordinary experiences of the ,saints4 ,elder ,woodruff records that he passed most of the day in company with ,president ,young and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards4 ,they were actively engaged in compiling ,church history4 ,it is remarkable how completely attached to the leaders of the ,church ,elder ,woodruff was4 ,his trust in them was both complete and sublime4 ,he never found occasion to suppose for one moment that these leaders ever proved unworthy of the trust he imposed in them4 ,in his mind1 ,brigham ,young was a ,prophet of ,god1 an ,apostle of ,jesus ,christ1 as truly and perfectly as was ,samuel of old1 or ,peter1 or ,paul4 ,his reverence and respect for the living oracles were as perfect as for the dead4 ,the words of both ,joseph and ,brigham1 he was always careful to write down in his journal4 ,in time when the sermons were recorded by reporters of the ,church1 he confined his record to sayings that were made when there was no reporter present4 ,on the #aath of ,january1 in the ,eighteenth ward1 ,president ,young addressed the people and from his sermon ,elder ,woodruff records among other things these words3 ,it is sometimes taught among us that we should follow ,brother ,joseph or ,brother ,brigham1 or some other leader1 and do as they say1 and that is all that is required4 ,now this is in one sense a false doctrine4 ,no man should trust solely the testimony of another4 ,he should have a direct testimony from ,god for himself4 ,then obedience is intelligent and not blind4 ,i might have listened to ,joseph ,smith testify to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon until ,i was as old as ,methuselah1 and in the end ,i would have gone away in darkness had ,i not #cgh received a testimony from ,god that he was a prophet and that he knew by revelation whereof he spoke4 ,men should get the spirit of ,god and then live by it4 ,in those days there was a strong sympathetic interest in the welfare of the ,indians4 ,the better ones among them were feeling constantly greater confidence in the people and in their leaders4 ,they had a real friendship for those white men who treated them1 not only kindly1 but with high consideration for their rights4 ,the ,indian felt that there were reasons why he should command respect as well as receive justice4 ,aropene seems to have been a chief specially favored among the ,indians and respected by the ,saints4 ,in the early part of that year1 ,elder ,woodruff records that this chief delivered a strong discourse to the ,saints in which he exhorted them to respect the counsel of their leaders and to abstain especially from the use of liquor1 and to do right in all things4 ,on the #agth of ,february of this year1 ,elder ,woodruff addressed a meeting of the bishops and gives in his journal a brief synopsis of his instructions to them4 ,no man should boast of the authority and power of the priesthood1 or contend about the comparative greatness of a seventy or a high priest4 ,men should not boast of that power until they have received some manifestation of it1 and when they receive it they will not feel like boasting about it4 ,its power will create humility and not pride4 ,it is seldom that ,i have seen the power of the priesthood made manifest among the children of men in our day to any very great degree4 ,there are1 however1 some instances4 ,one was when the ,prophet ,joseph beheld the sick and the dying in his dooryard1 and when they were also strewn along the banks of the river for two miles4 ,he arose and shook himself like an old lion and commenced at his tent door and healed all the people who were not dead on both sides of the river1 by the power of ,god1 and his voice was as the voice of ,god and the earth almost trembled under his feet as he went along commanding the sick to arise and be made whole4 ,it was also made manifest by ,joseph while in prison and in chains in ,missouri4 ,again1 ,david ,patten was taken by an armed mob under a ,united ,states warrant4 ,when he was surrounded by about forty #cgi such men who were acting under the garb of law1 and who forbade him to say one word in his own defense1 he arose in the power of ,god and held them fast to their seats until he had addressed them for about one-half hour4 ,he told them that they were cowards1 rascals1 and villains1 and proved it to them and they had not the power to harm one hair of his head1 and they let him and ,warren ,parish go free4 ,this power was again made manifest by ,president ,brigham ,young on the banks of the ,missouri ,river at ,winter ,quarters1 when the merchants brought up goods to sell to the brethren who were going to the mountains4 ,old ,major ,miller1 the ,indian agent1 was there1 surrounded by officers4 ,in order to show his great authority1 he told the merchants who owned some alcohol not to roll a barrel off the boat or he would knock the head of the barrel in and pour the liquor upon the ground4 ,president ,young thereupon stepped up and told the men to roll it out4 ,miller and his officers turned pale1 and the liquor was rolled out and nobody was hurt4 ,other instances might be named where the power of the priesthood has been strongly manifested4 ,these men never boasted of it1 and they never will4 ,march #ast brought ,elder ,woodruff to his #ejth birthday4 ,about this time he recorded in his journal instructions from ,president ,young upon the importance of keeping a journal4 ,the ,president quotes from instructions from the ,prophet ,joseph on the subject4 ,he shows that the written testimony of the things of ,god is quite as important as the spoken testimony1 that the world will be judged by what is written in the books1 and that where it is the duty to record the manifestations of the spirit of ,god and men neglect to fulfil that duty1 the spirit will be withdrawn from them4 ,were you to be brought before the civil authorities and accused of a crime or a misdemeanor1 you may be punished if you cannot prove from your journal that you were somewhere else and are innocent4 ,your enemies may prevail against you4 ,these words from the lips of ,brigham ,young in those early days are significant because of the position the enemies of the ,church sought to place him in4 ,how often he was subject to accusations which were laid at his door and which the enemies insisted were true if he could not prove his innocence4 ,how often #chj that has been the case in the history of the ,latter-day ,saints concerning whom1 in the minds of their enemies1 there are no presumptions whatever of innocence4 ,the order of proof with them has been different too often from that followed by the world in the administration of law and justice4 ,from these admonitions of the ,prophet it may be seen that so far as the ,latter-day ,saints are concerned1 they may often be compelled to prove their innocence1 for their enemies will not treat them with the fairness with which they treat one another1 and regard men as innocent until they are proven guilty4 ,just before the opening of spring conference1 on ,march #bcrd1 ,president ,woodruff officiated in the dedication of the baptismal font which had been erected by the people of the ,fourteen ,ward4 ,the semi-annual conference in those days created a great deal of interest as well as anxiety because of those whose names were announced for the first time as missionaries to the nations of the earth4 ,as the list was read at the close of conference1 a profound silence fell upon the entire congregation1 as wives and mothers1 as well as fathers and husbands1 never knew when the minute call would come to them or to their household4 ,this spring the missionaries adopted the hand-cart method of crossing the plains4 ,they were an enthusiastic body of men who on the #bcrd of ,april hitched themselves to their carts and made their way through the canyons and over the mountains to the ,missouri ,river and other terminal points1 from which they adopted a more convenient method of travel4 ,elder ,woodruff records in his journal on ,june #bcrd that the eastern mail arrived bringing the sad news of the assassination of ,elder ,parley ,p4 ,pratt1 who had been killed near ,ft4 ,smith in ,arkansas1 by a man named ,mc,lean4 ,apostle ,woodruff was always careful in his journal to say something of the lives of men and women whose integrity to ,god he knew and esteemed4 ,he rarely failed to record his testimony of those who were valiant when anything important occurred in their lives1 or when they died4 ,of a ,sister ,vose who had just come to the ,valleys he said3 ,she was seventy-seven years of age and rode #a1bjj miles in twenty-three days1 at least one-half the distance by team4 ,she has been a member of the ,church almost #cha from the beginning1 and has given thousands of dollars to build up the ,kingdom and to assist the elders in their ministry4 ,just about this time1 he records the return of ,thomas ,b4 ,marsh to the fold4 ,this man had once been president of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,he had forsaken the ,church and in time he was forsaken by his family and his friends4 ,there still1 however1 remained within him a lingering testimony of the spirit that had once led him to a higher and better life4 ,he appealed by letter to ,president ,young to be restored to the ,church4 ,the request was granted by the ,president who said3 ,let him be baptized and confirmed and then come to the ,valleys4 ,this brother reached ,salt ,lake ,city1 and on the #afth of ,september1 #aheg1 was presented by ,president ,young to the congregation in their ,sabbath meeting4 ,as they gazed upon him1 they saw a wreck--a relic of his former self4 ,he was now crippled and palsied in body1 miserable and unhappy in his spirit4 ,when he arose1 he called the attention of the ,saints to himself as an object of pity and commiseration1 and warned the ,saints against apostasy and asked them to forgive him4 ,president ,young put his request to a vote and he was unanimously received into the fellowship of his brethren and sisters4 ,a few years later he died in ,ogden4 ,the approach of mid-summer awakened in the hearts and feelings the patriotic spirit of a devoted body of pioneers1 who loved their religion and who consequently loved their country4 ,the ,fourth of ,july was celebrated as usual by a splendid military performance4 ,the procession disbanded before the ,governor's office at noon4 ,they loved their country and they also loved their religion4 ,their advent into the ,valleys of the ,mountains was a mile-stone in what to their minds was the greatest historical event of modern times4 ,that event must not be forgotten4 ,future generations must hold it in sacred remembrance1 for it was ,god's history which the world some time would recognize by appropriate and almost universal observance4 ,the remembrances of the pioneer journey were green in the memories of all but the little children4 ,the ,twenty-fourth of ,july recalled the scenes at one thousand camp firesides on the plains and in the mountains4 ,it reminded them of suffering1 recalled their hopes1 and strengthened their #chb faith4 ,they were witnesses of ,god's providence in dispelling fears that human courage could not overcome1 and in removing obstacles that seemed to them insurmountable4 ,on the #bbnd of ,july1 #aheg1 a great procession of people might have been seen wending their way along the eastern hillsides of the ,salt ,lake ,valley on their way to a lake in ,big ,cottonwood canyon4 ,the night of that day1 they camped at the granite quarry from which the rock was then already being hewn for the foundation of the ,temple4 ,on the following morning1 ,president ,young and the leaders of the ,church led the procession up through the canyon to a place selected for the celebration4 ,the first arrived at noon and the last came in about midnight4 ,of this occasion ,president ,woodruff writes3 ,this was a great turnout4 ,the company numbered #b1ehg persons1 #dfh carriages and wagons1 #a1jbh horses and mules1 and #ccb oxen and cows4 ,flags were raised upon the highest peaks and the stars and stripes were unfurled upon the highest trees4 ,the surrounding scenes of mountains1 valleys1 lakes1 woods1 and meadows made the sight the most interesting ,i ever beheld4 ,we had prayer at night and an address from ,president ,young4 ,there were five bands in attendance to discourse sweet strains of music4 ,next day being the ,twenty-fourth1 ten years had passed since the faithful pioneers entered the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,the day was to be celebrated in an enthusiastic manner4 ,the program consisted of the firing of cannon1 speeches1 songs1 recitations1 and music4 ,they were also there to render their thanks-giving and praise to ,god for ,his care over them1 and above all for the testimony of ,his spirit1 which burned within them4 ,some engaged in trout fishing1 others roamed over the hills1 and there were social pastimes that promised a great day for the ,saints4 ,at noon1 ,bishop ,smoot1 ,judson ,stoddard1 ,judge ,elias ,smith1 and ,o4 ,p4 ,rockwell arrived in camp4 ,the first named two brought the unhappy news with them from the ,east that the government had withdrawn the mail contract1 and were sending a new governor1 judges1 and #bejj troops to ,utah to suppress an insurrection that had never existed4 ,the action of the government was based upon the falsehoods sent broadcast by ,judge ,drummond and other unprincipled men4 #chc ,president ,young met the issue in a spirit of indignation and with a determination not to submit to another injustice4 ,at day-light1 on the #beth1 the company broke up and commenced their homeward journey4 ,their joy and enthusiasm had now been turned to wonderment1 anxiety1 and sorrow4 ,the approaching army was the theme of their conversation4 ,dark clouds hovered over them4 ,a new problem had to be solved4 ,what was to be done8 ,where could they go8 ,what was to be the result of another injustice perpetrated against them8 ,their faith was again brought to their service4 ,they exercised it by humiliating themselves in prayer and fasting4 ,the spirit of joy had been transformed into one of the greatest solemnity4 #chd ,,chapter #cf4 ,,war ,,times1 #aheg4 ,deposit of ,church ,records in ,temple ,foundation4--,approach of the ,army4--,present of a ,team4--,john ,d4 ,lee4--,visit of ,captain ,van ,vliet4--,lot ,smith4--,col4 ,alexander ,writes ,president ,young4--,communication from ,governor ,cumming to ,governor ,young4--,miraculous ,escapes4--,high ,price of ,salt at ,army ,headquarters4--,prediction of ,calamity to the ,nation4--,a ,poetic ,tribute by ,eliza ,r4 ,snow4 ,apostle ,woodruff was asked by ,president ,young to notify the ,twelve to meet at the ,temple foundation1 on ,august #acth4 ,the purpose of the meeting was to deposit the works of the ,church in the foundation of the ,temple and to dedicate the corner-stone containing the deposit4 ,about #g o'clock in the morning1 ,president ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,erastus ,snow1 ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 also ,elders ,truman ,o4 ,angel1 ,alonzo ,h4 ,raleigh1 ,benjamin ,f4 ,mitchell1 ,jonathan ,pugmire1 ,jr41 ,edward ,l4 ,parry1 ,henry ,maiben1 ,jesse ,c4 ,little1 ,albert ,carrington1 ,john ,lyon1 ,joseph ,a4 ,young1 and ,brigham ,young1 sons of ,brigham ,young1 met on the grounds where ,president ,young and ,wilford ,woodruff packed about #fe books1 chiefly ,church works1 and a number of coins in a stone box1 whose dimensions were as follows3 length #b #a_/b feet1 depth #bj inches1 and width #ai inches4 ,at #ae minutes to #h o'clock the lid was put on1 soldered with lead and covered with plaster of paris4 ,the stone box was turned bottom side up and placed in the south-east corner4 ,after this a dedicatory prayer was offered by ,president ,young4 ,three days later1 ,president ,young delivered a discourse to the thousands who had congregated for the purpose of receiving instructions with reference to the policy to be pursued respecting the approach of the so-called ,johnston's army4 ,there was naturally a great deal of anxiety and heartfelt prayer over a situation that seemed to forebode nothing but evil and misfortune to the ,saints4 ,the vast multitude1 however1 with uplifted hands pledged #che their support to the ,president and the leaders of the ,church4 ,it was one of the most important days1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 ever witnessed in ,israel4 ,on ,september #eth1 a messenger arrived with the news that ,general ,johnston was at ,ash ,hollow1 with nearly #b1jjj men who were traveling fifteen miles per day4 ,the people were promised that1 if they would follow counsel1 they should never be driven from the ,valleys4 ,the spirit of the times1 and the willingness of men to make any sacrifice are well illustrated in a little circumstance which at this point ,elder ,woodruff records in his journal4 ,president ,young had sent for him and asked if he had a team1 to which the latter replied3 ',yes1 ,i have a pair of small ponies4' ',can you spare them8' he asked4 ,i hesitated a moment and then answered1 ',yes1 ,i can do anything that is wanted4' ,president ,young then said3 ',i have a pair of good horses which ,i wish you to have as you are laboring here in the ,historian's ,office4 ,i was taken by surprise1 but accepted them and felt very thankful4 ,they were a fine1 large team of sorrel horses4 ,the ,saints now realized that though far away in the ,valleys of the ,mountains1 they were nevertheless the objects of hatred by many throughout the nation4 ,men sought popularity among the masses by denouncing them4 ,at this time1 ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas was receiving honorable mention for ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,he had known ,president ,joseph ,smith in the early days of the ,church1 and had defended him against the injustice of his enemies1 but he knew how unpopular the people were and sought the support of the masses in a bitter denunciation of the ,saints4 ,elder ,woodruff says that ,sunday1 ,august #cjth1 ,president ,young1 himself1 and others were engaged in a discussion of the ,douglas speech1 which was answered by ,albert ,carrington4 ,captain ,van ,vliet of the ,united ,states army reached the city on the #hth of ,september1 and at once had an interview with ,governor ,young4 ,the next day he met with the ,presidency and the ,twelve and presented a letter of introduction to ,governor ,young which was read to those present4 ,little1 it seems1 was said on #chf this occasion1 but there was a deep-seated anxiety in the hearts of all those present4 ,later in the day1 the ,president introduced the ,captain to his wives and children4 ,he then escorted him through his orchard and garden1 and then went with him to ,albert ,carrington's orchard1 where he introduced the ,captain to ,mrs4 ,carrington4 ,he asked her if she was willing to destroy her beautiful orchard and leave it desolate for her religion's sake4 ,she said she was1 and would remain up nights to do so if it became necessary4 ,the ,captain was much impressed by the thrift and industry of the ,latter-day ,saints1 and in his interview with ,president ,young said3 ,the ,mormons have been lied about more than any people ,i ever knew4 ,he admitted his belief that ,judge ,drummond's lies1 charging the ,saints with burning court records1 led to the sending of the army to ,utah4 ,governor ,young thereupon told ,captain ,van ,vliet of the impositions that had been heaped upon the ,latter-day ,saints1 and said that the people did not wish to fight the ,united ,states4 ,if we are driven to it1 we shall put our trust in ,god and do the best we can4 ,he has set ,his kingdom upon the earth and it will never fail2 and if they drive us to fight1 ,god will overthrow those who do so4 ,we are the supporters of the ,united ,states ,constitution4 ,we love the ,constitution and the laws of our country1 but it is the corrupt administration of these laws that we suffer from and not from the laws4 ,if the laws had been enforced in ,missouri1 ,governor ,boggs would have been hanged and many of his friends who took part in killing and driving the ,saints4 ,the government officers who have been sent here have no interest in common with ours4 ,they have sought to destroy us4 ,captain ,van ,vliet1 we have treated all men who have been sent to us as government officials as well as we have you1 and will treat them well2 but if they drive us to fight1 we shall put our trust in ,god and do the best we can4 ,the ,captain1 who was deeply impressed by the statement of ,governor ,young1 felt thoroughly convinced that he meant every word he said4 ,on the #acth he attended services in the ,tabernacle and listened with attention to sermons from ,john ,taylor and ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,on the evening of that day1 the ,captain had another interview with the leaders1 in the course of which he said3 ,if our government pushes forward this thing and #chg makes war against you1 ,i shall withdraw from the army1 for ,i will not take a hand in shedding the blood of ,american citizens4 ,upon the departure of ,captain ,van ,vliet1 ,elder ,woodruff presented him with a box of peaches which he had raised in his own garden4 ,the ,captain was accompanied by ,dr4 ,bernhisel4 ,the two departed together for the ,east for the purpose of reporting conditions in ,utah4 ,all the time these agitations were going on1 the ,saints pursued the even tenor of their ways1 raising fruit and grain4 ,there were home missionaries among them preaching home industry and self-support4 ,the purpose of the authorities was to impede the progress of the army and so delay it that the government might have an opportunity to make an investigation into the real condition of affairs in ,utah1 and after learning them1 withdraw the army which was then approaching ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,a body of men under the command of ,daniel ,h4 ,wells and ,lot ,smith had been sent to the front to stop the progress of the army4 ,this they did by stampeding the cattle and horses4 ,they were enjoined by ,president ,young to avoid the shedding of blood except in self-defense4 ,those who had thus volunteered to act in the defense of their homes and their liberties were without sufficient equipments and provisions to sustain them in their defensive warfare4 ,they had no well-equipped commissary like that with which an army is provided4 ,the teams and wagons were a part of the equipment which belonged to the farm4 ,they were needed at home4 ,very naturally in such an emergency they suffered great privations and were anxious that the difficulties and dangers might end as speedily as possible4 ,before ,captain ,van ,vliet had left1 he promised to hasten to ,washington and speak in our favor4 ,president ,young told him that the ,lord would bless him in so doing1 for he felt that ,he had sent him to ,utah4 ,on his return1 the ,captain endeavored to persuade the army to remain at ,ham's ,fork for the winter1 but the ,tenth regiment swore it would come on at all hazards4 ,the ,captain then informed them that if they did1 they would get a different reception from anything they had ever encountered before4 ,just at this time1 when the advance of the army was the all-absorbing #chh topic and the dangers of its approach weighed heavily upon the leaders1 ,john ,d4 ,lee added to their distress the news of the ,mountain ,meadow massacre4 ,he had reached ,salt ,lake ,city from his home in ,harmony on the #bith of ,september1 #aheg4 ,at this place in his record and at this time1 ,apostle ,woodruff gives the account of the ,mountain ,meadow massacre which ,john ,d4 ,lee gave to ,president ,young3 ,a company of ,california emigrants of about #aej men1 women1 and children1 many of them belonging to the mobbers of ,illinois and ,missouri1 had been massacred4 ,they had many cattle and horses with them4 ,as they traveled along south1 they went damning ,brigham ,young1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and the heads of the ,church1 saying that ,joseph ,smith ought to have been shot long before he was4 ,they wanted to do all the evil they could1 so they poisoned beef and gave it to the ,indians and some of them died4 ,they poisoned the springs of water and some of the ,saints died4 ,the ,indians became enraged at their conduct and surrounded them on a prairie4 ,the emigrants formed a bulwark of their wagons1 but the ,indians fought them five days until they killed all their men--about #fj in number4 ,they then rushed into the corral and cut the throats of their women and children1 except some eight or ten children which they brought with them and sold to the whites4 ,the ,indians then stripped the men and women of their clothing and left them in the broiling sun4 ,when ,brother ,lee found it out1 he took some men with him to the place and buried their bodies4 ,it was a horrible task4 ,the whole air was filled with an awful stench4 ,the ,indians obtained all their property1 cattle1 horses1 wagons1 etc4 ,there was another large company of emigrants who had #a1jjj head of cattle4 ,they were also damning both ,indians and ,mormons1 but were afraid of sharing the same fate4 ,brother ,lee had to send interpreters with them to the ,indians to try to save their lives4 ,the foregoing statement from the journal of ,elder ,woodruff which was recorded at that time is of special importance in view of the fact that the enemies of the ,church for years endeavored to fasten upon ,president ,young some responsibility for that awful affair4 ,there is nothing in the statement whatever which bears the least semblance of deception4 ,it was one of those straightforward #chi records which characterize ,elder ,woodruff's journal from beginning to end4 ,then the character and integrity of the man are both guarantees of the truthfulness of the statement made by ,john ,d4 ,lee to ,president ,young as recorded in ,elder ,woodruff's journal4 ,if ,president ,young neglected at this time to give the report of ,john ,d4 ,lee as much attention as it perhaps should have received1 and if an investigation was not immediately instituted1 there is ample excuse to be found in the circumstances of those times4 ,the army was pressing upon the people and uttering dire threats as to what would take place when it reached the ,valleys4 ,immediately following the record of ,john ,d4 ,lee's visit1 ,elder ,woodruff says in his journal3 ,an express came in at night saying that the troops were near ,bridger and had formed into three bodies while traveling4 ,general ,wells sent word to ,president ,young to let them come on to ,echo ,canyon and there give them battle4 ,at #f o'clock on the morning of the #cjth the drums beat1 and an army of soldiers1 some #djj in number1 paraded the streets4 ,they were in readiness to march at a moment's notice to the seat of war4 ,we had at this time about #hjj men in the mountains4 ,it was a solemn time2 for the armies of the ,gentiles were making war upon us because of our religion1 and we had to defend ourselves against a nation of #be1jjj1jjj people1 and the war had just commenced4 ,we had to trust in ,god for the results4 ,we resolved to do what we could and leave the work in ,his hands4 ,all were anxiously awaiting the arrival of the express4 ,i told ,president ,young that ,i was on hand at any moment to go into the mountains when he would say the word4 ,i went up in the evening to the ,president's office and learned that the ,california mail had arrived4 ,i heard some letters read4 ,one stated that the government had made arrangements to send light draft boats up the ,colorado with men and arms against us from that point4 ,next morning1 ,oct4 #ast1 ,i arose early and looked for an express signal flag but saw none4 ,there was a great deal of anxiety throughout the day while we were waiting1 for the express had arrived late4 ,word came from ,general ,wells respecting the conditions existing at the seat of war4 ,the time for conference was now approaching1 but the agitation #cij among the people about the approach of the army was so great1 and there were so many of the men absent1 that the meetings were not largely attended4 ,the conference continued only two days1 the time being occupied by ,president ,young and members of the ,twelve4 ,on ,oct4 #hth an express arrived with the news that ,captain ,lot ,smith had burned up fifty of the government wagons1 but gave to the teamsters all their arms and ammunition4 ,one deserter from the army came in reporting that rations were short among the soldiers4 ,to each man1 he said1 there was allowed only three biscuits1 two cups of coffee and a small piece of beef per day4 ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,the enemy is in a close place4 ,their provisions are rapidly diminishing and there are prospects of starvation4 ,we have prayed that the ,lord would lead them into the pit which they had prepared for the ,saints1 and the ,lord heard our prayers and our enemies are now in a trap and are suffering humiliation without us harming a hair of their heads4 ,the express which arrived on the #afth of ,october brought a threatening letter from ,col4 ,alexander to ,president ,young4 ,he threatened extermination if the ,saints resisted1 and expressed confidence in his ability to carry out the orders of the government4 ,governor ,young sent the ,colonel a strong reply2 wanted to know why he spent an entire month on ,ham's ,fork if he was confident in his ability to carry out orders4 ,he gave the ,colonel to understand that on our part there was no surrender4 ,we shall trust in ,god and go ahead4 ,the ,sunday following1 ,president ,young addressed the ,saints and declared his belief in their ability to keep the enemy back1 and counseled the people to go on with their farming1 fruit raising1 etc4 ,president ,kimball arose and prophesied that if the ,saints would hearken to counsel they would continue to live in their own homes in the valleys1 produce crops1 and remain until they returned to ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri4 ,president ,young thereupon shouted out1 ,i believe it4 ,at the same time1 communications were coming in from the army1 but they only received from him the same determined answer that the army should not enter ,salt ,lake ,valley until conditions had changed and the sentiment of bitterness and hostility had been allayed4 #cia ,about the same time ,governor ,cumming arrived at the headquarters of the army and sent a communication to ,governor ,young1 in which he declared himself the ,governor of ,utah4 ,at the same time he charged with treason all who opposed his and the army's movement4 ,mr4 ,cumming no doubt felt some misgivings from the fact that the horses and mules belonging to the army were dying by the hundreds1 and the soldiers were short of provisions4 ,the difficulty of the situation was rendered worse from the fact that there existed both among the officers and soldiers a pronounced division4 ,some of them openly declared that ,governor ,young was perfectly justified in his course in defending the rights of the people of ,utah4 ,in ,december the ,mormon soldiers were disbanded and allowed to return home for the winter1 and the change was welcomed by them4 ,their provisions were not more than half their actual wants1 and there were no comforts on the frontier4 ,in summing up the condition of affairs at the close of the year ,apostle ,woodruff writes3 ,the expedition of the season is now entirely closed1 and we have clearly seen the hand of the ,lord made visible in our behalf4 ,an army has been sent by the ,united ,states to make war upon us for the sole purpose of destroying the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the ,church has been driven from the confines of the ,united ,states into the ,rocky ,mountains1 then a ,mexican ,territory1 with the hope of the nation that we should perish2 but as soon as they found that we were to live and prosper they became alarmed and resolved upon our destruction4 ,as soon as this intention was known to us1 the leader of the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god arose up in the strength of ,israel's ,god and proclaimed ,israel free4 ,in this1 his counselors1 ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and ,d4 ,h4 ,wells1 with the ,twelve ,apostles1 sustained him1 and all the people said1 ',amen4' ,continuing1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote3 ,from two to three thousand of the brethren1 who went into the mountains under the command of ,gen4 ,d4 ,h4 ,wells to hedge up the way of the enemy1 have arrived4 ,our brethren made large entrenchments and ditches and piled up large masses of rocks above the narrow passes for the purpose of rolling them down upon the enemy2 but the ,lord has fought our battles and hedged up the way4 ,when the army #cib reached ,ham's ,fork1 #aej miles from our city1 the storms and cold killed their horses1 mules1 and cattle1 by the hundreds1 so that when the whole army got together with the governors and judges1 whom the government had sent to rule over us1 they had not teams enough left to draw one-third of their train and were obliged to stop and pass the winter in the storms of the mountains4 ,their wisdom seems to be taken from them1 and our brethren have been able to herd them like a herd of cattle4 ,the soldiers shot grape and musket and many balls at our men from time to time1 and those balls fell like hail around the servants of ,god1 but not a drop of their blood has been shed1 neither did the brethren return fire upon the enemy even in a single instance4 ,fear had so taken hold of the soldiers that they would flee into the main body of the army at the approach of a small number of our brethren4 ,through all this ,president ,young has been as calm as a summer's day4 ,the army of ,zion is now returning to its home with the same spirit of composure and quietude that it carried with it into the mountains4 ,as the men passed1 on their return1 by ,president ,young1 they gave him a quiet salute and went silently to their homes1 while ,president ,young gazed upon them with thanksgiving and praise to the ,god of ,israel4 ,president ,woodruff here relates the circumstance of a ,brother ,maxwell who had been in charge of a small scouting party3 ,after going into camp for the night1 ,elder ,maxwell felt strongly impressed that danger confronted him and his companions1 and so informed them4 ,he said they would have to leave1 but some were opposed to his recommendation and they retired to rest4 ,the same impression1 however1 increased upon ,elder ,maxwell until he promptly arose from his bed and said they must all leave or serious trouble would befall them4 ,his brethren quickly followed1 and it was only a short time when a hundred men surrounded the place of their encampment with the expectation of taking them prisoners4 ,at another time1 ,col4 ,allen of the ,mormons1 fell a prisoner in the hands of the enemy4 ,col4 ,johnston threatened to hang him4 ,at the camp fire at night ,col4 ,allen took off his boots and pretended to warm his feet4 ,suddenly1 he leaped by the guard and ran into a herd of cattle4 ,his pursuers became confused and he made #cic good his escape4 ,he ran thirty miles to the camp of his brethren1 in his stocking feet4 ,during these trying circumstances in the army1 ,president ,young sent some salt which they needed very much4 ,one of the sacks of salt which was sent1 however1 was lost1 and later picked up by a traveler who sold it to merchants for twenty dollars4 ,they in turn sold it to the soldiers for two hundred dollars4 ,ben ,simons1 a ,cherokee1 took to the army nine hundred pounds of salt1 which he sold for two dollars and a half a pound1 or a total of two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars4 ,he sold them service berries for one dollar a pound4 ,it will be seen that the expedition was becoming a very expensive piece of folly4 ,as the year was closing1 the legislature convened1 and ,elder ,woodruff was again a member of that body4 ,in his journal1 speaking of these times1 he prophecies3 ,the judgments of ,god will now begin to rest more fully upon this nation and will be increased upon it1 year by year4 ,calamities will come speedily upon it and it will be visited with thunder1 lightning1 storms1 whirlwinds1 floods pestilence1 plagues1 war and devouring fire2 and the wicked will slay the wicked until the wicked are wasted away4 ,his journal closes with a copy of the poem dedicated to him by ,eliza ,r4 ,snow4 ,,poem4 ,with true respect1 and as a tribute due ,to friendship1 ,brother ,woodruff1 unto you1 ,as one more blessed than most your fellow men1 ,i now address the effusion of my pen4 ,you were appointed1 ere your mortal birth1 ,to an apostleship upon the earth2 ,the ,lord our ,god has ,his eye on thee1 ,with watchful care from earliest infancy4 ,you were preserved1 midst ,babylonish night1 ,from atheistic and sectarian blight2 ,from manly rectitude you did not swerve1 ,the ,priest of ,baal you never stooped to serve4 #cid ,from heavenly courts1 the light that's shining now1 ,shone on your path1 and mantled o'er your brow2 ,eternal visions opened to your view1 ,you loved the truth and found salvation1 too4 ,you then with joy the ,gospel banner bore ,to distant lands and on your native shore1 ,in truth's defense most valiantly you stood1 ,and cleared your garments of the ,gentiles' blood4 ,one of the chosen ,twelve1 who're called to stand1 ,to turn the ,gospel key for every land2 ,your name in honor1 as a faithful one1 ,to future generations will be known4 ,with heart inspired1 rich matter to indite1 ,in ,zion now your business is to write1 ,with skill you wield the ready writer's pen2 ',tis yours to immortalize the deeds of men4 ,full many a righteous act and gifted word ,by ,saints performed from lips of prophets heard1 ,had slipped the mem'ries of judicious men1 ,but for the promptings of your faithful pen4 ,the ,church historian's labors to divide1 ,as his assistant coupled side by side1 ,you write for ,zion1 where her history's known1 ,inscribing her's1 perpetuates your own4 ,faithful to ,god1 to your brethren true1 ,integrity has twined a wreath for you1 ,of never-fading laurels1 which will be1 ,a glorious coronet eternally4 ,in that blessed world1 where light and knowledge dwell1 ,your blessedness no earthly tongue can tell1 ,where heaven's effulgence will your head surround1 ,and you with everlasting glory crowned4 #cie ,filled with immortal majesty and might1 ,associated with the ,gods of light1 ,with gifts and powers of endless lives you'll be1 ,progressing on and on eternally4 #cif ,,chapter #cg4 ,,army ,,enters ,,salt ,,lake ,,valley1 #aheh4 ,president and ,congress of the ,u4 ,s4 ,memorialized4--,words of ,brigham ,young4--,arrival of ,col4 ,kane4--,governor ,cumming ,reaches ,salt ,lake ,city4--,migration ,southward4--,delegates from ,nicaragua4--,want ,mormons ,to ,move to ,central ,america4--,proclamation from ,president ,buchanan4--,peace ,commission4--,president of the ,deseret ,agricultural and ,manufacturing ,society4--,indian ,war ,threatened4--,a ,striking ,dialogue4--,the ,mob ,element4--,mogo's ,deception4--,attacks on ,president ,young4--,greeley ,visits ,utah4 ,new ,year's day1 #aheh1 was celebrated in the evening by a social gathering at ,ballou's ,hall1 in the ,fourteenth ,ward4 ,brother ,woodruff addressed the assembly1 made reference to the critical conditions then confronting the ,saints1 but prophesied good for the future and declared the overthrow of all who fought against the people of ,god4 ,on the #eth of ,january he records a ,memorial passed by the legislature in which the wrongs inflicted upon the ,saints were set forth1 and ,congress was asked to investigate the condition of affairs in ,utah4 ,on the #afth of the same month a mass-meeting was held in the ,tabernacle4 ,resolutions were adopted and a ,memorial sent to the ,president and ,congress of the ,united ,states4 ,about the same time ,elder ,benson and others returned from ,england and from the ,states where they had been on missions4 ,they reported that persecutions were rife against the ,saints1 even in ,england1 where the elders were assaulted with sticks and stones in the hands of street mobs4 ,on ,february the #crd the ,california mail brought the news that ,president ,buchanan recommended a strong force against the ,saints4 ,later advices brought word that a steamer was to bring four thousand men by the southern route2 four thousand more were to come from ,oregon2 and two thousand1 from the ,missouri ,river4 ,there were then at ,fort ,bridger two thousand1 making in all an army of twelve thousand men4 ,in his journal1 ,elder ,woodruff writes3 ,the trials and sacrifices the ,saints may be #cig called upon to pass through1 ,i do not know1 but ,i pray the ,lord to give us grace according to our day4 ,president ,young and the brethren were busily occupied in preparation either to meet the foe or burn the city and leave it desolate4 ,grain was sent to the mill and ground1 and preparations were made for caching it in the earth4 ,while the ,saints were preparing to fight1 they were also engaged in prayer and in temple work4 ,the ,endowment ,house was visited by hundreds who came there to receive its blessings4 ,on the #aeth of ,february he records this in his journal3 ,i walked up to the ,historian's ,office and then to the ,president's where ,i found ,president ,young1 ,d4 ,h4 ,wells1 ,chas4 ,c4 ,rich1 and ,chas4 ,wandell4 ,president ,young said3 ',all our sufferings in this life are for our good that we may learn the contrast between good and evil4 ,jesus descended below all things that ,he might rise above all things4 ,all men who receive the same glory must abide the same law4 ,some are alarmed because so many of my family are sick4 ,i have as good a right to be sick as any body4 ,i do not wish to escape affliction1 sickness1 pain1 or sorrow any more than others escape them2 for if we make a right use of them they will return to us in blessings4 ,i made up my mind years ago to be governed by certain principles4 ,i resolved that ,i would never be controlled by my passions1 by women1 nor by anger1 but that ,i would govern myself4 ,this resolution ,i have endeavored to carry out in my life4' ,these were times that tried mens souls1 and it was quite natural that they should turn their eyes inwardly and examine their own hearts to see if they were true to ,god and ,his cause4 ,such remarks indicate the rich1 deep1 and beautiful spiritual natures of the men whom the world has misjudged and illy treated4 ,on ,february #aeth ,apostle ,amasa ,lyman reached the city1 bringing with him a messenger direct from ,washington4 ,it was no less a personage than their old-time friend1 ,col4 ,thomas ,l4 ,kane4 ,they had made the journey from ,san ,francisco in twenty days4 ,col4 ,kane brought with him dispatches from national head-quarters to ,governor ,young and the army4 ,president ,young immediately called a council for #g o'clock1 and ,col4 ,kane was presented to the brethren by ,joseph ,a4 ,young4 ,the ,colonel was very weary from his long journey4 ,he reached the #cih home of ,governor ,young at #h o'clock1 and after an introduction1 addressed those present as follows3 ,governor ,young and ,gentlemen3 ,i come as an embassador from the chief ,executive of our nation1 and am fully prepared and duly authorized to lay before you more fully and definitely the feeling and views of the citizens of our common country and of the chief ,executive towards you1 relating to the present position of officers in this ,territory and of the army of the ,united ,states now camped upon your borders4 ,after giving you the most satisfactory evidence in relation to matters now pending and concerning you1 ,i shall call your attention to the poor soldiers who are now suffering in the cold and snows of the mountains1 and request you to render them aid and comfort4 ,i shall ask you to assist them to come here1 and to bid them a hearty welcome into your hospitable valley4 ,captain ,van ,vliet made a good report about you1 and used his influence to have the army stop east of ,bridger4 ,he has done a great deal in your behalf4 ,you all look very well4 ,you have built up an empire here in a short time4 ,when asked if ,dr4 ,bernhisel had taken his seat in ,congress1 he said3 ,yes1 he was opposed by the ,arkansas members and a few others4 ,they were foolish1 for had he been refused his seat1 it would have been a declaration of war4 ,the ,colonel conversed further on matters pertaining to the government and answered questions put to him by ,governor ,young4 ,governor ,young then spoke for some time expressing his gratitude for the visit of ,col4 ,kane1 and also occupied some time in speaking upon the principles of righteousness which control the actions of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,they are in the hands of ,god4 ,he will preserve ,his people4 ,president ,young then related to ,colonel ,kane how the ,lord in a marvelous manner had placed means in the hands of himself1 ,president ,kimball1 and other while on missions and elsewhere engaged in the work of ,god4 ,these instances1 he declared1 were just as miraculous as those related in olden times by ,peter and ,paul4 ,after a late hour in the evening1 the interview closed and all present felt that the visit of ,colonel ,kane was full of promise for the peace of ,utah and the safety of the ,saints4 ,elder ,woodruff records several enjoyable visits which he had with ,colonel ,kane during his sojourn in the city4 #cii ,march the #ast ,elder ,woodruff reached the fifty-first milestone in his life and celebrated the occasion by fitting out his son-in-law1 ,robert ,scholes1 to relieve the guards then in the mountains4 ,he1 himself1 spent much of his time1 however1 in the ,historian's ,office in writing biographies of the leading men4 ,they were called in to have read to them the history of their lives2 and ,president ,young1 himself1 often listened to many of the biographies and other items of ,church history4 ,at this time he records the troubles that the ,saints had with the ,indians in the ,north in which two or three of the former were killed and many cattle were driven off4 ,a little later trouble arose with the ,indians in ,rush ,valley4 ,elder ,woodruff sent his son ,wilford with a team to help move the women and children of that locality to ,tooele ,stake for safety4 ,during the son's journey he was lost in a heavy snow-storm and was compelled to plow his way through snow and mud nearly two feet deep to accomplish his mission4 ,when the father heard of the son's predicament1 he went on horseback to meet him but found him safe1 he having been preserved from death by the blessings of the ,lord4 ,although the presence of ,col4 ,kane greatly relieved the situation1 the people1 nevertheless1 felt considerable anxiety as to the final outcome4 ,they sent1 however1 relief to the ,united ,states soldiers and prepared to let them come peaceably into the ,valley4 ,in the event1 however1 that all hostility could not be eliminated from the army1 the people prepared to burn the city1 leave it desolate1 and move southward4 ,throughout the city there was the greatest activity4 ,people were packing up their provisions and such household goods as they could take with them with the view of moving to the south4 ,in the midst of all this excitement the #fth of ,april arrived4 ,the annual conference of that year lasted only one day on account of the hasty preparations which the people were making for their exodus southward4 ,elder ,woodruff's wives1 ,sarah and ,emma1 had already moved to ,provo4 ,many others had left their homes and taken up their journey4 ,on ,april #fth he writes3 ,we shall evacuate the city of ,great ,salt ,lake and leave it1 if needs be1 in the hands of our enemies4 ,we may burn our habitations and lay waste everything we possess1 #djj inasmuch as our enemies are coming upon us intent upon our destruction4 ,we are determined to worship ,god and acknowledge ,his hand in all things4 ,the roads are lined with men1 women1 children1 teams1 and wagons1--all moving south4 ,on the #gth of ,april ,elder ,woodruff loaded his wagons with goods and with records from the ,historian's ,office and began his journey to ,provo in a heavy snow-storm4 ,it was so severe that the people suffered1 and some nearly perished by the way4 ,the horses and cattle suffered intensely4 ,some unhitched their teams1 leaving their loaded wagons in the mud1 and made their way to various places of shelter4 ,his first day's journey was twelve miles south to ,union ,ward1 where he remained all night in the home of ,martesia ,smith4 ,the storm was so bad the following day that he was compelled to remain in doors4 ,the roads were so bad that he unloaded two of his wagons and returned to ,salt ,lake4 ,on the #aath he attend services in the ,tabernacle4 ,the #abth of ,april1 #aheh1 witnessed the arrival in ,salt ,lake ,city of ,governor ,alfred ,cumming1 who was accompanied by ,colonel ,kane4 ,both were escorted to the city by a ,mormon guard4 ,the ,governor expressed regrets that the people were moving1 and begged them to discontinue their exodus4 ,there were1 however1 some doubts as to the ,governor's sincerity1 especially in view of the fact that the ,saints had been betrayed so many times1 either by pretended friends or open foes4 ,they decided1 however1 to carry out their program1 and continued the work of moving to ,utah ,valley4 ,during the remainder of ,april1 ,may1 and ,june1 ,elder ,woodruff and other ,church leaders were busy in their preparations for the journey south and many trips were made to and from ,provo4 ,council meetings were held and the work of evacuating the city went steadily on4 ,yet1 they had faith that ,god would somehow bring about the fulfillment of those prophesies which declared peace and safety1 and that they would1 accordingly1 in the end1 remain in their homes4 ,added to the troubles which they were under in consequence of the move southward1 word came that the ,indians at different points were making trouble for the people1 and speculators thought they saw an opportunity to make money from the ,saints by purchasing their homes in these the hours of their distress4 ,important #dja events followed in swift succession4 ,two delegates from ,nicarauga called on ,president ,young for the purpose of persuading him and the ,mormons to buy land in ,central ,america1 and emigrate with the ,saints to ,nicarauga4 ,their efforts1 however1 were unavailing4 ,president ,young was firm in his conviction that it was ,god's purpose that the ,saints should inhabit these ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,he further saw that there was a growing opposition to the policy of ,president ,buchanan4 ,general ,houston had taken a bold stand against the action of the government and boldly defended the rights of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,president ,young records it as his opinion at that time that ,houston was the only man in the ,united ,states ,senate who had the moral courage of his convictions4 ,the coming of other armies from different directions complicated the situation4 ,they must be stopped4 ,the presence of thousands of soldiers in ,salt ,lake ,valley would make trouble even under the most favorable circumstances4 ,col4 ,kane hurried1 therefore1 to the ,east and succeeded by his prompt and faithful efforts in stopping the other armies until matters could be adjusted4 ,at this time there came a ,peace ,commission with the proffer of peace and a pledge that the army should not molest the ,saints in any way by coming into the ,valley4 ,but with this ,commission ,president ,buchanan sent a proclamation charging the ,saints with treason and other crimes1 and then forgave them without an acknowledgement on their part1 or a plea for pardon4 ,it was evident to all that ,president ,buchanan had committed a blunder1 and that he was anxious to extricate himself the best he could from a situation that was proving daily more embarrassing to him4 ,each step he took made him more ridiculous in the eyes of fair-minded men and more open to condemnation by those who opposed him4 ,he had believed the lies of the federal officials1 acted upon their falsehoods and squandered the nation's money without taking any steps to learn whether he had been imposed upon or not4 ,brigham ,young said ,president ,buchanan had manifested more folly in his official acts than any other man that ever occupied the presidential chair4 ,the ,peace ,commission sent out to adjust matters consisted of ,senator elect ,powell from ,kentucky and ,major ,mc,cullough #djb from ,texas4 ,after several meetings in ,salt ,lake ,city1 they visited ,provo and were treated as all had been before them1 with the utmost respect and courtesy4 ,they had an opportunity to witness the action of the ,saints in moving from their homes and their preparations to destroy the city which they had founded4 ,these concessions on the part of the government brought about a change of policy4 ,from ,july #ast to ,july #beth ,elder ,woodruff was occupied in moving his family back to ,salt ,lake ,city and in harvesting his grain4 ,it was quite natural that this strain upon ,president ,young should tell against his health4 ,he had been poorly for some time and sought rest in ,cottonwood ,canyon4 ,brother ,woodruff also found himself impaired in health4 ,the relaxation after months of great strain resulted in something of a general collapse of their physical strength4 ,it will be remembered that ,colonel ,alexander of the ,u4 ,s4 army had formerly been arrogant in his demands on ,president ,young4 ,on the #ith of ,august he called upon the ,president and manifested toward him a friendly spirit--a spirit that breathed peace and good will4 ,a great change had come over the ,colonel4 ,the time of the leaders during the month of ,august1 #aheh1 was taken up quite largely in entertaining the officers of the ,united ,states army and in receiving visits from them4 ,many strangers also called upon the authorities at this time4 ,the situation1 however1 was more trying in one respect as the army had its camp followers4 ,along with it came adventurers1 and drunkenness was common in the streets and several men lost their lives4 ,of these times ,apostle ,woodruff says3 ,thus we have the fruits of civilization as manifested by the world1 and introduced into our ,territory4 ,until the army and its attendants came here1 we had no such scenes enacted in our midst4 ,for the first time we now have drunkenness and gambling1 street broils1 and murders are of frequent occurrence4 ,the ,saints1 however1 made every endeavor to pursue again the even tenor of their way4 ,president ,woodruff returned to his work of compiling ,church history4 ,as the fall of the year approached1 preparations were made for a ,state ,fair4 ,he was chosen as ,president of the ,deseret ,agricultural and ,manufacturing #djc ,society1 and made special effort to put on exposition the fruits of the industry of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in the midst of peaceful prosperity1 there was agitation among the ,indians4 ,brother ,josiah ,call was killed by the red men in ,sanpete ,county4 ,the ,indians had awakened within them a strong resentment toward the soldiers whom the ,indians declared had treated them wrongfully4 ,aropene1 the chief1 who had formerly addressed the ,saints in their public meetings1 declared his intention to make war upon the army1 and that no man could stop him in his determination to fight4 ,the old chief had been outraged because the soldiers had killed one of his best men4 ,upon learning of the chief's wrath and intention1 ,president ,young immediately sent him a letter by a messenger1 ,jeremiah ,hatch4 ,in the letter he explained to ,aropene how wrong it was to shed blood1 and asked him to live in peace with all mankind4 ,the letter evidently had a persuading influence upon the mind of the old chief1 who was calmed thereby1 and he accepted the counsel of his faithful friend1 ,brigham ,young4 ,a circumstance at this time arose which had a tendency to create a misunderstanding between the ,indians and the ,latter-day ,saints who had fed the ,indians for ten years past without remuneration4 ,dr4 ,forway had been appointed ,indian agent and a large sum of money was placed in his hands with which to care for the ,indians4 ,the temptation to use this money for personal advantages was so great that he insisted that the ,saints should continue to feed the ,indians as they had done before4 ,to this request an exception was taken4 ,the money belonged to the ,indians1 and the ,saints insisted that the ,indians should have the use of it4 ,elder ,woodruff records under date of ,november #abth1 #aheh1 a conversation between ,captain ,woolf1 of the ,united ,states ,army and one of the elders1 which breathes faith1 integrity1 and the spirit of those times4 ,the captain asked3 ,are you a ,mormon8 ,i am4 ,i suppose you are an out and in ,mormon1 just as it suits you4 ,i am a thorough ,mormon and believe in all the principles of our religion4 ,what1 polygamy and all8 ,yes4 ,how many wives have you8 ,i have three wives and twelve children4 ,how do you suppose those children will look upon you when they are grown up8 ,they will point to me and say3 #djd ',there is my father1 who has raised me1 fed1 clothed1 and educated me1 watched over me through persecution1 oppression and scorn1 and ,i will honor and obey him4' ,continuing1 the elder then said to ,captain ,woolf3 ,you have children at ,fort ,leavenworth1 ,st4 ,louis1 and other places1 but you do not acknowledge them1 and will not provide for them2 and their mother will point you out to them with words of shame1 and they will be taught to despise you4 ,captain ,woolf replied with an oath1 and at the same time scratching his head3 ,that is true4 ,i never thought of it in that way before4 ,what would you think1 continued the ,captain1 if the government ordered your life destroyed if you would not put away your wives8 ,i would go where ,i could enjoy my wives and children in some secluded spot of the earth1 or give up my life rather than put them away4 ,the conversation of ,captain ,woolf was then turned upon ,president ,young4 ,he said3 ,governor ,young1 ought to be the next president of the ,united ,states for he is the brightest man in the nation1 and ,i should vote for him4 ,speaking of ,lot ,smith1 the wagon master of the train that ,lot had burned1 said that ,lot ,smith and his men were gentlemen2 and that it was one of the wisest and best things that ,governor ,young could have done1 for it stopped the progress of the army until events so changed that peace came4 ,it prevented the shedding of blood on either side and sent him back to the ,states1 where he could escape the suffering of the soldiers who wintered in the mountains4 ,on the #bdth of ,november1 that year1 ,apostle ,woodruff lost his little son1 ,hyrum ,smith1 who expired after several days illness4 ,he was an infant1 one year1 one month1 and one day4 ,it was quite natural in those times that differences should arise between the camp-followers and adventurers on the one side1 and the ,saints on the other4 ,the latter were naturally strict in the observance of the rules of sobriety and morality4 ,the social distinction became marked4 ,this gave rise to bickerings and hatred on the part of those who opposed the ,saints4 ,on the night of the #bbnd of ,november1 the ruffians of the city created a great disturbance in what was then known as ,kinkade's store4 ,their purpose was to challenge the police to arrest them4 ,the latter1 however1 avoided as much as possible the spirit of retaliation until #dje they became too strong1 when the leader knocked down several of the mob4 ,shots were exchanged1 but no one was killed4 ,in these street broils and disturbances1 ,judge ,cradlebaugh and other officials favored the mob element2 but to the credit of ,governor ,cumming1 be it said1 he was disposed to deal justly and fairly with all parties4 ,in an interview with ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 the ,governor expressed his desire to support the police4 ,the ,governor also charged ,judges ,cradlebaugh and ,sinclair that they knew very well that the people had not been treated very civilly or lawfully1 and that it would be the better policy on their part to pursue pacific measures1 and not to precipitate trouble4 ,during these trying times efforts were constantly made to drag ,president ,young into court on every and any trivial charge that could be devised4 ,there was also a disposition to assassinate him4 ,he was often1 therefore1 obliged to place himself under the protection of a guard4 ,on one occasion when he was requested to appear in court1 anxiety for his safety became so great that his friends crowded the court room and left but little space for others4 ,on ,november #bith1 ,judge ,sinclair harangued the grand jury for the purpose of inducing them to prefer a charge of treason against ,president ,young1 the ,twelve1 and others4 ,the district attorney1 however1 took the ground that the grand jury had no jurisdiction in the matter1 as the alleged offense had come before the ,peace ,commission1 and by that official body the whole matter had been settled4 ,the ,president of the ,united ,states had extended pardon1 and the ground taken by the judge1 he concluded1 was untenable4 ,december #fth of that year ,elder ,woodruff occupied much of his time in legislative work4 ,his journal for that month gave an account of the survey of roads made by ,jesse ,w4 ,fox1 from ,salt ,lake ,city to various places4 ,in closing his journal that year he points out the world's great achievements and its important history4 ,the electric cable had connected ,america and ,europe4 ,the slaves in ,russia had been liberated4 ,there had been war in ,british ,india1 and there were preparations for war among the nations4 ,the year at home had been such as to create anxiety and disturbance1 but the ,saints were nevertheless full of gratitude2 for better prospects awaited them4 #djf ,on ,january #bnd1 #ahei1 the ,saints met for the first time in public assembly since ,may #cjth1 #aheh4 ,the approach of the army and the move south had disturbed very greatly the peaceful worship of ,god4 ,there were now more non-,mormons in ,salt ,lake ,valley than there had been4 ,indeed1 the city seemed to be over-run by speculators and adventurers4 ,there was also a class of desperate men who undertook to terrify the citizens1 and publicly to manifest their contempt for the ,mormons and their local police authorities4 ,a party by the name of ,andrew ,bernard attempted the life of policeman ,christensen and was shot and killed in the fracas4 ,christensen1 who was an officer1 acted in self-defense4 ,every possible effort was then made to convict the policeman4 ,when that failed the anti-,mormon element made an effort to implicate ,president ,young and ,d4 ,h4 ,wells4 ,on ,march #bdth1 #ahei1 trouble arose between a number of soldiers and ,howard ,spencer4 ,they undertook to prevent him from entering his ranch house in ,tooele ,county2 and when he insisted in occupying his own premises1 one of them beat him brutally over the head with a gun4 ,his skull was fractured in several places1 and for some time his life was despaired of4 ,such disturbances were encouraged by the action of ,judge ,cradlebaugh1 who in ,provo had been having leading men arrested on various spurious charges4 ,by false pretensions he had induced a part of the army to leave camp ,floyd and come to ,provo4 ,all these troubles the ,saints bore with grace and warded off much contention and bloodshed by so doing4 ,governor ,cumming1 however1 maintained the attitude which he had first assumed and stood for the right4 ,he condemned openly the course pursued by ,judges ,cradelbaugh and ,sinclair4 ,naturally1 these judges strongly opposed the ,governor1 and they were aided by the ,state ,secretary1 ,hartnett1 the ,indian agent1 ,fornay1 and other disreputable persons who sought the removal of ,governor ,cumming by circulating misrepresentations against him4 ,at this time ,elder ,woodruff records a somewhat humorous incident through which some of the officials and other adventurers were duped by a foreigner whose name was ,mogo4 ,this man1 it seems1 had a brewery in the southern end of the valley1 which he #djg wished to sell at a high price4 ,he brought together a number of merchants1 ,judge ,sinclair1 ,secretary ,hartnett1 and other dignitaries4 ,he represented that he had found gold in the hills near his brewery4 ,elder ,woodruff gives the following in the language of ,mogo3 ',the ,mormons have hunted all this country over for gold4 ,they no find him1 none at all1 but ,i find him plenty4 ,heap more than in ,california4 ,i 'fraid ,mormons get him now4 ,my friends1 ,i want you to go with me and get him heap of gold4' ,the scheme proved too much for those who listened4 ,the word gold was enchanting4 ,it was what the ,mormons could not get4 ,the deception worked1 and they agreed to buy ,mr4 ,mogo's property1 which he divided into thirty shares of one thousand each4 ,his dupes invested4 ,they bought up the shares1 started out at night secretly so that the ,mormons would not suspect anything4 ,they camped that night at ,mogo's brewery4 ,he placed one on guard1 while with the others he went in search of the gold4 ,mr4 ,brockie stood guard1 cursing the cold weather while the others climbed the hills4 ,at a certain point they dug up several bags of dirt and returned with them to the camp4 ,they procured an old pan1 and while they were washing out the dirt1 one of them stood over the pan with a magnifying glass4 ,the following account is given of their gold washing4 ,gilbert said3 ',brochie1 what do you see8' ',nothing but mud4' ',there1 what is that8' ',nothing but mud4' ,an oath followed2 and so one bag after another was washed out1 and each time they asked ,brockie1 ',what do you see with the magnifying glass1' and there came back the same withering answer1 ',nothing but mud4' ,gilbert shouted out at the top of his voice and with an oath1 ',we are sold4' ,in the meantime ,mr4 ,mogo had made his way to ,camp ,floyd1 while his dupes made their way back to ,salt ,lake ,city1 the poorer if not wiser4 ,on the #bhth of ,january1 #ahei1 ,elder ,woodruff's eldest daughter1 ,susan ,cornelia1 was united in marriage by him to ,robert ,scholes2 and on ,march #crd ,president ,young married the second daughter1 ,phoebe ,a4 ,woodruff1 to ,elder ,lorenzo ,snow4 ,on ,march #bith ,governor ,cumming issued a proclamation in which he protested against the act of the ,united ,states court in calling out troops to protect the courts when there was no occasion for it4 ,this1 ,apostle ,woodruff says1 created stronger feelings #djh than ever among the anti-,mormon element4 ,the action1 however1 was sustained by the better class of non-,mormons who did not acquiesce in the high-handed proceedings of ,judge ,cradelbaugh and others4 ,march #cast ,elder ,woodruff attended the funeral of ,mrs4 ,mary ,woolley1 wife of ,bishop ,e4 ,d4 ,woolley1 a woman he esteemed most highly4 ,her death was greatly lamented1 and the authorities1 generally1 showed their respects by their presence at the funeral and by the discourses which recounted her noble and faithful qualities of mind and heart4 ,apostle ,woodruff was always greatly attached to those who were devoted to the work of ,god4 ,they were ,god's friends and he wanted their friendship4 ,it made to him no difference that their station in life was high or low4 ,if they loved the work of ,god1 he loved and honored them4 ,from the accounts given at this funeral1 ,sister ,woolley had been a most exemplary woman4 ,she had been valiant in the support of plural marriage and by her example and precept had sustained valiantly this practice4 ,perhaps the best testimonial that could be given to the woman1 who at her funeral was so extolled1 is the exemplary and faithful character of her descendants4 ,april conference came with its usual call for missionaries and its spiritual feasts which the ,saints in those days so much enjoyed4 ,about this time they found relief in the decision of ,judge ,cradelbaugh to leave the ,territory and locate in ,california4 ,it was an occasion for thanksgiving and gratitude4 ,but the ,saints were soon disturbed by a report which reached head-quarters that about two thousand of the troops were on their way to ,salt ,lake ,city from ,camp ,floyd1 where they first located upon entering the ,territory4 ,they were accompanied by ,judge ,sinclair4 ,president ,young felt somewhat alarmed and at once began preparations to leave the city4 ,he informed ,governor ,cumming that he would look to him for protection of his family4 ,he said he had no objection to being tried by a respectable court1 that he was guilty of no wrong1 but that he would not allow himself to fall into the hands of a military mob4 ,he knew very well what that meant4 ,he and the leaders were determined to burn the city and leave it desolate if the soldiers made war upon the people4 ,however1 the affair passed by without disturbance and the trouble the ,saints so much feared was warded off4 #dji ,elder ,woodruff related in his journal that on the #ast of ,july ,mr4 ,miller of the firm of ,wardle1 ,russell1 and ,miller called upon ,president ,young4 ,it was a firm of speculators who were making money out of the conditions incident to the presence of the ,united ,states army4 ,during the conversation ,mr4 ,miller told ,president ,young that ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas would most certainly be the next president of the ,united ,states4 ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas had manifested his hostile attitude toward the ,saints4 ,it was like the prediction of a calamity4 ,president ,young1 however1 knew better4 ,he remembered the words of the ,prophet ,joseph who had prophesied that ,douglas should be defeated1 in case he ever raised his voice against the ,saints4 ,douglas was beaten and died a disappointed man4 ,the ,fourth of ,july that year was celebrated with the same spirit of loyalty that had characterized the people in the past4 ,in the early part of ,july there was organized a ,chamber of ,commerce for the purpose of protecting the citizens against the exorbitant prices demanded by those merchants who were taking advantage of the times4 ,in his journal ,apostle ,woodruff reports these words from the lips of ,president ,young3 ,if this community had done as much as ,i have to introduce sheep1 the whole ,territory would now make clothing for its people4 ,i would make my own and wear sheep's gray4 ,it is good enough for me and my family4 ,i shall not stop my labor until we are able to make nails and iron4 ,now1 had those who were intrusted with the business been controlled by principle1 they would not have made a failure of this enterprise4 ,july #acth he records a visit of ,horace ,greeley and his interview with ,president ,young1 ,mr4 ,greeley was very inquisitive about tithing1 ,church organization1 and plural marriage2 but to all his questions he received prompt and frank answers4 ,his description of the distinguished visitor in his journal runs as follows3 ,mr4 ,greeley is a singular looking man1 fairly well dressed4 ,he had a soft1 groaning voice and feminine appearance and asked many questions4 ,however1 he was a learned man and his ability must be acknowledged4 ,on the #afth of ,july1 when ,mr4 ,greeley lectured1 he expressed his surprise at seeing any women present4 ,he said3 ,i had not expected to see a woman while ,i was here4 ,well1 ,i do declare1 ,i #daj am glad to see so many women here tonight4 ,the following ,sunday ,mr4 ,greeley sat on the stand in the meeting while ,orson ,pratt preached on the evidences of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,mr4 ,greeley took special notice of the women in the congregation1 but fell asleep while the sermon was being preached4 ,as the year advanced and harvest came on1 ,elder ,woodruff entered his field with cradle in hand4 ,it was the first cradling he had ever done1 but with the usual zest which characterized the man1 he did the work well4 ,he also worked hard during that summer and fall in teaching the people who came to ,zion1 and urged among the ,saints the new home industries which had been started--the sugar mill and the nail factory4 ,he recorded in his journal the return of ,n4 ,v4 ,jones from ,india1 who brought with him the information which he had derived from a learned man in that country that there was in the ,persian library a history in which an account was given of two families who left ,jerusalem and set sail for the ,western ,continent4 ,on ,september #ahth the elders departing upon their missions received instructions from ,president ,young who is reported as saying in part3 ,when you labor until your mind is exhausted1 stop4 ,don't overtax it4 ,it is wrong4 ,the way ,i get through with so much business is to dismiss from my mind the subjects on which ,i am occupied as soon as the discussion of them is finished4 ,when ,i get through ,i think no more about them4 ,i can lie down and go to sleep and let my mind and body rest4 ,don't fret1 nor get in a hurrying spirit1 for that wears out the body4 ,from ,october #ahth1 until ,december #ast1 #ahei1 ,elder ,woodruff passed through a serious period of sickness1 the worst he had ever experienced in his life4 ,much of that time his life was despaired of4 ,on one occasion he gave his family parting instructions and prepared his mind for the other world4 ,he was administered to by the authorities who were prompted to prophesy his recovery4 ,this promise awakened his faith and he rallied and lived for nearly thirty-nine years4 #daa ,,chapter #ch4 ,,beginning ,,of ,,the ,,rebellion1 #ahfa4 ,embarks in ,sheep ,industry4--,adventures of ,one ,gibson4--,lectures to ,young ,men in ,police ,court4--,counsel to ,missionaries4--,visit to ,cache ,valley4--,schools ,investigated4--,celebration of the #bdth4--,prophecies of ,civil ,war4--,little ,children in the ,resurrection4--,brigham ,young on ,secession4--,death of ,aphek ,woodruff4--,governor ,dawson4 ,the first day in the new year1 #ahfj1 came on ,sunday and found ,elder ,woodruff feeble in body from the effects of the severe sickness which he had just undergone4 ,during the early months of that year1 he was occupied largely in the ,historian's ,office4 ,he had1 however1 found a new occupation that made demands upon his attention1 since he had purchased some sheep which he kept at ,fort ,herriman where one of his families lived4 ,early in ,january of that year there arrived in the midst of the ,saints a man by the name of ,walter ,m4 ,gibson4 ,he had traveled extensively in the ,indian ,archipelago and on various islands of the sea4 ,the novelties of these lands1 the peculiarities of their people1 and the products of the soil afforded interesting subject matter for a series of lectures which ,mr4 ,gibson delivered in different places4 ,these talks interested ,elder ,woodruff1 and he gives a synopsis of several in his journal4 ,gibson claimed to be originally from ,south ,carolina1 and was accompanied by a young woman whom he introduced as his daughter4 ,after a short stay in the city1 they both professed faith in the ,gospel1 joined the ,church1 and received the ordinances of the ,house of ,god4 ,subsequent events1 however1 proved the ,captain to be an adventurer1 insincere and dishonest in his motives1 ambitious for the honors of men4 ,elder ,woodruff records that on ,february #gth ,justice ,clinton called upon him with a request that he come to the court room and talk to a number of young men who were to be fined for rowdyism and for threatening to take the life of others4 ,he responded to the invitation4 ,the young men listened with marked attention1 and what he said was received by them with great respect #dab and earnest consideration4 ,they felt that his words were the fruit of an honest ,god-fearing life4 ,on the evening of that day1 a party was given to which ,governor ,cumming1 ,general ,stambough1 his staff1 and others were invited4 ,the ,presidency1 the ,twelve1 and many of the ,saints were in attendance1 and everything was done to make the occasion one of social pleasure and fraternal good will4 ,it was not easy in those days to draw the line4 ,there were honorable men whose society was not offensive and whose manly course entitled them to attention and to social considerations and friendly intercourse4 ,on the other hand1 there were adventurers whose motives were well known and whose conduct was offensive4 ,they would have broken in upon the integrity and purity of the ,mormon homes without any conscientious respect for the religious feelings of their neighbors4 ,on ,march #ast he said3 ,i am fifty-three years old to-day4 ,i feel sensitive when ,i look upon these years and see how truly short life is--like a weaver's shuttle1 it soon passes4 ,man should strive diligently to make his life useful4 ,he should speak the truth1 live honestly1 practice virtue1 and set an example in all things worthy of imitation4 ,it will pay no man to defraud his neighbor or to break the commandments of ,god4 ,the conference this year convened on the #fth of ,april and some fifty-four elders were sent abroad on missions4 ,among them was ,captain ,walter ,m4 ,gibson4 ,president ,young's instructions given to the elders are recorded by ,apostle ,woodruff as follows3 ,i want you to go upon your missions in the spirit of ,god4 ,you will do more good by bearing testimony of the work of ,god through the ,holy ,ghost than by all the argument you can use4 ,take for example two men1 one learned and able to preach eloquently from the ,bible2 the other may be ignorant of science and arts1 but filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the man1 however1 who relies upon that spirit will make ten converts to one made by the man who relies upon his learning4 ,i would not throw one straw in the way of the elders obtaining knowledge of the arts and sciences and of being armed with truthful arguments upon every subject2 indeed1 they should seek diligently to acquire knowledge1 but they should obtain the ,holy ,ghost to assist them in their ministry4 ,some of you are going to visit your relatives4 ,when #dac you go where they are1 don't sit down at your ease and give up preaching1 but remember that you are on a mission and that you should improve your time4 ,you will have all manner of evil spoken against you1 and all ,i ask of you and all that ,god or angels will ask of you is that not one word spoken against you shall be true2 and ,i want you for my sake and for your own sake and for the sake of ,christ and the ,kingdom of ,god to live so that the wicked shall have no cause to speak evil against you4 ,another subject ,i wish to speak about is that of begging while upon your missions4 ,i do not wish you to beg1 but trust in ,god1 and do not rob any one or take anything unjustly1 but go and preach the ,gospel faithfully4 ,if you trust in the ,lord1 ,he will give you all you need4 ,there is another subject of importance1 and that is the temptation you will meet from women4 ,this has caused the downfall of more elders in the ,church than any other thing4 ,some elders go upon missions nearly all their lives and keep themselves clean and pure1 while others come home and are shady1 their countenances fall1 they cannot look you straight in the eye4 ,they have fallen into a snare4 ,joseph said to the first ,twelve that they would have to guard against this evil1 for they would have more trouble from this source than from any other4 ,while you are gone1 let women alone4 ,again1 you will meet with many who want to debate with you4 ,don't contend with any man4 ,if they have one truth which you do not possess1 you may accept it4 ,in crossing the plains1 have your prayers in camp4 ,there must be no swearing or contention4 ,if you think some one does wrong1 impute it to the head and not to the heart4 ,there must be no abuse of the cattle4 ,i have never permitted the abuse of dumb animals where ,i have had control4 ,such instructions were so perfectly in harmony with the life and character of ,apostle ,woodruff that it was quite natural that he should make special note of them in his journal2 for in the observance of such counsel1 he was1 perhaps1 as perfect a model as could be found in all ,israel4 ,the troubles of those days are frequently referred to in ,elder ,woodruff's journal4 ,the spring of #ahfj was stormy4 #dad ,there was much snow and frost4 ,much of the fruit was killed4 ,then socially1 the times were stormy4 ,the country was infested by thieves and outlaws4 ,there were frequent brawls in the streets and several bad characters were killed4 ,from the first to the middle of ,june1 ,elder ,woodruff in company with ,president ,young and party made a journey to the far north1 to the land of snow and frost4 ,cache ,valley in those days was looked upon with many misgivings as a suitable place for colonization4 ,lorenzo ,snow had been called to preside over ,box ,elder stake and ,ezra ,t4 ,benson in ,cache ,valley4 ,franklin seems to have been the extreme outpost in the north in those days4 ,on this visit1 ,preston ,thomas was made its first bishop4 ,still1 those settlements had so prospered that ,apostle ,woodruff expressed his great delight with the advancement which had been made4 ,after his return from this visit1 ,elder ,woodruff devoted some time to the investigation of the school system as it then existed4 ,he and ,robert ,l4 ,campbell visited a ,brother ,mousley's school which was pronounced the best they had seen4 ,elder ,woodruff was a strong advocate of education4 ,he had been deprived of its advantages in his youth1 but the spirit and revelations of ,god had created within him a desire to make good in learning as far as possible what had been denied him in his youth4 ,the summer of #ahfj brought some relaxation from the strain under which the people had been placed by the approach of the army4 ,they now indulged in patriotic and social pastimes which characterize the celebrations of the ,fourth and the ,twenty-fourth of ,july4 ,on the occasion of the ,twenty-fourth1 hundreds of people went to ,cottonwood ,canyon where three large boweries were built1 and where speeches1 songs1 dancing1 music1 fishing1 and other diversions were enjoyed by the ,saints who felt that peace had come to them4 ,at this celebration1 ,wilford ,wodruff wrote1 ,there are #a1abj persons with #ef carriages1 #afc wagons1 #bce horses1 #agi mules1 and #afh oxen4 ,the animals were in good condition1 were well treated1 and the people were happy4 ,it was here that three years before the ,saints received word that ,johnston's army was coming4 ,they had reason to feel grateful over the change that had taken place4 ,they had been permitted to enjoy their homes in peace4 #dae ,in the opening of the year #ahfa1 ,elder ,woodruff referred to the prophecy of ,joseph ,smith relating to the war and calamities which should befall the nation4 ,he said3 ,the ,united ,states1 this year1 will be visited with much greater afflictions than they have ever experienced since they became a free government4 ,the ,lord is about to vex the nation as ,he has declared ,he would do twenty-eight years ago4 ,speaking of the prophetic character of ,joseph ,smith in this connection1 he related the circumstance of a man who cursed ,joseph ,smith and also the ,god who called him to be a prophet4 ,the man was seized with insanity on the spot and was taken home and died insane4 ,as time went on1 in the memorable year of #ahfa1 the news from the front was looked for with intense interest by the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,those were days of the pony express1 and the events of the secession were naturally greatly delayed4 ,they looked upon the movements then taking place in fulfillment of the prophecy uttered by ,joseph ,smith in #ahcb4 ,in the midst of the war news1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the current events on all important subjects4 ,he was careful1 however1 to write down the teachings of ,president ,young4 ,he recorded a sermon delivered by him at the funeral of ,charles ,little1 in which ,president ,young is quoted as saying3 ,some one asks1 ,where is the spirit world8 ,it is here on the earth where they lived and where we live4 ,i believe all spirits live here after death and nowhere else4 ,at least1 those who have tabernacled in the flesh1 whether they be good or bad4 ,satan has no power in the spirit world over those who have overcome him in the flesh1 but he will have over those who have served him all their lives in this world4 ,when ,joseph had a revelation1 he had1 as it were1 the eyes of the ,lord4 ,he saw as the ,lord sees4 ,how did ,i know what was going on in ,washington8 ,i have known what was going on there all the time1 and ,i know what is going on in other places4 ,i know it by the spirit of ,god4 ,it is revealed to me4 ,spirits administer to us but we do not know it4 ,charles ,little here1 will administer to his mother1 but she will not know it4 ,she will see in the spirit world the wisdom of the ,lord in placing a veil between the living and the dead1 that the living may be tried and have a greater glory than they otherwise would have4 ,the living #daf cannot see the departed spirits1 but the latter can see and administer to those in the flesh1 even though the latter know it not4 ,my wife awakened the morning that ,charles ,little died and said to me3 ',i think ,charles ,little is dead1 for ,i have seen him with ,joseph1 in a dream2 and if ,brother and ,sister ,little could see what ,i have seen1 they would not wish him back4 ,he was very happy with ,joseph1 and ,joseph said he wanted him2 that he had a particular place for him4 ,he looked glorious4' ,we should be satisfied with the principle that our children will be restored to us in their glorified bodies4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded that on the #hth of ,february1 ,elder ,taylor and he went on a mission to the northern settlements4 ,at ,south ,weber they found a number of the ,saints in a condition of apostasy4 ,richard ,cook1 the bishop1 and fourteen others were cut off the ,church for rejecting the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and ,brigham ,young1 and for upholding ,joseph ,morris as the man holding the keys of the ,kingdom4 ,elders ,woodruff and ,taylor went on to ,brigham ,city1 where they met the ,saints1 and where ,elder ,woodruff recorded the following dream related by ,isaac ,laney1 who received seventeen bullet wounds at the time of the massacre at ,haun's ,mill4 ,elder ,laney said1 speaking of that time3 ,i dreamed that a shower of serpents were all around me in the air4 ,they were rattle-snakes and many of them bit me all over my body4 ,i was told that if ,i would not fall down1 but keep on running1 they would not hurt me4 ,when the shower of bullets came and they pierced my body1 they did not hurt me any more than a scratch of a pin1 although ,i looked at the mouth like an ox with its throat cut4 ,i kept on my feet and continued to run until beyond the reach of the mob4 ,a man came to me and said3 ',brother ,laney1 do not deceive yourself by expecting to live1 for no man ever lived after being shot as you have been4' ,but ,i said3 ',i shall live4' ,and so ,i am yet alive to the honor and glory of ,god1 for it was by ,his power that my life was preserved4 ,in ,brigham ,city they also found a number of ,welsh ,saints who had become disaffected4 ,they were labored with1 and many of them repented and renewed their covenants with ,god4 ,on ,march #dth of this year ,president ,lincoln was inaugurated4 #dag ,elder ,woodruff's journal contained an account of that exciting period4 ,president ,lincoln's enemies declared that he would never sleep in the ,white ,house4 ,during these trying days of the nation1 the ,saints were loyal to the ,union4 ,in reference to the war1 ,president ,young said3 ,many of the people of the nation have persecuted the ,saints of ,god1 and they now have trouble of their own4 ,the rulers in the nation and the states did nothing for us4 ,governor ,cumming1 however1 has done us good4 ,he stood between us and the army1 although at first he also was opposed to the people and wrote threatening letters4 ,however1 ,col4 ,kane visited him and greatly changed his attitude towards us4 ,he and ,col4 ,johnston were at swords points4 ,president ,young was asked if the ,president of the ,united ,states should send ,secretary ,harris1 their bitter enemy1 here as governor if we would not also secede4 ,he answered emphatically1 ,no4 ,we will sustain the government and keep our record clean4 ,we shall want to compare records by and by and show that we have been right all the time4 ,the banks and rich men ,north and ,south are consecrating their wealth to prosecute the war4 ,several times we have been called to consecrate our homes at the point of the bayonet4 ,it is now the nation's turn to consecrate1 and it will be vexed as the ,prophet foretold some twenty-eight years ago4 ,in the midst of the excitement of the war1 the ,april conference was held1 and missionaries1 as usual1 sent to the nations of the earth4 ,on the #aeth of ,may that year ,elder ,woodruff was a member of the company of ,president ,young1 who took one of his tours through the southern settlements4 ,elder ,woodruff at the time traveled in company with ,ezra ,clark of ,farmington4 ,the company consisted of forty-eight men1 fourteen women1 and two children4 ,there were twenty-three carriages1 twenty-one horses1 and forty mules4 ,during those tours to the settlements the company was frequently met by the mounted militia1 and escorted from town to town4 ,it was an occasion of general interest to the people and they were always enthusiastic over the presence of their leaders4 ,during this visit they went as far south as ,santa ,clara4 ,while on this journey ,elder ,woodruff's father1 ,aphek ,woodruff1 died4 ,the father was eighty-two years1 six months and #dah seventeen days old4 ,he was baptized by his son into the ,church in #ahci4 ,the #dth of ,july1 #ahfa1 brought with it again one of those enthusiastic celebrations in which the ,saints always took delight4 ,president ,woodruff declared it was the greatest celebration he ever witnessed4 ,he was a typical ,american of the old ,new ,england time1 and no one was more ready than he to honor the day4 ,under date of ,sunday1 ,july #bast1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded one of those characteristic remarks of ,president ,young1 in which the latter declared3 ,the ,lord will not permit me or any other man to lead this people astray4 ,if the leaders do wrong1 the ,lord will take them away4 ,if an ,apostle does not magnify his calling1 the ,lord will remove him and not permit him to lead away the people4 ,this has been to the ,latter-day ,saints a prophetic assurance1 and that idea has been fostered in their hearts to the present time4 ,president ,young was severe in his denunciation of the liquor traffic4 ,any man1 he said1 who will make whiskey to sell would sell the ,kingdom of ,god for a picayune4 ,i despise the whisky maker more than ,i do the thieves1 and ,i have no use for either4 ,harlots and publicans will enter the ,kingdom of ,god before the whisky dealer4 ',cursed is he that putteth the cup to his brother's lips4' ,in later years the ,council of the ,presidency and ,twelve resolved that the liquor dealers must repent and forsake their business or lose their standing in the ,church4 ,the conference of ,october #fth was characterized by the plans then discussed for the development of the cotton industry in southern ,utah4 ,soon after it closed1 quite a number were called ,south to make preparations whereby the cotton industry should be self-sustaining4 ,on the #hth of the following ,november1 ,elder ,woodruff gave in his journal some statements from ,president ,young relative to the order of the ,church and family government4 ,if ,brothers ,kimball and ,wells wish to be united with me1 they should go with me and follow me4 ,it is not my place to follow them4 ,so with the ,twelve1 they must follow the ,presidency4 ,the seventies and high priests must follow the ,twelve and so on throughout the ,church4 ,if this is not done1 there will be separation and confusion4 #dai ,the same principle should be observed by a man whose duty it is to stand at the head of his family4 ,if the wife and children do not follow the husband and father1 there will be an eternal separation4 ,if the man follows his wife or children instead of leading them himself1 there will be confusion and the family life will be destroyed4 ,men should not interfere with and undertake to direct their file leaders4 ,i never found a word of fault with ,joseph in my life4 ,under date of ,december #crd ,elder ,woodruff recorded the arrival of ,governor ,dawson1 who succeeded ,covernor ,cumming in office4 ,on the #hth of the month he made note of an accident which befell his son1 ,david ,patten ,woodruff1 who was kicked in the head by a mule1 and carried into the house apparently dead4 ,the child1 however1 was restored in a marvelous manner through the blessings of the ,lord4 ,when the end of that year approached1 ,elder ,woodruff made the following review3 ,it is past4 ,it has borne to heaven a report of the deeds of all men4 ,this year has brought to pass the fulfillment of many prophecies uttered in olden and in modern times4 ,on ,january #ast of this year ,i declared1 as a prophetic historian1 that this would be the most distressing year the government had ever seen since it became an independent nation4 ,time has verified the statement4 ,eleven of the states have seceded4 ,this has brought a terrible war upon the country1 bringing as it does upon the battle field more than a million of men and a debt of five hundred million of dollars1 and this is only the beginning of the trouble4 ,the state of ,missouri1 from which the ,saints were driven1 and where the blood of many was shed1 is now the great battle field of the ,west4 ,in it there is pitted man against man1 neighbor against neighbor4 ,those who brought trouble upon the ,saints are themselves in distress4 ,jackson ,county is nearly destroyed4 ,the ,president and ,senate are sending rulers to ,utah as governors and judges4 ,many of them are so corrupt that they are a hiss and a byword to all who know them4 ,john ,w4 ,dawson arrived early in ,december and delivered his message to the ,legislature4 ,he began a course of shameful debauchery4 ,he insulted women until the widow of ,thomas ,williams drove him from her house with a fire shovel because of #dbj his vulgar abuse of her4 ,on the last day of the year he left in the stage coach for the ,east1 a known libertine and debauchee4 ,this is the kind of rulers the nation sent to rule the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the ,lord has declared that the measure this nation metes out to others shall be measured unto it4 ,it was a year of deep anxiety1 and the ,saints felt the spirit of oppression which their political rulers manifested4 ,elder ,woodruff exclaimed in a prayerful appeal3 ,take away the sceptre1 rule1 and government from the wicked and give it into the hands of just and upright men1 that they may rule in righteousness before ,thee4 ,give ,thy oppressed people1 ,o ,lord1 the privilege of appointing their own governors1 judges1 and rulers1 that the poor and oppressed may rejoice in the ,holy ,one of ,israel6 ,that prayer told the story of an oppression under which the ,saints suffered4 #dba ,,chapter #ci4 ,,the ,,years #ahfb-fc4 ,killing of ,thieves4--,john ,baptiste1 the ,grave ,digger4--,value of a ,daily ,journal4--,erection of the ,salt ,lake ,theatre4--,state of ,deseret4--,foundation ,stones of ,temple ,raised4--,indian ,troubles on ,bear ,river4--,visit of the ,moquitches to ,salt ,lake ,city4--,their ,customs4--,attempt ,to ,arrest ,president ,young4--,settlement of ,bear ,lake ,valley4--,mining4 ,the new year1 #ahfb1 found ,elder ,woodruff in both a reminiscent and prophetic mood4 ,he had closed his journal of the previous year by pointing out the fulfillment of prophecy4 ,he still felt that the hand of ,god was in the affairs of this nation1 even though he regretted the sorrow and suffering the war was bringing on4 ,he wrote his predictions of still greater bloodshed1 of pestilence1 earthquake1 and famine4 ,this1 he said1 is a wicked generation1 and the earth groans under its abominations1 and because of these things1 the ,lord will pour out his judgments upon the wicked of the earth until the earth is cleansed from them4 ,the spirit of the historian was upon him4 ,his ,new ,year's day he celebrated in the ,historian's ,office1 writing the events of ,church history4 ,it was a great history4 ,it would be greater as time went on2 and in years to come1 men would want to know even the slightest details of those events1 which in their day seemed to be of passing consequence4 ,he speaks of ,wood ,reynolds1 the stage driver1 who gave the retiring ,governor1 ,john ,w4 ,dawson1 a good sound thrashing at ,ephraim ,hanks' stage station1 while the stage driver's horses were being changed4 ,this he did because ,dawson had grossly insulted the widow of ,thos4 ,williams and other women4 ,january #fth he designated as one of the most important days in the history of the ,church since its location in the ,valleys4 ,that day a mass-meeting was held1 and nine delegates were elected to attend a ,territoral ,convention which was to frame a constitution1 organize a provisional state government1 and ask for admission into the ,union4 ,he was a strong advocate of the movement1 even though he did not feel quite sure that the ,saints #dbb would obtain their full rights4 ,they were at least pursuing a course that all true and loyal men should pursue under like circumstances4 ,the experience of the people with federal officials had been a most unhappy one4 ,the spirit and prejudice which had sent the army to ,utah also sent its federal officials4 ,they came with malice in their hearts1 and of course were not prepared to do justice to an unpopular people4 ,elder ,woodruff did not believe that men should sit supinely by and allow their rights to be trampled upon without a protest4 ,he thought it was becoming in free men to assert their rights and demand justice that they might maintain their self-respect1 even though their protestations were unheeded4 ,the delegates to this ,convention were ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,albert ,carrington1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,abraham ,o4 ,smoot1 ,james ,ferguson1 ,reuben ,miller1 ,archibald ,gardener1 and ,elias ,smith1--all men of strong character and of great integrity4 ,from ,elder ,woodruff's journal1 the people were tried1 even exasperated1 by the thefts and other depredations committed by men of unscrupulous character4 ,in those trying times the people could illy afford the loss that came to them by the work of the cattle thieves4 ,on the #agth of ,january he reports the killing of ,lot ,huntington1 ,john ,smith1 and ,moroni ,clawson1 who resisted the officers while the latter were attempting to arrest the former4 ,the first named was killed in ,rush ,valley1 the latter two in ,salt ,lake ,city1 while attempting their escape4 ,on the #bgth ,elder ,woodruff's journal also contains an account of ,john ,baptiste's episode in the cemetery4 ,this grave digger1 after finishing his official duties exhumed the bodies1 and robbed the dead of their clothing4 ,the discovery of this grave digger's crime was made when the friends of ,moroni ,clawson obtained permission to remove his remains from the city cemetery to that of ,big ,cottonwood4 ,his clothing was gone4 ,the grave digger was at once suspected1 and upon arrest1 made confession4 ,he had practiced his crime for years4 ,baptiste was born in ,venice1 in #ahad4 ,he followed the occupation of a grave digger in ,australia1 where he also robbed the dead4 ,from the proceeds of his criminal practice he built a house of worship and contributed it to the ,methodist church in that land4 #dbc ,on ,february #abth1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded a synopsis of a lecture he gave in the ,seventies' ,hall upon history and journalizing4 ,the house was crowded4 ,among other things1 he said3 ,i think it more profitable for the ,saints to meet to hear lectures delivered on various principles than to spend so much time in dancing and light amusement4 ,i would recommend ,rawlins' ,ancient ,history4 ,this author gives a history of the ancient nations1 describes their conditions1 literature1 and laws1 and especially their wars4 ,i also recommend the reading of ,josephus1 the great ,jewish historian4 ,it appears to me1 that no man can read it with indifference4 ,his account of the siege of ,jerusalem by the ,romans1 in the light of fulfillment of prophecy1 the destruction of the ,jewish city and its temple1 are of great interest to those who enjoy reading and gaining information that will be of lasting benefit4 ,in order that history may be preserved for future historians1 records and journals should be kept4 ,he went on to refer to the testimony which those who kept journals in ancient dispensations have left for the edification and faith of succeeding generations4 ,men should write down the things which ,god has made known to them4 ,whether things are important or not1 often depends upon ,god's purposes2 but the testimony of the goodness of ,god and the things ,he has wrought in the lives of men will always be important as a testimony4 ,in those days the ,seventies' ,hall was the centre of an educational effort to uplift the people in learning relating to the arts and sciences4 ,it was largely a work of self-improvement1 of mutual aid4 ,elder ,woodruff was always present when there was anything instructive or elevating to be imparted4 ,he loved history4 ,his spirit was the historian's spirit1 and passing events1 to his mind1 should be carefully recorded that ,god might1 if ,he would1 give them importance according to the needs and history of ,his people4 ,the spirit of the leaders in those days was to be educational whether they were attending lectures1 reading history1 or enjoying themselves in amusement4 ,everything should be to the honor and glory of ,god4 ,their lives were strenuous1 and there was need of relaxation4 ,anything that was elevating1 or that could be made elevating1 was to be for the glory of ,god and the happiness of ,his people4 ,the theatre was thought to be desirable1 and the ,salt ,lake ,theatre was erected in #ahfa and #ahfb1 and dedicated #dbd on the #bnd day of ,march in the latter year with the same fervent desire to recognize ,god in all things4 ,d4 ,h4 ,wells pronounced the dedicatory benediction4 ,president ,young upon that occasion offered remarks instructing the people upon the character of their amusement4 ,one of the first plays to be rendered in the new theatre was ,pride at the ,market of ,versailles4 ,it is wonderful how ,wilford ,woodruff busied himself in a multitude of occupations4 ,his journal furnishes evidence of a remarkably busy life4 ,one moment he was recording stirring events in the history of the world2 then he is writing ,church history2 the next moment tells something of a correspondence received from those who desire information concerning the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the next page contains an account of his orchard and the work of planting more fruit trees2 later1 he is found in the irrigation furrows2 then he is addressing missionaries upon their duties and responsibilities2 on the same page he opens a prophetic inspiration of his soul1 and tells of things to come4 ,in all he sees the glory and goodness of ,god4 ,he listens to the words of the prophet and makes a careful record of them4 ,then he discourses upon the principles of a free government and the rights of the people under a constitution4 ,the ,state of ,deseret had been formed4 ,president ,young was elected the first ,governor of the ,state4 ,he delivered his message to the legislature1 and all went on in the spirit of sincerity and earnestness4 ,they would do their part1 even though they were denied admission to the ,union4 ,with them1 the fulfillment of every duty1 as they saw it1 had a place in divine economy2 and their acts1 though apparently unavailing1 were like bread upon the waters to return after many days4 ,elder ,woodruff records on ,january #hth1 #ahfb1 the following words from ,president ,young3 ,moses took the children of ,israel out of ,egypt into the wilderness1 and there taught them the principles of their every-day life4 ,it is the same with the ,saints here4 ,they gather to ,zion so that they may be taught how to live4 ,we cannot teach this in the world1 for there1 we preach the gospel of ,christ2 but when they come here to ,zion1 they should be taught in all the duties of every day life1 including housekeeping1 farming1 work in the orchard1 and on the farm4 ,in the spring of #ahfb1 there was considerable destruction #dbe through high water and floods1 whose damage was witnessed in the destruction of mill-dams1 fences1 bridges1 and grain fields4 ,elder ,woodruff in these trying scenes was found at the front with his shovel in his hand1 working strenuously to protect the fields from damage4 ,he drops his shovel to devote himself to the ministry4 ,he lays his hands upon the head of his sick and old-time friend1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot4 ,he rebukes the disease and fever and notes an immediate change that takes place in the sick man's condition1 and acknowledges the hand of ,god in it4 ,he attends the funeral of ,frederick ,gadd1 a man whose integrity and character won his admiration2 for no matter how humble a man's position in the ,church1 ,elder ,woodruff loved and honored him1 if convinced that he loved and honored ,god4 ,on ,june the #ith1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote that the foundation stones of the ,temple were raised because of the poor work done on it by the masons4 ,the work was a disappointment to ,brigham ,young and the leading men4 ,elder ,woodruff recounts the trouble with the ,morrisites in ,weber ,county1 an account of which is fully given elsewhere4 ,he also gives a description of the grand celebration of the ,fourth of ,july that year4 ,there was a program consisting of speeches1 songs1 recitations1 etc41 and in the evening a ball was given at the ,social ,hall4 ,of the war which was then going on1 and which was watched by him with the utmost attention1 he said3 ,there has been more bloodshed and lives lost in the ,united ,states in the battles between the ,north and ,south than there were in the ,revolutionary ,war and that of #ahab4 ,in the ten principal battles1 the number slain and wounded will not fall far short of half a million4 ,many have died the past year through pestilence4 ,a vast amount of property has been destroyed by fire4 ,the spirit of disunion seems to increase among the people4 ,there has been a great want of breadstuff in ,england and ,france1 caused in a great measure by closing the ,southern ports against the exportation of cotton4 ,france has opened war with ,mexico4 ,there are many widows and orphans and much lamentation and mourning throughout the land1 but the end is not yet4 ,while these troubles are going on1 the ,saints are gathering home to ,zion to build up the ,kingdom of ,god1 that the ,lord may rule over ,his ,saints4 ,nearly five #dbf thousand ,saints have gathered to the ,valley the past year4 ,many improvements have been made and the blessings of ,god have been with ,his people4 ,on the #dth of ,january1 in the year of #ahfc1 ,elder ,woodruff records the news of the ,emancipation ,message by ,president ,lincoln1 and the results of some of the great battles4 ,his history1 during those times1 showed him to be a close student of current events which he interpreted in the light of ,god's revelations in this dispensation4 ,the ,saints could not very well entertain much hope of admission into the ,union1 yet the ,provisional ,state ,government which had been organized continued1 and met in its opening session1 ,january #aith4 ,elder ,woodruff was an active member1 and by this time was becoming somewhat familiar with the duties of a legislator4 ,governor ,young1 under the ,state constitution1 delivered his message1 and two thousand copies were published for circulation4 ,not much work1 however1 was accomplished4 ,many1 said ,president ,young1 may not be able to tell why we are in this capacity4 ,i do not think you understand this matter as it is4 ,our constitution1 which has been sent to ,washington1 has been closely scrutinized by the members of ,congress4 ,if we do not take care of ourselves1 no one else will take care of us4 ,on ,february #crd1 #ahfc1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the birth of his son1 ,ashael ,hart1 who was named after his uncle4 ,he was the son of his wife ,emma1 and is now bishop of the ,waterloo ,ward in the ,granite stake of ,zion4 ,on the same date1 ,elder ,woodruff gave an extensive account of the trouble with the ,bannock and the ,snake ,river ,indians north of ,bear ,river4 ,they had been killing miners and emigrants1 who were on their way to ,oregon4 ,he says3 ,colonel ,connor sent a part of his command to the ,indians to get a white boy that was among them4 ,they got the boy but killed a number of the ,indians and then returned to ,camp ,douglas1 near the city4 ,thereupon1 the ,indians began killing more white men4 ,col4 ,connor then sent against them sixty infantry and fifteen baggage wagons4 ,later1 he sent three hundred cavalry4 ,they found the ,indians encamped near ,bear ,river1 which they had to ford in order to get to them4 ,the ,indians were camped in a big ravine4 ,the cavalry #dbg made a charge upon them1 but were driven back4 ,they then left the horses and made a charge on foot1 and were again repulsed4 ,the third time1 they made a charge and rushed into their midst4 ,they used their revolvers and shot as long as they could find anything to shoot at4 ,the result of the battle1 as reported1 was two hundred and twenty-five ,indians killed1 four hundred horses taken4 ,the loss of ,col4 ,connor's command was seventeen dead1 forty wounded1 and seventy badly frozen4 ,two officers were also wounded1 and it is reported that ,lieutenant ,d4 ,chase1 once a ,mormon elder1 was mortally wounded4 ,he was ordained into the ,quorum of ,seventies on the corner-stone of the ,temple in ,far ,west1 at the time that ,george ,a4 ,smith and myself were ordained into the ,quorum of the ,twelve4 ,chase went to ,california where he apostatized and joined the army4 ,about the same time he recorded a visit of three ,moquitche ,indians with ,jacob ,hamblin to ,president ,young4 ,these ,indians were entertained part of the time1 during their stay1 at the home of ,elder ,woodruff who made them very welcome1 and of course learned from them and from ,elder ,hamblin all that he could about their lives and customs4 ,the ,moquitche ,indians live in ,new ,mexico1 one hundred and twenty-five miles southeast of the ,colorado1 and three hundred and thirty-five miles from ,st4 ,george4 ,they live in a walled city built upon top of the rocks as a protection from their enemies4 ,they do not go to war nor fight except in extreme cases of self-defense4 ,they never scalp an enemy and do not like to shed blood4 ,they cultivate the earth1 raise corn1 beans1 melons1 pumpkins1 squash1 red pepper1 and a large quantity of peaches4 ,they also raise cotton1 keep sheep and goats1 and spin and weave their own cloth4 ,they have seven villages4 ,the largest town has about three hundred families4 ,all told1 they number about two thousand souls4 ,they are very intelligent and light colored4 ,there are some with blue and some with hazel eyes4 ,they have never mixed their blood with any white man or other ,indian tribes4 ,they have a tradition that good men will come from the ,west and bring them the truth4 ,they think we are the prophets1 and they have come as ambassadors to see the people and to learn if we are the ones they have been looking for4 ,they seem anxious that we should instruct and direct them in their affairs4 ,their forefathers #dbh formerly lived west of the ,colorado but their enemies drove them east of the river4 ,twenty-four men now went as a company to visit these ,indians1 and found them quite poor4 ,they had been robbed by the ,navajoes1 they had few sheep1 but a good crop of grain4 ,during one of their drouths1 ,elder ,woodruff recounts the fact that in answer to their prayers the snow fell to a depth of one foot4 ,speaking of ,elder ,hamblin's efforts to bring the ,indians ,north he wrote that when the ,lamanites reached the ,colorado1 they were afraid to cross it2 but upon being urged by ,elder ,hamblin to make the effort1 they offered sacrifice in the following manner3 ,the ,indians took some cotton thread of their own spinning1 about eighteen inches long1 and tied in each end a bunch of feathers as big as a man's thumb4 ,they then placed it in the edge of the water1 then they put some bread called 'piek' between the feathers4 ,they also had some dried peaches which they put into the water4 ,afterwards1 they sprinkled consecrated white cornmeal upon its surface1 and later reached the opposite bank safely4 ,they then proceeded to thank the ,lord for bringing them over without harm4 ,on the #acth of ,february ,elder ,woodruff recorded the death of ,n4 ,v4 ,jones of whom he says3 ,he has been a true and valuable man1 always a minute man1 ready to go at the call of the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,from the time he was taken sick he felt that his hour had come4 ,at this time the leaders were greatly harassed by federal officers who sought to bring trouble upon ,president ,young and other leaders of the ,church4 ,those were exciting times and the people were often aroused to a spirit of determined resistance4 ,on ,november #crd of that year1 ,wilford ,woodruff writes that a great mass-meeting was held in the ,tabernacle to protest against the conduct of ,governor ,stephen ,s4 ,harding1 and ,judges ,drake1 and ,waite1 and to ask for their removal4 ,an effort was then made to arrest ,president ,young by military force on a charge of polygamy1 but he opposed such an unlawful proceeding4 ,hundreds of men turned out to defend him1 whereupon ,col4 ,connor and his soldiers returned to the ,fort4 ,excitement ran high1 but there were no serious occurrences at the time4 ,as these events took place1 they were recorded by ,elder #dbi ,woodruff in the dispassionate manner of the historian who seeks diligently to record facts4 ,it is wonderful how quietly and effectively he could turn from exciting scenes to the ordinances in the house of ,god1 and then to his labors about his home4 ,his faith was a constant quality1 and his administration was sought by the sick and afflicted4 ,orson ,pratt at this time was in a critical condition4 ,in administering to him ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,i told him in the name of the ,lord that he should live and not die1 for he had not finished his work in the flesh4 ,he began at once to improve1 and in a few days was able to attend meeting4 ,that ,wilford ,woodruff had a true conception of the message and work of ,mormonism1 is evinced by the great pleasure which he took in the call of his son ,wilford to a mission4 ,it was something to which he had looked forward with great pleasure4 ,no greater honor can come to a man than the privilege of carrying the gospel to the nations of the earth4 ,to have sons was1 of course1 a great joy2 but to meet the expectations of their father1 they should fill honorable missions and maintain their integrity in the ,church4 ,it was now time to divert his work from the ,historian's ,office to the farm and to the care of his sheep4 ,in those days the warm sulphur springs were converted into a sort of dipping vat in which one hundred and twenty-eight sheep could be washed during the day4 ,whether dipping sheep1 or sowing grain1 or writing history there was the same enthusiastic devotion in all he did4 ,on ,june #abth he recorded the killing of two stage drivers coming from ,camp ,floyd2 and on the #abth he also recorded the drowning of ,albert ,smith1 in the ,jordan ,river4 ,he was the first male child born in the ,church after the entrance of the ,latter-day ,saints into the ,valley4 ,he was a good youth1 dutiful to his parents1 and died in the faith4 ,when the mid-summer months arrived1 and his fields and orchards could be left1 he set out upon a journey in company with ,president ,young to different parts of the ,territory4 ,fruit growing was at that time the theme of many discourses4 ,he stated in his record of ,july #cast that1 ,with ,j4 ,v4 ,long4 ,thos4 ,bullock1 ,robert ,campbell1 and ,john ,jacques1 ,i visited in ,provo the garden of ,brother ,hemingway4 ,he has the best orchard1 nursery1 and flower garden combined in the ,territory4 ,a little later they returned #dcj from the ,south and went on a visit to ,logan4 ,there1 while addressing the ,saints1 he pointed to the hill east of the town and prophesied that a temple of the ,lord would soon be built upon it4 ,when ,president ,young arose to speak1 he said that ,apostle ,woodruff had spoken by revelation and his words would be fulfilled4 ,as all know1 ,president ,woodruff lived to see that ,temple completed and dedicated to the ,lord4 ,it was on this visit to ,cache ,valley1 in the latter part of ,august1 #ahfc1 that a decision was reached to form settlements on ,bear ,river4 ,apostle ,chas4 ,c4 ,rich was placed in charge of those called to settle the valley east of ,cache1 which was subsequently known as ,rich ,county4 ,on the return of ,president ,young from ,logan1 a meeting was held in ,ogden where the ,word of ,wisdom was preached with great force1 and where ,president ,young spoke strongly against the practice of some of the people in leaving their farms to become prospectors for gold and silver4 ,in those times1 the mining excitement in ,california was running high4 ,if the ,saints were to remain in the ,valleys of the ,mountains where they were to build up settlements by co-operative effort1 they must not yield to the temptation of the mines in ,california4 ,if they began mining here1 it was the first step to the abandonment of the farm and a rush to the gold fields of the coast4 ,elder ,woodruff related in his journal the circumstance of a brother who went three times to ,president ,young to secure his approval of a trip to ,california for the purpose of making money4 ,each time1 the ,president counseled him to remain at home1 but finally yielding to the man's entreaties he said3 ,yes1 go if you will against counsel4 ,you will make money but you will lose it before you get home4 ,the man went4 ,after remaining about a year and accumulating several bags of gold-dust1 he was greatly elated by his success1 and started home with his money2 but the word of prophecy was against him1 and when a few days out from ,san ,bernardino1 he was held up by a gang of robbers and relieved of all his gold-dust4 ,the man returned to ,utah with some remorse of conscience and a witness to the folly of treating lightly the counsel of his superior in a wild desire to obtain wealth4 ,in ,september of that year1 in consequence of the agitation #dca that was going on against the leading brethren1 and the efforts to try ,presidents ,young and ,wells upon false charges1 the brethren left their homes for a place of safety while the excitement lasted4 ,elder ,woodruff reported at some length the circumstance of the death and funeral of ,sister ,ivins1 the grandmother of ,apostles ,heber ,j4 ,grant1 and ,a4 ,w4 ,ivins4 ,her funeral sermon was preached by ,president ,young who spoke in the highest terms of love and esteem for the deceased4 ,she was a woman1 he said1 of faith and good works1 worthy of the confidence and respect of all4 ,we shall meet her in the resurrection4 ,she has been well treated by her children and by all the family1 and ,i feel to bless them for it4 ,during these times ,elder ,woodruff's journal contained frequent instances of the healing of the sick by the laying on of hands both in his own home and in the household of his friends4 ,he often dwelt in a reminiscent mood upon the manifestation of ,god's power in the healing of the sick throughout the early history of the ,church and during the early days in the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,he spoke of the goodness of ,god1 of ,his wonderful mercy and of ,his divine power manifested in behalf of the ,saints4 ,all that he said and all that he did he ascribed to the glory of ,god4 ,to him1 death1 however1 is nothing1 if men and women die in the faith of the ,lord ,jesus4 ,it is a wonderful faith which he recorded through every year of his life1 and his daily record shows that he never abandoned his faith or felt desolate or despondent in the midst of the most trying scenes4 ,he was no pessimist4 ,every page of his journal threw out hope1 and revealed a spirit of grand expectations4 ,july #bgth1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded trouble with the ,indians in ,cache ,valley in which ,irwin ,merrill was killed1 and his brother seriously wounded4 ,he also recorded on a subsequent date a statement by ,president ,young respecting the claim of ,sidney ,rigdon1 in #ahdd4 ,of those times ,president ,young said3 ,when ,i met with the ,saints in ,nauvoo the first time after the ,prophet's death and defended the arguments of the ,twelve against the claims of ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,i had in mind then that there would be a presidency of three appointed1 but ,i knew the people were not prepared for it at the time2 and on our return with the pioneers to the ,valley1 ,i #dcb broached the subject1 first to ,apostle ,woodruff and then to the rest of the ,quorum4 ,they received and sustained it4 ,on the first of ,september1 a large company of ,saints1 largely from ,germany and ,switzerland1 reached the city4 ,they were under the presidency of ,elder ,james ,d4 ,ross4 ,elders ,woodruff1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,f4 ,d4 ,richards paid them a visit and gave them special instructions relating to their new homes and their duties and labors in ,zion4 ,elder ,bonnelli acted as their interpreter4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the following words from the mouth of ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith1 by way of instructions to the ,swiss and ,german ,saints3 ,be faithful4 ,repent of your sins and live your religion4 ,don't be in a hurry to marry men who profess to save women by the wholesale4 ,wait until you get acquainted and find out that men are worthy to be saved themselves1 before you marry them4 ,be careful not to be cheated by speculators4 ,some who come here feel that everyone should be perfect4 ,when they see the failings of men1 they become dissatisfied1 without looking at their own failings4 ,don't be in a hurry to get rich4 ,do right1 and all will be well with you4 ,when we first came here1 we had nothing given us to eat4 ,there was only that which we brought with us4 ,you should turn your hand to any honorable employment4 ,don't be greedy to get too much land to begin with2 what you get1 cultivate well4 ,learn all you can of the work of ,god1 for ,i know it is ,his work1 and ,joseph ,smith was a true prophet4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded at this time a visit of ,captain ,burton of the ,british ,army1 whom he describes as a free1 noble-minded man4 ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith gave him a history of the troubles of the ,saints for the past five years4 ,captain ,burton had traveled extensively and threw off the yoke of prejudice and superstition4 ,september #ith1 that year1 in his address to the ,saints in the ,tabernacle1 ,president ,young spoke at length upon the conduct of those missionaries who accumulated money while on their mission with which to buy goods and establish themselves as merchants4 ,some of the money used for this purpose he said had been obtained from the ,saints abroad4 ,such a practice was severely rebuked1 and the missionaries1 generally1 were instructed thereafter to abstain from such a course4 #dcc ,,chapter #dj4 ,,the ,,years #ahfd-fe4 ,some ,enjoyments4--,he ,visits a ,condemned ,man in ,prison4--,troubles ,made by ,gibson on ,hawaiian ,islands4--,lorenzo ,snow's ,escape from ,watery ,grave4--,visit to ,bear ,lake ,valley4--,remark of ,president ,young in ,logan4--,ordination to ,apostleship of ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,erastus ,snow1 and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards4--,hot ,springs at ,midway4--,second ,inauguration of ,president ,lincoln4--,treaty with ,indians4--,colfax ,visits ,utah4--,jane ,blackhurst4 ,the journal of ,wilford ,woodruff for the year #ahfd opens with the following statement3 ,i have lived to see fifty-six new years1 and ,i have kept a daily journal of my life for the last thirty-five years4 ,in some measure it is also a life of others4 ,i have written many sermons and teachings of the ,prophets ,joseph ,smith and ,brigham ,young1 and sermons of apostles and elders of the ,church4 ,i have watched the signs of the times for many years and noted the fulfillment of prophecy4 ,the new year1 as usual1 awakened within him a prophetic spirit4 ,the future was of great importance in his expectations of the fulfillment of ,god's purposes4 ,the fulfillment of prophecy was so certain to his mind that he dwelt upon it as if he were discussing events of the past4 ,he celebrated his ,new ,year's day by visiting his wives and children at their homes and by taking them for a sleigh ride4 ,in those early days the snow lay longer upon the ground than in recent years4 ,the jingle of the sleigh bell made the hearts of the people glad4 ,elder ,woodruff was a many-sided man4 ,while he was possessed of the acutest spiritual nature1 he assumed temporal responsibilities with peculiar satisfaction1 and loved to work on the farm4 ,he was1 perhaps1 the highest type of those requirements laid down by ,alma and ,amulek relative to the spiritual and temporal responsibilities of a servant of ,god4 ,his writings show that he did not place the highest value upon the man who was fitted for only one class of labor1 as preaching or professional work4 #dcd ,early in ,january he took up again his legislative work2 and when not occupied there1 officiated in his ministerial calling4 ,on the #ith of the month he records the fact that he dedicated the new meeting-house in ,farmington4 ,if he was interested in the welfare of the ,saints1 he was no less concerned about the condition of the sinner4 ,he says that on the #aath and #abth he paid visits to ,jason ,luce1 who was in prison sentenced to death for murder4 ,luce was one of the notorious gang in those days1 led by ,hickman1 a man who preyed upon his fellow-man and who was guilty of some of the most atrocious crimes1 which he undertook to lay at the feet of the leaders4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded his conversation with ,luce1 who is quoted as saying that he had never killed any person or had a hand in the death of any one except ,rhodes and ,burting4 ,he had killed them in self-defense4 ,he said that ,william ,hickman had advised him to do many things that made his flesh crawl1 but that he had not followed ,hickman's advice in these things4 ,he felt that ,hickman had betrayed him and done him a great injury4 ,luce said that ,hickman had been his ruin and the ruin of others1 and that in all these things ,hickman had carried his point by declaring that ,president ,young had given him counsel to do them4 ,this statement ,elder ,woodruff characterized in his journal as a cursed lie4 ,luce asked me to pray with him that he might have strength to go to his execution and pay the penalty of his crimes4 ,i prayed with him according to his request1 and then bade him good-bye as did others who were with him4 ,there was no request in that prayer that ,luce be taken to the bosom of ,jesus4 ,there was no promise of a glorious exaltation for him4 ,he had committed a crime1 he had to pay the penalty1 and ,elder ,woodruff left him to ,god's mercy as he felt merciful toward him4 ,the interest of ,apostle ,woodruff in ,jason ,luce arose in part from the fact that he belonged to a family with whom ,elder ,woodruff had long been acquainted and with whom he had labored2 but ,jason had fallen into bad company and became one of a gang of thieves1 and disregarding counsel1 went finally the way of the wicked4 ,from the drift of affairs at home1 the attention of the authorities #dce was called to the condition of the ,church in foreign lands1 especially on the ,hawaiian ,islands4 ,there1 ,walter ,m4 ,gibson1 a missionary1 had organized a church of his own and for some time had wielded a wonderful influence over the natives4 ,elders ,ezra ,t4 ,benson1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith were sent to the ,islands to put in order the ,church there and to restore the natives to their proper relation with the authorities in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,gibson was promptly excommunicated and went the way of all adventurers and deceivers whose motives are the accumulation of wealth and the honors of men4 ,it was on this visit to the ,islands that ,elder ,lorenzo ,snow was actually drowned4 ,the boat in which he attempted to land was capsized4 ,president ,snow was rescued by a native1 but to all appearances was dead4 ,it was some time before he showed any signs of life4 ,on the #dth of ,april following1 ,elder ,woodruff records the fact that he was chosen a member of the grand jury4 ,the work was somewhat new to him1 but he soon adjusted himself to his duties and gave it his special attention4 ,from the grand jury room he went to the ,historian's ,office1 then to his conferences1 and mingled religious and secular duties in such a manner as to show the responsibility that he felt himself under to do the very best he could in every calling of life4 ,on the #afth of the following ,may1 he joined ,president ,young's party on a visit to the northern settlements1 especially to those in ,bear ,lake ,valley1 whither ,charles ,c4 ,rich had gone to preside4 ,when the party arrived at ,franklin1 they had to cross the mountains4 ,we left ,franklin at six o'clock and traveled the first twenty miles in a severe rain storm4 ,the country was hilly and the road very crooked4 ,on our arrival at the summit1 the animals were nearly exhausted4 ,we found the way wet and muddy4 ,after proceeding about a mile we entered a mud hole six miles long1 the worst ,i ever saw in my life4 ,i could not compare it with anything better than by taking all the mud holes ,i ever saw in my life and place them in a line4 ,what made it worse than ,illinois or ,indiana mud holes was that they were nothing but mud while this was full of tree stumps and brush4 ,both the horses and mules struggled fearfully1 belly deep1 in the mud to make headway4 ,occasionally a pair of horses or mules would #dcf fall and be buried all over except their heads4 ,men would go and pry out the animals and pull the vehicles out with ropes and then make another start4 ,some carriages were broken4 ,in this way we wallowed through the mud until eight o'clock in the evening4 ,we later continued our journey to ,bear ,lake and reached ,paris at #c o'clock in the morning of the #bjth of ,may4 ,the distance was about twenty miles4 ,speaking of ,bear ,lake he says3 ,we found this to be a large valley4 ,the soil is good and the water is sufficient to irrigate it all and there is abundant timber4 ,it is a great stock range and the lake is the finest in ,utah4 ,it is about thirty miles long and ten miles wide through the middle4 ,it is said that in many places a line two hundred feet long fails to reach the bottom4 ,elder ,woodruff was a fisher1 and of course tells the story of the trout in that region3 ,great numbers of trout ran in the streams from the lake4 ,they ranged some of them from ten to twelve pounds in size4 ,the boatmen sometimes killed them with clubs and sometimes caught them with nets4 ,on the return home1 he said3 ,an accident occurred which came near costing ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith his life4 ,a man by the name of ,merrill put a loaded rifle in the carriage4 ,the gun rested on the seat by ,brother ,george ,a4 ,while he was thus riding1 the wheel struck a rock4 ,brother ,smith threw his body on the upper side of the carriage to balance it1 and at that instant the gun went off4 ,the ball went through the buffalo-robe by him1 passed by his side and went through the wagon behind him4 ,it was a providential escape from death4 ,on ,may the #bdth we drove to ,logan where ,president ,young spoke on the doctrine of the plurality of wives4 ,he said that there were but few elders in the ,church that would receive the exaltation they were looking for in that order4 ,it would be given to many more women than men4 ,there are but few men that enter into that law that keep it4 ,on date of ,june #eth ,elder ,woodruff makes record in his journal of the drowning of ,matthias ,cowley4 ,elder ,cowley was a nephew by marriage to ,apostle ,woodruff1 and had come from the ,isle of ,man to ,nauvoo when thirteen years of age4 ,later #dcg he emigrated with his parents to ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,elder ,woodruff secured a number of men and a boat and went in search of the body1 which1 however1 was not recovered until a week later4 ,early in ,july ,elder ,woodruff accompanied ,president ,young on a trip to ,provo1 where they preached under the bowery to a congregation of some three thousand persons4 ,while there1 ,elder ,woodruff records that a messenger came from ,salt ,lake stating that the ,governor had placed a provost guard in the ,church storehouse opposite the ,temple ,block4 ,the ,governor intended to put the city under martial law4 ,a guard of one hundred men accompanied the ,president and party home4 ,they found his home guarded by two hundred and fifty men4 ,this annoyance created a good deal of agitation among the ,saints1 and ,elder ,woodruff says that on the #abth of ,july he spent most of the day getting singers to the petition to remove the soldiers to the outside of the inhabited portions of the city4 ,the leaders had learned during their early experience that one of the means that the enemy had used to drive out the ,saints was to create some sort of a conflict by aggravating the leaders4 ,it was hoped that some kind of retaliation would be resorted to that would bring them into conflict with the civil authorities4 ,it was so easy to style such a conflict a rebellion4 ,the next step1 of course1 would be martial law4 ,the ,saints and leaders1 however1 were on their guard constantly1 and took every precaution to keep down disturbances4 ,it would not be possible in a biography of this character to follow ,elder ,woodruff in his travels to the various counties throughout the ,church4 ,towns were multiplying rapidly4 ,the ,saints were coming into the ,valleys by the thousands4 ,the pioneer work of extending the borders of the ,church was already beyond the personal supervision of the leaders4 ,on his return from one of these visits he said that he had budded four hundred and nineteen peach trees in the old ,fort block1 where the pioneers had early located4 ,on this block ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,erastus ,snow and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards were ordained apostles1 on ,feb4 #ab1 #ahdi4 ,the block is now owned by the city1 and held as a park4 ,on the #ahth of ,august a visit was made to ,heber ,city4 ,elder #dch ,woodruff described the ,hot ,springs1 located at ,midway1 and the peculiar formation around them4 ,he said that about twenty of them were filled with water4 ,in some instances the water was running over the top4 ,some were about fifteen feet in depth1 and some apparently bottomless4 ,on one they sank a weight one hundred and twenty-five feet and found no bottom4 ,he spoke of the rattle-snake den1 and the fact that between four and five hundred rattle-snakes had been killed in a single day4 ,in the spring they appear on the outside and form into a bunch that would almost fill a bushel4 ,they tie themselves together in knots with their heads sticking out in all directions for defense4 ,the country around the craters is apparently hollow1 as indicated by the sounds caused by the rumbling of wheels4 ,soon after their return from ,heber ,city1 ,september the #ast1 a tour of the southern part of the ,territory was made1 and extended as far as ,st4 ,george and ,santa ,clara4 ,these visits fired the hearts of the ,saints and gave rise to an ambition to make the desert blossom as the rose4 ,at ,fillmore ,elder ,woodruff made a careful note of the splendid condition of the apple orchards4 ,he also stated they held a party there that evening in the stake house1 but ,president ,young broke it up because of the confusion and disorder in the house4 ,on their return from the south1 ,elder ,woodruff made record of the following3 ,while on the road from ,washington to ,harrisburg1 we stopped on the edge of a high precipice which presents very interesting scenery of the valley below4 ,while standing there1 ,brother ,eddings wished me to help him lift up a flat stone that he wanted to throw off from the top to the depth below4 ,as ,i took hold of it4 ,i caught a scorpion between my fingers4 ,the sting gave a shock to my whole system4 ,it was a small scorpion and ,i mashed it to pieces in lifting the stone4 ,this sting alarmed me somewhat1 as the sting of the scorpion is considered very dangerous and some have even lost their lives by it4 ,i soon got some tobacco and bound it on my finger4 ,this seemed to take the poison out1 and ,i received no material injury from the bite4 ,elder ,woodruff1 however1 felt the blessings of the ,lord in his escape from poison and found a parallel in the life of ,paul1 who1 while #dci on the island of ,malta1 shook from his hand a scorpion whose bite did him no harm4 ,the ,october ,conference followed their return4 ,it was largely attended and characterized by the interest the people had in those semi-annual gatherings4 ,it is remarkable that so many came together when we note the difficulties under which ,salt ,lake ,city was reached in those days4 ,immediately after the conference1 on ,october #ajth1 the survivors of ,zion's ,camp held a meeting4 ,it was the first gathering of that body since their expedition to ,missouri4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the fact that there were over fifty of the survivors out of the two hundred and five that belonged originally to ,zion's ,camp4 ,in the evening they enjoyed themselves in a dancing party in the ,social ,hall4 ,it was the most interesting party ,i had ever attended4 ,bishop ,hunter and his counselors provided for those veterans a good dinner and supper1 a precedent since observed by ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,at this date1 #aiji1 there remains but one survivor of ,zion's ,camp1--,nathan ,tanner4 ,the harvest season was practically closed1 yet the molasses mill was an important adjunct to the farm4 ,sugar was scarce and the price high4 ,molasses was a necessity1 and one of the common articles of diet of the people4 ,elder ,woodruff had erected a molasses mill1 which was kept running not only by the cane that he raised on his own farm1 but by the patronage of his neighbors4 ,almost every fall and winter1 therefore1 he had large quantities of molasses to sell4 ,bread1 molasses1 fruit1 milk1 and butter were the products of his own farm1 and were the chief supply of his table4 ,he raised his own mutton and beef1 and his family made clothing from the wool of his sheep4 ,he took a special pride in the fact that he lived by the labors of his own hands and was self-sustaining4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal of ,november #ith1 that year1 contained mentioned of his visit to ,kays ,ward1 where he met a ,sister ,mary ,phillips1 the oldest person in ,utah4 ,in three weeks she would reach her ninety-first year4 ,she had been baptized by ,elder ,woodruff in ,herefordshire in #ahdj4 ,on his return home he encountered one of the old-time east winds which swept down through the canyon and mountains east #ddj of ,farmington4 ,it was so severe that the party had great difficulty in keeping their carriages from being upset4 ,that night ,elder ,woodruff enjoyed the hospitality of ,ezra ,clark1 an old-time bosom friend of ,elder ,woodruff4 ,here the roof of the house of ,ezra ,clark was blown off1 also that of the ,bountiful meeting-house4 ,hay stacks were torn down and scattered over the country4 ,these winds in early days were so frequent and severe as to give the people in ,farmington and vicinity grave apprehension4 ,they were so destructive and so dreaded that ,president ,young rebuked them in the name of the ,lord and they immediately became less frequent4 ,in late years these winds have occurred in some of their old-time severity4 ,the year #ahfe bore witness of stirring events that had much to do in shaping the sentiments of the ,latter-day ,saints in political matters4 ,petty annoyances and officiousness on the part of federal officers gave the ,saints cause for complaint4 ,between religious and civil opinions there had always existed1 and perhaps will always exist1 more or less jealousy over the question of influence4 ,in those days there was no real collision in the matter of authority4 ,the influence of ,president ,young and leading men of the ,church was so incomparably much greater than that exercised by judges and governors that there would naturally arise feelings of suspicion as well as of jealousy4 ,the ,saints were anxious to avoid disputations and collisions1 and yet they felt at times resentful when subjected to what they felt unnecessary indignities4 ,they were loyal to the government1 honored the officers of the law in their place2 but they were also religious4 ,with them1 ,god had a part in the affairs of this nation1 and they foresaw a divine purpose in what was going on among the nations of the earth4 ,their interpretation of events1 even though they were loyal1 were often misunderstood and just as often wilfully misconstrued4 ,in ,february1 #ahfe1 ,elder ,woodruff records the purchase for the ,church of a large tract of land in ,oahu on the ,sandwich ,islands4 ,this purchase was brought about through the instrumentality of ,francis ,a4 ,hammond4 ,november1 the preceding year1 had witnessed the re-election of ,abraham ,lincoln as ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,on ,march #dda #dth he was to be inaugurated4 ,this gave the ,saints an opportunity to meet the officers and soldiers of the ,fort in a friendly celebration4 ,there was fraternal good will and the celebration did much to mitigate suspicion and illiberal feelings4 ,at the conclusion of the celebration ,george ,a4 ,smith arose1 and waving the stars and stripes said3 ,one country1 an undivided country1 the old flag forever6 ,the toast awakened enthusiasm1 and it truthfully expressed the unanimous sentiment of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,at the close of the services1 ,elder ,woodruff and several other leading men repaired to the ,city ,hall1 where they took dinner with ,colonel ,george and staff1 ,colonel ,george having succeeded ,general ,connor in the command of ,fort ,douglas4 ,conditions in ,utah now seemed improved4 ,the war was over1 and peace was to be the watchword of the nation4 ,why should the people of ,utah not also have their share of that sacred boon8 ,the country1 however1 was aroused almost to a state of frenzy by the assassination of ,president ,lincoln4 ,the ,territory mourned with the other territories and states of the ,union4 ,on ,april #afth ,elder ,woodruff preached the funeral sermon in honor of the martyred ,president in the ,tabernacle at ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,in the afternoon of that day ,franklin ,d4 ,richards and ,geo4 ,q4 ,cannon also spoke upon the same subject4 ,april #aith1 however1 they set apart as a day of general mourning throughout the land1 and in ,salt ,lake ,city thousands assembled in the ,tabernacle to take part in the services4 ,they consisted of ,mormons1 ,jews and ,gentiles1 civil and military authorities4 ,the audience was addressed by ,amasa ,lyman and the ,rev4 ,norman ,mc,leod4 ,between ,june #ast and #aeth of that year1 ,elder ,woodruff joined ,president ,young's company on a visit through the settlements as far south as ,payson4 ,near that town they visited the ,indian camp1 where they found ,colonel ,irish1 who was persuading the ,indians to enter into a treaty by which they might thereafter occupy a reservation in ,uintah4 ,of that event ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,president ,young and company drove to the ,indian farm and held a meeting with the ,indians4 ,colonel ,irish1 the agent1 had called upon ,president ,young to assist him in making a treaty which he could not bring about because of the opposition #ddb of the ,indians to it4 ,mr4 ,irish made a speech and the ,indian chiefs made speeches4 ,they did not want to sell their lands and go away4 ,president ,young then made a talk to them1 explained that it would be best for them to sign the treaty1 and the advantages that would come to them from it4 ,they finally said they would do as he said2 but they wanted to think it over until the next day4 ,when they met again1 the chiefs came forward and signed the treaty1 except one by the name of ,sanpitch1 who claimed to be the main chief4 ,he lay in his tent on his face for about two days4 ,he was on his dignity4 ,the other chiefs paid no attention to him4 ,after all was over1 ,sanitch came forward and wanted his presents and wanted to sign the treaty4 ,however1 he got some presents1 but had to come to ,salt ,lake ,city to sign the treaty4 ,colonel ,johns of the ,united ,states ,army was present and ,colonel ,irish informed him that he could do nothing with the ,indians except through the influence of ,president ,young4 ,about this time ,schuyler ,colfax1 ,governor ,bowles and others paid the ,territory a visit4 ,we spent about two hours with them and had a free1 social interview4 ,they talked about a variety of subjects1 among the rest gold digging4 ,president ,young showed ,mr4 ,colfax how much better off those were who had stayed at home1 cultivated the earth and made improvements than those who had gone to dig gold4 ,mr4 ,colfax thought that if we did not open the mines ourselves that others would4 ,president ,young said that1 'if they open mines in this territory1 it will be against all the faith that ,i can exercise with my ,god2 for the people have spent twenty dollars for every one they have obtained from the mines4' ,president ,young felt that it was not wisdom to encourage the mining industry at that time when so much depended upon the colonization of the ,territory1 in the construction of canals1 and in bringing the land under cultivation4 ,mr4 ,colfax and party visited the ,salt ,lake ,theater and pronounced it1 according to ,elder ,woodruff's journal1 the best1 with the exception of two1 west of ,new ,york ,city4 ,while ,mr4 ,colfax and party were here1 ,gov4 ,doty died4 ,great respect was shown throughout the ,territory for the occasion4 #ddc ,the ,latter-day ,saints1 wishing to secure the appointment of some one who understood conditions here1 and who would not act in a spirit of antagonism towards them1 sent a petition to ,washington1 asking for the appointment of ,colonel ,irish4 ,their petition1 however1 was not granted4 ,the ,october conference of that year was well attended4 ,president ,daniel ,h4 ,wells had just returned from ,england1 and gave an interesting address to the ,saints4 ,on ,december #bbnd the ,president and ,twelve gathered as usual at the home of ,sister ,jane ,blackhurst1 whose devotion to her faith and humble1 ,god-fearing life endeared her to all with whom she came in contact4 ,of her ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,in the history of the whole world ,i do not know of a woman occupying a position like that of ,sister ,jane ,blackhurst4 ,a woman once fed the ,prophet ,elisha in time of famine1 and the ,lord increased her cruse of oil and measure of meal4 ,one or two women were last at the cross and earliest at the grave of ,jesus4 ,sister ,blackhurst has made a feast for the ,presidency and the ,twelve1 annually1 for the last fifteen years1 although she is a poor1 crippled woman4 ,he then proceeded to bless her in an inspired manner4 ,elder ,woodruff closed his journal for #ahfe by recognizing the hand of ,god in all that had befallen the people4 ,in the midst of political turmoils of those times1 and the enmities that existed against the ,saints1 he found reason to praise ,god1 the giver of all good4 #ddd ,,chapter #da4 ,,the ,,years #ahff1 '#fg1 '#fh4 ,new ,year's ,greetings4--,evil ,spirits ,rebuked4--,love for ,little ,ones4--,drawings in ,his ,journal4--,mrs4 ,godbe's ,dream4--,brigham ,young's ,remarks on the ,atonement4--,sept4 #e1 #ahfg1 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith ,selected as ,one of the ,twelve4--,amasa ,lyman ,dropped from ,twelve4--,school of the ,prophets4--,move to ,provo4--,grass-hopper ,war4--,advent of the ,railroad4--,remarkable ,prophetic ,utterances at ,logan4--,visit to ,sanpete4--,call to ,first ,presidency of ,geo4 ,a4 ,smith4--,accident to ,his ,son ,ashael--,summary of #ahfh4 ,new ,year's ,day1 #ahff1 found nine of the ,twelve ,apostles at home4 ,elder ,woodruff says they met at ten o'clock in the ,historian's ,office in a body and went across the street to the home of ,president ,young where they greeted him with the compliments of the season1 and in return received his best wishes and blessings4 ,they then called upon ,heber ,c4 ,kimball and paid him their compliments4 ,he1 in turn1 blessed them and prophesied respecting the future blessings which awaited them4 ,to ,orson ,hyde he said3 ,you shall overcome all things1 conquer in the end1 without a spot or blemish1 and shall be crowned with glory in the presence of ,god1 as ,joseph saw you thirty years ago4 ,brother ,franklin has passed through trials and will also be vindicated in the end4 ,i will say concerning ,schuyler ,colfax1 who aspires to the ,presidential chair to the downfall of the ,latter-day ,saints1 that he shall go down as ,douglas did and shall be a disappointed man4 ,they then called on ,president ,wells1 to whom they extended a like greeting4 ,after this they called upon ,apostles ,george ,a4 ,smith and ,john ,taylor4 ,apostle ,taylor provided three sleighs and they all drove to ,orson ,pratt's home1 where they greeted his family1 he being on a mission at that time4 ,they paid their respects to ,mayor ,smoot and ,governor ,durkee4 ,these ,new ,year calls having been made1 they made their way to the home of ,john ,taylor1 who provided the company with a ,new ,year's dinner4 ,after giving an account of his labors in the ,historian's ,office for the months of ,january and ,february1 ,apostle ,woodruff's journal of ,march #agth contains the narration of a peculiar circumstance #dde which transpired at the ,city ,hall4 ,the police had in their custody a man possessed of evil spirits4 ,he was a raving maniac4 ,elder ,woodruff called to see him1 and being alone with him1 he laid his hands upon the man's head and commanded the devils to leave him4 ,they obeyed2 and the man became instantly sane and begged ,elder ,woodruff to take him to his home4 ,the latter complied1 and the man remained in a sane condition of mind until about one o'clock the following morning1 when he again became possessed4 ,again ,elder ,woodruff rebuked the evil spirit4 ,the man was relieved and remained quiet until morning4 ,there were some subsequent attacks upon this unfortunate1 but through the power of faith1 he was healed4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal is devoted to a narration of family life as well as to those of public services4 ,his heart is full of love for his wives and children1 and he felt especially tender toward the little ones4 ,on ,may #dth he said3 ,my grandson1 four years old1 brought wood to me nearly all day4 ,i told him ,i would record it in my journal so that he could read it when he became a man4 ,this was a little thing1 but that is one of those little things that showed the appreciation and gratitude of ,apostle ,woodruff toward the humblest and most child-like of those who administered to his wants4 ,there is something remarkable about the appreciation of ,elder ,woodruff for what was good and true and beautiful in life4 ,good sermons always delighted him for they were food to a hungry soul4 ,june #crd1 #ahff1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded a synopsis of a sermon delivered by ,president ,young1 who took as a text1 ,if ,i am lifted up1 ,i will draw all men unto me4 ,i considered it in some respects the greatest sermon ,i ever heard in this dispensation4 ,he also referred to the sermons of ,orson and ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and of ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 who was then a young man4 ,elder ,woodruff was free from envy and was not swayed by ambitious motives4 ,in his journal of ,june #bdth he says3 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith spoke an hour and fifteen minutes1 and the power of ,god was upon him4 ,he manifested the same spirit that was upon his uncle1 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 and upon his father1 ,hyrum ,smith4 ,on the first of ,july following1 he makes this record1 respecting the words of ,president ,young at the close of a prayer circle #ddf which had just been held by the ,presidency and some of the brethren4 ,as they were about to leave1 ,president ,young spoke up3 ',hold on4 ,shall ,i do as ,i feel led to do8 ,i always feel well when ,i follow the promptings of the spirit4 ,it has come to my mind to ordain ,brother ,joseph ,f4 ,smith to the ,apostleship1 and to be one of my counselors4' ,he then called upon each one of us for an expression of our feelings and we responded with our hearty approval4 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith was then ordained under the hands of ,brigham ,young and the brethren present to be an ,apostle in the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints and to be a special witness to the nations of the earth4 ,he was further ordained to be a counselor in the ,first ,presidency of the ,church4 ,as the summer days opened1 and travel was facilitated by the warm weather1 frequent tours were made to the various towns and stakes of the ,church4 ,on these visits of ,president ,young1 ,wilford ,woodruff's presence was almost always noticeable4 ,he did not delve much into the mysteries of the kingdom1 but was a safe counselor in matters of every-day life4 ,his own example afforded excellent encouragement to the ,saints in the development of every industry required in those times4 ,his spiritual nature was fed by the ordinances in which he officiated in the house of ,god4 ,when ever possible he went there to officiate and to take part with his brethren in administering both to the living and to the dead4 ,wilford ,woodruff had a curious practice in keeping his journal of making some peculiar or appropriate drawing at the head of some particular event of which he wished to take notice4 ,these drawings1 no doubt1 helped him in after years to find the record of these events in lieu of an index4 ,for example1 there may be seen at one place the drawing of a number of coffins4 ,the drawing suggests ,baptiste1 the grave-robber4 ,the drawings are more significant than artistic2 however1 they were no doubt helpful in locating certain events to which at some future time he might wish to refer4 ,under date of ,march #bith ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,my attention was called to a dream of ,mrs4 ,william ,godbe published in the ,deseret ,news of #ahfg4 ,the dream related to life in the spirit world1 and gave the experience of herself and others there4 ,it awakened much interest among the people and was the subject of general conversation4 ,elder ,george ,davis1 who drove #ddg an express wagon1 asked his wife if she thought the dream was true2 and when she replied that she believed it was1 ,elder ,davis said that he felt like going into the spirit world to see for himself4 ,elder ,davis read the dream over to his wife three times1 and finally said to her3 ',if ,i should die to-night or to-morrow it would be alright4' ,early in the morning he went with another man to get a load of gravel4 ,he had thrown into the wagon only a shovelful when the bank caved in upon him and he was buried about three feet4 ,his companion dug him out as quickly as possible1 but he was dead4 ,elder ,woodruff preached the funeral sermon1 and regarded the man's death as an evidence that there are times set for our departure from this life4 ,such circumstances as that always made a deep and lasting impression on ,elder ,woodruff1 and his thoughts1 feelings1 and desires seemed close to the world beyond4 ,soon after the ,april conference of that year1 ,president ,young set out upon one of his tours through the southern settlements of the ,territory4 ,it was a sort of triumphal procession4 ,everywhere the ,church leaders were received with manifestations of a heart-felt welcome4 ,sunday school children lined the road sides and helped make the occasion in the different settlements one that would be long remembered4 ,efforts had been made among many non-,mormons to cast discredit upon the character of ,brigham ,young and lessen his influence over the people4 ,it was that influence that was bitterly contested4 ,the people1 however1 knew the voice of their shepherd and gave him the strongest assurance of their love and fellowship4 ,at ,fillmore1 on the return trip1 ,may #abth1 the speakers1 in their turn1 emphasized the subject1 ,the ,necessity of the ,atonement4 ,it was the home of ,amasa ,lyman1 who was breaking away from his moorings and advocating a strange doctrine respecting the atonement of ,jesus ,christ4 ,in his remarks at that time ,president ,young said3 ,there never was1 and never will be1 a world created and redeemed except by the shedding of the blood of the ,savior of that world4 ,i know why the blood of ,jesus was shed1 and ,i know why the blood of ,joseph and ,hyrum was shed1 and why the blood of others will be shed in the future4 ,it is all to answer a purpose4 ,adam subjected himself to the conditions of this world as did our ,lord and ,master1 that redemption and exaltation #ddh might come to man4 ,without descending below all things1 we cannot rise above all things4 ,the gospel of salvation will never change4 ,it is the same in all ages of the world and will be through all ages of eternity4 ,it was not long after their return to ,salt ,lake that a trip of the leaders was made to ,provo1 where a new meeting-house had been erected and was to be dedicated4 ,elder ,woodruff made the following description of it3 ,it is built after the ,presbyterian order4 ,it has a pulpit in it1 a very narrow one1 that gives but little room to stand in1 and there is barely room for three or four on the stand behind it4 ,the house has been twelve years in building4 ,in his discourse to the people from the pulpit he said3 ,i thank ,god with every sentiment of my heart that ,i have lived to see a ,presbyterian meeting-house filled with the ,saints of ,god1 and the pulpit occupied by the ,apostles of the ,lamb1 who have dedicated this house unto the ,lord4 ,this meeting-house still stands in ,provo1 but is now superseded by one much larger and more commodiously arranged4 ,the leaders on their return from ,provo made a visit to ,logan4 ,here1 ,president ,young is quoted as saying that the ten tribes of ,israel are on a portion of the earth1--a portion separated from the main land4 ,this view is also expressed in one of the sacrificial hymns written by ,eliza ,r4 ,snow3 ,and when the ,lord saw fit to hide ,the ten lost tribes away1 ,thou1 earth1 was severed to provide ,the orb on which they stay4 ,it was here on the #eth of ,september1 #ahfg1 ,elder ,joseph ,f4 ,smith was selected to be one of the ,twelve ,apostles1 he having been ordained sometime before as an ,apostle without having been made a member of the ,quorum of the ,twelve4 ,he was sustained at the general semi-annual conference which took place between the #fth and #ith of ,october4 ,that conference was one of unusual interest to the ,saints4 ,the new ,tabernacle was then completed and between eight and ten thousand people met to honor the occasion and attend conference4 ,the organ was not quite completed4 ,it was designed to have #ddi two thousand pipes1 but then had only seven hundred and fifty4 ,at this conference one of the brethren spoke upon the ,god-head4 ,the discourse met1 in the main1 the views of ,president ,young4 ,the latter1 however1 said3 ,when any man publishes or preaches his peculiar views he should not say they are the views of the ,church4 ,at the close of the meeting ,president ,young talked very plainly with him about saying that such and such were the doctrines of the ,church2 about telling what would have been if ,christ had not died2 if ,adam had not fallen2 or if there had been no ,savior prepared1 the world would not have been created4 ,the conference was further characterized by the call to ,dixie of a hundred young men4 ,instructions were also given on the laws of life and health4 ,a simple life was urged upon the people4 ,president ,young further impressed upon young ladies the necessity of some sort of business education4 ,he thought they should study telegraphy1 learn to keep books1 and prepare themselves for the lighter vocations of life4 ,the conference had its shadows4 ,much that was taught was no doubt a result of peculiar views which ,amasa ,lyman preached4 ,this ,apostle was dropped from his position in the ,quorum of the ,twelve4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the marriage on ,october #abth of his son ,wilford to ,emily ,jane ,smith4 ,to the father1 the ordinance was in keeping with man's express duty to his ,god and his obligation to the ,church4 ,he thought it was a circumstance in a young man's life which called forth a prayerful desire to serve the ,lord4 ,indeed1 such sacred obligations as marriage should never be undertaken without resorting to prayer for ,god's guidance4 ,the organization of the ,school of the ,prophets was again taken up and effected on the #afth day of ,december1 #ahfg4 ,its members met in the ,city ,hall4 ,it had been organized in earlier days of the ,church by the ,prophet ,joseph through revelation1 and was designed for the spiritual growth and development of the ,saints of ,god4 ,of this school ,elder ,woodruff was a devoted and active member4 ,the winter of #ahff and '#fg was an open one4 ,up to ,january #ast the ground was bare4 ,the weather was warm and there had #dej been a considerable fall of rain4 ,the winter months of that spring were occupied by ,elder ,woodruff in legislative work4 ,he had with him at that time two ,indian boys whom he undertook to educate4 ,one was called ,moroni1 the other ,sarrowkeets4 ,the latter1 he sent to a private school taught by ,elizabeth ,cowley in her home in the ,fourteenth ,ward4 ,these ,indian boys1 in one way or another1 caused him considerable trouble1 yet he bore with them patiently and sought to educate them and provide for them a father's care4 ,moroni died as a boy4 ,sarrowkeets or ,keets1 as he was familiarly called1 yielded to the wandering spirit of his ancestors and left home4 ,it is supposed that he was run over and killed by a ,short ,line train four miles north of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,in his journal of ,january #bast he recorded some instructions given to a body of the priesthood4 ,who was ,michael1 the ,archangel8 ,he is ,adam1 who was ,michael in the creation of the world4 ,it will take all the ordinances of the gospel to save one soul as much as it will take to save another1--the dead as well as the living4 ,jesus ,christ ,himself obeyed all the ordinances of the gospel that ,he might fulfill all righteousness4 ,therefore1 those who have died without the gospel will have to receive it in the spirit world from those who preach it to the spirits in prison4 ,those who dwell in the flesh will have to attend to all the ordinances of the gospel for and in behalf of the dead4 ,continuing1 he remarked3 ,there are some keys which the ,prophet ,joseph held which no other man held while he lived4 ,so it is with ,brigham ,young4 ,the keys of the sealing power are held by the ,president alone1 although he permits others to administer in this ordinance4 ,when ,i was baptized into this ,church1 ,i was observing the seventh day as the ,sabbath of the ,lord1 and not the first day of the week2 but ,i knew that the ,latter-day ,saints were the people of ,god1 and had the true ,church of ,christ2 and if ,i had had a hundred traditions ,i would have laid them all aside4 ,elder ,woodruff observed that in the ,school of the ,prophets the brethren were instructed not to dabble in astrology1 or any system which might contain a mixture of truth and error4 ,not one ray of light had ever been thrown upon the principle of salvation in the practice of clairvoyance and spiritualism4 ,these #dea subjects are not such as men can act upon with the ordinary intelligence ,god has given them4 ,in the early part of the year #ahfh1 ,elder ,woodruff1 ,john ,taylor1 and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith with others were called to ,provo for the purpose of assisting in the work to be done there4 ,abram ,o4 ,smoot was elected as mayor1 and ,elder ,woodruff with others1 constituted the ,city ,council4 ,the town was in need of a new spiritual life4 ,it also needed strong men to guide its destinies and make it a center of one of the leading stakes of the ,church4 ,elder ,woodruff1 however1 did not long remain there1 and upon receiving his release returned with his family to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,when he reached ,salt ,lake ,city1 he found there a letter from his brother ,azmon1 who had embraced the gospel when he did in the state of ,new ,york4 ,the brother1 however1 was in a dissatisfied state of mind4 ,he wrote letters occasionally to ,wilford in which he set forth some of his objections to the work4 ,in reply to these letters1 some of which were copied in ,wilford ,woodruff's journal1 he spoke to his brother with great plainness1 told him about his wives and children1 and gave a strong defense of the principle of ,plural ,marriage4 ,this was the year of the grasshopper war4 ,swarms of them had swept over the country4 ,they were so thick at times as to cloud the rays of the sun4 ,the struggle with these insects was rightly characterized as a war4 ,it is difficult to realize at this distance of time what it meant in those days to protect the crops against the ravages of the grasshopper4 ,all the ingenuity and device that men could bring to their assistance were used in the effort to save out of the ruins enough bread for winter use4 ,furrows were ploughed1 nets were devised1 and by these different means ,elder ,woodruff says in three days they caught and destroyed one hundred and seventy-five bushels of grasshoppers4 ,elder ,woodruff gave to that war all his strength and ingenuity4 ,we next find him1 according to his journal1 grubbing willows1 breaking land1 building bridges1 digging ditches1 constructing roads1 erecting fences1 barns1 and houses4 ,he was1 indeed1 a model of industry4 ,he was as pliable in spirit as he was in body4 ,all honorable work was ,god's work1 whether he dug a ditch1 preached a sermon1 or wrote history1--with him it was all alike for the glory of ,god4 #deb ,in #ahfh ,apostle ,woodruff made a record of the enthusiasm which he1 in common with others1 felt over the advent of the railroad4 ,it was approaching the ,territory from both the east and the west4 ,there was considerable agitation about its location4 ,president ,young and others had taken contract for the construction of the road-bed4 ,where the railroad entered ,utah was of course to them a matter of great importance1 as ,salt ,lake ,city was the headquarters1 and its future possibilities seemed wonderful to them4 ,on the #ajth of ,june ,elder ,woodruff walked from his farm on ,canyon ,creek to ,salt ,lake that he might take part in a mass-meeting which was to discuss the entrance or place of entrance of the roads into the ,territory4 ,should these trans-continental lines meet in ,ogden or ,salt ,lake ,city8 ,to their minds ,salt ,lake ,city was the place4 ,in that event1 the road would go south of the lake1 instead of north of it4 ,those1 however1 whose word was final in the matter decided to make ,ogden the ,junction ,city1 and plans were at once entered into to construct from that place to ,salt ,lake ,city a branch line4 ,with the advent of the railroad1 the interests of the ,territory became so diversified that there were subjects to interest and occupy the non-,mormon and ,mormons alike4 ,there were more public platforms on which all might stand with equal interest4 ,heretofore1 the ,fourth of ,july had been the principal occasion for universal celebration2 this year it was observed in the customary manner4 ,all the ,sunday schools of the city marched to the ,tabernacle1 with them were enough grown people to make an audience of some ten thousand4 ,addresses were delivered by ,governor ,durkee1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,general ,a4 ,l4 ,chattan1 and ,george ,q4 ,cannon4 ,colonel ,e4 ,h4 ,head was orator of the day4 ,the ,twenty-fourth was also appropriately celebrated by the ,saints4 ,in ,august the leaders visited the settlements north as far as ,logan4 ,in his address there ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,when ,i was a youth1 ,i felt that ,i would have gone hundreds of miles to see a prophet or an apostle of the ,lord1 or any other man called of ,god and inspired to preach the gospel of ,christ in its fulness and purity4 ,now1 as ,i travel through the country ,i see thousands of children1 also men and women who behold prophets1 apostles1 and elders4 ,they greet ,president ,young1 the ,twelve1 and others as #dec we travel through the country4 ,this is an excellent practice1 as it will make a lasting impression upon the minds of all1 especially the children4 ,they will never forget it4 ,when they meet in the years which are to come they will converse upon the scene of this visit something as follows3 ',oh6 what a great change has taken place since the ,prophet ,brigham ,young and the ,apostles visited ,logan in #ahfh4 ,then1 it was a new country4 ,there were a few settlements and only about ten thousand people1 all told1 in ,cache ,valley4 ,then1 we had no tabernacle in which to worship--no ,temple of the ,lord stood upon the bench to the east of the city4 ,now1 we have a great tabernacle1 a beautiful ,temple of the ,lord1 from whose summit we may view the glory of this valley filled with cities and towns from north to south4 ,then1 our fields were filled one-half with sun flowers and noxious weeds4 ,now1 they are properly tilled and no man occupies more land than he can cultivate properly4' ,on the return from this trip1 a journey was taken by the leaders through the settlements south of ,sanpete4 ,the disagreements between the authorities and many non-,mormons of those times had created an enthusiastic determination on the part of the people to stand by their leaders4 ,the efforts to imprison ,brigham ,young and to bring reproach upon his name only awakened the stronger their confidence and love4 ,when the company reached ,nephi many women and children came out to meet and greet him4 ,they built a large pyramid of evergreens with the word ,welcome woven into it4 ,their enthusiasm kindled into a heartfelt expression1 ,blessed are they that come in the name of the ,lord4 ,there was a grand ovation wherever the leaders went4 ,president ,young1 however1 was not exalted in his feelings because of these attentions4 ,the welfare of the ,saints was a matter of deep concern to him4 ,the ,saints were admonished to abandon the use of tea1 coffee1 and tobacco2 to cease to use liquor2 and not support those in the country who were the deadly enemies of the ,saints--those1 who1 enriching themselves by their patronage1 were sending lies abroad against the people4 ,at ,nephi the stake of ,zion was organized with ,elder ,jacob ,bigler as president4 ,on reaching ,mt4 ,pleasant1 the enthusiasm of the people exceeded #ded even that at ,nephi4 ,it was the greatest display and the largest procession ,i ever saw outside of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,at ,ephraim there was a torchlight procession4 ,there1 ,president ,canute ,peterson was selected to preside over the priesthood in that place4 ,he subsequently became president of the ,sanpete ,stake4 ,at ,ephraim ,elder ,woodruff recorded in his journal the following3 ,i had an interview this morning with a ,danish brother by the name of ,soren ,christensen1 a man seventy-five years of age4 ,he had lived under five reigning kings of ,denmark and had served as a soldier under ,napoleon4 ,he was a very strong man4 ,the leaders returned for general conference which convened that fall on the #fth of ,october4 ,it was the first time for thirty-two years1 said ,elder ,woodruff1 that all the ,quorum of the ,twelve had been together4 ,the last time before this was at the home of ,elder ,heber ,c4 ,kimball in ,kirtland4 ,they were then contending one against the other1 and ,brigham ,young prayed that all the ,quorum might never meet again until it could meet in peace and union4 ,the entire ,quorum never met since then until this day4 ,only three of the original ,quorum still remained4 ,they were ,brigham ,young1 ,orson ,hyde1 and ,orson ,pratt4 ,the ,quorum at this time consisted of ,orson ,hyde1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,ezra ,t4 ,benson1 ,chas4 ,c4 ,rich1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,at this conference ,george ,a4 ,smith was called to the ,first ,presidency of the ,church to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 and ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 was called to fill the place made vacant in the ,quorum4 ,he had1 however1 been previously ordained as an apostle4 ,on ,october #bfth of that year1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded a circumstance of a misfortune that befell one of his sons4 ,the ,indian boy ,keets whom he had taken to raise1 in a fit of surliness left his post of duty at the molasses mill where he was feeding the rollers4 ,no one was left to take the ,indian boy's place except ,elder ,woodruff's little son1 ,ashael1 then only five years old4 ,while the child was feeding the mill1 his right hand was drawn between the rollers and badly crushed4 ,the father and mother #dee immediately brought him to the city where the thumb and two of the fingers were amputated by ,dr4 ,ormsby4 ,december #hth he recorded the death of ,daniel ,spencer1 president of the ,salt ,lake ,stake2 and on the #ith1 the death of ,leonora ,cannon ,taylor1 wife of ,president ,john ,taylor4 ,in closing the record of the year #ahfh1 he made a summary of his labors for that year4 ,he traveled one thousand three hundred and four miles1 attended one hundred and seventy-six meetings1 preached seventy-nine discourses1 attended thirty-two prayer meetings with the ,presidency and ,twelve1 twenty-six meetings of his own prayer circle1 two general conferences4 ,he labored twenty days in the ,endowment ,house1 gave endowments to two thousand and twenty-five persons1 married four hundred and nine couples1 out of a total of one thousand one hundred and nine for that year4 ,he officiated in other ordinances for eighteen persons1 met with the ,school of the ,prophets forty-seven times1 baptized one1 confirmed one1 blessed one child1 met in a council with the body of the priesthood three times1 met with an ,irrigation ,company twice1 and while in ,provo met four times with the ,city ,council4 ,during the year he wrote eighty letters and received sixty4 ,he attended the legislative council forty days4 ,besides all this1 he labored on his farm plowing1 planting1 reaping1 and irrigating4 ,he killed about three hundred bushels of grasshoppers4 ,what a marvel of industry6 #def ,,chapter #db4 ,,the ,,years1 #ahfi1 '#gj4 ,co-operative ,movement4--,cove ,fort4--,pronouncement ,against ,use of ,wine4--,organization of ,bear ,lake ,stake4--,visit of ,schuyler ,colfax4--,the ,godbe ,movement4--,descendants of ,cain4--,utah ,central ,r4 ,r4 ,completed4--,plural ,marriage4--,boston ,board of ,trade ,visits ,utah4--,sayings of ,brigham ,young4--,the ,newman-,pratt ,discussion4--,martin ,harris ,rebaptized4 ,january #ast1 #ahfi1 ,wilford ,woodruff accompanied ,brigham ,young to ,ogden1 where a meeting was held for the purpose of discussing a grant of land to the ,union ,pacific and ,central ,pacific ,railroads for the use of their terminal station4 ,on the #bnd they met ,governor ,stanford of ,california and ,mr4 ,durant1 both railroad men4 ,the former rode with ,president ,young to view the proposed depot site4 ,the authorities had done all in their power to make ,salt ,lake ,city the terminal1 hoping that the ,central ,pacific would come by way of the south end of the lake4 ,they accepted their disappointment gracefully and did all they could to expedite the construction of the railroads and terminal facilities at the ,junction ,city4 ,much of the month of ,january was devoted by ,elder ,woodruff to his legislative work4 ,under date of the #bbnd1 however1 he recorded the testimony of ,joseph ,b4 ,nobles to the effect that he officiated in the first plural marriage of this dispensation1 by sealing ,eliza ,beman to the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 on ,may #fth1 #ahda4 ,on the following #gth of ,february1 a ,presbyterian minister1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,stewart1 was accorded the privilege of addressing the ,saints in the ,tabernacle1 and in the evening at the ,fourteenth ,ward ,assembly ,room4 ,from the earliest times in ,utah there was a manifest willingness on the part of the leaders to grant the use of their places of worship to ministers of the various denominations4 ,the teachings of these ministers afforded the ,saints an opportunity of contrasting the doctrines of the ,latter-day ,saints with those of the various sects4 #deg ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal1 said that the year #ahfi was characterized by the great co-operative movement1 which made rapid headway throughout the settlements in ,utah4 ,the early work of the pioneers had been the redemption of the land4 ,to their mind1 however1 there was a special virtue in the cultivation of the soil and the manufacturing of those things needed by the pioneers4 ,trade and speculation were somewhat at variance with the religious spirit and tendencies of those times1 but the movement was hastened by the advent into the ,territory of large numbers of ,gentiles who fed and fattened upon trade and speculation4 ,the wealth acquired by these parvenu merchants was quite naturally a source of considerable power4 ,they had the money to carry on almost any propaganda which they saw fit to inculcate in the minds of the people of the ,united ,states2 more than that1 the great profit to them often became a heavy burden to the people4 ,there were in those days strong antagonisms1 and partisan spirit ran high4 ,many of the merchants used their money in a manner harmful to the best interests of the ,latter-day ,saints1 and in such a way as to engender a hatred towards them by the people of the ,united ,states4 ,to mitigate these unfortunate conditions1 and lessen the power of certain ones of their enemies1 and for the further purpose of permitting the ,latter-day ,saints themselves to reap their share of business profits1 the co-operative system was inaugurated4 ,the people were encouraged to take stock in these institutions which were organized largely under the direction and control of the religious leaders in the various communities4 ,in traveling through the settlements of the ,saints1 the subject of co-operation was one of the chief topics of discourse4 ,every town1 where the ,saints had settled1 organized its co-operative store4 ,in early days these stores were potent factors1 and the control of prices was often regulated by them4 ,the authorities urged the managers of those institutions to practice equity in their business affairs4 ,the first wholesale dry goods store to do a wholesale business1 was organized ,march #ast1 #ahfi4 ,the non-,mormon merchants of ,salt ,lake ,city naturally felt the force of the new movement and made a proposition to ,president ,young to the effect that they would be glad to sell him #deh their establishment and merchandise at cost1 he to collect debts and assume their liabilities4 ,upon his doing so1 they promised to quit the ,territory4 ,they based their grievance largely upon the instructions given to the people1 in which they were admonished not to trade with their enemies4 ,brigham ,young1 who was equal to the occasion1 called their attention to the fact that any and every man had a perfect right to engage in business within this ,territory4 ,he stated1 however1 that his objection was to a certain class of merchants who took advantage of the wealth which they accumulated from the people to spread misinformation about the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,of course the offer was a bluff4 ,these men might have left the ,territory and they might have come back the next day4 ,there was no offer on their part to put themselves under obligations not to take up merchandising any time they saw fit1 after disposing of their property2 and even if they had entered into such a bond1 it would have been illegal in restraint of trade4 ,it was a bluff1 and used for outside effect4 ,president ,young thought they would make a most excellent bargain if they could sell out on the terms proposed1--terms that any merchant would be glad to accept4 ,on the #afth of ,april ,elder ,woodruff took up another of those preaching tours with ,president ,young to ,st4 ,george1 and settlements lying along the way4 ,he stated in his journal that just before leaving ,salt ,lake he received word that his nephew by marriage1 ,franklin ,b4 ,woolley1 had been killed by the ,indians1 near the ,mohave ,river in ,southern ,california4 ,elder ,woolley was at the time in charge of a company of men who were engaged in freighting goods from southern ,california to the ,st4 ,george co-operative store4 ,he was the son of ,bishop ,edwin ,d4 ,woolley of the ,thirteenth ,ward of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,when his remains were found1 it was discovered that his body had been pierced by several arrows4 ,the mule upon which he rode was tied to a tree with its throat cut4 ,along the way they dedicated1 on the #agth of ,april1 the new meeting-house in ,springville1 ,president ,d4 ,h4 ,wells offering the dedicatory prayer4 ,on reaching ,nephi the authorities took up the ,word of ,wisdom and urged it most strenuously upon the ,saints4 ,the trip was attended by severe storms1 rain1 and snow4 #dei ,almost all the way the roads were very disagreeable4 ,when they reached ,cove ,creek ,fort1 a sort of half-way station between ,kanosh and ,beaver1 the stopped for the night4 ,the distance between ,beaver and ,kanosh was so great that it afforded the ,indians an excellent opportunity to attack travelers and make good their escape4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal records the following description of it3 ,this ,fort is a very substantial building4 ,i think it is the best in the ,territory4 ,it is built of volcanic rock laid in with mortar4 ,each of the four walls is one hundred feet long on the outside1 eighteen feet high from the foundation4 ,on the east side is a gate way fourteen feet wide with a substantial arch six feet deep and three inches thick1 set inside4 ,above this1 preparations are being made for a look-out and telegraph office4 ,on the west side is a gate way eight by four feet1 with projections inside ten and one-half feet wide1 ten feet high4 ,the front contains twelve rooms1 six on the north and six on the south side1 ten of which are sixteen by fourteen feet1 and two are sixteen by seventeen feet1 and nine feet four inches high4 ,there is a chimney to each room1 three feet wide and two feet thick4 ,the chimneys rise six feet above the top of the wall4 ,the rooms are well lighted and have five panel doors4 ,the roof is covered with good shaved pine shingles4 ,the entire building contains two thousand two hundred and fifty perch of rock1 one thousand nine hundred and seventy-five bushels of lime1 and has cost to the present #bb1fij4jj4 ,the ,fort was a great protection in those days4 ,it stood not far from the mouth of the canyon which ran up into ,sevier ,valley1 and was a great necessity to all travelers1 ,mormon1 ,jew1 or ,gentile1 who in those days went to ,california by what was called the ,southern ,route4 ,on reaching ,toquerville1 the company turned east and drove up the ,virgin ,river as far as ,rockville4 ,here we found a beautiful place4 ,a street one-half a mile long with rows of houses on each side and fine gardens and orchards running through the center of the town4 ,the beautiful vineyards and the high mountains make the scene somewhat romantic4 ,on the #bith of ,april1 the company returned to ,toquerville #dfj where ,president ,young1 in a pronounced manner1 depreciated the use of wine4 ,you put wine on your table morning and night and it will be an injury to you4 ,set a good example before all1 and keep the ,word of ,wisdom2 if you do not1 you will soon be severed from the ,church4 ,on leaving there they went directly to ,st4 ,george4 ,the town had grown wonderfully in those days1 and had become one of the most flourishing towns in ,utah4 ,a number of most excellent families had been called to settle the place under the leadership of ,erastus ,snow1 who had charge of the work in the southern part of the ,territory4 ,it was here that ,president ,young recommended the establishment of wholesale stores for ,st4 ,george and ,parowan4 ,when they had reached the latter place on their return1 ,president ,young suggested that an invitation be sent the ,moquitche ,indians to come and locate with the ,saints1 the report having reached him that these ,indians felt desirous of so doing4 ,on their return1 ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,on ,may #afth ,apostle ,cannon and myself spoke in the ,tabernacle4 ,we were followed by a ,methodist minister1 a ,mr4 ,allen1 a descendant of ,col4 ,ethan ,allen4 ,mr4 ,allen had also spoken in the morning4 ,he was very favorably impressed with what he had seen and with the doctrines of the people4 ,on the #ajth of ,may ,elder ,woodruff recorded what to him was a very sad event4 ,his daughter ,susan and children1 obedient to the wishes of their husband and father1 left ,utah for the ,states4 ,the husband had little or no faith and did not care to remain longer among the ,saints4 ,however1 ,elder ,woodruff blessed his daughter and children and prophesied good things concerning them and lived to see his daughter and all her children but one return unto the fold and come back to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,in the month of ,june ,brigham ,young and party started on another tour to the ,north4 ,the pioneer work in the outposts of the ,territory needed the watch care and encouragement of ,president ,young1 who gave detailed attention to everything which affected the welfare of the people4 ,the ,saints who located in these distant places were not permitted to settle down1 by reason of their isolation1 into a neglectful and indifferent life4 ,they were unlike most pioneers on the outskirts of civilization1 as their #dfa religious duties imposed upon them public obligations which were educational in their effect4 ,in ,bear ,lake on this journey1 a new stake organization was effected1 with ,elder ,david ,p4 ,kimball as president4 ,apostle ,charles ,c4 ,rich had already located in ,paris1 ,bear ,lake1 and was the general supervisor of the colonizing work in the far north4 ,on their return to ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,elder ,woodruff took up his work on the farm1 where he hoed corn1 hauled hay1 and harvested his wheat4 ,on ,pioneer ,day1 which was celebrated throughout the cities and towns of ,utah1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote meditatively as follows3 ,twenty-two years ago today ,i drove the team which brought ,president ,brigham ,young from ,emigration ,canyon into this ,city4 ,he lay upon a bed1 sick in my carriage4 ,as soon as his eyes rested upon the beautiful yet desert scene of the valley before us he said3 ',this is the place2 for the ,lord has shown it to me in a vision4' ,we now number more than a hundred thousand souls4 ,see what ,god hath wrought6 ,let ,his name be honored above all else6 ,on the #beth of that month he recorded the return of ,george ,nebeker from a mission to the ,hawaiian ,islands4 ,he brought with him ,napela1 a native ,saint1 who addressed the ,saints in the ,tabernacle of that date4 ,napela1 was the first ,hawaiian to visit ,utah4 ,on the #adth of ,september1 that year1 ,elder ,woodruff recorded the death of ,ezra ,t4 ,benson1 who died suddenly at ,ogden ,city1 at the home of ,elder ,loren ,farr4 ,the following ,sunday ,elder ,woodruff preached a discourse in the ,tabernacle1 in honor of ,brother ,benson1 and gave a brief sketch of his life4 ,he said that on that occasion there were about sixty ladies and gentlemen from ,ohio1 who occupied the front benches and who gave strict attention to what was said4 ,in those times many distinguished visitors passed through ,salt ,lake ,city1 enroute to ,california4 ,they naturally remained over to visit ,salt ,lake ,city and listen to the discourses of the ,mormon authorities4 ,from ,elder ,woodruff's journal it will be observed that the speakers dwelt extensively upon the principle of the patriarchal order of marriage4 ,they explained the views of the ,latter-day ,saints and defined them on religious1 #dfb moral1 and scientific grounds4 ,the members of ,congress were frequently in the audience1 and had the opportunity of listening to the authorities1 and therefore obtained their information on that important subject first-hand4 ,on ,october #crd he gave an account of the visit of ,schuyler ,colfax1 ,mr4 ,ordway1 the ,sergeant-at-arms of the ,house of ,representatives1 and several members of ,congress4 ,these distinguished visitors attended meeting in the afternoon1 and the #adth ,ward meeting-house in the evening4 ,in those days there was a great deal of discussion about the principle of ,plural ,marriage1 and its rightfulness was urged with great force by the ,church leaders4 ,the ,territory was gaining notoriety throughout the country1 and the practice of the people here was a matter of frequent and bitter discussion4 ,the leading men of the nation were somewhat puzzled over a situation that was indeed peculiar to them4 ,the fruit was good1 the tree was bad1 as they found it4 ,there were prosperous and happy homes4 ,there was progress in every direction4 ,the leaders were painstaking1 industrious1 frugal1 ,god-fearing men4 ,there was every evidence of their integrity1 but their system of marriage was not in harmony with the traditions of the past1 and the religious practices of ,christendom4 ,these distinguished visitors felt to praise and also to condemn4 ,they were listening to discourses on a question to which they could not give their assent4 ,they were entertained by means of a ,territorial ,fair1 at which there were seen the products of the ,territory4 ,mr4 ,colfax and his friends expressed their surprise at what they saw4 ,the grain1 vegetables1 fruits1 horses1 cattle1 merchandise1 and all the evidences of industry were far beyond their expectation4 ,thousands of people thronged the fair grounds1 and the occasion was one of general enthusiasm4 ,apostle ,woodruff did not conceal the pride which he felt in the premiums that were awarded because of his horses1 his sheep1 and a cow4 ,the day after the opening of the ,fair1 the ,october ,conference convened4 ,the attendance was unusually large4 ,a large measure of prosperity was enjoyed1 and the people gathered by the thousands4 ,albert ,carrington was chosen a member of the ,twelve in consequence of the death of ,ezra ,t4 ,benson4 ,a #dfc ,mr4 ,coe from ,jerusalem was in attendance and addressed the congregation4 ,the ,territory now had organized a militia which was called out for drill in the various counties4 ,at this time these gatherings of the militia upon the large drill grounds1 in different parts of the ,territory1 was a source of military pride1 which quite generally aroused a militant spirit4 ,the militia of ,salt ,lake ,county met on their large drill ground on the west side of the ,jordan4 ,their organization was complete4 ,the difficulties with the ,indians1 too1 had much to do with this new organization4 ,patriotic spirit was engendered1 and there was generally considerable excitement on those occasions4 ,elder ,woodruff participated in these drills and in #ahgj acted as chaplain4 ,just about this time he recorded a visit which he1 together with ,orson ,pratt and ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 made to ,william ,s4 ,godbe1 ,e4 ,l4 ,t4 ,harrison1 and ,t4 ,b4 ,h4 ,stenhouse4 ,this was popularly known as the ,godbe ,movement4 ,these men were strong characters1 and men of a set determination to have their own way4 ,the mercantile movement of these times1 by which co-operative stores were established1 afforded them1 they pretended1 an opportunity to declare against ,president ,young and his policy4 ,his leadership was a source of jealousy to them4 ,these ,church leaders hoped to persuade them not to yield to what was their evident purpose1 to oppose the ,church4 ,elder ,woodruff said he found them in the dark1 and bitter4 ,he pleaded with them to repent and turn from their wrongful course4 ,subsequently1 however1 they broke away entirely1 and they and their families left the ,church4 ,on the #bgth of ,october the leaders took up one of their tours of the south4 ,new towns were springing up1 and new conditions were so rapidly arising that constant vigilance was required4 ,this closed the year #ahfi4 ,it was an important year in the history of ,salt ,lake because of the completion of the ,utah ,central ,railroad branch line from ,ogden to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,it had been a year of considerable anxiety to the ,saints in consequence of the efforts of ,congress to legislate against the practice of plural marriage among the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,elder ,woodruff #dfd wrote of the bill as a bill to deprive the ,latter-day ,saints from keeping the commandments of ,god4 ,the ,lord has revealed the patriarchal order of marriage1 and we shall be damned if we do not obey it4 ,in order to counteract the influence against the ,latter-day ,saints1 the ladies in ,salt ,lake ,city held a mass-meeting in the ,tabernacle to protest to ,congress against the passage of the ,cullom ,bill or any other bill which might militate against the practice of plural marriage4 ,the meeting was one of great enthusiasm4 ,stirring speeches were made and resolutions adopted and forwarded to ,congress4 ,on the #ajth of ,january ,elder ,woodruff wrote3 ,this is a great day in ,utah4 ,some twelve or fifteen thousand people of the city and surrounding country1 men1 women1 and children1 assembled around the railroad depot to celebrate the completion of the ,utah ,central ,railway1 and to see the last rail laid and the last spike driven by ,president ,young4 ,this railroad was built by the laboring men of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,there were present bands of music from the ,city and ,camp ,douglas4 ,on the stand were the ,first ,presidency1 the ,twelve ,apostles1 the officers of the ,union and ,central and ,pacific ,railroad1 including the officers of ,fort ,douglas4 ,a large steel mallet was used on the occasion4 ,it was made by ,james ,lawson and elegantly chased on the top1 and there was engraved upon it a bee hive surmounted by the inscription ,holiness to the ,lord4 ,under the bee hive were the letters ,u4 ,c4 ,r4 ,r4 ,the spike was constructed of home made iron and manufactured by the late ,elder ,nathaniel ,v4 ,jones4 ,it was ornamented like the mallet and the ornamentation was also the work of ,brother ,lawson4 ,before the ceremony of laying the last rail commenced1 the sun1 which had been completely concealed by the clouds during the early part of the day1 burst forth with great brilliancy as if determined to enhance the general joy by his genial rays4 ,the ceremony took place about nine o'clock1 after which a salute of thirty-seven guns was given1--a salute for each mile of the road4 ,captain ,croxall's band enlivened the scene by its strains of sweet music4 ,the following prayer was then offered by ,elder ,woodruff3 #dfe ,o ,god1 the ,eternal ,father1 we have assembled on this occasion to celebrate one of the grandest events of the generation in which we live1 and to offer up the gratitude of our hearts with thanks-giving for ,thy merciful and protecting care that was over us when we were led into these ,valleys by ,thy servant ,brigham ,young twenty-two years ago4 ,we found then a complete desert inhabited only by wild beasts and a few red men1 who roamed over the plains4 ,to-day we behold the teeming thousands of the ,anglo ,saxon race assembled here to celebrate the completion of a line of railroads into this ,city1 which has opened up commerce between us and all the world4 ,thou hast enabled the ,saints who have gathered here from the nations of the earth1 to fill these ,valleys of the ,mountains with six hundred miles of cities1 towns1 villages1 gardens1 orchards1 vineyards1 and fields2 and the desert has been made to blossom as the rose4 ,we should be ungrateful did we not acknowledge ,thy hand in ,thy protecting care1 which has been over us and which has enabled us to assist in levelling these mountains and exalting the valleys and in laying an iron band which has bound this continent together from ocean to ocean and made all the various states and territories of this mighty nation neighbors to each other4 ,for all these blessings we render the gratitude of our hearts unto ,thee1 and we pray that ,thy blessings may rest upon this day4 ,we dedicate this railroad unto ,thee1 the ,lord our ,god4 ,we pray that ,thy blessings may rest upon it1 and upon those who have built it and labored on it4 ,we thank ,thee for the peace and quietude we have enjoyed1 for the many years that we have dwelt in these ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,continue ,thy blessings1 ,o ,god1 we beseech ,thee1 unto the inhabitants here and throughout the nation4 ,these favors and blessings we ask in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 our ,redeemer1 ,amen4 ,a speech was then read by ,george ,q4 ,cannon for ,president ,young4 ,telegrams from ,governor ,stanford of ,california and others1 expressing their regrets at not being able to be present1 were then read1 after which addresses were made by ,wm4 ,jennings1 ,col4 ,b4 ,o4 ,carr of the ,union ,pacific1 ,t4 ,b4 ,morris1 chief engineer of the ,western ,division of the ,u4 ,p4 ,r4 ,r41 ,john ,taylor1 and ,mr4 ,campbell1 superintendent of the ,utah ,division of the ,central ,pacific ,r4 ,r4 ,these were all published in the ,news of ,january #aath1 #ahgj1 with the exception of ,mr4 ,campbell's which #dff the recorders could not hear4 ,the benediction was pronounced by ,henry ,w4 ,naisbitt4 ,in the evening the streets were enlivened by great throngs of people4 ,the illumination of the ,city began at six o'clock p4 m41 and by seven o'clock there was the greatest brilliancy throughout the streets and in the skies4 ,all public buildings and stores were illuminated4 ,i attended a grand ball in the ,theatre where two hundred persons could occupy the floor at the same time in the dance4 ,there were some fifteen hundred people present1 including the military officers of ,camp ,douglas4 ,all the federal officials1 including the ,judges1 were there4 ,i took with me three of my wives1 ,phoebe1 ,emma1 and ,sarah4 ,we ate supper at the ,townsend ,house4 ,on the #afth of ,january ,elder ,woodruff with a number of others started by train to ,ogden for the purpose of attending the funeral of ,bishop ,c4 ,w4 ,west1 who had died in ,california4 ,on the way to ,ogden the train was delayed by an accident so that those aboard reached that place only in time to witness the burial service4 ,coming back1 we held in the car one of the best meetings ,i ever attended in my life4 ,we had twenty-two speeches and about the same number of songs4 ,among the speakers were ,elders ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 and ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 much of the spirit of ,god rested upon us1 and strong testimonies were borne4 ,we reached home about ten o'clock4 ,on ,january the #bgth he recorded the death of his ,uncle ,ozem ,woodruff1 who had died the preceding ,december at the advanced age of ninety-two4 ,about the same time he was industriously mailing papers to his friends in the ,east in order that he might circulate the speech against the ,saints by ,vice-president ,schuyler ,colfax and the reply thereto by ,elder ,john ,taylor4 ,the conference of ,april #fth1 that year1 was poorly attended owing to the inclemency of the weather4 ,there was a foot of snow at the time on the ground4 ,naturally1 some excitement existed at the time in consequence of the legislation by congress4 ,conference was held but one day and then adjourned until the #eth of ,may1 when it reconvened and lasted three days4 ,the latter part of ,may was made interesting to the people of ,salt ,lake by a visit of the ,boston ,board of ,trade4 ,the company #dfg occupied eleven ,pullman cars1 and consisted of one hundred and twenty wealthy merchants and business men from the ,city of ,boston4 ,they attended the ,tabernacle meeting and were addressed by ,elders ,woodruff and ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,in the afternoon ,president ,young spoke to about three hundred strangers and a large congregation of the ,saints4 ,after the service1 ,president ,young1 ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,d4 ,h4 ,wells1 ,john ,taylor1 ,orson ,pratt1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 and ,george ,q4 ,cannon were invited to dine in the palace cars with the noted visitors4 ,on the fourth of ,june a large party of the leading men of the ,church started on one of their tours through ,malad and ,bear ,lake ,valleys4 ,president ,young was indefatigable in his travels throughout the ,church4 ,he was everywhere present with counsel and encouragement to build up the ,zion of ,god4 ,the people were not allowed to sleep upon the laurels they had won4 ,they were not permitted to settle down to an indifferent comfort4 ,on that trip they were received everywhere with honor and enthusiasm4 ,on different occasions ,elder ,woodruff quoted ,president ,young as saying3 ,we are surrounded by the ,lamanites who are degraded and cast down1 yet they are of the house of ,israel and we should set them a good example4 ,let us not get down to their ways1 but rather seek to exalt them4 ,of a certain class he said1 ,elders many times are vain and trifling1 and seem to forget their calling and position in the ,church4 ,we should come to realize that we have the priesthood and are set as an example to all men4 ,we should magnify our calling and walk with dignity before the ,lord4 ,in reference to the building up of ,zion he further said3 ,it is our duty to build up ,zion4 ,we cannot do it by singing and praying alone4 ,it will take the work of the people4 ,when ,zion is built up1 it will be beautiful and glorious4 ,all we have done already is attracting the attention of the world4 ,on that journey ,elder ,woodruff quotes the words of ,lorenzo ,snow1 who gave an account of his experience when drowned in the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,he was under many feet of water and was restored to life by the power of ,god4 ,he said that for many years previous to this event he had suffered from sick headache1 but afterwards it had left him and he had been entirely healed from it4 #dfh ,following the account given by ,lorenzo ,snow1 he quoted these words from the lips of ,president ,young3 ,mark my words1 every ,latter-day ,saint who gets rich and does not acknowledge the hand of ,god in it will be damned4 ,a hypocrite or a traitor cannot gain the confidence of ,god or man4 ,we must obey the ,lord and keep ,his laws4 ,the ,god of ,heaven has kept the ,celestial ,law1 and so must we if we obtain the same glory with ,him4 ,i would rather have slept with ,joseph ,smith in death than to live to turn one honest man from the ,church4 ,the authorities in these towns and cities should deal kindly and justly with the ,saints4 ,the spirit of those times is repeated in the language of ,lorenzo ,snow in his address to the people at ,logan on the occasion of that tour3 ,the ,lord does not intend that the ,saints shall live always in dens and caves of the earth1 but that they shall build fine houses4 ,when the ,lord comes he will not expect to meet a dirty people1 but a people of refinement1 having glory as the bride to the ,lamb of ,god4 ,when we were called to go south1 ,i continued to improve my property up to the last moment2 at the same time ,i expected to burn up everything except what we had to take south with us4 ,when we were called to go south we were united as the heart of one man4 ,after the return of the ,president's party from the north1 ,elder ,woodruff busied himself by giving encouragement to the silk industry which the people were then endeavoring to establish in the ,territory2 and in company with ,robert ,t4 ,burton took up the work of selling the bonds of the ,central ,pacific ,railroad4 ,on the #abth1 #acth1 and #adth of ,august he gave an account of the discussion between ,orson ,pratt and ,doctor ,newman on the subject of ,polygamy1 an account of which has been issued as a separate publication4 ,the ,sunday following the discussion1 ,william ,h4 ,seward1 former ,secretary of ,state1 attended the services in the ,tabernacle4 ,he was then on his way to ,china4 ,he was deeply impressed by the growth and development of the ,saints1 and was led to say that ,america had never produced a greater statesman than ,president ,brigham ,young4 ,on the #dth of ,september1 ,martin ,harris1 one of the ,witnesses to the ,book of ,mormon1 appeared before the people in the ,tabernacle1 he having been brought to ,utah largely through the interest #dfi and labors of ,elder ,edward ,stevenson4 ,martin ,harris arose and bore his testimony to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,he was eighty-eight years old1 and he finally came up to ,zion to lay his body down with the ,saints4 ,he has been separated from the ,church thirty-three years and was far behind the times1 yet he bore a strong testimony to the truth of the ,book of ,mormon4 ,on the #agth of that month ,elder ,stevenson rebaptized ,martin ,harris and he was confirmed by ,john ,taylor4 ,in closing his journal for that year he says that he traveled in all1 seventeen hundred miles1 attended one hundred and sixty-six meetings1 and preached seventy-five discourses4 ,in the ,endowment ,house he sealed over five hundred couples4 ,in addition to his religious duties1 ,elder ,woodruff served forty days in the ,territorial ,legislature4 ,he also took pleasure in the thought that he had labored upon his farm considerable time in plowing1 harvesting1 planting1 and hoeing4 ,he speaks of his potatoes1 of his squash1 and his apples and his hay4 ,these were the products of the soil1 which he raised for the support of himself and of his wives and children4 ,no public man upon whom weighed heavily the duties of both church and state more perfectly loved and honored that divine command1 ,by the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy bread4 #dgj ,,chapter #dc4 ,,pioneer ,,life ,,in ,,rich ,,county1 #ahga4 ,arrest of ,president ,young and ,others4--,experiences in ,randolph4--,caught in a ,snow ,storm4--,reaches ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,the year #ahga found the anti-,mormon element entrenched behind a considerable adverse eastern sentiment against the ,latter-day ,saints1 and persecutions therefore took on a renewed vigor4 ,there was a contest on between the ,federal and the ,territorial officers respecting the control of the penitentiary1 which had been constructed in part by the ,territory1 and in part by the ,federal government4 ,as all such questions were decided by ,federal and hostile courts1 the ,mormon people were1 of course1 losers at every step in the controversy4 ,salt ,lake ,city was1 at this time1 visited by large numbers of strangers1 who were generally en route for ,california4 ,that state was the eldorado of an adventurous and speculative class of citizens who had learned how to take advantage of new conditions4 ,they were naturally quite curious to attend services in the ,tabernacle1 and in the evening they usually visited the ,fourteenth ,ward meeting-house1 that assembly room being in close proximity to the ,townsend ,hotel1 at that time the chief hostlery of the ,territory4 ,in ,october of that year1 ,president ,young was arrested by ,united ,states ,marshal ,patrick1 on the charge of unlawful conduct with his plural wives4 ,a little later ,president ,wells and ,george ,q4 ,cannon were also arrested on the same charge4 ,elder ,woodruff said in his journal of ,october #bhth that ,president ,wells1 ,hosea ,stout1 and ,william ,kimball were arrested on a false charge1 made by ,william ,a4 ,hickman1 a notorious murderer1 who sought an opportunity at a time when there was great excitement against the leaders1 to shield himself from accusations and prosecution4 ,the chief purpose of these arrests was to excite the public indignation throughout the ,united ,states against the ,mormon leaders4 ,they were therefore taken to ,fort ,douglas1 and there kept under military guard4 ,the one excuse #dga for such extraordinary action1 was that there might be an uprising among the people1 which would require the military power to overcome4 ,while these brethren were thus confined at the ,fort1 they were visited by ,apostle ,woodruff1 who says that he found them cheerful and satisfied that they would be delivered from the power of their enemies4 ,one ,general ,morrow asked ,president ,wells if they 7the ,mormons7 would give up polygamy and submit to the demands of the government1 or fight4 ,he replied3 ,we will neither submit nor obey1 ,neither fight nor run away4 ,while ,elder ,woodruff was not personally selected as an object of the enemies' attack1 he was nevertheless deeply interested in the safety of his brethren1 and watched over them with a brotherly love4 ,he was ever ready1 if necessary1 to lay down his life for his brethren4 ,when ,president ,young was on trial1 ,elder ,woodruff was in the court taking notes of the proceedings1 and listening with eager and anxious feelings4 ,at that time ,president ,young was prosecuted by ,maxwell and ,baskin1 and defended by ,major ,hempstead and the eloquent ,thomas ,fitch1 then the most noted attorney in the ,territory4 ,on the #bhth of ,june1 the year following1 he reported his sermon in honor of ,mary ,philipps of ,kaysville1 who died in her ninety-eighth year4 ,she had been baptized by ,elder ,woodruff in ,england in #ahdj4 ,he always manifested a strong attachment for those who had been the fruit of the gospel in his early labors4 ,a little later a peculiar experience came to him in the death of a ,sister ,allen1 who was sorely afflicted at the home of one of ,abram ,o4 ,smoot's wives4 ,she had suffered severely for two years and very much desired that she might be released from her sufferings in this life4 ,she therefore called upon ,elder ,woodruff to bless her to that end4 ,he prayerfully asked the ,lord to let her go1 and being impressed that it was proper that she should go1 he dedicated her to the ,lord1 and in one hour she passed peacefully to the great beyond4 ,about this time1 ,apostle ,woodruff entered on some new and rather extraordinary experiences in an effort he made to #dgb assist in the colonization and development of ,rich ,county1 ,utah4 ,he therefore made a home at ,randolph for his wife1 ,sarah4 ,his son1 ,wilford1 had been released from the ,muddy ,mission1 and returned to ,randolph to assist his father1 and to establish a home for himself there4 ,his new activities in the early settlement of ,randolph brought him into somewhat close relation with the people who were1 at this time1 busily occupied in the settlement of ,bear ,lake4 ,while on a visit to ,soda ,springs1 where he met ,president ,young and party1 there died a ,mrs4 ,rose1 a wife of ,major ,rose1 both of whom he had baptized thirty years before in ,england4 ,the ,rose family were then and have since been somewhat prominent in the affairs of that part of the country4 ,besides visiting people for their spiritual edification1 he also occupied a part of his time in hauling wood from the near-by canyons to his family in ,randolph4 ,on one occasion he recorded his experience as follows3 ,david and myself went to the canyon to get wood1 and as it was all the way down hill1 we put on about two and one-half cords of dry quaking asp4 ,while going down a very steep hill1 the ring of the neck-yoke broke and the wagon pushed on at great speed4 ,one of the mules fell just as the wagon was about to stop4 ,the front wheel run over it and pinioned it fast to the ground1 with the sway bar across its back1 while the tongue of the wagon ran into the ground nearly six feet4 ,the mule had to lie there until we unloaded the wood1 uncoupled the wagon1 dug the tongue out of the ground with an axe1 and tipped the wheels over to release it4 ,we thought it would be almost if not quite dead1 but to our surprise1 the mule rose up1 shook itself and began to eat4 ,the neck-yoke and irons of both whipple-trees were broken1 yet ,i strapped them up and reached home with one cord of wood4 ,continuing his journal1 he said3 ,during those days it was very stormy1 and on the #bdth of ,november it rained nearly all day4 ,i felt impressed1 strongly impressed1 that ,i should return to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,this feeling had been upon me since ,monday1 though my family urged me to remain4 ,on the #aeth the same spirit again rested upon me and ,i told ,sarah and ,wilford that ,i must #dgc go2 so after ,i ate breakfast ,i prepared my team1 bade my family good-bye1 and started about eight o'clock in the morning4 ,i drove to ,woodruff1 fed my horses and talked a while with ,bishop ,lee4 ,i then drove on1 and when about twelve miles from ,wasatch1 a great snow-storm struck me4 ,it was terribly blinding4 ,however1 ,i arrived at ,wasatch in the night with my horses and wagon covered with snow and water4 ,i called upon ,brother ,george ,rowley1 who was the one ,latter-day ,saint in the place4 ,he received me kindly and assisted me to get my horses into the store-house1 but for which ,i think they would have perished1 there being no stable in the place4 ,i traveled thirty-five miles that day and slept little through the night4 ,i rose on ,sunday morning1 the #bfth1 and found the snow about two feet deep1 and falling thick and fast4 ,it looked very gloomy and ,i did not know what course to pursue4 ,i could not travel the road so ,i went to ,mr4 ,haven1 an operator and ,u4 ,p4 agent1 and asked him what chance there was to take a car4 ,he had no baggage car he said1 and if he had1 he did not know how ,i could get my wagon and horses on board1 as all the appliances for loading such articles were moved to ,evanston4 ,i could not buy any grain in the place1 and the only hay there1 was in the hands of a ,mr4 ,hammond1 an apostate ,mormon1 and a very bitter one4 ,i brought from ,randolph about a hundred lbs4 of hay1 which was all the feed ,i had4 ,the snow was rapidly covering up my wagon4 ,in that dilemma ,i went to the house and fed them a little hay1 and then kneeled down and prayed the ,lord to deliver me4 ,i could get no water to my horses except as ,brother ,rowley1 who had charge of the engine1 would run it on a track near the horses1 and turn it into the buckets and ,i would then carry it to them4 ,the night of that day ,i went to bed while the snow was still falling and everything looked gloomy4 ,the #bgth was quite an important day with me4 ,i rose in the morning and found the snow three feet deep on the level4 ,it was still snowing furiously4 ,i could see no deliverance for myself and team unless the ,lord opened the way for us4 ,i had to wallow to my arm pits in snow to get to my horses1 or anywhere else4 #dgd ,mr4 ,haven sent to ,evanston for a car for me1 the night before by my request1 but how to get my wagon and team into it was the great question4 ,neither did the agent see how it could be done4 ,my wagon was covered with snow and was some three hundred feet from the station4 ,there was no help except the ,chinamen who were under the control of a ,mr4 ,carpenter1 whose duty it was to keep the track clear of snow4 ,i spoke to him but he said he had no right to take his men from the railroad to dig out a span of horses4 ,i then made my way through three feet of snow about three hundred yards to the place where my horses were housed4 ,i rubbed them down1 caressed them1 but only had a morsel to feed them4 ,i knelt down and prayed earnestly to the ,lord to deliver me and my team4 ,it might be thought a little matter to allow the horses to remain and starve in order to take the car myself and save my own life4 ,but my team had wallowed through the snow some twelve miles to save my life and ,i felt it my duty to do all in my power to save theirs4 ,i prayed earnestly to the ,lord to deliver me and save my animals from starvation4 ,the spirit of the ,lord came upon me while praying and ,i had a testimony that my prayers would be answered and that ,i should be delivered4 ,i rose from my knees and wallowed some sixty rods through three feet of snow to the telegraph office and talked with ,mr4 ,haven1 the operator and agent4 ,i told him he must help me4 ,the spirit of the ,lord rested upon him and he said he would do all in his power for my deliverance4 ,he went with me to see ,mr4 ,carpenter1 the same spirit came upon him and he said he would do all he could4 ,he then told the ten ,chinamen to take their shovels and follow him4 ,we all went to where the horses and wagon were and it took us nearly five hours to dig out the wagon and open the road to the station4 ,then we had to build a staging some ten feet high and cover it with coal cinders to get the horses up1 but they would not walk up the planks4 ,i then went to ,mr4 ,hammond1 the apostate ,mormon1 who had the only hay in the place1 and asked him to sell me fifty cents worth4 ,he got the same spirit as the others1 put up the hay for me and carried it to the depot4 ,i laid it on the platform at the head of the staging and both of my horses readily #dge went to it4 ,i then put them inside4 ,we then took the wagon to pieces and lifted it up1 piece at a time1 and placed it in the store-house4 ,when the freight train came along1 ,mr4 ,haven stopped it and had the engineer bring up the car a hundred yards to the platform4 ,in trying to get my box in with the bows and cover on1 it became fastened with one end on the platform and the other against the side of the car4 ,the engineer would not wait any longer1 but started on with his train and left me4 ,mr4 ,haven then telegraphed to ,evanston to send him an engine4 ,while it was coming1 we took off the cover and bows to the wagon box1 and finally succeeded in loading my outfit4 ,it was in order when the engine arrived4 ,mr4 ,haven ordered the engineer to hitch on to the car4 ,he did so reluctantly as he had to travel something like one hundred and sixty miles to get to ,ogden and back1 just to take me and my wagon and team4 ,i bade my friends good-bye1 and as the cars started ,i knelt down by the side of my horses and returned thanks to my ,heavenly ,father for the deliverance he had brought to me4 ,my clothing was wet1 ,i having wallowed in the snow all day1 so ,i put on dry ones4 ,we arrived in ,ogden about ten o'clock1 when ,i went to ,bishop ,herrick and passed the night with him4 ,brother ,herrick lent me money to pay my bill to the railroad1 which1 strange to say1 was only #bf4jj4 ,had they charged me in full1 their usual rates for car and engine and all that was done1 it would have been about #aej4jj4 ,on the #bhth of ,november ,i drove my team from ,ogden to ,salt ,lake1 where ,i arrived home with a grateful heart to be delivered from my perils and to find my family all well4 #dgf ,,chapter #dd4 ,,the ,,years1 #ahgb-gd4 ,judge ,mc,kean4--,journalizing4--,early ,church ,historians4--,holy ,ghost4--,visit to ,san ,francisco4--,funerals of ,pitt and ,player4--,thomas ,l4 ,kane4--,garden of ,eden4--,paralysis4--,earl ,rosebury4--,fall from a ,tree4 ,according to ,elder ,woodruff's journal1 the year #ahgb opened with a heavy snow-storm4 ,the year also found the ,saints considerably agitated over the indictments found against ,brigham ,young and leading men of the ,church1 on the charge of murder4 ,these indictments had been largely the result of ,judge ,mc,kean's well-known animosity toward the ,mormons1 and especially toward the leaders of the ,church4 ,he was styled a judge with a mission4 ,the conduct of ,judge ,mc,kean was so full of bias1 and his rulings so unjust in all matters touching the ,mormon people1 that he made himself1 more or less1 a terror to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in his journal at the opening of #ahgb1 ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,certain men in the nation1 high in authority1 have set themselves up against the work of ,god and are determined to destroy it if possible4 ,elder ,woodruff began to predict the failure of such men as ,mc,kean to accomplish the ends they had in view4 ,so far as ,mc,kean was concerned1 his predictions were fulfilled4 ,on the #bjth he gave the synopsis in his journal that he made upon the subject of keeping a record of events in the affairs of the ,church by those who had responsibilities resting upon them4 ,there is one subject ,i wish to speak upon and that is the keeping of a journal with respect to the dealings of ,god with us4 ,i have many times thought the ,quorum of the ,twelve and others considered me rather enthusiastic upon this subject2 but when the ,prophet ,joseph organized the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 he counseled them to keep a history of their lives1 and gave his reasons why they should do so4 ,i have had this spirit and calling upon me since ,i first entered this ,church4 ,i made a record from the first sermon ,i heard1 and from that day until now ,i have kept a daily journal4 ,whenever ,i heard ,joseph ,smith preach1 teach1 or prophesy1 ,i always #dgg felt it my duty to write it2 ,i felt uneasy and could not eat1 drink1 or sleep until ,i did write2 and my mind has been so exercised upon this subject that when ,i heard ,joseph ,smith teach and had no pencil or paper1 ,i would go home and sit down and write the whole sermon1 almost word for word and sentence by sentence as it was delivered1 and when ,i had written it it was taken from me1 ,i remembered it no more4 ,this was the gift of ,god to me4 ,the devil has sought to take away my life from the day ,i was born until now1 more so even than the lives of other men4 ,i seem to be a marked victim of the adversary4 ,i can find but one reason for this3 the devil knew if ,i got into the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 ,i would write the history of that ,church and leave on record the works and teachings of the prophets1 of the apostles and elders4 ,i have recorded nearly all the sermons and teachings that ,i ever heard from the ,prophet ,joseph1 ,i have in my journal many of the sermons of ,president ,brigham ,young1 and such men as ,orson ,hyde1 ,parley ,p4 ,pratt and others4 ,another reason ,i was moved upon to write in the early days was that nearly all the historians appointed in those times apostatized and took the journals away with them4 ,another subject ,i wish to say a few words upon here is the spirit of ,god to men1 the ,holy ,ghost which is given the ,saints1 the inspiration of the ,almighty which giveth the spirit of men understanding4 ,that spirit is the greatest testimony man can possess4 ,his eyes and ears may be deceived in seeing the miracles such as the magicians wrought in the days of ,moses1 and such as false prophets will work in the last days1 but when men receive the ,holy ,ghost they can not be deceived4 ,it is not in the thunder or in the whirl-wind that we should look for the spirit of ,god1 but in the still small voice4 ,i give one instance in which ,i profited by the spirit4 ,when ,i was bringing the eastern ,saints to this ,valley1 ,i arrived in ,pittsburg1 and there ,i chartered a steamboat to take the ,saints to ,st4 ,louis4 ,as soon as ,i had done it the spirit said to me1 ',don't go on board of that boat4' ,the captain relieved me and ,i chartered another4 ,the steamer that ,i first chartered1 after starting down the river1 soon took fire1 burned the wheels and ropes in two1 and #dgh nearly all the passengers either burned to death or were drowned4 ,such an experience is given to many elders in this ,church4 ,this year's journal also contains the accounts of the customary journeys1 north and south1 to the various communities of the ,saints4 ,in ,payson1 on the #bjth day of ,july1 he dedicated the new meeting-house4 ,he was also busy that year on his farm and in his efforts to build up a home at ,randolph1 in ,rich ,county4 ,on the #ith of ,september1 in company with ,george ,a4 ,smith1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and ,a4 ,m4 ,musser1 he paid a visit to the ,pacific ,coast4 ,his purpose was to attend the state fair of ,california1 as he was ,president of the ,deseret ,agricultural and ,manufacturing ,society of ,utah4 ,his journal contains a long account of the things he saw and the things which greatly interested him4 ,the following excerpts are taken from it3 ,this morning found us at ,truckee1 at the foot of the ,sierra ,nevada ,mountains4 ,we had a view of the lake where the company of emigrants perished in #ahdg4 ,san ,francisco is a very fine place4 ,the city looks as though it were a hundred years old instead of twenty4 ,it contains #age1jjj inhabitants and a vast amount of wealth4 ,we visited ,china's part of the city1 saw the ,chinese god and the temples where fires were continually burning4 ,they are very numerous in that city4 ,we visited ,mr4 ,alston's princely palace and were received with all the attention that princes could expect4 ,he had a telegraph line from his bank in ,san ,francisco to his dwelling1 twenty miles distant4 ,he had telegraphed to the family to receive us kindly and make us happy1 and they did so4 ,his princely mansion did not cost less than a million dollars1 and his wife spent a quarter of a million in furnishing it4 ,the chairs were made of the finest ebony in ,china4 ,even the spitoons were carved out of the finest ,parisian marble4 ,the rooms were decorated with marble statuary and bronze4 ,the chandeliers cost many thousands of dollars1 in fact1 the whole palace had more the appearance of a museum than of a private dwelling4 ,it had its ,turkish and ,russian baths4 ,there were scores of bath rooms1 of baths connected with the bedrooms4 ,he had a retort and made his own gas for the purpose of lighting his dwelling and barns4 ,there were many mirrors1 large and costly4 ,the surrounding grounds of #ajj acres were cultivated at great expense4 ,i almost felt like spending the night in visiting the house and surroundings #dgi instead of going to sleep4 ,i became so dazed and bewildered with the scenery and attention of the last twenty-four hours1 since our arrival in ,california1 that ,i felt like asking myself the question3 ',am ,i an elder of the ,church of ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints8 ,if so1 what is coming over the world that such a great change is manifest towards us8' ,during this visit1 ,elder ,woodruff and his companions received great attention from the leading men of ,san ,francisco1 and were given every opportunity of witnessing the growth of ,california as set forth in the exhibits of the ,state ,fair4 ,elder ,woodruff took a great deal of pleasure in the wonderful showing of fine animals1 and witnessed the races with great pleasure4 ,continuing the description of his visit1 he said3 ,the ,governor showed us on this visit to ,sacramento every attention4 ,we were escorted through the ,state ,house that had cost #b1ejj1jjj4 ,we went to the top of it1 #bhj feet high4 ,on the #bbnd1 a ,sunday1 we attended the ,catholic ,church and heard ,father ,calcham preach4 ,his discourse was a very good1 practical sermon4 ,we attended the ,methodist ,sunday school in the afternoon4 ,we endeavored also to attend the ,baptist ,church in the evening1 but in consequence of the street cars1 which delayed us1 we were disappointed in that part of our program4 ,apostle ,woodruff was painstaking in recording all that interested and delighted him during this his first visit to the western coast4 ,in later life1 he paid several visits to ,california1 and something like twenty-six years from that time laid down his life on the shore of the ,golden ,gate4 ,he returned in time to attend the semi-annual conference of that year1 and he recorded the fact that the mission of ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith and others to the ,holy ,land was considered at this time4 ,the purpose of the mission was to dedicate the land of ,palestine again for the return of ,judah and of the ,twelve ,tribes4 ,the close of the year #ahgb and the first of the year #ahgc again found ,elder ,woodruff at his home in ,randolph4 ,he and his wife1 ,sarah1 her children1 and his son1 ,wilford and family1 were among the earliest pioneers of ,rich ,county4 ,new ,year's day #ahgc1 found him busily engaged in putting floors in his house4 ,that part of the state is a higher altitude1 and being located well to the north1 the climate there is more severe than in ,salt ,lake #dhj ,valley4 ,notwithstanding he was now sixty-five years of age1 he faced the storms and severe winds and flying snow with as much pluck as a man of twenty-five4 ,at intervals he enjoyed a hunt very much1 from which he rarely ever returned empty-handed4 ,he spoke in the journal at this time of the special interest he felt in the ,deseret ,news as a medium of instruction and of correct information to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he felt that it was a proper guide to the people1 if well edited1 and would keep them in harmony with the elders4 ,at one time he was appointed editor of the ,news1 but being overburdened1 he could not do justice to the call and was honorably released4 ,after his return to ,salt ,lake ,city on the #crd of ,february that year1 he1 with others1 started on a visit to ,cache ,valley by the ,utah ,central and ,utah ,northern ,railroads4 ,although two engines were used to draw the one car in which the party rode1 they were unable to plow their way through the snow-drifts1 through ,box ,elder and ,cache4 ,february #bcrd found him again in ,salt ,lake ,city1 where he attended the funeral of ,william ,pitt1 a man who had received the gospel from his teachings in ,herefordshire1 in the year #ahdj4 ,his funeral was attended by hundreds of people and there were several bands of music in attendance4 ,elder ,woodruff was one of the speakers on that occasion4 ,he mentions a peculiar circumstance which took place at that time4 ,brother ,william ,player1 then eighty years old1 was one of the pall-bearers4 ,the handle broke in his hand1 and turning aside he leaned up against a post4 ,his son1 who was anxious about his father's condition1 went immediately to his assistance1 and when asked what the trouble was1 said3 ,my breath has given out1 but ,i would like to follow my old friend to the grave1 for ,i shall soon be in a similar condition myself4 ,i wonder if as many will attend my funeral when ,i die8 ,the father was taken home in a wagon1 and in about four hours was dead4 ,elder ,woodruff also preached at his funeral4 ,on the #dth of ,march he gave an account of a visit of ,thomas ,l4 ,kane and wife to ,utah2 and on that day1 with ,president ,young and party1 he accompanied this old-time friend and wife as far as ,ogden on their return home to the ,east4 ,colonel ,kane had done much to defend the ,latter-day ,saints against their foes and to alleviate their sufferings in times of trial4 ,colonel ,kane was also #dha pleased at that time at the failure of ,congress to pass bills affecting the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,at a conference of the ,sunday school children in the old ,tabernacle1 on the #cjth of ,march1 ,elder ,woodruff reported ,president ,young as saying1 ,i thought while ,i was looking at the school children to-day that ,i should see a larger assembly of them in the spirit world1 and ,i wondered if there ,i should see as large a percentage of grown people with them1 that is1 of teachers to direct their minds there as they are doing here4 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 told me that the ,garden of ,eden was in ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri4 ,when ,adam was driven out he went to the place we now call ,adam-ondi-,ahman1 ,daviess ,county1 ,missouri4 ,there he built an altar and offered sacrifices4 ,at the ,april conference ,president ,young chose five additional counselors because of the heavy labors devolving upon him4 ,these were ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 ,albert ,carrington1 and ,john ,w4 ,young4 ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith at that time was made trustee-in-trust with twelve other brethren as his assistants4 ,on the #abth of ,may twelve high counselors were selected for the ,salt ,lake ,stake of ,zion1 and about that time ,william ,hyde1 ,william ,budge1 ,elias ,smith1 and fifty others were selected to receive ordination to the office of patriarch4 ,june #ast he visited ,provo in company with ,president ,young4 ,the latter1 in speaking there of another temple1 said that he had once asked the ,lord what kind of temple we should build4 ,the answer was that ,he did not make any two things alike1 and we need not build two temples alike4 ,on the #ahth of the same month he went as far east as ,evanston to meet ,george ,a4 ,smith and his party on their return from ,palestine4 ,the description of that country greatly interested ,apostle ,woodruff1 whose familiarity with the ,scriptures made those ancient scenes of prophets and apostles very sacred to him4 ,on the #ith and #ajth of ,august meetings were held in the new ,tabernacle1 where ,president ,young1 ,elder ,woodruff said1 chided the ,saints for the too frequent claim on their part for the sacrifices which they made for the gospel's sake4 ,instead of making sacrifices1 he said1 they were only exchanging dross for gold4 ,apostle ,joseph ,f4 ,smith at the time further remarked on the same #dhb subject that it was almost a libel on the ,lord the way some people talked about making sacrifices for the gospel's sake4 ,he then pointed out to them the blessings they had received temporally1 spiritually1 and socially4 ,their circumstances were in every way more favorable than those which surrounded them in the land they had left4 ,about this time a party of editors from the ,east came to ,salt ,lake ,city1 and in ,august ,elder ,woodruff escorted them to places of interest1 including the ,temple ,quarry1 at ,granite1 and ,provo4 ,the party also visited ,lehi1 ,american ,fork ,canyon1 and on their return to ,salt ,lake ,city a feast was given them and they were treated in a most hospitable manner4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded in his journal that on the #beth of ,september1 #ahgc1 he was stricken apparently with paralysis2 his condition was alarming to both himself and members of his family4 ,to him it seemed that he could live but a short time4 ,a strange feeling came over me1 ,i turned out my horses and went to bed4 ,i felt as though ,i was stricken with death and should live but a short time4 ,my blood1 spirit1 and life all seemed to be leaving my limbs1 and death to be closing around my heart and vitals4 ,i sent for my wife1 ,phoebe1 and ,brother ,george ,q4 ,cannon4 ,i also sent for my neighbor1 ,brother ,william ,wagstaff1 who came and administered to me4 ,i suppose he came quickly1 but it seemed to me it was an hour before he reached the bedside4 ,when he came ,i felt as though ,i was about to give up the ghost4 ,he laid his hands upon me and rebuked the affliction and ,i was instantly liberated4 ,soon1 ,mrs4 ,woodruff1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 arrived4 ,these brethren also blessed me1 and returned home4 ,for a time his limbs were affected with numbness and he was generally feeble2 however1 he lived1 subsequent to this1 twenty-five years and three days4 ,speaking of his condition at the time he wrote3 ,i feel the effects of the paralytic stroke1 and unless there is a change in me1 my journal writing in this life is about done2 but should ,i not live to finish my biography1 it is my desire that the historians of the ,church or some friends do it for me4 ,it was only a short time after this that he found himself again active in his ministerial duties4 ,on the #adth of ,october he visited ,provo1 where he took part in the dedication of the ,utah ,county #dhc ,court ,house4 ,it was an occasion of special public interest and attended by prominent men in the ,county as well as in the ,territory4 ,elder ,woodruff mentioned the visit of a distinguished ,scotch earl who subsequently became ,lord ,rosebery1 at one time ,prime ,minister of ,england4 ,he was a young man then1 quite unassuming1 free1 easy and sociable1 said ,elder ,woodruff4 ,he had come from ,england to ,salt ,lake ,city to see ,president ,young and the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the young earl conversed about an hour with the ,church leaders and after taking supper with them went to the ball in ,president ,young's party4 ,the next day the party visited the seminary1 factory1 ,z4 ,c4 ,m4 ,i41 and other places of interest about the town4 ,president ,woodruff was again taken to ,provo on the #beth of ,november to celebrate with the citizens there the beginning of the ,utah ,southern ,railroad4 ,it was perhaps the greatest assemblage of people the town had ever known4 ,the progress of the railroad was always a source of special pride to ,elder ,woodruff1 who realized how much the development of the ,territory depended upon improved means of transportation4 ,it was a practice of ,elder ,woodruff to record the death of his friends1 especially those who had been devoted to the cause which he represented and who were faithful to the end4 ,he gives in a general way the characters of the men and the work they performed1 when he pays tribute to them at the time of their death4 ,on the #bnd of ,march he made special record of the death of ,bishop ,william ,hyde of ,hyde ,park1 ,cache ,county4 ,bishop ,hyde was a brother of his old missionary friend1 ,heman ,hyde4 ,william1 he speaks of as a member of the ,mormon ,battalion and refers to him as a leading spirit in building up ,cache ,valley2 mentions the fact that he was probate judge and prominent in the ,territorial militia4 ,he also mentions on the #aath of ,april1 #ahgd1 the death of an old associate1 ,robert ,l4 ,campbell1 a man1 in his estimation1 who was tried and true4 ,a summary from his journal of many of the grand characters in ,church history1 who bore the burden in the heat of the day1 would be interesting were it not beyond the scope of this biography4 ,elder ,woodruff had a high sense of appreciation for those honored ,saints of ,god1 who were true to themselves and true to the ,church4 ,conference of that year was postponed until ,may #gth1 in consequence #dhd of the prolonged stay of ,president ,young that winter in ,st4 ,george4 ,on his return1 ,president ,young gave out as a key-note of the conference1 the subject of the ,united ,order1 a subject that had evidently weighed upon his mind during that winter4 ,when free from all strife1 from his struggles and contentions1 he enjoyed the communion of the spirit1 which opened to him the great duty that rested upon the ,saints to put in operation ,god's purposes with regard to the ,united ,order1 by the consecration of the private wealth to the common good of the people4 ,the underlying principle of the ,united ,order was that there should be no rich and no poor1 that men's talents should be used for the common good1 and that selfish interests should make way for a more benevolent and generous spirit among the ,saints4 ,wilford ,woodruff1 before closing his biography for the year #ahgd1 recorded one of those accidents with which his life was peculiarly beset4 ,he fell from a tree1 a distance of about ten feet1 and was quite seriously hurt1 especially in his side and hip4 ,one naturally wonders what a man at his time of life was doing up a tree4 ,in the first place1 with ,elder ,woodruff it was never a question of age when he saw something he thought ought to be done1 provided it was possible for him to do it4 ,he was everywhere4 ,it never required any length of time for him to change his surroundings or labors1 he was ready for any emergency at any time4 ,if he saw a limb in the top of an apple tree that should be sawed off1 the thought barely took possession of him before he was in the top of the tree1 and it was always hard for him to ask anybody else to do a thing that he could do himself4 #dhe ,,chapter #de4 ,,st4 ,,george ,,temple ,,dedicated4 ,visit to ,randolph4--,governor ,axtell4--,visit of ,president ,grant4--,visit of ,dom ,pedro1 ,emperor of ,brazil4--,dedication of ,st4 ,george ,temple4--,a ,grand ,birthday ,celebration4 ,on ,january #fth1 #ahge1 ,elder ,woodruff accompanied by his son-in-law1 ,jesse ,moses1 left for ,randolph1 ,rich ,county4 ,although the winter there was very cold he hauled wood from the mountains for the use of his family4 ,he records that on the #agth of the month three men1 while on their way from ,evanston to ,woodruff1 had their feet badly frozen4 ,with ,bishop ,lee he went to visit them and did all he could to save the unfortunate persons from the necessity of having their feet amputated4 ,while in that section of the country he visited the ,saints in ,bear ,lake as far north as ,paris4 ,on his return to ,salt ,lake ,city he met on the train1 and became acquainted with the new ,governor of ,utah1 ,samuel ,b4 ,axtell4 ,i was much pleased with his sentiment and spirit1 writes ,elder ,woodruff in his journal4 ,axtell was so honest and fair with all parties that the anti-,mormon element1 whose tool he refused to become1 by their opposition succeeded in obtaining his removal in about one month after he reached ,utah4 ,he was then made ,governor of one of the southern territories4 ,while in ,utah1 he spoke one night in the ,liberal ,institute1 and related some of the iron-clad laws of the ,medes and ,persians4 ,god grant1 he said1 that such a rule may never come to ,utah4 ,he was a man of good education and of refinement1 and was fairly opposed to the corrupt methods of ,judge ,mc,kean1 as well as to those of other ,federal officials4 ,on the #aith of ,february he went to ,york1 terminus of the ,utah ,southern1 where he met ,president ,young and ,george ,a4 ,smith on their return from ,st4 ,george4 ,on the anniversary of ,washington's birthday1 ,february #bb1 that year he records the fact that he sealed for time and eternity the first ,lamanite receiving the celestial marriage ceremony in this dispensation4 ,it was during this year that ,president ,young was subjected #dhf by ,judge ,mc,kean to the latter's court indignities in consequence of ,ann ,eliza's divorce suit2 and on the eleventh day of ,march #ahge1 ,president ,young was sent to the penitentiary for contempt of court for one day because of his refusal to pay her alimony4 ,elder ,woodruff went to the penitentiary with ,president ,young and asked the privilege of spending the night with him1 but was denied his request4 ,however1 ,d4 ,h4 ,wells and ,doctor ,s4 ,b4 ,young were allowed to remain with the ,president4 ,this was the first time1 says ,elder ,woodruff1 that ,president ,young was ever confined in prison by order of any court4 ,a few days later1 ,march #agth1 word came that ,judge ,mc,kean had been removed and his successor appointed4 ,glory ,hallelujah1 the ,lord has answered our prayers and ,judge ,mc,kean is removed out of his place6 ,elder ,woodruff wrote4 ,some time before this ,elder ,woodruff had written in his journal a prophecy of his in the name of the ,lord1 that ,judge ,mc,kean would have his downfall and his disgrace4 ,his words were literally fulfilled2 the ,judge became almost a cipher in the community4 ,his health was shattered and he died of typhoid fever a little less than four years later in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,there is1 perhaps1 no more interesting study in ,mormonism than the fate of those who have been conspicuous in the oppression of the ,saints4 ,since the days of ,joseph ,smith men have sought popularity and honors by their bigoted efforts to solve the ,mormon problem4 ,to one of these so-called reformers has come obscurity1 to another misfortune1 to another disgrace1 some have been handed over to the buffetings of ,satan1 and others have died in obscurity and unmourned4 ,going back in the early history of the ,church we find such names as ,boggs1 ,hinckle1 ,bennett1 ,law1 ,foster4 ,they are remembered only in association with ,church history4 ,to more than three hundred thousand people they have become a hiss and a by-word4 ,those not of the ,mormon faith have no reason as they have no desire to do them honor4 ,they are therefore left to the judgment of the ,mormon people4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 conference convened in the midst of a heavy snow-storm4 ,the ,church had grown from its membership of six to something like one hundred and fifty thousand souls4 ,this conference was full of interest and lasted six days4 ,at one of these sessions a ,hawaiian brother spoke4 ,after conference #dhg ,elder ,woodruff and ,erastus ,snow went to ,provo1 where they held meetings and visited ,provo ,woolen ,mills4 ,on his return from ,provo he took up his work again on the farm2 and on the #cast of ,may he recorded the return of his brother1 ,azmon1 and wife to the body of the ,church4 ,the two brothers had not met for thirty-eight years1 they therefore hardly knew each other4 ,the light so long dimmed within him left him blind to the most important progress of the ,church2 although he had returned to the fold1 there was a striking difference in the character of the two brothers4 ,however1 ,wilford ,woodruff was happy to receive ,azmon and cheerfully assisted him in building a house in his own field1 where now1 ,waterloo is located4 ,in his journal of ,june #beth that year he wrote1 that with ,orson ,pratt1 ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 and ,albert ,carrington he assisted in laying the corner-stone of the new ,z4 ,c4 ,m4 ,i4 building1 and offered the dedicatory prayer4 ,the co-operative movement1 then inaugurated throughout the ,church1 received a great impetus from the establishment of this wholesale mercantile house1 which has given a large measure of stability to all the mercantile institutions of the state4 ,on the #ajth of ,july he went to ,ogden and escorted some seventy eastern editors to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,elder ,woodruff's frequent selection by ,president ,young to receive the strangers was largely due to the fact that he was a man of social instincts and friendly feelings towards all4 ,again1 he was so sincere and so devoted to his faith that his words always created a strong impression of his integrity4 ,strangers liked him4 ,there was nothing affected in his demeanor1 or unnatural in his address4 ,the party on this occasion was escorted to the ,tabernacle1 where about three thousand children were assembled in a singing practice1 preparatory to ,pioneer ,day of that year4 ,he also escorted the editors to ,clinton's ,hotel on ,salt ,lake4 ,here a steamboat ride was given them4 ,on the #acth of ,july1 in the evening1 according to his journal1 there was a priesthood meeting held in the old ,tabernacle1 where the subject of renewing covenants by baptism was discussed4 ,the whole assembly voted to renew their covenants1 and later the ,presidency1 the ,twelve1 the ,seventies1 and the ,presiding ,bishopric were baptized and entered into a special covenant to observe the rules of the ,united ,order4 ,among them was this3 ,we will #dhh sustain home industry and patronize our brethren who are in the ,order1 as far as possible4 ,this movement became general throughout the ,church4 ,on the #bdth of the month there was a celebration in which twelve thousand people1 mostly children1 took part in the ,tabernacle4 ,it was the grandest sight ,i ever witnessed in my life4 ,the ,tabernacle was adorned with one hundred and fifty thousand artificial flowers1 and roses strung upon some three miles of cord4 ,mr4 ,mc,cornick1 late member of ,congress1 and wife1 and other strangers were present4 ,they were much astonished at what they saw4 ,the ,saturday and ,sunday following1 ,elder ,woodruff visited ,provo1 where a two days conference was held4 ,at that time1 ,august #ast ,l4 ,john ,nuttall was ordained the bishop of ,kanab2 ,george ,halliday1 bishop of ,santaquin2 ,harvey ,h4 ,cluff1 of the fourth ward1 ,provo2 and ,john ,b4 ,maiben1 of ,manti1 ,sanpete4 ,on ,september #ast1 #ahge ,elder ,woodruff recorded at some length the death of ,president ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,concerning this counselor of ,president ,young1 ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal1 wrote3 ,time and death are thinning the ranks of the ,first ,presidency1 and the ,twelve ,apostles1 and first elders of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,no man has ever lived in this ,church who has left a cleaner and brighter record for both time and eternity than the ,apostle ,george ,a4 ,smith4 ,no man has been more diligent1 virtuous or valiant in the testimony of ,jesus ,christ than he has been4 ,he was an apostle foreordained before the foundation of the world to come forth in the last dispensation and fullness of times4 ,he has well and faithfully filled his mission4 ,he drew the first load of stone for the erection of the first ,temple ever built by command of ,god in the last days1 the one in ,kirtland1 ,ohio4 ,in all the trials of life1 like ,caleb and ,joshua1 he never murmured1 he labored diligently to build up the work of the ,lord to the day of his death4 ,we were together in ,zion's ,camp2 we traveled together on missions in the ,united ,states2 we were ordained apostles on the same occasion on the corner-stone of the temple in ,far ,west1 ,caldwell ,county1 ,missouri1 in #ahci4 ,we traveled together in ,england1 built up a church in ,london with ,brother ,heber ,c4 ,kimball4 ,we returned together in the same ship1 sleeping in the same berth4 ,we have labored together for fifteen years as historians of the ,church in #dhi the same office4 ,for many years we labored as members of the legislature4 ,i can bear testimony that in all these labors and associations with ,brother ,george ,a4 ,smith1 under all these circumstances1 an unpleasant word never passed between us4 ,on the #crd of ,october that year he wrote3 ,president ,grant is expected in this city1 at #aj a4 m4 to-day4 ,the city council appointed a committee to meet him4 ,president ,young and several of the ,twelve ,apostles went to ,ogden in ,president ,young's car to meet ,president ,grant4 ,governor ,emery and several non-,mormons went ahead as far as ,echo to meet the ,president4 ,when he arrived in ,ogden the ,utah ,central ,engine was attached to ,president ,grant's cars4 ,at this place ,president ,young was introduced to ,president ,grant by ,george ,q4 ,cannon4 ,as they shook hands ,brigham ,young said3 ',president ,grant1 this is the first time in my life that ,i ever had the pleasure of seeing a ,president of the ,united ,states and of shaking hands with him4' ,this was also the first time ,apostle ,woodruff had ever seen a ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,upon reaching ,salt ,lake ,city1 the distinguished visitors were taken to the ,walker ,house4 ,thousands of people lined the streets4 ,among them were several thousands of children4 ,as they rode up the street1 ,president ,grant said to ,governor ,emery3 ',whose children are these8' ,the ,governor replied3 ',they are ,mormon children4' ,the ,president1 in a tone of serious meditation1 said3 ',then ,i have been deceived respecting these people4' ,on the #dth ,president ,grant1 wife1 and son visited the ,temple ,block where they went through the ,tabernacle4 ,mrs4 ,grant and son remained in the building and listened to the organ while ,president ,grant rode on to the hill above the ,city where he could view the valley4 ,while the organ was playing1 ,mrs4 ,grant prayed for the people4 ,at the ,october conference that year1 ,president ,young presented in printed form his sermon on the resurrection1 which was read by ,elder ,george ,q4 ,cannon4 ,on the #ith of the month ,elder ,taylor offered the dedicatory prayer for the new ,tabernacle4 ,on the evening of that day twenty-five hundred men bearing the priesthood met in the old ,tabernacle1 where there was read to them the rules of the ,united ,order4 ,on this occasion ,elder ,woodruff in his talk to the priesthood said3 ,i see in my mind's #dij eye forty thousand men in these mountains bearing the ,holy ,priesthood1 foreordained to come forth in this dispensation4 ,then ,i see in the vision of my mind's eye forty million devils gathered to make war against these forty thousand priests of the ,lord4 ,we have many bishops and elders who have but one wife4 ,they are abundantly qualified to enter the higher law and take more1 but their wives will not let them4 ,any man who will permit a woman to lead him and bind him down is but little account in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,the law of ,patriarchal marriage and plurality of wives is a revelation and commandment of ,god to us1 and we should obey it2 but one says1 ',if you do1 ,judge ,mc,kean will be after you4' ,what has given us a future in these ,valleys of the ,mountains8 ,it is because we have obeyed this part of the ,celestial ,law of ,god4 ,on the #aath of ,october ,elder ,woodruff assisted in setting apart seventy-five missionaries4 ,at that time eleven ,lamanites were ordained to the priesthood4 ,closing his journal for that year1 he said3 ,the future is before us and great events await us in this generation4 ,the redemption and establishment of ,zion1 the fall of ,babylon1 the gathering of ,judea and all the tribes of ,israel1 and the second coming of ,christ1 are all near at hand4 ,this is the commencement of the ,centennial year of the ,american ,independence4 ,one hundred years ago the nation was composed of an honest1 industrious1 ,christian people1 and the chief men of the nation were poor1 honest statesmen1 who lived to promote the welfare of the whole people4 ,they established a constitution and laws1 which were a glorious legacy to their descendants4 ,by ,january #ast1 #ahgf1 a great change has come over the ,american government4 ,to a great extent1 virtue has departed from the land1 and honesty has been driven from the various departments of government4 ,men seek office to aggrandize themselves rather than to serve the interests of the people4 ,death and destruction are sown in the land which is ripening for the harvest4 ,on the #bbnd of ,april1 ,emperor ,dom ,pedro of ,brazil arrived in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,he was the first emperor to visit the ,saints4 ,in the evening he went to the theatre1 and on the #bcrd attended a meeting in the #adth ward meeting-house1 but left before the close of the services to take the train4 ,during the summer of the year #ahgf1 ,elder ,woodruff traveled #dia through the various stakes of the ,church4 ,in ,provo he wrote that he blessed ,father ,samuel ,vincent1 one hundred and one years old1 and his wife ninety-nine4 ,he also assisted in blessing ,vienna ,jacques1 who is spoken of in the ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,at that time she was ninety years old4 ,much of the summer was also occupied in ,temple work1 a work in which ,elder ,woodruff always took a supreme delight1 it was so in harmony with his spiritual nature4 ,in the early part of ,november that year1 ,president ,young and a large number of elder of the ,church left for ,saint ,george1 whither they went to dedicate the ,temple4 ,this was the first ,temple erected in ,utah4 ,during their stay in ,saint ,george1 preparatory to the completion of the ,temple1 ,president ,young was in poor health1 as he was nearing the last months of his life4 ,the completion and dedication of the ,house of ,god in ,saint ,george was to ,wilford ,woodruff a most joyful event4 ,he saw in it opportunities which the ,saints in earlier days had not been permitted to enjoy4 ,in later days it became to him a haven of rest and spiritual strength4 ,there was perhaps no duty or labor in the ,church more pleasing to him than the ordinances performed in the ,temple of ,god4 ,its completion was a matter not only of special pleasure but of great pride to him4 ,he had looked forward to its dedication and prepared his mind to participate1 on that solemn occasion4 ,he writes3 ,this is a very important day to the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god on the earth4 ,president ,brigham ,young and members of the ,twelve1 with some two thousand ,saints assembled within the walls of the ,temple in ,st4 ,george to dedicate certain portions thereof1 that we might commence to administer the ordinances ordained of the ,lord for the salvation of the living and the dead4 ,president ,young was ill and could not stand upon his feet4 ,at #ab3cj on the #ast of ,january1 #ahgg1 ,wilford ,woodruff stood upon the upper step of the font and called the attention of the people to whom he spoke as follows3 ,we are this day blessed with the privilege which very few since the days of ,adam have enjoyed4 ,we assemble in a ,temple built by the commandment of the ,lord for the salvation of the human family4 ,we have met to dedicate certain portions of this building4 ,i realize that #dib this assembly is too large and too crowded to bow upon their knees1 but all are asked to bow their heads and hearts unto ,god4 ,all who are here are ,saints1 or should be1 for none others ought to be in this holy ,temple4 ,i want the ,saints assembled to repeat the words in secret that our prayers may ascend to the ,lord of ,sabbaoth1 that they may be answered upon our heads4 ,mrs4 ,susa ,young ,gates1 daughter of ,president ,young1 was requested to take in short-hand the proceedings of the dedication4 ,the room was so thickly packed that there was no place for a table4 ,she1 therefore1 laid her book upon the back of one standing in front of her while she made a stenographic report of the proceedings1 which included the dedicatory prayer that was offered by ,apostle ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,after placing in remembrance before the ,lord the ,temple grounds1 the building with its furnishings1 and the organization of the ,church1 he concluded his prayer as follows3 ,may the blessings of ,god rest upon all the elders of ,israel in all the world4 ,we pray ,thee to remember in mercy the ,aaronic ,priesthood1 with its bishops1 priests1 teachers1 and deacons1 who are appointed to be standing ministers unto the ,church4 ,bless their wives and their children4 ,bless1 we ask ,thee1 ,thy aged servant1 ,edward ,hunter1 who is called to preside over the ,bishopric of ,thy ,church4 ,thou hast seen his labors and ,thou knowest the integrity of his heart4 ,clothe him with ,thy ,holy ,spirit2 fill him with the spirit of counsel and with consolation for his brethren4 ,preserve him in the flesh1 as long as he shall desire life2 and when he shall sleep with his fathers1 may he rest in peace and may the works of righteousness follow him4 ,bless all the organizations of ,thy ,church and ,kingdom4 ,may ,thy people accomplish the work unto which they are ordained1 build up the ,zion of ,god1 and prepare the earth for the second coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,bless the female ,relief ,society throughout the land of ,zion4 ,may that organization accomplish fully the object of its organization1 which was effected through the ,prophet ,joseph4 ,may the society influence the daughters of ,zion to deeds of virtue1 holiness1 righteousness1 and truth4 ,may the blessings of ,sarah1 ,huldah1 ,hannah1 ,anna1 and ,mary1 the ancient prophetess1 and of the holy women rest upon them4 ,o ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob1 remember1 we pray ,thee1 the covenants which ,thou hast made with all the house of ,israel3 #dic remember them in their abidings in these last days4 ,we pray that in this ,temple of our ,lord ,thou wilt make bare ,thine arm in the preservation and salvation of the small remnants of the ,lamanites that are left in the land4 ,deliver them1 we pray ,thee1 from the hands of the ,gentiles who are bringing about their threatened annihilation from off the earth4 ,inspire their hearts with ,thy spirit1 that they may receive the ,gospel of the ,son of ,god1 that they may be prepared to build up ,zion1 and to fulfill the covenants and promises made to them by their forefathers who inherited this land4 ,remember1 ,o ,lord1 ,thy covenant people in the north country2 hasten the day when they shall come in remembrance before ,thee1 when their prophets shall smite the rocks and the mountains of ice shall flow down before them4 ,may the highways speedily be cast up in the midst of the great deep1 that they may come over dry shod4 ,may the everlasting hills tremble at their presence and their enemies disappear before them4 ,may they come forth unto ,zion and bow the knee1 that they may be crowned under the hands of ,ephraim1 ,thy servant4 ,we hold in remembrance before ,thee the sons of ,judah2 wilt thou show unto them mercy1 since the blood of ,jesus ,christ has rested upon them for more than eighteen hundred years4 ,they have been trampled under foot of the ,gentiles and have been made a hiss and a byword in the fulfillment of the words of ,moses1 their law giver1 and of ,jesus of ,nazareth4 ,we pray ,thee1 ,o ,thou great ,eloheim1 that their past sufferings may suffice4 ,inspire their hearts to return home to ,jerusalem1 the land of their fathers1 and to rebuild their city and temple4 ,prepare them for the coming of ,shiloh1 their king4 ,o hear1 ,o hear us ,lord in these our petitions and answer us from heaven1 ,thy holy habitation1 and we will ascribe all honor1 glory1 and thanksgiving unto ,god and the ,lamb both now and forever1 amen and amen4 ,after this a dedicatory hymn1 composed by ,elder ,charles ,l4 ,walker1 was sung4 ,the vast audience then moved on to the main room above the font1 where a prayer of dedication was offered by ,apostle ,erastus ,snow4 ,the sealing room was dedicated by ,apostle ,brigham ,young1 ,jr4 ,in the assembly room ,president ,young1 who had been carried from one apartment to another because of rheumatism1 now arose before the vast assembly and spoke in part #did as follows3 ,i cannot consent in my feelings to retire from this house without speaking to this people4 ,perhaps it would not be prudent to say all ,i have it in my heart to say to those assembled4 ,i will say a few encouraging things to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,we are enjoying to-day a privilege which but few have enjoyed since the days of ,adam4 ,solomon built a temple for the performance of certain ordinances1 but through apostasy little was accomplished therein4 ,i will not say that ,enoch had not temples in which he officiated4 ,his people became so perfect that the ,lord took them to another place that removed them from the presence of the wicked4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints have been laboring for over forty years in accordance with the revelations of the ,lord to ,joseph ,smith1 who was commanded to establish the kingdom by gathering the ,saints1 by building temples1 by organizing the people as a heavenly family upon the earth4 ,we built a temple at ,kirtland and one in ,nauvoo4 ,joseph located the site for one in ,jackson ,county and for another in ,far ,west1 ,missouri4 ,from these we were driven by ruthless mobs2 now we have a ,temple which will be completely finished in a few days4 ,there is enough now completed to commence work4 ,those who can see the spiritual atmosphere can see that many are still glued to the earth4 ,they are lusting and longing for the things of this world1 in which there is no profit4 ,while we ought to look after temporal things1 we should devote them all to the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,where are the hearts of this people2 where are their forefathers8 ,what are they doing for their own salvation and for that of their forefathers8 ,if we were awake to this great truth1 this house would be crowded from ,monday morning until ,saturday night4 ,this ,temple has been built in a warm climate1 where the people1 including the ,lamanites1 can come in the winter and labor for their salvation and that of their progenitors4 ,what do you suppose the fathers would say if they could speak from the dead8 ,would they not say3 ',we have lain here thousands of years in this prison house1 bound and fettered in the association of the filthy and corrupt4' ,if they had the power the very thunders of heaven would resound in our ears4 ,all the angels in heaven are looking to this little handful of people4 ,when ,i think upon this subject #die ,i want the tongue of seven thunders to awaken the people to action4 ,when we closed the ,endowment ,house many of the people of the north came to us crying4 ,they begged the privilege to be baptized for their dead4 ,they can now come here1 do the work and bid the prisoners go free4 ,i shall never be satisfied until ,satan is conquered and driven from the face of the earth4 ,when he made this last remark1 he struck the pulpit with a hickory cane and drove the knots of it into the wood4 ,the indentations of the cane still remain upon the pulpit4 ,upon the close of the dedication1 ,wilford ,woodruff was appointed to preside over the work in the ,temple4 ,this appointment was a most fitting one in view of the spirit of ,elijah which had always rested upon him4 ,he worked for many years in the ,endowment ,house in ,salt ,lake4 ,he was familiar with the ordinances and instructions which belong to the ,house of ,god4 ,his whole soul was wrapped up in the temple work for both the living and the dead4 ,within the walls of a sacred edifice1 such as a temple1 he found comfort1 joy1 and consolation4 ,such work was more important in his mind than public honors1 and the station and honors that come from the world4 ,the first to be baptized and confirmed in the new ,temple was ,sister ,susa ,young ,gates1 who preserved for the pages of history in stenographic report a voluminous record of the dedication4 ,the opening day1 two hundred and twenty-four baptisms were performed4 ,those whose services as administrators in the ,temple were given1 were ,elders ,john ,d4 ,t4 ,mc,allister1 ,alonzo ,raleigh1 and ,henry ,w4 ,bigler4 ,march #ast of that year witnessed his seventieth anniversary4 ,on that occasion one hundred and fifty-four maidens and mothers in ,israel assembled in the ,temple to receive endowments for the dead female relatives of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,the address delivered to those gathered on that occasion is given in his journal as follows3 ,my beloved sisters1 ,i present myself before you this morning1 not only with prayer and fasting1 but with a heart filled with praise and thanksgiving to my ,heavenly ,father1 for ,his many mercies and for ,his kindness to me this day4 ,i am thankful to you also1 my sisters1 for a blessing of such magnitude as you are bestowing upon me4 ,i do not suppose such a #dif scene as this was ever before enacted upon the earth4 ,ever since ,i have been working in this ,temple1 my mind has been exercised in behalf of the dead4 ,i have a great desire to see my dead redeemed before ,i pass away4 ,a few days ago ,i went before the ,lord in this holy ,temple1 where ,i often go to pray4 ,there is no more acceptable spot on this earth to the ,lord than this ,temple4 ,while in humble prayer1 with the subject of temple ordinances resting upon my mind1 ,i prayed the ,lord to open the way for the redemption of my dead4 ,the spirit of the ,lord rested upon me and gave me the following testimony3 ',let ,my servant ,wilford call upon the daughters and mothers in ,zion1 and let them enter into ,my holy ,temple on the #ast day of ,march1 the day that ,my servant ,wilford shall see the time allotted to man1 three score years and ten4 ,there let them receive their endowments for his dead kindred1 and this shall be acceptable unto me1 saith the ,lord4 ,the dead relatives of ,my servant shall be redeemed in the spirit world and be prepared to meet ,my servant at the time of his coming1 which shall be at the time appointed unto him1 yet not revealed to man in the flesh4 ,now1 go to and perform this work and all shall be accomplished according to the desires of thy heart4' ,this was merely a key to me1 a light burst upon my understanding1 and ,i saw an effectual door opened to me for the redemption of my dead4 ,when ,i beheld this ,i felt like shouting1 ',glory hallelujah to ,god and the ,lamb4' ,i did not pursue this course1 however1 without first making known my testimony to ,president ,young4 ,upon consulting him1 he said that my course was proper2 what ,i did was right2 and what ,i received came from the ,lord4 ,he offered to provide several persons himself4 ,in the assembly on this occasion were three of his wives and five of his daughters4 ,i feel thankful to you1 my sisters1 for this manifestation of your kindness to me4 ,had you sought the world over you could not have found a birthday present so precious to me as this4 ,if ,i can redeem my dead and save myself and family ,i shall be highly gratified4 ,i feel that when we get into the spirit world1 we shall see the importance of this day4 ,i pray that we may meet with our kindred dead in the ,celestial ,kingdom of our ,god4 #dig ,late in the afternoon1 at the close of the ,temple services1 ,apostle ,woodruff was escorted to ,st4 ,george ,hall1 where he was greeted by the large assembly of more than one hundred1 who were to join with him around the tables spread with the luxuries of life4 ,the chief ornament of the tables was a three story cake adorned with suitable trimmings4 ,on it were pieces of satin1 containing poems composed for the occasion by home talent1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,randall1 and ,mrs4 ,emily ,b4 ,spencer4 ,those were truly his brothers and sisters who in common with him enjoyed the spiritual life within the sacred precincts of ,god's house4 ,such manifestations of their love and confidence naturally touched him deeply and awakened within him the joys and satisfactions of the sincerest friendship4 ,henceforth his temple work took on new pleasures and brighter hopes4 ,he gave to the work his undiminished and undivided love4 ,he felt the honor of his new calling and nothing that ever came to him in life gave him more supreme satisfaction4 ,during his life time three other temples were finished1 in the dedication of which he took a leading part4 ,as the ,april conference of #ahgg approached1 he looked forward to the occasion as something out of the usual4 ,it was convened that year in the ,st4 ,george ,temple4 ,there were present1 ,president ,young1 ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,john ,taylor1 ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 ,erastus ,snow1 ,f4 ,d4 ,richards1 and ,brigham ,young1 ,jr4 ,following this conference ,april #fth1 ,president ,young left for ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,elder ,woodruff recorded in his journal that this was the last time that he and ,president ,young ever met in the flesh4 ,they had long been closely associated in the ministry4 ,they had traveled thousands of miles2 they had rejoiced and had suffered persecution together4 ,president ,woodruff1 after the parting continued his labors in the ,temple4 ,president ,young and party1 on their way home1 stopped at ,manti1 on the #beth of ,april1 where they dedicated the ground for another ,temple4 ,on the #ahth of the following month1 ground in ,logan was dedicated for a similar purpose4 ,there was thus brought about the fulfillment of ,god's purposes wherein ,he declared1 ,i always command ,my people to build a temple4 #dih ,on the first day of ,june1 that year1 ,brigham ,young reached his #gfth birthday4 ,apostle ,woodruff1 in behalf of himself and associate ,temple workers1 wired ,president ,young1 as follows3 ,dear ,brother3 ,all officiating in the ,temple join with me on this your #gfth birthday1 in wishing you health and happiness1 and that you may live to see wickedness swept from the earth and righteousness triumph4 ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,president ,young's response read as follows3 ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,june #ast1 #ahgg4 ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,my thanks and blessing for the words of kindly greeting contained in your dispatch4 ,i desire nothing more anxiously than to see wickedness swept away and righteousness prevail4 ,my health is good4 ,i leave at six o'clock for ,provo1 where we hold a local conference1 commencing to-morrow4 ,may peace1 abundant blessings1 and great joy attend your lives and labors4 ,brigham ,young4 #dii ,,chapter #df4 ,,death ,,of ,,brigham ,,young1 ,,aug4 #bi1 #ahgg4 ,death of ,his ,son1 ,brigham ,young ,woodruff4--,prophetic ,utterances4--,baptisms for the ,signers of the ,declaration of ,independence4--,death of ,brigham ,young ,changes ,his ,plans4--,funeral4--,visit to ,logan4--,visit to ,st4 ,george4--,a ,vision4--,old ,folks' ,excursion4--,zion's ,board of ,trade4 ,on the #afth of ,june1 #ahgg1 while on a visit to ,pine ,valley1 southern ,utah1 ,elder ,woodruff received the sad news of the death of his son1 ,brigham ,young ,woodruff1 who was drowned in ,bear ,river4 ,the young man was in point of spirituality very much like his father1 and his devotion1 therefore1 to the ,church was a matter of both joy and pride to ,elder ,woodruff1 who looked forward to his son's labors in the ,church with great pleasure4 ,the young man was also ambitious in an effort to obtain an education1 and devoted himself at home and in the university to diligent study4 ,at this time ,elder ,woodruff had changed the location of his family in ,randolph1 ,rich ,county1 to ,smithfield1 ,cache4 ,we cannot always comprehend the ways and means of ,providence1 the father said4 ,there is a mystery hanging over this affair4 ,i never saw a person more anxious to obtain an education than he1 as he often studied until midnight during the past two years4 ,i now feel calm and composed and reconciled in this bereavement4 ,i have done1 and am doing a great deal of work for the dead4 ,it may be necessary that one of my family be in the spirit world to labor among those for whom we are officiating in the ,temple of the ,lord4 ,upon the return of ,elder ,woodruff to ,st4 ,george1 he resumed his work in the ,temple there4 ,during this and the immediate subsequent years ,elder ,woodruff devoted himself with great diligence to the work for the dead in the ,temple at ,st4 ,george4 ,work-day parties were gotten up for him4 ,hundreds of people gave him a day or two days or more in the ,temple in the ordinances for his kindred dead4 ,if it can be truthfully said of any man that he followed the #ejj injunction of the ,savior1 ,seek ye first the ,kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 and all else shall be added thereto1 it may be truthfully said of ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,in his journal he wrote at that time3 ,i have passed through the whole history of the ,church from the day ,i embraced the gospel until now2 and after so long a time and such experience1 ,i wish to bear my testimony that ,joseph ,smith was a ,prophet of ,god1 ordained from before the foundation of the world to come forth in the last dispensation of the fullness of times to lay the foundation of the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god on the earth1 and his life was preserved against every foe by the power of ,god until he accomplished all that his ,maker ordained him to do1 then he sealed his testimony with his blood1 and that testimony is in force upon all the world4 ,i am now called to preside over the only ,temple there is on the earth1 built for the salvation of the living and the dead4 ,there are but a few of us living who were in ,zion's ,camp4 ,i will here say that ,god has inspired me to keep a journal and write the history of this ,church1 and ,i warn the future historians to give credence to my history2 for my testimony is true1 and the truth of its record will be manifest in the world to come4 ,all the words of the ,lord will be fulfilled upon the nations1 which are written in this book4 ,the ,american nation will be broken in pieces like a potter's vessel1 and will be cast down to hell if it does not repent1--and this1 because of murders1 whoredoms1 wickedness1 and all manner of abominations1 for the ,lord has spoken it4 ,awake1 therefore1 ,o ,zion1 to the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,let the people sanctify and purify themselves before the ,lord1 and be prepared for the redemption of ,zion and the coming of the ,son of ,god1 for ,his coming is at the door1 and will overtake the world like a thief in the night4 ,there is throughout the journal of ,wilford ,woodruff that continuous spirit which manifests itself in the revelations and head-dealings of ,god4 ,his spirit is like that of the prophets and patriarchs of old1 and what he has written day by day represents the spirit of the times and is in response to the needs of the hour4 ,he was always in close touch with the ,prophet and was always in harmony with his divine calling4 ,there may be traced throughout the journal of this remarkable man a certain devotion to those fundamental principles which ,god revealed in the establishment #eja of the ,church in this dispensation4 ,these principles gave him his guiding star1 and by them he interpreted the history of the world and its destinies4 ,he was not overtaken by vagaries1 and he never had a thought of stamping his own personality on anything that he did or said4 ,he was always impressionable to the spirit4 ,his journal1 therefore1 is a storehouse of beautiful and convincing testimonies2 for his testimonies beget faith and lead to a better and more exalted life4 ,elder ,woodruff lays bare his spirit in his journal day by day1 and it is the same humble devoted childlike faith from the first to the last page4 ,leaving ,st4 ,george1 ,elder ,woodruff made a tour of the settlements in southern ,utah4 ,he celebrated the #bdth of ,july in the ,state ,house at ,fillmore4 ,on this tour1 he1 for the first time1 visited the beautiful ,panguitch ,lake4 ,he was a great lover of scenic beauty4 ,the work of ,god was no less precious to him than the word of ,god4 ,at that lake he also enjoyed the opportunity of his favorite pastime1 fishing for trout4 ,he was a great fisher and hunter1 both of game and men4 ,after his return to ,st4 ,george on the #bast of ,august1 that year1 he was baptized for the signers of the ,declaration of ,independence and other notable patriots in the history of his country4 ,it was a part of his loyalty to the ,united ,states to crave ,god's blessing upon the men and women who had laid the foundation of free institutions4 ,to his mind they were all the instruments of a divine purpose1 and he sought their welfare according to the light and intelligence which ,god had given him4 ,his work in the ,temple was suddenly disturbed by a telegram stating that ,president ,young had died at four o'clock p4 m4 ,august #bith1 #ahgg4 ,he1 therefore1 in company with ,erastus ,snow1 hastened by private conveyance and stage to ,york1 the railroad terminus1 that they might reach ,salt ,lake ,city as soon as possible4 ,a distance of three hundred and forty miles was covered in two and a half days1 though ,elder ,woodruff at that time was over seventy years old4 ,on reaching ,salt ,lake they immediately went to the ,tabernacle where the remains of ,president ,young lay in state4 ,from his journal we learn that something like twenty-five thousand people took a parting look at the remains of the dead ,prophet4 ,at his funeral ,elder ,woodruff spoke4 ,perhaps no man in the ,church knew ,brigham ,young better than he knew him4 #ejb ,they were pioneers together1 and spent months and years together preaching the gospel and compiling ,church history4 ,this change brought the quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 with ,john ,taylor at the head1 in control of ,church affairs4 ,the following ,september1 ,elder ,woodruff visited ,logan1 where he took part in laying the corner-stones of the ,temple1 concern-whose erection he had prophesied many years before4 ,temple work was now the burden of his thought and discourse2 and at the following ,october ,conference he talked at great length of his labors in the ,st4 ,george ,temple1 where1 he said1 between the first of ,june and the first of ,september twenty-three thousand nine hundred and eighty-nine baptisms for the dead had been performed4 ,he was now also joyful in anticipation of the ,temple which was to be built in ,manti4 ,this location on the hill overlooking the country made him feel1 when its erection was completed1 that it was truly the mountain of the ,lord's ,house4 ,during this year repeated mention of his work on the farm is made in his journal1 though at the time he had passed three score and ten years of life4 ,he loved farm work and devoted to it much thought4 ,with him it was all in the purpose of ,god and his devotion never flagged whether he was on the farm1 in the canyon1 or in the pulpit4 ,his ,church duties1 however1 as time went on1 weighed more heavily upon him1 and on the #aeth of ,december1 that year1 he resigned his position as ,president of the ,deseret ,agricultural and ,manufacturing ,society1 a place he had occupied with zeal1 interest1 and honor1 as well as with ability1 for fifteen years4 ,on ,christmas of that year he made note of the joy he found over the privilege of being at home with his wives and children1 whose happiness and welfare were matters of great satisfaction to him4 ,he watches them take their presents from the ,christmas tree1 and he enters into the childish joy of his little children with a tender and fatherly love4 ,it would swell beyond due proportions his biography to recount his movements to the different parts of the ,church1 and the daily duties of his life4 ,elder ,woodruff was an excessively busy man4 ,he was always looking for something to do1 and he never had any difficulty in finding it4 ,his constant travels and administrations among the ,saints made him to them one of the most familiar figures among their leaders4 ,early in ,january he set out on a mission to the southern settlements #ejc and ,st4 ,george1 which he reached on the #bbnd of the month4 ,there1 he again took up his labors in the ,temple4 ,the people there knew how happy ,temple work made him and they turned out in great numbers to render him assistance in the work he had planned to do for his kindred dead4 ,it was at this time that he paid his first visit to ,kanab1 going by way of ,rockville and ,grafton4 ,he calls the ,hurricane ,hill there the worst hill he ever drove a team up in his life4 ,he and his companions camped for the night on the summit4 ,he slept on the ground4 ,the next morning he encountered a heavy snow-storm which continued until noon4 ,at night they reached ,pipe ,springs1 a little oasis in northern ,arizona4 ,this was also the first time he had been in that ,territory4 ,on the return to ,st4 ,george he resumed his work in the ,temple4 ,of that work he said3 ,in one year and fourteen days endowments had been received for ten hundred and sixty-two of my dead4 ,on ,march #bjth he returned to ,salt ,lake ,city by way of ,parowan1 ,cove ,creek1 ,richfield1 ,manti1 and ,nephi4 ,he wrote a brief account of the ,april conference4 ,here1 it should be said that matters of general ,church interest which were taken down by stenographers ceased to find a place in his journal1 and he confines himself more to personal affairs and matters of special interest4 ,in many places1 taking it for granted that the facts are known1 he made his journal simply a commentary4 ,about the time of conference that year1 there were difficulties between the heirs of ,president ,young and the ,church over the estate of the late ,president4 ,i will say1 he wrote1 in his journal1 for and in behalf of the executors of the estate of ,brigham ,young2 namely1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 ,brigham ,young1 ,jr41 and ,albert ,carrington1 that they have done all in their power to settle this estate in justice1 equity and righteousness4 ,in those trying difficulties ,elder ,woodruff acted as a peace-maker4 ,the year #ahgh began to witness some of those beautiful outings1 designated ,the ,old ,folks' ,excursion4 ,the early history of the ,church was beginning to crystallize in beauty and importance4 ,to the ,latter-day ,saints1 the men and women who had borne the burden of those early days were veterans of distinction1 and the people loved to honor them2 besides there is something in the spirit and teachings of ,mormonism that calls forth reverence #ejd and honor for old age4 ,there is within the ,latter-day ,saints a marked disposition to manifest gratitude4 ,on the #aath of ,june1 that year1 thirteen cars conveyed the aged veterans1 men and women1 to ,ogden1 where they were received by a hundred and twenty-five conveyances and taken to ,farr's ,grove4 ,since then1 these outings have become frequent and general throughout the ,church4 ,elder ,woodruff gives us some data of an ,old ,folks' ,excursion in those days4 ,he says that prizes were distributed for various distinctions4 ,mrs4 ,catherine ,wilson received one because she was the oldest person present--ninety-six years4 ,william ,wilde was likewise honored because he was the next oldest1 ninety-five years4 ,five sisters obtained prizes because they had yoked and unyoked two yoke of cattle and driven them across the plains4 ,five others received them because they had drawn hand carts to ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,one woman1 ,mrs4 ,ann ,moses1 was distinguished because she was the mother of twenty-one children4 ,mrs4 ,elizabeth ,taylor came in also for her honors because she was the mother of fourteen children and six hundred grand1 and great grand children4 ,elder ,p4 ,green ,taylor1 fifty-one years old1 got a prize because he had more children than any man present2 namely1 thirty-six4 ,nor was ,elder ,woodruff forgotten on this occasion4 ,he received a prize because he had baptized and had been instrumental in bringing into the ,church a great number of souls1 something like two thousand4 ,he tells us in his journal that there was a foot-race by ,william ,barnes1 eighty-nine2 ,elias ,adams1 eighty-six2 and ,thomas ,edmunds1 likewise eighty-six years of age4 ,he says ,brother ,edmunds won4 ,on the second of ,september1 that year1 he said he took part in blessing a number of missionaries and of setting apart ,orson ,pratt and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith for a short mission to ,missouri to visit the ,whitmer families and places of note in the travels of the ,church4 ,the ,october conference of that year was held in the ,tabernacle and at its close there began the organization of a general ,zion's ,board of ,trade1 of which the ,apostles were made honorary members4 ,local organizations of the same character were effected in different parts of the ,church4 ,the purpose of this organization was to promote the temporal welfare of the people and aid them in acquiring the best markets for their produce by co-operative effort4 #eje ,on the #beth of that month ,elder ,woodruff records his visit with ,senator ,mc,crary of ,kentucky and ,mr4 ,hooper of ,mississippi and other prominent gentlemen to the ,smelting ,works of ,mr4 ,l4 ,e4 ,holden4 ,upon their return these gentlemen called upon ,president ,taylor4 ,on the #bhth of ,november1 ,elder ,orson ,hyde died at his home in ,spring ,city1 ,san ,pete ,county1 at the age of seventy-three4 ,this left but one of the first quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles living2 namely1 ,elder ,orson ,pratt4 ,on the #cjth ,elder ,woodruff attended the funeral4 ,proceedings of which are found in the ,deseret ,news of ,dec4 #eth1 #ahgh4 ,closing his long description of the scenes of a remarkable dream which he gives in detail at this time1 he uses the following words3 ,i saw a short distance from the ,missouri ,river1 where ,i stood1 twelve men dressed in the robes of the ,temple4 ,they stood in a square near by and ,i was given to understand that they represented the twelve gates of the new ,jerusalem4 ,their hands were uplifted while they were consecrating the ground2 and later they laid the corner-stones of the house of ,god4 ,i saw myriads of angels hovering over them1 and above their heads there was a pillar-like cloud4 ,i heard the most beautiful singing in the words3 ',now is established the ,kingdom of our ,god and ,his ,christ1 and ,he shall reign forever and forever1 and the ,kingdom shall never be thrown down1 for the ,saints have overcome4' ,i saw people coming from the river and from distant places to help build the ,temple4 ,it seemed as though there were hosts of angels helping to bring material for the construction of that building4 ,some were in ,temple robes1 and the pillar-like cloud continued to hover over the spot4 ,later ,i found myself in the ,ogden ,tabernacle1 where ,i was calling upon the people to listen to the beautiful strains of music there4 ,i rolled over in my bed and heard the clock of the ,city ,hall strike twelve4 ,this was ,december #af1 #ahgg4 #ejf ,,chapter #dg4 ,,experiences ,,in ,,arizona1 #ahgi4 ,in ,arizona4--,an ,epistle to the ,world4--,birthday ,celebrated in ,st4 ,george4--,travels in ,arizona4--,hunt with ,pelone1 the ,apache ,chief4--,a ,visit to the ,zunies4--,travels with ,lot ,smith4--,dream4--,letters4 ,on ,new ,year's ,day1 #ahgi1 ,elder ,woodruff moved to his new brick home next door south of the ,valley ,house4 ,the old ,valley ,house had been his first mountain home4 ,on the third of the month1 in company with ,moses ,thatcher1 he started on a tour of the southern counties4 ,one of the chief purposes of this tour was to organize local boards of trade4 ,while they were at ,nephi on the #fth1 ,elder ,thatcher received word of his appointment to fill the vacancy in the ,quorum occasioned by the death of ,elder ,orson ,hyde4 ,they reached ,st4 ,george on the #bjth of the month4 ,on ,february #gth ,elder ,woodruff found it necessary to go into exile because of the special effort at that time to prosecute those in ,plural ,marriage4 ,for the first time in my life ,i have had to flee from my enemies for the gospel's sake1 or for any other cause4 ,they are trying to arrest me for obeying the law of ,god in reference to ,plural ,marriage4 ,to escape his pursuers he went to ,arizona where he remained a couple of weeks1 and then returned to ,st4 ,george4 ,while there in the ,temple on ,washington's birthday he wrote an epistle to the world1 dated ,february #bbnd1 #ahgi1 from which the following is taken3 ,,epistle ,,of ,,elder ,,wilford ,,woodruff1 ,,one ,,of ,,the ,,twelve ,,apostles4 ,to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 and to all the world1 greeting3-- ,i feel desirous once more1 while in the flesh1 by the word of ,god and testimony of ,jesus ,christ1 to bear my testimony unto you as the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god1 established on the earth by the ,god of heaven in this last dispensation and fulness of times2 #ejg ,i also wish to bear my testimony to all nations under heaven1 to emperors1 kings1 presidents1 statesmen1 governors1 judges1 ,jew1 and ,gentile1 and to all rulers1 and the ruled who dwell upon the face of the whole earth4 ,my testimony is this unto all men and nations1 that you live in the day and hour of the judgments of ,god ,almighty4 ,you live in the day and generation when the ,god of ,israel has set ,his hand to perform ,his work1 ,his strange work in the latter-days4 ,you live in the age in which ,god will bring to pass the fulfilment of that flood of prophecy and revelation which has been spoken by all the prophets since the world began1 which stands recorded in the sacred books of divine truth2 and the fulfilment of these revelations will involve the destiny of the whole world1 ,jew and ,gentile1 rich and poor1 high and low1 saint and sinner1 ,babylon and ,zion4 ,therefore1 prepare yourselves1 ,o6 ye inhabitants of the earth1 for the hour of ,god's judgment is at the door4 ,as it was in the days of ,noah and of ,lot1 so shall it be in the days of the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,i address myself first to the ,saints of ,god1 who have entered into covenant with the ,lord and have been ordained unto the holy priesthood4 ,if you are living your religion1 and enjoy the spirit of inspiration1 which is your duty and privilege1 you know as ,god lives that ,joseph ,smith was a prophet of ,god2 that he received the administration of angels2 that he brought forth the ,book of ,mormon1 and translated it by the power of ,god4 ,you know he received the fulness of the ,everlasting ,gospel1 and the holy priesthood and apostleship and the keys thereof2 and that he organized the ,church of ,christ1 the only true and living ,church upon the face of the whole earth1 with its gifts and graces1 with which the ,lord is well pleased4 ,you do know ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 left his testimony upon the earth and sealed that testimony with his blood1 and that testament is in force upon the world1 and that testament is filled with the revelations of ,god1 that stand upon its pages like flames of living fire1 ready to be fulfilled upon all the inhabitants of the earth4 ,in this testament the ,lord has commanded ,his servants to go to all the world and preach this gospel of the kingdom to every creature1 as far as doors are open4 ,he also commanded ,his servants to visit ,new ,york1 ,albany1 ,boston1 and all the notable cities and villages of the world1 reproving them for their ungodly deeds1 #ejh and warning them of the desolation and utter destruction which awaits them1 if they reject the testimony of the servants of ,god4 ,with you1 saith the ,lord ,almighty1 ,i will rend their kingdoms1 for ,i will shake not only the earth1 but the starry heavens shall tremble2 you cannot see it now1 but soon you will see it and know that ,i am ,god4 ,you ,latter-day ,saints1 do you not know these things are true8 ,you do1 and so do ,i1 for the spirit of ,god bears record1 and the record is truth1 and truth abideth forever4 ,under the circumstances1 what manner of men and women ought we to be8 ,are we prepared as a people for the great events which await us2 which await both ,zion and ,babylon8 ,judge ye6 ,what is our duty as ,saints of the living ,god8 ,it is our duty to humble ourselves before the ,lord and call upon ,his name1 until we are filled with the ,holy ,ghost and the spirit of inspiration1 which is the light of ,christ4 ,pay our tithes and offerings1 keep the commandments of ,god and have faith in ,his word1 remember and honor the ordinances we have observed1 and the covenants and obligations we have entered into in the holy places and temples of our ,god4 ,we should unite ourselves together in a temporal as well as in a spiritual point of view1 as directed by the wise men of ,israel4 ,we should seek to build up the ,kingdom and ,zion of our ,god1 and not ourselves alone4 ,when we do these things we are prepared as a people to let our prayers ascend into the ears of the ,lord of ,sabbaoth1 and they will be heard and answered upon our heads4 ,again1 this testament which ,joseph ,smith left1 contains a revelation and commandment from ,god1 out of heaven1 concerning the patriarchal order of marriage4 ,the ,lord has commanded us to have our wives and children sealed to us1 for time and eternity1 that we may have them with us in our family organizations in the resurrection to dwell with us forever in the eternal worlds1 that we may have an increase of posterity forever in connection with ,abraham1 ,isaac1 ,jacob1 and all the ancient patriarchs4 ,i would say to all ,israel1 treat your wives and children kindly1 and keep the commandments of ,god and trust in ,him1 and ,he will fight your battles4 ,and ,i will say1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god1 that ,mormonism will live and prosper1 ,zion will flourish1 and the ,kingdom of ,god will stand in power and glory and dominion as ,daniel saw it1 when this nation is broken to pieces as a potter's vessel and laid in the #eji dust1 and brought to judgment1 or ,god never spoke by my mouth4 ,therefore ,i say to all the ,saints throughout the world1 be faithful and true to your ,god and to your religion1 to your families and to yourselves4 ,jesus of ,nazareth has suffered death on the cross for the redemption of the world1 and his apostles followed his example for the word of the ,lord and testimony of ,jesus ,christ1 and ,joseph ,smith proved to ,god1 angels1 and men that he would and did abide in his covenants unto death1 and none of us shall be called to do anything more4 ,we certainly1 any of us1 would be ashamed to deny the faith1 to accommodate our enemies1 then meet the prophets and apostles in the spirit world4 ,may ,god forbid that this should be the case with any of the blood of ,ephraim4 ,i wish in this testimony to say that the time is not far distant when the rich men among the ,jews will be called upon to use their abundant wealth to gather the dispersed of ,judah1 and purchase the ancient dwelling places of their fathers in and about ,jerusalem1 and rebuild the holy city and temple4 ,for the fulness of the ,gentiles has come in1 and the ,lord has decreed that the ,jews should be gathered from all the ,gentile nations where they have been driven1 into their own land1 in fulfillment of the words of ,moses their law-giver4 ,and this is the will of your great ,eloheim1 ,o house of ,judah1 and whenever you shall be called upon to perform this work1 the ,god of ,israel will help you4 ,you have a great future and destiny before you and you cannot avoid fulfilling it2 you are the royal chosen seed1 and the ,god of your father's house has kept you distinct as a nation for eighteen hundred years1 under all the oppression of the whole ,gentile world4 ,you may not wait until you believe on ,jesus of ,nazareth1 but when you meet with ,shiloh your king1 you will know him2 your destiny is marked out1 you cannot avoid it4 ,it is true that after you return and gather your nation home1 and rebuild your ,city and ,temple1 that the ,gentiles may gather together their armies to go against you to battle1 to take you a prey and to take you as a spoil1 which they will do1 for the words of your prophets must be fulfilled2 but when this affliction comes1 the living ,god1 that led ,moses through the wilderness1 will deliver you1 and your ,shiloh will come and stand in your midst and will fight your battles2 and you will know him1 and the afflictions of the ,jews will be at an end1 while the destruction of the ,gentiles will be so #eaj great that it will take the whole house of ,israel who are gathered about ,jerusalem1 seven months to bury the dead of their enemies1 and the weapons of war will last them seven years for fuel1 so that they need not go to any forest for wood4 ,these are tremendous sayings--who can bear them8 ,nevertheless they are true1 and will be fulfilled1 according to the sayings of ,ezekiel1 ,zechariah1 and other prophets4 ,though the heavens and the earth pass away1 not one jot or tittle will fall unfulfilled4 ,i would say to the ,lamanites1 if ,i could speak to them understandingly1 that you are also a branch of the house of ,israel1 and chiefly of the house of ,joseph1 and your forefathers have fallen through the same examples of unbelief and sins1 as have the ,jews1 and you1 as their posterity1 have wandered in sin and darkness for many generations2 and you1 like the ,jews1 have been driven and trampled under the foot of the ,gentiles1 and put to death through your wars with each other1 and with the white man1 until you are almost destroyed4 ,but there is still a redemption and salvation for a remnant of you in the latter days4 ,it is time for you to cease shedding each other's blood or making war upon your fellow-man4 ,cease to destroy one another1 learn to cultivate the earth1 and raise your food therefrom2 call upon the ,great ,spirit to protect you and deliver you from bondage and darkness1 and the ,great ,spirit will hear you and deliver you1 and a remnant of you will again become a delightsome people as your forefathers were when they kept the commandments of ,god4 ,could ,i speak to the ,ten ,tribes of ,israel1 in the north country1 ,i would say1 call upon the ,god of your fathers ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 that your prophets may come in remembrance before ,god1 that they may hear ,his voice and no longer stay themselves1 but smite the rocks1 that the mountains of ice may flow down at their presence4 ,a highway shall be cast up in the midst of the great deep2 their enemies shall become a prey unto them4 ,bring forth your records and rich treasures unto the children of ,ephraim1 the servants of the ,lord in the land of ,zion1 and the boundaries of the everlasting hills shall tremble at your presence1 and you shall fall down and be crowned with glory1 even in ,zion1 by the hands of the servants of ,god1 even the children of ,ephraim1 and you shall be filled with songs of everlasting joy2 behold this is the blessing of the everlasting ,god upon the tribes #eaa of ,israel1 and the richer blessing upon the head of ,ephraim and his fellows4 ,these events referred to are but a very limited portion of the revelations of ,god which are about to be fulfilled upon the heads of this generation4 ,i wish to warn all nations of the judgments of ,god which are at their doors4 ,thrones will be cast down1 nations will be overturned1 anarchy will reign1 all legal barriers will be broken down1 and the laws will be trampled in the dust4 ,you are about to be visited with war1 the sword1 famine1 pestilence1 plague1 earthquakes1 whirlwinds1 tempests1 and with the flame of devouring fire2 by fire and with the sword will ,god plead with all flesh1 and the slain of the ,lord will be many4 ,the anger of the ,lord is kindled and ,his sword is bathed in heaven1 and is about to fall upon ,idumea1 or the world4 ,and who is able to abide these things8 ,and who will stand when ,he appeareth8 ,the fig trees are leaving1 and the signs of all heaven and earth indicate the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,the seals are about to be opened1 the plagues to be poured forth4 ,your rivers and seas will be turned to blood and to gall4 ,and the inhabitants of the earth will die of plagues4 ,and the unbelief of great ,babylon1 with the whole ,christian world1 will not make the truths of ,god without effect4 ,let the world look1 for example1 at the ancient cities of the nations4 ,where are ,thebes1 ,tyre1 ,sidon1 ,nineveh1 and ,babylon the ,great1 which were built to defy all time1 and all power but ,god ,himself8 ,they were laid in the dust and their inhabitants destroyed1 when they were ripened in iniquity1 and this too1 in fulfilment of the word of ,god unto them through the voices of righteous men1 who spake as they were moved upon by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,in like manner was ,jerusalem destroyed and the ,jews scattered among the ,gentiles in fulfilment of the words of ,moses and ,jesus ,christ4 ,will the ,lord any more spare the cities of the ,gentiles and ,great ,babylon than he spared the ancient cities of the ,jews8 ,no1 verily no4 ,the question may be asked1 why these judgments are coming upon the world in the last days8 ,i answer1 because of the wickedness of the inhabitants thereof4 ,the very proclamation of the angel of ,god when he delivered the fulness of the ,gospel as revealed in the ,revelations of ,st4 ,john was1 crying with a loud voice1 fear ,god and give glory to ,him for the hour of ,his judgment is come4 ,and when that proclamation #eab was made to ,joseph ,smith the ,prophet1 it was half a century ago1 light has come into the world1 and men love darkness rather than light1 because their deeds are evil4 ,the ,lord has raised up prophets and apostles who have cried aloud to this generation with the proclamation of the ,gospel for half a century1 and warned them of the judgments which were to come1 and the inhabitants of the earth have rejected this testimony1 and shed the blood of the ,lord's anointed and persecuted the ,saints of ,god1 and the consequence is this3 ,darkness covers the earth1 and gross darkness the people1 and the ,lord is withholding ,his spirit from the inhabitants of the earth1 and the devil is ruling over his own kingdom and wickedness and abominations of every kind have increased a hundred fold within the last few years1 until the whole earth is filled with murders1 whoredoms1 blasphemies1 and every crime in the black catalogue that was manifest in the antediluvian world and in ,sodom and ,gomorrah1 until the whole earth groans under its abominations1 and the heavens weep1 and all eternity is pained1 and the angels are waiting the great command to go forth and reap down the earth4 ,this testimony ,i bear to all nations under heaven1 and ,i know it is true by the inspiration of ,almighty ,god1 and the decision of the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states bears me out in the opinion that the constitution gives me the privilege of enjoying my belief1 and faith and opinion in religion4 ,therefore the execution of all these tremendous events ,i leave for the ,god of heaven1 which ,he most assuredly will bring about4 ,what ,i have spoken ,i have spoken1 and ,i excuse not myself1 and though the heavens and the earth pass away1 my words will not pass away1 but will all be fulfilled1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,i subscribe myself an ,apostle of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and member of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ,on his birthday1 ,march #ast1 ,elder ,woodruff was greeted by a hundred women and forty-eight men1 who assembled in the ,temple for the purpose of aiding him in the ordinances for his kindred dead4 ,for that occasion ,mrs4 ,emily ,spencer1 and ,moses ,farnsworth composed in his honor verses containing congratulations and praise4 #eac ,on the #fth of ,march1 accompanied by ,erastus ,snow1 he left ,st4 ,george at three o'clock in the morning4 ,they went direct to ,kanab where they held a two days meeting1 and then with ,william ,johnson1 and ,brigham ,y4 ,duffin he began his pilgrimage and exile among the colonies of ,saints and among the ,indians of ,arizona4 ,the following account of his travels is taken from the ,deseret ,news1 ,weekly1 #ahgi1 page #cad3 ,,sunset1 ,,arizona1 ,may #bith1 #ahgi4 ,editors ,deseret ,news3 ,as ,i have been traveling for a season as a missionary among the ,saints and ,lamanites in ,arizona1 and have taken observations of the country1 men and things1 ,i have thought perhaps a few dottings by the way would not be uninteresting to the numerous readers of the ,news4 ,after crossing over the great ,colorado ,river at ,lee's ,ferry1 and crossing the hog's back1 which seemed to be the most difficult and dangerous road for loaded teams to pass over that ,i ever saw1 ,i indulged in the thought and hope that not many years would pass before a suspension wire bridge would span that river many miles below its present crossing1 which would save fifty or one hundred miles of weary travel1 and entirely escape the dangerous crossing of that terrible mountain4 ,we viewed the ,colorado ,river far below the ferry1 confined within its narrow bed by solid perpendicular stone walls two thousand feet high1 which made the stream look quite diminutive4 ,it being a very dry season throughout the whole country1 the wells1 tanks1 and springs were dry in a great measure4 ,it makes it very difficult for companies to travel this season owing to the want of water for both man and beast4 ,the distance from ,willow ,springs to ,moan ,copy is some fifteen miles over a strange country of a barren desert of rocks1 sand hills1 mounds1 gravel beds1 and many curious rocks which look as though they were hewn1 some of them twenty feet long by twelve to eighteen inches wide1 and twelve to eighteen inches thick4 ,the hills are of thin slate in a decayed state1 rocks are in every shape of men1 women1 children1 and palaces4 ,the country is without water1 grass1 or soil1 until we arrive at the ,moan ,copy wash bottoms which contain a large quantity of good land1 covered with vegetation and soil suitable for wheat or any cultivated crops4 #ead ,the present settlement1 in a fort form1 is located on a hill a hundred feet above the cultivated land1 in the midst of sand hills4 ,a good spring of water is a hundred feet below the fort1 the water is brought into the fort by a hydraulic ram1 placed there by ,john ,w4 ,young4 ,this saves much labor1 as it avoids the necessity of carrying the water a hundred feet up a steep hill4 ,there is a townsite laid out two miles north of the fort1 called ,tuba1 which stands upon a plat of good soil1 with good springs of water4 ,a number of families are building upon the new location4 ,i consider ,moan ,copy a very important location in many respects for a settlement of the ,saints1 as an outpost1 and especially its connections with the surrounding ,lamanites of the ,moqui and ,navajo tribes4 ,i held many interesting meetings with both the ,saints and ,lamanites1 and with the ,indian chiefs at ,moan ,copy4 ,the great change which has of late come over all the tribes of ,indians in ,utah1 ,arizona1 and ,mexico1 from war to peace1 is visible to every observing mind and could have been accomplished only by the power of ,god4 ,a few years ago neither ,mormon nor ,gentile could travel with any safety among the ,navajo1 ,apache1 or other ,indian tribes of this country2 while to-day any white man can travel1 either alone or in company1 with safety1 if he will attend to his own business and not interfere with the ,indians4 ,many of the ,lamanites are uniting with the ,saints at ,moan ,copy1 ,sunset1 and other settlements in cultivating the earth1 raising wheat1 corn1 and vegetables1 and the brethren are doing what they can to help them4 ,a young man by the name of ,polakkah1 son of the ,chief ,cashaby1 has a prospect of being a benefit to his tribe4 ,he speaks seven different languages1 including good ,spanish1 and some ,english4 ,he is raising wheat at ,moan ,copy1 and learning ,english4 ,he is intelligent1 and active1 is trying to understand the geography of the earth4 ,the ,indian tradition is that there is a new sun every day4 ,but while he was trying to understand that the earth revolved upon its axis and we have but one sun1 his faith was tried4 ,while on a visit to ,san ,francisco1 he saw the sun sink into the sea and the water put it out4 ,he could not see for a while how it could come out again1 but being informed the earth was round1 and the sun was hidden from view by the rotation of the earth1 he became reconciled4 ,brother ,john ,w4 ,young has established a trading store at #eae ,moan ,copy1 and is furnishing the ,lamanites goods for their wool and the brethren goods for their labor1 which is a benefit for both the ,saints and ,lamanites4 ,he pays a liberal price for wool and sells goods very reasonably4 ,this brings the ,moqui and ,navajo tribes1 both chiefs and people1 to ,moan ,copy to trade4 ,he has bought some thirty thousand pounds of wool this season1 baled it up and sent it to ,utah to be manufactured4 ,he laid the corner-stone of a woolen factory at ,moan ,copy on the first day of ,may1 and it1 with its surroundings1 was dedicated to the ,lord4 ,the walls will be built of stone2 plenty of good rock can be obtained within a few rods of the building4 ,the walls were being rapidly erected when ,i left4 ,if the factory proves successful in its operation1 it will be a great blessing to both the ,saints and ,lamanites4 ,in company with ,john ,w4 ,young and several other brethren1 ,i left ,moan ,copy on the #agth of ,april1 to visit the ,san ,francisco ,mountain country4 ,we camped at night upon the ,little ,colorado ,river1 and found the stream rather low4 ,on the #ahth we visited the ,black ,falls1 where both the bed of the river and shore were composed of black volcanic rock4 ,a short distance above1 the river could easily be taken out1 without any dam1 to irrigate a good deal of land1 supposed to be suitable for cultivation1 and the surrounding country is very suitable for an extensive herd ground4 ,on the #aith we nooned at the ,grand ,falls1 the main fall we judged to be about one hundred feet4 ,on the night of the #bjth we camped at ,turkey ,tanks1 which are composed of hard volcanic rock2 the one we watered at is about one hundred feet by twenty-five wide1 and ten feet deep2 the water formed from rain and snow1 was clear1 cold and good2 another tank1 twice the size was about three hundred yards below4 ,our barometer gave the altitude six thousand nine hundred feet4 ,the country abounds with deer1 antelope1 and turkey which drink at these tanks4 ,we saw twenty antelope and heard the turkeys gobble before we were out of bed4 ,we entered on the east side of that noble pine forest1 which surrounds the ,san ,francisco ,mountain1 and spent the night of the #bast at the ,flagstaff ,springs1 eight miles south of ,san ,francisco ,springs4 ,we found three men at the ,flagstaff ,springs1 building and farming2 they were raising good wheat1 potatoes1 early corn1 squashes1 and vegetables without irrigation1 their altitude #eaf being seven thousand five hundred and seventy-five feet4 ,on the morning of the #bbnd1 we drove eight miles to ,san ,francisco ,springs1 which have been purchased by ,john ,w4 ,young1 who has erected two buildings and done a good deal of fencing2 his house and springs stand at the north end of one of the finest parks1 either natural or artificial1 ,i ever saw2 it contains about #d1jjj acres1 without stick1 stone1 or bush1 with a soil as black and rich as the ,missouri bottoms4 ,it is shielded on the north1 east1 and west by the ,san ,francisco mountains and hills1 and open to the south1 and is surrounded on every side by that immense forest of giant pine timber4 ,i look upon this as one of the finest bodies of pine timber in ,america4 ,there is no underbrush and the trees stand from #f inches to #d feet in diameter1 and from #ej to #aej feet in height1 and a good deal of it from #bj to #dj feet to the first limb4 ,the whole face of the earth1 both forest and parks1 is covered with a heavy body of good nutritious bunch grass1 even to the very top of the highest volcanic cones1 that we ascended to the height of #aj1jjj feet1 and there seems to be range enough to support tens of thousands of horses1 cattle1 and sheep4 ,we rode our mules on to the top of a cone some #b1jjj feet above the park1 where we had a view of all the surrounding country1 as far as the eye could extend1 and we saw the same immense forest interspersed with parks from #ajj to #aj1jjj acres4 ,the altitude of ,san ,francisco spring is #h1jdj feet2 still the men eight miles south1 who had spent several winters there1 said they had but little snow and that the stock kept fat all the year round4 ,all this country abounds with game4 ,brother ,young's men had commenced plowing to put in wheat and spring crops4 ,we had to travel1 as the road ran in a circle nearly all around the mountain1 about #abj miles from ,moan ,copy1 when1 if a road could be located on the north side of the mountain to the ,little ,colorado ,river1 ,moan ,copy could be reached in half the distance4 ,i left ,moan ,copy on the #adth instant to visit ,sunset4 ,on my arrival at the ,little ,colorado ,river1 ,i found a great change had taken place2 the drouth had almost entirely dried up the river for #ej miles2 no water running at ,black or ,grand ,falls1 only a little found in pockets sufficient to water our horses1 some herders having removed their stock from the ,black ,falls1 not getting water for them to drink4 ,brother ,august ,wilcken accompanied #eag me to ,grand ,falls1 at which place he turned west to the ,san ,francisco mountains4 ,i continued on south until ,i arrived at ,sunset on the evening of the #agth instant1 where ,i was welcomed by ,brother ,lot ,smith and many ,saints4 ,i here found plenty of water in the ,little ,colorado ,river to irrigate all the cultivated lands and to run to the grist mill4 ,i was agreeably disappointed in the general appearance of the country surrounding ,sunset and ,brigham ,city4 ,i could not have formed a correct idea of the country from any description ,i had ever heard of it4 ,i found these two settlements standing on the borders of the ,little ,colorado ,river1 surrounded by a large open country1 which was covered with the very best of grass for many miles upon every hand4 ,ten thousand head of horses and cattle could keep fat without going many miles from the settlements1 and there is a belt of good thrifty forest of cottonwood timber1 a mile wide1 for #ej miles up and down the ,little ,colorado ,river1 and sufficient dry wood strewn along the bottom to supply the settlements with fuel for many years1 without cutting any green timber4 ,the cottonwood groves are sufficiently dense to give herds of deer hiding grounds all the year round4 ,on ,sunday the #ahth1 ,i met the ,saints of both settlements1 in the dining hall of ,sunset1 7some #ee feet in length7 which was completely filled4 ,i spoke to them during the forenoon and afternoon some two hours and a half2 a good spirit prevailed4 ,the people of these settlements all live in the ,united ,order1 and eat at one family table4 ,i stopped with ,brother ,lot ,smith who is president of the ,stake4 ,i took my meals with him at the family table1 the center table being #de feet in length and the side table #ej feet1 making three rows of persons4 ,each man has his place at the table with his family with him1 the same as though he were with his family in his own house4 ,prayer is always offered at the table morning and evening before eating1 and blessing is then asked4 ,and this is practiced in all places connected with these settlements1 at the sheep herd1 saw mill and dairies4 ,there seemed to be universal satisfaction among both male and female with this order of things4 ,i conversed with several of the sisters4 ,they preferred it to cooking at home4 ,all fared alike1 the president1 priest1 and people4 ,if any were sick they were nourished4 ,if any man was called on a mission he had no anxiety about his family1 knowing they would fare as well as the rest4 ,if any man #eah died his family would have a support as long as they lived with the people1 and ,i must say that ,i felt in spirit that these settlements1 in connection with ,orderville1 were living in the ,united ,order as near as any people could in mortality1 until a better way shall be revealed4 ,i could see many advantages they had above those who were living1 each man for himself4 ,they were out of the reach of temptation to quarrel with their neighbors over water ditches1 or over their neighbor's stock getting into their crops4 ,they were all interested alike in the use of the water1 or the preservation of their crops4 ,all is theirs1 stock and crop1 as though one man owned the whole1 and instead of eating up or wasting their substance1 they are daily getting rich and are enabled to assist other settlements to bread and means4 ,the presidents and leaders are as hard laboring men as any in the settlements1 and1 until ,i can learn a better way1 ,i feel to say with every sentiment of my heart to ,orderville1 ,sunset1 ,brigham ,city1 ,pleasant ,valley1 and every other settlement living in the ,order1 go ahead and ,god bless you2 and1 as ,president ,young instructed the ,saints who came to form these settlements1 to get as near the ,united ,order as they could2 and as ,president ,taylor and the ,apostles advocate the same principle1 ,i hope that all the priesthood will sustain1 by their prayers1 faith and influence1 those who are striving to live in this ,united ,order1 until something more perfect shall be revealed unto us4 ,it appears to me that the further we withdraw from this union into individuality of gardens1 lots1 orchards1 cows1 pigs1 and chickens1 the further we withdraw from the ,united ,order1 and the more we open the door for selfishness1 temptation1 and fault-finding with each other1 the same as before we attempted to unite1 and would open a door to give each man an excuse to spend his time in attending to his individual affairs1 instead of laboring for the general good of all4 ,the ,sunset settlement consists of #be families1 #bd men1 #cj women1 #ff children2 total #abj souls4 ,they have #ac men at work on the farm2 they have put in #bjj acres of wheat1 #ajj of corn1 #ae of cane1 #ae acres of lucern1 and #e of other vegetables1 besides #be acres of wheat for the ,lamanites4 ,they have #fe brood mares1 #cj yearlings1 #ba young colts1 and #ae horses2 also #cj oxen1 #afj milk cows1 #beg dry stock1 not including this year's calves2 also #a1bjj sheep1 and #ejj lambs4 #eai ,brigham ,city consists of #dj families1 #ch men1 #dj women1 #abb children2 total souls1 #bjj4 ,they have ten men on the farm1 who have put in #aee acres of wheat1 #ej of corn1 #bj of cane1 #aj of lucern1 #e of oats1 #e of potatoes1 #ah of orchard1 and #ae of other vegetables4 ,they have #be brood mares1 #g colts1 #ae horses2 also #bjj cows1 #aej calves1 #gj oxen1 #bhj young stock2 also #gjj sheep1 and #ejj lambs4 ,they have #dj wagons1 a blacksmith and wagon maker4 ,these settlements have a good water grist mill1 carding machine1 steam sawmill1 and a good pottery1 all in successful operation4 ,on the #bbnd1 ,i visited the sheep herd at ,mc,neil ,springs1 in the pine and oak forests1 #cb miles from ,sunset4 ,the house stands upon the bench1 but the spring is in a deep gorge1 so steep it is difficult for men to bring water up to the house4 ,the water is guided into several large pine troughs1 where #a1jjj sheep drink daily4 ,the wild cats are so numerous that it is difficult to guard the lambs by night from cats4 ,we visited ,pleasant ,valley on the #bcrd4 ,this is the location of the dairy of the various settlements in the ,united ,order1 and is one of the finest valleys in ,arizona4 ,it is five miles in length1 and three miles in breadth1 covered with the best of grass1 except a lake of fresh water which covers many acres1 where the horses1 cows1 oxen1 deer1 antelope1 and turkeys come down to drink4 ,i was informed the deer and antelope came into the valley daily to drink1 at times as many as a hundred antelope in a drove1 and that this lake1 both fall and spring1 was covered with thousands of ducks and geese1 the ducks remaining throughout the year4 ,orvil ,e4 ,bates presides over this settlement and is directing the cheese and butter making department4 ,i took a horse-back ride in the evening with ,brother ,bates to take a view of the country4 ,we saw #ae deer1 #ag antelopes1 and #e gobbler turkeys during the day4 ,on the #bdth1 we held a meeting at ,pleasant ,valley with the ,saints4 ,brother ,lot ,smith1 ,george ,lake1 and myself addressed the people4 ,a good spirit prevailed4 ,at the close of the meeting we drove #aj miles to the ,united ,order sawmill4 ,we saw a dozen turkeys on the road4 ,this steam sawmill is one used at ,trumbull1 and has a capacity of sawing #aj1jjj feet of lumber daily2 stands in the midst of that vast pine and oak forest1 some #de miles south of ,san ,francisco ,mountain4 ,i saw groves of white oak #ebj from the size of hoop poles to three feet in diameter and #ej feet in height4 ,on ,sunday1 #beth1 we held a meeting forenoon and afternoon1 with the people at the mill4 ,i spoke about one hour and a half1 followed by ,brothers ,lot ,smith1 ,l4 ,h4 ,savage1 ,o4 ,e4 ,bates1 and ,w4 ,c4 ,mc,lellan2 a good spirit prevailed4 ,on the #bfth1 after killing and dressing a large antelope1 and taking a portion of the meat with us1 we left our friends at the mill and returned to ,sunset on the eve of the #bgth4 ,i have had an interview with ,brother ,lewellyn ,harris concerning his administrations among the ,lamanites sick with the small-pox4 ,he confirms as truth all that was published in the ,deseret ,news concerning it4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ,on the #bdth of ,june with ,lot ,smith and others he made a journey to a number of settlements in that district of the country4 ,the #beth found him at ,woodruff1 a small town on the ,little ,colorado1 that had been named in his honor4 ,the people of the town represented in some manner the persistency that characterized the life of ,apostle ,woodruff4 ,an existence along the ,little ,colorado1 especially when it depends upon the permanence of dams constructed on its quicksands1 is both precarious and difficult4 ,elder ,woodruff always had the happy faculty of adjusting himself to the conditions of people wherever he was4 ,he was as much at home on the farm as in the pulpit or in the temple4 ,he helped the brethren gather their crops and labored in the fields4 ,during the latter part of ,july1 ,elder ,woodruff went to ,snowflake where1 with ,president ,jesse ,m4 ,smith1 he took up his labors among the ,saints4 ,while there1 during the early part of ,august1 he accepted an invitation to go on a deer hunt with ,pelone1 an ,apache chief4 ,on this occasion1 though fond of hunting1 he was much more interested in preaching the gospel to the chief and other ,indians than he was in pursuing the chase4 ,he says that when they were ready1 the ,indian painted himself with white clay1 put on a striped shirt resembling the color of an antelope4 ,the ,indian likewise made his limbs take on the same striped appearance4 ,on his head he put artificial horns1 thus making himself #eba a decoy to antelope4 ,pelone and the ,indians with him were told about the ,book of ,mormon and the promises of the ,lord respecting their forefathers4 ,of these visits ,elder ,woodruff related a circumstance as follows3 ,pelone gave three young ,mormon ,elders the strongest rebuke ,i ever heard from an ,indian4 ,the boys were smoking and asked ,pelone to smoke with them4 ,he looked them sternly in the face and said3 ',no1 the ,great ,spirit has told me that if ,i would not smoke1 nor drink whiskey1 ,i should live a long time1 but if ,i did1 ,i should live but a short time4' ,i then said to the boys1 you should take that rebuke to heart1 and never again set such an example before an ,indian4 ,two days later ,elder ,woodruff had another talk with ,pelone and one ,pedro4 ,the latter was also an ,apache chief1 the two being the principal chiefs of the tribe4 ,the former had related to ,pedro all that ,brother ,woodruff had taught him and appeared much interested in the message4 ,from ,snowflake ,apostle ,woodruff made his way to ,st4 ,john1 from which place with ,ammon ,tenney he paid a visit to the ,zunis and other ,indian tribes1 an account of which is given in a communication of ,september #aeth1 #ahgi1 to ,president ,john ,taylor1 as follows3 ,,sunset1 ,,apache ,,co41 ,,arizona1 ,sept4 #aeth1 #ahgi4 ,president ,john ,taylor and ,council3 ,,dear ,,brethren3--,i arrived on ,saturday night1 the #acth inst41 all well and in good spirits and found ,brother ,lake1 of ,brigham ,city1 and ,brother ,bates1 of ,pleasant ,valley1 very sick4 ,they had been to the ,verde1 baptizing some and administering to the sick4 ,brother ,lake has been looked upon as dangerous1 but was some better yesterday4 ,in my short communication of the #bnd inst41 ,i promised to give a fuller account of my visit to the ,isletas1 which ,i will now endeavor to do4 ,i view my visit among the ,nephites one of the most interesting missions of my life1 although short4 ,i say ,nephites because if there are any ,nephites on this continent we have found them among the ,zunis1 ,lagumas1 and ,isletas1 for they are a different race of people altogether from the ,lamanites4 ,i class #ebb the ,navajoe1 ,moquis1 and ,apaches with the ,lamanites1 although they are in advance of many ,indian tribes of ,america4 ,i class the ,zunis1 ,lagumas1 and ,isletas among the ,nephites4 7,see ,sec4 #c1 verse #ag1 ,doc4 and ,cov47 ,the ,zunis are in advance of the ,navajoes1 ,apaches1 or of any other ,lamanites4 ,the ,lagumas are much above the ,zunis1 and the ,isletas are far above them all in wealth1 in beauty1 cleanliness1 and order of their homes and persons1 the adornment of their dwellings1 their industry and indefatigable labors1 and in their virtue1 and in the purity of their national blood4 ,their bearing and dignity in their intercourse with strangers1 and1 above all else1 the expansion of their minds and their capacity to receive any principle of the ,gospel1 such as endowments or sealing powers1 fully equal the minds of any of the ,anglo ,saxon race4 ,while ,i have been standing in the midst of that noble-minded people1 teaching them the gospel1 ,i could not make myself believe ,i was standing in the presence of ,american ,indians or ,lamanites1 neither was ,i4 ,the ,isletas of which ,i speak is a village twelve miles below ,albuquerque1 on the ,rio ,del ,norte1 containing #c1jjj souls that stand at the head of this class of men that ,i call the ,nephites4 ,they occupy forty villages1 containing a population of #cb1jjj1 speaking sixteen distinct languages1 but nearly all good ,spanish scholars4 ,i look upon this as a great field of missionary labor for some forty good1 faithful ,mormon elders1 who should be able to speak the ,spanish2 and ,i hope next conference will call some of them1 at least1 into the field4 ,i visited this people1 located in their homes in company with ,brother ,ammon ,m4 ,tenney1 who had visited most of them before1 and ,i think has done much good in opening doors among them4 ,he had baptized #aae of the ,zunis on a former mission4 ,my journey and visit with him was a visit of observation1 and ,i was amply rewarded4 ,in what way1 ,i do not know1 but in almost every village ,i visited1 they were looking for me4 ,i can only make a brief outline from my journal of our journey4 ,on the #aith of ,august1 we entered the ,zuni village1 containing about #c1jjj souls4 ,the village stood on a piece of elevated ground2 many buildings were three stories high1 and the upper stories were entered by ladders at the top4 ,there had been a heavy struggle in this village between the ,catholics and ,mormon ,zunis4 ,the priests had done all they could to lie about the ,mormons and had drawn away #ebc a few who had been baptized1 but others remained firm4 ,i went through the old ,catholic cathedral in the village2 it looked as though it were #ejj years old4 ,it had two bells hanging in the tower and over the pulpit was some of the finest carved work in wood ,i ever saw1 representing ,christ1 the apostles1 and angels4 ,i went all through the village and1 for the first time in my life1 ,i had a view of the white ,indians called ,albinos4 ,their hair1 face1 and limbs were nearly as white as milk1 much whiter than any ,americans4 ,i met with many who had been baptized and they were very glad to see me4 ,they had #b1jjj acres of corn1 looking well without irrigation4 ,on the day following1 we visited their village at their farm called ,fish ,springs4 ,i was here introduced to ,brother ,juan ,bautista 7,john ,baptist71 the first man baptized in the ,zuni nation by ,a4 ,m4 ,tenney4 ,his son's wife was the most handsome woman ,i ever saw of the ,indian race2 had a beautiful child1 nearly white4 ,i went through their wheat fields1 which they were cutting with sickles4 ,we visited several ruins of the ancient inhabitants2 some of the outside walls of stone were standing some eight feet high4 ,on ,sunday evening1 the #beth1 we held a meeting in a village of the ,lagumas1 called ,mosita ,negra4 ,we had an interesting talk with the ,governor of the place 7,jose ,carido71 and the spiritual advisor 7,lorenzo ,coreo7 and both wanted a meeting4 ,they called the people together1 men1 women1 and children4 ,we opened by singing and prayer1 and ,brother ,tenney spoke to them in ,spanish thirty minutes4 ,i spoke a short time4 ,brother ,tenney interpreted and we dismissed1 thinking we had kept them long enough4 ,as soon as we dismissed1 a ,nephite arose1 full of the spirit of the ,lord1 and said3 ',friends1 why do you dismiss us and leave us in this way4 ,this is the first time we have heard of our forefathers and the gospel1 and the things we have looked for from the traditions of our fathers4 ,if our wives and children are weary1 let them go home2 we want to hear more4 ,we want you to talk all night1 do not leave us so4' ,this speech raised me to my feet and the next hour was one of the best meetings we had4 ,we all felt inspired1 missionaries1 ,nephite men1 women1 and children4 ,i spoke and ,brother ,tenney interpreted4 ,i never felt the want of tongues more than on this occasion4 ,i taught the things of the ,kingdom of ,god and found hearts capable of receiving it4 ,all were deeply interested and the seeds we #ebd had sown in the hearts of that people will bring forth fruit4 ,at the close of the meeting1 the man who spoke in the meeting came to me and said1 ',when you return1 drive to my home and all your wants will be supplied1' which we did and held another meeting on the ,sunday following4 ,we should have baptized him1 the ,governor1 and many others1 ,i think1 but the ,governor who had followed us1 as did the spiritual advisor1 some sixty miles to ,isletas1 had not returned4 ,the people did not wish to take any steps until their ,governor was with them4 ,on the following morning1 my carriage was surrounded by the ,governor and people that we had talked to the night before4 ,some of them took breakfast with us and ,i had to talk to them on the principles of the gospel and their record and signs of the times1 until ,i left2 and the leading men of the village followed us sixty miles to ,isletas and stopped with us most of the time we were there4 ,on the morning of the #bfth of ,august1 we drove through ,frisco1 crossed the ,rio ,del ,norte1 which we found very low1 and entered ,albuquerque1 containing about #c1jjj inhabitants1 ,jews1 ,gentiles1 ,americans1 and ,mexicans4 ,i was introduced to ,judge ,parks1 the ,u4 ,s4 ,district ,judge of that ,district1 from ,illinois4 ,i went through the city or town4 ,it is quite a place of business4 ,i went through the ,catholic cathedral accompanied by an ,italian padre1 or priest4 ,he took great pains to show us everything in it1 robes of the priests and deacons2 some robes woven from pure gold thread that cost #a1jjj4jj4 ,there was much more wealth than ,i would have looked for in as obscure a place as ,albuquerque4 ,we spent the day in the place and left in the evening and camped five miles below on the banks of the river4 ,on the #bgth of ,august1 we entered the village of ,isletas 7,ysleta71 being the day before the great annual feast of this people4 ,brother ,ammon ,m4 ,tenney had visited this people three years ago and had made friends in the place4 ,we called upon an old patriarch that had received him before4 ,his name was ,juan ,reylocero 7,john ,king74 ,he was glad to receive us4 ,he furnished us with mutton1 fruit1 and anything we needed4 ,he was one of the leading spirits1 was one of the most influential men in the village1 and was over eighty years of age2 but by his labor and activity he did not appear more than seventy4 ,it should be understood that the ,catholic power has had dominion for centuries over most of the ,american tribes4 ,this is the case with all #ebe these tribes1 as well as others1 and the priests who now occupy their villages are mostly ,french or ,italian4 ,the priests who dwell in ,isletas have had a hard contest with the old patriarch1 because he had received the ,mormons and their religion4 ,he told the priest that he had his own rights and agency and no men should take his rights or religion from him2 and they had not spoken to each other for two years4 ,this spirit is manifest through all the tribes when the gospel is preached1 and the ,lamanites and ,nephites throughout all the land are beginning to be weary of the ,catholic priests and their religion4 ,the inhabitants of ,isletas stand at the head of these #cb1jjj ,nephites2 all the other #dj villages come to them for counsel4 ,they have their own laws1 police courts1 and judgment seat4 ,they are very rich4 ,the man we stopped with possessed #i1jjj sheep1 #ajj brood mares and horses1 #ajj mules and asses1 #ejj cows and oxen1 a ranch worth #h1jjj4jj1 and #be1jjj of other wealth4 ,he rents many houses in the city1 and he is a sample of many of the ,isletas nation4 ,they allow no white man or ,mexican to mix with them in their blood2 all their marriages are in their own tribe4 ,our friend 7,reylocero7 said the ,americans had called them wild men4 ,if they were wild1 they were honest and virtuous4 ,it was very seldom that a case of seduction of a wife or daughter was known in their tribes4 ,whenever such a case did occur1 the penalty of death was executed and had been for centuries1 until civilization was introduced by ,americans1 who had introduced seduction and corruption wherever they had a chance1 and now1 if a man were put to death for seduction1 the civilization of the day would kill his slayer4 ,in fact they were so much afraid of white men coming in contact with their women1 that ,brothers ,tenney and ,robert ,h4 ,smith1 of the #aeth ,ward1 ,salt ,lake ,city1 three years ago1 came nearly starving to death before they got thoroughly acquainted with them4 ,they were not willing for these brethren to go into the presence of their women2 but after the old patriarch had reached full confidence in ,brother ,tenney1 he put his grand-daughter 7a very handsome young woman7 in his charge1 as he was going away for a season1 and a young ,mexican wished to court her1 and the old gentleman did not wish him to marry her4 ,and as the people in that village had full confidence in him1 on our arrival we were kindly received and entertained by all we #ebf called upon4 ,i look upon the ,isletas as the most industrious and hard laboring people of any ,i ever met 7the ,latter-day ,saints not excepted74 ,this ,nephite village has a field of corn ten miles in length and one in width4 ,it lies north and south of their village1 and is irrigated4 ,the corn is quite as good as any ,i ever saw in ,utah1 and perfectly clean2 not a weed could be found in a hundred acres4 ,they have also twenty-one vineyards bordering on their city and #a1jjj vines to each vineyard1 some of them #fj years of age1 all kept perfectly clean and loaded with the finest of fruit1 and as heavy a crop as ,i ever saw in ,st4 ,george4 ,the vines stand from two to four feet in height and1 in the fall of the year1 each vine has a mound of earth formed around it1 until it is covered out of sight4 ,in the spring it is uncovered and the earth leveled4 ,this is an immense work4 ,they have also many apple1 pear1 and peach orchards1 all ripe as well as the grapes4 ,isletas is occupied only by the ,nephites themselves4 ,there are no ,mexicans or white men4 ,the houses generally are made of adobe1 cement1 or concrete1 and plastered4 ,the outside walls are as white as snow1 and the floors are made of mortar or plaster1 very smooth and many of them very neatly carpeted4 ,we saw some as handsome women and girls as could be found in ,america1 barring their dark complexions4 ,there is one practice that exceeds that of any civilized city on the globe that ,i ever heard of4 ,no man1 woman1 or child is allowed to sweep a particle of dirt or dust from their floors into the door yards or streets1 under penalty of a fine4 ,it all has to be gathered in cloths or baskets and carried to mounds which are located in different parts of the city4 ,the room we occupied was in the center of the town and the mound formed from the sweepings of the floors in that part of the town measured #aej yards at the base and some thirty feet high1 which had probably been #ajj years in collecting1 for they did not appear to cart it away4 ,i found in ,isletas and in other villages of the ,nephites the same kind of crockery and stone ware painted in all its brilliant colors that we find in the remains of their ancient cities1 or in ruins of the ancient inhabitants4 ,all of their water jugs and main crockery are of this material1 for they still hold the art of making and painting it4 ,we visited quite a number of the families in the village and were kindly entertained4 ,among #ebg others1 we visited ,mrs4 ,pascual ,avieta1 a ,nephite lady1 ,i should judge #ej years of age1 a large portly woman1 with a large1 fine home4 ,her floors were neatly carpeted1 and settees were covered with ,navajoe blankets1 worth #ae each4 ,she was neatly dressed4 ,i was introduced to her by ,brother ,tenney and to her daughters and sons4 ,she received me and treated me with all the cordiality that any refined lady could1 and presided over her household with all the dignity and grace of a ,martha ,washington4 ,when her daughters were introduced to me1 after bowing and shaking hands1 they very reservedly and modestly retired across the room1 sat down upon a settee and listened to what was said in silence4 ,the matron sat down beside me and conversed with great freedom4 ,while the family could speak good ,spanish1 her son1 a fine young man of #bj1 could speak good ,english1 which was a ,god send to me1 and ,i thoroughly improved it by preaching the ,gospel of ,christ and blessings of the ,kingdom of ,god to him1 which he gladly received and promised to deliver the same to his father and mother4 ,the matron invited us into her pear1 peach1 and apple orchard1 and grape vineyard where fruit was ripe4 ,we feasted to our satisfaction1 and repeated by invitation the same ceremony each day while in ,isletas4 ,the feast was on the #bgth of ,august4 ,there were hundreds of ,mexicans from all the surrounding country gathered4 ,the ,mexican women and girls had their long trails4 ,most all the drinking1 gambling1 and fighting1 which lasted all night1 were done by the ,mexicans1 while the ,isletas were in their homes with doors locked at an early hour4 ,the ,governor and leading men of ,mosita ,negra1 where we preached1 were with us and did not take part in the ,mexican carousal4 ,thus1 dear brethren1 ,i have given you an outline1 merely1 of the field of labor which ,i consider the ,god of ,israel has opened unto us1 and which ,i consider the revelations of ,god require us to perform4 ,i think there is element sufficient for forty good1 faithful elders4 ,there is need for a goodly number of elders who can speak the ,spanish language1 or who will be able to learn it4 ,i have already sent ,brother ,taylor a small list of names1 including the ,indian missionaries that are already in this country1 as far as ,i can remember them1 and if there are any in ,st4 ,george #ebh or southern ,utah1 or northern1 who can speak the ,spanish1 or who will learn it1 ,i would like ,brother ,taylor to consider them at the ,october ,conference4 ,i am happy to be able to state that most of the settlements ,i have visited of the ,saints have been blessed with fair crops of grain1 notwithstanding the dry season4 ,they were just finishing threshing as ,i left ,snowflake4 ,they will have over #c1jjj bushels of grain1 mostly wheat1 and ,i am confident they will have over #d1jjj bushels of wheat at ,sunset4 ,i have not written anything for publication concerning my journey to ,lamanites or ,nephites of late1 thinking it would not be wisdom to publish anything about our labors among the ,american ,indians under the present state of excitement on ,mormonism4 ,i forwarded a list of names in my other communication1 as missionaries4 ,i forward a few more in this communication and those ,i send from here are mostly persons who have given in their names and are willing to engage in the mission4 ,some incidents occurred on our mission which were interesting to me and showed that the ,lord was at work with and for us1 to open the way for the introduction of the gospel among this branch of the house of ,israel4 ,but ,i have already lengthened this communication much more than ,i intended at the commencement4 ,i learned of the release of the ,apostles from prison from the ,news1 which has given joy to all the faithful ,saints of the land4 ,the devil is making a hard struggle to stop the building of temples1 and the work of ,god1 and the wicked are helping him1 but1 brethren1 ,god reigns and will stand by you to the end4 ,the lawyers1 judges1 and the nation are hastening to their doom as fast as time will permit1 and they are sure of their fate4 ,that ,god may bless you and give you the victory1 is the earnest prayer of ,your brother in the gospel1 ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ,brother ,woodruff here in his journal1 referring to his epistle in support of ,plural ,marriage1 said3 ,i am composed and tranquil4 ,i am in the hands of ,god1 so is the ,united ,states ,government4 ,i rejoice in that epistle and in the testimony which ,i have borne to all the world4 ,god will back up my testimony and the testimony of the righteous though the heaven and earth shall pass #ebi away4 ,during those days in ,arizona1 away from the turmoil and busy scenes of his former active life he had opportunity to give himself up to the inner workings of the human soul4 ,it was not only an opportunity to rest1 but it was an abandonment to the workings of the spirit of ,god in the wilderness of ,arizona1 from which he gave out some of the most inspiring utterances of his life4 ,nor was his life there without some inconveniences and indeed some hardships4 ,in ,november of that year he traveled with ,lot ,smith through the mountains where the snow lay a foot deep4 ,the weather was very cold and the wind was piercing4 ,they cut down pine limbs to make a shield against the cold blast1 and made their bed upon the earth4 ,the weather was so cold that night that ,elder ,smith1 fearing his horses might freeze1 arose and brought them to a big fire which they kept ablaze most of the night4 ,it was on that journey that he records a visit of ,president ,young and ,elder ,orson ,hyde to him in a dream4 ,he asked ,president ,young if he would not address the ,saints1 and he answered1 ,no1 saying that he had done his talking in the flesh and that work was now left for ,elder ,woodruff and others to do4 ,from the dream he quotes ,president ,young as saying3 ,tell the people to get the spirit of the ,lord and keep it with them4 ,it was also at that time that he employed his leisure moments in reading ,mc,cabe's ,history of the ,world4 ,he also helped the brethren in the fields1 dressed buckskin1 and did everything that came in his reach4 ,the last days of #ahgi were passed with ,john ,w4 ,young1 and other brethren4 ,they visited the different wards1 held conferences1 and gave encouragement to the people4 ,in a section of country where material advantages were not the best1 what the people lacked in worldly advantages they really enjoyed in spiritual blessings4 #ecj ,,chapter #dh4 ,,remarkable ,,experiences ,,in ,,arizona1 #ahhj4 ,in a ,shepherd's ,tent in ,arizona4--,a ,revelation ,given ,jan4 #bf1 #ahhj4--,organization of ,first ,presidency4--,call to ,apostleship of ,francis ,m4 ,lyman and ,john ,henry ,smith4 ,new ,year's ,day1 #ahhj1 found ,apostle ,woodruff at the home of a ,brother ,greer at the ,little ,colorado meadows1 ,apache ,county1 ,arizona4 ,he says he passed much of the day in reading and in meditation upon the past4 ,his mind was also occupied with his present situation1 and he was led to contemplate the future4 ,the day following he went to a small uninteresting town about fifteen miles from ,st4 ,johns to a meeting4 ,judge ,stinison was present at the meeting to hear ,elder ,woodruff in his discourse upon the divinity of the great latter-day work4 ,on the #eth he rode to what was known as ,perkins' ranch1 where he ordained ,john ,h4 ,perkins to the office of a seventy and set him apart for a mission to the ,lamanites4 ,at this time ,elder ,woodruff was strongly impressed with the desirability of opening a mission among the ,lamanites1 and therefore set apart ,elder ,greer and ,henry ,w4 ,despain for that mission4 ,after his visit along the settlements up the ,little ,colorado ,elder ,woodruff returned to ,brigham ,city1 and later took up his abode in a shepherd's tent about twenty-five miles from ,sunset4 ,here he wrote letters to ,president ,taylor and others1 and was especially thoughtful of ,elder ,george ,reynolds1 then a prisoner in ,lincoln1 ,nebraska1 ,elder ,reynolds having been convicted of polygamy4 ,it was here in this shepherd's tent that he felt the solemnities of eternity resting upon him and desired to know the mind and will of the ,lord concerning the ,apostles and the nation1 and especially the purpose of the persecution against the ,saints of ,god4 ,on the #bfth of ,january in his journal he says3 ,i went to bed filled with prayer and meditation4 ,i fell asleep and remained in slumber until about midnight1 when ,i awoke4 ,the ,lord then poured out ,his spirit upon me and opened the vision of my mind so that ,i could comprehend in a great measure the mind and will of ,god concerning the nation and concerning the inhabitants #eca of ,zion4 ,i saw the wickedness of the nation1 its abominations and corruptions and the judgments of ,god and the destruction that awaited it4 ,then ,i also comprehended the great responsibility which rested upon the ,quorum of the ,apostles4 ,my head became a fountain of tears1 and my pillow was wet with the dews of heaven4 ,sleep departed from me4 ,the ,lord revealed unto me the duty of the ,apostles and of all the faithful elders of ,israel4 ,the revelation was submitted to the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles just prior to the ,april conference of that year4 ,it was accepted by that body as the word of the ,lord1 according to ,elder ,woodruff's journal1 under date of ,april #dth1 #ahhj4 ,on the morning following the revelation1 ,january #bgth1 he said3 ,i arose in the morning after the vision of the night4 ,my heart was filled with joy and gratitude for a manifestation of the spirit of ,god to me4 ,it was given by the inspiration of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i had read a revelation in the ,doctrine and ,covenants and prayed earnestly to the ,lord to manifest to me ,his mind and will concerning myself and my brethren1 the ,apostles1 and the ,lord gave me that revelation in answer to my prayers4 ,on ,january #bhth ,i was again given a vision4 ,it concerned the destiny of our nation and of ,zion4 ,my pillow was again wet by a fountain of tears as ,i beheld the judgments of ,god upon the wicked4 ,i was strongly impressed that the ,apostles and elders should warn the inhabitants of the earth4 ,on his return to the settlements from the mountains1 ,february #ast1 he writes3 ,i have passed eleven days in the mountains in the midst of driving snow1 making my bed upon the ground in a shepherd's tent4 ,i ate my bread and meat twice a day with thanksgiving4 ,i drank the cold snow water and indeed have had the best of health1 although when ,i left ,sunset ,i had a severe cold on my lungs4 ,i also passed several days in the saddle1 from eight to ten hours a day1 when the cold north wind was blowing in my face4 ,i shall soon be seventy-three years of age4 ,between the #bjth and #bgth of ,february with ,john ,w4 ,young he visited much of the mountain country where in places it was necessary to let the wagons down over the rocks with ropes on account of the rugged character of that region4 ,on the #bhth and #bith he attended the ,stake ,conference4 ,march the #ast was ,elder ,woodruff's birthday4 ,the ,saints of #ecb ,sunset and ,brigham ,city honored him with their presence4 ,about one hundred guests sat down to his birthday dinner4 ,the ,saints of that region were greatly devoted to ,apostle ,woodruff1 and some named their children after him4 ,his sojourn in ,arizona during those months of exile disclosed more than anything else in later years of his life the spirit that actuated the man4 ,far removed from the busy life which the leaders of the ,church were leading at the time1 his mind was touched by the visions of ,god1 and it was a time of spiritual enjoyment4 ,on the #crd of ,march1 in company with ,lot ,smith1 he left for ,st4 ,george1 which he reached on the #ahth4 ,on his way1 at ,kanab1 ,elder ,woodruff mentions the fact that ,elder ,david ,k4 ,udall of that place was wanted to be bishop of ,st4 ,johns1 ,arizona1 a position which ,elder ,udall subsequently filled1 and later he became the president of the stake1 a position he now holds4 ,during his stay at ,st4 ,george he refers to the many happy hours he passed in connection with ,erastus ,snow1 ,james ,g4 ,bleak1 ,moses ,f4 ,farnsworth1 ,john ,d4 ,t4 ,mc,allister and others4 ,on the #bdth of ,march1 in company with ,erastus ,snow1 he left ,st4 ,george and reached ,salt ,lake ,city1 after holding meetings en route1 on the #bnd of ,april4 ,on the #dth and #eth of the month meetings were held by the ,council in the ,assembly ,hall preparatory to the conference which began on the #fth of ,april4 ,the ,april conference of #ahhj was one of the most important in the history of the ,church4 ,fifty years had passed since its organization4 ,president ,taylor felt inspired to make it a year of jubilee to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the people were1 therefore1 forgiven their debts to the ,church to the extent of eight hundred thousand dollars1 money chiefly due to the emigration fund4 ,unpaid tithing was also forgiven to the amount of seventy-six thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine dollars4 ,hundreds of cows and thousands of sheep were given to the widows and other worthy poor4 ,the discourses at the conference were especially effective in bringing comfort and consolation to the ,latter-day ,saints who were in financial need4 ,on the #bgth of ,may following1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote his last will and testament1 as he felt that at any time he might be called to the great beyond2 yet he lived subsequently eighteen years4 ,on the #bdth of ,july following he wrote3 ,we had the greatest #ecc celebration to-day in commemoration of the entrance of the pioneers into this valley that we ever held in ,utah4 ,a procession two miles long was arranged4 ,it passed through the streets of the ,city as an object lesson in ,church history4 ,it is recorded in full in the ,deseret ,news of ,july #bfth4 ,on the #fth of ,october the fall conference was held4 ,it was the third time in the history of the ,church that the ,presidency had been organized4 ,president ,john ,taylor1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith were ordained to that position4 ,the vacancies in the quorum thus created were filled by the appointment of ,francis ,m4 ,lyman1 president of the ,tooele ,stake1 and ,john ,henry ,smith1 bishop of the ,seventeenth ,ward4 ,on that occasion the voting was done by the different quorums and the scene was most impressive upon all present4 ,elder ,woodruff was called at this time to be the ,president of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,the ordination of the new ,apostles1 however1 in consequence of ,elder ,lyman's absence1 was postponed until ,october #bgth1 that year4 ,it had been the practice theretofore for the ,president of the ,church to ordain when there was only one ,apostle to be ordained4 ,when two1 the second was ordained by the first counselor1 and the third1 where there were three1 by the second counselor4 ,apostle ,john ,henry ,smith1 speaking of the circumstance1 said3 ,i had secretly asked the ,lord that ,president ,woodruff might ordain me1 and that if he did so ,i would accept it as a special testimony that my call to the apostleship came from the ,lord4 ,his prayer was answered4 ,elder ,woodruff records the fact that at the close of that year1 ,december #bhth1 he was inspired to write a prayer to be presented before the ,lord in keeping with the revelation given him in the wilderness of ,arizona4 ,the prayer was approved by ,president ,taylor and was recorded in the journal of ,apostle ,woodruff and presented to the ,lord in accordance with divine command4 ,it was answered by the blessing and protection of ,god's people4 ,the close of the year brought the ,saints nearer to those eventful chapters that began in the year #ahhb4 #ecd ,,chapter #di4 ,,years ,,of ,,great ,,agitation1 #ahha1 #ahhb4 ,leonard ,hardy's ,birthday ,party4--,prophecy ,concerning ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4--,death of ,orson ,pratt4--,visit to ,st4 ,george4--,the ,edmunds ,law4--,oscar ,wilde4--,conditions at ,st4 ,johns1 ,arizona4--,call of ,president ,george ,teasdale1 ,heber ,j4 ,grant and ,seymour ,b4 ,young4--,death of ,captain ,william ,h4 ,hooper4 ,in the beginning of the year #ahha ,elder ,woodruff found it possible to enjoy the quietude of his home1 free from the threats and undisturbed by the agitation of his enemies4 ,he appreciated the liberties he now enjoyed1 and so far as his own life was concerned1 he characterized the ,new ,year not by personal resolutions1 but by prayer4 ,he had no will of his own to carry out1 but wanted to be in a position to do ,god's will4 ,there is something about the prayers of ,elder ,wodruff that was on his part an intense interest in the welfare and happiness of others4 ,he is always zealous for ,god and the ,church2 and those who were true to their calling had a special claim upon his friendship and love4 ,january #ast was the anniversary of ,bishop ,leonard ,w4 ,hardy's birth4 ,the venerable leader had a well-earned reputation for integrity to ,god and to his fellow-men4 ,in the sunset of life his family came to appreciate more and more the arduous labors of an honored sire1 the anniversary of whose birth they now celebrated by a surprise party4 ,elder ,woodruff was present and joined in the congratulations of the family and friends4 ,such occasions always made him reminiscent4 ,in learning so thoroughly the history of the ,church1 he had also learned the history of those who were its representative men4 ,he also knew1 too1 when their spirit was in harmony with the spirit of the great latter-day work4 ,as long as ,elder ,woodruff stood at the head of the ,young ,men's ,mutual ,improvement ,associations he devoted himself specially to their interest4 ,like all those who are full of enthusiasm and have hope constantly enkindled within their hearts1 he was naturally young in spirit4 ,on ,january #afth that year he attended a conference of the young men in ,ogden ,city1 where he explained to them the importance of divine authority1 and showed the meaning #ece of those keys which unlock the door of salvation to the human family4 ,those keys1 he explained1 had been in the keeping of ,god's trusted servants from the most ancient times2 by them different dispensations were opened4 ,he exhorted the young men to study the ,scriptures4 ,they were of all books the most important to the welfare and happiness of mankind4 ,he also recommended to them the study of ancient history1 wherein they might see the hand dealings of ,god with the human family4 ,on the #aith of ,january1 #ahha1 the ,president and the ,twelve1 the ,patriarch1 ,bishop ,hunter1 ,l4 ,john ,nuttall1 the ,president's secretary1 met in solemn council and prayer by which they represented to the ,lord the needs of ,his people4 ,they implored ,his protection against the enemy1 whose growing power was an increasing menace to the peace of the ,church4 ,this meeting was in obedience to the ,lord's command1 given in the revelation to ,elder ,woodruff in the wilderness of ,arizona4 ,it was truly a solemn occasion1 writes ,elder ,woodruff1 in his journal4 ,on the #bast he went to ,ogden1 where he took part in a social party1 gotten up in honor of ,eliza ,r4 ,snow1 it being the anniversary of her birth4 ,the ,quarterly ,conference there1 convened on the #bbnd and #bcrd1 and it was on this occasion1 after an address to the people by ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 that ,elder ,woodruff arose and prophesied that the man to whom they had just listened would yet become the ,president of the ,church in all the world4 ,in his journal he asks that the prophecy be made a note of1 and that it be made a matter of special record when its fulfillment was realized1 which was ,october #agth1 #aija1 more than twenty and a half years after the prophecy was uttered1 and more than thirty years from the time he made the same prediction in ,nephi4 ,,nephi1 ,march #bbnd1 #aiji4 ,about the year #ahfi1 two ,apostles visited ,nephi and held meeting there4 ,they were ,wilford ,woodruff and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,on ,sunday morning they attended ,sunday ,school1 which was held in the old ,social ,hall4 ,elder ,woodruff interested the children by speaking of incidents in the life of the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith and of his labors4 ,he then turned to ,elder ,joseph ,f4 ,smith and asked him to arise to his feet4 ,elder ,smith complied4 #ecf ',look at him1 children1' ,wilford ,woodruff said1 'for he resembles the ,prophet ,joseph more than any man living4 ,he will become the ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i want you1 every one of you1 to remember what ,i have told you this morning4' ,after this ,brother ,woodruff called on ,elder ,smith to speak4 ,the latter said he could remember the ,prophet1 although he was then very young4 ,he remembered sitting upon his knees4 ,i was present on this occasion4 ,respectfully1 ,,langley ,a4 ,,bailey4 ,early in the month of ,february we find him in ,smithfield1 where he was building a new home for his family4 ,his journal shows considerable impatience over the delay in the work on his house4 ,he was himself a man of action4 ,whatever he had to do1 he went at with all his might4 ,his presence1 however1 had the desired effect1 and it was not long before his home was completed and his wife and children thereby made more comfortable4 ,on his return to ,salt ,lake he manifested great interest in the condition of ,orson ,pratt and ,charles ,c4 ,rich1 who were both in a critical condition physically4 ,on the #bjth1 feeling that ,elder ,pratt's mission in this life was nearly ended1 and to the end that his last days might close in peace1 he gave him a blessing of comfort that he might be resigned to the will and purposes of ,god concerning life and death4 ,it was a practice with ,wilford ,woodruff whenever he gave an important blessing1 to record it in his journal4 ,in blessing ,elder ,pratt1 he says3 ,it has been your lot to dwell as an ,apostle in the flesh and stand in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god longer than any other man in this generation4 ,it has been your lot to cross the ocean to proclaim the words of salvation more than any other man4 ,let your heart be comforted4 ,let your soul be full of joy1 for the ,heavenly hosts are watching over you4 ,before the close of ,february1 ,elder ,woodruff started again for ,st4 ,george4 ,his associations there were always to his mind those of the most heavenly character4 ,there was1 perhaps1 no place in the ,church ever settled by a choicer class of men than those who were called to ,st4 ,george4 ,the men and women of that place possessed spiritual natures that were in harmony with the #ecg life and aspirations of ,elder ,woodruff4 ,st4 ,george has1 therefore1 in his journal1 a very prominent place4 ,on the anniversary of his birth1 in ,st4 ,george that year1 he says3 ,i have passed my birthdays in this ,temple in the years #ahgj1 #ga1 #gb1 and #gd4 ,my seventy-third birthday ,i passed in ,sunset1 ,arizona4 ,this is one of the most glorious days of my life4 ,this morning there appeared at the ,temple two hundred and thirty-nine persons for endowments4 ,many of these had come to assist him in his ,temple work4 ,he also records the fact that for his dead there had been performed two thousand seven hundred and forty-nine baptisms1 two thousand and thirty-seven had been endowed1 and seven hundred and five couples sealed4 ,on ,march #bbnd he returned to ,salt ,lake4 ,after the spring ,conference of that year ,elder ,woodruff was prostrated by a sickness which lasted most of the month of ,april4 ,on ,may #ast1 however he attended the ,quarterly ,conference in ,logan and held meetings in ,smithfield1 ,franklin1 and other places4 ,the summer months of that year he was occupied in visiting the leading stakes of ,zion1 both north and south of ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,on the #bnd of ,july he expressed his horror at the shocking news of the assassination of ,president ,garfield4 ,respecting the celebration of the ,fourth of ,july that year he writes1 that as a people they do not consider it proper to be celebrating while the ,president of the ,united ,states lies in the agonies of death1 brought about by the hand of an assassin4 ,on the #afth he records the death of ,joseph ,young1 aged eighty-seven years1 three months and nine days4 ,joseph ,young was at the time of his death senior president of the ,seventies1 and had been from the first organization of the first council to the end of his life4 ,october #crd he records the death that day of ,apostle ,orson ,pratt4 ,at the funeral ,elder ,woodruff spoke at some length on the life of ,elder ,pratt1 and read the revelation given through ,joseph ,smith to ,orson ,pratt in #ahcj4 ,brother ,orson ,pratt has lived in the ,church longer than any other man1 perhaps he has lived in it longer than any former man could ever live in the ,church4 ,he has crossed the ,atlantic ,ocean sixteen times and has traveled more miles than any other man in the ,church4 ,he has preached more sermons2 he has brought many thousands to a #ech knowledge of the truth4 ,he had this revelation given to him which ,i have read in your hearing4 ,he has lifted up his voice long and loud4 ,he has done a great work and ,i cannot mourn his death4 ,i cannot mourn over the death of inspired men who have died in the faith4 ,any man or woman who has kept the ,celestial ,law of ,god on the earth and has died in the faith will open his or her eyes to a scene of glory and blessings and eternal life that men cannot obtain from any other principle4 ,after the ,october conference1 ,elder ,woodruff accompanied ,president ,taylor and party to all the stakes in the southern part of the ,territory4 ,they were absent three weeks4 ,that visit gave to the ,saints new courage and awakened a stronger desire to attend to their duties4 ,elder ,woodruff was present the early part of ,january1 when the ,gardo ,house was opened and a reception given on that occasion by ,president ,john ,taylor1 who shook hands with something like two thousand people4 ,on the #hth he was also in the ,assembly ,hall when the ,temple ,block was dedicated4 ,in the early part of #ahhb the ,saints began to feel the effects of the agitation abroad against them1 and ,congress was beset by the enemies of the ,church1 who importuned that body to pass the most drastic measures against the ,mormons4 ,throughout the ,united ,states the most vicious and absurd stories were circulated4 ,the ,president and the ,twelve made special efforts to get the facts before the country1 and especially before the ,congress of the ,united ,states4 ,the spirit1 however1 of anti-,mormonism had worked itself into a state of frenzy4 ,ministers of the ,united ,states held frequent meetings in all parts of the country4 ,under date of ,february #aeth1 #ahhb1 ,elder ,woodruff says3 ,there has never been a time since the organization of this ,church when such a universal howl was raised against us4 ,the whole land is flooded with lies against the people of ,god4 ,the government seems determined on the destruction of the faithful ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in the midst1 however1 of the political excitement1 ,elder ,woodruff took comfort in that spiritual nature with which ,god had so richly endowed him4 ,nor was he forgotten by his faithful co-workers in ,st4 ,george4 ,on ,march the first there came to him the following telegram3 ,president ,woodruff3 ,temple #eci workers of ,st4 ,george greet and congratulate you on this your natal day1 praying peace1 length of days1 continued usefulness1 and the increasing power of the heavens to rest upon you4 ,his reply reads3 ,thanks for the greeting of my friends4 ,may our friendship and union increase and continue throughout time and eternity4 ,such exchanges of friendship and such assurances of love meant much to him4 ,he was a man of a most friendly nature and those friendships of life which his integrity won1 he never lost4 ,the month of ,march1 #ahhb1 was an important landmark in the history of ,god's people4 ,after years of constant agitation1 and after the circulation of the most pernicious falsehoods1 and after a campaign by the ministers of the country against the ,latter-day ,saints1 ,congress passed a law most drastic in its terms1 and doubly so in the manner of its execution4 ,from that period dates what has been properly styled1 the ,crusade4 ,on the #adth of ,march1 #ahhb1 the ,edmunds ,bill passed the ,house of ,representatives by a vote of one hundred and ninety to forty-two4 ,elder ,woodruff records in his journal1 to their credit1 the names of those who voted against the bill1 and the states which they represented4 ,of the bill itself he writes3 ,it is entirely a breach of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states2 condemns men before trial or conviction by court or jury2 takes away the right of trial by a jury of their peers2 makes an ex post facto law and a bill of attainder2 takes away from the ,latter-day ,saints1 because of their religious convictions1 the franchise1 and deprives them from sitting on juries because of their opinions2 but if the nation can stand it1 we can4 ,it is taking a stand against ,god1 against ,christ and ,his kingdom1 and against ,his people4 ,ten days later1 the #bdth1 the bill became a law by the signature of ,president ,arthur4 ,the words of ,president ,woodruff will be debated and contradicted4 ,it will be pointed out that the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states1 in passing upon the constitutionality of that law1 is the final arbiter2 and so it is1 so far as this nation is concerned2 but the ,latter-day ,saints held then1 as they do now1 that there is ,one who holds in ,his keeping the destinies of nations2 ,one who is raising up a people to ,himself1 who shall practice virtue and righteousness4 ,whether the words of ,elder #edj ,woodruff were prophetic1 or merely the expression of disappointment and anger1 must be left to ,him in whose name1 and in whose name only1 men have authority to prophesy4 ,one thing is certain3 the ,latter-day ,saints1 in a spirit of resignation1 have left the conduct of this nation toward them in the hands of ,god4 ,at the same time1 they have no desire to hinder the progress of this nation or thwart any patriotic purpose4 ,on the contrary1 they hope for the best1 teach loyalty1 patriotism1 and uphold the ,constitution of their country4 ,they feel that men must come sooner or later to recognize the hand of ,god in ,his judgments4 ,when the spring conference convened1 on the #fth of ,april1 that year1 there was considerable anxiety among the people2 for with them there was a general desire to submit themselves to the will of ,god2 and it is a part of their religious training1 indeed1 their conviction and testimony that there are properly appointed channels through which divine guidance comes to them4 ,the words of their leaders at this conference were received with solemn attention and heartfelt determination4 ,president ,taylor spoke with great power and determination1 counseled the ,saints to keep the commandments of ,god and honor the constitutional laws of the land4 ,on that occasion a reporter of the ,new ,york ,world and a correspondent of the ,london ,times were present and listened to the proceedings of the conference4 ,elder ,woodruff was a many-sided man4 ,he never surrendered himself or his interests to one thing exclusively4 ,to him the program of life was made up of all sorts of conditions and experiences4 ,from the affairs of the conference he records in his journal the lecture delivered on the #ajth of the month by ,oscar ,wilde on ,art and ,beauty4 ,elder ,woodruff was slow to judge men and then only upon the most impressing convictions4 ,however1 of ,oscar ,wilde he said3 ,it was a very singular lecture1 indeed1 and he seemed a very singular man4 ,his subsequent history proved him to be very singular indeed4 ,on the #acth he met with his council1 when it was voted to call twenty young ,indians and educate them in the ,brigham ,young ,academy at ,provo1 that they might be missionaries among their own people4 ,his heart was in the ,indian mission1--the great possibilities of that people were so clear to his mind as to make him somewhat impatient concerning their future4 #eda ,on the #bjth he said3 ,we received a telegram this morning from ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 saying that a vote was taken on his case in the ,house of ,representatives4 ,one hundred and twenty-three votes were cast for his expulsion1 and seventy-nine against it4 ,ninety did not vote at all4 ,his seat in ,congress was therefore declared vacant4 ,shortly after this he referred to his visit to the quarterly conference in ,logan with ,president ,taylor1 whom he quotes at that time as follows3 ,when we go to the spirit world1 we go naked1 as we came into the world1 or if we get any clothing it is as much by our dependence upon others as when we were born into this world4 ,if we get a mansion in our ,father's ,kingdom we shall also be dependent upon ,him for it4 ,of ,joseph ,f4 ,smith's sermon1 he quotes3 ,can we say that that which is perfect has not come8 ,are not the revelations and commandments of ,god perfect8 ,is not the gospel of ,christ1 with the priesthood which ,god has revealed1 perfect8 ,although we ourselves have not arrived at that stage of perfection which it is our privilege to obtain1 yet the means of perfection has been given us4 ,at the close of the meeting ,elder ,woodruff said3 ,i went to the tower of the ,temple in a rain storm and found the work there progressing very nicely4 ,elder ,woodruff kept in close touch with affairs in ,arizona4 ,his recent experiences there had endeared the ,saints to him1 and the opportunities among the ,indians had made that ,territory important from the standpoint of ,church history4 ,a number of ,saints located in ,st4 ,johns1 which was a ,mexican town4 ,in those days the people were surrounded by a class of ruffians known there as cowboys4 ,there was also some friction between the ,saints and the ,mexicans1 and altogether the people of ,st4 ,johns were subjected to considerable anxiety because of the contentious spirit around them4 ,in ,elder ,woodruff's journal we take the following account of a disturbance1 which came to him through private correspondence4 ,the event mentioned occurred ,june #bdth1 #ahhb4 ,the ,mexicans were celebrating ,st4 ,john's day1 when several men rode into town armed with pistols and guns4 ,the ,mexicans ordered them to leave town or put away their arms4 ,they refused to do either1 when fighting broke out between the two parties4 ,the ,mexicans gathered #edb their arms and drove the cowboys into some unfinished houses4 ,three of the leaders were then taken prisoners1 one killed and another wounded4 ,it was on this occasion that ,elder ,nathan ,c4 ,tenney1 one of the ,saints there1 was killed while trying to make peace and stop the fight4 ,on the #bgth of the following ,september they met in council to consider fully all the vacancies in the ,quorum of the ,twelve and the ,first ,council of ,seventies4 ,it was decided to leave the nominations entirely to the ,president of the ,church1 which has been largely the custom from the beginning4 ,a little later ,elder ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon was chosen to fill the vacancy in the ,first ,council of ,seventies4 ,on the #acth of ,october the ,first ,presidency and the ,twelve met to receive the revelation of ,god to ,president ,taylor1 in which the duties of the ,priesthood and of the ,saints were set forth4 ,in that same revelation appears the call of ,president ,george ,teasdale of the ,juab ,stake1 and ,president ,heber ,j4 ,grant of the ,tooele ,stake to the vacancies in the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 ,elder ,seymour ,b4 ,young was called to fill the vacancy in the ,first ,council of ,seventies and requested to keep the whole law of ,god as a preparation for his new calling and labors4 ,concerning the ,patriarchal ,order of ,marriage1 ,president ,taylor said3 ,if we do not embrace that principle soon1 the keys will be turned against us4 ,if we do not keep the same law that our ,heavenly ,father has kept1 we cannot go with ,him4 ,a man obeying a lower law is not qualified to preside over those who keep a higher law4 ,in harmony with the remarks of ,president ,taylor ,elder ,woodruff observed3 ,the reason why the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god cannot advance without the ,patriarchal ,order of ,marriage is that it belongs to this dispensation just as baptism for the dead does1 or any law or ordinance that belongs to a dispensation4 ,without it the ,church cannot progress4 ,the leading men of ,israel who are presiding over stakes will have to obey the law of ,abraham1 or they will have to resign4 ,on the #cjth of ,december ,elder ,woodruff's journal contains the following3 ,i dreamed last night that ,captain ,william ,h4 ,hooper was dead4 ,i told my family this morning that when ,i heard from him ,i should hear that he was dead4 ,later1 ,brother #edc ,jacques informed me at the ,historian's office that the captain died at twenty minutes past eight4 ,i saw ,captain ,hooper in the spirit world in my dream4 ,i saw a few of the mansions in the ,celestial ,kingdom of ,god which were composed of beautiful stones and of materials that were as real as anything on earth1 and that the best architects in heaven were employed in the construction of these buildings4 #edd ,,chapter #ej4 ,,the ,,crusade ,,opens1 #ahhc-ahhe4 ,exemplary ,deacons4--,adam-ondi-,ahman4--,visit to ,colorado4--,the ,patriarchal ,order of ,marriage4--,andrew ,burt4--,farm ,life4--,the ,crusade ,opens4--,the ,family ,celebration of ,his ,birthday4--,call of ,jno4 ,w4 ,taylor4--,call of ,wm4 ,b4 ,preston4--,land ,troubles in ,arizona4--,dedication of the ,logan ,temple4--,a ,visit to ,snake ,river ,country1 ,idaho4--,growth of ,children ,after the ,resurrection4--,call of ,john ,morgan4--,in ,exile4--,conference at ,fish ,lake4 ,on the #bnd of ,january1 #ahhc1 ,president ,woodruff and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith spoke at the funeral of ,captain ,william ,h4 ,hooper4 ,he had occupied a prominent place in the history of ,utah4 ,besides representing the people in ,congress he was one of a small number of strong financiers1 who had much to do with the material development of the ,territory4 ,on the #bjth of the same month he makes mention of the appointment of ,l4 ,w4 ,shurtliff1 bishop of ,plain ,city1 to succeed ,david ,h4 ,peery as the president of the ,weber ,stake of ,zion1 at the same time ,elders ,chas4 ,f4 ,middleton1 and ,n4 ,c4 ,flygare were chosen as counselors4 ,on the #bgth of the same month ,elder ,woodruff attended a ,stake ,quarterly ,conference at ,nephi where ,george ,teasdale had been called to preside4 ,a circumstance took place on ,saturday at that conference which was exceptionally gratifying to ,elder ,woodruff and he desires that it have a place in his journal and history4 ,he said1 ,as the meeting-house was not large enough to hold all the people1 some fifteen deacons gave up their seats4 ,leaving the meeting-house they obtained axes and went directly to ,president ,teasdale's home where they cut up several cords of wood4 ,they then went to the homes of some half dozen widows in the place where they cut up the wood they found there4 ,they also cut up the wood at the home of one of the deacons who had met with an accident so that he was unable to cut his own wood4 ,they continued in this employment throughout the day4 ,when ,brother ,teasdale arrived home1 to his surprise he found all his wood pile missing1 but was much gratified to find it all cut up and in his wood shed4 ,god bless such deacons4 #ede ,during the early months of #ahhc a number of prominent men throughout the ,church died4 ,it was always a gratification to ,elder ,woodruff to record his testimony to the character of men who died devoted to the ,church1 true to their covenants and faithful to the last4 ,he makes special mention of the death of ,john ,van ,cott1 ,bishop ,william ,bringhurst of ,springville1 ,harrison ,burgess1 ,bishop ,l4 ,e4 ,harrington1 and ,david ,evans4 ,the latter two1 however1 died about the last of ,june4 ,on the #bbnd of ,february ,elder ,woodruff was present at the dedication of the ,gardo ,house4 ,the prayer was offered by ,franklin ,d4 ,richards4 ,this residence had been in process of construction for some time and its use was delayed in consequence of litigations begun by the heirs of ,president ,young against his executors4 ,president ,taylor was therefore its first occupant4 ,that he himself might be in position to ward off the persecutions of himself as head of the ,church1 he left his families in the homes he had built for them and made his sister matron of the new official residence4 ,his care1 however1 proved unavailing since persecution was aimed specially at him4 ,during their lifelong experiences in the ,church1 ,president ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot of ,provo1 and ,elder ,woodruff were devoted friends4 ,their associations had been intimate1 and in the trying times of early ,church history their relations were the most cordial and brotherly4 ,the home of ,president ,smoot in ,provo always gave the fullest hospitality to ,elder ,woodruff on his visits to that town4 ,on the #abth of ,may he records the circumstance that ,president ,smoot's wife began immediately to regain her speech1 after it had been lost through paralysis1 by the special administration of ,elder ,woodruff and others4 ,at that time his old friend related a peculiar circumstance of history that occurred at ,adam-ondi-,ahman4 ,president ,smoot said that he and ,alanson ,ripley1 while surveying at that town1 which was about #bb miles from ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri1 came across a stone wall in the midst of a dense forest of underbrush4 ,the wall was #cj feet long1 #c feet thick1 and #d feet high4 ,it was laid in mortar or cement4 ,when ,joseph ,smith visited the place and examined the wall he said it was the remains of an altar built by ,father ,adam and upon which he offered sacrifices after he was driven from the ,garden of ,eden4 ,he said that the ,garden of ,eden was located #edf in ,jackson ,county1 ,missouri4 ,the whole town of ,adam-ondi-,ahman was in the midst of a thick and heavy forest of timber and the place was named in honor of ,adam's altar4 ,the ,prophet explained that it was upon this altar where ,adam blessed his sons and his posterity1 prior to his death4 ,on the #eth of ,june ,apostle ,woodruff with ,president ,smith1 ,brigham ,young1 and ,president ,john ,morgan1 paid a visit to the ,saints in ,san ,louis ,valley1 ,colorado4 ,the ,saints there were emigrants largely from the ,southern ,states4 ,it was during this visit that ,silas ,s4 ,smith was sustained as stake president4 ,while traveling on the ,denver and ,rio ,grande ,railroad1 ,elder ,woodruff felt and expressed his admiration for the beauty of the scenery4 ,whenever he contemplated the laws of ,god or his ,creator's marvelous works it intensified his religious devotion and his sense of gratitude4 ,it was to him also a source of satisfaction that much of the work in the construction of the railroad over which he passed was the work of his brethren4 ,on his return to ,salt ,lake ,city the next important circumstance he mentions was the threatened destruction of the great ,tabernacle by a spark of fire which had been thrown by an explosion from the old wagon yard just across the road south of the ,temple block4 ,on the #bast of ,june this year the old ,council ,house and ,savages ,art ,callery were burned to the ground4 ,this threatened destruction of the great ,tabernacle led to the removal of its old shingled roof and the substitution therefor of an iron one4 ,soon after this we find him at a conference in ,nephi4 ,as plural marriage was then attacked from all sides1 it received special attention from the leaders of the ,church who maintained the importance as well as the divinity of the institution4 ,in his discourse at ,nephi he quoted himself as having made the following remarks1 ,the law of the ,patriarchal ,order of marriage belongs to this dispensation1 and after it was revealed to the ,prophet ,joseph1 he was commanded to receive it4 ,if he and the people had rejected it1 the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god would have advanced no further and ,god would have taken it from them and given it to another people4 ,it has been said that the ,patriarchal ,order of marriage has caused more sorrow to the daughters of ,eve than any other principle ever revealed from ,heaven to men1 but this #edg is not true4 ,no divine principle brings trouble to those who faithfully obey it4 ,if they who are in it have troubles it is not the fault of the principle but because of weakness and of the false traditions which surround them4 ,the ,lord never gave a law to the children of men which will give to them exaltation and glory except through the observance of that law4 ,the ,lord's people who abide that law are entitled to ,his protection by the oath and covenant which ,he has made with them4 ,from the day that the apostles and elders published that law to the world with the determination to maintain it1 the ,lord has fought their battles4 ,the #bdth of that year was celebrated in the ,tabernacle with great enthusiasm4 ,ten thousand people were present4 ,on the anniversary of that day ,wilford ,woodruff was always reminiscent4 ,as time went on1 the earlier impressions of his mind were confirmed in the fulfillment of ,god's promises which year after year were to his mind more plainly fulfilled4 ,he felt that the observance of that day was a duty which the people owed to their ,god because of the care ,he had manifested over them and the wonderful manner in which ,he had made the desert blossom like the rose4 ,in his journal of ,august #bgth he mentioned regretfully the death of ,andrew ,burt who had been killed on the #beth by a mulatto4 ,at ,bishop ,burt's funeral there were about nine thousand people1 and it is said that before the exercises something like fifteen thousand viewed the remains4 ,captain ,burt's splendid integrity1 his simple life and unassuming demeanor had won for him a respect quite universal4 ,he was bishop of the #bast ward4 ,wilford ,woodruff's love for men whose friendship was tried and true and whose devotion to the things of ,god was above question1 was again verified4 ,it made no difference to him what their standing in life was1 he saw above the honors of men that which he esteemed true greatness1 such greatness as he sincerely believed ,god recognized4 ,in reading his journal one learns to esteem more highly the practice of manual labor4 ,he exalted work by the interest he took in the workmanship of his own hands4 ,if he ever felt the temptation to leave his ministry for any length of time it was the temptation which came to him in his love of manual labor4 #edh ,all through his journal he was telling about the things that he did on his farm4 ,he wrote about his horses1 his cows1 his orchards1 his crops1 he spoke of them in detail1 they all meant much to him4 ,one is constantly reminded in reading his journal of the life and doctrines of ,tolstoi1 the great ,russian author1 whose simple life and labors upon his farm with the ,russian peasants have won the admiration of millions of admirers4 ,as the year #ahhc was drawing to a close the times became more trying4 ,the hatred of the enemy was greatly intensified4 ,the brethren felt the impending storm coming upon them1 there was often a spirit of gloom which it was not easy to cast aside4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal of ,october #abth that year contained an account of a meeting of the ,presidency and ,twelve1 a meeting of fasting and prayer that the troubles which were coming upon them might be diverted if it were the will of ,god1 and if they were not to be diverted that they might have the strength to bear them and the wisdom and patience and spirit to do the will of the ,father4 ,to all these unhappy forebodings was added the sorrow that comes from separation of old friends4 ,on the #aith of that month ,bishop ,edward ,hunter died1 and on the #agth of the month following he was joined by ,charles ,c4 ,rich4 ,during the year #ahhc he traveled1 according to the summary which he made in his journal1 over six thousand miles1 held #bac meetings and preached #add discourses4 ,the year #ahhd was the beginning in the ,church of a great crusade4 ,it was a land-mark in history4 ,what began that year is likely to be told from generation to generation4 ,the hardships that it brought to the ,church and the trials which the people underwent were themes for household conversation throughout the entire ,church4 ,the ,edmunds law of #ahhb had been put into effect so far as it related to the imprisonment of the ,saints4 ,the enemy were at first occupied in its political phases4 ,as time went on it was seen that the disappointment of the enemy in the political advantages to be derived from the law became more apparent4 ,the law was really a disappointment to them4 ,the ,utah commission which it established was filled by appointees from the ,east and those who were grasping for political power in the ,territory found their hopes unrealized4 ,this disappointment led to a spirit of intensified anger and the criminal part of the law began to #edi receive its enforcement in the most drastic1 spiteful1 and revengeful manner4 ,everything possible was done to prepare the people for dark days to come4 ,the revelations of ,god were to the effect that men should set their families in order4 ,elder ,woodruff on his birthday1 ,march #ast1 had a family gathering4 ,of the #df members of his family1 #ci were present4 ,this included his daughters-in-law and grandchildren4 ,as a token of respect on the part of his family1 an address to him was read by his little grandson1 ,elias ,smith ,woodruff3 ,to our beloved ,grandfather1--we greet you on this your seventy-seventh birthday4 ,we wish you many happy returns of the day1 for this and more we ever pray4 ,we all shall strive to walk in your footsteps and listen to your counsel as you are a man of ,god4 ,we likewise hope to be like you by the help of our ,heavenly ,father4 ,you have done a vast amount of good1 both for the living and the dead4 ,your days have been many and many call you blessed4 ,you have been in the hands of ,god1 the savior of thousands4 ,through the blessings of the ,lord your life has been preserved in many dangers through which you have been called to pass4 ,you have accomplished a great work and we all with one voice say3 ',peace and blessings be with you to the end of your days4' ,please accept this tribute of love and respect4 ,from your little grandson4 ,written for him by ,julia ,woodruff4 ,the family little imagined at that time that ,president ,woodruff would continue with them in life yet fourteen years4 ,the #fth of ,march he became very much interested in the visit to ,salt ,lake ,city of the great singer1 ,adelina ,patti4 ,her world-renown fame made her a person of great interest4 ,she in turn recognized the important stand occupied by the leaders of the ,church1 and invited ,president ,taylor and ,elder ,woodruff to visit her private car which had cost something like sixty thousand dollars4 ,its conveniences and beautiful apartments greatly interested ,elder ,woodruff whose powers to observe were always strong4 ,as the year went on reports of the activity of the enemy and the intense anti-,mormon hatred came to the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,miles ,romney brought word from ,st4 ,johns1 ,arizona1 of the opposition there from both the ,mexicans and the whites4 ,the ,april conference witnessed the call of ,john ,w4 ,taylor to fill #eej the vacancy occasioned by the death of ,charles ,c4 ,rich4 ,william ,b4 ,preston was made the presiding bishop of the ,church4 ,that same month word also came from ,arizona of the attempt to rob the people there of their lands by means of a purchase of railroad land which the ,saints had occupied and cultivated long before the railroad was built and before any grant had been received by the railroad4 ,presidents ,taylor and ,cannon were absent at the time1 but a telegram signed by ,president ,woodruff and others was sent to ,general ,williamson1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c41 the general agent of the railroad lands1 asking him not to sell the land in question before receiving a letter from them4 ,the method here referred to of robbing the ,saints was due to the fact that the enemy was taking advantage of special information of which the ,saints were ignorant4 ,the lands granted to the railroad in that part of ,arizona were of little value except as they had been made valuable by the labor of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,it was a specie of robbery1 but those who engaged in it thought1 no doubt1 that their unscrupulous methods would be condoned by exciting prejudice against the ,saints4 ,the next circumstance of importance was the dedication of the ,logan ,temple1 ,may #agth1 #ahth1 and #aith4 ,the services were attended by thousands of people and were repeated in order to accommodate all who desired the privilege and were entitled to be present4 ,people were admitted to the services by tickets of recommendation given them by their bishops4 ,on that occasion a circumstance happened analogous to that of ,annanias and ,sapphira who lied to the ,lord and to ,peter in the days of the ancient apostles4 ,as the hosts of people were climbing the stairs to the assembly room of the ,temple1 ,president ,taylor discerned in the multitude one woman unworthy of admission4 ,he did not know her but said to ,president ,c4 ,o4 ,card1 ,turn that woman back4 ,why8 asked ,president ,card1 ,she has come with a ticket of recommendation as well as all the others4 ,i don't know why1 replied ,president ,taylor1 only that the spirit of the ,lord says1 ',turn that woman back4' ,president ,card observed the instructions to him and upon special investigation learned that the lady was altogether an improper person1 and by connivance with another she had procured the ticket for the price of one dollar4 ,in commenting upon this circumstance later1 ,president #eea ,taylor said3 ,you may deceive the bishop1 the president of the stake1 the apostles1 the president of the ,church1 but you can't deceive the ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ1 nor the ,holy ,spirit1 and sooner or later the unworthy1 the hypocrites and unrepenting transgressors will be found out and separated from the assembly of the righteous4 ,at that time ,m4 ,w4 ,merrill was chosen by revelation to preside over the ,logan ,temple1 a place he held up to the time of his death in ,february1 #aijf4 ,the first baptisms were performed there by ,elder ,david ,h4 ,cannon of ,st4 ,george1 and the first recipients of them were ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 and ,rachael ,grant4 ,in his journal relating to that occasion1 ,elder ,woodruff wrote3 ,while attending the dedication of this ,temple my mind was carried back to the many hours of prayer ,i had passed in my early manhood days4 ,i prayed that ,i might see the ,church of ,christ established on the earth and that ,i might see a people raised up who would receive the ancient gospel and contend for the faith once delivered to the ,saints4 ,the ,lord then promised me that ,i should live to see that day1 to find the people of ,god and have a name and place within ,his ,house1 a name that should not be cut off4 ,to-day ,i rejoice in the fulfillment of that promise1 ,i rejoice in the opportunity of assisting in the dedication of another ,temple to ,his most ,holy ,name1 to ,god and the ,lamb4 ,praises be to ,his name for ever more4 ,on the #bith1 in company with ,heber ,j4 ,grant1 he left on an extended tour of the settlements in the ,snake ,river and ,teton ,valleys4 ,in those days that part of ,idaho was in process of settlement by the ,saints1 under the leadership of ,thomas ,e4 ,ricks1 who met ,elders ,woodruff and ,grant and conveyed them by team from ,market ,lake to ,rexburg4 ,when the brethren on that occasion visited those parts not much had yet been done in bringing that district of country under cultivation4 ,in #ahhd there was but one stake of the ,church extending from ,paradise in ,cache ,valley on the south1 to the ,montana line on the north4 ,to-day there are ten stakes1 six of which are along the ,snake ,river ,valley2 namely1 ,pocatello1 ,blackfoot1 ,bingham1 ,rigby1 ,fremont1 and ,yellow ,stone4 ,to-day there are also in that region of country three large factories in operation4 ,congress adjourned that year without passing special bills #eeb that were inimicable to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,the anti-,mormons of ,utah were like hungry wolves clamoring for prey4 ,they wanted all the offices and were constantly importuning ,congress to disfranchise in a body the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,when congress therefore adjourned without further legislation ,wilford ,woodruff exclaims in his journal1 ,thank the ,lord for another breathing spell4 ,later he attended the ,sevier ,stake ,quarterly ,conference held at ,fish ,lake4 ,hundreds of teams had conveyed the people to that place4 ,while administering ,sacrament there he said it was the first time it had taken place since the ancient ,nephites had had a similar feast in those parts4 ,he manifested on this and other occasions a special interest in the material welfare of the people4 ,he examined their farms and orchards1 visited their canals1 made a critical examination of their water dams and head gates1 and it may perhaps be said of him as truthfully as of any man that ever lived1 that he subordinated his own personal interests to the general interest of the ,church4 ,evil days were soon to fall upon the ,church4 ,the failure of ,congress that year to pass anti-,mormon legislation intensified the rage of the anti-,mormons4 ,a campaign of slander and falsehood was taken up by the anti-,mormon press of ,salt ,lake ,city1 and press dispatches to embitter the minds of the people in the ,east were sent2 and in making this campaign it was well understood by those who engineered it that ,congressmen might be made to fear their constituency and pass laws their own judgment condemned4 ,the ,tribune published and sent out an alleged ,red ,hot ,address4 ,it purported to be an inflammatory address by ,bishop ,west of ,juab4 ,the purport of the address was the recommended assassination of the ,governor of ,utah4 ,there was no meeting held in ,juab on the occasion referred to1 there was no ,bishop ,west1 and of course no such address4 ,the lie1 however1 inflamed the public mind abroad2 and to those who love a lie and darkness rather than light1 it had the desired effect4 ,on the #ajth of ,august following in ,lewis ,county1 ,tennessee1 ,elders ,berry and ,gibbs1 and two members of the local ,church their names being ,james ,riley ,hudson1 and ,martin ,condor1 were shot and killed by a mob as they were about to begin #eec their ,sabbath services4 ,mrs4 ,condor1 the mother of the murdered boys1 was also shot but not killed4 ,the ,church was making history during those days and special care was taken to give an exact record of current events4 ,hubert ,h4 ,bancroft was publishing his history of the ,pacific ,coast and included ,utah among his volumes4 ,elder ,woodruff opened to him the records of ,church history that he might give both sides of the question and draw fair and impartial conclusions4 ,september #crd he visited ,provo where he attended the funeral of ,margarette ,t4 ,smoot4 ,on that occasion he gave it as his opinion that children would grow and develop after the resurrection and obtain all the blessings of adult persons4 ,the visit to ,provo was followed by the ,october conference1 which that year was chiefly noted by the call of ,john ,morgan to be one of the presiding seventies4 ,elder ,morgan had been a missionary in the ,south for twelve years1 and for ten years the distinguished president of the ,saints in the ,south4 ,elder ,morgan was a man of strong character1 a conspicuous preacher1 and a fearless advocate4 ,he was ordained to his new calling on ,october #gth1 #ahhd4 ,the last part of the year #ahhd found the storm of persecution growing in intensity4 ,men and women to escape prison went into exile4 ,men and women were pursued by a spirit of vindictiveness and hatred perhaps never known in a civilized age4 ,stories of the ,mountain ,meadow ,massacre1 the ,bishop ,west address1 and other malicious inventions had done their work4 ,public opinion in the ,east had been so aroused as to justify any sort of cruelty that the anti-,mormons in ,utah might inflict upon the ,saints4 ,all efforts to run down falsehoods by the circulation of truth seemed a hopeless task4 ,elder ,woodruff also found it necessary to go into exile and he said3 ,i am a wanderer from home because of my religion4 ,it is not the first time ,i have been a wanderer in the wilderness for the gospel's sake4 ,however1 he appeared in public at special occasions for a short season4 ,on the first of ,january1 #ahhe1 he took part in the dedication of the ,brigham ,young ,college1 at ,logan1 but on the #adth he found it necessary to go again into exile with all the ,presidency and most of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,stake presidents1 bishops of wards1 and other leading men were rapidly filling up prisons or #eed concealing themselves among friends4 ,it was not a movement to suppress immorality4 ,men were not harangued and imprisoned because of lascivious cohabitation as it obtains throughout the ,christian world1 but because men had accepted from the ,lord a principle which would1 if universally carried out1 give to every woman in the world a husband and a home1 the opportunity of honored wifehood and motherhood1 conditions desired by every right-feeling and sound-minded woman4 ,under these persecutions ,president ,woodruff was among the number sought for4 ,after a few days of seclusion in his own home and neighborhood he boarded a south bound train for southern ,utah4 ,at ,nephi he was joined by ,george ,teasdale1 and together they made their way by private conveyance and without publicity to ,saint ,george where they labored for some time in the ,temple4 ,he also made a trip down the ,virgin ,river to the ,muddy country4 ,during his absence he read ,josephus and ,cassell's ,history of ,england4 ,on one occasion during those times we find him making calculations from history of what the civil war had cost his country in the loss of human lives1 and the expenditure of money4 ,that war he looked upon as a judgment of ,god upon the country because of the wrong doings of the people4 ,this shows1 he wrote1 in a measure1 what it costs a nation to shed the blood of the prophets1 apostles1 and the ,lord's anointed4 ,he sincerely believed that before very many years the judgments of ,god would follow the persecutions which he was then undergoing4 ,in ,july he visited the stakes of the southern part of the ,territory1 and was at a conference ,october #ahth1 and #aith1 at ,fish ,lake4 ,conference1 he wrote1 was attended by #a1acf persons4 ,there were #ahg vehicles1 and #eag animals4 ,while there1 he with others1 sounded the depths of the lake which measured all the way from three feet near the shore to #afh #a_/b feet in the deepest places4 ,he thought the lake was the largest depository of trout in the mountain valleys4 ,it is located about #i1jjj feet above the sea level4 ,after going as far north as ,manti he returned again to ,st4 ,george4 ,in his journal he makes special mention of an effort on the part of the federal officers to create a disturbance on the #dth of ,july1 because certain persons manifested their sorrow for departed liberty by placing the flag at half-mast on certain buildings #eee owned chiefly by ,mormons4 ,at the same time threats were made that if the flag were placed at half-mast on the #bdth1 war would be waged against the ,mormons with the utmost bitterness4 ,the flag1 however1 on that date was placed at half-mast by order of the ,president of the ,u4 ,s4 in honor of ,general ,grant who died ,july #bcrd4 ,there was no likelihood that any of the leaders would encourage any one to place the flag at half-mast upon the #bdth1 but the threat of the anti-,mormons was1 in the end1 all a challenge that brought to the enemy chagrin because of the peculiar circumstance4 ,as a rule nearly all who were indicted under the law went to prison rather than promise the abandonment of their wives and children4 ,occasionally a man would enter court and make the required promise to escape punishment4 ,as a rule the practices of such men were not in harmony with the requirements of the gospel and those times gave them an opportunity to demonstrate their unworthiness rather than a lack of courage4 ,later1 such men undertook to draw comfort from the circumstance that the leaders counseled men under indictment to give the demanded promise4 ,they failed1 however1 to make the distinction between an order for retreat coming from those at the head and the act of desertion while in the ranks4 ,indictments in those days were followed as a matter of the course by convictions4 ,juries were made to order4 ,judges considered themselves missionaries and the greater their trespass on justice the more they were honored by the anti-,mormon element4 ,their vindictiveness became an object of honor1 and the leaders in the crusade walked the streets of ,salt ,lake ,city with feelings of special pride4 ,they were pointed out to the curious and were the objects of adulation of those whose religious hatreds were most intense4 ,leaders of the persecution were making a record over which they were not only proud but boastful1 although in the beginning the feelings of antagonism between the persecutors and the persecuted were most intense4 ,as time went on1 feelings of resignation sprang up in the hearts of the ,latter-day ,saints who more and more became disposed to leave in the hands of ,god the future of those who despitefully used them4 ,in passing1 it may here be remarked that the persecutors of the ,latter-day ,saints will1 in days to come1 be left to the ,latter-day #eef ,saints for the estimation in which they will be held by those to whom their lives will be of no consequence2 in other words1 those whom they persecuted will in turn become their judges whose verdicts will go down to history4 ,elder ,woodruff1 after returning to the south1 took an active part in the daily lives of the people4 ,in ,pine ,valley he assisted ,brother ,thompson in repairing his grist mill4 ,he dressed the ,burr stones1 since by trade he was a miller4 ,however1 it had been fifty-five years since he had done such work and in some respects such labor was restful to him and would have been healthful had it not been for the constant strain which those evil days placed him under4 ,in ,october he received word that his wife ,phoebe was in poor health and he therefore hastened home to ,salt ,lake ,city where he arrived on the #eth of ,november4 ,he remained1 however1 in seclusion in his home and neighborhood4 ,on the #ajth of ,november she died4 ,he was greatly affected by her death and painfully humiliated by the circumstance under which her funeral was held4 ,he stood concealed in the ,historian's ,office as he watched the funeral procession pass by on its way to the city of the dead4 ,i am1 said he1 passing through a strange chapter in the history of my life4 ,persecution is raging against the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i hope ,i may prove true and faithful to the end and that ,i may join her in the celestial ,kingdom of ,god and have part in the first resurrection4 #eeg ,,chapter #ea4 ,,elevation ,,to ,,presidency ,,of ,,the ,,church1 #ahhi4 ,arrest of ,george ,q4 ,cannon4--,governor ,murray's ,dismissal4--,death of ,president ,taylor4--,president ,woodruff ,appears in the ,tabernacle4--,change in ,federal ,officers4--,april1 #ahhi1 ,wilford ,woodruff ,became ,president of the ,church4--,visit to ,california4--,m4 ,w4 ,merrill1 ,a4 ,h4 ,lund1 and ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon ,called to ,apostleship4--,senator ,morgan ,visits ,president ,woodruff4 ,the highest point of intensity in the crusade against the ,latter-day ,saints was reached during the year #ahhf4 ,although ,president ,woodruff had been in exile previous years he had always enjoyed in some measure the privilege of meeting with the ,saints and of exercising himself in the vindication of his calling as an ,apostle of the ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,persecution became most bitter1 the whole atmosphere of anti-,mormon association was charged with intense hatred4 ,hundreds were in prison and in exile and leading men were hunted down with a fury perhaps unsurpassed by the ,roman persecutions in the days of the early ,christians4 ,during that year he did not appear once in public nor did he preach a single discourse4 ,he passed some time in ,ashley ,valley and enjoyed such diversion in fishing and hunting as his circumstances would permit4 ,at the opening of the new year he recounted the experiences of the past year and prophecied concerning the year to come4 ,he felt that the ,lord would fight the battles of the ,saints and that those who were prominent in the persecution would be humiliated4 ,on the #acth of ,february that year ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon was arrested in ,nevada4 ,a few days later he was brought to ,salt ,lake ,city in the custody of ,united ,states officers4 ,to intensify excitement abroad and to make it appear that the ,territory was on the verge of revolt1 ,governor ,murray sent troops to guard the prisoner to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,upon ,george ,q4 ,cannon were heaped various indignities and on his arrival in ,utah he was placed under forty-five thousand dollar bonds4 ,john ,sharp and ,feramorz ,little went on his bonds for twenty-five thousand1 and ,francis ,armstrong and ,h4 ,s4 ,eldredge for twenty thousand4 ,in view of the extreme bitterness then #eeh manifested toward him and in view of the fact that offenses might be segregated to imprisonment for life1 ,president ,cannon decided to forfeit the bonds4 ,sharp and ,little paid promptly the twenty-five thousand1 while ,armstrong and ,eldredge declined to pay until the question of excessiveness of bail should be determined by the courts4 ,when the case was carried to the supreme court at ,washington it was finally dismissed4 ,later1 by action of ,congress1 the #be1jjj dollars was returned4 ,governor ,murray was removed from office1 and under the restraining influence at ,washington1 the persecution in ,utah became less offensive4 ,murray's conduct had for some time been unsatisfactory to ,president ,cleveland1 especially in view of the misrepresentation of conditions in ,utah4 ,when ,murray vetoed the general appropriation bill passed by the ,territorial ,legislature the ,president of the ,united ,states decided to remove him4 ,the ,president further considered ,murray's effort to coerce legislation wholly unjustifiable1 and his attempt to appoint officers by proclamation as revolutionary4 ,he also remembered that he had been twice deceived by ,murray on the ,mormon ,uprising4 ,while the close of the year did not by any means witness the end of the crusade1 the hand of ,god was visible in defeating certain purposes of the enemy4 ,president ,taylor and his associates were vindicated4 ,the course taken by them and the changed attitude of the general government marked the fulfillment of prophecy uttered by ,president ,woodruff at the beginning of the year4 ,at the close of the year ,edward ,m4 ,dalton of ,parowan was shot and killed by ,deputy ,marshal ,thompson4 ,the feelings of resentment among the people were high4 ,they felt more and more the force of ,president ,taylor's words at the beginning of the crusade when he informed the people that nothing was to be done except to turn up their coat collars and as much as possible turn their back to the storm until it passed over4 ,outrages were daily increasing and there was an evident determination on the part of the federal officers to stand by one another and manipulate the machinery of government for their own protection as well as for the oppression of the ,mormons4 ,however1 federal zeal in ,utah exceeded so far the bounds of all propriety that the authorities in ,washington determined to exercise some restraint over their agents in ,utah4 #eei ,general ,mc,cook was transferred to another post4 ,marshal ,ireland and ,judge ,powers went out of office4 ,on the #hth of ,february1 #ahhf1 a circumstance transpired by which ,president ,woodruff and ,apostle ,erastus ,snow escaped arrest4 ,president ,woodruff thought the circumstance worthy of a place in history4 ,early in the morning of that day he and ,erastus ,snow went to the ,historian's office in pursuance of an appointment to meet a number of the brethren there4 ,before he had been long in the building it was surrounded by deputy marshals4 ,he and ,elders ,snow and ,richards had been watching the officers from the windows as they searched the ,gardo ,house4 ,they had also observed the raid made upon the ,president's office and the tithing office4 ,when the marshals1 however1 came to the ,historian's office1 ,president ,woodruff offered a silent1 fervent prayer in his heart that the ,lord would blind his enemies4 ,he then1 in company with ,andrew ,jenson1 went into the street in the midst of nearly twenty officers4 ,they were apparently dazed as he walked before them and he attracted no attention4 ,he crossed the street to the ,president's office1 passed through the east gate1 entered a buggy with ,seymour ,b4 ,young1 and was driven to the home of ,elder ,young's mother4 ,in the evening he made his way to his home in ,farmers ,ward1 then took his departure for a year of exile from his family and associates in office4 ,during the year he traveled about sixteen hundred miles and closed the year in the city of ,st4 ,george1 accompanied by his wife ,emma and some of her children4 ,he found ,st4 ,george a comparatively safe place1 as the people there were almost wholly ,latter-day ,saints and offered him every opportunity to visit his friends and to enjoy immunity from arrest4 ,the sufferings of those times were enhanced by the constant threats of more drastic legislation and the confiscation of ,church property4 ,while in ,st4 ,george and on the #dth of ,february1 #ahhg1 he wrote an eight page letter to ,david ,whitmer1 one of the witnesses to the ,book of ,mormon1 and bore to the latter a strong testimony to the continuance of the work of ,god under the administration of ,presidents ,young and ,taylor4 ,a considerable time before the death of ,president ,john ,taylor his demise was shown to ,wilford ,woodruff in a dream4 #efj ,when1 therefore1 word came to him in ,st4 ,george from ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon and ,elder ,john ,jacques on the #afth of ,july that ,president ,taylor's condition afforded no hope of recovery he at once set out on the following day for ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,he traveled most of the way by team and while at a ,brother ,bartholomew's in ,fayette1 ,sanpete ,county1 on the #bfth1 he received the sad news of ,john ,taylor's death which had occurred the day before at about eight p4 m4 ,that night he lay awake sorrowing over the mourning that had come to all ,israel in the departure of their great leader4 ,elder ,woodruff's mind was greatly troubled by the responsibilities which he felt crowded upon him4 ,in his journal he wrote of ,president ,taylor as follows3 ,thus another ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints has passed away4 ,president ,john ,taylor is twice a martyr4 ,he was shot four times in ,carthage ,jail when ,joseph and ,hyrum were slain1 and there he mingled his blood with the marytrs2 this was in #ahdd4 ,now1 in #ahhg1 driven into exile by ,united ,states officers in consequence of his religion1 he lays down his life for the truth4 ,all honor to the name and memory of ,president ,john ,taylor4 ',leave judgment with me for it is mine and ,i will repay1' saith the ,lord1 ,god4 ,continuing1 he wrote3 ,president ,john ,taylor's death places the chief responsibility and care of the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints upon my shoulders1 in connection with the ,twelve1 which now become the presiding authority of the ,church4 ,this places me in a very peculiar situation4 ,it is a position ,i have never looked for1 but in the providence of ,god this new responsibility is thrown upon me4 ,i pray ,god1 my heavenly ,father1 to give me grace equal to my day4 ,it is a high responsibility for any man and it is a position which requires great wisdom4 ,i never expected to outlive ,president ,taylor1 but ,god has ordained otherwise4 ,bishop ,hunter said on several occasions that ,i would outlive ,president ,taylor and become ,president of the ,church4 ,on these occasions ,i rebuked the ,bishop and asked him not to prophesy of me such a thing4 ,each time he answered1 ',nevertheless it is true and will come to pass4' ,it certainly has come to pass4 ,i can only say1 ,marvelous are ,thy ways1 ,o ,lord ,almighty1 for ,thou hast truly chosen weak instruments to perform in ,thy hand ,thy work on the earth4 ,may ,thy servant1 ,wilford1 be prepared for #efa whatever is required at his hands by the ,god of heaven4 ,i ask this blessing of my heavenly ,father in the name of ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god1 even so1 ,amen4 ,those acquainted with the modesty and humility of ,president ,woodruff can easily understand his feelings of grave concern and deep anxiety at such a time4 ,while he sought no honors for himself and would always prefer his brethren to him1 he was nevertheless quick to maintain himself or any other man in the calling to which the ,lord by revelation1 or by the order established in the priesthood1 placed upon him4 ,on the #bhth of ,march1 #ahhg1 he wrote to one of the brethren in answer to these questions3 ,do you know of any reason in case of the death of the ,president of the ,church why the ,twelve ,apostles should not choose some other person than the president of the ,twelve to be the ,president of the ,church1 as follows3 ,i know several reasons why he should not4 ,first1 at the death of the ,president of the ,church the ,twelve ,apostles become the presiding authority of the ,church1 and the president of the ,twelve is really the ,president of the ,church by virtue of his office as much while presiding over the ,twelve ,apostles as while presiding over his two counselors4 ,in the appointment of ,brigham ,young and ,john ,taylor to the presidency of the ,church it never entered the heart of any one of the ,twelve ,apostles to claim the right to preside over ,brigham ,young or ,john ,taylor1 as they were all the presidents of the ,church1 and if they were not fit to preside over the ,church they were not fit to preside over the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,second1 in case of the death of the ,president of the ,church it takes the majority of the ,twelve ,apostles to appoint the ,president of the ,church1 and it is very unreasonable to suppose that the majority of that ,quorum could be converted to depart from the course marked out by inspiration and followed by the ,apostles at the death of ,christ and by the ,twelve ,apostles at the death of ,joseph ,smith4 ,i see no reason for discussing this subject until there is some reason for it4 ,whether or not this statement of ,president ,woodruff is taken as doctrine1 it shows very clearly his sentiment of respect for the line of action which had been taken and his determination not to depart from it as a matter of policy4 ,he felt that man was at best but a weak instrument in the hands of ,god4 ,as this was #efb ,god's work the man that lived most humbly and contrite before his ,maker was most entitled to divine guidance4 ,he had striven in the humility of his heart to gain divine favor4 ,he had been the recipient of that favor and had done nothing of which he was conscious to forfeit it4 ,on the #abth of ,march he recorded the following in his journal3 ,i dreamed last night that the ,latter-day ,saints were holding a great conference in the ,salt ,lake ,temple4 ,i saw a great rush to finish the ,temple4 ,i was called upon to open the conference1 and ,i was given the keys of the ,temple to open it4 ,i saw thousands assembling and ,i met ,president ,young1 who asked me what was the matter with the great multitude at the door4 ,some one answered that the elders did not want to let the people into the ,temple4 ,he exclaimed1 ',oh1 oh1 oh2' he then leaned over to me and said1 ',let all come into the ,temple who seek salvation4' ,i saw several who were dead1 among them my wife1 ,phoebe4 ,i believe there is some special meaning in this dream4 ,the dream is explained by what happened when the ,temple was dedicated4 ,on the #bith of ,july the funeral of ,president ,taylor was held in the ,tabernacle4 ,as most of the elders were in exile1 only a few were in attendance4 ,these were ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 ,heber ,j4 ,grant of the ,twelve4 ,also ,president ,daniel ,h4 ,wells1 ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 ,lorenzo ,d4 ,young1 ,joseph ,b4 ,noble1 and ,angus ,m4 ,cannon4 ,one hundred and two carriages followed the remains to their final resting place4 ,there were several bands of music in attendance4 ,the occasion was indeed solemn1 mourning was silent and deep2 men with bowed heads and in the deepest sorrow wondered at ,god's providences and prayed for deliverance4 ,from the ,president's office ,wilford ,woodruff watched the procession as it passed4 ,president ,woodruff says that to himself he remarked1 as he stood in silent gaze1 ,there goes to his final rest the third ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,immediately ,president ,woodruff and the ,twelve entered upon the duties of the presidency4 ,these duties were numerous and pressing4 ,president ,woodruff was not yet free from the probability of arrest and therefore did not appear in public4 ,he signed hundreds of recommends to the ,temple as they came to him from day to day4 ,on the #ith1 however1 of ,october1 at the general semi-annual #efc conference of that year1 in company with ,lorenzo ,snow and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 he entered the building at the afternoon session4 ,as the people recognized their venerable ,president they greeted him with a round of hearty applause which did not cease until he arose and waved his hand in salutation4 ,he addressed the multitude for thirty minutes and then quietly retired before the singing1 as he deemed it unwise to expose himself to arrest4 ,during the rest of the year he remained quietly at his home4 ,the duties of ,president ,woodruff now called his special attention to the general affairs of the ,church so that he remained constantly near headquarters4 ,while the presidency of the ,church devolved upon the ,twelve1 ,president ,woodruff now looked to ,presidents ,cannon and ,smith for information and assistance1 on account of their familiarity with ,church affairs during the presidency of ,john ,taylor4 ,while the crusade was by no means at an end1 its extreme bitterness was gradually vanishing4 ,during the year ,judge ,zane was succeeded by ,judge ,elliott ,sanford of ,new ,york4 ,mr4 ,sanford was a man of refinement and of moral courage4 ,he manifested no personal bias and no excessive zeal in the administration of the law4 ,during his tenure of office ,george ,q4 ,cannon was sentenced to #ahe days' imprisonment and a fine of #dej4jj4 ,apostle ,f4 ,m4 ,lyman and others were also sentenced by him4 ,judge ,judd1 another federal appointee1 acted in harmony with ,judge ,sanford in dealing with the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,those days were trying to ,president ,woodruff1 especially in view of the waste of property going on through the process of confiscation4 ,private individuals were enriching themselves at the expense of the ,church1 and to the discredit of the government4 ,men unable to provide for more than the daily wants of life suddenly came into possession of moderate private fortunes4 ,the ,latter-day ,saints beheld the travesty of this gross injustice as men1 under the guise of law and as reformers1 showed an unrighteous zeal to lay their hands upon ,church property4 ,during the year #ahhh ,elder ,woodruff records the death of a number of prominent men with whom he had been closely associated for many years4 ,erastus ,snow died ,may #bgth at the age of sixty-nine years4 ,on ,june the #bdth ,judge ,elias ,smith passed away1 at eighty-three4 ,horace ,eldredge also died on ,september #efd #fth at the age of seventy-two4 ,azmon ,wodruff died at the advanced age of eighty-six years4 ,president ,woodruff was now eighty-two1 but still active4 ,he found pleasure in manual labor whenever he could snatch away some time in which to devote himself to his garden and to his field4 ,one day during the summer of #ahhh1 while hoeing corn by the side of a grandson1 who was too swift for his grandfather in the corn field1 the latter observed in his journal3 ,well1 this is the first time in my life that any of my children have beaten me hoeing corn or at any other manual labor4 ,february #bast of that year ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon was liberated from prison4 ,gradually the leading men began to obtain their freedom and to appear in the public assemblies of the ,saints4 ,on ,washington's birthday some fifty ,hawaiians met at the ,president's office for a social reunion4 ,the ,tabernacle ,choir was present and rendered inspiring music4 ,on the ,sunday following ten thousand people were gathered in the ,tabernacle and were addressed by ,presidents ,cannon and ,woodruff4 ,on the #ast of ,march ,elder ,woodruff's birthday was celebrated4 ,on a cake presented to him by ,elder ,john ,gallagher the following sentiment was given and a copy of it taken from ,president ,woodruff's journal4 ,it reads as follows3 ,fourscore years and two have fled in the work for ,zion's cause on earth4 ,this day we greet our honored head to show our love and tell his worth4 ,we pray that heaven may long extend your life to testify unmoved1 ,as with your family1 in the end find welcome by ,god approved4 ,at the ,april conference of #ahhi and on the seventh of the month1 ,wilford ,woodruff was sustained as ,president of the ,church1 with ,george ,q4 ,cannon and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith as his counselors4 ,this #gth day of ,april1 #ahhi1 he said1 is one of the most important days in my life1 for ,i was made ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints by the unanimous vote of ten thousand of them4 ,the vote was first taken by quorums and then by the entire congregation as in the case of ,president ,john ,taylor4 ,this is the highest office ever conferred upon any man in the #efe flesh4 ,it came to me in the eighty-third year of my life4 ,i pray ,god to protect me and give me power to magnify my calling to the end of my days4 ,the ,lord has watched over me until the present time4 ,i wish to counsel my wives and my children and whoever may read this journal to honor ,god and keep ,his commandments to the end of their lives that they may receive eternal life and celestial glory in the presence of ,god and the ,lamb4 ,about the middle of ,april ,president ,woodruff1 accompanied by his wife1 ,emma1 and ,president ,cannon1 ,charles ,h4 ,wilcken1 ,h4 ,b4 ,clawson and his daughter1 and ,president ,woodruff's daughter1 left ,salt ,lake ,city on a trip to ,california4 ,their purpose was twofold4 ,one1 to look after the interest and welfare of the people1 and the other to obtain recuperation after a long exile4 ,here the party met old-time friends who received them cordially and extended to them the hospitality of their homes4 ,senator ,stanford had long been friendly to the ,mormon people and their leaders4 ,on this occasion they met a ,doctor ,mc,donald1 formerly of ,nauvoo and a friend to the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,they returned to ,salt ,lake ,city on the #bfth of ,april1 when ,president ,woodruff took up his labors and began a visit to a number of stakes of ,zion4 ,at the ,october conference of that year ,elder ,m4 ,w4 ,merrill and ,a4 ,h4 ,lund and ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon were chosen to fill the vacancies created in the ,quorum of the ,twelve4 ,on the #abth of that month ,president ,woodruff records an interesting interview which he had with ,senator ,morgan of ,alabama4 ,the ,senator was passing through ,utah and asked ,president ,woodruff1 who was then at ,provo1 to meet him at the station there4 ,the invitation was complied with1 and the ,senator held the train for an hour while in conversation with ,presidents ,woodruff and ,cannon4 ,mr4 ,morgan was very friendly4 ,he was one of those who1 in the ,united ,states ,senate1 had taken a strong stand against the ,edmunds-,tucker ,law4 ,he was pronounced not only in his opposition to the law itself1 but against the manner of its enforcement4 ,on the #bast of ,october that year ,president ,woodruff again made a tour of the ,pacific ,coast and to ,canada4 ,notwithstanding the improved condition of the people with respect to the crusade which began in the most drastic manner in #eff #ahhd1 there were those who urged some compromise that would ensure1 as they believed1 the favor of the government and the complete cessation of hostilities by the enemies of the ,church4 ,appeals were therefore made to ,president ,woodruff to exercise the authority conferred upon him by revelation and suspend thereby the further extension of plural marriages4 ,in concluding his journal for the year #ahhi he wrote3 ,this ends the year4 ,the word of the ,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 has been fulfilled wherein he declared that the whole nation would turn against ,zion and make war upon the ,saints4 ,the nation has never been so full of lies against the ,saints as it is today4 #efg ,,chapter #eb4 ,,the ,,manifesto ,,and ,,events ,,of #ahij-ia4 ,the ,political ,situation4--,visit to ,california4--,the ,manifesto4--,its ,effects4--,sugar ,industry4--,henry ,m4 ,stanley4--,deaths of ,prominent ,men4--,earthquake in ,southern ,utah4--,address to ,irrigation ,congress4--,interpretation of ,manifesto4--,remarks at ,brigham ,city on the ,manifesto4 ,the year #ahij saw a continuation of the bitter struggle that had been going on for political supremacy in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,on the #ajth of the month ,president ,woodruff witnessed from an upper room in the ,deseret ,national ,bank building the ,people's party in parade4 ,it was conducted in the evening by torch lights and bands of music in such a manner as to make the affair one of the most brilliant ever witnessed in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,he declared that it was the finest display of the character that he had ever seen4 ,the ,liberal party made a similar display and succeeded in carrying the election the following month4 ,the political success of the ,liberal party at this time gave strength to its efforts to secure more adverse legislation for ,utah4 ,the ,cullom ,bill was a most drastic measure and had it passed in pursuance of the wishes of the anti-,mormons1 the ,latter-day ,saints would have been shorn practically of their political and material rights4 ,senator ,edmunds1 who had been skillful in the adroit measures which he succeeded in carrying against the ,latter-day ,saints and by which they had suffered so much1 was unwilling to go the length of the measures provided for in the ,bill4 ,the imprisonment of ,latter-day ,saints under the ,edmunds act of #ahhb was not bringing the results politically that the anti-,mormons hoped for4 ,what they wanted was absolute political control of the ,territory4 ,they had used a popular prejudice against polygamy to further their political ends1 but there was a great sentiment throughout the nation that as long as violators of the ,edmunds ,law were being punished1 and the law was vigorously enforced further measures were hardly necessary4 ,march #ast of that year witnessed ,president ,woodruff's #efh eighty-third birthday4 ,his mind was active1 and he enjoyed all his faculties to a remarkable extent4 ,as the birthday of his wife ,emma also came on ,march #ast1 that day became in his family life an important one and was celebrated in a becoming manner4 ,however1 his advanced age told on his vital powers4 ,the excessive heat of the summer was very debilitating to him and it frequently became necessary throughout the subsequent years of his administration to seek a change of climate or go into retirement where he could find relief from the heavy responsibilities which were difficult to bear at his age of life4 ,in ,august1 in company with his counselors and ,charles ,h4 ,wilcken1 he made a tour of ,arizona1 first going by way of the ,colorado ,stakes of ,zion4 ,on his return he visited ,joseppa1 a settlement in the western part of ,tooele ,county1 which had been organized for the accommodation of the ,sandwich ,islands ,saints who had gathered to a considerable extent in and about ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,for the purpose of aiding them a large tract of land had been selected1 so that they might enjoy the opportunities of agricultural pursuits4 ,on that occasion ,joseph ,f4 ,smith1 his counselor1 acted as interpreter and offered the dedicatory prayer4 ,in early ,september ,president ,woodruff went to ,california where he attended on the #ith of the month a celebration of the pioneers of that state4 ,it was conducted in ,san ,francisco where about twenty thousand men in uniform took part in the procession4 ,the purpose of this visit to ,california was to transact some business matters relating to the interests of the ,church4 ,during the stay of ,president ,woodruff and party they were treated with great courtesy by ,colonel ,trumbo1 ,judge ,estee1 ,mr4 ,livingstone1 and other friends of the ,mormon people4 ,on the #aith of the month the ,southern ,pacific tendered ,president ,woodruff and party a private car by which they were taken to ,sacramento for the purpose of visiting the state fair which was in session there at that time4 ,president ,woodruff's devotion to agriculture and fruit growing made the wonderful exhibit at his fair a matter of uncommon interest to him4 ,he had also found on the coast a generous sentiment which he greatly appreciated1 a sentiment indeed favorable considering the conditions in ,utah for the past five years4 #efi ,during the agitation in ,washington for more drastic measures against the ,latter-day ,saints1 ,utah's representative at the ,capitol had not unfrequently declared that polygamy was a dead issue4 ,there were strong political sentiments in favor of some sort of a compromise1 and ,president ,woodruff had been importuned to recede from his former attitude on that important principle4 ,on the #bdth of ,september he met in council with his counselors and with several of the ,twelve and under existing conditions he issued with their consent the manifesto1 which reads as follows3 ,,official ,,declaration4 ,to ,whom ,it ,may ,concern3 ,press dispatches having been sent for political purposes from ,salt ,lake ,city1 which have been widely published1 to the effect that the ,utah ,commission1 in their recent report to the ,secretary of the ,interior1 allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized and that forty or more such marriages have been contracted in ,utah since last ,june or during the past year2 also that in public discourses the leaders of the ,church have taught1 encouraged1 and urged the continuance of the practice of polygamy2 ,i1 therefore1 as ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 do hereby1 in the most solemn manner1 declare that these charges are false4 ,we are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage1 nor permitting any person to enter into its practice1 and ,i deny that either forty or any other number of plural marriages have1 during that period1 been solemnized in our temples or in any other place in the ,territory4 ,one case has been reported1 in which the parties alleged that the marriage was performed in the ,endowment ,house1 in ,salt ,lake ,city1 in the spring of #ahhi1 but ,i have not been able to learn who performed the ceremony4 ,whatever was done in this matter was done without my knowledge4 ,in consequence of this alleged occurrence the ,endowment ,house was1 by my instructions1 taken down without delay4 ,inasmuch as laws have been enacted by congress forbidding plural marriages1 which laws have been pronounced constitutional #egj by the court of last resort1 ,i hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws1 and to use my influence with the members of the ,church over which ,i preside to have them do likewise4 ,there is nothing in my teachings to the ,church or in those of my associates1 during the time specified1 which can be reasonably construed to inculcate or encourage polygamy1 and when any elder of the ,church has used language which appeared to convey any such teaching1 he has been promptly reproved4 ,and ,i now publicly declare that my advice to the ,latter-day ,saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff1 ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,in his private journal he made no particular mention of the circumstances leading up to the ,manifesto1 neither did he make any comment upon it further than to say3 ,i have been called upon this day to act for the ,church4 ,it was a solemn day to all ,israel4 ,the thought of suspending the practice of a principle for which they had already suffered so much1 was indeed painful to thousands of the people4 ,the responsibility1 however1 the ,prophet of ,god placed upon the nation for rejecting a principle which had within it the power to redeem the world from the greatest of social evils and according to ,isaiah1 to take away the reproach of women who have been unjustly dealt with by ungodly men4 ,on the #fth of ,october1 #ahij1 the ,manifesto was presented to the ,saints assembled at the semi-annual conference1 and unanimously adopted4 ,following its presentation1 ,president ,woodruff made these remarks respecting the action he had taken3 ,i want to say to all ,israel that the step which ,i have taken in issuing this ,manifesto has not been done without earnest prayer before the ,lord4 ,i am about to go into the spirit world1 like other men of my age4 ,i expect to meet the face of my ,heavenly ,father--the ,father of my spirit2 ,i expect to meet the face of ,joseph ,smith1 of ,brigham ,young1 of ,john ,taylor1 and of the ,apostles1 and for me to have taken a stand in anything which is not pleasing in the sight of ,god1 or before the heavens1 ,i would #ega rather have gone out and been shot4 ,my life is no better than other men's4 ,i am not ignorant of the feelings that have been engendered through the course ,i have pursued4 ,but ,i have done my duty1 and the nation of which we form a part must be responsible for that which has been done in relation to this principle4 ,the ,lord has required at our hands many things that we have not done1 many things that we were prevented from doing4 ,the ,lord required us to build a temple in ,jackson ,county4 ,we were prevented by violence from doing it4 ,he required us to build a temple in ,far ,west1 which we have not been able to do4 ,a great many things have been required of us1 and we have not been able to do them because of those that surround us in the world4 ,it is not wisdom for us to make war upon sixty-five millions of people4 ,it is not wisdom for us to go forth and carry out this principle against the laws of the nation and receive the consequences4 ,that is in the hands of ,god1 and ,he will govern and control it4 ,i want the prayers of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i thank ,god that ,i have seen with my eyes this day1 that this people have been ready to vote to sustain me in an action that ,i know1 in one sense1 has pained their hearts4 ,brother ,george ,q4 ,cannon has laid before you our position4 ,the ,lord has given us commandments concerning many things1 and we have carried them out as far as we could2 but when we cannot do it1 we are justified4 ,the ,lord does not require at our hands things that we cannot do4 ,our nation is in the hands of ,god4 ,he holds its destiny4 ,he holds the destinies of all men4 ,i will say to the ,latter-day ,saints1 as an ,elder in ,israel and as an ,apostle of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 we are approaching some of the most tremendous judgments ,god ever poured out upon the world4 ,you watch the signs of the times1 the signs of the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,they are beginning to be made manifest both in heaven and on earth4 ,i pray ,god that ,he will bless these apostles1 prophets1 and patriarchs1 these seventies1 high priests1 and elders of ,israel1 and these ,latter-day ,saints1 who have entered into covenant with our ,god4 ,you have a great future before you4 ,i ask my ,heavenly ,father to pour out ,his spirit upon me1 as ,his servant1 that in my advanced age1 and during the few days ,i have to spend here in #egb the flesh1 ,i may be led by the inspiration of the ,almighty4 ,i say to ,israel1 the ,lord will never permit me nor any other man who stands as the ,president of this ,church1 to lead you astray4 ,it is not in the programme4 ,it is not in the mind of ,god4 ,if ,i were to attempt that1 the ,lord would remove me out of my place1 and so ,he will any other man who attempts to lead the children of men astray from the oracles of ,god and from their duty4 ,god bless you4 ,amen4 ,upon the subject of the ,manifesto he also spoke at a conference in ,brigham on the #beth of ,october4 ,the effect of the ,manifesto upon the more radical anti-,mormon element was one of chagrin and disappointment4 ,it removed their chief pretext for continued agitation4 ,while the ,manifesto was a concession but few ever expected to witness1 there were1 nevertheless1 many who had but little confidence in any continued good effect it would have upon the bitter anti-,mormon element4 ,for years the sugar industry had been a subject of some investigation1 and ,arthur ,stayner1 of ,farmington1 had made a number of experiments sufficiently satisfactory to justify the venture of its manufacture in ,utah on a large scale4 ,in ,january1 #ahia1 ,president ,woodruff in his journal wrote3 ,the ,president and ,twelve met and were in harmony in their conversation upon the manufacture of sugar4 ,the ,president and ,twelve1 as the leaders of the people1 have to shoulder the responsibility of this question4 ,men of wealth in the community were afraid of such an enterprise and were especially fearful should it be started it would be crushed at the outset by the great sugar trust4 ,upon the question1 however1 ,president ,woodruff was so pronounced that he felt inspired to say that it was the will of the ,lord that the sugar industry should be established among the ,saints4 ,the matter of raising money for this great enterprise was1 of course1 an important question4 ,elder ,heber ,j4 ,grant was sent to ,new ,york to borrow of wealthy men money for this new enterprise4 ,when he was asked by them what security could be given1 he replied that the factory itself and certain bank stocks would be given to secure the loans4 ,no1 replied they1 we don't want that1 if ,wilford ,woodruff1 the ,president and ,trustee-in-,trust #egc of your ,church will give his name as security it is all we ask4 ,he accordingly signed his name4 ,it was about the first debt he had ever contracted1 but he did that for what he considered the good of the people4 #cjj1jjj was obtained and the ,lehi sugar factory became a living1 paying1 industry4 ,since then among the ,saints there have been one established in ,ogden1 two in ,cache ,valley1 one in ,garland1 one in ,oregon1 one in ,canada1 and four in ,idaho4 ,the establishment of the sugar factory in ,canada was a venture perhaps greater than even the one first built at ,lehi4 ,conditions in that new country did not appear at all favorable1 even in the light of all that had been done in ,utah4 ,apostle ,john ,w4 ,taylor1 however1 gave to this new ,canadian industry his enthusiastic and detailed attention4 ,jesse ,knight1 who built the factory at ,raymond1 was wont to say that the enterprise was outside all his interests and the fields of his operation4 ,in building his factory in ,canada he had acted solely upon his impressions and against the business advice of many of his friends4 ,nothing has done more in this inter-mountain region to promote the financial well being of the people than the sugar industry4 ,it has been the means of distributing very generally its wealth among the people4 ,the ,church at that time felt the severe losses which the confiscation of its property had brought to it and it was not in a condition to lose any money in an unsuccessful enterprise4 ,in his journal ,president ,woodruff said3 ,we are passing through a great financial difficulty1 the ,lord alone can help us out4 ,his birthday that year found him somewhat indisposed1 but on the #ith he was able to enjoy the pleasant interview with the great ,african explorer1 ,henry ,m4 ,stanley4 ,he attended ,mr4 ,stanley's lecture and pronounced it the most interesting one he had ever attended4 ,the latter part of #ahij and the first part of #ahia marked the death of a number of ,president ,woodruff's old-time friends4 ,among these were ,bishop ,millen ,atwood1 ,george ,w4 ,hill1 the ,indian interpreter1 and on ,march #beth1 #ahia1 ,president ,daniel ,h4 ,wells4 ,the funeral of ,daniel ,h4 ,wells was held on the #bith4 ,president ,woodruff was one of the speakers on that occasion4 ,the ,april conference of #ahia was noted for the large number #egd of ,twelve ,apostles and the ,first ,presidency that could be in attendance4 ,the ,manifesto had helped to bring about this new condition and to give a greater liberty to the leading men of the ,church than they had for some years enjoyed4 ,on the #bjth of that month ,elder ,woodruff recorded in his journal the visitation of a slight earthquake to southern ,utah4 ,it was sufficiently strong to shake the houses and overthrow some of the chimneys4 ,the general damage1 however1 was slight4 ,the volcanic evidences in the region of ,st4 ,george indicate that that section of country in the past had been subject to violent eruptions4 ,on the #bcrd he also recorded a visit of the ,reverend ,doctor ,shehadri1 an ,indian from ,bombay4 ,the gentleman had been a ,brahmin1 but was now a convert to ,christianity4 ,president ,woodruff attended the ,reverend ,gentleman's address in the ,assembly ,hall4 ,on the #hth of the following month ,salt ,lake enjoyed for the third time a visit from a ,president of the ,united ,states4 ,in his journal ,president ,woodruff said3 ,president ,harrison visited ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,there was a great demonstration and a large procession marched to the ,park where speeches were made4 ,president ,cannon and myself headed the pioneers4 ,we were introduced to ,president ,harrison and shook hands with him4 ,a few days later he also recorded in his journal the interview with former ,governor ,george ,w4 ,emery4 ,he was governor of this territory when ,president ,grant visited this city4 ,governor ,emery told me that while riding up from the depot with ,president ,grant and while the two were beholding the multitude of ,sunday school children who lined the streets1 ,president ,grant said to him3 ',i have been deceived with regard to these people1 the children are as nice and clean as any children ,i ever saw4' ',before he left ,utah1' said ,governor ,emery1 'the ,president said to me3 ',see that the ,mormon people are fairly treated4' ,governor ,emery has always treated the ,mormon people well4 ,on the #bast of ,may1 that year1 ,president ,woodruff laid the foundation for a new house on his farm1 not far from the old homestead he had occupied for years1 and on the #eth of ,june #ege he was made president of ,zion's ,savings ,bank and ,trust ,company4 ,that summer ,presidents ,woodruff and ,cannon again visited ,california for a short time4 ,on this occasion they met ,judge ,estee and other prominent men4 ,matters of political interest were at that time pressing upon the people4 ,after the ,manifesto the ,people's ,party dissolved and the members of that party cast their lot with the one or the other of the great national parties4 ,judge ,estee and ,roswell ,g4 ,horr1 of ,michigan1 as well as other prominent men1 paid a visit to ,utah and discussed before the people the issues of the great political parties4 ,in ,september the ,irrigation ,congress met in ,utah4 ,on that occasion ,presidents ,woodruff and ,cannon addressed the ,congress4 ,their words made a good impression upon the delegates in attendance4 ,president ,woodruff was a ,new ,england miller and farmer1 and a pioneer in irrigation2 he was the man who1 in #ahdg1 planted the first potatoes in ,salt ,lake ,valley4 ,his advanced years1 his rugged honesty1 and freedom from affectation made splendid impression upon those whom he addressed on that occasion as well as upon other strangers who were visiting the ,city of the ,saints4 ,the work of a pioneer came now to be more and more appreciated4 ,governor ,rickards1 of ,montana1 declared in speaking of ,president ,woodruff3 ,to the pioneer and the soldier who fought for the flag ,i always take off my hat4 ,president ,wilford ,woodruff addressed the ,irrigation ,congress1 ,september #afth1 #ahia1 as follows3 ,gentlemen of the ,irrigation ,congress3 ,i feel myself very thankful that ,i have lived in the flesh long enough in this ,territory to behold the faces of such a congregation of gentlemen as ,i see here today4 ,it is not my purpose to occupy your time or attention in arguing1 or talking1 or conversing particularly upon the subjects1 or at least those principles for which you have assembled2 but what ,i will say will be a few words concerning our arrival here1 and upon the experience in irrigation4 ,fifty-one years ago1 the #bdth of last ,july1 ,i entered this ,valley with one hundred and forty-three emigrants1 or in other words1 pioneers4 ,we were led by ,president ,young4 ,this country1 upon our arrival1 was called the ,great ,american ,desert1 and certainly1 as far #egf as we could see1 it did not discredit its name in the least4 ,there was no mark of the ,anglo-,saxon race1 no mark of the white man--everything was barren1 dry1 and desolate4 ,we pitched our camp a little distance to the southeast from here about #aa o'clock in the day4 ,we had a desire to try the soil1 to know what it would produce4 ,of course all this company--nearly the whole of us--were born and raised in the ,new ,england ,states1 ,vermont1 ,maine1 ,massachusetts1 ,connecticut--had no experience in irrigation4 ,we pitched our camp1 put some teams on to our ploughs 7we brought our ploughs with us71 and undertook to plough the earth1 but we found neither wood nor iron was strong enough to make furrows here in this soil4 ,it was like stone4 ,we had to turn water on it4 ,when we came to put our teams upon the ground again they sank down to their bellies in mud4 ,we had to wait until the land dried enough to hold up our teams4 ,we put in our crops and we stayed here one month4 ,during that time ,president ,young laid out this city1 as you see it today1 in the midst of sagebrush1 with not a house within a hundred miles of us4 ,we built a fort around ten acres1 three sides of adobe1 walls eighteen feet high1 and one side with logs out of the canyon4 ,we then returned to the ,missouri and some two thousand men came later4 ,president ,cannon here was one of the company that came in after us4 ,now what ,i wish to say is this3 ,you gentlemen come here today2 you see the city1 you go through the country4 ,here are a thousand miles1 ,i might say1 through these mountains1 filled with cities1 towns1 villages1 gardens1 and orchards1 and the produce of the earth that sustains the people4 ,without this water1 this irrigation for which you have met here today1 this country would be as barren as it was in #ahdg1 as we found it4 ,irrigation is what you have met to discuss4 ,whatever you decide upon in this matter1 and unite upon1 will1 ,i am sure1 prove a great blessing1 not only to ,utah1 but to every state and ,territory where these arid lands are found4 ,we have had to learn by experience1 and all that we have obtained in these mountains has been by irrigation4 ,there are portions yet which have not been irrigated1 and as one gentleman said here1 if you can make two drops of water where there was one1 or two spears of grass where there was one1 you are a #egg benefactor to mankind4 ,i say1 ,god bless you in your deliberations4 7,applause47 ,on the #aith of ,october1 #ahia1 ,president ,woodruff was cited before the ,master and ,chancery to testify to the scope of the ,manifesto in the ,escheat cases4 ,the question there involved was the subject of unlawful cohabitation4 ,he had issued the ,manifesto and was therefore best qualified to interpret the meaning which it had to his mind1 or which was conveyed by his language4 ,in ,november he recorded a visit to ,utah of ,mr4 ,norton1 a member of the ,british ,parliament4 ,he speaks of ,mr4 ,norton's interview with him as a pleasant conversation4 ,on the last day of that month he moved the ,church office from the ,gardo ,house to the old ,president's ,office1 across the road north4 ,this was done to save the rent which the ,church was obliged to pay the government for the use of its own property4 ,during that year he said he traveled #c1egj miles1 attended #bb conferences1 signed #c1hge recommends1 wrote #cjc letters1 and received #b1jde4 #egh ,,chapter #ec4 ,,dedication ,,of ,,the ,,salt ,,lake ,,temple1 #ahib4 ,new ,home4--,visit of ,president ,eliot to ,salt ,lake ,city4--,completing the ,temple4--,amnesty4--,dedication of the ,salt ,lake ,temple4--,visit to the ,world's ,fair1 ,chicago4--,liberal ,party ,disbands4 ,by the opening of the year #ahib ,president ,woodruff had well in hand1 not only the routine duties of his office1 but the general administrative needs of the ,church4 ,he was in good state of health and grateful for the peaceful conditions which then prevailed4 ,the prosecution for plural marriage had literally ceased1 though the ,liberals still had control of the city4 ,he had for some time been interested in the completion of his new home in ,waterloo1 a home which was to be called the ,woodruff ,villa4 ,it was a comfortable brick house1 though not at all pretentious4 ,while his home surroundings in the past had afforded him the needed comforts of life1 they were simple and in harmony with his neighbors' homes1 and with his own unpretentious character4 ,on the #ast of ,march he reached his eighty-fifth year1 and his wife ,emma her fifty-fourth4 ,that day was selected for the dedication of the new home1 an event to which he looked forward with a large measure of satisfaction4 ,on ,march #fth he made a record of the visit of ,president ,eliot to ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,president ,eliot was accompanied by his wife4 ,during the day ,president ,woodruff dined with them and listened to an address delivered in the ,tabernacle by ,harvard's eminent ,president4 ,of the occasion ,president ,woodruff wrote3 ,he spoke about forty-five minutes in a beautiful and pleasing manner1 and advocated the rights of all people to the free enjoyment of every religious and political guarantee4 ,i made a few remarks and then thanked ,president ,eliot for his liberal views4 ,it will be remembered that in the course of ,president ,eliot's remarks he compared the pioneer journey of the ,mormon people to ,salt ,lake ,valley and the hardships of those early experiences with the ,pilgrim ,fathers and their early settlement on the ,new #egi ,england coast4 ,this was more than the good people of ,puritan descent could endure2 to compare the ,mormon people with the ,pilgrim ,fathers was a specie of profanity that touched the righteous conscience of many ,new ,englanders in and about ,boston4 ,many of the newspapers of that city cried out in loud lamentation against such sacrilege4 ,a few conservative papers1 however1 were not so sure about the great disparity between the ,pilgrim ,fathers and the ,mormons1 even in the matter of morals4 ,president ,eliot1 however1 made no reply4 ,he was accustomed frequently to arouse the ire of his ,new ,england brethren2 and conscious that he was on the right side of a question1 he was as loath to yield as he was free to tell them the naked truth4 ,about this time1 on the #bast of ,march1 ,president ,woodruff expressed a special interest he felt in the court proceedings that had been inaugurated in ,missouri by the ,reorganites for the purpose of ousting the ,hedrickites from their ownership and control of the ,temple ,block at ,independence1 ,jackson ,county4 ,on that day he gave evidence in court relative to ,church authority1 and the interests of our people in the controversy4 ,in the decision of the ,supreme court of the ,state of ,missouri the ,hedrickites received a decision favorable to their claims and thus the ,temple ,block was left in statu quo4 ,april conference of that year was unusually well attended4 ,it was1 perhaps1 the largest that had hitherto assembled in the ,church4 ,it was at that conference that ,jonathan ,g4 ,kimball1 son of ,president ,heber ,c4 ,kimball1 was chosen to fill the vacancy created in the ,first ,council of ,seventies1 made vacant by the death of ,henry ,herriman4 ,during this conference1 on ,april #f1 the capstone of the ,salt ,lake ,temple was laid by ,president ,woodruff1 in the presence of a large assembly gathered to witness the ceremony4 ,on the #aath of the month ,president ,woodruff1 with a portion of his family1 paid a visit to the ,salt ,lake ,temple4 ,they ascended to the top of the ,temple tower1 where they deposited some coins in the upper stone1 and then inspected every room in the building4 ,about this time he made a purchase of the history of ,hartford1 ,connecticut1 the state in which he was born4 ,during that summer ,elder ,junius ,f4 ,wells obtained for the ,president portraits #ehj of his old home and of his birthplace1 also the homes of some of his kindred and ancestors4 ,in ,may of that year1 although now so well advanced in years1 he paid a visit to ,st4 ,george1 holding meetings in the various settlements on the way4 ,one hundred and twenty miles had to be covered by means of private conveyances4 ,the road through ,washington ,county was1 perhaps1 one of the most difficult to travel in the entire state1 but ,elder ,woodruff always had in his affections a special fondness for ,st4 ,george1 its people1 and its ,temple4 ,during his absence he suffered from a severe attack of sickness which created some misgivings as to his recovery1 but he was immediately healed by the power of ,god and returned home in safety4 ,on the #dth day of ,january1 #ahic1 ,president ,harrison granted amnesty to the ,latter-day ,saints who were under certain political disabilities in consequence of the ,federal statutes prescribing punishment for polygamy4 ,about that time the ,president's wife lay at the point of death4 ,president ,woodruff recorded in his journal the following telegram1 received from ,bishop ,h4 ,b4 ,clawson3 ,general amnesty will positively be announced this week4 ,president ,harrison asked for the forebearance and prayers of the ,presidency of the ,church in his behalf for himself and wife in their troubles4 ,president ,woodruff thought it not a little remarkable that the ,president of the nation should desire the prayers of the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,such a friendly manifestation was indeed to them a touching circumstance1 especially in view of the afflictions that they had undergone4 ,the response was heartfelt and devout1 but in the providence of ,god it was not ordained that ,mrs4 ,harrison should recover4 ,when she passed away ,president ,woodruff sent to ,president ,harrison the following telegram of sympathy3 ,president ,benjamin ,harrison1 ,washington1 ,d4 ,c43--,the death of your beloved companion came home to us individually as if it were our own personal loss4 ,we sincerely and deeply sympathize with you1 and appeal to the ,supreme ,being1 who holds the destiny of us all in ,his hands1 to bless1 comfort1 and sustain you in this your hour of great trial and sorrow4 ,it was during the year #ahib that political excitement throughout the ,church ran high and gave rise to many animosities which time had great difficulty in mitigating4 ,there had been a more or less #eha wide spread opinion that the ,latter-day ,saints were democratic in their party sympathies4 ,such an idea had naturally been the outgrowth of the favorable consideration given to the ,mormon people in the halls of ,congress by democratic leaders4 ,that political preferences should be based upon religious sympathies was foreign to the minds of most of the leaders in those days4 ,the ,presidency of the ,church was1 therefore1 beset by partisans of both classes in the contentions of those times4 ,the ,church ,authorities had stated in the most unequivocal manner that men must cast their political lot in response to the dictates of their own conscience4 ,it was not an easy matter1 however1 to move politically in a fixed direction4 ,church interests and political interests often ran along cross roads4 ,in his journal of ,november #c1 #ahib1 ,president ,woodruff wrote3 ,i had a visit today from certain prominent politicians who were not members of the ,church4 ,they seemed anxious to sew up the mouth of the ,presidency so that the latter should have nothing to say in political matters4 ,presidents ,cannon1 ,smith1 and ,i answered them4 ,president ,woodruff further expressed his right as an ,american citizen to exercise his franchise in the interest of any political party with which he saw fit to ally himself4 ,he was unwilling to concede that there could be any circumstance whatever1 politically1 in which he might not raise his voice for the protection of the people4 ,he claimed also the right to warn the people against the rule of the unrighteous4 ,the political destinies1 however1 of the state1 he did not regard as bound up in the religious destiny of the ,church4 ,he recognized the distinction between the two2 nor did he assume an unfriendly attitude toward those who did not see as he saw1 politically4 ,however1 he thought it both the privilege and the duty of ,church men to exercise their political judgment4 ,he never yielded to the argument that because the political influence of a ,church leader was likely to be too great he should therefore not be permitted to exercise any political influence whatever4 ,the year #ahic was specially noted for the dedication of the ,salt ,lake ,temple on the #fth of ,april1 the sixty-third anniversary of the organization of the ,church4 ,the early part of the year had been occupied by the ,church leaders in the preparations made for that grand event4 #ehb ,the conference opened on the #dth4 ,it was largely attended1 and there was an inspired joy in the hearts of the ,latter-day ,saints who had gathered from all parts of the ,church to take part in the dedicatory services4 ,in his journal ,president ,woodruff wrote3 ,i attended the dedication of the ,temple4 ,the spirit and power of ,god rested upon us4 ,the spirit of prophecy and revelation was upon us1 and the hearts of the people were melted and many things were unfolded to our understanding4 ,president ,woodruff offered the dedicatory prayer at the first meeting4 ,on the #gth of the month three meetings were held in the ,temple1 and the services were continued from that time until the #bdth of ,april1 in order that the people from every stake in ,zion could attend and participate in the blessings of that occasion ,president ,woodruff attended twenty-one of those meetings1 but before the end of these daily services had been reached he was obliged to retire1 and was confined to his bed for a number of days1 indeed his sickness brought him to the point of death4 ,in the dedication of the ,salt ,lake ,temple he witnessed the fulfillment of a dream recorded in his journal many years before4 ,in his dream he had received from ,president ,young the keys of the ,temple and was told by him to go in and dedicate it to the ,lord and to admit all who were seeking salvation4 ,the opportunity1 therefore1 was given to all who were in the least worthy to attend these services4 ,it is not too much to say that the dedication of that ,temple had an important effect on the faith and conduct of a great many ,latter-day ,saints who had heretofore been indifferent4 ,there had been a general interest among all classes throughout the ,city in the completion of the ,temple4 ,it had been in process of construction for more than a generation4 ,the day of its completion was1 therefore1 a land mark in the history of the state4 ,its architecture was striking and to the non-,mormons the ceremonies and religious devotions of the people1 who would go there to worship1 were peculiar4 ,thousands of strangers within the city of the ,saints would desire to see the great ,mormon ,temple4 ,it would thereafter become one of the wonders of the world1 an object of curiosity and wonderment to thousands of people who in years to come would gaze upon it4 ,there had been in the early nineties a fraternal interest among all classes4 ,the #ehc ,gentiles of ,salt ,lake ,city were therefore invited to inspect the ,temple just prior to its dedication4 ,many prominent men were conducted through its various rooms and permitted to inspect its internal adornments and admire its rich architectural designs4 ,among the remarks made by ,president ,woodruff at that time was that the power of the adversary should be broken1 and from that time on1 the enemy would have less power over the ,saints and meet with greater failures in oppressing them4 ,he also said that from that time a renewed interest in the gospel message would be awakened throughout the world4 ,lorenzo ,snow was appointed as first ,president of the new ,temple4 ,he selected as his counselors ,bishop ,john ,r4 ,winder1 and ,adolph ,madsen4 ,the ,salt ,lake ,temple now became the most striking and interesting building in the ,church4 ,its spirit1 like that of other ,temples1 has had a far reaching influence upon the lives of those who accepted its sacred teachings4 ,that influence is1 of course1 incomprehensible to those not of the ,mormon faith4 ,the #bhth of ,august that year was one of peculiar interest to ,president ,woodruff and the people generally4 ,on that day he left with the ,tabernacle ,choir1 which was to take part in a great musical contest in the ,world's ,fair at ,chicago4 ,president ,woodruff and his counselors were provided with a ,pullman car and everything was done to make the journey for him comfortable1 as he was in a poor state of health at the time and hardly fitted for such a journey4 ,en route they visited ,denver and ,kansas ,city4 ,at the former place the ,choir sang in one of the churches4 ,at ,independence1 ,missouri1 they were received by the mayor and other prominent men4 ,on the ,temple block the ,choir rendered sweet music4 ,president ,woodruff wrote in his journal1 as follows3 ,the mayor of ,independence had lost one arm in the war1 but the one he had left was kindly given to me while ,i was with him4 ,one striking incident worthy of record is this3 ,i went through ,jackson ,county with ,harry ,brown in #ahcd on a mission to the ,southern ,states4 ,at that time we traveled secretly lest our lives should be taken by mobocrats2 now in #ahic1 the mayor of ,independence and hosts of others bid us welcome to the city4 ,how great the contrast1 and we ascribe the honor and praise to ,god1 our ,heavenly ,father4 #ehd ,during their stay1 and on ,september #ith1 ,president ,woodruff1 as a western pioneer addressed in the festive hall a large assembly4 ,he spoke with vigor and with a clear1 strong voice1 and was listened to with rapt attention4 ,president ,cannon also spoke1 and the ,salt ,lake ,choir rendered music for the occasion4 ,president ,woodruff reached home on the #agth of ,september4 ,in ,october of that year1 ,congress passed a bill restoring the property of the ,church4 ,this act brought some financial relief and was a source of satisfaction to the ,saints generally4 ,litigation1 however1 over ,church property had been a source of great waste to it4 ,many who had urged the confiscation of ,church property had realized some of their hopes in the dispossession of it as the litigation over the property had been a source of wealth to them1 and although their hopes had been realized1 their motives had been revealed4 ,the situation1 at this time1 was further relieved at the ,november election by the triumph of a citizen's ticket4 ,the loss of the ,city to the anti-,mormon element was a source of great disappointment4 ,it did much1 however1 to check the opposition and bring about a greater measure of peace4 ,on the #gth of ,december ,president ,woodruff recorded the visit of ,alexander ,nickelsen1 a dignitary of the ,russian government4 ,president ,woodruff gave him a photo of himself and two volumes of the history of ,utah4 ,on this occasion he wrote3 ,we are being visited by the great men of the earth4 ,the revelations of ,god are being fulfilled concerning ,zion4 ,on the #aith of ,december the ,liberal party of ,utah dissolved1 a circumstance which gave further assurances of peace and good will in the ,territory4 ,this action1 no doubt1 was brought about by the recent action of the ,house of ,representatives in passing a bill for the admission of ,utah as a state4 ,the ,ministers of ,utah1 by a decision of the majority1 discontinued their opposition to ,utah's statehood4 ,in summing up the events of the year #ahic1 he wrote in his journal3 ,the greatest event of the year is the dedication of the ,salt ,lake ,temple4 ,great power was manifest on that occasion4 ,nearly fifty years ago while in the ,city of ,boston ,i had a vision of going to the ,rocky ,mountains to build a ,temple there and to dedicate it to the ,lord4 #ehe ,,chapter #ed4 ,,administrative ,,work1 #ahid4 ,electric ,power ,plant in ,ogden ,canyon4--,saltair4--,death of ,his ,brother1 ,thompson4--,temple ,work for ,benjamin ,franklin4--,an ,optimist4--,death of ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot of ,provo4--,utah ,stake ,organized4--,trip to ,alaska4 ,during the early years of ,president ,woodruff's administration financial pressure rested heavily upon the ,church4 ,something like four hundred thousand dollars1 however1 of personal property1 which had been confiscated1 was by the order of the supreme court turned over to the ,president of the ,church4 ,the ,church had given its support to certain enterprises and was1 about the year #aijd1 under financial responsibilities for the electric power plant in ,ogden ,canyon and the ,saltair pavilion4 ,the power plant was planned to command in part the great and growing resources in this inter-mountain region4 ,the capitalization necessary to launch it was beyond private capital which at this time could be obtained for such a purpose4 ,as time went on the scheme proved both feasible and profitable4 ,the ,saltair ,beach1 ,president ,woodruff was persuaded1 would afford the people a resort which might be kept under some measure of control and be run in the interests of good morals4 ,he looked upon innocent recreation as a part of the daily life of men1 and that amusement was harmful only when it became excessive and associated with undesirable companionship4 ,president ,woodruff in his own life never made any great distinction between things spiritual and things temporal4 ,his spirituality was so characteristic a feature of his own life that it was associated with all that he did and said4 ,with him1 ,god was so associated in the affairs of men that their daily conduct was under ,his constant supervision4 ,in ,january of '#id1 he recorded the death of his brother1 ,thompson ,woodruff1 who had lived to the ripe old age of eighty-nine years4 ,wilford was younger than his two brothers1 but lived to a greater age than either of them4 ,his eighty-seventh #ehf birthday this year was celebrated in the ,salt ,lake ,temple where he was surrounded by his faithful associates1 by the general authorities of the ,church1 and such members of his numerous family as could come together4 ,there were about two hundred and thirty present4 ,at his advanced age of life he took great interest in the journey of his friends to the other side4 ,they were going to the spiritual world1 an abode to which he looked forward1 himself1 with great expectations and some measure of satisfaction4 ,he bids his old-time and departed friends1 in his journal1 a heartfelt and loving good-by4 ,he expected to see them before very long4 ,during that year his sister-in-law1 ,sarah ,b4 ,foss1 about ninety-three years of age1 died2 likewise ,jessie ,w4 ,fox1 the pioneer surveyor2 likewise ,president ,john ,morgan1 a federal soldier of the ,civil ,war1 and one of the seven presidents of ,seventy4 ,much of ,president ,woodruff's meditations1 as well as his hopes and ambitions1 were associated with the world beyond the veil1 and yet he was not in the least sense a fanatically visionary man4 ,when he had important dreams they were in harmony with his religious conceptions and a part of his duty1 both to man and ,god4 ,on the night of ,march #aith1 #ahid1 he had a dream which followed his meditations upon the future life and the work that he had done for the dead4 ,in his dream there appeared to him ,benjamin ,franklin for whom he had performed important ceremonies in the ,house of ,god4 ,this distinguished patriot1 according to his dream1 sought further blessings in the ,temple of ,god at the hands of his benefactor4 ,president ,woodruff wrote3 ,i spent some time with him and we talked over our ,temple ordinances which had been administered for ,franklin and others4 ,he wanted more work done for him than had already been done4 ,i promised him it should be done4 ,i awoke and then made up my mind to receive further blessings for ,benjamin ,franklin and ,george ,washington4 ,it may be well here to record the fact that ,president ,woodruff and ,john ,d4 ,t4 ,mc,allister1 at the early opening of the ,st4 ,george ,temple were baptized for the signers of the ,declaration of ,independence1 and for nearly all the ,presidents of the ,united ,states4 ,the appearance1 therefore1 in his dream1 of ,franklin1 was to him a satisfying conclusion that he had at least received #ehg joyfully the blessings that came to him from the ordinances of the ,lord's ,house4 ,there is noticeable in the journal of ,president ,woodruff a singular satisfaction which he always took in the missionary labors of his sons4 ,he had been a missionary himself--a zealous1 indeed an ideal missionary1 like ,paul of old4 ,the missionary spirit never left him1 he was always zealous for the spread of his faith and rejoiced in the zeal of his sons1 when like him they were laboring to spread the truth4 ,he refers with special pleasure to the zeal of his son ,owen who was then on a mission in ,germany4 ,he liked the spirit of the boy as it manifested itself in letters to his mother4 ,his writings had a wholesome1 spiritual ring to them that characterized his own missionary life4 ,indeed1 the young missionary who was devoting himself faithfully to the service of the ,master1 whether he was of his own household or from some other home1 was always a source of pleasure to him and in his journal he pays his compliments to these young ambassadors of the truth4 ,there is one peculiar characteristic noticeable in the journal of ,wilford ,woodruff1 it is that hopeful1 joyful spirit that dwells with ever increasing satisfaction upon the things that are good and uplifting4 ,he had a spirit of appreciation for the good things of life1 he loved to dwell upon the good deeds of others1 and though now and then he spoke out in prophetic utterance against the evils of the world1 he was nevertheless prone to see the good quicker than the evil4 ,he said in his journal of ,october1 that year1 that ,aunt ,jane1 the colored sister1 had been to see him4 ,she was anxious to go through the ,temple and receive the higher ordinances of the gospel4 ,president ,woodruff blessed her for her constant1 never changing devotion to the gospel1 but explained to her her disadvantages as one of the descendants of ,cain4 ,in after years when ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith preached the funeral sermon of this same faithful woman he declared that she would in the resurrection attain the longings of her soul and become a white and beautiful person4 ,president ,woodruff's writings generally reflect the spirit of the times4 ,he was always in sympathetic touch with the interests of humanity4 ,in large measure the sorrows of his fellow #ehh men were his sorrows1 and their joys his joys4 ,it was not in him to live separate and apart in the world and indulge in a selfish life4 ,we may naturally expect him1 therefore1 in #ahid to feel and sense the troubles that were brooding over the country4 ,there were railroad strikes and there were ,coxey's armies2 men were suffering for the necessities of life and undergoing great hardship in consequence of the panic of #ahic4 ,one of the events of this year1 which was perhaps the most pleasing of anything he enjoyed in those days was the admission of ,utah to statehood4 ,the enabling act was signed by ,president ,cleveland on the #agth of ,july1 #ahid4 ,of this event he wrote3 ,the struggle has been a hard one4 ,it has seemed as though all earth and hell were combined against the ,saints having a state government4 ,now we must give ,god the glory4 ,he joined in the general celebrations of that year4 ,pioneer day brought with it additional joy as it did fuller appreciation4 ,in connection with ,utah's prospective admission to statehood he received a lengthy letter from ,general ,clarkson who gave at considerable length the story of ,utah's recent admission into the ,union4 ,the ,general gives the names and attitude of those who used their influence against1 as well as those who used theirs for ,utah's admission into the ,union4 ,there were those who labored1 no doubt1 with sinister motives for statehood4 ,they pressed their claims upon ,church authority for recognition1 they sought political preferment and some1 no doubt1 were deeply disappointed4 ,in ,october of that year a circumstance took place which revealed the generous and forgiving nature of the subject of this biography4 ,on the #beth of ,october1 ,mary ,jackson ,ross died4 ,she had been the first plural wife of ,president ,woodruff4 ,by him she had one son named ,james4 ,through disappointment and dissatisfaction she left her husband and married another man4 ,in her later and declining years she realized the mistake of a hasty and unwise decision4 ,she came to ,president ,woodruff with a desire that he take her back again into his family for eternity4 ,he attended her funeral1 laid her away in his own burial lot1 and was in every way thoughtful and magnanimous to her and to the children she had borne by her second husband4 ,summing up the labors of that year he said that he attended ten conferences1 preached twenty-three discourses1 wrote nearly #ehi one hundred important letters1 and traveled twenty-six hundred miles4 ,all this he did in the #hgth year of his life4 ,the beginning of the year #ahie witnessed the continuation of the distressing financial situation throughout the nation4 ,the effects of the panic were not easily overcome and there was considerable suffering throughout the country4 ,to meet the special needs of the suffering poor in ,nebraska1 ,president ,woodruff in ,january contributed in behalf of the ,church two thousand five hundred pounds of flour4 ,the ,church had so grown in its interests and wealth that it was then in a position to take cognizance to some extent of the poverty and depressing conditions throughout the country4 ,his birthday of that year was again celebrated in the ,temple4 ,including the ,presidency1 ,twelve1 and leading men1 and his family1 with special friends1 there were about two hundred and fifty present4 ,among those who had come to pay him honor on this occasion was his old life-long friend1 ,president ,a4 ,o4 ,smoot1 of ,provo4 ,this was the last gathering the latter ever attended as he died in less than a week at the ripe old age of eighty years4 ,speaking of ,president ,smoot's funeral procession he said3 ,it is the longest ,i have ever seen in ,utah4 ,on the #bjth of the ,april following he was again in ,provo for the purpose of reorganizing the ,utah ,stake4 ,of that circumstance he wrote3 ,we met in council for the purpose of taking into consideration the appointment of a ,stake ,president4 ,we had no one in our minds when we came together4 ,while discussing the subject the spirit of the ,lord rested upon us and designated ,edward ,partridge as president1 with ,david ,john and ,reed ,smoot as his counselors4 ,in this we were all united4 ,on the #bjth of ,march the mine explosion at ,alma1 ,wyoming brought the distressing news that sixty-one men had been killed4 ,thirty-two of these were members of the ,church4 ,the circumstance was most distressing to the authorities and of course brought forth expressions of heartfelt sympathy for those bereaved4 ,the summer of #ahie was excessively hot1 and ,president ,woodruff at his advanced age felt the effects of the heat more severely than ever4 ,it was finally decided that he pay a visit to the western coast1 and on the #beth of ,june1 in company with his #eij counselors he left for ,portland1 where he embarked on a visit to ,alaska4 ,on his return to ,utah he paid a visit to the ,lake1 in ,august1 in company with ,joseph ,bannigan4 ,after taking a bath in the water he said it was the first time he had bathed there since #ahdg4 ,it was from ,bannigan that the ,church borrowed a large sum of money4 ,during the year1 political excitement ran high and considerable sensitiveness was manifested about ,church influence4 ,rumors and alleged influences by leading men were constantly brought to the attention of the ,president4 ,these reports were a source of considerable annoyance4 ,president ,woodruff said in his journal3 ,papers are publishing lies against the ,presidency of the ,church4 ,presidents of stakes and bishops are made to say things which are false4 ,this is done for political effect4 ,any attempts to correct false political statements current at the time only added fuel to the fire4 ,utah was on the eve of the enjoyment of statehood2 both parties were clamoring for supremacy4 ,president ,woodruff frequently manifested the irritation which he felt by the constant annoyance to which he was subjected through politicians who were frequently appealing to him4 ,november #bast1 #ahid1 he recorded the death of ,lorenzo ,dow ,young who had come to ,utah with the pioneers4 ,he was the last of the brothers of ,president ,young1 and died in his eighty-eighth year4 ,during that year ,elder ,woodruff traveled five thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven miles4 ,his time1 however1 was greatly occupied by the business interests of the ,church4 ,its financial obligations were constantly growing and the ,church had not yet overcome the financial distress created by the confiscation of its property and the great loss that came to it from litigations in the courts4 #eia ,,chapter #ee4 ,a ,,great ,,birthday ,,celebration1 #ahig4 ,admission of ,utah into the ,union4--,political ,struggles4--,birthday ,celebrated4 ,the year #ahif brought ,statehood to ,utah4 ,i feel to thank ,god1 wrote ,elder ,woodruff that ,i have lived to see ,utah admitted into the family of states4 ,it is an event that we looked forward to for a generation4 ,on the #dth of ,january ,president ,cleveland signed the proclamation1 admitting the people to statehood4 ,the ,enabling ,act had been signed on the #gth of ,july1 #ahid4 ,thus a period of a year and a half had elapsed during which the constitution for the new state had been made and the political preparations looking to statehood had all been consummated4 ,it was ushered in by ringing of bells and firing of guns4 ,shouts of joy proclaimed the glad tidings throughout almost every town and hamlet in the state4 ,ovando ,beebe and ,joseph ,daynes1 he continued1 decorated the front of our house with flags and bunting4 ,this day1 ,january #fth1 #ahif1 celebrates our admission into the union4 ,it is quite universal4 ,there may be a few who dislike to see the ,saints enjoy a full measure of human rights4 ,the ,first ,presidency occupied a front place in the procession which marched through the public thoroughfares to the ,tabernacle4 ,we reached that building about noon and found it crowded to its utmost capacity4 ,the great ,american flag1 which we all revere1 was spread overhead and measured in length #aej feet1 and in width #ge feet4 ,acting ,governor ,richards called the great assembly to order4 ,the opening prayer1 by myself1 which was written1 was read by ,george ,q4 ,cannon4 ,a thousand voices sang the ',star ,spangled ,banner4' ,the acting ,governor then read the proclamation of ,president ,grover ,cleveland2 declared the end of the territorial government1 and introduced ,heber ,m4 ,wells1 the first state governor1 and other state officials1 who upon taking oath of office1 assumed the positions to which they had been elected4 #eib ,our enemies have declared that we should never enjoy the blessings of statehood4 ,their words have fallen to the ground and we are now in possession of that ,god-given boon4 ,i am thankful that ,i live to behold this day4 ,he was naturally reminiscent1 he looked back upon a long and arduous struggle of the ,saints for those political rights to which they felt themselves entitled4 ,the past was full of acrimony1 misgivings1 and bitter contentions4 ,at last it was decided to cease contention1 drop the political struggles in which the ,people's ,party had engaged1 and place themselves in harmony with one or another of the great political parties of the nation4 ,this seemed the only manner in which what was now becoming a useless controversy could be ended4 ,after all1 a division upon political lines brought with it anxieties1 misgivings1 and dangers4 ,there would be in the ,church ,mormon ,democrats and ,mormon ,republicans4 ,how they would conduct themselves toward one another in the stress and heat of political controversy was a matter of no small concern4 ,they would be struggling one against another for supremacy4 ,in an age when the political achievements of men carry with them the highest honors and when almost every other relation of life is subordinated to political aggrandizements1 there would naturally be some fear lest the ,saints1 too1 should look upon politics1 like many others1 as the greatest source of honor and power4 ,it was soon learned that instead of sitting down side by side in the discussion of political questions as matters of business importance and good government1 and of discussing relations thereof in a friendly spirit1 there grew up animosities1 jealousies1 and bitterness which still torment the people4 ,these political dissentions had their temptations and the gravest dangers attended them4 ,men were thrown indiscriminately into the society of their follow men1 some of whom had no respect for those moral principles which underlie the perpetuity of religion4 ,the spirit of politics was one of intoxication4 ,here and there1 young men and old staggered and swaggered under its influence4 ,they were without restraint1 without reassurance1 and were drifting hopelessly4 ,some were now piled up like driftwood after the subsidence of a flood4 ,a few became so saturated with politics and its attending evils that the light and #eic flame of the spirit have never since awakened and enkindled their soggy souls4 ,some grew unduly suspicious4 ,circumstances engendered animosities4 ,passing events tried many to the limit of their endurance4 ,some soured and fell by the wayside4 ,during the early years of statehood the influence of some of the ,church leaders became involved in political struggles4 ,elder ,woodruff's journal discloses the regrets which he experienced over such conditions4 ,he lamented the political folly of many1 and above all deplored the loss of brotherly love which the political excitement of the times brought about4 ,he felt that trials of one character or another were naturally the lot of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,he knew that as time went on men would be tempted and tried in proportion to their worth and consequence in the world4 ,he was grieved1 however1 when he saw men who had apparently been loyal to their duty and other obligations in life become the victims of a political mania4 ,political questions gave rise to long drawn controversies4 ,some of these controversies involved the faith and even the standing of ,church members4 ,men sought to argue themselves through the mists and fogs of political darkness4 ,many were groping about as if blindfolded4 ,in time most of them emerged from darkness into light4 ,a few lay down by the wayside and would not believe what they could not see1 and they could not see because of darkness about them4 ,they therefore justified their obstinacy which they vainly imagined was courage4 ,during those trying times men of long standing in the ,church and of unsuspected integrity came to ,president ,woodruff in a spirit of anger and babbled like thoughtless children4 ,happily many of them have seen their folly and have learned that the ,church guided and controlled by the hand of ,god1 rolls on constantly and persistently like the earth in the midst of the heavens4 ,they have learned1 too1 that though the ,church1 like the earth moving through the mists and fogs1 when its course is obscured1 is nevertheless moving steadfastly and accurately forward according to the laws of its creation4 ,many have learned1 too1 that the destines of the ,church are after all not in the hands of men2 for men are the mere instrumentalities of a divine purpose2 and if those men1 having walked according to their light and understanding1 pass #eid on into the ,great ,beyond without moving the ,church in the least from the great orbit prescribed for it by ,divine wisdom1 what effect can jealousy and criticism have upon it4 ,when brethren came to ,president ,woodruff and declared that all the the troubles of the ,church were political troubles he lamented their folly1 their misunderstanding1 and the want in them of that divine spirit which should guide men in every exigency of life4 ,some men1 he was wont to exclaim1 really act as though they were possessed by the devil4 ,the ,church is not going to pieces4 ,the principles of ,god are not falling to the ground4 ,such men will be ashamed of themselves some day4 ,he did not pretend to know why some things happened1 but he knew how men ought to behave themselves after they had learned the great lesson which taught them the destinies of the ,church and the duties of a ,latter-day ,saint4 ,those were remarkable times2 their spirit1 as far1 as it can be reflected upon the pages of history1 will remain to warn and instruct future generations4 ,president ,woodruff's journal of those times discloses a prophetic insight which he had neither the wisdom to explain nor political knowledge to appreciate4 ,questions that were then great issues1 and about which grave apprehensions were felt concerning the welfare of the ,church1 are now of no consequence when looked back upon4 ,there were dire predictions which time failed to verify and which recede from every possibility as time goes on4 ,in the ,church men are affected by the spirit and contentions of the times1 but the fate of men and the destiny of the ,church are two quite separate matters4 ,in no organizations of the world1 and in no institutions of men is the separation between the men who conduct them and the welfare and perpetuity of the organizations so great as between the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints and the men to whose care its interests are entrusted4 ,political forecasts of those days do not tally with current events4 ,president ,woodruff no where in his journal gives any evidence of a spirit of despair4 ,he positively refuses to take things so seriously as politicians would have him do4 ,harm to the ,church was something he did not comprehend any more than he could comprehend how men could harm ,god4 ,he manifested #eie sorrow for those whose standard of measurement religiously was a political standard4 ,he was not moved by those grave fears which many entertained for the ,church4 ,he took as little thought of the morrow in his contemplation of ,god's purposes as any man that ever lived since the days of the ,master4 ,men crowded about him with their tables of calculations1 by which they fixed the future welfare of the ,church and its threatened destruction4 ,his journal is an interesting revelation of some men's peculiar conceptions of the destiny of the ,church under the strain and stress of those times4 ,he never pretended to follow the intricacies of men's reasoning about the future4 ,he recorded their sayings and set over against them the more sure word of prophecy upon which he rested his faith4 ,he might be confused in the labyrinth of details2 sophistries might awaken in him a spirit of wonderment2 arguments might create doubt as to the location upon one side or the other of some fact or minor truth1 but he was never in any measure of doubt upon the fundamental truth of ,mormonism and its triumphs through divine guidance4 ,it was perhaps a most fortunate circumstance that during the troublous times following statehood1 ,president ,woodruff never took seriously to heart those events which so greatly stirred the souls of many other men4 ,his native honesty kept him from political speculations which were to him at most1 mere guess work4 ,he always felt some confusion whenever he troubled himself about political speculations4 ,he might be persuaded how some things would be for the good of the ,church1 but he knew that all things ,god could turn to good account in its mission to the children of men4 ,turning from the considerations of ,church and ,state1 he recorded those social pastimes which gave him pleasure4 ,it is remarkable how completely the different topics about which he writes in his journal are separated4 ,however much the intensity of his feelings may be manifested when writing upon some subject1 those feelings are not carried into the expression which he uses in describing something else that comes along4 ,in each subject he manifests the peculiar spirit which belongs to it4 ,on the #aath of ,january that year1 he attended a birthday #eif party of his first counselor1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 who was then sixty-nine years of age4 ,the family1 he wrote1 consisted of twenty-three sons1 and ten daughters4 ,family gatherings of that kind were of special interest to him4 ,patriarchal relations of that character had in them something of the spirit and promise of ,holy ,writ4 ,on ,march #ast he celebrated his own anniversary4 ,he was then eight-nine4 ,as many of his family as could be convened on that occasion joined in the celebration of their father and grand-father's natal day4 ,all told there were about fifty present4 ,the annual conference of that year convened ,april #dth4 ,it was largely attended and of special interest to the people4 ,a general pronunciamento was issued1 in which leading ,church men were required to obtain the permission of their superiors before accepting political obligations that might interfere with the exercise of their ,church duties4 ,the document set forth at some length the relations of ,church and state from a ,church point of view4 ,its general acceptance throughout the stakes of ,zion was voted upon at both stake and ward conferences4 ,as a rule the policy therein set forth was received as a matter of course by the people generally4 ,in some places there was opposition1 and as a consequence some resigned their offices in the ,church4 ,turning from subjects of religious1 social1 and political importance1 he recorded his views at that time upon the question of mining and the thought that he had that it might be made profitable to the ,church in the liquidation of some of its debts4 ,such a means1 however1 of meeting the obligations of the ,church did not receive permanent consideration4 ,the general principle prevailed that the methods which the ,lord had instituted were really the safest means by which the revenues of the ,church might be raised4 ,besides tithing was a law of ,god and contained a blessing for those who observed it4 ,to be sure1 there were legitimate means by which moneys of the ,church might be invested1 but reliance upon speculations in mines came to be regarded as both unsafe and unsatisfactory4 ,his journal contained a record of important appointments during his administration4 ,he mentioned with special satisfaction the appointment of ,a4 ,w4 ,ivins to the ,presidency of the ,juarez ,stake of ,zion in ,old ,mexico4 ,he spoke in words of #eig praise of ,rulon ,s4 ,wells1 and ,joseph ,w4 ,mc,murrin1 who succeeded ,president ,a4 ,h4 ,lund in the ,european mission4 ,a matter that affected him greatly was the death of ,apostle ,a4 ,h4 ,cannon1 who died on the #aith of ,july1 #ahif1 at the age of thirty-seven4 ,this young ,apostle had evidently gained the love and confidence of ,president ,woodruff1 who mourned intensely his death4 ,the funeral of ,a4 ,h4 ,cannon was deeply impressive and the funeral procession was one of the longest ever witnessed in ,salt ,lake ,city4 ,sometime afterward1 and while on a visit to the coast1 he referred to special manifestations which he had1 respecting the young apostle's character and his mission in the spirit world4 ,he spoke of his purity1 his integrity1 and his important mission to the spirit world as the testimony of the spirit to him4 ,the spirit of ,god rested upon me at the close of this manifestation in a powerful manner and bore testimony to me of the truth of the revelation to me concerning ,abraham ,h4 ,cannon4 ,at the ,april conference following1 he spoke of that1 and similar manifestations1 and in the course of his testimony1 declared that the ,lord does not send angels to the earth except to accomplish a work that men cannot do4 ,the ,holy ,ghost should be with the ,saints at all times to reveal to them their duties4 ,in his journal of that year1 he spoke of the intense suffering which he at one time experienced1 and said that he was healed instantly by the administration of the ,apostles4 ,that year1 ,november #eth1 witnessed a change in the observance of the fast day from the first ,thursday to the first ,sunday in the month4 ,the first day of the new year1 #ahig1 found ,president ,woodruff at home with his family4 ,at his advanced age in life1 time was making inroad upon his health4 ,he rallied1 however1 from periods of bodily infirmity1 and manifested remarkable renewals of strength4 ,through it all1 he was faithful in keeping his journal1 which was to him a matter of first importance4 ,other offices and callings might be temporary1 but his journal was a life's mission to which he had been called4 ,he could not say what that journal might accomplish in days to come1 but he gave to it the fidelity and a devotion that are as inspiring as they are characteristic4 ,it is that journal that enables the historian today #eih to give to the world one of the most remarkable and faith-promoting biographies in all the history of the ,church4 ,he rises from the faithful records of his journal to engage his mind in business enterprises4 ,on the #aith of ,january1 #ahig1 he paid a visit to ,ogden ,canyon1 where he viewed with admiration the electric power plant and its marvelous machinery4 ,i visited all the electric works and was overwhelmed with amazement at the ponderous machinery used for the production of electricity4 ,there is a spirit in man1 but the inspiration of the ,almighty giveth him understanding4 ,the celebration of his birthday1 ,february #bhth1 and ,march #ast1 is a distinct event in his life4 ,the following is a published account of the occasion1 contained in the ,deseret ,news3 ,on ,sunday1 ,february #bhth1 #ahig1 at #b p4 m41 and on the following day1 ,monday1 ,march #ast1 at #aj a4 m41 were exercises in the ,tabernacle in honor of the ninetieth anniversary of the birth of ,elder ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 and one of the first company of ,utah ,pioneers that entered the ,valley of the ,great ,salt ,lake4 ,for this occasion the ,tabernacle has been beautifully decorated4 ,the speakers' stands are ornamented in white and old gold1 with numerous flowers and potted ferns and other plants around the organ4 ,the table at the foot of the stands is covered with flowers1 and in front of this1 seats are raised above the floor for ,president ,woodruff and wife to occupy during the reception on ,monday4 ,over this is a canopy draped with the ,stars and ,stripes1 with electric lights in the top to throw light upon the couple4 ,this canopy will remain thrown back upon the table until the time of the reception4 ,the upper stand1 which will be occupied by the ,president and his wife during the rendering of the program1 has been raised about sixteen inches higher than its usual position1 so that a full view can be had of them from every part of the building4 ,in front of and near the top of the organ is a beautiful star composed of sixty-one electric lights2 over this1 and extending from south to north across the building is a white streamer bearing the inscriptions1 ,glory be to ,god1 ,honor to ,his ,prophet1 and the three dates1 #ahjg1 #ahdg1 and #ahig4 ,around the gallery bunting is stretched1 with a star over each post1 and at the rear of the building is the inscription1 #eii ,we honor the man so honored of ,god4 ,above the rear of the gallery is a banner on which is painted #ahdg-ahig4 ,below this is a ,union flag which passed through the war4 ,a brief sketch of ,president ,woodruff's life was read4 ,,sunday ,,school ,,afternoon',s ,,celebration4 ,perhaps the largest number of people that ever assembled in the large ,tabernacle was present ,sunday afternoon on the occasion of the celebration by the ,sunday schools of ,president ,woodruff's ninetieth birthday4 ,not only were the seats all occupied1 but the aisles were packed in every part of the immense building4 ,from the time of the opening of the doors at #a o'clock1 until after #b1 the ,sunday schools and others continued to pour into the ,tabernacle en masse1 and when the time arrived to commence the services1 all seats were taken1 and many people were still outside of the building1 while several entire schools were turned away1 the general public1 having crowded into the reservation1 intended for the children4 ,while there was some confusion1 caused by the gathering of such a large number of children and getting them seated properly1 it must be said that altogether they did well and filed in in as orderly a manner as could reasonably be expected4 ,a brilliant effect was produced when the electric current was turned into the globes forming the beautiful double star1 and into the word ,utah in front of the organ4 ,the latter and the large star were composed of clear lights1 while the small star within was made up of red lights4 ,the decorations were very tastily arranged throughout and added greatly to the imposing scene4 ,the services commenced at five minutes after two by ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon calling the vast assemblage to order and announcing the opening hymn1 ,we ,thank ,thee ,o ,god for a ,prophet1 which was rendered by the entire congregation1 under the leadership of ,professor ,evan ,stephens4 ,its rendition visibly affected ,president ,woodruff1 and made it necessary for the honored veteran to wipe the tear-drops from his eyelids4 ,an appropriate and feeling prayer was offered by ,elder ,george ,teasdale1 after which the ,sunday schools rendered the #fjj hymn1 ,god ,speed the ,right1 under the leadership of ,professor ,e4 ,k4 ,bassett4 ,elder ,george ,goddard1 of the general superintendency of ,sunday schools1 addressed the congregation4 ,he stated that it was the largest assemblage that had ever been within the walls of the ,tabernacle4 ,notwithstanding this1 however1 he felt that if desired1 he could succeed in restoring order such as to hear the dropping of a pin4 ,he requested the children present to note in a book after going home the exercises which they had taken part in today4 ,children should learn to keep a history of their lives and incidents connected with the experiences which they had passed through1 that in after years they might recall those pleasant days which they had seen while here upon the earth4 ,the speaker then sang the ,sunday school hymn ,in ,our ,lovely ,deseret1 the children present joining in the chorus4 ,at the conclusion of the song the speaker called upon all those assembled to pray for ,president ,woodruff and prophesied that if they paid attention to the words of the song just sang1 many would live eighty years hence and be able to testify to taking part in the exercises of today4 ,under the direction of ,elder ,george ,teasdale all the ,sunday school children present recited in concert the ,articles of ,faith4 ,professor ,joseph ,j4 ,daynes rendered in pleasing style an organ solo1 entitled ,my ,father's ,growing ,old4 ,elder ,george ,a4 ,smith gave a short epitome of the life and labors of ,president ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,closing he said in his lifetime he had traveled #age1jj miles to preach the gospel4 ,he had baptized #b1jjj souls into the ,church1 and had written a journal of #g1jjj pages1 covering his work for a period of sixty-two years4 ,two verses of the song1 ,is ,there ,anything ,that ,we ,can ,do8 were sung by the congregation1 after which ,sister ,rose ,wallace in a felicitous speech presented ,president ,woodruff in behalf of the ,desert ,sunday ,school ,union1 with a beautiful basket of ninety roses4 ,sister ,wallace used these words3 ,president ,woodruff1 our beloved ,prophet and leader3 ,in behalf of the ,deseret ,sunday ,school ,union1 ,i greet you on this the ninetieth anniversary of your natal day1 and congratulate you #fja that you have reached this advanced age1 and rejoice that you are preserved unto us in all the power of your glorious manhood and of your high and holy calling4 ,we hope and pray that your life will still be precious in the eyes of our ,father for years to come2 that you may be a blessing and a comfort unto ,his ,saints2 and that they shall fill your soul with joy unspeakable by their faithful1 earnest efforts to do ,god's will2 and that you shall live until every holy desire in your heart is satisfied4 ,we love you1 we bless you1 ,brother ,woodruff1 with all our soul1 and thank you for your gentle guidance2 for you have been to us 'as a gentle shepherd leading us through the gloom into the bright and glorious day4' ,and since our feeble words cannot express the love we bear you nor the joy we feel in your presence1 we have brought these beauteous messengers of love1 ninety roses1 whose hearts are laden with the exquisite fragrance from our heavenly home where all is love4 ,they are the roses ,reverence and ,regard1 ,that know no change1 ,but bloom forever1 though the storm be hard ,and ways grow strange4 ,they are the roses that ,i bring to you1 ,your gaze to greet2 ,to scent the way you take with fragrance true4 ,and make life sweet4 ,roses to greet you1 with a wish from me1 ,though skies are drear1 ,still may the path you take all fragrant be ,through all the year4 ,though roses born of sunlight and ,june showers ,fade fast away1 ,there are sweet roses grown in wintrier hours1 ,that ne'er decay6 #fjb ,president ,woodruff then addressed the congregation4 ,he said3 ,i want to say to my young brethren and sisters and friends in the ,sabbath schools established here in the ,rocky ,mountains1 ,god bless you1 and ,i feel to bless you1 as far as ,i have the power4 ,i want to say that this is a scene before me today that has overpowered me--it has overpowered my speech4 ,i would rather not say anything1 still ,i feel ,i want to make a few remarks to my friends4 ,i never in my life have been in a similar position to that of today4 ,the scene before me has been a fulfillment of all my prayers from my boyhood up to early manhood4 ,eighty years ago ,i was a little boy ten years of age attending school the same as you are here in the mountains of ,israel4 ,i read the ,new ,testament4 ,i read of ,jacob2 ,i read of the ,apostles and the ,prophets4 ,i could not find a man on the face of the earth who taught these principles or believed in them4 ,i prayed to the ,god of heaven that ,i might live to see a prophet2 that ,i might live to see an apostle who would say something that would satisfy me like the principles ,i read of in the ,new ,testament4 ,today ,i stand in the midst of ten thousand young men and women of ,israel--sons and daughters of prophets1 patriarchs and men of ,israel4 ,men who hold the holy priesthood appointed by the ,god of ,israel2 appointed in the last days to set up and carry these laws and principles of ,god into effect4 ,it is these principles that we were to look at in the last days4 ,now ,i want to say to you as the rising generation1 ,i never expected to see a day of this kind in my life1 in my early days4 ,i did expect1 as it was promised to me1 to see a prophet4 ,i have lived to see him4 ,i have traveled with prophets and patriarchs and sons of ,god4 ,i have lived to see this body of intelligence of the sons of the living ,god1 who come here to the meetings of ,israel4 ,i rejoice in this1 for ,i see before me the nature of the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,we cannot say the ,bible is a novel--the ,bible that contains revelation4 ,i have passed through the periods of boyhood1 early manhood and old age4 ,i cannot expect to tarry a great while longer with you1 but ,i want to give to you a few words of counsel4 ,you occupy a position in the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god and have received the power of the holy priesthood4 ,the #fjc ,god of heaven has appointed you and called you forth in this day and generation4 ,i want you to look at this4 ,young men listen to the counsel of your brethren4 ,live near to ,god2 pray while young2 learn to pray2 learn to cultivate the ,holy ,spirit of ,god2 link it to you and it will become a spirit of revelation unto you1 inasmuch as you nourish it4 ,i feel thankful myself that ,i have lived to see this day4 ,i declare unto you that there are many in the flesh who will remain so until the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,this is about all ,i have to say4 ,i feel thankful to my heavenly ,father that ,i see this scene before us this afternoon2 that ,i see the gospel manifestations on the earth4 ,there has been1 as it was stated by our brother1 two powers1 one to destroy me and the other to save me ,and ,god in heaven has willed to spare me to see this day4 ,he has given me power to reject every testimony and reject every example that leads to evil4 ,i say to you children1 do not use tobacco1 liquor1 or any of these things that destroy the body and mind1 but honor ,him and you will have a mission upon your heads that the world know not of4 ,may ,god bless you4 ,amen4 ,quartette1 ,we ,ever ,pray for ,thee1 specially written for the occasion by ,professor ,evan ,stephens1 was nicely rendered by the little ,misses ,olga ,peterson1 ,mamie ,mills1 ,annie ,peterson1 and ,gertrude ,kelly1 with a refrain by ,brother ,e4 ,k4 ,bassett's choir4 ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon was the next speaker4 ,he said that this was a most memorable occasion and one that would live long in the hearts of those assembled4 ,ninety years1 said the speaker1 was a long space of time for mankind to live upon the earth4 ,it was gratifying to know that ,president ,woodruff had held the ,apostleship in this ,church longer than any man that had lived in this dispensation4 ,the ,lord had blessed ,president ,woodruff and had spared him to do a mighty work in helping to roll forth the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,president ,cannon called the attention of the children to the good work which had been done by ,president ,woodruff4 ,he had lived a righteous life upon the earth and had been miraculously spared to see the desires of his heart made manifest4 ,the speaker exhorted the young to emulate the example set them by #fjd ,president ,woodruff1 as in their declining years they would rejoice in keeping themselves pure and unspotted from the sins of the world4 ,they should keep the ,word of ,wisdom and ,god would add ,his blessings4 ,the hymn1 ,song of ,praise1 was rendered by the ,sunday schools4 ,the ,lord's prayer was recited in concert under the leadership of ,elder ,richard ,s4 ,horne of the ,sunday ,school ,union ,board4 ,madame von ,finkelstein ,mountford was the next speaker4 ,she said3 ,we are gathered here in the name of ,jesus ,christ our ,lord4 ,this is one of the greatest scenes that ,i have ever witnessed in my life4 ,to see so many children2 it is like coming into the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 and before the honorable ,president here4 ,he must feel today that he is in the ,kingdom of ,heaven2 for ,christ said3 ',suffer the little children to come unto me1 for of such is the ,kingdom of ,heaven4' ,and as these little ones are singing here1 they seem to have come from the heavenly host above singing1 ',glory to ,god and peace on earth4' ,long life and good wishes to our noble ,president1 ,i want to call him my own ,president4 ,i am one of the children of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,this is one of the memorable days of my life4 ,i am the daughter of ,zion--that ancient city ,zion--and have the privilege and honor to be in this ,zion of the western hemisphere4 ,all that ,i can compare this gathering to is the one that was held by those who were led by ,moses through the desert--the children of ,israel4 ,while crying for bread ,moses said to them1 ,i shall pray to ,god to send you bread4 ,the next morning when the children of ,israel rose up1 they expected to see great loaves of bread lying ready to be eaten4 ,they cried1 ',where1 oh where is the bread8' ,moses said1 ',there is the bread4' ,that was it1 around like little seeds4 ,they said1 ',manora1' the meaning of which is1 ',do you want to starve us with this bread8' ,moses said1 ',go1 gather the bread and eat4 ,and they went and gathered and ate1 and they were filled4 ,that bread from heaven was called in the world1 manna4 ,there is where the word originated--a symbol of praise to the ,maker4 ,what is this1 that ,god has sent us in the wilderness8 ,by ,his mighty power ,he has led us forth by ,his servant into #fje the desert1 into the wilderness1 and planted us to dwell in this wilderness--brought the children of ,israel like mighty ,moses through the wilderness4 ,all that ,i feel to say is that ,i truly wish long peace to this ,state1 and ,i give the glory to the ,god of ,israel4 ,it is with you and the children that are here to remember every one of you that you are the temples of the living ,god4 ,he is living in you1 every one4 ,may you live true to ,him as our honorable ,president has done4 ,he is ninety years old1 and it is because he has kept himself pure and unspotted from the world1 that he has lived in the world and yet not of the world1 in himself and with ,god1 as ,his ,prophet1 that he is honored now4 ,may ,god preserve his life to these children here1 and may they from generation to generation observe his counsel4 ,may every blessing be with the honorable ,president of this great movement2 and ,i hope that our ,president will live long1 and that ,god's love will rest upon him4 ,the closing hymn1 ,what ,prize ,shall ,be ,your ,reward1 was sung by the ,sunday schools and benediction was pronounced by ,elder ,george ,reynolds4 ,at the close of the exercises many availed themselves of the opportunity to shake hands with ,president ,woodruff1 and it was therefore some time before the entire audience was out of the building4 ,,monday ,,morning',s ,,celebration4 ,according to the arranged program ,president ,woodruff's ninetieth birthday was celebrated in the large ,tabernacle today1 commencing at the hour of #aj a4 m4 ,before that time arrived1 the body of the ,tabernacle was filled with people and nearly all the seats in the gallery were occupied4 ,the two center rows of seats for some distance back were reserved for the family and friends of ,president ,woodruff1 the members of the ,legislature and others1 until #aj3bc1 at which time the public were allowed to fill up the remaining unoccupied seats4 ,the ,tabernacle choir occupied its usual position1 while ,held's band was stationed in the east end of the gallery and discoursed sweet music at intervals during the proceedings4 #fjf ,when ,president ,woodruff appeared on the stand at #aj3jg o'clock he received a perfect ovation4 ,the entire congregation arose in a body1 and waving their handkerchiefs joined with the choir in singing ,our ,god we raise to ,thee1 ,thanks for ,thy blessings free1 ,we here enjoy4 ,the scene presented during the singing was very beautiful1 indeed4 ,while the crowd was not so large as at yesterday's session1 yet all the seats were taken and many people were standing in the aisles and on the stairways leading to the gallery4 ,the proceedings were opened by the ,tabernacle choir singing ,noble ,chief1 after which prayer was offered by ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,choir then sang1 ,hail1 ,prophet1 ,brother1 ,friend4 ,an address of welcome was then made by ,president ,woodruff4 ,he spoke as follows3 ,i feel highly honored this morning in meeting with so many of my friends upon this important occasion4 ,yesterday those who were present might have observed my condition4 ,i was perfectly overwhelmed in consequence of the scene before me4 ,it was not what was said particularly1 but it brought to my mind in overwhelming power my boyhood and early manhood and my desires that ,i might live upon the earth to find a people who would receive the gospel of ,jesus ,christ as taught by ,christ and the ,apostles4 ,in meeting with thousands of the children of the ,latter-day ,saints1 it brought to my mind those scenes and the fulfillment of my prayers and desires before the ,lord4 ,i hope this morning ,i may be able to make a few remarks4 ,i will say this1 it has been a desire of my life from my boyhood up1 never to address any assembly of people whom ,i could not make hear what ,i had to say4 ,i feel the same this morning2 ,i do not know whether ,i can make this assembly hear me or not2 but ,i will do the best ,i can4 ,as ,i can hardly expect ever to have the opportunity of addressing the people of this ,state and my friends in days to come1 ,i have a few reflections upon my mind that ,i wish to lay before you4 ,and ,i will say they are different from any of my public speeches that ,i have been in the habit of presenting to the people4 ,i have consulted no man with regard to the course ,i should pursue #fjg in my remarks here this morning1 and ,i do not know that ,i shall satisfy my friends in the remarks that ,i may make4 ,first1 ,i want to say a few words upon politics4 ,i hope that will not astonish you4 ,i have not been in the habit of this heretofore4 ,but ,i feel desirous to say a few things that are upon my mind4 ,in the first place1 there is not one item1 not one sentence in the ,constitution of the ,united ,states1 nor in the laws of the ,united ,states1 nor of the ,state of ,utah1 that deprives any citizen1 of any name1 nature1 religion1 or politics in the land1 from joining any political party he wishes1 or voting for whomsoever he wishes4 ,this is the right of every man without hindrance4 ,we have been accused at times of using ,church influence to guide and direct the ,state4 ,this is occasionally presented to the public as our action4 ,i feel it my right and duty to say here today that ,i was acquainted with ,joseph ,smith and associated with him from #ahcc until his martyrdom4 ,i have been acquainted with ,brigham ,young and associated with him for forty years of my life1 at home and abroad1 under many circumstances4 ,i have also been acquainted with ,john ,taylor and labored with him in every capacity in which he was called to act4 ,i have also been a member of the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles for upwards of fifty-six years of my life4 ,and ,i have been presiding over the ,church itself for a few years4 ,i have been associated with my counselors and with the present ,twelve ,apostles4 ,and ,i want to say upon this occasion1 before ,god1 angels1 and all men that are before me1 that ,i never in one instance knew any leader of this ,church to attempt to dictate and direct the affairs of the ,state as member of the ,church4 ,at the same time1 when any man1 no matter who he is--,mormon1 ,jew1 or ,gentile--uses money or any means to hire men to vote for him1 ,i think he steps outside of his right1 and stands in a measure condemned4 ,i want to say so much to my friends this morning4 ,i have officiated for twenty sessions in the ,legislative ,council of the ,territory of ,utah1 and one session as a member of the ,house1 and it did not cost me one farthing for any office ,i ever held in the ,church1 or in the ,state1 or in the ,territory4 ,and ,i never asked any mortal man on the face of the earth to cast a vote for me that ,i have any recollection of4 ,as an example1 perhaps1 ,i may be permitted #fjh to say1 ,i am the father of fourteen sons1 and have a number of sons-in-law1 and ,i believe they are pretty nearly evenly divided on political party lines--,democrats and ,republicans4 ,i will give any man five dollars if1 in conversing with them1 he can get any one of them to say that his father ever told him whom to vote for4 ,some of you may try to make a little money perhaps at that4 7,laughter47 ,i consider everybody is responsible for himself1 and he has a right to vote for whom he pleases4 ,again1 ,i never asked any office at the hands of any being in heaven or on earth1 not even of my heavenly ,father1 except in one instance1 which ,i will relate here4 ,in my boyhood1 as you have heard me testify1 ,i went to the ,sabbath schools4 ,i read the ,new ,testament4 ,i saw the doctrine there portrayed in plainness1 as taught by ,jesus ,christ and ,his ,apostles1 and it was a glorious doctrine4 ,i had a great desire to live on the earth until ,i could see inspired men who could teach me those principles that ,i read of in the ,new ,testament4 ,i prayed a great deal in my boyhood and my early manhood that ,i might live on the earth to receive those principles that ,i there read of4 ,in #ahcc1 for the first time in my life1 ,i saw an elder of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,that was ,zera ,pulsipher4 ,he told me that he was inspired of the ,lord4 ,he was threshing grain in his barn when the voice of the ,lord came to him and told him to arise and go to the north1 the ,lord had business for him there4 ,he called upon ,brother ,cheney1 his neighbor1 and a member of the ,church4 ,they traveled sixty miles on foot1 in ,december1 in deep snow1 and the first place they felt impressed to call was at the house of my brother and myself4 ,they went into the house and talked with my brother's wife1 and they told her who they were and what their business was4 ,they told her that they were moved upon to go to the north1 and they never felt impressed to stop anywhere until they came to that house4 ,when they told her their principles1 she said her husband and her brother-in-law both were men who believed those principles1 and they had prayed for them for years4 ,they appointed a meeting in the school-house upon our farm4 ,i came home in the evening and my sister-in-law told me of this meeting4 ,i had been drawing logs from the shores of ,lake ,ontario 7,i was in the lumber business71 and ,i turned out #fji my horses1 did not stop to eat anything1 and went to the meeting4 ,i found the house and the door yard filled with people4 ,i listened for the first time in my life to a gospel sermon as taught by the elders of this ,church4 ,it was what ,i had sought for from my boyhood up4 ,i invited the men home with me4 ,i borrowed the ,book of ,mormon1 and sat up all that night and read4 ,in the morning ,i told ,brother ,pulsipher ,i wanted to be baptized4 ,i had a testimony for myself that those principles were true4 ,myself and my brother1 as was stated here yesterday1 went forth and were baptized--the first two in that county4 ,that was the beginning of my connection with the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,at this point ,i will ask upon the subject of religion1 what are the rights of men upon religious subjects8 ,i do not know that ,i can do better than to quote ,brother ,joseph ,smith's remarks before thousands of people at a conference in ,nauvoo1 when there were many non-,mormons present4 ,he said1 ',if ,i were the emperor of the world and ,i had power to control the whole human family1 ,i would sustain every man1 woman1 and child in the enjoyment of their religion4' ,those are my sentiments today4 ,i believe every man--,jew1 ,catholic1 ,protestant1 or anything--has a right to enjoy his religion unmolested4 ,i believe the ,constitution of the ,united ,states and the laws of the ,united ,states guarantee this blessing and privilege to everybody4 ,in fact1 ,i believe that even ,robert ,ingersoll and his followers have a right to their opinions and to enjoy the same2 they have a right to their views with regard to ,god1 the ,christ1 to the heavens and earth1 to the present and the future4 ,still ,i will say1 ,i believe that when ,robert ,ingersoll goes into the spirit world he will find the ,bible is not a novel4 ,he will learn that there if never before4 ,he will learn that the crucifixion of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and the sacrifice ,he made is not a burlesque1 but that that was done for the salvation of the world4 ,and he will find that there will be a ,god there1 there will be a heaven there1 there will be a hell there1 there will be everything there of which the ,bible has spoken4 ,in the spring after ,i was baptized1 ,i went to ,kirtland4 ,there ,i met the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 and his brother1 ,hyrum4 ,i met those men that afterwards formed the ,quorum of the #faj ,twelve ,apostles4 ,i traveled with ,joseph ,smith and with that company of men1 two hundred and five of them1 one thousand miles to the ,missouri to assist our brethren in their difficulties4 ,they had been driven from their homes and their lands1 from ,jackson ,county into ,clay ,county4 ,we traveled a thousand miles together4 ,there ,i had my first experience in the dealings of ,god with ,his ,prophet4 ,i understood perfectly well that he was a prophet4 ,i read the vision1 ,i read his revelations1 and ,i knew they could not come from any man on the face of the earth but by the inspiration of ,almighty ,god4 ,from ,missouri ,i commenced my mission under ,bishop ,partridge4 ,i will say that while there ,i had a great desire to preach the gospel4 ,i had that desire from my boyhood up4 ,i had been a miller1 and ,i had walked my mill hours and hours in the night1 with my soul filled with these desires to preach the gospel to the children of men4 ,at the time ,i speak of ,i was a teacher1 and had no power and authority to go forth and preach4 ,i went one ,sunday into the forest in ,clay ,county4 ,i was living with ,lyman ,wight1 with half a dozen of the signers of the ,book of ,mormon--the ,cowderys1 the ,whitmers1 ,judge ,higbee and others4 ,i went off by myself and prayed to the ,lord that ,i might have the privilege of preaching the gospel to my fellow-men4 ,that is all the office that ,i ever asked of the ,lord or anybody else1 as far as that is concerned4 ,while praying1 the ,lord gave me ,his spirit and answered me that my prayers were heard and would be answered upon my head1 and that what ,i had asked for should be given me4 ,i walked two or three hundred yards out of the forest into an open--a broad highway--in the midst of the forest1 and there ,i saw ,judge ,higbee standing in the middle of the road with his arms folded4 ,i walked up to him1 and when ,i got to him he said3 ',wilford1 the ,lord has revealed to me that it is your duty to be ordained to go and preach the gospel4' ,i said3 ',is that so8' ,he said3 ',yes4' ',well1' said ,i1 'if the ,lord wants me to preach the gospel ,i am ready to go and do it to the best of my ability4' ,i did not tell him that ,i had been praying for it4 ,my mission commenced there and it has not ended to the present hour4 ,i have had a responsibility resting upon me in connection with my brethren4 #faa ,now1 before ,i close1 ,i will again bear my testimony that this work is of ,god4 ,this ,tabernacle that you are in today was seen by the ,prophet ,isaiah and other prophets1 and they spoke of it1 as well as the temples that are built in the ,valleys of the ,mountains4 ,all have been pointed out by the prophets of ,god1 and the ,lord revealed to ,isaiah1 ,jeremiah1 and many other prophets1 our day1 our history1 our lives1 our position in this immense barren desert which has been occupied by the ,latter-day ,saints1 and is as we see it today through the blessings of ,god4 ,i will bear my testimony to the world1 to my friends of the ,church and the ,state1 and to all men under heaven1 that this is the truth of ,god4 ,the ,lord ,almighty has set ,his hand to accomplish this work4 ,joseph ,smith was raised up by the power of ,god and the revelations of ,jesus ,christ to organize this ,church and kingdom in the dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,his life was short1 as was the ,savior's4 ,but it was a great work that he performed in the flesh4 ,the ,savior lived about three and a half years after ,he entered the ministry4 ,joseph ,smith lived some fourteen years from the time he received the plates and translated them into the ,english language4 ,he laid down his life1 as did ,christ and ,his ,apostles1 for the word of ,god and testimony of ,jesus ,christ4 ,he will rise in his glorified celestial body and meet again with his brethren the apostles and elders of ,israel1 and will stand in days to come as the leader among us in celestial glory4 ,i feel to bear my testimony to this4 ,it matters not about the unbelief of men4 ,they cannot turn away the work of ,almighty ,god4 ,the ,lord has set ,his hand to carry out these great principles which ,he has revealed1 the establishing of the ,zion of ,god and the preparation for the coming of the ,son of ,man4 ,what has been said about the mountains of ,israel will have its fulfillment4 ,the judgments of ,god will follow in the earth in fulfillment of what has been said1 and no power on earth can stay them4 ,i am anxious1 although my life has been preserved to this great age1 ,i still am anxious that we as a people may do our duty1 may live our religion1 may keep the faith1 may so walk before the ,lord that the ,holy ,ghost will be our constant companion to lead us in the days that lie before us4 ,this is my prayer and my desire1 in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,amen4 #fab ,the choir and congregation sang1 ,god ,moves in a ,mysterious ,way1 which was followed by a short address by ,president ,lorenzo ,snow4 ,president ,snow bore testimony to the truthfulness of the remarks of ,president ,woodruff4 ,he had been acquainted with him sixty years1 commencing in ,kirtland4 ,president ,woodruff was a man who had always acted in harmony with the leaders of the ,church1 never taking exceptions to the instructions promulgated by those who were in authority4 ,the ,church had never acted in hostility to people of outside denominations4 ,it had always encouraged settlement in our midst and had attempted to treat all with fairness and respect4 ,the audience to which he spoke was one made up of nearly all classes of people4 ,they had gathered on invitation in order to participate in honoring ,president ,woodruff on the ninetieth anniversary of his birth4 ,all people had a perfect right to worship whom they pleased1 but they should do so conscientiously4 ,they could take a lesson from the example set by ,president ,woodruff1 as he had lived a life of purity and holiness1 always trying to make the world better for his having lived4 ,held's band1 under the direction of ,professor ,john ,held1 rendered in fine style a medley of beautiful airs4 ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon addressed the assemblage4 ,he said that in standing before such a vast audience one was led to feel keenly the insignificance of man4 ,the assemblage recalled to his mind an occasion of great joy which took place here in #ahdi1 the purpose being to celebrate the advent of the ,pioneers into this ,valley4 ,at that time feasting1 dancing1 etc41 was indulged in1 and thanks was given to ,god for the bounteous blessings ,he had bestowed upon ,his people4 ,a great change had taken place since then4 ,the inter-mountain country1 then a barren desert1 had been quite thickly populated and now blossomed as the rose through the efforts of the sturdy1 ,god-fearing men and women who first settled this ,valley1 coupled with the blessings of the ,father4 ,president ,woodruff had been a husbandman in his day1 and to him belonged the credit of planting the first potato in the ,valley4 ,this was a most momentous period1 and through the ninety years of ,president #fac ,woodruff's life1 he had witnessed many scenes and had seen a great many changes take place4 ,the gospel of the ,lord1 ,jesus ,christ1 had made great strides in the years of its organization1 and it would continue to grow and flourish in the earth until ,god's purposes had been accomplished4 ,it was destined to revolutionize the whole world1 and1 if lived up to by the people of the earth1 would make mankind happier1 and give them a hope and a knowledge of that which would greet them in the life to come4 ,the entrance of the ,pioneers into this ,valley would be dwelt upon more and more as the years rolled on4 ,the day would come when it would mark an epoch in the world's history1 and one of the central figures thereof would be ,president ,woodruff1 who was being honored to-day4 ,a more honest man it would be hard to find4 ,always quiet and unassuming1 he held a love in his heart for all his fellowmen1 and his love had been reciprocated by the many friends which he had made while on this mortal sphere4 ,the speaker felt that the sound of ,president ,woodruff's voice should be engraved upon the cylinders of a phonograph1 that in after years the young and rising generation might enjoy its sweet and loving vibrations4 ,he was a man of the utmost integrity1 and as such he would forever be held in loving remembrance4 ,president ,cannon1 in conclusion1 felt not to praise too highly mankind1 for he feared that the ,saints by so doing would almost become man worshipers4 ,but the words which had been spoken concerning ,president ,woodruff were true1 and his devotion and fealty to the work of ,god brought out a desire among the ,saints to do him honor4 ,he was the only living apostle that had acted in such capacity with the ,prophet ,joseph ,smith1 and as such he was looked upon as a rare treasure4 ,the speaker's desire was that ,god would spare ,president ,woodruff's life among us1 that he might live many years more to be a comfort and a consolation unto the ,latter-day ,saints4 ,this1 said he1 would undoubtedly be the prayer of all the ,latter-day ,saints upon the earth4 ,the choir sang the anthem1 ,let the ,mountains ,shout for ,joy1 directly followed by the congregation arising and joining #fad in singing the ,doxology4 ,benediction was pronounced by ,elder ,brigham ,young4 ,at the conclusion of the exercises the reception was begun1 ,president and ,mrs4 ,woodruff being seated on arm chairs beneath a canopy of bunting and surrounded by masses of beautiful flowers4 ,the first to shake hands with the venerable ,president and his wife was ,governor ,heber ,m4 ,wells4 ,then followed members of the ,legislature1 the lady members first1 and the gentlemen afterwards4 ,then came the general public1 the reception lasting upward of an hour4 ,an elegant bed spread was presented to ,president ,woodruff from the ladies of ,millville1 ,cache ,county4 ,the material of which it was made is mostly ,utah silk1 and the spread was made by the ladies of ,millville1 the design being artistically executed with crochet work4 ,the spread was accompanied by a note of presentation1 which read as follows3 ,to ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints3 ,,dear ,,brother3--,we1 the sisters of ,millville ward1 ,cache ,valley ,stake of ,zion1 in token of the high esteem1 honor and respect in which you are held by us1 embrace this opportunity1 on the #ijth anniversary of your birth1 to present to you a spread1 the workmanship of which is that of our own hands4 ,it was made for the ,world's ,fair1 sent to ,chicago1 received first prize1 and returned to us4 ,we now present it to you4 ,we also congratulate you on your reaching the ninetieth milestone1 on the road of experiences and usefulness1 in leading the ,saints along the lines of faithfulness and truth1 in the worship of our ,heavenly ,father4 ,we extend to you our faith and prayers1 that you may continue to live1 to be our leader in the cause of ,christ1 and to this end we will ever pray4 ,yours truly1 ,rose ,woolf1 chairman1 ,esther ,hammond1 ,sarah ,h4 ,hammond1 ,ida ,hammond1 ,s4 ,m4 ,yates1 ,rhoda ,holt1 ,hennett ,olson1 ,miranda ,biglow1 committee4 ,with the presentation of a beautiful bouquet1 the ,latter-day ,saints' ,college1 by ,miss ,bertha ,wilcken1 submitted the following3 #fae ,march #ast1 #ahig4 ,to ,president ,woodruff and ,wife3 ,all ,israel sends greetings to their leader and companion4 ,as one branch of the great cause in which you have labored so long and so well1 we join in the general acclamation4 ,as cold water to a thirsty soul1 so have been your faithful ministrations to the people of ,god4 ,may the sands of your life run slowly and calmly to the end1 the snows of age's winter following safely and protectingly upon you4 ,may ,he who is the ,father of all be a ,parent and ,protector in your declining years4 ,with deepest affection1 ,your ,brethren and ,sisters1 ,the ,teachers and ,students of the ,latter-day ,saints ,college4 ,a beautiful silver mounted cane was presented by the ,temple workers4 ,the anniversary exercises were attended by several persons who were baptized by ,president ,woodruff in ,great ,britain nearly sixty years ago1 while he was filling a mission there which lasted from #ahcg to #ahda4 ,there were also some present who accompanied ,president ,woodruff home from ,great ,britain in the year #ahda1 crossing the sea in the ship ,rochester4 ,writing afterwards of that great day in his life1 in his journal1 he said3 ,the scene completely overpowered me4 ,the events of my childhood and early manhood came to my mind4 ,i remembered vividly how ,i prayed to the ,lord that ,i might live to see a prophet or an apostle who would teach me the gospel of ,christ4 ,here ,i stood in the great ,tabernacle filled with ten thousand children1 with ,prophets1 ,apostles1 and ,saints4 ,my head was a fountain of tears2 still ,i addressed the mighty congregation of pure1 innocent children4 ,such a celebration naturally made its demands upon his health and it was generally noticed that he was growing weaker and that he could not much longer tabernacle in the flesh4 ,on the #fth of ,april1 he entered the ,tabernacle and spoke to the congregation for about ten minutes4 ,upon entering the building #faf the vast congregation waved their handkerchiefs as an expression of their joy in beholding their enfeebled1 but venerable ,president4 ,he struggled on in his efforts to perform as far as possible the duties of his office4 ,july #aith1 #aijg1 ,president ,woodruff received a visit from ,judge ,j4 ,f4 ,kinney1 a former ,united ,states justice of the ,territory1 and a friend to the people4 ,of this meeting the ,president says3 ,our greeting was mutual4 ,we both wept4 ,as soon as ,i could speak1 ,i said1 ',judge ,kinney1 you have done more for the ',mormon' people in your official capacity than all the other federal officials sent here by the government4' ,he thanked me and said he had always endeavored to do his duty as he understood it4 ,we had a pleasant conversation for an hour1 when we parted1 expecting to meet again4 ,of ,july #bjth1 #ahig1 ,president ,woodruff remarks3 ,this is the first day of the proceedings in celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the entrance of the ,pioneers into the valley of the ,great ,salt ,lake--the year of jubilee4 ,great preparations have been made4 ,this morning ,i drove to the stand erected near the ,brigham ,young ,monument1 where most of the ceremonies of the day are to be held4 ,after the firing of cannon and so forth1 the ceremonies commenced4 ,i had prepared a prayer1 but not being able to deliver it1 ,bishop ,orson ,f4 ,whitney did so for me4 ,during the proceedings ,i unveiled the monument amid acclamations of the people4 ,i also attended the proceedings at the ,tabernacle in the afternoon and received a beautiful gold badge1 as did also all the surviving ,pioneers of #ahdg4 ,there was also a grand concert at the ,tabernacle in the evening4 ,being too weary1 ,i did not attend4 ,he continued to attend each day of the celebration and on the twenty-fourth1 seated in a carriage with ,president ,joseph ,f4 ,smith and ,apostle ,f4 ,d4 ,richards1 he headed the great ,pioneer parade4 ,of ,july #bb1 #ahig1 he writes1 ,i attended a part of the services of the ,jubilee on children's day in the ,tabernacle4 ,at twelve-thirty1 after being seated on a chair provided for me1 ,i had a laurel wreath placed upon my head by a beautiful little girl1 daughter of #fag ,john and ,ida ,taylor ,whittaker1 and granddaughter of ,president ,john ,taylor4 ,i kissed her1 saying1 ',god bless you4' ,this was in the presence of some twelve thousand children1 seated in the ,tabernacle1 a most beautiful sight4 ,august #ad1 #ahig1 ,president ,woodruff signed a letter1 prepared by ,brother ,david ,mc,kenzie1 and addressed to the ,king and ,queen of ,sweden4 ,it was to be accompanied by a beautiful ,utah onyx box1 containing an artistically bound ,book of ,mormon1 to be presented by the ,swedes and ,norwegians of ,utah to the ,king and ,queen on the twenty-fifth anniversary of their coronation4 ,elder ,j4 ,m4 ,sjodahl was to make the presentation4 ,the ,king and ,queen accepted the present with gratitude and respect4 ,following is the text of the letter3 ,,letter ,,from ,,the ,,first ,,presidency4 ,to ,whom ,these ,presents ,may ,come1 ,,greeting3 ,elder ,janne ,matson ,sjodahl1 the bearer of this letter1 is a gentleman of education and distinction1 a ,swede by birth1 who has traveled extensively in the ,orient as well as in ,europe and ,america4 ,his present residence is ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah1 where he is well and favorably known and highly esteemed by all who know him4 ,elder ,sjodahl has been selected by his fellow-countrymen--natives of ,sweden and ,norway1 a large body of whom reside in and are citizens of the ,state of ,utah--to proceed to the court of their #fah ,majesties1 ,king ,oscar ,,ii and ,queen ,sophia1 on the occasion of the #beth anniversary of their ascension to the throne1 for the purpose of presenting in their name and behalf1 to their ,majesties1 a casket1 made of ,utah onyx1 containing a copy of the ,book of ,mormon1 as an expression of the high esteem1 affection1 and love which the ,scandinavians of this inter-mountain region entertain for their ,majesties1 with the hope and earnest desire that their ,majesties will live to witness many happy returns of this most auspicious event4 ,and we ourselves1 though not of the ,scandinavian race1 do most heartily join with our ,scandinavian friends and fellow citizens in desiring long life1 peace1 prosperity1 and happiness for their ,majesties1 ,king ,oscar ,,ii and ,queen ,sophia of ,sweden and ,norway4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff1 ,,geo4 ,q4 ,,cannon1 ,,joseph ,f4 ,,smith1 ,first ,presidency of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,,salt ,,lake ,,city1 ,u4 ,s4 ,a41 ,august #bjth1 #ahig4 ,that the king was very much pleased with the congratulations and gifts of the ,scandinavians in ,utah and the address from the ,first ,presidency may be inferred from the fact that the bearer received a cordial invitation to the grand banquet in the palace1 and later a copy de luxe of the proceedings of the jubilee4 ,on the #ith of the following ,september1 he again started for the ,pacific coast where he had formerly found relief as well as recuperation4 ,he first went to ,portland and then to ,san ,francisco1 and reached home on the #beth of the same month4 ,the following ,october conference brought to his life an event which gave him the deepest satisfaction4 ,his joy is abundantly expressed in the call which his son ,owen received to be one of the ,twelve ,apostles4 ,at this conference1 ,matthias ,f4 ,cowley1 as well as ,owen ,woodruff1 was called to be an apostle1 and ,joseph ,w4 ,mc,murrin to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of ,president ,edward ,stevenson of the ,first ,council of ,seventy4 ,november #afth1 #ahig1 ,president ,woodruff performed the marriage ceremony which united his daughter ,alice to ,william ,mc,ewan4 ,after bestowing upon them his benediction1 he spoke to them as follows3 ,you are now husband and wife1 having entered into a mutual covenant4 ,promises for time and eternity have been made to you4 ,if you1 yourselves1 honor ,god and your parents1 and keep ,his commandments and the covenants you have entered into1 you will be true and faithful throughout all eternity2 and ,i will tell you why4 ,while we are here we are surrounded by temptations because we are where devils dwell4 ,they are around us and have power to tempt us2 and here is the place they work4 ,but there is no man or woman who has been true and faithful here until death that will ever be disturbed or annoyed by #fai them after death1 for the reason that when faithful ,saints receive their resurrected bodies they will occupy a place in the celestial kingdom1 and there devils do not dwell4 ,in that kingdom there will be no one to tempt you or lead you astray4 ,if you are true and faithful here you will be true and faithful there1 and be so throughout all eternity4 ,when those who are guided by these evil spirits die they go where the evil spirits are1 and they will continue to have power over them4 ,those who resist such spirits in the flesh will be free from their power hereafter4 ,at ,april conference in #ahih1 he was present and spoke for a few moments1 but this was the last conference he ever attended4 ,he continued feeble throughout the spring and summer of that year1 but struggled to attend the duties of his office4 ,the last appearance of ,president ,woodruff in a public capacity in ,salt ,lake ,city was at the ceremonies connected with the dedication of historic ,pioneer square for a public park4 ,this was on ,july #bdth1 the fifty-first anniversary of the arrival of the pioneers in the ,valley4 ,but of the one hundred and forty-eight who entered the ,valley on that hot summer day in #ahdg1 only two1 ,president ,woodruff1 and ,w4 ,c4 ,a4 ,smoot1 were present to see their former camping ground dedicated to the public use4 ,upon this occasion the venerable ,church president delivered an interesting address4 ,he indulged in a number of reminiscences of the entrance of the pioneers on ,july #bdth1 #ahdg4 ,the pioneers1 of which he was one1 ,president ,woodruff said1 emerged from ,emigration canyon at #aa o'clock in the forenoon1 and driving down into the ,valley1 camped near where the ,knutsford hotel now stands4 ,he was driving in ,president ,brigham ,young's carriage1 at the time1 and several members of the party preceded them4 ,the forerunners had already broken ground in which to plant potatoes1 and1 the speaker added1 we planted them before we either ate or drank4 ,we planted them in the earth1 too1 because ,orson ,pratt objected to planting them in the moon4 7,laughter47 ,the carriage in which ,president ,young entered the ,valley1 ,president ,woodruff said1 was built by a man in ,nauvoo4 ,the box was twelve feet long and was entered from the side by a door4 ,president ,woodruff then told of the walk which ,president #fbj ,young took over the present site of the city the day after his arrival1 and of how he stuck his cane in the ground where the ,temple now stands1 and made the historic declaration3 ,here will be the ,temple of our ,god4 ,i didn't ask him1 continued ,president ,woodruff1 who told him the ,temple would be there4 ,i didn't care4 ,i put a stake there and the ,temple is there1 a monument to ,president ,young's foresight and prophetic accuracy4 ,president ,woodruff also told of the first trip to the ,lake1 and of the bath which he and the other members of the party took at that time4 ,one of our number1 he said1 was a negro1 and when he came out and the salt water had dried upon him he was almost white4 ,porter ,rockwell declared that the sudden change in the negro's color was the first miracle that had been performed in this part of the country4 7,laughter74 ,but as soon as the salt came off he was as black as ever4 7,laughter74 ,reference was then made to the efforts of a ,californian to induce ,president ,young to journey on to ,california1 and his refusal to consider such a proposition4 ,he declared his intention at that time of remaining here and building a temple1 a city and a country1 and you can judge for yourselves1 ,president ,woodruff added1 whether he did it or not4 ,president ,woodruff predicted that the population of the ,state would increase as rapidly during the coming fifty years as it had in the past fifty2 and in connection with the past progress1 he declared that he was in duty bound to give ,president ,young full credit for what he had done4 ,president ,young1 he said1 had been inspired by ,god to do all these things1 and had done them well4 ,in closing he admonished the people to live their religion and do honor to ,god in order that they might join ,president ,young and the other pioneers in the world above4 ,he again sought relief in a change of atmosphere and surroundings4 ,on the #acth of ,august1 he left for the ,pacific coast4 ,he was accompanied by his wife1 ,emma1 by ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and ,bishop ,clawson4 ,upon their arrival in ,san ,francisco1 they were welcomed at the home of ,col4 ,isaac ,trumbo4 ,as late as ,august #bg he addressed the ,bohemian ,club1 and the next day spoke in the meeting of the ,saints in ,san ,francisco4 ,this was his last public address4 ,his life was gradually ebbing away1 and within a couple of weeks after reaching the coast he began #fba to fail rapidly1 and passed from this life at #f3dj ,friday morning1 ,september #bnd1 #ahih4 ,of his last moments1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 who was at his bedside1 wrote in his journal3 ,i arose about #f o'clock4 ,the nurse told me he had been sleeping in the same position all the time4 ,i took hold of his wrist1 felt his pulse and ,i could feel that it was very faint4 ,while ,i stood there it grew fainter and fainter until it faded entirely4 ,his head1 his hands1 and his feet were warm and his appearance was that of a person sleeping sweetly and quietly4 ,there was not a quiver of a muscle nor a movement of his limbs or face2 thus he passed away4 ,i cannot describe the feelings ,i had4 ,the event was so unexpected1 so terrible--and away from home4 ,i could not understand it4 ,i felt that ,i had lost the best friend ,i had on earth4 ,the suddenness of his sickness and death was a blow to all of us4 ,i have known ,president ,woodruff since ,i was a boy twelve years of age1 when he came to my father's house4 ,i have loved him with great affection4 ,during my association with him as a counselor1 our relations have been of the most pleasant character4 ,he has treated me with the greatest consideration and kindness and has honored me beyond my deserts4 ,he has deferred to me many times when ,i felt that he was paying me too much respect4 ,he has sought to know my mind upon every question of any importance that has been submitted to us4 ,very frequently when ,i have been absent1 he has deferred action until ,i could be present4 ,no man that ever lived could have honored a counselor more than ,president ,woodruff has honored me4 ,he was a man entirely free from jealousy and from every feeling that would make it unpleasant for his associates4 ,he has been angelic in his nature4 ,a pure woman could not have been more lovely and interesting to associate with than he has been4 ,the remains of the deceased leader were conveyed from ,san ,francisco to ,salt ,lake ,city in a special car4 ,as many of the members of the ,twelve as were in the city1 together with a number of the ,president's family1 met the party accompanying the body1 at ,ogden on the morning of ,september #d1 and joined them for the remainder of the journey to the capital4 ,from the railway station the casket and its contents were carried to the ,woodruff #fbb residence1 where they remained until the #hth inst4--the day of the funeral4 ,on ,may #ah1 #ahhb1 ,president ,woodruff wrote the following directions as to his burial1 which he wished carried out by his friends when he should pass away3 ,,concerning ,,my ,,death ,,and ,,burial4 ,i wish to say that at my death ,i wish the historian of the ,church to publish a brief account of my life1 labors1 and travels as an ,elder and an ,apostle in the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i wish my body washed clean and clothed in clean white linen1 according to the order of the ,holy ,priesthood1 and put into a plain1 decent coffin1 made of native wood1 with plenty of room4 ,i do not wish any black made use of about my coffin1 or about the vehicle that conveys my body to the grave4 ,i do not wish my family or friends to wear any badge of mourning for me at my funeral or afterwards1 for1 if ,i am true and faithful unto death1 there will be no necessity for any one to mourn for me4 ,i have no directions to give concerning the services of my funeral1 any further than it would be pleasing to me for as many of the ,presidency and ,twelve ,apostles who may be present to speak as may be thought wisdom4 ,their speech will be to the living4 ,if the laws and customs of the spirit world will permit1 ,i should wish to attend my funeral myself1 but ,i shall be governed by the counsel ,i receive in the spirit world4 ,i wish a plain marble slab put at the head of my grave1 stating my name and age1 and that ,i died in the faith of the ,gospel of ,christ and in the fellowship of the ,saints4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ,president of the ,council of the ,twelve ,apostles4 #fbc ,,chapter #ef4 ,,funeral ,,services4 7,from the ,deseret ,news47 ,after more than ninety-one years of incessant activity and immeasurable usefulness upon the earth1 the mortal tabernacle of ,president ,wilford ,woodruff was to-day laid to rest in the silent city above the metropolis that he helped to found and to build4 ,the final offices associated with the consignment of his remains to the plain and substantial tomb in which they were deposited were most kindly and reverently administered4 ,never was a great and good man more loved by his people than he1 and perhaps a people never exhibited the love and respect they held for a leader to a greater extent than did the tens of thousands who attended his obsequies and witnessed the funeral cortege as it passed through the streets to the cemetery4 ,bared and bowed heads were everywhere in the multitude upon the streets4 ,when words were spoken it was with subdued voices1 and all that was said was said with respect and honor for the departed pioneer1 builder1 and statesman4 ,probably not for years to come will such a spectacle as that which was presented this morning be again witnessed4 ,long before #h o'clock anxious throngs had congregated in groups around the ,temple square1 awaiting the opening of the outer gates that seats might be obtained2 for well was it anticipated that mighty hosts would throng the sacred precincts of the ,tabernacle to pay by their presence the last sad token of respect to the dead leader in ,israel4 ,therefore the scene was a remarkable one4 ,nothing1 however1 occurred to mar the solemnity of the great occasion4 ,the hush of expectation was felt by all as they stood in the shade of the ,temple block walls1 and all around under the sheltering trees1 and one could not but feel that1 with the deep solemnity prevailing and the tremor of sunshine that some sweetly solemn thought brought to mind as the moments passed1 he was standing on the verge of the valley of ,death4 #fbd ,not1 however1 with any feeling of gloom1 because of the great bereavement the people felt that they sustained in the demise of their beloved ,president1 but because of the joy that emanated from their hearts and beamed from their eyes4 ,it was more than an hour and a half before the services in the ,tabernacle began4 ,when the doors were opened the great auditorium was almost filled4 ,the people continued to pour in by every door2 nearly every seat was taken before ten o'clock1 except those reserved for the family of the deceased and the families and friends of the highest officials of the ,church4 ,these1 however1 were all occupied before the appointed time for the services to begin4 ,outside the building1 while the crowds were pressing forward1 ,marshal ,burton and his aids1 mounted on magnificent horses1 were busy directing the movements of the attendant hosts4 ,without and within1 the scene was the same1 and when all who could obtain sitting or standing room in the great building were at length in position1 one could not help but revert in his mind to similar occasions in the past4 ,perhaps no similar scene ever surpassed this of to-day even in the camps of ancient ,israel1 or in the gatherings that have been depicted by historic pen from the days when ,greece and ,rome paid tribute to their dead4 ,there was no pageantry or panoply of strange device2 no pomp of show or bombastic sorrow2 nothing but united homage and love4 ,it was just #aj o'clock when the body of ,president ,woodruff was borne into the confines of the square and thence carried down the north aisle of the ,tabernacle to its central position on the dais before the stand4 ,as the procession entered1 fully ten thousand people with uncovered heads1 rose in respect1 as the casket passed along its way1 and so quiet was the rising that it seemed like the gentle rustling of autumn leaves4 ,thousands unable to gain admittance to the ,tabernacle thronged and pressed around the entrances and walls in hope of hearing a word of sound from the hallowed precincts within1 that would touch a sympathetic chord in their responsive hearts1 while thousands more lingered for hours under the kindly shelter of the numerous trees that ornament the spacious grounds within the square1 that they might1 when opportunity arrived1 join in the procession to the grave4 #fbe ,,from ,,the ,,home4 ,the scenes around the late home of the venerable ,president were such as are usual in the presence of death4 ,the family of the deceased and the general authorities of the ,church were gathered around the bier1 and gentle1 loving hands bore the casket to the waiting hearse4 ,woodruff ,villa was left by the cortege at twenty minutes past nine1 and the procession wended its way from ,fifth ,east to ,sixth ,south1 thence to ,state ,street1 thence north to ,south ,temple1 thence west to ,east ,temple1 and proceeding round the ,temple block reached the north gate of the square at five minutes past ten4 ,the casket was then borne into the ,tabernacle by six bearers1 whose names are as follows3 ,dr4 ,l4 ,w4 ,snow1 ,dr4 ,m4 ,w4 ,snow1 ,wilford ,s4 ,woodruff1 ,james ,woodruff1 ,jr41 ,georges ,scholes1 and ,wilford ,woodruff ,beatie4 ,the family of the ,president followed immediately behind and then came the general authorities of the ,church1 the ,twelve ,apostles1 and others1 and the casket was placed upon the dias in front of the stand where it could be seen by the assembled thousands1 who rose en masse during the proceeding4 ,,ceremonies ,,at ,,the ,,tabernacle4 ,at #aj3ce1 the ,tabernacle being then crowded to its utmost capacity1 ,professor ,joseph ,j4 ,daynes rendered on the organ a march composed especially for the occasion4 ,its rendition was the signal for reverential attention1 all seeming to feel to the greatest extent the utter solemnity of the occasion4 ,of the general authorities1 there were present on the stand3 ,counselors to the late ,president ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 and ,joseph ,f4 ,smith4 ,of the ,twelve ,apostles3 ,lorenzo ,snow1 ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 ,brigham ,young1 ,francis ,m4 ,lyman1 ,john ,henry ,smith1 ,george ,teasdale1 ,heber ,j4 ,grant1 ,john ,w4 ,taylor1 ,mariner ,w4 ,merrill1 ,anthon ,h4 ,lund1 ,matthias ,f4 ,cowley1 and ,abraham ,o4 ,woodruff4 ,presiding ,patriarch1 ,john ,smith4 ,of the ,first ,seven ,presidents of ,seventies3 ,seymour ,b4 #fbf ,young1 ,christian ,d4 ,fjeldsted1 ,b4 ,h4 ,roberts1 ,george ,reynolds1 and ,j4 ,golden ,kimball4 ,the ,presiding ,bishopric3 ,wm4 ,b4 ,preston1 ,robert ,t4 ,burton1 and ,john ,r4 ,winder4 ,the ,presidency of the ,salt ,lake ,stake of ,zion4 ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon announced the opening hymn1 on page #ceg of the ,l4 ,d4 ,s4 ,hymn book1 commencing as follows3 ,thou dost not weep1 to weep alone2 ,the broad bereavement seems to fall ,unheeded and unfelt by none2 ,he was beloved1 beloved by all4 ,the hymn was sung with much pathos and feeling by the ,tabernacle choir1 after which ,elder ,f4 ,d4 ,richards1 of the ,quorum of the ,apostles1 offered prayer4 ,it was a fervent offering1 replete with thankfulness to ,god the ,father for ,his many blessings unto the ,latter-day ,saints2 for ,his having raised up such a faithful and devoted servant as ,president ,wilford ,woodruff1 and for the great good that he was enabled to do while sojourning here upon the earth4 ,elder ,richards invoked the blessings of ,god upon the bereaved family and especially upon ,president ,woodruff's son ,owen1 who had been called to the holy ,apostleship1 and asked that he might be a man of ,god1 like his father1 unto the family4 ,elder ,george ,d4 ,pyper and the choir sang the hymn3 ,o my ,father1 ,thou that dwellest ,in the high and glorious place1 ,when shall ,i regain ,thy presence1 ,and again behold ,thy face8 ,in ,thy holy habitation ,did my spirit once reside1 ,in my first primeval childhood ,was ,i nurtured near ,thy side4 ,during the musical exercises1 the inscription1 ,being ,dead ,yet ,speaketh1 was displayed by means of electric lights1 the same #fbg appearing just over a life-size likeness of ,president ,woodruff1 and having an excellent effect4 ,,president ,,joseph ,f4 ,,smith was the first speaker4 ,he said in substance3 ,it would be superfluous for me to attempt to enter into an historical relation of the great events of the life of our own great ,president1 ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,it would also seem unnecessary for me to attempt to eulogize his character1 and labors as a husband1 a father1 and a servant of ,god1 because his life was so well known to the people4 ,president ,woodruff was the fourth in succession who has occupied the exalted position of ,president1 ,seer1 and ,revelator to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints upon the earth4 ,it was my privilege1 when a child1 to witness the funeral services over the remains of the first ,president1 ,joseph ,smith1 and to know him as a child may know a man4 ,he was absent in ,england on a mission at the death of ,president ,young1 and was unable to attend the services of ,john ,taylor4 ,but he was glad to be present on this occasion1 and to have the privilege of mingling his words and tears with those of his brethren over one of the late ,presidents1 whose labors had been so blessed to the people of ,god4 ,he was thankful for the privilege of associating from his youth to his manhood with the four ,presidents of the ,church4 ,he was intimately associated with ,brigham ,young1 and had the benefit of his wise counsel2 and in his intimate associations with ,presidents ,taylor and ,woodruff1 he had experienced great joy1 and had found them to be all that the people of ,god held them up to be before the world4 ,those who thought that these men had sinister motives and were not actuated by the purest desires1 had been greatly deceived1 or exceedingly ignorant4 ,no men with whom he had been associated had lived purer lives4 ,they had not sought to build themselves up1 but to save souls and to establish truth in the earth4 ,they had been sincere in their convictions1 and in the inspiration they had received from ,god4 ,he was a living witness that ,joseph ,smith had been raised up to usher in the dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,president ,woodruff had shown his greatness in giving out #fbh his life's labor for the establishment of this testimony in the earth4 ,the day would soon be passed when infidel tongues would ridicule the claims of the ,church of ,christ1 and the work of such men as ,president ,woodruff would soon be established and acknowledged in the world2 for he had exemplified all its truths and principles in his life1 manifesting his faith and knowledge by his works4 ,he had recognized the fact that in the light of this knowledge his whole trust and duty was to show his faithfulness to it4 ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 was misunderstood by the world1 and was not permitted to live beyond his young manhood1 but his name was worthy of all honor2 for he was raised up of ,god1 and was not an imposter1 a deceiver1 or deceived4 ,men might imagine what they would1 but there were many thousands of people who could testify of their own knowledge1 through the testimony of the ,holy ,ghost1 that he was raised up by the ,lord to usher in the glorious coming of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,this he did in order that men might be enlightened2 for the glory of ,god is intelligence1 that men and women might be brought to a knowledge of the truth4 ,this perfect knowledge was to be brought to their souls through the ministration of the ,holy ,spirit1 which bears record of the things of ,god2 by which even the ignorant fishermen who followed our ,lord1 might know that ,jesus is the ,christ4 ,only by this means could such a knowledge be obtained4 ,the speaker paid a strong tribute to ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon1 ,lorenzo ,snow1 and ,franklin ,d4 ,richards1 and their faithfulness to the ,presidents who had passed away4 ,of ,president ,woodruff1 he said he did not think he had any feeling in his heart to injure any man1 but he had labored to do good in the world4 ,no greater work had he done than in the exemplification1 in his life1 of all the principles he had espoused1 and in his integrity to his brethren in all conditions4 ,he was made of the material of which martyrs are made2 for he faced death many times for the sake of his brethren and the cause of ,zion1 and never quailed in the face of danger1 no matter who of his associates may have proved themselves traitors4 ,president ,smith hoped that he and all others might follow in all their lives the path marked out by the deceased ,president4 #fbi ,he prayed for the blessings of ,god on the bereaved family1 that they might follow the life work of their great leader1 in which case their salvation would be sure4 ,a solo and chorus entitled1 ,beautiful ,city1 was then sung by ,sister ,maggie ,c4 ,hull and the ,temple choir1 under the leadership of ,professor ,c4 ,j4 ,thomas4 ,,president ,,snow ,,speaks4 ,president ,lorenzo ,snow then spoke4 ,he said he was very much pleased and delighted to see such a vast multitude assembled for the purpose of honoring ,president ,woodruff4 ,he had been acquainted with ,president ,woodruff sixty-two years1 a good portion of the time quite intimately4 ,all that has been said of him was fully worthy of the life which he had led4 ,president ,snow did not feel as some perhaps felt1 that the passing of one into another sphere of action was a disaster4 ,such a change had been decreed from the beginning4 ,there were periods in the lives of people that were highly important and one was the preparation for entrance upon this sphere of action4 ,president ,woodruff had fulfilled his calling4 ,his sojourn here upon earth had been as near perfection as it was possible for mankind to make it so4 ,it was the duty of every individual to do all he could to rectify the mistakes common to humanity4 ,all were born subject to error and therefore perfection could not be expected of the human family4 ,it was possible for mankind so to order their lives as to gain for themselves an exaltation in the ,kingdom of ,god1 and to be proud of the record made when they were called into another world4 ,president ,woodruff had had such an object in view from his early manhood4 ,he had become acquainted with the gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 and sought to live a life such as would entitle him to all the blessings in store for the faithful4 ,this was a satisfaction to his family1 as he had left behind him an example that would make of them honored and useful instruments in the hands of ,god1 if they followed it4 ,president ,snow spoke of the vacancy in the ,presidency caused by the death of ,president ,woodruff4 ,many people1 said he1 had been led to wonder and imagine how the affairs of the ,church were to be carried on4 ,the gospel in its completeness1 #fcj said the speaker1 made provision for these changes4 ,the work would roll on uninterruptedly as it had done1 succeeding the death of the ,prophet ,joseph and the death of ,president ,brigham ,young and ,john ,taylor4 ,on the death of the ,president of the ,church1 the responsibility fell upon the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and so it would1 on this occasion4 ,the ,quorum of ,apostles1 said ,president ,snow1 was never as able to handle such a responsibility as it was at the present time4 ,it was fully organized1 and the brethren were in perfect union and accord with one another1 and faithful and devoted to the trust reposed in them4 ,presidents ,cannon and ,smith were men of ,god1 full of faith and devotion to the cause1 and their work in rolling on the kingdom would be greatly appreciated and felt4 ,there was no danger as to the outcome of the work of ,god4 ,it had been established for a purpose1 and that purpose would be accomplished1 and the ,church progress and increase in the earth1 no matter how many of the authorities were called to another sphere4 ,,elder ,,franklin ,d4 ,,richards of the ,council of the ,apostles1 followed4 ,so far as one man could enter into the feelings of another1 he felt to adopt as his own the words of his brethren regarding the greatness and goodness of his late ,president4 ,he spoke of the first time he met ,wilford ,woodruff1 and stated that he was impressed very strongly with the directness and simplicity of his character1 and his prefect guilelessness4 ,he had been a great exemplar of the work in which he had been engaged1 by his implicit obedience to the dictates of the spirit4 ,this had been one of the great features of his life4 ,another had been the keeping of a diary of his actions and the history of the ,church1 from his first connection with it to the day before his death1 which would be most valuable as a compendium of the progress of the work4 ,elder ,richards urged the elders to follow the example of ,president ,woodruff in this regard4 ,his healing power had been strongly manifested on many occasions1 one striking instance being related by the speaker4 ,although at the death of the three former ,presidents not all the ,apostles had been permitted to be present1 yet on this occasion1 #fca the speaker was pleased to announce1 all the members of the ,quorum were present4 ,president ,woodruff's enemies had been led to become his friends4 ,he had assisted in the building and dedication of the temples1 had established an honorable family in the earth and had performed great missionary labors in different parts of the world4 ,he had been a mighty fisher of men bringing into the ,church almost two thousand persons4 ,he and ,heber ,c4 ,kimball had established the greatest records1 in this respect1 in the ,church4 ,the speaker closed expressing the hope that the ,saints would emulate the worthy example of the departed1 and that their works might be as honorable and their end as blessed as his4 ,,president ,,george ,q4 ,,cannon4 ,president ,george ,q4 ,cannon began his remarks by reading a portion of the #gfth section of the ,doctrine and ,covenants concerning the resurrection of the just4 ,in standing up to address the ,saints1 said he1 it was only because he knew he would have the faith and prayers of those assembled4 ,in the passing away of ,president ,woodruff1 a man had gone from our midst whose character was probably as angelical as that of any person who had ever lived upon the earth4 ,we shall ever miss him1 said ,president ,cannon4 ,his family will ever miss him1 as to them he was the all in all1 an honored and respected husband and father4 ,in the death of such men1 said ,president ,cannon1 it was a consolation to know that they left behind them the keys of the priesthood which they held1 thus permitting the rolling on of the work of ,god4 ,president ,woodruff was an unassuming man1 very unaffected and childlike in his demeanor4 ,he did no man an injury1 nor was he too proud1 even in his ,apostolic calling1 to toil as other men toiled4 ,his traits and characteristics were ennobling1 and so energetic was he that nothing was too burdensome for him even in his advanced years4 ,president ,cannon felt that too much could not be said in praise of ,president ,woodruff4 ,he was of a sweet disposition and possessed a character so lovely as to draw unto him friends in every walk of life4 ,he would no more do a wrong than he #fcb commit suicide4 ,he was straightforward in all his dealings with his fellow man1 and never shirked an obligation4 ,he was free1 sociable1 and amiable in every respect4 ,no jealousy lurked in his bosom4 ,he looked upon all mankind as his equals and was one who cherished the most profound respect for all with whom he associated4 ,he was gentle as a woman and his purity was like unto that of the angels themselves4 ,in spite of his high and holy calling1 he displayed no dignity1 was unpretentious1 unassuming1 and his character and life were as transparent as glass4 ,he hid nothing from his brethren1 but was candid1 outspoken1 and free to all4 ,president ,cannon spoke of a remark made by ,president ,woodruff some time ago4 ,in his office one morning he remarked4 ,i'm growing old1 the statement being occasioned through the greater ability of a strong1 wiry grandson in hoeing potatoes4 ,so industrious was ,president ,woodruff1 that he felt he was growing old because those stronger and younger could outdo him in cultivating the garden4 ,president ,woodruff labored freely and gratuitously in the ministry4 ,with him it was a labor of love1 his only hope of reward being in the hereafter when he would be called upon to give an account of his stewardship4 ,for years he lived on his #bj-;acre farm and took pleasure in beautifying his surroundings and wresting from the earth1 the elements to sustain life4 ,he was a great correspondent1 and his children and grandchildren loved to write to him4 ,he kept a complete account of his life's doings1 and even up to the day he was stricken down1 his journal told of his work of the day before4 ,in the ministry1 said ,president ,cannon1 ,president ,woodruff had accomplished a great deal4 ,he had traveled thousands of miles1 preached the gospel to thousands of people1 and succeeded in bringing a great many into the ,church4 ,he had left behind him a monument of good that time could not efface or obliterate4 ,his was a life well spent1 fraught with good deeds1 actuated by a noble purpose4 ,president ,cannon referred to the last days of ,president ,woodruff on the earth4 ,he was pleasant and cheerful to the end4 ,with the speaker he attended a banquet given by the ,bohemian club of ,san ,francisco to one of its members4 ,at it he was asked #fcc to speak and did so4 ,this was on ,saturday1 the #bgth inst4 ,on ,sunday he attended meeting in ,san ,francisco1 and ,monday went out riding4 ,tuesday and ,wednesday he spent writing1 and on ,thursday the fatal attack came on1 which ended in his death on ,friday morning4 ,his end was calm and peaceful4 ,he passed away as one sleeping4 ,referring to the death of ,president ,woodruff away from home1 ,president ,cannon stated that it was his desire to go away4 ,he was so concerned in the speaker's health that he thought such an outing was necessary4 ,he himself had been benefitted previously in going to the seacoast1 and it was his desire to accompany ,president ,cannon on this occasion4 ,his passing away1 though quite unexpected1 was a gradual sinking into an eternal sleep4 ,president ,woodruff was a man of ,god4 ,he had finished the fight and had been called hence to mingle with his brethren1 and to receive his well-earned reward4 ,he was a heavenly being4 ,it was heaven to be in his company1 and his departure from this sphere of action1 robs the community of a great and good man1 and one who fully merited all the blessings promised to those who remain true and steadfast unto the end4 ,the speaker had been privileged to witness the departure from earth of ,presidents ,young and ,taylor4 ,they1 too1 were righteous men1 entitled to a full bestowal of heavenly blessings4 ,concluding1 ,president ,cannon invoked the blessings of ,god upon the ,twelve ,apostles and upon all who held responsible positions in the ,church1 that their lives might be fraught with good deeds and noble examples1 such as those characterizing the life and labors of ,president ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,the choir sang ,president ,woodruff's favorite hymn3 ,god moves in a mysterious way4 ,the closing prayer was offered by ,elder ,brigham ,young of the ,quorum of the ,twelve ,apostles1 and the immense audience dispersed to take up their places in the order of procession1 the congregation marching out in order to a selection on the organ by ,professor ,j4 ,j4 ,daynes4 #fcd ,,the ,,funeral ,,cortege ,,starts4 ,the ceremonies in the ,tabernacle ended1 the great audience filed out into the street and1 diverging in all directions1 a vast host1 mingling with those who had lingered outside1 sought their carriages and other conveyances ready to fall into line when the procession to the grave should be formed4 ,thousands thronged the streets in anticipation of witnessing the departure1 and yet everything was orderly and all arrangements skilfully carried out4 ,the marshal of the day1 with his numerous efficient aids1 and the detachment of police1 rendered signal service in executing the plans so carefully arranged4 ,hundreds of conveyances lined the adjacent streets and were brought up in line in seemly order1 and1 in fact1 everything attested the prevalent reverence in which the occasion was held1 so that nothing might occur to mar or delay the marshaling of order out of seeming chaos4 ,the services in the ,tabernacle being finished at #a3cj1 the formation of the procession was begun on the west and north sides of ,temple square1 and at #a3de p4 m4 the order was given to advance on the way to the beloved ,president's last resting place4 ,slowly and impressively the journey to the grave was begun4 ,as the procession passed into public view1 many an eye became dim with tears1 and a last farewell was breathed from many a life-time friend and brother pioneer4 ,thousands stood with uncovered heads as all that remained of him whose life and work had crystallized into the brightest gem of immortal setting passed them by1 and yet thousands more made up the cavalcade and retinue which followed at the shrine of death4 ,this was the order formed and maintained on the way to the grave3 ,,order ,,of ,,procession4 #a4 ,marshal of day and aides4 #b4 ,held's band4 #c4 ,harmony glee club4 #d4 ,pall-bearers4 #e4 ,hearse4 #f4 ,flowers4 #g4 ,carriages one to twelve inclusive--family4 #fce #h4 ,carriages thirteen to eighteen inclusive1 ,general ,church ,authorities4 #i4 ,ogden band4 #aj4 ,presidents of ,stakes and counselors4 #aa4 ,general organization ,relief ,societies4 #ab4 ,young ,ladies' ,mutual ,improvement associations4 #ac4 ,young ,men's ,mutual ,improvement associations4 #ad4 ,deseret ,sunday ,school ,union4 #ae4 ,primary associations4 #af4 ,church ,board of ,education4 #ag4 ,faculty and students of ,brigham ,young academy and representatives of different ,church colleges and academies4 #ah4 ,first ,regimental band and ,utah ,national ,guard4 #ai4 ,state and city officials4 #bj4 ,general public4 ,,the ,,line ,,of ,,march4 ,the line of march all along ,south ,temple ,street was densely packed with a mass of humanity1 as far as ,m ,street1 and from there to the cemetery people were out in hundreds awaiting the approach of the procession4 ,thousands of people also accompanied the remains of the dead ,prophet to the place of interment1 and it was a spectacle long to be remembered4 ,the ,dead ,march in ,saul1 by ,held's band1 and other funeral dirges1 were played1 while the ,ogden and ,first ,regimental bands discoursed their sweet1 sad music all the way4 ,a wave of harmony rolled down the line from beginning to end1 and surely it must have arisen as sweet incense to the spheres above4 ,slowly and stately the procession moved on its solemn way1 and when the cemetery was reached a great concourse of people was already there4 ,the various organizations and representative bodies disbanded at the gates of the cemetery and the simple white hearse bearing the remains of the departed leader was driven to the side of the grave1 where it was followed by the private carriages of the members of the deceased's family and the general authorities of the ,church4 ,at #b3de p4 m4 the casket was taken from the hearse and carried by the pall-bearers to the grave into which it was consigned while #fcf all the people stood with uncovered heads4 ,countless flowers in bouquets and designs of exquisite beauty were laid upon the sward by sorrowing friends1 and when all was ready the members of the ,president's family and other friends gently laid some floral tokens upon the departed's bier in last farewell4 ,then the authorities of the ,church1 who had gathered on the northwest corner of the plot of ground signified that the final ceremonies begin1 and the ,harmony glee club sang with exquisite pathos and tenderness1 the selection3 ,not ,dead but ,sleepeth4 ,president ,cannon then called upon ,apostle ,f4 ,m4 ,lyman to offer the dedicatory prayer4 ,in opening his invocation ,apostle ,lyman asked that grace and strength be vouchsafed to those who were bereaved1 to bear up under the burden of grief their loss had entailed1 and asked the blessings of the ,almighty in the duty which had devolved upon him in dedicating the last resting place of him1 who for so many years had been identified with the work of the ,lord in the earth4 ,he prayed that ,president ,woodruff's life and record might stand as an example to the hosts of ,israel throughout the world1 one which they would emulate if possible2 and further asked that the widows and children might be comforted in the knowledge that their beloved father had gone to a glorious reward4 ,it was his desire that the ,almighty bless the ground where so many had tender hopes and affection laid away1 that it would ever be sacred and holy to the people4 ,he prayed for the prosperity of the work of building up ,zion in the earth2 for the blessings of the ,lord to rest upon the ,church and the authorities upon whom its guidance would now devolve1 and in conclusion asked that the dedication might be accepted of the ,almighty in the name of ,jesus ,christ4 ,at the close of the prayer1 flowers were laid upon the grave by loving hands1 and the vast concourse of people dispersed to their homes and various pursuits1 feeling that this day would be accounted1 while time and memory should last1 as one of the most notable in the present dispensation1 and would be hallowed forever4 ,,where ,,the ,,grave ,,is4 ,the place where the body of ,president ,woodruff will rest until the day the grave shall give up its dead1 is situated near the original entrance at the old stone gate through the antiquated #fcg wall that formed the western boundary of the city cemetery1 and is about half way up on the western side4 ,the seventh cemetery avenue forms the northern boundary of the plat1 which lies about seventy-five yards from the old stone wall4 ,on the south1 is the plat of the late ,apostle ,erastus ,snow1 whose monument1 entwined with honeysuckle1 towers over the new-made grave4 ,over on the hill a stone's throw distant1 the granite shaft that marks the resting place of the late ,president ,john ,taylor1 points silently toward heaven4 ,just to the west1 across the drive1 is the ,noble plat1 where rests ,lucien ,noble1 who was born the same year as ,president ,woodruff1 who1 too1 lived to a great age1 dying in #ahia4 ,president ,woodruff's grave is in the extreme south-eastern corner of the plat1 and is made alongside of his wife1 the late ,phoebe ,carter ,woodruff4 ,just across1 in the ,snow plat on the south1 rest the bodies of two children4 ,the ,woodruff plat is simple and plain2 a substantial stone wall raises it above the drive and the closely cut green grass covers it over4 ,the open grave this morning was dug into the hard soil of the mountain which was as solid in its formation as the character of the man whose body it was to contain1 only a few planks were placed to keep the loose earth from falling in1 and a plain box of white wood at the bottom to contain the casket4 ,nothing about the grave was intended for ornament or show2 all was plain and substantial as the dead ,president wished it to be4 ,from the grave where he rests there is a fine view of the city he helped to found1 and the valley stretched away to the south in its beauty until shut in from the sight by the ,september haze4 ,around him rest those who fought the battle of life with him1 but who laid the burden down1 wearied before the load fell from his own shoulders1 and who will welcome him in death as they honored him in life4 ,,tabernacle ,,decorations4 ,promptly at #g3cj a4 m41 by a prearranged signal with the janitors1 a ,news reporter was admitted to the ,tabernacle to view the work of the committee on decoration4 ,silence brooded over the vast auditorium1 and also a spirit of awe1 which is the invariable accompaniment of solitude in the midst of vastness4 ,the primeval desert is slumbering4 ,only on the eastern #fch and western peaks are seen the signs of awakening day4 ,in the ,valley the shadows are beginning to lift and dissolve4 ,what is it that the eye beholds8 ,a vast expanse of sun-browned sage and yellow bunch grass4 ,for a moment1 we listen and catch the musical ripples of a stream hidden beneath an irregular line of willow and squaw bush1 extending from the north of the canyon to the ,lake4 ,the sun now breaks over the eastern range4 ,a breeze is stirring down the canyon4 ,ah1 there is that same1 never-to-be-forgotten perfume of the desert--so full of freshness1 so suggestive of freedom6 ,what6 the bark of a dog8 ,surely it is4 ,and now a half-mile distant1 in the shadow of a gnarled and crooked grove of cottonwoods1 the eye catches sight of a dozen campfires1 which send curling wreaths into the morning sky4 ,the sunlight is playing fantastic games with the strands of smoke as they weave themselves into finer fabrics1 and finally disappear as gauze4 ,beneath this spreading halo1 we get glimpses of an irregular village of wick-i-ups1 smoke-begrimed and tattered1 but otherwise quite in harmony with the scene2 as if they were in fact so many grotesque plants that had sprung out of the native soil4 ,now1 from out these rude habitations1 through many a rent and flapping door1 the children of the desert are pouring--a curious lot of black-headed1 squatty-figured little women and children4 ,sublime picture of blissful indifference6 ,you do not know that this is your last day of undisputed reign--if your sleepy existence can be called a reign4 ,before the sun shall have reached the zenith1 he1 the great white ,chief1 accompanied by that other great man1 young and vigorous then2 but since grown old by toil and works of righteousness and today renewed in youth forever--he the leader whose life among us we shall soon meet to commemorate4 ,but the vision fades4 ,the present has come back4 ,there is still the faint odor of sage-brush and desert flower in the room4 ,the sun has lost none of his old-time splendor1 but his rays pour down1 not upon the primitive herbage of a desert1 but through the dome of a building which might well be taken to epitomize the progress of a jubilee4 ,the eastern half of the auditorium is sombre and unrelieved by a single touch of the artist2 but the #fci western half is all aglow in hangings of white and fills the soul with a glory as of a better world4 ,if the departed leader should be present in spirit at his own funeral1 according to his own wish1 these are some things he would see4 ,the most prominent object is his own portrait1 life-size1 as painted by the well known home artist1 ,mr4 ,will ,clawson4 ,it is a striking likeness of ,president ,woodruff at the full vigor of his manhood4 ,it is placed in front of the great organ against a background of the ,stars and ,stripes4 ,above the picture1 in brilliant electric light1 is the legend3 ,,being ,,dead ,,yet ,,speaketh4 ,the front of the organ is so draped as to represent two golden columns1 one on each side1 surmounted by domes1 and joined by a festoon of white cashmere1 the folds of which fall down on each side of the organ in graceful curves4 ,below the portrait is a semicircle of white drapery1 forming a frame for the centre piece1 which is no less symbolic than beautiful4 ,we desired1 said ,bishop ,winder1 chairman of the decoration committee1 to get up something unique to distinguish ,president ,woodruff's life--something not used before4 ,the committee has certainly succeeded4 ,on each corner of the organ stand out in bold figures the date1 #ahdg4 ,immediately above are large bunches of sage-brush intermingled with sun-flowers4 ,further up are the tops of the rugged pine1 while below1 between the dates1 and representing the expanse of valley1 are the yellow tops of furze and rabbit-brush4 ,nothing could give a more realistic idea of ,utah as the dead ,pioneer found it4 ,on the right and left of the picture are sheaves of wheat and oats1 symbolic both of what ,utah is to-day1 and of the ripe age of our departed ,president4 ,but that which is most touching is a bank of flowers all around ,president ,woodruff's feet1 which1 whether it be taken to symbolize the love of his people1 or the new home to which he has gone1 is equally effective4 ,when the electric display shall enhance the beauty and harmony of this centerpiece #fdj it will make an impression on the audience never to be forgotten4 ,the stand next attracts attention4 ,all the seats are draped in white2 the pulpits1 one above another1 are gracefully festooned in cream cashmere and white ribbon4 ,the posts at each end1 also in white drapery1 are each surmounted by a magnificent bouquet4 ,the semi-circular railing on each side the stand has a background of white crape against which1 at regular intervals1 are folds of cream cashmere1 tied by silk cord and tassels below1 and fastened above with sprays of oak containing acorns1 and with evergreens and sunflowers4 ,a similar method of decoration is followed with the balustrade which crosses the auditorium4 ,the impression of the whole is that of a mighty pair of white wings about to hover over the audience4 ,the casket and floral decorations come last1 but by no means least into consideration4 ,below the stand on a table slanting east and west1 are the last remains of the late beloved leader4 ,the coffin in literally embossed in a tapestry of flowers bearing these words3 ,,in ,,loving ,,remembrance ,,by ,,the ,,children ,,and ,,grandchildren ,,of ,,phoebe ,,carter ,,woodruff ,,and ,,mary ,,jackson ,,woodruff4 ,on the top of the casket is a bank of carnations1 roses and lilies1 on which the single word ,father appears1 while at the head is a crown of flowers1 the gift of the ,relief societies1 and at the foot a gigantic fern palm leaf covered with magnificent cut roses1 the gift of ,f4 ,auerbach and ,co4 ,a sheaf of ripened barley is also on the casket1 and festoons of smilax unite the whole4 ,on each side of the casket is a floral column inscribed1 ,in loving remembrance of the ,president of ,z4 ,c4 ,m4 ,i4 ,near by is a large circle of cut roses and others flowers1 bearing the motto on its face1 ,the glory of ,god is intelligence4 ,the circle symbolizes eternity1 and a band or bridge crossing it and evidently intended to symbolize time1 bear the inscription ,y4 ,m4 ,m4 ,i4 ,a4 ,a large harp of flowers1 significant of the divine harmony of ,president ,woodruff's life1 is the gift of the ,tabernacle choir4 #fda ,other gifts of flowers are a basket of asters and cut roses by the ,primary association1 a basket of flowers by the ,city ,council1 a harp by ,a4 ,c4 ,brixen1 a wreath by ,annie ,hoglund1 an anchor by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,john ,beck1 beautiful floral designs by ,mrs4 ,m4 ,m4 ,barratt1 and also by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,james ,c4 ,mc,donald1 an unusually beautiful bouquet of golden-banded lilies of ,japan and cut roses by ,r4 ,c4 ,evans1 besides many offerings without names4 ,the effect of the whole is that of simplicity and purity1 the distinguished traits of the departed ,president4 ,while the committee on decoration deserve great praise for the planning of the whole1 ,f4 ,g4 ,f4 ,huefner and his assistants1 ,sisters ,sarah ,a4 ,gill1 and ,lizzie ,ashton1 who executed the plans1 are not to be forgotten4 #fdb ,,chapter #eg4 ,,character ,,sketch4 ,by ,dr4 ,j4 ,m4 ,tanner4 ,to the law and to the testimony2 and if they speak not according to this word1 it is because there is no light in them4 ,if the whole religious life of ,wilford ,woodruff could be summed up in a single sentence1 it would be in that ,scriptural statement by which the truth of ,god's purposes was made evident4 ,the ,scripture was his safe guide in every walk of life4 ,to him it was a living fountain4 ,its promises gave him assurance1 its warnings restrained him1 its proverbs gave him wisdom1 its psalms attuned his soul1 its more sure word of life was to him conclusive of all that ,god had done and that ,he would yet do many great and marvelous things among the children of men4 ,he was a devout student of the ,bible1 and that book accounts not alone for the spiritual quality of his life1 but for the peculiar workings of #fdc his mind4 ,there was nothing in life that he could not measure in terms of ,holy ,writ4 ,it is doubtful whether the ,bible ever brought a human soul more perfectly within the circumference of its teachings1 promises1 rewards1 and inspiration than it brought ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,he was what is sometimes called a man of one book2 that is1 a man whose predominant characteristics are marked by a single book4 ,he knew his ,bible4 ,it was the companion of his youth1 the joy of his early manhood1 and the solace of his old age4 ,whatever did not square with its teachings was to him insufficient4 ,it brought him discernment and made him wakeful and watchful for the new light its promises contained4 ,it was a watch-tower on which he stood looking for new evidences of a new dispensation and of glorious promises of a day to come4 ,in his youth1 his contact with religious denominations brought him no spiritual satisfaction1 because the sects of that day did not conform to that standard of truth1 the ,holy ,writ1 to which he had pledged his allegiance4 ,a man whose life the ,bible so completely permeated could be naught else than a spiritual-minded man4 ,to no man's mind was ,god ever a more potent reality in the affairs of men than to his mind4 ,to him ,he was not a distant being whose mysteries obscure and overawe4 ,to ,wilford ,woodruff ,god was a companion1 a kind and loving father1 a protector1 a guide4 ,that ,god spoke with men face to face was no metaphor to him1 was no spiritualized conclusion1 it was a commonplace1 though profound1 truth4 ,he regarded himself as a child of ,god to whom and with whom he had a right to speak4 ,there was nothing in life which a man might not disclose to his ,maker1 and he aspired to commune with ,god as one man speaketh to another4 ,his conceptions of ,god made religion a simple thing1 as simple as it was wonderful4 ,he seldom argued religion1 he never proved the existence of ,god1 he rarely explained obscure meanings of ,holy ,writ4 ,to him ,god was the same yesterday1 to-day1 and forever4 ,the relationship of man to his ,maker was set forth on the first pages of the ,bible4 ,god made man in his own image2 male and female created ,he them4 ,that ,god had talked to ,adam in the garden of ,eden was no myth1 was no mystery4 ,he had talked to others4 ,he would talk to men again4 ,nothing satisfied his spiritual cravings short of an actual communication between heaven and earth4 ,for such a communication he was looking1 hoping1 praying4 ,when it came1 it was as clear to his understanding as the rays of light at noonday sun4 ,his whole being was illuminated by the new revelation4 ,however1 he put it to the test2 he measured it in the light of ,scripture2 tested it by individual experiences1 and it was in perfect harmony with his spiritual and intellectual being2 and when once he put his hand to the plow1 he never looked back4 ,no doubt ever troubled him2 no misgivings ever dampened his ardor4 ,thenceforth he never questioned the truth of a divine call to the children of this age any more than he questioned his own existence4 ,it is difficult in such a man to draw a line between his spiritual and his physical life4 ,certain it is1 he made no distinction4 ,everything that touched divine purpose was to him a part of his religion4 ,if he preached1 he preached in the name of ,god2 if he dug ditches and tilled the earth1 it was equally in obedience to a divine command4 ,he was just as devout with the scythe or the sickle as he was with the hymn book or in the pulpit4 ,when one therefore speaks of the spiritual characteristics of such a man1 #fdd he speaks of the whole man2 and if ,wilford ,woodruff's spiritual nature were merely a characteristic1 religion might have been thought of in him as an incident1 a part of his life4 ,it was his whole life2 for it was measured in terms of his relationship with his ,god--that relationship he recognized everywhere throughout a remarkable and unique life4 ,those best acquainted with the life and habits of ,wilford ,woodruff will find it difficult1 if not wholly impossible1 to call to mind any circumstance of unoccupied moments in all their acquaintanceship with him4 ,he was a man of medium height1 of a robust nature1 heavy set1 and of unbounded nervous energy4 ,those who glorify work and exalt its importance in the divine economy of man find in him an example of the highest type4 ,he loved work1 not alone for its own sake1 but because it was associated with divine command4 ,nor was it to him merely a means of getting on in the world1 of adding conveniences and comfort to his own life as well as to those dependent upon him2 to him it was a blessing1 a privilege1 an opportunity which he always availed himself of whenever his calling would permit4 ,nor was he discriminating in the kind of work he did4 ,he took up whatever was at hand to be done4 ,his toil in the canyons1 his sweat in the harvest field1 his travels upon the plains were all important parts in divine economy and he performed every labor of life with as much zeal as he was wont to exercise in promulgating the word of ,god4 ,he was not a worker in the ordinary sense of the word2 for in work he always set himself about to accomplish extraordinary tasks4 ,those who remember him in the pioneer days of ,utah call to mind his unusual physical powers when compared with other men4 ,i have seen him1 said ,john ,a4 ,woolf of ,cardston1 ,canada1 feed a threshing machine with bundles from a stack1 when three ordinary men complained of the task4 ,he was never particular where he worked1 usually he got in the most disagreeable place about a thresher in order to favor those with whom he worked4 ,when he might have chosen his place1 he went to the chaff-pen where the smut and dirt were almost unbearable4 ,i never knew a harder worker than ,wilford ,woodruff4 ,he could turn from one occupation to another without the #fde least apparent effort4 ,he would toil assiduously in the harvest field1 and with scarcely a moment's notice be ready to receive the dignitaries of the nation that might happen to visit ,salt ,lake ,city while he was thus engaged4 ,to sweat1 was a divine command as much so as to pray2 and in his life he exemplified in the highest degree that simple ,christian life that makes for the physical1 mental1 and moral well-being of man4 ,he believed sincerely in the moral supremacy of manual toil4 ,he loved it and enjoyed it4 ,whenever in the midst of his public ministries there came to him an opportunity to retire to his farm1 he went to it with all the energy of his marvelous physical endurance4 ,his love of toil produced in his life what it does in the lives of most men of similar habits1 a simplicity1 a democracy1 and the spirit of universal brotherhood4 ,to him there were no commonplace tasks4 ,all that he did was important to his own exaltation in this life and in the world to come4 ,his love of labor penetrated the veil and admitted him to the world beyond wherein he saw ,god-given opportunities to work4 ,an idle1 self-sufficient life in the next world was as abhorrent to his nature as the ordinary conceptions of purgatory4 ,the thought that in the great beyond men should have an unwaning and an undiminished endurance in the industry of an eternity was glorious to his mind4 ,in this age when men are shirking physical tasks in the industrial world in pursuit of occupations that are as free as possible from bodily exertions1 his life stands out as a beautiful example of simplicity and vigor4 ,no man ever did more in the ,church to exalt work and put upon it the impress of divine command than ,wilford ,woodruff2 and he was as unostentatious in physical toil as he was in every other occupation which he honestly and faithfully pursued4 ,in the broadest and highest sense of the term1 ,wilford ,woodruff may be designated as truly the friend of mankind2 but within that broader friendship there were intimacies and confidences which he carried with him from his earlier days through the remainder of life4 ,he1 like most men of a strong character and loving disposition1 had his special friends--friends whose spirit and #fdf manner of life were congenial to him--friends whose religious practices and thoughts were in harmony with his own aspirations4 ,with him1 however1 friends were not selected because of their station in life2 they were among all classes1 the humblest as well as the highest2 indeed1 it is doubtful whether ,wilford ,woodruff ever recognized any class distinction whatever4 ,if he ever made a distinction1 it was a distinction between the good and the bad4 ,he was never governed by considerations of wealth1 rank1 or public honors4 ,his friendships belonged to that old-fashioned type wherein men were actuated by a spirit of brotherhood and unaffected love for one another4 ,nor was he one of those who boasted of friendships with the selected few4 ,every stake of ,zion1 if not almost every community1 contained some special friend or friends1 time-honored and true4 ,he loved to throw off the formalities of social restraint and indulge in those heart to heart talks that brought up reminiscences of earlier days4 ,like others1 he was especially attracted by those whose view-points of life were similar to his own1 whose spiritual natures reveled in the things of ,god and ascribed to ,him both the honors and the glories of this world4 ,his friendships were both sincere and lasting2 even when friends deviated from the paths of the highest rectitude1 he preferred to think of them as they once were1 in the enjoyment of divine favor4 ,the good in others was uppermost in his judgment of men1 and his friendship was all the more lasting because it was accompanied by a spirit of charity and good-will to all4 ,it would perhaps be here a little discriminating to speak of any individual friendships of his life4 ,there is one1 however1 that was so strong and lasting that it illustrates with great clearness the character of the man4 ,ezra ,t4 ,clark of ,farmington was a man of simple habits and devoted to industrial life4 ,he loved the soil whose very particles awakened within him a satisfaction and an enthusiasm4 ,these two men developed throughout many years of intimate association a loving regard for each other that was as striking as it was beautiful4 ,whenever ,elder ,woodruff could steal away from the duties and responsibilities of life some leisure hours1 he sought an evening's pastime in the home of his #fdg friend4 ,their devotion to each other grew with years2 and it may be truthfully said that nothing ever came up in life to disturb their confidence and love4 ,elder ,woodruff was throughout all his life an ideal neighbor4 ,his interest in those about him was one of helpfulness4 ,he was quick to see the needs of a neighbor and generous in his impulse to give and to help4 ,his high regard for the privileges of others never permitted him to trespass on the rights or the property of those about him4 ,the property of others was as sacred to him as his own and its safety elicited his careful attention4 ,he was generous in the contribution of his time and knowledge4 ,his selection in the early days of ,utah as the head of organizations intended to place within the reach of all the best methods of farming and manufacture illustrates the esteem in which he was held by those who intrusted to him matters of such welfare to the people4 ,he was therefore the highest type of a missionary of good deeds as well as of good counsel4 ,there was never in him a spirit of condescension4 ,he never thought of obligations under which he was placing his fellowmen while doing them a service4 ,he served others because he enjoyed the spirit of helpfulness and found it a part of his ,god-given nature to be of use in every possible manner to those it was his joy to help on in the world4 ,the missionary spirit of ,elder ,woodruff which manifested itself so zealously in the welfare and happiness of others did not permit him to pursue life in the interest of any selfish ambitions or personal aggrandizement4 ,his journal reveals the pride he felt in bringing home to the lives of men the great truths of ,mormonism4 ,he was always more interested in what others derived from his services than what came to him4 ,in counsel1 therefore1 he was never actuated by selfish aims1 and he was free from suspicion that the things which others advocated could have any ulterior purpose than that which appeared upon the surface4 ,by nature he was an unsuspicious man and that made his life free from the jealousies1 envies1 and misgivings so destructive of human happiness4 ,that nature made him an optimist4 #fdh ,he went about life not only looking for the good1 but with ability to see it4 ,he had nothing to conceal1 nothing to disfigure1 therefore the shades and colorings of life with him were true to nature4 ,whenever in his judgment it became necessary to offer any criticism upon the lives or conduct of others1 it was for the purpose of warning those whom he criticized against the dangers that would befall them1 if they pursued such a course4 ,often throughout his journal he speaks of the apostasy of prominent men and old-time friends4 ,what he wrote is in a spirit of charity2 his words are words of regret1 and his sentiments are full of brotherly consideration1 even toward those who ceased to entertain convictions in harmony with his own4 ,though he was a man of a gentle spirit1 it must not be supposed that he was wholly incapable of pronouncing judgment upon the wicked or the ungodly4 ,but even his judgments were not accompanied by personal antagonisms4 ,he was both forgetful and forgiving4 ,he was not a man of marked prejudices1 and there is no evidence that he ever pursued with malice those in whom he had lost confidence4 ,he was1 perhaps1 as free from prejudices as any prominent man in his day4 ,this beautiful quality of life made him tractable1 easily persuaded1 especially when the influence about him was one of brotherly love or kind consideration4 ,in the minor affairs of life1 and in the details of administration1 he was not very particular how things were done1 provided they could be accomplished without friction and in a spirit which conformed to the principles of the gospel4 ,he was never insistent1 nor was he persistent in having his own way in his association with his fellowmen4 ,he had so completely surrendered himself to the will of ,god and to the leadership of his brethren that nothing ever menaced his ambition or aroused a spirit of resentment within him1 provided he was not required to sacrifice principle or subordinate his manhood4 ,instances are revealed in his journal where he took a strong stand when questions of right and wrong were at stake2 and he manifested the fire of righteous zeal whenever any question arose not in harmony with his conceptions of ,god's message to the children of men4 ,dislike1 envy1 or jealousy #fdi had so little effect upon his hopeful nature that those ordinary prejudices common to mankind rarely troubled him4 ,he rejoiced in the good fortune of others1 and praised ,god4 ,the study of the life of ,wilford ,woodruff constantly reminds one of ,nathaniel of whom ,jesus said3 ,he is an ,israelite without guile4 ,the evil conditions of mankind1 people's shortcomings1 and even their vices were not matters which rested upon his conscience or aroused a spirit of denunciation or judgment within him4 ,it was not easy for him to think of evils or to associate them with his fellowman4 ,he looked upon the bright side of life and had a keen appreciation of the good there was in others4 ,whenever he uttered words of condemnation or prophesied the judgments of ,god1 it was in pursuance of divine manifestations to his heart and mind4 ,whenever he spoke words of reproof1 it was because he conceived it his duty to do so1 not because it was his nature to criticise or to find fault4 ,when he spoke of the wickedness of the world1 or the wrong-doings of his fellowmen1 it was as a rule in a spirit of testimony1 and not because of the things which he saw or heard4 ,no man was ever more willing than ,wilford ,woodruff that the sentiments of his heart and the thoughts of his mind should be read as if in an open book4 ,the dividing line of his inner life and the expression of his words and conduct was never marked4 ,he was therefore free from that secret life which is constantly struggling against the revelations of its real truth4 ,the ,saints will always think of him as a man like ,nathaniel--without guile4 ,one of the highest evidences of a truly religious nature is the sincerity of life that characterizes it4 ,it is also that quality of the human soul which gives zeal to missionary life and makes the testimony borne carry conviction to the hearts of others4 ,the sincerity of ,wilford ,woodruff never left any room for doubt as to his convictions upon everything which he advocated4 ,his earnestness commanded the respectful attention of all who heard him1 even though they were not convinced by the evidences of his word or the force of his arguments4 ,in all matters of religion1 an earnest demeanor is necessary for the assurance of others as well as one's own self-satisfaction4 ,it was easy for every man--,mormon1 ,jew1 or ,gentile--to believe #fej that ,wilford ,woodruff believed himself1 and sincerely to believe oneself is the highest evidence of that inner conviction which removes misgivings and doubts from the human soul4 ,it was this peculiar quality of life that made him a model missionary4 ,possessing the highest qualities of sincerity1 he naturally became an earnest advocate in his teachings and an indefatigable worker in everything he set his hands to do4 ,there was never anything about his life1 never any diversions from the path of duty or surrender to the spirit of a pleasure-loving age to disturb the zeal that came from the sincerity and earnestness of his soul4 ,in many there is often a strong desire to surrender themselves to that spirit of pleasure that deadens the conscience and gives self-justification after wrong doing4 ,with him1 as with others1 a consistent earnestness and a heartfelt sincerity were a safeguard against a spirit of disbelief4 ,those qualities of life never permitted him to shirk responsibility or be indifferent to the obligations every man should feel with respect to his ,maker4 ,he was1 therefore1 like the prophets of old--zealous for the things of ,god4 ,there was a steadfastness of purpose in all that ,wilford ,woodruff set his hand to do4 ,he was as devoted in action as he was in thought and feeling4 ,his standard of life was a religious standard1 and it was supported by a constancy that was peculiar to his nature4 ,from the beginning to the end of life1 his religious convictions were strictly adhered to4 ,he was never drawn into subordinate considerations4 ,he never ran off at a tangent1 never allowed minor matters to absorb him4 ,his loves1 his hopes1 his aims in life were all subordinate to the great central truth of ,god's revelation4 ,he might be misinformed about details2 facts might be distorted2 events might be wrongly stated2 but he had a guiding star from which his eyes were never taken2 and sooner or later1 he set himself in harmony with the true spirit of the age in which he moved4 ,his devotion always made him reliable and true4 ,friends never doubted his friendship1 nor troubled themselves about its continuance4 ,he had that perfect regard for the friendships of life which bound him to men4 ,the qualities that made him devoted to men and to duty came from the larger devotion which he always felt for the things of ,god4 ,he truly loved his ,god4 ,whatever #fea that love might mean to others1 to him it meant a willing service1 a confiding heart1 a life of steadfast devotion to the obligations which he felt the ,lord had laid upon him4 ,his devotion made him intensely earnest1 sincere1 and guileless4 ,it helped him to see the best there was in life4 ,the true and beautiful filled his heart with admiration4 ,devotion gave to him a simplicity that left no place for pride and vain ambitions4 ,there came to him out of a devout life the enjoyment of all ,god's revelations in nature and in word4 ,his family life was devoid of every show of ostentation4 ,he enjoyed the companionship of the youngest child1 and kept in touch with the sorrows and joys of family life4 ,he could not stand aloof from the family life which he had done so much to create4 ,the responsibilities of his home he shared with every member of his household4 ,he loved his wives and children1 and in their midst was free1 easy1 and approachable4 ,his discipline never carried with it any severity4 ,in his home he found relaxation and rest from the strenuous life he led4 ,his children loved him4 ,they were free to reason or persuade4 ,they felt no barriers between him and them4 ,their conscience might be troublesome to them1 but his sternness never was4 ,he belonged to that class of fathers styled indulgent4 ,his own example called for an industrious and obedient life in his home4 ,it was easy for his children to understand what they should do by what they saw him do4 ,goodness was the quality he most extolled2 and if his family would only be good1 they were to his mind best prepared to fulfill any responsibility ,god might place upon them4 ,they would learn their duties by doing them4 ,he considered one duty well done the best means of learning and doing new ones4 ,the family life it was his earnest endeavor to create and beautify is reflected in the joyful spirit that comes to descendants who meet annually on his birthday1 ,march first1 to do honor to his name4 #feb ,appendix ,a4 ,,sidney ,,rigdon4 7,millennial ,star1 ,vol4 #e1 p4 #aji74 ,to the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints3 ,i deem it to be a duty which ,i owe to ,god and ,his ,church1 to express my feelings and bear my testimony unto you1 concerning certain things that are presented to you for your consideration1 especially the claims of ,elder ,sidney ,rigdon to the exclusive right to lead and govern the ,church of ,latter-day ,saints4 ,i have carefully examined the trial which ,elder ,rigdon has had before the authorities of the ,church in ,nauvoo1 as given in the ,times and ,seasons1 ,vol4 ,v1 ,no4 #ag1 and ,i am satisfied that a righteous decision has been given in his case4 ,i do not make these remarks without my reasons1 and ,i will here give those reasons4 ,i will commence by asking where has ,elder ,rigdon been since the days of ,far ,west8 ,has he stood by the side of the ,prophet and ,patriarch as a true friend1 to assist in carrying them through their trials1 tribulations1 and persecutions8 ,has he walked up into his place as a man of ,god1 and stood beside the ,prophet as his counselor8 ,has he in any way been a pillar or support to the ,church from that day until this8 ,has he sustained the cause1 and used an influence to spread the work abroad since the persecution in ,far ,west8 ,has he in any way sustained the priesthood with dignity and honor for the last five years of his life8 ,or1 has the ,prophet1 in any point of view1 leaned upon him as a counselor1 a staff1 or support1 for the last five years8 ,or has the ,prophet ,joseph found ,elder ,rigdon in his councils1 when he organized the ,quorum of the ,twelve a few months before his death to prepare them for the endowment8 ,and when they received their endowment1 and actually received the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god1 and oracles of ,god--keys to revelation--and the pattern of heavenly things2 and when he declared to the ,twelve1 ,upon your shoulders the ,kingdom rests1 and you must round up your shoulders #fec and bear it1 for ,i have had to do it until now1 where was ,sidney ,rigdon8 ,has ,elder ,rigdon shared this responsibility in any way8 ,no1 no1 verily no2 but the reverse1 until he had become like a millstone upon the neck of ,joseph ,smith1 the ,prophet1 ,seer1 and ,revelator4 ,and ,i hereby bear my testimony that ,i heard ,joseph ,smith declare that ,elder ,rigdon had become like a millstone upon his back--a dead weight--and he had carried him long enough1 and must throw him off2 and in my hearing requested one of the ,quorum of the ,twelve to bring him up before the ,church1 that he might be dealt with according to the law of the ,church1 that he might be cut off as a dead branch1 and no longer encumber the tree1 as there was sufficient testimony against him4 ,but through the pleadings of ,brother ,hyrum ,smith and others he was spared4 ,elder ,brigham ,young has been his friend1 spoke in his favor1 in consequence of his age and former standing1 hoping that he might reform1 get the spirit of the work1 and magnify his calling4 ,he has been patiently sustained until the branch became twice dead1 and necessary to be severed from the tree4 ,elder ,rigdon1 for the last five years of his life1 has been mostly shut up in the post-office2 has confined himself mostly to his own temporal affairs1 manifesting but little interest in the affairs of the ,church2 and when any alarm or report was in circulation unfavorable to the cause1 if we could judge at all from the course he pursued1 it had a tendency to increase trouble and disturbance1 instead of decreasing it4 ,it is true1 that ,elder ,rigdon attended some of the councils that ,president ,smith held with the ,twelve and others1 before his death1 while giving them instructions2 but ,i heard ,president ,smith say that he came in without his wish or invitation1 as he had no confidence in him4 ,elder ,rigdon and his friends would now claim1 before the ,church and the world1 that he holds the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god of the last dispensation1 above the ,twelve1 the ,church1 etc4 ,i am ready to admit before the whole ,church and the world1 that he does hold one key different from that held by the ,twelve2 one that they do not hold--one that ,god never held1 nor ,jesus ,christ1 nor any true prophet1 patriarch1 or apostle2 ,joseph and ,hyrum ,smith were utter strangers to it4 ,we are judging according to the words of his own mouth according to the testimony given on his trial4 ,we suppose that ,lucifer1 who made war in heaven1 was the author of that key2 and #fed that it had been handed down unto the present day1 and with it ,elder ,rigdon has unlocked his heart1 and portrayed before our eyes what it was4 ,what is it8 ,hear it1 all ye ,latter-day ,saints6 ,listen1 ,o earth1 and judge the fruits of this key4 ,he threatens to turn traitor1 publish against the ,church in public journals4 ,he intimates that he would bring a mob upon the ,church1 stir up the world against the ,saints1 and bring distress upon them1 etc4 7,times and ,seasons1 ,vol4 ,v1 pp4 #fej-fec47 ,this ought to be a sufficient reason for any true-hearted ,latter-day ,saint to turn away from him with disgust1 and treat men like him according to their desert1 which is1 to let them entirely alone2 for a more despicable principle never existed in heaven1 earth nor hell1 than to prove a traitor to our ,god1 our cause1 and our friends1 and bring distress upon the innocent1 and that1 too1 by turning against the very cause that he spent a portion of his life to build up1 and declared1 while in the faith1 that it was true and righteous4 ,this same principle was manifest in the case of ,lucifer1 ,judas1 ,arnold1 and many apostates in this ,church1 who1 when they could not get their own ends accomplished1 threatened to bring mobs upon the ,church1 and in some instances they have done so4 ,i would ask1 has ,joseph or ,hyrum ,smith ever held such a key as this1 or manifested such a spirit as this8 ,no1 never2 they have despised it in their hearts4 ,president ,smith seemed to be sensible that such a feeling was growing in the breast of ,elder ,rigdon2 and if he had accomplished what duty appeared to present to his mind upon that subject1 ,elder ,rigdon would have been severed from the ,church before the ,prophet's death2 but through mercy he was spared until he manifested the evil that is in him1 and he has become dangerous to the welfare of the ,church and ,kingdom of ,god4 ,i would again ask1 has ,elder ,brigham ,young ever manifested any knowledge of the key above spoken of1 or any spirit or disposition to turn against the ,church in any time of trial or persecution from its commencement8 ,has he ever deserted ,joseph1 ,hyrum1 his brethren1 or the cause1 in one instance1 since the foundation of this ,church8 ,no1 never1 not in one instance4 ,he has always been ready to go and come at the bidding of the ,lord4 ,he has not said go2 but he has always said come4 ,he has set the example and led the way1 until he has traversed sea and land1 at home and abroad1 native and foreign countries1 until he has borne off the keys of the #fee ,kingdom of ,god1 in connection with the ,twelve1 with honor and dignity1 since they were committed to his charge4 ,he has followed ,president ,smith's footsteps closely for the last twelve years of his life1 and especially the last five years2 while ,elder ,rigdon has1 at the same time1 been confined to the post-office1 apparently manifesting no interest in the welfare of the ,church and building up of the cause4 ,the spirit of wisdom and counsel has manifested itself in the course and deliberations of ,elder ,young4 ,he has not only had much experience with ,president ,smith1 but he has proved himself true and faithful in all things committed to his charge1 until he was called to hold the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god in all the world1 in connection with the ,twelve4 ,he1 in connection with the ,twelve1 was the first to receive his endowment from the hands of the ,prophet and ,patriarch1 who have leaned upon him for years4 ,the ,twelve have acted with honor1 laboring both day and night1 making every sacrifice required of them2 leaving their homes1 families1 and country1 to establish the work of ,god1 and lay the foundation for the deliverance and redemption of ,israel4 ,and ,i can say with every sentiment of my heart1 and feeling of my soul1 as ,president ,young has said1 that if there be but ten men left1 who hang on to the truth1 to ,joseph and the ,temple1 and are willing to do right in all things1 let me be one of that number4 ,if it cost me my life to defend the truth of the everlasting gospel of the ,son of ,god1 and to build upon the great and mighty foundation which ,god has laid in this last dispensation and fulness of times1 through the instrumentality of ,his servant ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 ,seer1 and ,revelator1 ,i am willing to make the sacrifice4 ,i am ready to follow the example of those who have gone before me4 ,when my work is done1 ,i am ready to be offered1 if necessary4 ,i would rather see ten men seal a righteous testimony with their blood than to see one man turn traitor1 shed innocent blood and damn his own soul4 ,the object in living and laboring in the cause of ,god is to secure a part in the first resurrection1 eternal life1 and immortal glory4 ,a religion that is not worth maintaining at the expense of life is not worth having1 for he that will seek to save his life shall lose it1 and he that will lay down his life for ,my sake1 the same shall find it4 ,and again1 ,i will prove you1 whether you #fef will abide in ,my covenant1 even unto death1 saith the ,lord4 ,many of the patriarchs1 prophets1 ,jesus1 the apostles1 ,david1 ,joseph1 and ,hyrum1 and many others1 have sealed their testimony with their blood4 ,shall we1 then1 as elders of ,israel1 or ,latter-day ,saints1 back down1 fear1 tremble1 or give up the work1 because ,elder ,rigdon threatens to turn traitor or bring mobs upon us1 because he cannot made the ,church bow to his notion of things8 ,no1 ,god forbid6 ,it shows very clearly that he has not the spirit of ,christ2 for neither the ,lord nor one of ,his followers ever did such a thing2 and it is sufficient to open the mind of every ,saint to see where he stands4 ,as far as my faith1 prayers1 influence1 and labor will effect anything1 they will go to sustain ,president ,young1 and in connection with him the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 in holding the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god1 as they have been delivered unto them by revelation of ,jesus ,christ4 ,and ,i wish to say to all the elders of ,israel1 and to the ,saints of ,god1 that the time has come1 when we need a double portion of the spirit of ,joseph's ,god to rest upon us4 ,we should gird up our loins1 watch and be sober1 maintain the priesthood with dignity1 have the cause of ,god fully at heart1 labor faithfully for its promotion while the day lasts2 for night will soon come when no man can work4 ,we should practice virtue and holiness before the ,lord and shun the very appearance of evil4 ,we should enter our closets1 and call upon ,god for wisdom to direct us in every duty in life4 ,our object should be to preach the gospel of ,jesus ,christ to this generation1 and present those principles that will save the souls of men4 ,if there is any man in this ,church that does wrong1 that breaks the law of ,god1 it mattereth not what his standing may be1 whether among the ,twelve1 the high priests1 seventies1 or elders1 or in any other standing1 there is a tribunal that will reach his case in process of time4 ,there is authority before whom he can be tried4 ,therefore1 let no one turn against the cause of ,god1 and take the road to destruction1 on the plea that somebody has done wrong4 ,it is no excuse for you or me to do wrong because another does4 ,the soul that sins1 alone must bear the consequence4 ,should ,i step aside from the path of duty it would not destroy the #feg gospel of ,jesus ,christ1 or even one principle of eternal truth2 it would remain the same4 ,neither would it be any excuse for you to commit sin4 ,therefore1 let me exhort all elders of ,israel and ,saints of ,god to rise up in the majesty and dignity of their calling1 and make full proof of their ministry and covenant4 ,sustain by your works the authorities1 keys1 and priesthood2 the eyes of ,god1 angels and men are over you1 and when the work is finished1 you will receive your just recompense4 ,w4 ,,woodruff4 #feh ,appendix ,b4 7,millennial ,star1 ,vol4 #f1 p4 #aac47 ,to the ,officers and ,members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints in the ,british ,islands1 ,greeting3 ,beloved ,brethren1 whom ,i love1 for the truth's sake that dwelleth in you4 ,it is with no ordinary feelings that ,i reflect upon the responsibility that is resting upon me1 as ,i enter upon my duties as a servant of ,jesus ,christ1 and a counselor to ,his ,saints1 in endeavoring to fill so important a station as is required at my hands4 ,trusting in that ,god who has sustained ,his servants in every age of the world1 from the death of righteous ,abel to ,joseph1 and has enabled them to accomplish every work which ,he has required of them1 ,i feel moved upon by the spirit of ,god to join again my brethren in this land1 for the purpose of assisting them in their labors in every good word and work4 ,i hope ,i shall share in their fellowship and confidence1 and be sustained by the prayer of faith1 that when called upon ,i may be enabled to render a satisfactory account of my stewardship1 both unto my brethren1 and to ,god to whom ,i am accountable for all my actions4 ,impressed with a realizing sense that you desire a true statement of facts concerning the present position1 prospects1 and intentions of the ,church in ,america1 ,i will endeavor to make one in this epistle4 ,many important events have transpired in ,america since ,i took the parting hand of the ,saints in this land1 and1 in company with six of the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 and ,elders ,hedlock and ,burnham1 set sail in #ahda for our native country4 ,recent events have brought both joy and sorrow to our hearts4 ,they have brought joy unspeakable because of that light1 intelligence1 and glory which have been made manifest in the revelation of ,jesus ,christ1 through the mouth of ,his #fei prophet1 for the salvation and exaltation of the sons of men4 ,they have brought sorrow in the loss of our beloved ,prophet and ,patriarch1 who have sealed their testimony with their blood1 under the threat that though the laws of the land could not reach them1 powder and ball should4 ,beloved brethren1 think not that any new or strange thing has happened in this nineteenth century2 because saints1 apostles1 patriarchs1 or prophets are slain for the word of ,god and testimony of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the same thing has happened to the ancient patriarchs1 prophets1 and apostles of ,god4 ,the ,lamb of ,god ,himself was no exception4 ,whenever such men have been inspired by the ,almighty to lay the foundation of any dispensation for the salvation of men1 or for the benefit of the generation in which they lived1 or have come in contact with the notions1 traditions1 and superstitions of the inhabitants of the earth1 the people have driven them into the wilderness1 or into caves of the earth1 and persecuted them even unto death1 however careful the prophets may have been to keep the laws both of ,god and man4 ,this was the case with ,jesus ,christ who held the keys of salvation1 not only of the ,jews but of the whole world4 ,he was persecuted from ,his baptism to the cross4 ,all manner of evil was spoken against ,him falsely1 and in ,his last hour1 when no testimony could be brought against ,him1 ,pilate was convinced of ,his innocence1 and found no fault in ,him4 ,as a testimony he washed his hands in their sight1 declaring himself to be innocent of ,his blood4 ,yet the multitude cried out1 ,crucify ,him1 crucify ,him2 ,his blood be upon us1 and upon our children4 ,accordingly ,his blood has been upon that nation from generation to generation4 ,his blood brought upon them condemnation for eighteen hundred years1 during which time they have had to suffer for shedding the blood of the ,lord's ,anointed4 ,in like manner it may be said of the ,prophet of ,god in this dispensation4 ,he has had to flee into the wilderness1 to the mountains and caves of the rocks from time to time1 to evade the pursuit of his persecutors1 that he might finish the work committed to his charge4 ,he suffered many trials and hardships1 was stoned and mobbed1 was often put in chains and #ffj prison4 ,he was tormented by upwards of forty vexatious lawsuits and trials2 yet he was not in one instance condemned by the laws of the land4 ,under the pledged protection of the ,governor and ,state of ,illinois1 ,joseph1 the ,prophet1 and his brother1 ,hyrum1 the patriarch1 were basely murdered by something like two hundred ,american citizens1 painted like ,indians4 ,i acknowledge1 my beloved brethren1 that ,i blush for my native land1 and for the name of freemen4 ,i blush for the name of ,christianity and civilization4 ,such deeds the wild savage of the woods would despise in his heart4 ,i have the consolation of believing that the innocent blood of the ,saints1 which has dyed the ,american soil for truth's sake1 will cry in the ears of the ,lord of ,sabbaoth1 until the abettors and perpetrators of such horrid tragedies will have to pay the price of the blood of those righteous men whom they have martyred4 ,should any of the ,saints have formed an opinion that the apostles1 prophets1 or saints of ,god in the last days would not seal their testimony with their blood1 ,i wish to mark it as an error by citing testimony upon the subject4 ,john the ,revelator1 while wrapped in the visions of the ,almighty1 saw events that were to transpire in the last days1 before the second advent of the ,messiah2 and in the opening of the fifth seal1 he saw under the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of ,god1 and for the testimony which they held2 and when they asked how long before the ,lord would judge and avenge their blood on those that dwelt on the earth1 they were informed they must rest for a little season until their fellow-servants and brethren should be killed as they were4 ,rev4 vi4 #i1 #aj1 #aa4 ,again1 ,john said1 in pouring out the plagues upon the earth1 xvi4 #c1 that he poured out his phial upon the sea1 and it became as the blood of a dead man1 and every living soul died in the sea2 and the third angel poured out his phial upon the rivers and fountains of waters1 and they became blood2 and the angel said the ,lord was righteous in so doing1 for they have shed the blood of saints and prophets1 and thou hast given them blood to drink1 for they are worthy4 ,some may say1 it was in the days of ,jesus ,christ that this was fulfilled1 but it was not so2 for ,john lived after1 and saw #ffa things that should come to pass in the future2 and that in the last days the waters were to be turned into blood1 because they had shed the blood of prophets and of saints4 ,john also speaks of two other witnesses in ,judea that were to be slain2 and how many others of the servants of ,god may be called to seal their testimony with their blood before the coming of ,christ1 it is not for me to say4 ,the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants conveys the idea that the ,prophet1 ,joseph ,smith1 might be called to lay down his life4 ,see page #abf1 last of the first paragraph2 also page #aei1 fourth paragraph1 ,behold1 ,i will give you eternal life1 even if you should be slain4 ,page #bcg1 third paragraph1 ,i have decreed in my heart1 saith the ,lord1 that ,i will prove you in all things1 whether you will abide in my covenant even unto death1 that you may be found worthy4 ,hence1 instead of the death of the ,prophet being contrary to the word of ,god1 it is evidently in fulfillment of prophecy and the revelations of ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,prophet ,joseph was fully aware1 for months before his death1 that his work was about finished on the earth4 ,i draw this conclusion from the testimony of his own mouth1 in his addresses both public and private4 ,on the #afth of ,april1 #ahdd1 while delivering an address in the ,temple in ,nauvoo1 upon the death of ,elder ,lorenzo ,barnes1 whose body lies interred at ,idle1 near ,bradford1 ,yorkshire1 he remarked that when he died he wished to have an honorable burial with his father and the ,saints in ,nauvoo4 ,he plainly declared that he wished his body to lie beside his father in ,nauvoo2 for he considered ,nauvoo would be a burial place for the ,saints4 ,again1 months before he made the above request1 while delivering an interesting address before the ,female ,relief ,society of ,nauvoo1 he said1 as he had this opportunity1 he was going to instruct the ,society1 and point out the way for them to conduct themselves1 that they might act according to the will of ,god4 ,he said that he did not know that he should have many opportunities of teaching them1 as they were going to be left to themselves2 that they would not have him to instruct them2 that the ,church would not have his instructions long2 that the world would not be troubled with him a great while1 nor have his teachings2 #ffb that he would deliver the keys to others2 and that1 according to his prayers1 ,god had appointed him elsewhere4 ,the ,prophet called the ,quorum of the ,twelve together several months before his death1 and informed them that the ,lord had commanded him to hasten their endowments2 that he did not expect to remain himself to see the ,temple completed2 that he wished to confer the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god upon other men1 that they might build up the ,church and ,kingdom according to the pattern given4 ,the ,prophet stood before the ,twelve from day to day1 clothed with the spirit and power of ,god1 and instructed them in the oracles of ,god1 in the pattern of heavenly things1 in the keys of the ,kingdom1 in the power of the priesthood1 and in the knowledge of the last dispensation of the fulness of times4 ,in his last charge to the ,quorum of the ,twelve1 he rose up in all the majesty1 strength1 and dignity of his calling1 as a prophet1 seer1 and revelator1 out of the loins of ancient ,joseph1 and exhorted and commanded the brethren of the ,twelve to rise up1 and go forth in the name of ,israel's ,god1 and bear off the keys of the ,kingdom of ,god in righteousness and in honor in all the world4 ,they were instructed to walk in all holiness1 godliness1 faith1 virtue1 temperance1 patience1 and charity2 to do honor to the cause of ,god in this last dispensation and fulness of times2 and when their work was finished1 to follow his example by boldly sealing their testimony with their blood1 for the word of ,god1 and the testimony of ,jesus ,christ1 if necessity required it1 that they might be prepared for the reward1 which is beyond the veil4 ,those who were present on those occasions cannot forget the teachings that fell from the lips of that noble1 but now martyred ,prophet of ,god4 ,though his body sleeps in the tomb1 his testimony lives1 not only in the hearts of men1 but is on record and will remain in force1 while his persecutors will reap a just reward for all their works4 ,and ,i hereby bear my testimony unto all men into whose hands these lines may fall1 that ,i have been acquainted with ,joseph1 and ,hyrum ,smith1 the ,prophet and the ,patriarch of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints2 have attended their private and public counsels from time #ffc to time1 during the last ten years of my life2 and notwithstanding their enemies have caused the earth to be deluged1 as it were1 with lies1 slanders1 and fabrications1 with the intent to injure their character and destroy their influence among men2 that ,i have never heard either of those men teach1 counsel1 or advocate1 or practice any principle that was contrary to the word of ,god1 virtue1 or temperance1 or unbecoming men standing in their high and holy calling4 ,on the contrary1 ,i have been astonished at the patience1 forbearance1 long-suffering1 philanthropy1 and charity manifested in the lives of those men4 ,i have been filled with joy by the beauty1 order1 knowledge1 principles1 intelligence1 and glory manifest in the teachings1 counsels1 and revelations of ,jesus ,christ given through those servants of ,god1 for the benefit of the children of men in this last dispensation4 ,soon after the ,quorum of the ,twelve received their endowment1 according to the counsel of the ,prophet1 they left ,nauvoo 7except two7 on a mission to the ,eastern ,states4 ,they had not been long gone ere the persecutors of the ,saints were exceedingly mad against them1 and sought to find accusation against the ,prophet1 that they might put him to death4 ,at length the ,governor and officers of the ,state of ,illinois having pledged themselves to protect from violence the ,prophet and his brother1 ,hyrum1 the latter gave themselves up in answer to the charges of their enemies4 ,they took the parting hand of their aged mother1 bid adieu to wife and children1 and left in the lovely city of ,nauvoo a circle of many thousands of friends who were ready to lay down their lives in the defense of their leaders4 ,they went without either warrant or officer1 accompanied by two of the ,twelve1 and a few other friends4 ,they rode nearly twenty miles into the camp of their enemies1 to the town of ,carthage4 ,before entering the town1 the ,prophet exclaimed3 ,i go as a lamb to the slaughter1 ,i am innocent of the crimes whereof ,i am accused1 ,i die with a conscience void of offense towards ,god and towards men4 ,i need not enter upon the details of the horrible tragedy committed against our lamented brethren1 as you have had all #ffd the particulars laid before you2 suffice it to say that then fell two as noble men as ever dwelt in flesh in this generation2 thus were broken the pledged faith and the honor of the ,governor and of the ,state of ,illinois2 thus were the laws and institutions of ,america disgraced in the eyes of the nations of the earth2 and the cup of her iniquity filled that she might be prepared for judgment4 ,when the report of these things reached the ,quorum of ,twelve1 most of whom were in the ,eastern ,states1 some fifteen hundred miles from the city of ,nauvoo1 we came together in the city of ,boston1 and made preparations for an immediate return to our homes in ,nauvoo4 ,any portion of a veil that remained over our eyes concerning any sayings of the ,prophet about his being taken away from us1 etc41 was now taken off1 and we not only saw clearly1 but felt deeply in our hearts1 the meaning of many of his sayings1 while in our midst4 ,we started together1 and in about twelve days1 we were again on the soil of ,nauvoo4 ,but how great the change1 now many thousands of the ,saints were in mourning for their lost friends1 who had as it were1 laid down their lives for them2 and even the heavens over our heads seemed brooding with gloom over the spilt blood of the ,prophets4 ,we ourselves would have been glad of the opportunity to set our houses in order1 to mourn for the martyred ,prophets for thirty days1 as ,israel did for ,moses1 and then to rise up1 wash our faces1 anoint our heads1 and go about our ,master's business4 ,we were even deprived of that privilege2 for aspiring spirits1 who are ever ready to rise up on such occasions1 were already active4 ,the most conspicuous was ,sidney ,rigdon4 ,the history of his claim you have already had laid before you in the ,times and ,seasons1 and in the ,star4 ,his course was such that of necessity we had to commence ,church business the day following our arrival in the ,city4 ,many spirits have gone out into the world of late4 ,one of them was plainly manifested in the editors who predicted that as the ,prophet was dead1 the work of the ,latter-day ,saints was ended4 ,they thought the ,saints would disperse1 and the cause fall away and die4 ,they might as well have said the same thing after the crucifixion of ,christ1 have declared that because ,he was dead1 ,his testimony would die1 and ,his apostles desert the #ffe cause1 and the work fall to the ground to rise no more4 ,his testimony just began to be in force4 ,his apostles1 having the keys of the kingdom1 walked up into their calling1 and magnified the work1 three thousand souls uniting with them in one day1 while the work spread far and wide4 ,so will it be in this case2 the testimony of the late martyred ,prophets will now be in force2 the principles of light1 knowledge1 and glory that have flowed from their lips1 are too firmly established in the hearts of thousands of the ,saints to die1 but on the contrary must live and bring forth fruit to the honor and glory of ,god4 ,the fires of eternal truth have burned too long and too deep into the flesh and bones of the ,twelve ,apostles of this dispensation to be quenched by anything but death1 neither will they permit them to turn from their course1 to spend their time in the vocations of merchandising1 farming1 or fishing4 ,a double portion of the spirit of ,god1 and the power of the priesthood will rest upon the elders of ,israel as they go forth into the vineyard1 until tens of thousands will rejoice in the fulness of the gospel of the ,son of ,god4 ,we found this kind of spirit and feeling resting upon the ,saints upon our return to ,nauvoo4 ,truly they were called to mourn1 but they had by no means lost their faith4 ,on the contrary1 they were united1 if possible1 with a stronger tie4 ,as with the heart of one man1 they were ready to carry out every measure of the work of ,god1 according to the pattern and foundation laid by the ,prophet who had sealed the work with his life4 ,on the second day after our arrival1 ,august #hth1 #ahdd1 we met in a special conference all the quorums1 authorities1 and members of the ,church1 that could assemble in ,nauvoo4 ,they were addressed by ,elder ,brigham ,young1 the ,president of the ,quorum of ,twelve4 ,it was evident to the ,saints that the mantle of ,joseph had fallen upon him1 the road that he pointed out could be seen so plainly1 that none need err therein4 ,the spirit of wisdom and counsel attended all his teachings1 he struck upon a chord1 with which all hearts beat in unison4 ,he was followed by a number of the ,twelve and others1 who spoke to the point in an edifying manner1 and at the close of #fff the conference1 a number of resolutions were adopted4 ,the following proposition was then submitted3 ,do the ,saints want the ,twelve to stand at the head1 as the ,first ,presidency of the ,church1 and at the head of this kingdom in all the world1 and next to ,joseph1 walk up into their calling1 hold the keys of this kingdom1 and preside over all the affairs of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ1 of ,latter-day ,saints in all the world8 ,all that are in favor of this in all the congregations of the ,saints make it manifest by holding up the right hand4 ,at once there was a sea of hands1 a unanimous vote4 ,a contrary vote was called1 and not a hand was raised in a congregation of about fifteen thousand ,saints4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 himself1 who was present1 did not vote against it1 but1 ,i think1 in favor of it4 ,confidence and order were firmly established from that hour4 ,the two oldest bishops were appointed by the ,twelve as trustees-in-trust for the ,temple4 ,the walls of the ,temple arose much faster than ever before4 ,the laborers upon that house manifested a determination not to leave it until it was finished1 even if they obtained nothing but their daily bread for their reward4 ,the ,quorum of the ,twelve immediately entered upon their duties by organizing all the quorums of the ,church according to the order of ,god1 and carrying out all the views and principles of the ,prophet and ,patriarch1 according to the pattern given them in laying the foundation of this great and mighty work4 ,they have organized the churches in ,north ,america into districts and conferences similar to the organization which they formed with the ,saints in ,great ,britain4 ,they have organized twelve quorums of the seventies1 seven presidents to each quorum1 who will be prepared after the endowment to go forth unto all nations1 bearing glad tidings unto the children of men4 ,when the ,quorum of the ,twelve met in council1 it seemed wisdom in ,god1 that some one of them should visit the churches in ,britain2 the lot fell upon me1 as you will see from the recommendations of ,president ,brigham ,young to visit the churches of ,europe4 ,and according to appointment1 after passing with my family through all the fatigues and dangers of a journey and voyage of six thousand miles1 ,i am again in your midst2 and ,i am happy to be able to inform you that the progress of the work of the #ffg ,lord1 and the welfare of the ,saints1 have never been in as prosperous a condition as at the present time1 in the ,united ,states generally4 ,all letters and papers up to the latest date from ,nauvoo confirm this statement2 peace1 union1 order1 and industry prevail4 ,great exertions are made by the ,saints to establish manufactures in various branches1 that all may be employed1 and have their wants supplied4 ,the ,temple is being rapidly completed4 ,perhaps some may think that ,i ought to embody in this address a minute account of the thousand stories and rumors that have been put in circulation by our enemies against the ,prophet1 ,patriarch1 the ,twelve1 and the ,saints at large4 ,in answer1 ,i say1 that if it were the first time that the followers of ,god were spoken evil of1 and every wicked slander that could be devised put forth against them1 ,i should consider it to be a new thing under the sun4 ,i would spend more time in writing about it2 but as every man 7according to the ,scriptures7 that will follow ,christ will be hated by the world1 and have all manner of evil spoken against him1 and as the ,saints may look for it1 ,i will give it a passing notice4 ,john ,c4 ,bennett1 and many other enemies and apostates have counseled together in order to get up those stories and falsehoods that would have a tendency to injure the ,saints1 and to prejudice the minds of the community against them1 without any regard to truth4 ,in this way thousands of reports and stories have been set afloat1 many of them so ridiculous and foreign to reason or to common sense1 that none could believe them2 and one would think that the devil himself would be ashamed of such agents4 ,as to the career of ,mr4 ,sidney ,rigdon1 ,i would say1 that his late views1 opinions1 and course1 have been so foreign and diverse from that of the late ,prophet1 and from the faith of the ,saints1 that he has had but very little influence1 except with a few uneasy spirits who were aspiring after something else than doing the will of ,god4 ,if we have been rightly informed1 even that influence is dying away2 and ,i have no doubt that when ,mr4 ,rigdon comes to reflect upon the course he has taken1 he will deeply regret having entertained those measures which will end like air castles1 in disappointment4 ,but1 beloved brethren1 you may rest assured that the ,quorum of the ,twelve is determined to carry out the order and #ffh principles of the ,church1 according to the law of ,god4 ,they will take a decided stand against every principle or practice manifest in the ,church contrary to the law of ,god1 of reason1 revelation1 virtue1 or holiness4 ,they are men who have taken upon them the name of ,christ with full purpose of heart4 ,they have labored diligently and faithfully all the day long1 from the beginning1 to establish the foundation of the fulness of the gospel1 and plant the principles of eternal truth among the nations4 ,many of them have been in your midst1 their labors and their diligence you have witnessed4 ,they have spared no pains or sacrifice in planting the work throughout this realm4 ,they are still willing to labor and spend their lives in the cause4 ,they desire greatly that the ,temple shall be finished1 that the ,saints may receive their endowments1 and save themselves and their friends2 and that the elders of ,israel may go forth clothed with the power of ,god4 ,the ,twelve are not alone in their feelings in this important work4 ,the high priests1 seventies1 elders1 and ,saints1 as one body1 throughout ,america1 are inspired by the same spirit1 and are ready as one man to sustain the ,quorum of the ,twelve by their faith1 prayers1 confidence1 and works1 and carry out those glorious principles and measures1 the foundation of which was laid by the martyred ,prophets of ,god4 ,while union is strength1 knowledge is power2 and while the work is in the hands of such men1 whose motive is to build up the ,kingdom of ,god1 promote the gospel of ,jesus ,christ in its purity1 and save the souls of men1 we have no fear that the work will not prosper2 that light and truth will not prevail2 the name of ,god will not be glorified2 and that the ,saints will not be prepared for exaltation beyond the veil4 ,having thus far dwelt upon the cause in ,america1 ,i will now turn my attention to the officers and ,saints in this land4 ,it has been a source of much consolation to me since my arrival1 to hear the report of the union1 faith1 and determination of the ,saints in general1 in the various conferences1 scattered abroad through the ,british ,islands4 ,i rejoice1 beloved brethren1 to learn that the same spirit is animating your bosoms1 that manifests itself amongst the ,saints in ,nauvoo4 ,i am fully persuaded that those who were appointed as your presidency in this land2 viz1 ,elders #ffi ,hedlock1 and ,ward1 have had much of the spirit of wisdom1 prudence1 and counsel in all their measures in your midst2 they have had grace and strength according to their day1 and have been faithful over those things committed to their charge4 ,i am also happy to learn that the work is in a prosperous condition in ,london1 under the wise and faithful teachings of ,elder ,davis2 also of its prosperity in ,scotland1 under the superintendence of ,elder ,john ,cairns1 who is now gone to ,america4 ,i also find ,elders ,stratton1 ,sheets1 ,meynell1 and a number of other elders well employed4 ,elders ,clark1 ,jones1 ,holmes1 and ,hardy1 who accompanied me from ,america1 are now in the field4 ,elder ,jones has gone to ,wales both to preach and to print in the ,welsh language1 and with the grace of ,god and united exertion of all the laboring elders throughout the land1 ,i expect ere long we shall reap a rich harvest of souls4 ,it is my intention to visit the various conferences throughout the kingdom as soon as circumstances will permit4 ,beloved brethren1 there are several subjects which weigh upon my mind1 and ,i beg your attention while ,i present them before you4 ,the first that presents itself is the ,temple of ,god1 which ,he has commanded ,his ,saints in all the world to build unto ,his holy name4 ,i believe all that it is necessary for the ,saints in ,europe is to understand this subject in its true light1 in order to bring forth their tithes and offerings unto the storehouse of ,god1 in such a manner that ,he will open the windows of heaven1 and pour you out a blessing that there will not be room enough to contain it4 ,i am not zealous in urging this matter upon our friends in this country1 because ,i have any fears that the ,temple of ,god cannot be built2 for ,i verily believe that if there should not a farthing be sent from this land1 or even the ,united ,states1 that the ,saints in ,nauvoo would never cease their work1 diligence1 and labors1 until they saw the finishing stroke adorn that ,temple2 but1 why1 ,o ye ,saints of ,god in ,europe1 should we stand still1 withhold out tithes and offerings1 and see our brethren in ,nauvoo build that ,temple1 and then like ,jacob1 of old1 secure alone unto themselves the promised blessings6 ,may ,god forbid1 rather let all the ,saints throughout the #fgj world send up their tithes1 with their names to be recorded in the ,book of the ,law of the ,lord4 ,by so doing they will not only keep the commandments of the ,lord1 but will own their share in the ,house1 and have a right to all the promised blessings1 ordinances1 oracles1 and endowments which will not only benefit them1 but their posterity to the latest generation4 ,i trust1 therefore1 that all the presiding elders will make an exertion to have all the churches continue their tithes4 ,send the name of each individual with the money to us in ,liverpoool1 that we may record the same in a book1 and keep a copy with us1 and also send a copy of the same with the money to ,nauvoo1 that it may be recorded in the book of the ,law of the ,lord4 ,i wish the ,female ,society1 in all the branches1 to continue their subscriptions for the ,temple until it is finished4 ,let their money and names be brought together the same as all other tithes and offerings1 that1 when the ,temple is finished1 the whole amount they have paid may stand opposite their names in the ,book of the ,law of the ,lord1 that it may be known who are the owners of the ,house4 ,i wish it to be distinctly understood1 that collections of every description for the ,temple1 in this land1 whether from ,church1 individuals1 or from the ,female ,society1 should be brought with their names to us here in ,liverpool1 that it may go through the proper channel1 that our records may show that all things are done according to the order of ,god4 ,the circulation of the works published by the ,latter-day ,saints is also a subject ,i deem of importance4 ,i hope the officers and members will use their influence in circulating the ,star1 and all other works1 as widely as possible4 ,it is wisdom for all the ,saints that can1 to secure carefully all the numbers of the ,star1 and at the end of the volume get them bound4 ,i here wish to remark that we have on hand at #cf ,chapel ,street1 ,liverpool1 several hundred copies of the fourth and fifth volumes of ,the ,times and ,seasons1 sent here by ,elder ,john ,taylor4 ,these volumes contain many precious and important documents--the history of the persecution1 the trials and acquittals of the ,prophet before the courts of ,illinois2 many letters and teachings of the ,prophet2 also1 a full account of the late murder of our brethren4 ,in them will be found #fga also much of the history connected with the rise and progress of the ,church4 ,it is not expected that they will ever be reprinted1 and when these copies are disposed of they cannot be obtained4 ,i hope the ,saints1 as far as they can1 will secure a copy of this work1 that they may leave with their posterity an account of the rise and progress of the ,church1 which has been attended with so many scenes of vast interest4 ,we shall probably publish the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants in ,england1 as soon as circumstances will permit4 ,emigration will continue to ,nauvoo1 or other parts of ,america1 according to the circumstances and desires of the ,saints4 ,we shall endeavor to establish an agency in ,new ,orleans1 and also in ,new ,york1 and no pains will be spared to make the ,saints that wish to emigrate as comfortable as possible4 ,that all may understand alike and act in unison in ,church matters1 among all the conferences throughout this country1 ,i would say1 that whenever any member of the ,church is to be tried for any transgression or difficulty1 after he has been dealt with according to the laws of the ,church1 that the accuser present his charge in writing in a comprehensible manner1 before the council of the officers of the branch to which the accused belongs4 ,the presiding elder of the branch will sit as president1 and decide the case according to the testimony given and according to justice and righteousness before the ,lord4 ,the decision should afterwards be presented before the members of that branch1 and they be called upon to sanction the decision4 ,should there be any dissatisfaction with the decision given1 an appeal can be made to the quarterly conference1 by presenting an account of the testimony and decision accompanying the appeal4 ,the presiding elder of the quarterly conference will preside1 and decide the case according to the testimony given4 ,if an elder1 presiding over any branch of the ,church should transgress1 charges can be brought against him before the quarterly conference1 and he can there be tried4 ,if either party be dissatisfied there can be an appeal made to the general or yearly conference1 by presenting the testimony1 and the decision given1 and the president of all the conferences in the realm will sit in judgment on the case1 and decide according to testimony1 which #fgb will be an end of controversy concerning the matter4 ,if a presiding elder over a quarterly conference shall transgress1 charges can be preferred against him before the general conference1 and he can be tried4 ,if the president over the whole ,church in any realm shall transgress1 he can be tried before the general authorities of the ,church assembled in ,nauvoo1 or wherever they be assembled2 so that there is no member exempt in all the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,all these decisions must be made in all lowliness of heart1 in righteousness and truth before ,god4 ,i would earnestly exhort all the elders or other officers of the ,church that stand up to teach the people1 not to forget the first principles of the gospel2 and to seek by faith1 prayer and humility1 to obtain wisdom1 and the spirit of ,god to dictate in all your labors4 ,wisdom is one of the greatest gifts of ,god1 and the voice of wisdom will not tell us to spend our time in warring against the sects of the day4 ,opposing the opinions of men2 ridiculing the religions that surround us1 thereby closing the ears of the hearers2 and closing up the understanding of men against light and truth1 are not wisdom4 ,the opinions and religions of other men are as dear unto them as ours are unto us4 ,oh ye elders of ,israel6 let salvation be your text in meekness and humility4 ,let the power of eternal truth1 wisdom1 light1 and knowledge that are hidden in the first principles of the gospel of the ,son of ,god be brought forth4 ,you can be instrumental in saving the souls of men1 and they will rejoice with yourselves that they have beheld the light4 ,we should never get away from the gospel1 or leave it to preach something that is foreign to our calling1 or be contentious about words to no purpose4 ,every tree is known by its fruit4 ,if we are faithful before the ,lord1 pursue a wise and prudent course1 good fruit will be sure to follow our labors4 ,and lastly1 ,i wish most strongly to urge upon all officers and members of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints throughout this realm1 that they strictly observe and abide by the laws of the land4 ,so long as the government protects our lives1 persons1 and property--guarantees unto us the rights of conscience in common with its subjects1 it is perfectly right that we should be submissive to the laws of the same4 ,we should #fgc honor and respect the ,queen of the ,realm1 with all the officers of government in their respective stations4 ,we shall then be following the example of our ,lord and ,master1 who was ready to render unto ,caesar the things that were ,caesar's1 and unto ,god things that were ,god's2 and any course of conduct contrary to this cannot be sustained by the authorities of this ,church4 ,i wish the ,saints generally to understand that ,i have made choice of ,elders ,hedlock and ,ward as counselors in presiding over and conducting the affairs of the ,kingdom of ,god in this portion of the vineyard2 and ,i hope1 in conjunction with them1 to be able to visit most of the conferences as early as possible4 ,by way of conclusion ,i would exhort all the ,saints that they unitedly observe the sayings of the ,lord1 as recorded in the twelfth1 thirteenth1 and fourteenth verses of the fifteenth chapter of ,john4 ,if we love one another as ,christ loves us1 we can easily settle all difficulties that may arise in our midst1 forgive one another1 and be filled with mercy1 and light1 love1 joy1 union1 peace1 and fellowship4 ,there will then be the stability among us1 and we shall be much better in the sight of ,god1 angels1 and men1 than when pettyfogging over the faults of our brethren4 ,i especially desire that all the officers of the ,church may rightly consider their calling1 and make full proof of their ministry2 bear off the priesthood with dignity and honor2 be wise shepherds that will feed the flocks2 prove a blessing to thousands of the human family2 and clear their garments of the blood of all men4 ,i desire that they prove themselves true and faithful2 and be approved in the sight of heaven2 be acknowledged the sons of ,god2 and be prepared for all those blessings that await the friends of ,god both in time and eternity4 ,this is the sincere prayer1 before ,god1 of your servant and fellow laborer in the new and everlasting covenant4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 #fgd ,appendix ,c4 ,,storm ,,on ,,lake ,,michigan4 ,we left ,manitou ,island1 ,lake ,michigan1 at #d o'clock p4 m4 ,september #be1 #ahda1 on the steamer ,chesapeake1 which contained three hundred passengers1 six of whom were members of the ,church1 a large quantity of freight and coal1 eighty cords of wood1 eighty mules1 besides pigs1 chickens1 geese1 ducks1 etc4 ,we continued our journey towards ,chicago without any interruption1 until half-past eleven p4 m41 when we were overtaken by a tremendous storm of wind and rain2 it blew a hurricane1 and the lake became as rough as it could be by the force of wind1 and such a scene as quickly followed ,i never before witnessed in my travels1 either by land or sea4 ,the captain1 officers1 hands1 and most of the passengers expected to go to the bottom of the lake4 ,to have judged from outward appearances ,i should think there were twenty chances of being lost to one of being saved1 yet ,i did not once expect to be lost1 for ,i believed the ,lord would by some means save me and my wife and child1 who were with me1 from a watery grave4 ,we were some forty miles from land when the gale struck us1 and ,i was awakened from a sound sleep by the cry1 ',we are all lost4' ,the first thought that entered my mind was1 ',no1 we shall not be lost4' ,i immediately leaped out of my berth and went to the upper deck4 ,i saw we were in imminent danger of being wrecked2 the bow of the boat was heavily laden1 and frequently engulfed by the heavy waves that washed over her2 there were judged to be fifty tons of water at a time on her bow2 at one time her bow ran under water1 and some thought she would never rise2 the water set the mules and all the live stock afloat2 washed away the partition2 and the mules1 pigs1 chickens1 ducks1 and geese1 were all hurled in one mass down into the steerage cabin1 mixed pell mell with sixty ,irish passengers1 men1 women1 and children2 at that moment the roaring of the wind1 the rush of the waters the peals of thunder1 #fge the flashes of lightning1 the braying of asses1 the squealing of pigs1 the quacking of ducks1 geese and chickens1 the praying1 screaming1 and swearing of men1 women and children1 created a confusion of sounds which rent the air1 and sent a gloomy thrill through the heart4 ,we immediately went to work1 and helped all the passengers out of the water1 and from among the beasts1 upon the deck1 so their lives were preserved1 while all the fowls1 pigs1 and part of the mules were drowned or killed2 many tons of water rushed through the boat1 until the water stood nearly to the boilers2 it drove the firemen from their places4 ,about this time1 when the boat was laboring against the wind and tide one of the wheel chains broke1 and the boat rolled over to one side4 ,i again heard the cry that 'all was lost1' but about thirty of us caught hold of the two detached pieces of chain and held them together until the engineer mended them with wire4 ,it took three strong men to manage the wheel2 while the boat lay upon her side1 it washed away a part of the state rooms2 orders were given to clear the boat of everything that was movable2 all the wood was fastened with stanchions2 on the side that was down1 the stanchions were knocked out by the passengers1 and forty cords of wood tumbled into the sea at one surge2 this caused the boat to right up1 and we expected every moment our state room would be washed away4 ,i left it three times with my wife and child1 and stepped upon the main deck1 expecting to see it washed away2 and to add to the horror of the situation we were wrapped in darkness1 as all the lanterns were dashed to pieces4 ,the men at the wheel labored hard for five hours to turn the boat round before they accomplished it1 so that they could run before the storm4 ,at length daylight appeared1 and with it a cessation of the storm in a measure4 ,we returned to ,manitou ,island at four o'clock1 being twenty-four hours out1 mostly in the storm4 #fgf ,appendix ,d4 ,,rationality ,,of ,,the ,,atonement4 7,millennial ,star1 ,vol4 #f1 p4 #acd47 ,a pamphlet has lately made its appearance in ,glasgow1 published by a member of our ,church holding the office of priest1 containing #bh pages1 headed ,a ,treatise on the ,atonement1 ,proving the ,necessity of ,christ's ,death for ,man's ,redemption ,neither ,scriptural nor ,reasonable4 ,by ,t4 ,s4 ,barr4 ,we are sorry to be under the necessity of occupying our time and pages in noticing a pamphlet bearing such an introduction1 as the production of a member of the ,church of ,christ4 ,we are sorry that any man1 bearing any portion of the authority of the holy priesthood1 should have his mind so much overcome by the powers of darkness1 as to stray so widely from the order and counsel of the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,it is not pleasing to present1 for the investigation of the public1 a heresy so much opposed to the revelations of ,god and to every principle of holiness4 ,our object in the present article will not be so much to refute the heretical doctrine advanced1 as to introduce a portion of the testimony in favor of the principle of redemption through the blood of ,christ1 with which the revelations of ,god so much abound1 in order that our views on the subject may be rightly understood by all1 and that the ,saints of ,god may be prepared to withstand the assaults of the grand enemy of man's salvation1 and to set the matter forever at rest in the minds of those who believe in the revelations of ,god4 ,we had fully expected that our repeated cautions against individuals publishing things without our sanction would be sufficient and save us the trouble of repeating the warning4 ,the neglect of the author to observe this counsel causes him to forfeit his authority and standing in the ,church of ,god1 until1 at least1 he has repented of his error4 ,in our perusal of the pamphlet1 we endeavored to find out the object of the author1 and the only reasonable conclusion we could #fgg arrive at was1 that it was a strained attempt on his part to display some talent and learning4 ,he is ambitious to make quotations from history1 heathen mythology1 and from the ,hebrew language4 ,but it would be far better for a man to be entirely divested of talents1 than to use them in endeavoring to prove the inefficiency of the atonement of ,christ1 and striking at the fundamental principle of salvation1 as he has done4 ,the author introduces himself to his readers by lamenting because of having to labor under great disadvantages while propounding what he conscientiously believes to be a correct solution of this very important subject1 as the views which he holds are diametrically opposed to those entertained by ,christians of almost all denominations2 at least 7he says7 since the foundation of the ,romish ,church until now1 the belief has been tenaciously adhered to amongst professors of religion1 that ,jesus ,christ came into the world to suffer an ignominious death for1 or instead of1 ,adam and his posterity4 ,we would remark that he would have labored under equal disadvantages1 as far as professors of the religion of heaven were concerned1 had he lived contemporary with the ,messiah ,himself and ,his apostles1 or at any period1 however remote1 subsequent to that time2 and that this doctrine was not one of the many false fabrications or dogmas of men introduced to make void the designs of ,god1 or lead the minds of the people away after seducing fables and doctrines of devils2 but that it was not only a theme on which the ancient prophets and servants of ,god delighted to dwell1 but the mainspring of all their hopes1 and the source from which they drew strength and support1 when called to pass through trials of an overwhelming nature2 to substantiate which we will make a few quotations from ,scripture4 ,the ,apostle ,paul1 after treating at some length on the faith with which the ancient worthies were endowed1 speaks of ,moses refusing the honors which ,pharaoh's daughter sought to confer upon him1 and esteeming the reproach of ,christ greater riches than the treasures in ,egypt2 for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward--,hebrews xi3 #bf4 ,and after enumerating the sufferings of others1 he informs us that their reason for not accepting deliverance was1 that they might obtain a better resurrection 7,hebrews xi3 #ce71 which could only be brought to pass #fgh through the redemption wrought out by the ,son of ,god1 as we shall be able fully to prove4 ,the same apostle1 in writing to the ,galatians1 endeavors to impress this doctrine upon their minds1 by proving that the law given through ,moses was introduced because of transgressions1 and was inadequate to accomplish their salvation1 but merely served as a schoolmaster to bring them to ,christ1 and that it could not disannul the covenant that was made before of ,god in ,christ 7,galatians iii3 #ag72 thereby proving that ,abraham and his successors were conversant with the gospel of ,christ and the doctrine of redemption through ,him4 ,and ,job1 while suffering under extreme agony1 seems to have been supported by this hope1 when he exclaims1 ,i know that my ,redeemer liveth1 and that ,he shall stand in the latter day upon the earth 7,job4 xix3 #be74 ,it is also evident that the faith of which they were in possession was efficacious1 for we are informed by ,matthew xxvii3 #eb1 that many of the ,saints which slept arose with ,christ at ,his resurrection1 who must of a necessity have been some of the prophets and saints who had lived prior to ,his coming4 ,moreover1 we would remark that unless this doctrine had been believed in by the ancients1 they were without the means of obtaining salvation2 for ,peter says 7,acts iv3 #ab71 there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved4 ,in fine1 the continuation of sacrifices from the days of ,abel to ,john was typical of the great and last sacrifice offered up in the person of ,jesus ,christ4 ,after this introduction1 the author labors to show the absurdity and unrighteousness of the doctrine that the ,almighty should require the very heart's blood of ,his own well-beloved ,son ,christ ,jesus1 to satiate ,his thirst for vengeance4 ,as far as we or our principles are concerned1 he might have saved himself this trouble1 as we do not believe that such was the object of ,god in the sacrifice of ,his ,son4 ,the ,scriptures are too explicit on this point to be misunderstood4 ,we are informed by the ,savior ,himself1 what object ,his ,father had in view in ,his coming into the world4 ,for ,god so loved the world1 that ,he gave ,his only begotten ,son1 that whosoever believeth in ,him should not perish1 but have everlasting life2 for ,god sent not ,his ,son into the world to condemn the world3 but that the world through ,him might be saved4 7,john iii3 #af-ag47 #fgi ,the revelations that ,god has given to man abundantly prove that ,god and the eternal worlds are governed by a celestial law2 and in order that man might enjoy the same glory with ,himself1 it was requisite that he should keep the same law1 that which is governed by law is also preserved by law1 and perfected and sanctified by the same1 etc41 etc4 7,doctrine and ,covenants1 ,section #g1 ,par4 #h72 but man1 having transgressed the law of ,god1 justly entailed upon himself the curse of this disobedience1 from which he was incapable of redeeming himself1 neither could any less than infinite sacrifice atone for his fall4 ,the effect of his disobedience1 it is well known1 was death1 and this curse has been hereditary to all the posterity of ,adam4 ,let it be borne in mind that man1 while submitting to this punishment1 does so without any inherent power1 independently in himself to accomplish his resurrection and restoration to the presence of ,god and ,his glory4 ,he is now under the jurisdiction and within the dominion of death1 and to achieve a victory over death it was necessary that some one more holy and pure than the being who had become the transgressor should enter into his dominion1 in order that he might thereby have that dominion destroyed2 and unless this be done1 the control which death will hold over mankind must be eternal4 ,it will require little argument to prove that the ,son of ,god was1 in every way1 competent to perform this task1 being pure1 holy1 and unspotted2 and that he was the individual appointed to accomplish this1 is fully substantiated by the testimony of ,john concerning him1 ,behold1 the ,lamb of ,god that taketh away the sin of the world 7,john i3 #bi71 that as in ,adam all die1 even so in ,christ shall all be made alive4 7,i ,corinthians xv3 #bb47 ,the next step taken by the author is to prove that it was unnecessary for ,jesus ,christ to shed ,his blood1 or that ,he came into the world at all to atone for the transgression of ,adam4 ,to use his own language--,now1 seeing that death1 misery1 pain1 and privations have been the legacy handed down in the human family from generation to generation1 ,i for my own part1 could not see any justice on the part of ,deity did ,he demand a victim in our stead4 ,can any person1 possessed of his reason1 after recounting the sufferings that ,adam and his children have undergone because of his and their own sin1 avoid coming to the conclusion that man has indeed suffered for himself4 ,and then1 after endeavoring to #fhj prove that because death has followed all men1 the atonement of ,christ was incompetent1 and did not accomplish the end for which it was intended1 he sums up by stating that the mission of ,messiah was1 merely to be a ,savior of men by becoming a preacher of righteousness1 and that ,he fell a martyr to the truth only1 as did the prophets who were slain previous to ,his coming4 ,with all his learning and self-sufficiency to attain to what he calls correct views of real heavenly theology1 he has proven himself1 through taking the foregoing stand1 either entirely ignorant of the ,scriptures1 or wilfully unacquainted with them1 as the following quotations will fully prove4 ,for this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins 7,mat4 xxvi3 #bh74 ,him1 being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of ,god1 ye have taken1 and by wicked hands have crucified and slain 7,acts ii3 #bc74 ,take heed therefore unto yourselves1 and to all the flock over which the ,holy ,ghost hath made you overseers1 to feed the ,church of ,god1 which ,he has purchased with ,his own blood 7,acts xx3 #bh74 ,being justified freely by ,his grace through the redemption that is in ,christ ,jesus2 whom ,god hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in ,his blood1 to declare ,his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past1 through the forebearance of ,god 7,romans iii3 #bd-e74 ,in whom we have redemption through ,his blood1 the forgiveness of sins1 according to the riches of ,his grace 7,ephesians i3 #g74 ,for it pleased the ,father that in ,him should all fulness dwell3 and having made peace through the blood of ,his cross1 by ,him to reconcile all things unto ,himself3 by ,him1 ,i say1 whether they be things in earth1 or things in heaven 7,colossians i3 #ai1 #bj74 ,so ,christ was once offered to bear the sins of many2 and unto them that look for ,him shall ,he appear without sin unto salvation 7,hebrews ix3 #bh74 ,then1 said ,i1 lo1 ,i come 7in the volume of the book it is written of me7 to do thy will1 ,o ,god2 by the which will we are sanctified to the offering of the body of ,jesus ,christ1 once for all 7,hebrews x3 #g-aj74 ,forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things1 as silver and gold1 from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers1 but with the precious blood of ,christ1 as of a lamb without a blemish and without a spot4 ,who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world1 but was manifest in these last times for you2 #fha who by him do believe in ,god that raised ,him up from the dead and gave ,him glory2 that your faith and hope might be in ,god 7,i ,peter i3 #ah-ba74 ,and he is the propitiation for our sins2 and not for ours only1 but also for the sins of the whole world 7,i ,john ii74 ,and from ,jesus ,christ1 who is the faithful witness1 and the first begotten of the dead1 and the ,prince of the kings of the earth4 ,unto ,him that loved us and washed us from our sins in ,his own blood 7,rev4 i3 #e74 ,having made the foregoing quotations from the ,new ,testament1 we shall next introduce a few1 on the same subject from the ,book of ,mormon 7first ,european edition74 ,and he also spake concerning the prophets1 how great a number had testified of these things1 concerning this ,messiah of whom he had spoken1 or this ,redeemer of the world4 ,wherefore1 all mankind were in a lost and fallen state1 and ever would be1 save they should rely on the ,redeemer 7,page #ai74 ,and ,i looked and beheld the ,lamb of ,god1 that ,he was taken by the people2 yea1 the ,son of the everlasting ,god was judged of the world2 and ,i saw and bear record4 ,and ,i1 ,nephi1 saw that ,he was lifted up upon the cross1 and slain for the sins of the world 7,page #bc74 ,and the ,messiah cometh in the fulness of time that ,he may redeem the children of men from the fall4 ,and1 because that they are redeemed from the fall1 they have become free forever 7,page #ff74 ,behold1 my beloved brethren1 ,i speak unto you these things1 that ye may rejoice and lift up your heads forever1 because of the blessings which the ,lord ,god shall bestow upon your children4 ,for ,i know that ye have searched much1 many of you1 to know of things to come2 wherefore1 ,i know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die3 nevertheless1 in our bodies1 we shall see ,god4 ,yea1 ,i know that ye know1 that in the body ,he shall show ,himself unto those at ,jerusalem1 from whence we came2 for it is expedient that it should be among them2 for it behooveth the great ,creator that ,he suffered ,himself to become subject unto men1 in the flesh1 and die for all men1 that all men might become subject unto ,him4 ,for as death has passed upon all men1 to fulfill the merciful plan of the great ,creator1 there must needs be a #fhb power of resurrection1 and the resurrection must needs come unto men1 by reason of the fall2 and the fall came by reason of transgression2 and because man became fallen1 they were cut off from the presence of the ,lord2 wherefore1 it must needs be an infinite atonement2 save1 it should be an infinite atonement1 this corruption could not put on incorruption4 ,wherefore1 the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration4 ,and1 if so1 this flesh must have laid down to rot1 and to crumble to its mother earth1 to rise no more4 ,o1 the wisdom of ,god6 ,his mercy and grace6 ,for1 behold1 if the flesh should rise no more1 our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the eternal ,god1 and became the devil1 to rise no more4 ,and our spirits must have become like unto him1 and we become devil's angels to a devil1 to be shut out from the presence of our ,god1 and to remain with the father of lies1 in misery1 like unto himself3 yea1 to that being who beguiled our first parents2 who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light1 and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder1 and all manner of secret works of darkness4 ,o1 how great the goodness of our ,god1 who prepareth the way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster2 yea1 that monster1 death and hell1 which ,i call the death of the body1 and also the death of the spirit4 ,and because of the way of deliverance of our ,god1 the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 this death1 of which ,i have spoken1 which is the temporal1 shall deliver up its death3 which death is the grave4 ,and this death1 of which ,i have spoken1 which is the spiritual death1 shall deliver up its dead2 which spiritual death is hell3 wherefore1 death and hell must deliver up their dead1 and hell must deliver up its captive spirits1 and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies1 and the bodies and the spirits of men shall be restored one to the other2 and it is by the power of the resurrection of the ,holy ,one of ,israel4 ,o1 how great the plan of our ,god6 ,for1 on the other hand1 the paradise of ,god must deliver up the spirits of the righteous1 and the grave deliver up the bodies of the righteous2 and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again1 and all men become incorruptible and immortal1 and they are living souls1 having a perfect knowledge like unto us1 in the flesh2 save1 it be that our knowledge shall be perfect2 wherefore1 we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our gilt1 and our uncleanness1 #fhc and our nakedness2 and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment1 and their righteousness being clothed with purity1 yea1 even with a robe of righteousness 7,pages #hj-ha74 ,for1 behold1 my beloved brethren1 ,i say unto you1 that the ,lord ,god worketh not in darkness4 ,he doeth not anything1 save it be for the benefit of the world2 for ,he loveth the world1 even that ,he layeth down ,his own life1 that ,he may draw all men unto ,him 7,page #aab74 ,for1 behold1 and also ,his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of ,adam1 who have died1 not knowing the will of ,god concerning them1 or who have ignorantly sinned 7,page #afi74 ,for1 behold1 as in ,adam1 or by nature1 they fall1 even so the blood of ,christ atoneth for their sins1 and1 moreover1 ,i say unto you1 that there shall be no other name given1 nor any other way1 nor means1 whereby salvation can come unto the children of men1 only in and through the name of ,christ the ,lord ,omnipotent4 ,for1 behold1 ,he judgeth1 and ,his judgment is just2 and the infant perisheth not that dieth in ,his infancy2 but now men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children and believe that salvation was1 and is1 and is to come in and through the atoning blood of ,christ the ,lord ,omnipotent 7,page #agj74 ,for1 were it not for the redemption which ,he hath made for ,his people1 which was prepared from the foundation of the world1 ,i say unto you1 were it not for this1 all mankind must have perished4 ,but1 behold1 the bands of death shall be broken1 and the ,son reigneth and hath power over the death2 therefore1 ,he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead 7,page #aih74 ,yea1 concerning that which was to come1 and also concerning the resurrection of the dead1 and the redemption of the people1 which was to be brought to pass through the power and the sufferings and the death of ,christ1 and ,his resurrection and ascension into heaven 7,page #bjb74 ,and ,he will take upon ,him death1 that ,he may loose the bands of death which bind ,his people 7,page #bef74 ,now1 there is a death which is called a temporal death1 and the death of ,christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death1 that all shall be raised from this temporal death 7,page #bgj74 #fhd ,now1 ,aaron began to open the scriptures unto them concerning the coming of ,christ1 and also concerning the resurrection of the dead1 and that there could be no redemption for mankind1 save it were through the death and sufferings of ,christ1 and the atonement of ,his blood 7,page #cjc74 ,behold1 ,i say unto you1 that ,i do know that ,christ shall come among the children of men1 to take upon ,him the transgressions of ,his people1 and that ,he shall atone for the sins of the world2 for the ,lord ,god has spoken it2 for it is expedient that an atonement should be made2 for according to the great plan of the eternal ,god1 there must be an atonement made1 or else all mankind must unavoidably perish2 yea1 all are hardened2 yea1 all are fallen and are lost1 and must perish except it be though the atonement which it is expedient should be made2 for it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice2 yea1 not a sacrifice of man1 neither of beasts1 neither of any manner of fowl2 for it shall not be a human sacrifice2 but it must be infinite and eternal sacrifice4 ,now1 there is not any man that can sacrifice ,his own blood which will atone for the sins of another4 ,now1 if a man murdereth1 behold1 will our law1 which is just1 take the life of his brother8 ,i say unto you1 nay4 ,but the law requires the life of him who hath murdered2 therefore1 there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement1 which will suffice for the sins of the world2 therefore1 it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice1 and then1 shall there be1 or it is expedient there should be1 a stop to the shedding of blood2 then shall the law of ,moses be fulfilled2 yea1 it shall be fulfilled every jot and title1 and none shall have passed away4 ,and behold1 this is the whole meaning of the law2 every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice2 and that great and last sacrifice shall be the ,son of ,god2 yea1 infinite and eternal2 and thus ,he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on ,his name2 this being the intent of this last sacrifice1 to bring about the bowels of mercy1 which overpowereth justice1 and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance 7,pages #cda-b74 ,now the work of justice could not be destroyed2 if so1 ,god would cease to be ,god1 and thus we see that all mankind were fallen1 and they were in the grasp of justice2 yea1 the justice of ,god1 which consigns them forever to be cut off from ,his presence4 #fhe ,and now1 the plan of mercy cannot be brought about1 except an atonement should be made1 therefore1 ,god ,himself atoneth for the sins of the world1 to bring about the plan of mercy1 to appease the demands of justice1 that ,god might be a perfect1 just ,god1 and a merciful ,god also4 ,now1 repentance could not come unto men except there were a punishment which also was eternal1 as the life of the soul should be affixed opposite to the plan of happiness1 which was as eternal also as the life of the soul4 ,now1 how could a man repent except he should sin8 ,how could he sin if there was no law1 how could there be a law except there were punishment8 7,pages #cfb-c74 ,and it came to pass that ,he stretched forth ,his hand and spake unto the people1 saying3 ,behold1 ,i am ,jesus ,christ1 of whom the prophets testified shall come into the world1 and behold ,i am the light and the life of the world1 and ,i have drunk out of that bitter cup which the ,father hath given me1 and have glorified the ,father in taking upon me the sins of the world1 in the which ,i have suffered the will of the ,father in all things from the beginning 7,page #eac74 ,and my ,father sent me that ,i might be lifted up upon the cross1 and after that ,i had been lifted up upon the cross ,i might draw all men unto me 7,page #edg74 ,and because of the redemption of man1 which came by ,jesus ,christ1 they are brought back into the presence of the ,lord1 yea1 this is wherein all men are redeemed1 because the death of ,christ bringeth to pass the resurrection1 which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep1 from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of ,god when the trump shall sound2 and they shall come forth1 both small and great1 and all shall stand before ,his bar1 being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death 7,page #egh74 ,behold1 ,i am ,he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people 7,page #ehg74 ,and again1 if ye by the grace of ,god are perfect in ,christ1 and deny not ,his power1 then ye are sanctified in ,christ1 by the grace of ,god1 through the shedding of the blood of ,christ1 which is in the covenant of the ,father1 unto the remission of your sins1 that ye become holy without spot 7,page #fcd74 ,to conclude our evidence on this subject1 we shall make a few quotations from the ,book of ,doctrine and ,covenants4 ,i am ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 who was crucified for the #fhf sins of the world1 even as many as will believe on my name1 that they may become the sons of ,god1 even one in me1 as ,i am in the ,father1 and the ,father is one in me1 that we may be one 7,sec4 xi3 ,par4 #a74 ,and verily1 ,i say even as many as have believed on my name1 for ,i am ,christ1 and in my own name by the virtue of the blood which ,i have spilt have ,i pleaded before the ,father for them 7,sec4 xii1 ,par4 #a74 ,listen to ,him who is the advocate with the ,father1 who is pleading your cause before ,him1 saying1 ,father1 behold the sufferings and death of ,him who did no sin1 in whom thou wast well pleased2 behold the blood of thy ,son which was shed--the blood of ,him whom ,thou gavest that ,thyself might be glorified 7,sec4 xi1 ,par4 #a74 ,remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of ,god2 for behold1 the ,lord your ,redeemer suffered death in the flesh wherefore ,he suffered the pain of all men1 that all men might repent and come unto him4 7,sec4 xliii1 ,par4 #c71 ,for1 behold1 ,i ,god1 have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer if they would repent1 but if they would not repent1 they must suffer even as ,i1 which suffering caused myself1 even ,god1 the greatest of all1 to tremble because of pain1 and to bleed at every pore1 and to suffer both body and spirit1 and would that ,i might not drink the bitter cup and shrink--nevertheless1 glory be to the ,father1 and ,i partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men4 7,sec4 xliii2 ,par4 #b74 ,it is written1 that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established4 ,as we have quoted from many witnesses out of three records1 we trust it will have a tendency to enlighten1 not only the mind of the author of the pamphlet1 but all those who doubt the doctrine of atonement through the blood of ,christ4 ,it will have been fully established beyond all controversy1 from the flood of testimony1 which we have brought from the revelations of ,god1 given in various dispensations and ages of the world1 and in different parts of the globe1 that the object of ,christ's mission to the earth was to offer ,himself as a sacrifice to redeem mankind from eternal death1 and that it was perfectly in accordance with the will of the ,father that such a sacrifice should be made4 ,he acted strictly in obedience to ,his ,father's will in all #fhg things from the beginning1 and drank of the bitter cup given ,him4 ,herein is brought to light1 glory1 honor1 immortality1 and eternal life1 with that charity which is greater than faith or hope1 for the ,lamb of ,god1 has thereby performed that for man which he could not accomplish for ,himself4 ,as justice in the first place has had its claim1 and the words of ,god have been verified--,in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die--so1 on the other hand mercy has been extended1 and the love of ,god manifested in breaking the bands of death1 whereby the spirits and bodies of men are re-united1 the spirits of the just received in exaltation in the presence of ,god and the ,lamb--in the same tabernacles in which they toiled1 labored1 and suffered while on earth1 without which union it is impossible for the souls of men to receive the fulness of glory4 ,there is a glory connected with this that will be an eternal source of joy to every citizen of the celestial kingdom4 ,the spirits1 on the other hand1 of those who reject the gospel of ,christ and slight ,his proffered mercies1 must return to their bodies in the last resurrection to receive a fulness of their punishment in the same tabernacles in which they dwelt while warring against ,god4 ,we would hereby warn all men who may hear the sound of the words to repent of their sins and obey the gospel of the ,son of ,god1 that they may escape the punishment of those who have trodden under foot the ,son of ,god1 and have counted the blood of the covenant1 wherewith they were sanctified1 an unholy thing1 and have done despite unto the spirit of grace 7,heb4 x3 #bi71 and that they may have a part in the first resurrection1 and have their names written in the book of life of the ,lamb slain from the foundation of the world 7,rev4 xiii3 #h71 and be prepared to join in chanting the new song1 saying1 ,thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof1 for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to ,god by ,thy blood1 out of every kindred and tongue1 and people1 and nation2 and hast made us unto our ,god kings and priests1 and we shall reign on the earth 7,rev4 v3#i1 #aj74 ,we will now close with the words of ,jacob1 from the ,book of ,mormon1 page #adg3 ,behold1 will ye reject these words8 ,will ye reject the words of the prophets8 and will ye reject all the words which have been spoken concerning ,christ1 after so many have spoken concerning ,him2 and deny the good word of ,christ and the ,power of ,god1 and the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 and quench the #fhh ,holy ,spirit1 and make a mock of the great plan of redemption which has been laid for you8 ,know ye not that if ye will do these things1 that the power of the redemption and the resurrection which is in ,christ will bring you to stand with shame and awful guilt before the bar of ,god4 ,,wilford ,,woodruff1 ,president of the ,church of ,jesus ,christ of ,latter-day ,saints1 in the ,british ,isles4 ,,wives ,,of ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,,name ,,when ,,born ,,where ,,born ,,when ,,died ,,where ,,died ,,father',s ,,name ,,mother',s ,,maiden ,,name ,,when ,,married ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,phoebe ,whittemore ,carter ,woodruff,march #h1 #ahjg;,at ,scarboro1 ,maine ,nov4 #aj1 #ahhe,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,ezra ,carter ,sarah ,fabyan ,april #ac1 #ahcg ,mary ,ann ,jackson ,woodruff ,feb4 #ah1 #ahah,liverpool1 ,england ,oct4 #be1 #ahid;do ,william ,jackson ,elizabeth ,lloyd ,april ,april #ae1 #ahdf ,emma ,smith ,woodruff ,march #a1 #ahch;,adam-,ondi-,ahman4 ,daviess ,co41 ,mo4 ,samuel ,smith ,martisha ,smoot ,march #ac1 #ahec ,sarah ,brown ,woodruff ,jan4 #a1 #ahcd ,henderson1 ,jefferson ,co41 ,new ,york,may #i1 #aiji ,smithfield1 ,utah ,henry ,brown ,rhoda ,north ,march #ac1 #ahec ,sarah ,delight ,stocking ,woodruff ,july #bf1 #ahch;,canton1 ,hartford ,co41 ,conn4 ,may #bh1 #aijg ,south ,cottonwood1 ,utah,john ,jay ,stocking,catharine ,emilie ,ensign,july #ca1 #aheg ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,,children ,,of ,,wilford ,,woodruff4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ,,name ,,when ,,born ,,where ,,born ,,when ,,died ,,where ,,died ,,father',s ,,name ,,mother',s ,,maiden ,,name ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ,sarah ,emma ,woodruff ,july #ad1 #ahch ,scarboro1 ,maine ,july #ag1 #ahdj ,nauvoo1 ,illinois ,wilford ,woodruff,phoebe ,whittemore ,carter ,wilford ,woodruff1 ,jr4 ,march #bb1 #ahdj,montrose1 ,lee ,co41 ,iowa do do ,phoebe ,amelia ,woodruff ,march #d1 #ahdb ,nauvoo1 ,illinois do do ,susan ,cornelia ,woodruff ,july #be1 #ahdc do ,oct4 #f1 #ahig ,sioux ,city1 ,iowa do do ,joseph ,woodruff ,july #ah1 #ahde ,liverpool1 ,england ,nov4 #ab1 #ahdf ,winter ,quarters1 ,nebraskado do ,ezra ,woodruff ,dec4 #h1 #ahdf ,winter ,quarters1 ,nebraska,dec4 #aj1 #ahdf do do do ,sarah ,carter ,woodruff ,oct4 #bh1 #ahdg ,council ,bluffs1 ,iowa ,july #bb1 #ahdh ,illinois do do ,beulah ,augusta ,woodruff ,july #ai1 #ahea ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,jan4 #ac1 #aije ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah do do ,aphek ,woodruff ,jan4 #be1 #ahec do ,jan4 #be1 #ahec do do do ,james ,jackson ,woodruff ,march #be1 #ahdg;,florence1 ,nebraska do ,mary ,ann ,jackson ,hyrum ,smith ,woodruff ,oct4 #d1 #aheg ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,nov4 #bd1 #aheh do do ,emma ,smith ,emma ,manella ,woodruff ,july #d1 #ahfj do ,nov4 #cj1 #aije ,vernal1 ,utah do do ,asahel ,hart ,woodruff ,feb4 #c1 #ahfc do do do ,ann ,thompson ,woodruff ,april #aj1 #ahfg;do ,april #aa1 #ahfg,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah do do ,clara ,martisha ,woodruff ,july #bc1 #ahfh do do do ,abraham ,owen ,woodruff ,nov4 #bc1 #ahgb do ,june #ba1 #aijd ,el ,paso1 ,texas do do ,winnifred ,blanch ,woodruff ,april #i1 #ahgf do do do ,mary ,alice ,woodruff ,june #b1 #ahgi do do do ,david ,patten ,woodruff ,april #d1 #ahed do do ,sarah ,brown ,brigham ,young ,woodruff ,jan4 #ah1 #aheg do ,june #af1 #ahgg ,smithfield1 ,utah do do ,phoebe ,arabella ,woodruff ,may #cj1 #ahei do do do ,sylvia ,melvina ,woodruff ,jan4 #ad1 #ahfb do do do ,newton ,woodruff ,nov4 #c1 #ahfc do do do ,mary ,woodruff ,oct4 #bf1 #ahfg do ,feb4 #ae1 #aijc ,provo ,city1 ,utah do do ,charles ,henry ,woodruff ,dec4 #e1 #ahgj do ,feb4 #b1 #ahga ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah do do ,edward ,randolph ,woodruff ,feb4 #b1 #ahgc ,randolph1 ,rich ,co41 ,utah ,feb4 #h1 #ahgc ,randolph1 ,rich ,co41 ,utah do do ,marion ,woodruff ,june #a1 #ahfa ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah do ,sarah ,delight ,stocking ,emeline ,woodruff ,july #be1 #ahfc do do do ,ensign ,woodruff ,dec4 #bc1 #ahfe do do do ,jeremiah ,woodruff ,aug4 #bi1 #ahfh ,fort ,herriman1 ,utah ,dec4 #af1 #ahfi ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah do do ,rosanna ,woodruff ,april #ag1 #ahga,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah ,oct4 #bb1 #ahgb do do do ,john ,jay ,woodruff ,aug4 #ad1 #ahgc do do do ,julia ,delight ,stocking ,woodruff,june #bh1 #ahgh do do do ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ,lo1 children are an heritage of the ,lord4 99 99 99 ,happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them3 they shall not be ashamed1 but shall speak with the enemies in the gate4--,psalm #abg4 ,he poureth contempt upon princes1 99 99 99 yet setteth he the poor on high from affliction1 and maketh him families like a flock4--,psalm #ajg4 ,,index4 ,aaronic ,priesthood1 #aga4 ,accidents1 #e ,adultery1 #aie4 ,adams1 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printer's errors1 including spelling errors1 unmatched quotation marks1 and missing or extra punctuation have been corrected as seemed appropriate4