{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_46028/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_46028","id":"gutenberg_46028","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46028","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Biographies","Category: History - American","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- History -- 19th century","Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- Presidents","Latter Day Saint churches","Latter Day Saints","Woodruff, Wilford, 1807-1898 -- Diaries"],"text":"LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL\n\n\nTHIRD BOOK OF THE\nFAITH-PROMOTING SERIES\n\n\nBy President W. Woodruff\n\n\n_DESIGNED FOR THE INSTRUCTION AND ENCOURAGEMENT OF YOUNG LATTER-DAY\nSAINTS_\n\n\nSECOND EDITION.\n\n\nJUVENILE INSTRUCTOR OFFICE,\nSalt Lake City, Utah.\n1882.\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\nAbout nine months have elapsed since the first edition of this work\nwas published, and now the whole number issued--over 4,000 copies--are\nexhausted, and there is a demand for more.\n\nWe, therefore, have much pleasure in offering the Second Edition of\nLEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL for public consideration, and trust that the\nyoung people who pursue it will be inspired to emulate in their lives\nthe faith, perseverance and integrity that so distinguish its author.\n\nBrother Woodruff is a remarkable man. Few men now living, who have\nfollowed the quiet and peaceful pursuits of life, have had such an\ninteresting and eventful experience as he has. Few, if any in this\nage, have spent a more active and useful life. Certainly no man living\nhas been more particular about recording with his own hand, in a daily\njournal, during half a century, the events of his own career and the\nthings that have come under his observation. His elaborate journal has\nalways been one of the principal sources from which the Church history\nhas been compiled.\n\nPossessed of wonderful energy and determination, and mighty faith,\nBrother Woodruff has labored long and with great success in the Church.\nHe has ever had a definite object in view--to know the will of the\nAlmighty and to do it. No amount of self-denial has been too great for\nhim to cheerfully endure for the advancement of the cause of God. No\nlabor required of the Saints has been considered by him too onerous to\nengage in with his own hands.\n\nSatan, knowing the power for good that Brother Woodruff would be, if\npermitted to live, has often sought to effect his destruction.\n\nThe adventures, accidents and hair-breath escapes that he has met with,\nare scarcely equalled by the record that the former apostle, Paul, has\nleft us of his life.\n\nThe power of God has been manifested in a most remarkable manner in\npreserving Brother Woodruff's life. Considering the number of bones\nhe has had broken, and the other bodily injuries he has received, it\nis certainly wonderful that now, at the age of seventy-five years, he\nis such a sound, well-preserved man. God grant that his health and\nusefulness may continue for many years to come.\n\nOf course, this volume contains but a small portion of the interesting\nexperience of Brother Woodruff's life, but very many profitable lessons\nmay be learned from it, and we trust at some future time to be favored\nwith other sketches from his pen.\n\nTHE PUBLISHER\n\n\n\nCONTENTS.\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nStrictness of the \"Blue Laws\" of Connecticut--The Old Prophet\nMason--His Vision--His Prophecy--Hear the Gospel, and Embrace it--Visit\nKirtland, and see Joseph Smith--A Work for the Old Prophet.\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nPreparing to go up to Zion--First Meeting with President Young-Camp of\nZion Starts--Numbers Magnified in the Eyes of Beholders--Remarkable\nDeliverance-Selfishness, and its Reward.\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nAdvised to Remain in Missouri--A Desire to Preach--Pray to the Lord for\na Mission--Prayer Answered--Sent on a Mission to Arkansas--Dangerous\nJourney through Jackson County--Living on Raw Corn, and Sleeping on the\nGround--My First Sermon--Refused Food and Shelter by a Presbyterian\nPreacher--Wander through Swamps--Entertained by Indians.\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nA Journey of Sixty Miles without Food--Confronted by a Bear--Pass by\nUnharmed--Surrounded by Wolves--Lost in Darkness--Reach a Cabin--Its\nInmates--No Supper--Sleep on the Floor--The Hardest Day's Work of my\nLife--Twelve Miles more without Breakfast--Breakfast and Abuse Together.\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nOur Anxiety to Meet a Saint--Journey to Akeman's--A Dream--Find Mr.\nAkeman a Rank Apostate--He Raises a Mob--Threatened with Tar, Feathers,\netc.--I Warn Mr. Akeman to Repent--He Falls Down Dead at my Feet--I\nPreach his Funeral Sermon.\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nMake a Canoe--Voyage down the Arkansas River--Sleep in a Deserted\nTavern--One Hundred and Seventy Miles through Swamps--Forty Miles a\nDay in Mud Knee-deep--A Sudden Lameness--Left alone in an Alligator\nSwamp--Healed, in Answer to Prayer--Arrival an Memphis--An Odd-looking\nPreacher--Compelled to Preach--Powerful Aid from the Spirit--Not what\nthe Audience Expected.\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nCurious Worship--Meet Elder Parrish--Labor Together in\nTenessee--Adventure in Bloody River--A Night of Peril--Providential\nLight--Menaced by a Mob--Good Advice of a Baptist Preacher--Summary of\nmy Labors during the Year.\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nStudying Grammar--Meet Elder Patten--Glorious News--Labor with A. O.\nSmoot--Turned out of a Meeting House by a Baptist Preacher--Preach in\nthe Open Air--Good Result--Adventure on the Tennesse River--A Novel\nCharge to Arrest and Condemn Men upon--Mob Poison Our Horses.\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nAttending School--Marriage--Impressed to take a Mission to Fox\nIslands--Advised to go--Journey to Canada--Cases of Healing--Journey\nto Connecticut--My Birthplace--My Mother's Grave--Baptize some\nRelatives--Joined by my Wife--Journey on Foot to Maine--Arrival at Fox\nIsland.\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nDescription of Vinal Haven--Population and Pursuit of the People--Great\nVariety of Fish--The Introduction of the Gospel.\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMr. Newton, the Baptist Preacher, Wrestling with out Testimony--Rejects\nit, and Begins to Oppose--Sends for a Methodist Minister to Help\nHim--Mr. Douglass' Speech--Our Great Success on the North Island--Go\nto the South Island, and baptise Mr. Douglass' Flock--Great Number of\nIslands--Boiled Clams--Day of Prayer--Codfish Flakes.\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nReturn to Mainland--Parting with Brother Hale--My Second Visit to\nthe Islands--Visit to the Isle of Holt--A Sign Demanded by Mr.\nDouglass--A Prediction about him--It's Subsequent Fulfillment--Spirit\nof Opposition--Firing of Cannons and Guns to Disturb my Meeting.\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMeeting with James Townsend--Decide to go to Bangor--Long Journey\nthrough Deep Snow--Curious Phenomenon--Refused Lodging at Eight\nHouses--Entertained by Mr. Teppley--Curious Coincidence--Mr Teppley's\nDespondence--Arrival at Bangor--Return to the Islands--Adventure with\nthe Tide.\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nCounseled to Gather with the Saints--Remarkable Manifestation--Case of\nHealing--Efforts of Apostates--Visit from Elders--A Conference--Closing\nmy Labors on the Islands for a Season.\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nReturn to Scarboro--Journey South--Visit to A. P. Rockwood in\nPrison--Incidents of Prison Life--Journey to Connecticut--Baptize my\nFather's Household.\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nTaking Leave of my Old Home--Return to Maine--Birth of my\nFirst Child--Appointment to the Apostleship and to a Foreign\nMission--Preparations for the Journey to Zion.\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nStart upon out Journey. A Hazardous Undertaking--Sickness--Severe\nWeather--My wife and Child Stricken--A Trying Experience--My Wife\nContinues to Fail--Her Spirit Leaves her Body--Restored by the Power of\nGod--Her Spirit's Experience while Separated from the Body--Death of my\nBrother--Arrival at Rochester--Removal to Quincy.\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nA Peculiar Revelation--Determination of Enemies to Prevent its\nFulfillment--Start to Far West to Fulfill Revelation--Our Arrival\nThere--Hold a Council--Fulfill the Revelation--Corner Stone of the\nTemple Laid--Ordained to the Apostleship--Leave Far West--Meet the\nProphet Joseph--Conference Held--Settle Our Families in Nauvoo.\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nA Day of God's Power with the Prophet Joseph Smith--A Great Number of\nSick Persons Healed--The Mob becomes Alarmed--They try to Interfere\nwith the Healing of the Sick--The Mob Sent Out of the House--Twin\nChildren Healed.\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nPreparing for our Journey and Mission--The Blessing of the Prophet\nJoseph upon our Heads, and his Promises unto us--The Power of the Devil\nmanifested to Hinder us in the Performance of our Journey.\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nLeaving my Family--Start Upon my Mission--Our Condition--Elder Taylor\nthe only One not Sick--Reproof from the Prophet--Incidents upon the\nJourney--Elder Taylor Stricken--I Leave him Sick.\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nContinue my Journey--Leave Elder Taylor in Germantown--Arrival in\nCleveland--Take Steamer from There to Buffalo--Delayed by a Storm--Go\nto Farmington, my Father's Home--Death of my Grandmother--My Uncle\nDies--I Preach his Funeral Sermon--Arrive in New York--Sail for\nLiverpool--Encounter Storms and Rough Weather--Arrive in Liverpool.\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nOur visit to Preston--Our First Council in England, in 1840--We Take\nDifferent Fields of Labor--A Women Possessed of the Devil--Attempt to\nCast it Out and Fail--Turn Out the Unbelievers, and then Succeed--The\nEvil Spirit Enters her Child--Commence Baptizing--The Lord Makes Known\nHis Will to me.\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nMy Journey to Herefordshire--Interview with John Benbow--The Word of\nthe Lord Fulfilled to me--The Greatest Gathering into the Church Known\namong the Gentiles since its organisation in this Dispensation--A\nConstable Sent to Arrest me--I Convert and Baptize Him--Two Clerks Sent\nas Detectives to Hear me Preach, and both Embrace the Truth--Rectors\nPetition to have out Preaching Prohibited--The Archbishop's Reply--Book\nof Mormon and Hymn Book Printed--Case of healing.\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nClosing Testimony--Good and Evil Spirits.\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nHow to Obtain Revelation from God--Joseph Smith's Course--Saved\nfrom Death by a falling Tree, by Obeying the Voice of the Spirit--A\nCompany of Saints Saved from a Steam-boat Disaster by the Spirit's\nWarning--Plot to Waylay Elder C. C. Rich and Party Foiled by the same\nPower.\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nResult of not Obeying the Voice of the Spirit--Lost in a\nSnowstorm--Saved, in answer to Prayer--Revelation to Missionaries\nNecessary--Revelation in the St. George Temple.\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nPatriarchal Blessings and their Fulfillment--Predictions in my own\nBlessing--Gold-dust from California--Taught by an Angel--Struggle with\nEvil Spirits--Administered to by Angels--What Angels are sent to the\nEarth for.\n\n\n\nLEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nSTRICTNESS OF THE \"BLUE LAWS\" OF CONNECTICUT--THE OLD PROPHET,\nMASON--HIS VISION--HIS PROPHECY--HEAR THE GOSPEL, AND EMBRACE IT--VISIT\nKIRTLAND AND SEE JOSEPH SMITH--A WORK FOR THE OLD PROPHET.\n\nFor the benefit of the young Latter-day Saints, for whom the\nFaith-Promoting Series is especially designed, I will relate some\nincidents from my experience. I will commence by giving a short account\nof some events of my childhood and youth.\n\nI spent the first years of my life under the influence of what history\nhas called the \"Blue Laws\" of Connecticut.\n\nNo man, boy, or child of any age was permitted to play, or do any work\nfrom sunset Saturday night, until Sunday night. After sunset on Sunday\nevening, men might work, and boys might jump, shout, and play as much\nas they pleased.\n\nOur parents were very strict with us on Saturday night, and all day\nSunday we had to sit very still and say over the Presbyterian catechism\nand some passages in the Bible.\n\nThe people of Connecticut in those days thought it wicked to believe\nin any religion, or belong to any church, except the Presbyterian.\nThey did not believe in having any prophets, apostles, or revelations,\nas they had in the days of Jesus, and as we now have in the Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\n\nThere was an aged man in Connecticut, however, by the name of Robert\nMason, who did not believe like the rest of the people. He believed\nit was necessary to have prophets, apostles, dreams, visions and\nrevelations in the church of Christ, the same as they had who lived in\nancient days; and he believed the Lord would raise up a people and a\nchurch, in the last days, with prophets, apostles and all the gifts,\npowers and blessings, which it ever contained in any age of the world.\n\nThe people called this man, the old prophet Mason.\n\nHe frequently came to my father's house when I was a boy, and taught me\nand my brothers those principles; and I believed him.\n\nThis prophet prayed a great deal, and he had dreams and visions, and\nthe Lord showed him many things, by visions, which were to come to pass\nin the last days.\n\nI will here relate one vision, which he related to me. The last time I\never saw him, he said: \"I was laboring in my field at mid-day when I\nwas enwrapped in a vision. I was placed in the midst of a vast forest\nof fruit trees: I was very hungry, and walked a long way through the\norchard, searching for fruit to eat; but I could not find any in the\nwhole orchard, and I wept because I could find no fruit. While I stood\ngazing at the orchard, and wondering why there was no fruit, the trees\nbegan to fall to the ground upon every side of me, until there was not\none tree standing in the whole orchard; and while I was marveling at\nthe scene, I saw young sprouts start up from the roots of the trees\nwhich had fallen, and they opened into young, thrifty trees before\nmy eyes. They budded, blossomed, and bore fruit until the trees were\nloaded with the finest fruit I ever beheld, and I rejoiced to see so\nmuch fine fruit. I stepped up to a tree and picked my hands full of\nfruit, and marveled at its beauty, and as I was about to taste of it\nthe vision closed, and I found myself in the field in the same place I\nwas at the commencement of the vision.\n\n\"I then knelt upon the ground, and prayed unto the Lord, and asked Him,\nin the name of Jesus Christ, to show me the meaning of the vision.\nThe Lord said unto me: 'This is the interpretation of the vision: the\ngreat trees of the forest represented the generation of men in which\nyou live. There is no church of Christ, or kingdom of God upon the\nearth in your generation. There is no fruit of the church of Christ\nupon the earth. There is no man ordained of God to administer in any of\nthe ordinances of the gospel of salvation upon the earth in this day\nand generation. But, in the next generation, I the Lord will set up my\nkingdom and my church upon the earth, and the fruits of the kingdom\nand church of Christ, such as have followed the prophets, apostles\nand saints in every dispensation, shall again be found in all their\nfullness upon the earth. You will live to see the day, and handle the\nfruit; but will never partake of it in the flesh.'\"\n\nWhen the old prophet had finished relating the vision and\ninterpretation, he said to me, calling me by my christian name: \"I\nshall never partake of this fruit in the flesh; but you will, and you\nwill become a conspicuous actor in that kingdom.\" He then turned and\nleft me. These were the last words he ever spoke to me upon the earth.\n\nThis was a very striking circumstance, as I had spent many hours and\ndays, during twenty years, with this old Father Mason, and he had never\nnamed this vision to me before. But at the beginning of this last\nconversation, he told me that he felt impelled by the Spirit of the\nLord to relate it to me.\n\nHe had the vision about the year 1800, and he related it to me in\n1830--the same spring that the Church was organized.\n\nThis vision, with his other teachings to me, made a great impression\nupon my mind, and I prayed a great deal to the Lord to lead me by His\nSpirit, and prepare me for His church when it did come.\n\nIn 1832, I left Connecticut, and traveled with my eldest brother to\nOswego County, New York; and in the winter of 1833, I saw, for the\nfirst time in my life, an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of\nLatter-day Saints. He preached in a school-house near where I lived. I\nattended the meeting, and the Spirit of the Lord bore record to me that\nwhat I heard was true. I invited the Elder to my house, and next day I,\nwith my eldest brother, went down into the water and was baptized. We\nwere the first two baptized in Oswego County, New York.\n\nWhen I was baptized I thought of what the old prophet had said to me.\n\nIn the spring of 1834, I went to Kirtland, saw the Prophet Joseph\nSmith, and went with him, and with more than two hundred others in\nZion's Camp, up to Missouri. When I arrived, at my journey's end, I\ntook the first opportunity and wrote a long letter to Father Mason, and\ntold him I had found the church of Christ that he had told me about.\nI told him about its organization and the coming forth of the Book of\nMormon; that the Church had Prophets, Apostles, and all the gifts and\nblessings in it, and that the true fruit of the kingdom and church of\nChrist were manifest among the Saints as the Lord had shown him in the\nvision. He received my letter and read it over many times, and handled\nit as he had handled the fruit in the vision; but he was very aged,\nand soon died. He did not live to see any Elder to administer the\nordinances of the gospel unto him.\n\nThe first opportunity I had, after the doctrine of baptism for the dead\nwas revealed, I went forth and was baptized for him. He was a good man\nand a true prophet, for his prophecies have been fulfilled.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nPREPARING TO GO UP TO ZION--FIRST MEETING WITH PRESIDENT YOUNG--CAMP\nOF ZION STARTS--NUMBERS MAGNIFIED IN THE EYES OF BEHOLDERS--REMARKABLE\nDELIVERANCE--SELFISHNESS, AND ITS REWARD.\n\nI arrived at Kirtland on the 25th of April, 1834, and for the first\ntime saw the Prophet Joseph Smith. He invited me to his house. I spent\nabout a week with him, and became acquainted with him and his family,\nalso with many of the Elders and Saints living in Kirtland, quite a\nnumber of whom were preparing to go up to Zion.\n\nOn Sunday, the 27th of April, I attended a meeting in a school-house\nin Kirtland, and for the first time heard Elders Sidney Rigdon, Orson\nHyde, Orson Pratt and others speak and bear testimony to the work of\nGod, and much of the Spirit of God was poured out upon the Saints.\n\nIt was the 26th of April, 1834, that I was first introduced to Elders\nBrigham Young and H. C. Kimball. When I met Brother Brigham, he had his\nhands full of butcher knives; he gave me one, and told me to go and\nput a good handle on it, which I did. I also had a good sword, which\nBrother Joseph wanted, and I gave it to him. He carried it all the way\nin Zion's camp to Missouri, and when he returned home he gave it back\nto me.\n\nWhen I was called to go on a mission to the South I left the sword and\nknife with Lyman Wight. When he was taken prisoner at Far West, with\nJoseph and Hyrum, he had both the sword and the knife with him. All\ntheir weapons were taken from them, so were the arms of many of the\nSaints at Far West, under promise that they should be returned to them\nwhen they were prepared to leave the State. When the brethren went to\nget their arms, Father James Allred saw my sword, which Lyman Wight had\nlaid down, and took it and left his own, and afterwards gave it to me\nand I still have it. I prize it because the Prophet Joseph carried it\nin Zion's Camp. The knife I never regained.\n\nThe first day of May, 1834, was appointed for the Camp of Zion to\nstart from Kirtland to go up to Missouri for the redemption of their\nbrethren. Only a small portion of the Camp was ready. The Prophet told\nthose who were ready, to go to New Portage and wait for the remainder.\nI left, in company with about twenty men, with the baggage wagons. At\nnight we pitched our tents. I went to the top of the hill and looked\ndown upon the camp of Israel. I knelt upon the ground and prayed. I\nrejoiced and praised the Lord that I had lived to see some of the tents\nof Israel pitched, and a company gathered by the commandment of God to\ngo up and help redeem Zion.\n\nWe tarried at New Portage until the 6th, when we were joined by the\nProphet and eighty-five more men. The day before they arrived, while\npassing through the village of Middlebury, the people tried to count\nthem; but the Lord multiplied them in the eyes of the people, so that\nthose who numbered them said there were four hundred of them.\n\nOn the 7th, Brother Joseph organized the camp, which consisted of\nabout one hundred and thirty men. On the following day we continued\nour journey. We pitched our tents at night and had prayers night and\nmorning. The Prophet told us every day what we should do.\n\nWe were nearly all young men, gathered from all parts of the country,\nand strangers to each other; but we got acquainted very soon, and had a\nhappy time together.\n\nIt was a great school for us to be led by a Prophet of God a thousand\nmiles, through cities, towns, villages, and through the wilderness.\n\nWhen persons stood by to count us they could not tell how many we\nnumbered; some said five hundred, others one thousand.\n\nMany were astonished as we passed through their towns. One lady ran\nto her door, pushed her spectacles to the top of her head, raised her\nhands, and exclaimed: \"What under heavens has broken loose?\" She stood\nin that position the last I saw of her.\n\nThe published history of Zion's Camp gives an account of the bones of\na man which we dug out of a mound. His name was Zelph. The Lord showed\nthe Prophet the history of the man in a vision. The arrow, by which\nhe was killed, was found among his bones. One of his thigh bones was\nbroken by a stone slung in battle. The bone was put into my wagon, and\nI carried it to Clay County, Missouri, and buried it in the earth.\n\nThe Lord delivered Israel in the days of Moses by dividing the Red Sea,\nso they went over dry shod. When their enemies tried to do the same,\nthe water closed upon them and they were drowned. The Lord delivered\nZion's Camp from their enemies on the 19th of June, 1834, by piling up\nthe waters in Fishing River forty feet in one night, so our enemies\ncould not cross. He also sent a great hail-storm which broke them up\nand sent them seeking for shelter.\n\nThe camp of Zion arrived at Brother Burk's, in Clay County, Missouri,\non the 24th of June, 1834, and we pitched our tents on the premises. He\ntold some of the brethren of my company that he had a spare room that\nsome of us might occupy if we would clean it. Our company accepted the\noffer, and, fearing some other company would get it first, left all\nother business and went to work, cleaning out the room, and immediately\nspread down our blankets, so as to hold a right to the room. It was\nbut a short time afterwards that our brethren, who were attacked by\ncholera, were brought in and laid upon our beds. None of us ever used\nthose blankets again, for they were buried with the dead. So we gained\nnothing but experience by being selfish, and we lost our bedding.\n\nI will exhort all my young friends to not cherish selfishness; but\nif you have any, get rid of it as soon as possible. Be generous and\nnoble-hearted, kind to your parents, brothers, sisters and play-mates.\nNever contend with them; but try to make peace whenever you can.\nWhenever you are blessed with any good thing, be willing to share it\nwith others. By cultivating these principles while you are young, you\nwill lay a foundation to do much good through your lives, and you will\nbe beloved and respected of the Lord and all good men.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nADVISED TO REMAIN IN MISSOURI--A DESIRE TO PREACH--PRAY TO THE LORD FOR\nA MISSION--PRAYER ANSWERED--SENT ON A MISSION TO ARKANSAS--DANGEROUS\nJOURNEY THROUGH JACKSON COUNTY--LIVING ON RAW CORN, AND SLEEPING ON THE\nGROUND--MY FIRST SERMON--REFUSED FOOD AND SHELTER BY A PRESBYTERIAN\nPREACHER--WANDER THROUGH SWAMPS--ENTERTAINED BY INDIANS.\n\nAfter Joseph, the Prophet, had led Zion's Camp to Missouri, and we had\npassed through all the trials of that journey, and had buried a number\nof our brethren, as recorded in history, the Prophet called the Camp\ntogether, and organized the Church in Zion, and gave much good counsel\nto all.\n\nHe advised all the young men, who had no families, to stay in Missouri\nand not return to Kirtland. Not having any family, I stopped with\nLyman Wight, as did Milton Holmes and Heman Hyde. We spent the summer\ntogether, laboring hard, cutting wheat, quarrying rock, making brick,\nor anything else we could find to do.\n\nIn the fall I had a desire to go and preach the gospel. I knew the\ngospel which the Lord had revealed to Joseph Smith was true, and of\nsuch great value that I wanted to tell it to the people who had not\nheard it. It was so good and plain, it seemed to me I could make the\npeople believe it.\n\nI was but a Teacher, and it is not a Teacher's office to go abroad and\npreach. I dared not tell any of the authorities of the Church that I\nwanted to preach, lest they might think I was seeking for an office.\n\nI went into the woods where no one could see me, and I prayed to the\nLord to open my way so that I could go and preach the gospel. While I\nwas praying, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me, and told me my prayer\nwas heard and that my request should be granted.\n\nI felt very happy, and got up and walked out of the woods into the\ntraveled road, and there I met a High Priest who had lived in the same\nhouse with me some six months.\n\nHe had not said a word to me about preaching the gospel; but now, as\nsoon as I met him, he said, \"The Lord has revealed to me that it is\nyour privilege to be ordained, and to go and preach the gospel.\"\n\nI told him I was willing to do whatever the Lord required of me. I did\nnot tell him I had just asked the Lord to let me go and preach.\n\nIn a few days a council was called at Lyman Wight's, and I was ordained\na Priest and sent on a mission into Arkansas and Tennessee, in company\nwith an Elder. This mission was given us by Elder Edward Partridge, who\nwas the first Bishop ordained in the Church.\n\nThe law of God to us in those days was to go without purse or scrip.\nOur journey lay through Jackson County, from which the Saints had just\nbeen driven, and it was dangerous for a \"Mormon\" to be found in that\npart of the State.\n\nWe put some Books of Mormon and some clothing into our valises,\nstrapped them on our backs, and started on foot. We crossed the ferry\ninto Jackson County, and went through it.\n\nIn some instances the Lord preserved us, as it were by miracle, from\nthe mob.\n\nWe dared not go to houses and get food, so we picked and ate raw corn,\nand slept on the ground, and did any way we could until we got out of\nthe county.\n\nWe dared not preach while in that county, and we did but little\npreaching in the State of Missouri. The first time I attempted to\npreach was on Sunday, in a tavern, in the early part of December, 1834.\nIt was snowing at the time, and the room was full of people. As I\ncommenced to speak the landlord opened the door, and the snow blew on\nthe people; and when I inquired the object of having the door opened in\na snowstorm, he informed me that he wanted some light on the subject. I\nfound that it was the custom of the country.\n\nHow much good I did in that sermon I never knew, and probably never\nshall know until I meet that congregation in judgment.\n\nIn the southern portion of Missouri and the northern part of Arkansas,\nin 1834, there were but very few inhabitants.\n\nWe visited a place called Harmony Mission, on the Osage river, one\nof the most crooked rivers in the west. This mission was kept by a\nPresbyterian minister and his family.\n\nWe arrived there on Sunday night at sunset. We had walked all day with\nnothing to eat, and were very hungry and tired. Neither the minister\nnor his wife would give us anything to eat, nor let us stay over night,\nbecause we were \"Mormons,\" and the only chance we had was to go twelve\nmiles farther down the river, to an Osage Indian trading post, kept by\na Frenchman named Jereu. And this wicked priest, who would not give us\na piece of bread, lied to us about the road, and sent us across the\nswamp, and we wallowed knee deep in mud and water till ten o'clock at\nnight in trying to follow this crooked river. We then left the swamp,\nand put out into the prairie, to lie in the grass for the night.\n\nWhen we came out of the swamp, we heard an Indian drumming on a tin\npail and singing. It was very dark, but we traveled towards the noise,\nand when we drew near the Indian camp quite a number of large Indian\ndogs came out to meet us. They smelt us, but did not bark nor bite.\n\nWe were soon surrounded by Osage Indians, and kindly received by Mr.\nJereu and his wife, who was an Indian. She gave us an excellent supper\nand a good bed, which we were thankful for after the fatigue of the day.\n\nAs I laid my head on the pillow I felt to thank God, from the bottom of\nmy heart, for the exchange of the barbarous treatment of a civilized\nPresbyterian priest, for the humane, kind and generous treatment of the\nsavage Osage Indians.\n\nMay God reward them both according to their deserts.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nA JOURNEY OF SIXTY MILES WITHOUT FOOD--CONFRONTED BY A BEAR--PASS BY\nUNHARMED--SURROUNDED BY WOLVES--LOST IN DARKNESS--REACH A CABIN--ITS\nINMATES--NO SUPPER--SLEEP ON THE FLOOR--THE HARDEST DAY'S WORK OF MY\nLIFE--TWELVE MILES MORE WITHOUT BREAKFAST--BREAKFAST AND ABUSE TOGETHER.\n\nWe arose in the morning, after a good night's rest. I was somewhat\nlame, from wading in the swamp the night before. We had a good\nbreakfast. Mr. Jereu sent an Indian to see us across the river, and\ninformed us that it was sixty miles to the nearest settlement of either\nwhite or red men.\n\nWe were too bashful to ask for anything to take with us to eat; so\nwe crossed the river and started on our day's journey of sixty miles\nwithout a morsel of food of any kind. What for? To preach the gospel of\nJesus Christ, to save this generation.\n\nThink of this, children; think of what the Presidency, the Apostles, and\nthe Elders of this Church have passed through to give you the homes and\ncomforts you now enjoy.\n\nThink of this, ye statesmen and judges of this American nation; ye who\nare now seeking to destroy God's people in the wilderness, who have\ngone hungry and naked and have labored for fifty years to save this\nnation and generation. Cease your exertions to destroy this people,\nor God will bring you to judgment and destroy your nation, and cast\nyou into outer darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of\nteeth; for the Lord God has spoken it. I must pause; I almost forgot I\nwas writing a narrative.\n\nWe started about sunrise and crossed a thirty-mile prairie, apparently\nas level as a house floor, without shrub or water. We arrived at timber\nabout two o'clock in the afternoon. As we approached the timber a large\nblack bear came out towards us. We were not afraid of him, for we were\non the Lord's business, and had not mocked God's prophets as did the\nforty-two wicked children who said to Elisha, \"Go up thou bald head,\"\nfor which they were torn by bears.\n\nWhen the bear got within eight rods of us he sat on his haunches and\nlooked at us a moment, and then ran away; and we went on our way\nrejoicing. We had to travel in the night, which was cloudy and very\ndark, so we had great difficulty to keep the road. Soon a large drove\nof wolves gathered around, and followed us. They came very close, and\nat times it seemed as though they would eat us up.\n\nWe had materials for striking a light, and at ten o'clock, not knowing\nwhere we were, and the wolves becoming so bold, we thought it wisdom to\nmake a fire; so we stopped and gathered a lot of oak limbs that lay on\nthe ground, and lit them, and as our fire began to burn the wolves left\nus.\n\nAs we were about to lay down on the ground--for we had no blankets--we\nheard a dog bark.\n\nMy companion said it was a wolf; I said it was a dog: but soon we heard\na cow bell. Then we each took a firebrand and went about a quarter of a\nmile, and found the house, which was sixty miles from where we started\nthat morning.\n\nIt was an old log cabin, about twelve feet square, with no door, but\nan old blanket was hung up in the door-way. There was no furniture\nexcept one bedstead, upon which lay a woman, several children and\nseveral small dogs. A man lay on the bare floor with his feet to the\nfire-place, and all were asleep. I went in and spoke to the man, but\ndid not wake him. I stepped to him, and laid my hand on his shoulder.\nThe moment he felt the weight of my hand he jumped to his feet, and ran\naround the room as though he was frightened; but he was quieted when we\ninformed him we were friends.\n\nThe cause of his fright was, he had shot a panther a few nights before,\nand he thought its mate had jumped upon him.\n\nHe asked us what we wanted; we told him we wished to stop with him all\nnight, and would like something to eat. He informed us we might lay\non the floor as he did, but that he had not a mouthful for us to eat,\nas he had to depend on his gun to get breakfast for his family in the\nmorning. So we lay on the bare floor, and slept through a long, rainy\nnight, which was pretty hard after walking sixty miles without anything\nto eat. That was the hardest day's work of my life.\n\nThe man's name was Williams. He was in the mob in Jackson County; and\nafter the Saints were driven out, he, with many others, went south.\n\nWe got up in the morning and walked in the rain twelve miles to the\nhouse of a man named Bemon, who was also one of the mob from Jackson\nCounty. They were about sitting down to breakfast as we came in.\n\nIn those days it was the custom of the Missourians to ask you to eat\neven if they intended to cut your throat as soon as you got through; so\nhe asked us to take breakfast, and we were very glad of the invitation.\n\nHe knew we were \"Mormons;\" and as soon as we began to eat he began to\nswear about the \"Mormons.\" He had a large platter of bacon and eggs,\nand plenty of bread on the table, and his swearing did not hinder our\neating, for the harder he swore the harder we ate, until we got our\nstomachs full; then we arose from the table, took our hats, thanked him\nfor our breakfast, and the last we heard of him he was still swearing.\n\nI trust the Lord will reward him for our breakfast.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nOUR ANXIETY TO MEET A SAINT--JOURNEY TO AKEMAN'S--A DREAM--FIND MR.\nAKEMAN A RANK APOSTATE--HE RAISES A MOB--THREATENED WITH TAR, FEATHERS,\nETC.--I WARN MR. AKEMAN TO REPENT--HE FALLS DEAD AT MY FEET--I PREACH\nHIS FUNERAL SERMON.\n\nIn the early days of the Church, it was a great treat to an Elder in\nhis travels through the country to find a \"Mormon;\" it was so with us.\nWe were hardly in Arkansas when we heard of a family named Akeman. They\nwere in Jackson County in the persecutions. Some of the sons had been\ntied up there and whipped on their bare backs with hickory switches by\nthe mob. We heard of their living on Petit Jean River, in the Arkansas\nTerritory, and we went a long way to visit them.\n\nThere had recently been heavy rains, and a creek that we had to cross\nwas swollen to a rapid stream of eight rods in width. There was no\nperson living nearer than two miles from the crossing, and no boat. The\npeople living at the last house on the road, some three miles from the\ncrossing, said we would have to tarry till the water fell before we\ncould cross. We did not stop, feeling to trust in God.\n\nJust as we arrived at the rolling flood a negro, on a powerful horse,\nentered the stream on the opposite side and rode through it. On our\nmaking our wants known to him, he took us, one at a time, behind him\nand carried us safely over, and we went on our way rejoicing.\n\nWe arrived that night within five miles of Mr. Akeman's, and were\nkindly entertained by a stranger. During the night I had the following\ndream:\n\nI thought an angel came to us, and told us we were commanded of the\nLord to follow a certain straight path, which was pointed out to us,\nlet it lead us wherever it might. After we had walked in it awhile\nwe came to the door of a house, which was in the line of a high wall\nrunning north and south, so that we could not go around. I opened the\ndoor and saw the room was filled with large serpents, and I shuddered\nat the sight. My companion said he would not go into the room for fear\nof the serpents. I told him I should try to go through the room though\nthey killed me, for the Lord had commanded it. As I stepped into the\nroom the serpents coiled themselves up, and raised their heads some two\nfeet from the floor, to spring at me. There was one much larger than\nthe rest in the center of the room, which raised its head nearly as\nhigh as mine and made a spring at me. At that instant I felt as though\nnothing but the power of God could save me, and I stood still. Just\nbefore the serpent reached me he dropped dead at my feet; all the rest\ndropped dead, swelled up, turned black, burst open, took fire and were\nconsumed before my eyes, and we went through the room unharmed, and\nthanked God for our deliverance.\n\nI awoke in the morning and pondered upon the dream. We took breakfast,\nand started on our journey on Sunday morning, to visit Mr. Akeman. I\nrelated to my companion my dream, and told him we should see something\nstrange. We had great anticipations of meeting Mr. Akeman, supposing\nhim to be a member of the Church. When we arrived at his house he\nreceived us very coldly, and we soon found that he had apostatized.\nHe brought railing accusations against the Book of Mormon and the\nauthorities of the Church.\n\nWord was sent through all the settlements on the river for twenty miles\nthat two \"Mormon\" preachers were in the place. A mob was soon raised,\nand warning sent to us to leave immediately or we would be tarred and\nfeathered, ridden on a rail and hanged. I soon saw where the serpents\nwere. My companion wanted to leave; I told him no, I would stay and see\nmy dream fulfilled.\n\nThere was an old gentleman and lady, named Hubbel, who had read the\nBook of Mormon and believed. Father Hubbel came to see us, and invited\nus to make our home with him while we stayed in the place. We did so,\nand labored for him some three weeks with our axes, clearing land,\nwhile we were waiting to see the salvation of God.\n\nI was commanded of the Lord by the Holy Ghost to go and warn Mr. Akeman\nto repent of his wickedness. I did so, and each time he railed against\nme, and the last time he ordered me out of his house. When I went out\nhe followed me and was very angry. When he came up to me, about eight\nrods from the house, he fell dead at my feet, turned black and swelled\nup, as I saw the serpents do in my dream.\n\nHis family, as well as ourselves, felt it was the judgment of God upon\nhim. I preached his funeral sermon. Many of the mob died suddenly. We\nstayed about two weeks after Akeman's death and preached, baptized Mr.\nHubbel and his wife, and then continued on our journey.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nMAKE A CANOE--VOYAGE DOWN THE ARKANSAS RIVER--SLEEP IN A DESERTED\nTAVERN--ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY MILES THROUGH SWAMPS--FORTY MILES A\nDAY IN MUD KNEE-DEEP--A SUDDEN LAMENESS--LEFT ALONE IN AN ALLIGATOR\nSWAMP--HEALED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER--ARRIVAL IN MEMPHIS--AN ODD-LOOKING\nPREACHER--COMPELLED TO PREACH--POWERFUL AID FROM THE SPIRIT--NOT WHAT\nTHE AUDIENCE EXPECTED.\n\nWe concluded to go down the Arkansas river and cross into Tennessee. We\ncould not get passage on the boat, because of the low water, so we went\non the bank of the river and cut down a sound cottonwood tree, three\nfeet through, and cut off a twelve-foot length from the butt end; and\nin two days we dug out a canoe. We made a pair of oars and a rudder,\nand on the 11th of March, 1835, we launched our canoe, and commenced\nour voyage down the Arkansas river, without provisions.\n\nThe first day we sailed twenty-five miles, and stopped at night with a\npoor family who lived on the bank of the river. These kind folks gave\nus supper and breakfast, and, in the morning, gave us a johnny-cake and\npiece of pork to take with us on our journey.\n\nWe traveled about fifty miles that day, and at night stopped at an old\ntavern, in a village called Cadron, which was deserted because it was\nbelieved to be haunted by evil spirits.\n\nWe made a fire in the tavern, roasted a piece of our pork, ate our\nsupper, said our prayers, went into a chamber, lay down on the bare\nfloor, and were soon asleep.\n\nI dreamed I was at my father's house in a good feather bed, and I had\na good night's rest. When I awoke the bed vanished, and found myself\non the bare floor and well rested, not having been troubled with evil\nspirits or anything else.\n\nWe thanked the Lord for His goodness to us, ate the remainder of our\nprovisions and continued our journey down the river to Little Rock, the\ncapital of Arkansas, which then consisted of only a few cabins.\n\nAfter visiting the place, we crossed the river and tied up our canoe,\nwhich had carried us safely one hundred and fifty miles.\n\nWe then took the old military road, leading from Little Rock to\nMemphis, Tennessee. This road lay through swamps, and was covered with\nmud and water most of the way, for one hundred and seventy miles. We\nwalked forty miles in a day through mud and water knee-deep.\n\nOn the 24th of March, after traveling some ten miles through mud, I was\ntaken lame with a sharp pain in my knee. I sat down on a log.\n\nMy companion, who was anxious to get to his home in Kirtland, left me\nsitting in an alligator swamp. I did not see him again for two years. I\nknelt down in the mud and prayed, and the Lord healed me, and I went on\nmy way rejoicing.\n\nOn the 27th of March, I arrived at Memphis, weary and hungry. I went to\nthe best tavern in the place, kept by Mr. Josiah Jackson. I told him I\nwas a stranger, and had no money. I asked him if he would keep me over\nnight.\n\nHe inquired of me what my business was.\n\nI told him I was a preacher of the gospel.\n\nHe laughed, and said that I did not look much like a preacher.\n\nI did not blame him, as all the preachers he had ever been acquainted\nwith rode on fine horses or in fine carriages, clothed in broadcloth,\nand had large salaries, and would see this whole world sink to\nperdition before they would wade through one hundred and seventy miles\nof mud to save the people.\n\nThe landlord wanted a little fun, so he said he would keep me if I\nwould preach. He wanted to see if I could preach.\n\nI must confess that by this time I became a little mischievous, and\npleaded with him not to set me preaching.\n\nThe more I plead to be excused, the more determined Mr. Jackson was\nthat I should preach. He took my valise, and the landlady got me a good\nsupper.\n\nI sat down in a large hall to eat supper. Before I got through, the\nroom began to be filled with some of the rich and fashionable of\nMemphis, dressed in their broadcloth and silk, while my appearance was\nsuch as you can imagine, after traveling through the mud as I had been.\n\nWhen I had finished eating, the table was carried out of the room over\nthe heads of the people. I was placed in the corner of the room, with a\nstand having a Bible, hymn book and candle on it, hemmed in by a dozen\nmen, with the landlord in the center.\n\nThere were present some five hundred persons who had come together, not\nto hear a gospel sermon, but to have some fun.\n\nNow, boys, how would you like this position? On your first mission,\nwithout a companion or friend, and to be called upon to preach to such\na congregation? With me it was one of the most pleasing hours of my\nlife, although I felt as though I should like company.\n\nI read a hymn, and asked them to sing. Not a soul would sing a word.\n\nI told them had not the gift of singing; but with the help of the Lord,\nI would both pray and preach. I knelt down to pray, and the men around\nme dropped on their knees. I prayed to the Lord to give me His Spirit\nand to show me the hearts of the people. I promised the Lord in my\nprayer I would deliver to that congregation whatever He would give to\nme. I arose and spoke one hour and a half and it was one of the best\nsermons of my life.\n\nThe lives of the congregation were opened to the vision of my mind, and\nI told them of their wicked deeds and the reward they would obtain. The\nmen who surrounded me dropped their heads. Three minutes after I closed\nI was the only person in the room.\n\nSoon I was shown to a bed, in a room adjoining a large one in which\nwere assembled many of the men whom I had been preaching to. I could\nhear their conversation.\n\nOne man said he would like to know how that \"Mormon\" boy knew of their\npast lives.\n\nIn a little while they got to disputing about some doctrinal point. One\nsuggested calling me to decide the point. The landlord said, \"no; we\nhave had enough for once.\"\n\nIn the morning, I had a good breakfast. The landlord said if I came\nthat way again to stop at his house, and stay as long as I might choose.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nCURIOUS WORSHIP--MEET ELDER PARRISH--LABOR TOGETHER IN\nTENNESSE--ADVENTURE IN BLOODY RIVER--A NIGHT OF PERIL--PROVIDENTIAL\nLIGHT--MENACED BY A MOB--GOOD ADVICE OF A BAPTIST PREACHER--SUMMARY OF\nMY LABORS DURING THE YEAR.\n\nAfter leaving Memphis, I traveled through the country to Benton County,\nand preached on the way as I had opportunity.\n\nI stopped one night with a Squire Hardman, an Episcopalian.\n\nMost of the night was spent by the family in music and dancing.\n\nIn the morning, at the breakfast table, Mr. Hardman asked me if we\nbelieved in music and dancing.\n\nI told him we did not really consider them essential to salvation.\n\nHe said he did, and therefore should not join our Church.\n\nOn the 4th of April, 1835, I had the happy privilege of meeting Elder\nWarren Parrish at the house of Brother Frys. He had been preaching\nin that part of Tennessee, in company with David W. Patten, and had\nbaptized a number and organized several small branches.\n\nBrother Patten had returned home, and Brother Parish was laboring\nalone. I joined him in the ministry, and we labored together three\nmonths and nineteen days, when he was called to Kirtland.\n\nDuring the time we were together we traveled through several counties\nin Tennessee for the distance of seven hundred and sixty miles, and\npreached the gospel daily, as we had opportunity. We baptized some\ntwenty persons.\n\nBy the counsel of the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, Elder\nParrish ordained me an Elder, and left me to take charge of the\nbranches that had been raised up in that neighborhood.\n\nAs soon as I was left alone I extended my circuit and labors. For\na season I had large congregations; many seemed to believe, and I\nbaptized a number.\n\nOn the 15th of August I had an appointment at the house of Brother\nTaylor, the step-father of Abraham O. Smoot.\n\nI had to cross Bloody River, which I had to swim in consequence of\nheavy rains. While crossing, my horse became entangled in a tree top,\nand almost drowned; but I succeeded in getting him loose.\n\nWe swam to the shore separately. He reached the shore first, and waited\ntill I came out. I got into the saddle, and went on my way in good\nspirits, and had a good meeting.\n\nOn the 20th of October I baptized three Campbellites, one of whom was\na deacon. I then rode twelve miles to Mr. Greenwood's, who was eighty\nyears old, and had been a soldier under General Washington. His wife,\nwho was ninety-three years old, I found quite smart, and busy carding\nwool. I preached at their house and baptized both of them.\n\nOn the following day I preached at the house of Benjamin L. Clapp and\nbaptized seven Campbellites and one Baptist.\n\nOn the 16th of November I preached at Brother Camp's and baptized\nthree. On the day following, it being Sunday, I preached again at\nBrother Clapp's and baptized five. At the close of the meeting I\nmounted my horse to ride to Clark's River, in company with Seth Utley,\nfour other brethren and two sisters. The distance was twenty miles.\n\nWe came to a stream, which was so swollen by rains, that we could not\ncross without swimming our horses. To swim would not be safe for the\nfemales, so we went up the stream to find a ford. In the attempt we\nwere overtaken by a severe storm of wind and rain, and lost our way in\nthe darkness, and wandered through creeks and mud. But the Lord does\nnot forsake His Saints in any of their troubles. While we were in the\nwoods suffering under the blast of the storm, groping like the blind\nfor the wall, a bright light suddenly shone around us and revealed to\nus our dangerous situation on the edge of a gulf. The light continued\nwith us until we found the road; we then went on our way rejoicing,\nthough the darkness returned and the rain continued.\n\nWe reached Brother Henry Thomas' in safety about nine o'clock at night,\nhaving been five hours in the storm and forded streams many times. None\nof us felt to complain, but were thankful to God for His preserving\ncare.\n\nOn the following day I preached in Damon Creek and organized a branch\ncalled the Damon Creek Branch, and ordained Daniel Thomas a Teacher.\n\nOn the 19th of December I again preached at the house of Brother Clapp,\nand baptized five persons; one was a Campbellite preacher.\n\nOn the following day I preached at the house of Brother Henry Thomas,\nwhen a mob of about fifty persons collected, headed by a Baptist\npreacher, who, after asking one question, advised the mob to not lay\nhands on any man on account of his principles.\n\nThe advice was good and well taken.\n\nAt the close of the meeting I baptized three persons, one seventy-eight\nyears old.\n\nThis brings the year 1835 to a close--the first year of my\nmission--during which time I had traveled three thousand two hundred\nand forty-eight miles, held one hundred and seventy meetings, baptized\nforty-three persons--three of whom were Campbellite preachers--assisted\nElder Parish to baptize twenty more, confirmed thirty-five, organized\nthree branches, ordained two Teachers and one Deacon, procured\nthirty subscribers for the _Messenger and Advocate_, one hundred and\nseventy-three signers to the petition to the governor of Missouri for\nredress of wrongs done the Saints in Jackson County, had three mobs\nrise against me--but was not harmed, wrote eighteen letters, received\nten, and, finally, closed the labors of the year 1835, by eating\njohnny-cake, butter and honey, at Brother A. O. Smoot's.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nSTUDYING GRAMMAR--MEET ELDER PATTEN--GLORIOUS NEWS--LABOR WITH A. O.\nSMOOT--TURNED OUT OF A MEETING HOUSE BY A BAPTIST PREACHER--PREACH IN\nTHE OPEN AIR--GOOD RESULT--ADVENTURE ON THE TENNESSEE RIVER--A NOVEL\nCHARGE TO ARREST AND CONDEMN MEN UPON--MOB POISON OUR HORSES.\n\nI spent the fore part of January, 1836, (the weather being very cold)\nat the house of A. O. Smoot, in Kentucky, studying Kirkham's English\nGrammar. I continued to travel and preach in Kentucky and Tennessee and\nbaptized all that would believe my testimony.\n\nOn the 26th of February we held a conference at the house of Brother\nLewis Clapp (father of B. L. Clapp). There were represented one hundred\nand three members in that mission. I ordained A. O. Smoot and Benjamin\nBoyston Elders, and Daniel Thomas and Benjamin L. Clapp Priests. I also\nordained one Teacher and two Deacons.\n\nAfter conference I took Brothers Smoot and Clapp with me to preach.\nThe former traveled with me constantly till the 21st of April, when\nwe had the privilege of meeting with Elder David W. Patten, who had\ncome direct from Kirtland, and who had been ordained one of the Twelve\nApostles.\n\nIt was a happy meeting. He gave us an account of the endowments at\nKirtland, the glorious blessings received, the ministration of angels,\nthe organization of the Twelve Apostles and Seventies, and informed me\nthat I was appointed a member of the second quorum of Seventies. All of\nthis was glorious news to me, and caused my heart to rejoice.\n\nOn the 27th of May we were joined by Elder Warren Parrish, direct from\nKirtland. We had a happy time together.\n\nOn the 28th, we held a conference at Brother Seth Utley's, where were\nrepresented all the branches of the Church in the South.\n\nI was ordained on the 31st of May a member of the second quorum of\nSeventies under the hands of David W. Patten and Warren Parrish.\n\nAt the close of the conference we separated for a short time. Elders\nPatten and Parrish labored in Tennessee, Brother Smoot and myself in\nKentucky. On the 9th of June we all met at Damon Creek branch, where\nBrother Patten baptized two. One was Father Henry Thomas, who had been\na revolutionary soldier under General Washington, and father of Daniel\nand Henry Thomas.\n\nA warrant was issued, on the oath of a priest, against D. W. Patten, W.\nParrish and myself. We were accused in the warrant of the great \"crime\"\nof testifying that Christ would come in this generation, and that we\npromised the Holy Ghost to those whom we baptized. Brothers Patten and\nParrish were taken on the 19th of June. I being in another county,\nescaped being arrested. The brethren were put under two thousand\ndollars bond to appear at court. Albert Petty and Seth Utley were their\nbondsmen.\n\nThey were tried on the 22nd of June. They pleaded their own cause.\nAlthough men came forward and testified they did receive the Holy Ghost\nafter they were baptized, the brethren were condemned; but were finally\nreleased by paying the expense of the mob court.\n\nThere was one peculiar circumstance connected with this trial by a mob\ncourt, which was armed to the teeth. When the trial was through with,\nthe people were not willing to permit more than one to speak. Warren\nParrish had said but few words, and they were not willing to let David\nPatten speak. But he, feeling the injustice of the court, and being\nfilled with the power of God, arose to his feet and delivered a speech\nof about twenty minutes, holding them spell-bound while he told them of\ntheir wickedness and the abominations that they were guilty of, also of\nthe curse of God that awaited them, if they did not repent, for taking\nup two harmless, inoffensive men for preaching the gospel of Christ.\n\nWhen he got through his speech the judge said, \"You must be armed with\nsecret weapons, or you would not talk in this fearless manner to an\narmed court.\"\n\nBrother Patten replied: \"I have weapons that you know not of, and they\nare given me of God, for He gives me all the power I have.\"\n\nThe judge seemed willing to get rid of them almost upon any terms, and\noffered to dismiss them if their friends would pay the costs, which the\nbrethren present freely offered to do.\n\nWhen the two were released, they mounted their horses and rode a mile\nto Seth Utley's; but, as soon as they had left, the court became\nashamed that they had been let go so easily and the whole mob mounted\ntheir horses to follow them to Utley's.\n\nOne of the Saints, seeing the state of affairs, went on before the mob\nto notify the brethren, so that they had time to ride into the woods\nnear by.\n\nThey traveled along about three miles to Brother Albert Petty's, and\nwent to bed. The night was dark, and they went to sleep.\n\nBut Brother Patten was warned in a dream to get up and flee, as the mob\nwould soon be there. They both arose, saddled their animals, and rode\ninto the adjoining county.\n\nThe house they had just left was soon surrounded by the mob, but the\nbrethren had escaped through the mercy of God.\n\nI was invited to hold a meeting at a Baptist meeting-house on the 27th\nof June. On my arrival I met a large congregation; but, on commencing\nmeeting, Parson Browning ordered the meeting to be closed. I told the\npeople I had come ten miles to preach the gospel to them, and was\nwilling to stand in a cart, on a pile of wood, on a fence, or any other\nplace they would appoint, to have that privilege.\n\nOne man said he owned the fence and land in front of the meeting-house,\nand we might use both, for he did not believe \"Mormonism\" would hurt\neither.\n\nSo the congregation crossed the road, took down the fence and made\nseats of it, and I preached to them one hour and a half. At the close\nMr. Randolph Alexander bore testimony to the truth of what had been\nsaid. He invited me home with him, bought a Book of Mormon, and was\nbaptized, and I organized a branch in that place.\n\nOn the 18th of July, Brother A. O. Smoot and I arrived at a ferry on\nthe Tennessee river, and, as the ferryman was not at home, the woman\nkindly gave us permission to use the ferryboat. We led our horses on\nboard, and took the oars to cross the river. Brother Smoot had never\nused an oar, and I had not for some years, so we made awkward work of\nit. Soon he broke one oar, and I let another fall overboard, which\nleft us only one broken oar to get to shore with. We narrowly escaped\nrunning into a steamboat. We struck shore half a mile below the landing\nplace, tied up the boat, jumped on the bank with our horses, and went\non our way with blistered hands, thankful to get off so well.\n\nOn Sunday, the 31st of July, A. O. Smoot and I preached at Mr. David\nCrider's, Weakly County, Tennessee. After the meeting Mr. Crider was\nbaptized. A mob gathered and threatened us, and poisoned our horses so\nthat the one I rode, belonging to Samuel West, died a few days after.\nThis horse had carried me thousands of miles while preaching the gospel.\n\nI continued to travel with Brothers Smoot, Patten and Parrish in\nTennessee and Kentucky, and we baptized all who would receive our\ntestimony.\n\nOn the 2nd day of September we held a general conference at the Damon\nCreek Branch. Elder Thomas B. Marsh President of the Twelve Apostles,\npresided. All the branches in Tennessee and Kentucky were represented.\n\nBrothers Randolph Alexander, Benjamin L. Clapp and Johnson F. Lane\nwere ordained Elders and Lindsay Bradey was ordained to the lesser\nPriesthood.\n\nI assisted President Marsh to obtain fifteen hundred dollars from\nthe Southern brethren, to enter land in Missouri for the Church. The\nbrethren made me a present of fifty dollars, which I sent by President\nMarsh to enter forty acres of land for me. Elder Smoot and I were\nreleased from the Southern mission with permission to go to Kirtland.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nATTENDING SCHOOL--MARRIAGE--IMPRESSED TO TAKE A MISSION TO FOX\nISLANDS--ADVISED TO GO--JOURNEY TO CANADA--CASES OF HEALING--JOURNEY\nTO CONNECTICUT--MY BIRTHPLACE--MY MOTHER'S GRAVE--BAPTIZE SOME\nRELATIVES--JOINED BY MY WIFE--JOURNEY ON FOOT TO MAINE--ARRIVAL AT FOX\nISLAND.\n\nHaving returned from my Southern mission in the autumn of 1836, in\ncompany with Elders A. O. Smoot and Jesse Turpin, I spent the following\nwinter in Kirtland. During this time I received my endowments and\nattended the school of Professor Haws, who taught Greek, Latin and\nEnglish grammar. I confined my studies mostly to Latin and English\ngrammar.\n\nThis winter and the following spring, in some respects, may be regarded\nas one of the most interesting periods of the history of the Church,\nwhen we consider the endowments and teachings given in the temple, and\nthe great apostasy which followed.\n\nI was married to Miss Phoebe Whitmore Carter, on the 13th of April,\n1837, and received my patriarchal blessing under the hands of Father\nJoseph Smith, the Patriarch, two days after.\n\nI felt impressed by the Spirit of God to take a mission to the Fox\nIslands, situated east of the Maine shore, a country I knew nothing\nabout. I made my feelings known to the Apostles, and they advised me to\ngo.\n\nFeeling that it was my duty to go upon this mission, I did not tarry at\nhome one year after having married a wife, as the law of Moses would\nhave allowed. On the contrary, I started just one month and one day\nafter that important event, leaving my wife with Sister Hale, with whom\nshe expected to stay for a season.\n\nI left Kirtland in good spirits, in company with Elder Jonathan H.\nHale, and walked twelve miles to Fairport, where we were joined by\nElder Milton Holmes. There we went aboard the steamer _Sandusky_, and\nmade our way to Buffalo, and proceeded thence to Syracuse, by way of\nthe Erie Canal. We then walked to Richland, Oswego Co., N. Y., where I\nmet my two brothers, whom I had not seen for several years.\n\nAfter spending one night there, we continued our journey to Sackett's\nHarbor, and crossed Lake Ontario on the steamer _Oneida_, to Kingston,\nUpper Canada, and from there also by steamer along the canal to Jones'\nFalls, whence we walked to a place called Bastard, Leeds County.\n\nHere we found a branch of the Church, presided over by John E. Page\nand James Blakesly. We accompanied them to their place of meeting, and\nattended a conference with them, at which three hundred members of the\nChurch were represented.\n\nThirty-two persons presented themselves for ordination, whom I was\nrequested to ordain, in company with Elder Wm. Draper. We ordained\nseven Elders, nine Priests, eleven Teachers and five Deacons.\n\nWe spoke to the people several times during this conference, and at its\nclose we were called upon to administer to a woman who was possessed\nof the devil. At times she was dumb, and greatly afflicted with the\nevil spirits that dwelt in her. She believed in Jesus and in us as His\nservants, and wished us to administer to her. Four of us laid our hands\nupon her head and commanded the devil, in the name of Jesus Christ, to\ndepart out of her. It was immediately done, and the woman arose with\ngreat joy, and gave thanks and praise unto God; for, according to her\nfaith, she was made whole from that hour.\n\nA child, also, that was sick, was healed by the laying on of hands,\naccording to the word of God.\n\nWe walked thirty miles to visit another branch of the Saints at Leeds,\nwhere we met with John Gordon and John Snider. Here we held a meeting\nand bore our testimony to the people.\n\nA Sister Carns here came to us and requested to have the ordinance for\nthe healing of the sick performed for two of her children who were\nafflicted. One was a suckling child, which was lying at the point of\ndeath. I took it in my arms and presented it before the Elders, who\nlaid their hands upon it, and it was made whole immediately, and I\nhanded it back to the mother entirely healed.\n\nWe afterwards laid hands upon the other, when it was also healed. It\nwas done by the power of God, in the name of Jesus Christ, and the\nparents praised God for His goodness.\n\nAfter leaving the Saints in this place, we returned to Kingston, and\ncrossed Lake Ontario in company with Isaac Russell, John Goodson and\nJohn Snider.\n\nBrother Russell seemed to be constantly troubled with evil spirits,\nwhich followed him when he subsequently went upon a mission to England,\nwhere Apostles Orson Hyde and Heber C. Kimball, when administering to\nhim, had a severe contest with them, as Brother Kimball has related in\nhis history.\n\nBrothers Russell, Goodson and Snider continued with us to Schenectady,\nwhere they left us to proceed to New York, to join Elders Kimball and\nHyde to go upon their mission to England.\n\nAfter leaving these brethren we traveled by rail to Albany, and walked\nfrom there to Canaan, Conn., where we found a branch of the Church,\nincluding Jesse and Julian Moses and Francis K. Benedict.\n\nWe held a two-days' meeting with the Saints in Canaan, and I ordained\nJulian Moses and Francis K. Benedict Elders.\n\nAfter holding several meetings in the town of Colebrook, and visiting\nmy half sister, Eunice Woodruff, who was teaching school there, I\nproceeded to Avon, the place of my birth. There I visited many of my\nformer neighbors and relatives, and the grave of my mother, Bulah\nWoodruff, who died June 11th, 1808, when twenty-six years of age. The\nfollowing verse was upon her tombstone:\n\n  \"A pleasing form, a generous heart,\n  A good companion, just without art;\n  Just in her dealings, faithful to her friend,\n  Beloved through life, lamented in the end.\"\n\nAt the close of the day I walked six miles to Farmington, where my\nfather, Aphek Woodruff, was living, and I had the happy privilege of\nonce more meeting with him and my step-mother, whom I had not seen for\nseven years. They greeted me with great kindness, and it was a happy\nmeeting.\n\nAfter visiting with my father a day or two, I returned to Avon, where\nmost of my relatives lived, and held meetings with them, and on the\n12th of June, 1837, I baptized my uncle, Ozem Woodruff, his wife\nHannah, and his son John, and we rejoiced together, for this was in\nfulfillment of a dream I had in 1818, when I was eleven years of age.\n\nOn the 15th of July I had an appointment to preach at the house of my\nuncle, Adna Hart. While there I had the happy privilege of meeting with\nmy wife, Phoebe W. Woodruff, who had come from Kirtland to meet me and\naccompany me to her father's home in Scarboro, Maine.\n\nThose who had assembled to hear me preach were relatives, neighbors and\nformer friends. After meeting, we returned to Farmington to my father's\nhome, where I spent the night with my father, step-mother, sister and\nwife. Elder Hale was also with us.\n\nOn the 19th of July, Elder Hale left us to go to his friends in\nNew Rowley, Mass., and on the same evening I held a meeting in the\nMethodist meeting-house in the town of Farmington. I had a large\ncongregation of citizens, with whom I had been acquainted from\nmy youth. My parents, wife and sister attended the meeting. The\ncongregation seemed satisfied with the doctrines I taught, and they\nrequested me to hold another meeting; but I felt anxious to continue my\njourney, and on the 20th of July I parted with my father, step-mother\nand sister, and took stage for Hartford with my wife.\n\nOn my arrival at Hartford, not having money to pay the fare of both of\nus, I paid my wife's fare to Rowley, Mass., where there was a branch\nof the Church, presided over by Brother Nathaniel Holmes, father of\nJonathan and Milton Holmes, and I journeyed on foot.\n\nThe first day I walked fifty-two miles, the second forty-eight, and\nthe third day thirty-six miles, and arrived at Rowley at two o'clock,\nmaking 136 miles in a little over two and a half days.\n\nI spent eight days at New Rowley, holding meetings and visiting the\nSaints, including the Holmes family, and left there on the 1st of\nAugust.\n\nOn the 8th of August, in company with my wife and Elder Hale, I visited\nmy wife's father, Ezra Carter, and his family in Scarboro, Maine, it\nbeing the first time I had ever seen any of her relatives. We were very\nkindly received. My wife had been absent from her father's home about\none year.\n\nI spent eight days with Father Carter and household, and one day I went\nto sea with Fabian and Ezra Carter, my brothers-in-law, in a boat, to\nfish with hooks. We caught 250 cod, haddock and hake, and we saw four\nwhales, two at a time, it being the first time in my life I had ever\nseen the kind of a fish which is said to have swallowed Jonah.\n\nOn the 18th of August, 1837, I parted with my wife and her father's\nhousehold, leaving her with them, and, in company with Jonathan H.\nHale, started upon the mission that I had in view when I left Kirtland.\n\nWe walked ten miles to Portland, and took passage on the steamboat\n_Bangor_, which carried us to Owl's Head, where we went on board of a\nsloop which landed us on North Fox Island at 2 o'clock, a.m., on the\n20th.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nDESCRIPTION OF VINAL HAVEN--POPULATION AND PURSUIT OF THE PEOPLE--GREAT\nVARIETY OF FISH--THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL.\n\nThe town of Vinal Haven includes both North and South Fox Islands, in\nlat. 44\u00b0 north, and long. 69\u00b0 10' east. The population numbered, at the\ntime of my visit, about 1,800. The inhabitants were intelligent and\nindustrious, and hospitable to strangers. They got most of their wealth\nand living by fishing. The town fitted out over one hundred licensed\nsailing vessels, besides smaller craft.\n\nNorth Fox Island is nine miles long by two miles in width and had a\npopulation of 800. They had a post office, one store, a Baptist church\nand meeting-house, four school-houses, and a tide grist mill.\n\nThe land was rather poor, yet there were some good farms. The products\nwere wheat, barley, oats, potatoes and grass. The principal timber\nwas fir, spruce, hemlock and birch. Raspberries and gooseberries grew\nin great abundance, and some up-land cranberries were raised. The\nprincipal stock of the island were sheep.\n\nSouth Fox Island comes as near being without any definite form as any\nspot on earth I ever saw. It would be difficult for any person to\ndescribe it. It is about ten miles in length by five in width, and is\none universal mass of rocks, formed into shelves, hills, and valleys,\nand cut up into necks and points to make room for the coves and harbors\nthat run through and through the island.\n\nThe population was 1,000. The inhabitants got their living entirely by\nfishing. There is no chance for farming upon the island, and but a few\ngarden patches, which are cultivated at great expense. Some few sheep\nare raised there.\n\nMany of the inhabitants fish in the region of Newfoundland, and bring\ntheir fish home and cure them on flakes and prepare them for the\nmarket. They supply the market with great quantities of cod, mackerel\nand boxed herring.\n\nUpon this island there were two stores, three tide saw mills, six\nschool houses and a small branch of the Methodist church, presided over\nby a priest.\n\nWhat timber there is upon this island, such as pine, fir, spruce,\nhemlock and birch, and the whortleberries, raspberries and\ngooseberries, mostly grows out of the cracks of the rocks.\n\nGreat quantities of fish, and in almost endless variety, inhabit the\ncoves and harbors around the island. The whale, blackfish, shark,\nground shark, pilot-fish, horse mackerel, sturgeon, salmon, halibut,\ncod, pollock, tom cod, hake, haddock, mackerel, shad bass, alewife,\nherring, pohagen, dolphin, whiting, frost-fish, flounders, smelt,\nskate, shrimp, skid, cusk, blueback, scollop, dogfish, muttonfish,\nlumpfish, squid, five-fingers, monkfish, horsefish, sunfish, swordfish,\nthresher, cat, scuppog, tootog, eyefish, cunner, ling, also the eel,\nlobster, clam, muscle, periwinkle, porpoise, seal, etc., are found\nthere.\n\nThus I have given a brief description of Vinal Haven. It was quite dark\nwhen we landed there, without a farthing in money. We made our way over\nthe rocks and through the cedars the best way we could, until we found\na house, when we rapped at the door. A woman put her head out of the\nwindow and asked who was there and what was wanted.\n\nI told her we were two strangers, and wanted a bed to lie down upon\nuntil morning.\n\nShe let us in and gave us a bed, and we slept until quite late, it\nbeing Sunday morning. When we came out and took breakfast it was nearly\nnoon. I asked what she charged for our entertainment, and she replied\nthat we were welcome.\n\nI then asked her if there was any religion or minister or church on the\nisland.\n\nShe informed me there was a Baptist minister, by the name of Newton,\nwho had a congregation and a meeting-house about five miles from there.\n\nWe thanked her for her kindness, walked to the meeting-house and\nstepped inside the doorway. We stood there until a deacon came to\nthe door, when I asked him to go and tell the minister in the pulpit\nthat there were two servants of God at the door, who had a message to\ndeliver to that people and wished the privilege of delivering it.\n\nHe sent for us to come to the pulpit, so we walked through the\ncongregation with our valises under our arms, and took a seat by the\nside of the minister, who was about to speak as we came to the door.\n\nHe arose and delivered his discourse to the people, occupying about\nhalf an hour. When he closed he asked me what was my wish.\n\nI told him we wished to speak to the people at any hour that would\nsuit his or their convenience; so he gave notice that there were two\nstrangers present who would speak to the people at five o'clock that\nevening.\n\nWe were quite a source of wonderment to the people, as they had no idea\nwho we were.\n\nMr. Newton asked us to go home to tea with him, and we gladly accepted\nthe invitation. When we arrived at his house I opened my valise and\ntook out the Bible, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants, laid\nthem upon the table, and took my seat.\n\nMr. Newton took up the books and looked at them, but said nothing. I\nthen asked him if there were any school houses upon the island, and if\nso, whether they were free to preach in.\n\nHe answered that there were four, numbered respectively from one to\nfour, and that they were free.\n\nMr. Newton and family accompanied us to the meeting-house, where we met\na large congregation, none of whom knew who we were or anything about\nour profession, except the minister.\n\nElder Hale and I went to the stand, and I arose with peculiar feelings,\nand addressed the congregation for one hour, taking for my text\n_Galatians_ i. 8-9.\n\nThis was the first time that I or any other Elder of the Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had (to my knowledge) attempted\nto preach the fullness of the gospel and the Book of Mormon to the\ninhabitants of any island of the sea.\n\nI had much liberty in speaking, and informed the people that the Lord\nhad raised up a prophet and organized His Church as in the days of\nChrist and the ancient apostles, with prophets, apostles and the gifts\nas anciently, and that He had brought forth the Book of Mormon.\n\nAt the close of my remarks Elder Hale bore testimony.\n\nI gave liberty for any one to speak that might wish to. As no one\nresponded, I announced that we would hold meetings the next four\nevenings in the school-houses, beginning at No. 1.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nMR. NEWTON, THE BAPTIST PREACHER, WRESTLING WITH OUR TESTIMONY--REJECTS\nIT, AND BEGINS TO OPPOSE--SENDS TO A METHODIST MINISTER TO HELP\nHIM--MR. DOUGLASS' SPEECH--OUR GREAT SUCCESS ON THE NORTH ISLAND--GO\nTO THE SOUTH ISLAND AND BAPTIZE MR DOUGLASS' FLOCK--GREAT NUMBER OF\nISLANDS--BOILED CLAMS--DAY OF PRAYER--CODFISH FLAKES.\n\nDuring the first thirteen days of our sojourn upon the island we\npreached seventeen discourses, being invited by the people to tarry\nwith them. I left a copy of the Doctrine and Covenants with Mr. Newton\nfor his perusal.\n\nHe read it, and the Spirit of God bore testimony to him of its truth.\nHe pondered over it for days, and he walked his room until midnight\ntrying to decide whether to receive or reject it.\n\nHe and his family attended about a dozen of my first meetings, and then\nhe made up his mind, contrary to the dictation of the Spirit of God\nto him, to reject the testimony, and come out against me. However, we\ncommenced baptizing his flock.\n\nThe first two we baptized were a sea captain, by the name of Justin\nEames, and his wife. Brother Jonathan H. Hale went down into the sea\nand baptized them on the 3rd of September, and these were the first\nbaptisms performed by proper authority upon any of the islands of the\nsea (to my knowledge) in this dispensation.\n\nBefore we left Kirtland some of the leading apostates there had tried\nto discourage Brother Hale about going upon his mission, telling him\nhe would never baptize any one, and he had better remain at home. When\nCaptain Eames offered himself for baptism, I told Brother Hale to go\nand baptize him, and prove those men false prophets, and he did so.\n\nOn the following Sabbath I baptized his brother, Ebenezer Eames,\nanother sea captain, and a young lady.\n\nMr. Newton, the Baptist minister, now commenced a war against us, and\nsent to the South Island for a Mr. Douglass, a Methodist minister (with\nwhom he had been at variance for years) to come over and help him put\ndown \"Mormonism.\"\n\nMr. Douglass came over, and they got as many people together as they\ncould and held a conference. He railed against Joseph, the prophet,\nand the Book of Mormon, and, taking that book in his hand, with\nout-stretched arm, declared that he feared none of the judgments of God\nthat would come upon him for rejecting it as the word of God. (I never\nheard what his sentiments upon this subject were at the end of his term\nof fourteen years' imprisonment in the Thomaston Penitentiary, for an\noutrage upon his daughter, the judgment of which was given upon the\ntestimony of his wife and daughter.)\n\nI was present and heard Mr. Douglass' speech upon this occasion, and\ntook minutes of the same. When he closed I arose and informed the\npeople that I would meet with them next Sunday in the meeting-house,\nand answer Mr. Douglass, and wished him as well as the people to be\npresent.\n\nI informed the people that Mr. Douglass had made false statements\nagainst Joseph Smith and the Latter-day Saints, with whom he had no\nacquaintance, and he had misquoted much scripture, all of which I could\ncorrect.\n\nWe continued to baptize the people of the North Island until we\nhad baptized every person who owned an interest in the Baptist\nmeeting-house. I then followed Mr. Douglass home to the South Island\nand preached the gospel to and baptized nearly all the members of his\nchurch.\n\nThe excitement became great upon both islands, and on Sunday, the 17th\nof September, I met a large assembly from both Islands, and took the\nsame subject that Mr. Douglass had dwelt upon in his remarks against\nthe Book of Mormon and our principles.\n\nI spoke two-and-a-half hours, and answered every objection against the\nBook of Mormon, Joseph Smith or our principles.\n\nI had good attention, and the people seemed satisfied. At the close of\nthe meeting Elder Hale administered the ordinance of baptism.\n\nMr. Newton, in order to save his cause, went to the mainland and\nbrought over several ministers with him and held a protracted meeting.\nThey hoped by this to stop the work of God, but all to no avail, for\nthe whole people would attend our meeting and receive the word of God,\nand we continued to baptize.\n\nWe visited the dwellings of most of the inhabitants during our sojourn\nthere.\n\nUpon one occasion, while standing upon Mr. Carver's farm on the east\nend of the North Island, we counted fifty-five islands in that region,\nthe majority of which were not inhabited. We also saw twenty ships\nunder sail at the same time.\n\nWe had no lack for food while upon the island, for if we did not wish\nto trouble our friends for a dinner, we only had to borrow a spade\nor a hoe and a kettle and go to the beach and dig a peck of clams.\nThese, when boiled, would make a delicious meal, which we often availed\nourselves of.\n\nOne day, Elder Hale and I ascended to the top of a high granite rock\nupon the South Island, for prayer and supplication. We sat down under\nthe shade of a pine tree which grew out of a fissure in a rock, and\nElder Hale read the 16th chapter of Jeremiah, where mention is made of\nthe hunters and fishers that God would send in the last days to gather\nIsrael.\n\nOf a truth here we were upon an Island of the sea, standing upon a\nrock where we could survey the gallant ships and also the islands,\nwhich were as full of rocks, ledges and caves as any part of the earth.\nAnd what had brought us here? To search out the blood of Ephraim, the\nhonest and meek of the earth, and gather them from those islands,\nrocks, holes and caves of the earth unto Zion.\n\nWe prayed, and rejoiced together. The Spirit of God rested upon us; we\nspoke of Christ and the ancient prophets and apostles in Jerusalem;\nof Nephi, Alma, Mormon and Moroni in America; Joseph, Hyrum, Oliver\nand the apostles in our own day, and we rejoiced that we were upon the\nislands of the sea searching out the blood of Israel.\n\nWhile being filled with these meditations and the Spirit of God, we\nfell upon our knees and gave thanks to the God of heaven, and felt to\npray for all Israel.\n\nAfter spending most of the day in praise and thanksgiving, we descended\nto the settlement and held a meeting with the people.\n\nOn the 6th of September we called upon Captain Benjamin Coombs, and\nvisited his flakes, where he had one thousand quintals of codfish\ndrying for the market. They had mostly been caught in the region of\nNewfoundland. While we were passing Carvey's Wharf our attention was\ncalled to a large school of mackerel playing by the side of the wharf.\nSeveral men were pitching them out with hooks. We also flung in a hook\nand caught all we wanted, then went on our way.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nRETURN TO THE MAINLAND--PARTING WITH BROTHER HALE--MY SECOND VISIT\nTO THE ISLANDS--VISIT TO THE ISLE OF HOLT--A SIGN DEMANDED BY MR.\nDOUGLASS--A PREDICTION ABOUT HIM--ITS SUBSEQUENT FULFILLMENT--SPIRIT OF\nOPPOSITION--FIRING OFF CANNONS AND GUNS TO DISTURB MY MEETING.\n\nWe continued to labor, preaching and baptizing, and organized a branch\nof the Church upon each island, and, finally, on the 2nd of October, we\nparted from the Saints on the North Island to return to Scarboro for a\nshort time.\n\nWe walked from Thomaston to Bath, a distance of forty-six miles, in\none day, and at the latter place attended a Baptist convention. I also\npreached there to a large congregation in the evening, and the people\ngave good attention and wished to learn more about our doctrines.\n\nOn the following day we walked thirty-six miles to Portland, and the\nnext day to Scarboro. Here I again met with my wife and her father's\nfamily.\n\nThe time had come for me to give the parting hand to Brother Jonathan\nH. Hale. We had traveled during the season over two thousand miles\ntogether, with our hearts and spirits well united.\n\nHe felt it his duty to return to his family in Kirtland, but duty\ncalled me to return to my field of labor upon the islands.\n\nOn the 9th of October I accompanied Brother Hale one mile upon his\njourney. We retired to a grove and knelt down and prayed together, and\nhad a good time, and, after commending each other to God, we parted, he\nto return to Kirtland and I to Fox Islands.\n\nI spent fourteen days visiting the Saints and friends, and holding\nmeetings among them, and on the 28th of October I took leave of Father\nCarter and family, and in company with my wife rode to Portland, and\nspent the night with my brother-in-law, Ezra Carter.\n\nA severe storm arose, so we could not go to sea until November 1st,\nwhen we took steamer to Owl's Head, carriage to Thomaston and sloop to\nFox Islands.\n\nMy second visit to these islands was made under very different\ncircumstances to the first. On my first visit I was an entire stranger\nto the people, and they were strangers to the gospel, but upon my\nsecond I met many Saints who had received the gospel, and who hailed\nme, and my companion also, with glad hearts.\n\nOn Sunday, the 5th of November, I met with a large assembly of Saints\nand friends, and again commenced baptizing such as would receive my\ntestimony.\n\nAfter visiting the North Island and holding meetings with the Saints\nthere, and baptizing two after meeting, I embarked on board a sloop,\nwith Captain Coombs, for another island called the Isle of Holt.\nWe arrived at noon, and I preached to the people at night in their\nschool-house, and had an attentive audience. I spent the night with\nJohn Turner, Esq., who purchased a copy of the Book of Mormon.\n\nOn the following day we returned to Fox Islands, and as St. Paul once\nhad to row hard to make the land in a storm, we had to row hard to make\nit in a calm.\n\nAfter preaching on the North Island again and baptizing two persons at\nthe close of the meeting, I returned again to the mainland in company\nwith Mrs. Woodruff and others, where I spent fifteen days, during which\ntime I visited among the people, held twelve meetings and baptized\nseveral persons.\n\nOn the 13th of December I returned again to the North Island, where I\nheld several meetings, and then crossed over to South Island.\n\nOn the 20th of December I spent an hour with Mr. Isaac Crockett in\nclearing away large blocks of ice from the water in a cove, in order\nto baptize him, which I did when the tide came in. I also baptized two\nmore in the same place on the 26th, and again two others on the 27th.\n\nOn the 28th I held a meeting at a school-house, when William Douglass,\nthe Methodist minister, came and wanted me to work a miracle, that he\nmight believe, and otherwise railed against me.\n\nI told him what class of men asked for signs, and that he was a wicked\nand adulterous man, and predicted that the curse of God would rest upon\nhim, and that his wickedness would be made manifest in the eyes of\nthe people. (While visiting these islands several years afterwards I\nlearned that the prediction had really been fulfilled, and that he was\nserving out a fourteen years' term of imprisonment for a beastly crime.)\n\nMrs. Woodruff crossed the thoroughfare in a boat and walked ten miles,\nthe length of the island, to meet me, on the last day of the year. I\nheld a meeting the same day in the school-house, and at the close of\nthe meeting baptized two persons in the sea, at full tide before a\nlarge assembly.\n\nJanuary 1st, 1838, found me standing upon one of the islands of the\nsea, a minister of the gospel of life and salvation unto the people,\nlaboring alone, though blessed with the society of Mrs. Woodruff,\nmy companion. I had been declaring the word of the Lord through the\nislands many days, the Spirit of God was working among the people,\nprejudice was giving way, and the power of God was manifest by signs\nfollowing those who believed.\n\nI spent this New Year's Day visiting the Saints and their neighbors,\nand met a congregation at Captain Chas. Brown's, where I spoke to them\nfor awhile, and at the close of my remarks led three persons down into\nthe sea and baptized them. Two of these were sea captains, namely,\nCharles Brown, and Jesse Coombs, and the third was the wife of Captain\nCoombs. After confirming them we spent the evening in preaching,\nsinging and praying.\n\nI held meetings almost daily with the Saints up to the 13th, when I\ncrossed to the North Island. Here I found that the seed I had sown was\nbringing forth fruit. Six persons were ready for baptism.\n\nBut my mission upon these islands was not an exception to the\ngeneral rule; success did not come without many obstacles presenting\nthemselves. Those who rejected the word were frequently inspired by the\nevil one to make an attempt at persecution.\n\nSome of those who felt to oppose me went down to the harbor and got a\nswivel and small arms, and planted them close by the school-house, near\nthe seashore, and while I was speaking, they commenced firing their\ncannon and guns. I continued speaking in great plainness, but my voice\nwas mingled with the report of musketry.\n\nI told the people my garments were clear of the blood of the\ninhabitants of that island, and asked if any wished to embrace the\ngospel. Two persons came forward and wished to be baptized, and I\nbaptized them.\n\nOn the following day when I went down to the seaside to baptize a man,\nthe rabble commenced firing guns again, as on the previous night. I\nafterwards learned that notices were posted up, warning me to leave the\ntown, but I thought it was better to obey God than man, and, therefore,\ndid not go.\n\nThe next day I baptized three persons, and two days subsequently a\ncouple of others.\n\nI had ample evidence of the fact that lying spirits had gone out into\nthe world, for three persons whom I had baptized had been visited by\nMr. Douglass, who told them that I denied the Bible and could not be\ndepended upon; and they yielded to his insinuations until the devil\ntook possession of them, and they were in a disaffected condition. and\nsent for me.\n\nWhen I met them they were in great affliction, but when I instructed\nthem in regard to the principles of the gospel, and administered to\nthem, they were delivered from the evil influence and rejoiced.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nMEETING WITH JAMES TOWNSEND--DECIDE TO GO TO BANGOR--A LONG JOURNEY\nTHROUGH THE DEEP SNOW--CURIOUS PHENOMENON--REFUSED LODGING AT EIGHT\nHOUSES--ENTERTAINED BY MR. TEPPLEY--CURIOUS COINCIDENCE--MR. TEPPLEY'S\nDESPONDENCY--ARRIVAL AT BANGOR--RETURN TO THE ISLANDS--ADVENTURE WITH\nTHE TIDE.\n\nOn the 15th of February I again crossed to the North Island, and after\nremaining there seven days visiting, we returned to Camden. Here I met\nBrother James Townsend, who had just arrived from Scarboro.\n\nI ordained Brother Townsend to the office of an Elder, and we concluded\nto take a journey to Bangor, and offer the gospel to the inhabitants of\nthat city.\n\nWe undertook the journey on foot in the dead of winter, when the snow\nwas very deep, and the first day broke the road for seven miles to\nScarsmont. The day following, it being Sunday, we held two meetings,\npreached the gospel to the people, and were kindly entertained.\n\nOn the evening of the next day we wallowed through snowdrifts for a\nmile, to meet an appointment to preach in a school-house, and I got one\nof my ears frozen on the way; but notwithstanding the severity of the\nweather, we had quite a large and attentive audience. We also spent the\nnext two days with the people there and held meetings.\n\nOn the evening of the 21st of February, as we came out of the\nschool-house, a light appeared in the north-eastern horizon, and spread\nto the west and soon rolled over our heads. It had the appearance of\nfire, blood and smoke, and at times resembled contending armies. The\nheavens were illuminated for the space of half an hour. It seemed at\ntimes as though the veil was about to rend in twain and the elements\nwere contending with each other.\n\nWe looked upon it as one of the signs in the heavens predicted by the\nprophets of old, as to appear in the last days. We were wading through\ndeep snowdrifts most of the time while witnessing this remarkable scene.\n\nThe following day we walked fifteen miles through deep snow to Belfast,\nand, after being refused lodging for the night by eight families, we\nwere kindly entertained by Mr. Thomas Teppley.\n\nThere was an interesting incident connected with our stay at his house.\nAfter eating supper, it being late in the evening, Mr. Teppley placed a\nstand before me with a Bible upon it, asking me to read a chapter and\nhave prayers with them, he being a religious man.\n\nI opened the Bible mechanically, when, the 25th chapter of Matthew\nbeing the first to catch my eye, I read it, and, as I closed the book\nMr. Teppley turned to his wife and said, \"Is not this a strange thing?\"\nThen he explained to us that he had just read that chapter and closed\nthe book when we rapped at the door, and he felt impressed to say,\n\"Walk in, gentlemen.\"\n\nThere is probably no other chapter in the whole book that would have\nthe same influence in causing any one to feed a person who professed to\nbe a servant of God, and asked for bread.\n\nAfter becoming acquainted with his circumstances I thought it\nprovidential that we were led to his house, for although he was a\nprofessor of religion and a Methodist, he was in a state of despair,\nbelieving he had committed the unpardonable sin.\n\nHowever, I told him what the unpardonable sin was, and that he had not\ncommitted it; but that it was a trick of the devil to make him think\nso, in order to torment him. He then acknowledged that he went down\nto the wharf a few evenings before, with the intention of drowning\nhimself, but when he looked into the cold, dark water he desisted and\nreturned home, and had said nothing previous to anyone about it.\n\nI taught him the principles of the gospel, which proved a comfort to\nhim.\n\nWe spent the following day in visiting the people of Belfast, and in\nthe evening preached in a brick school-house, provided by Mr. Teppley,\nand many wished to hear more from us.\n\nWe next visited Northport and Frankfort, holding meetings at both\nplaces, and on the 1st of March, 1838, we entered Bangor, which at that\ntime had a population of ten thousand. This was my birthday, I being\nthirty-one years of age.\n\nI visited some of the leading men of Bangor, and they granted me the\nuse of the City Hall, where I preached to good audiences for two\nsuccessive evenings. This was the first time a Latter-day Saint Elder\nhad preached in that town. Many were anxious to learn more about our\nprinciples, but our visits through all the towns from Thompaston to\nBangor were necessarily brief, owing to our appointments upon the\nislands. It was like casting our bread upon the waters and trusting in\nGod for the result.\n\nOn the 5th of March we sailed from Penobscot for the Isle of Holt,\nwhere I held a meeting on the following evening.\n\nThe next day I took passage on the mail boat for the North Island,\nwhere I again had the privilege of meeting with the Saints for prayer\nand praise before the Lord.\n\nOn my arrival I received a package of letters from friends abroad. One\nwas from Kirtland, and gave an account of the apostasy and tribulations\nwhich the Saints were passing through. Joseph the Prophet and others,\nwith their families, had gone to Far West, and the Saints were\nfollowing them.\n\nBrother Townsend returned home, and I was again left alone in the\nministry.\n\nOn the afternoon of the 22nd of March, Brother Sterrett and I,\naccompanied by our wives, went several hundred yards from shore to a\nsand bar (it being low tide), to dig clams. The ground near the shore\nwas very much lower than the bar we were on, and while we were all busy\ndigging clams and talking \"Mormonism,\" the dashing of the waves of the\nincoming tide against the shore suddenly made us conscious that we had\nfifty yards of water between us and the shore.\n\nThe surf waves also added to our difficulty, and as we had no boat,\nour only alternative was to cross our four arms, thus forming a kind\nof arm-chair for our wives to sit upon, and carry them in turn to the\nshore, wading through two-and-a-half feet of water.\n\nBy the time we got our wives and clams safely landed, the truth of the\nmaxim was firmly impressed upon our minds, that \"Time and tide wait for\nno man,\" not even for a preacher of the gospel.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nCOUNSELED TO GATHER WITH THE SAINTS--REMARKABLE MANIFESTATIONS--CASE OF\nHEALING--EFFORTS OF APOSTATES--VISIT FROM ELDERS--A CONFERENCE--CLOSING\nMY LABORS ON THE ISLANDS FOR A SEASON.\n\nOn the 28th of March I received a letter from Zion, requesting me to\ncounsel the Saints I had baptized to sell their property and gather up\nto Zion.\n\nAbout this time the Lord was manifesting Himself upon the islands in\nvarious ways, by dreams, visions, healings, signs and wonders. I will\nrelate one peculiar circumstance of this kind that occurred.\n\nMr. Ebenezer Carver had been investigating our doctrines for quite a\nlength of time, and, having a great desire to know the truth of our\nreligion, he walked to the sea shore, wishing that he might have some\nmanifestation in proof of its truth.\n\nThe passage of scripture came to his mind that there would be no sign\ngiven \"but the sign of the prophet Jonas,\" and while this thought was\nin his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water, a distance from\nhim in the sea, and suddenly sank out of sight. He much desired to see\nit again, and soon it arose to the top of the water, accompanied by\nanother fish of about the same size, and one of them swam on the water\nin a straight line towards Mr. Carver as he stood upon the shore. It\ncame as near to him as the water would permit, and then stopped and\ngazed at him with a penetrating eye, as though it had a message for\nhim. It then returned to its mate in the ocean and swam out of sight.\n\nMr. Carver retraced his steps homeward, meditating upon the scene and\nthe wonderful condescension of the Lord.\n\nIt is proper to remark that this was at a season of the year when fish\nof that size are never known upon those shores or seas, and they are\nnever, at any season, known to come ashore as in the case mentioned.\n\nMr. Carver was convinced that it was intended by the Lord as a sign to\nhim.\n\nTwo days after the event I visited Mr. Carver at his house, and found\nhis wife confined to her bed with a fever, and she requested me to\nadminister to her. I placed my hands upon her head, the power of God\nrested upon me, and I commanded her in the name of Jesus Christ to\narise and walk.\n\nShe arose and was healed from that instant, and she walked down to the\nsea and I baptized her in the same place where the fish visited her\nhusband. I confirmed her there, and she was filled with the Holy Ghost\nand returned to her home rejoicing.\n\nI now called the people together and exhorted them to sell their\nproperty and prepare to accompany me to the land of Zion. I had labored\nhard for many days for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the\ninhabitants of those islands, and the Lord had blessed my labors and\ngiven me many souls as seals of my ministry, for which I felt to praise\nHim; and now I felt to labor quite as zealously to gather out those who\nhad embraced the gospel, and lead them to Zion.\n\nThe worst difficulty which the Saints had to contend with in that day\nwas from false brethren. Warren Parrish, who had been a prominent Elder\nin the Church, and had labored with me as a missionary, had apostatized\nand been cut off from the Church. Learning that I was building up\nbranches of the Church upon the island, he and other apostates\nconspired to block up my way by writing lies to the people and stirring\nup a spirit of mobocracy upon the islands.\n\nThey succeeded in exerting a strong influence with the wicked, but I\nknew they could not hinder the work of God.\n\nOn the 6th of April I held a meeting at Brother Ebenezer Carver's, and,\nthough the hearts of the wicked were stirred up in bitterness against\nme, the Spirit of God was with me, and at the close of the meeting\nI baptized three persons. One of these was Mrs. Abigail Carver, the\nmother of Ebenezer Carver, who was seventy years of age and in poor\nhealth. She had not so much as visited a neighbor's house for six\nyears, but upon this occasion she walked with boldness to the sea shore\nand I baptized her, and she returned rejoicing.\n\nOn the 11th of April I had the happy privilege of again meeting with\nElders Milton Holmes, James Townsend and Abner Rogers, who had come to\nthe islands to attend conference with me.\n\nWe held our conference on the 13th of April, on North Fox Island, and\nhad a representation of the different branches on the islands. We also\npreached and bore our testimony, ordained several and baptized one\nperson at the close of the meeting.\n\nOn the 17th of April Mrs. Woodruff left the islands to return to\nher father's home in Scarboro, Maine, and a few days afterwards I\ncalled the Saints of the North Island together and communed with and\ninstructed them. I also informed them that the Spirit of God bore\nrecord to me that it was our duty to leave the islands for a season and\ntake a western mission. They had been faithfully warned and the Saints\nwere established in the truth, while the wicked were contending against\nus, and some were disposed to take our lives if they had the power.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nRETURN TO SCARBORO--JOURNEY SOUTH--VISIT TO A. P. ROCKWOOD IN\nPRISON--INCIDENT OF PRISON LIFE--JOURNEY TO CONNECTICUT--BAPTIZE MY\nFATHER'S HOUSEHOLD.\n\nOn the 28th of April we left the island in an open sail-boat and made\nour way to Owl's Head, and then walked twenty miles. The following day\nwe walked forty miles and suffered some with weary limbs and blistered\nfeet, but we felt that it was for the gospel's sake and did not\nchoose to complain. The next day a walk of thirty miles brought us to\nScarboro, where we spent the night at Father Carter's.\n\nOn the 8th of May I parted with Mrs. Woodruff and Father Carter and\nfamily, and in company with Milton Holmes walked thirty-three miles\ntowards Portsmouth, which city we reached the following day and\nspent several hours there, visiting the navy yard. We then walked\nto Georgetown, formerly New Rowley, and spent the night with Father\nNathaniel Holmes.\n\nOn the 11th of May I visited Charleston and Bunker Hill monument, and\nalso spent several hours in the city of Boston, which then contained\na population of one hundred thousand. I ascended to the cupola of\nthe court-house, from which I had a fine view of the city. I visited\nseveral of the Saints in the city, and walked over the long bridge to\nCambridge and Cambridgeport.\n\nI visited the jail there in order to have an interview with Brother\nA. P. Rockwood, who had been cast into prison on the plea of debt, in\norder to trouble and distress him, because he was a \"Mormon.\" This was\nthe first time we had ever met. The jailor permitted me to enter the\nroom where he was. It was the first time in my life I had ever entered\na prison. The jailor turned the key upon us and locked us both in.\n\nI found Brother Rockwood strong in the faith of the gospel. He had the\nBible, Book of Mormon, Voice of Warning, and _Evening and Morning Star_\nas his companions, which he read daily.\n\nWe conversed together for three hours in this solitary abode. He\ninformed me of many things which had transpired while he was confined\nthere as a prisoner. Among other things, he mentioned that the jail\nhad taken fire a few days previous to my visit. He said it looked a\nlittle like a dark hour. The fire was roaring over his head, while\nuproar and confusion were upon every hand. Fire engines were rapidly\nplaying around the building, with water pouring into every room. The\npeople were hallooing in the streets. Prisoners were begging for\nmercy's sake to be let out, or they would be consumed in the fire. One\nwas struggling in the agonies of death, while others were cursing and\nswearing. Brother Rockwood said he felt composed in the midst of it\nuntil the fire was extinguished.\n\nAt eight o'clock the jailor unlocked the prison door to let me out, and\nI gave the parting hand to the prisoner of hope.\n\nWe had spent a pleasant time together, and he rejoiced at my visit; and\nwho would not, to meet with a friend in a lonely prison? I left him in\ngood spirits, and wended my way back to Boston.\n\nI spent several days in Boston, holding meetings with the Saints there,\nand then walked to Providence, Rhode Island, preaching by the way.\n\nI there took steamer and arrived in New York on the 18th of May, where\nI met with Elder Orson Pratt and his family, and Elijah Fordham and\nnear one hundred Saints who had been baptized in the city of New York.\n\nI spent three days in New York visiting the Saints and holding\nmeetings. Several new converts were baptized while I was there.\n\nLeaving New York, I traveled through New Jersey, and returned to\nFarmington, Connecticut, the residence of my father. I arrived at his\nhouse on the 12th of June.\n\nIt was with peculiar sensations that I walked over my native land,\nwhere I spent my youth, and cast my eyes over the Farmington meadows\nand the hills and dales where I had roamed in my boyhood with my\nfather, stepmother, brothers and half-sister.\n\nOn my arrival at my father's home I had the happy privilege of once\nmore taking my parents and sisters by the hand, also my uncle, Ozem\nWoodruff, who was among the number I had baptized the year before.\n\nAfter spending an hour in conversation, we sat down around our father's\ntable and supped together and were refreshed. Then we bowed upon our\nknees together in the family circle and offered up the gratitude of our\nhearts to God for preserving our lives and reuniting us.\n\nI spent the next eighteen days in Farmington and Avon, visiting my\nfather's household, my uncles, aunts, cousins, neighbors and friends,\npreaching the gospel of Jesus Christ unto them and striving to bring\nthem into the kingdom of God.\n\nOn the 1st of July, 1838, one of the most interesting events transpired\nof my whole life in the ministry.\n\nWhen Father Joseph Smith gave me my patriarchal blessing, among the\nmany wonderful things of my life, he promised me that I should bring my\nfather's household into the kingdom of God, and I felt that if I ever\nobtained the blessing, the time had come for me to perform it.\n\nBy the help of God, I preached the gospel faithfully to my father's\nhousehold and to all that were with him, as well as to my other\nrelatives, and I had appointed a meeting on Sunday, the 1st of July, at\nmy father's home.\n\nMy father was believing my testimony, as were all in his household, but\nupon this occasion the devil was determined to hinder the fulfillment\nof the promise of the patriarch unto me.\n\nIt seemed as though Lucifer, the son of the morning, had gathered\ntogether the hosts of hell and exerted his powers upon us all. Distress\noverwhelmed the whole household, and all were tempted to reject the\nwork. And it seemed as though the same power would devour me. I had to\ntake to my bed for an hour before the time of meeting. I there prayed\nunto the Lord with my whole soul for deliverance, for I knew the power\nof the devil was exercised to hinder me from accomplishing what God had\npromised me.\n\nThe Lord heard my prayer and answered my petition, and when the hour of\nmeeting had come I arose from my bed, and could sing and shout for joy\nto think I had been delivered from the power of the evil one.\n\nFilled with the power of God, I stood up in the midst of the\ncongregation and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ unto the people in\ngreat plainness.\n\nAt the close of the meeting we assembled on the banks of the Farmington\nriver, \"because there was much water there,\" and I led six of my\nfriends into the river and baptized them for the remission of their\nsins.\n\nAll of my father's household were included in this number, according\nto the promise of the Patriarch. They were all relatives except Dwight\nWebster, who was a Methodist class-leader and was boarding with my\nfather's family.\n\nI organized the small number of nine persons, eight of whom were my\nrelatives, into a branch of the Church, and ordained Dwight Webster to\nthe office of a Priest and administered the sacrament unto them.\n\nIt was truly a day of joy to my soul. My father, stepmother and\nsister were among the number baptized. I afterwards added a number of\nrelatives. I felt that this day's work alone amply repaid me for all my\nlabor in the ministry.\n\nWho can comprehend the joy, the glory, the happiness and consolation\nthat an Elder of Israel feels in being an instrument in the hands of\nGod of bringing his father, mother, sister, brother, or any of the\nposterity of Adam through the door that enters into life and salvation?\nNo man can, unless he has experienced these things, and possesses the\ntestimony of Jesus Christ and the inspiration of Almighty God.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nTAKING LEAVE OF MY OLD HOME--RETURN TO MAINE--BIRTH OF MY\nFIRST CHILD--APPOINTMENT TO THE APOSTLESHIP AND TO A FOREIGN\nMISSION--PREPARATION FOR THE JOURNEY TO ZION.\n\nNow, as my mission to my native land was accomplished, which I felt\nimpressed to take while upon the islands, I felt it my duty to return\nhere.\n\nMonday, July 2nd, 1838, was the last day and night I spent at my\nfather's home while upon this mission. At the setting of the sun I took\nthe last walk with my sister I ever had with her while in my native\nState. We walked by the canal and viewed the river and fields, and\nconversed upon our future destiny.\n\nAfter evening prayer with the family, my father retired to rest, and I\nspent a season with my step-mother who had reared me from my infancy.\nIn conversation we felt sensibly the weight of the power of temptation,\nout of which the Lord had delivered us.\n\nI also spent a short time with my sister Eunice, the only sister I was\never blessed with in my father's family. I had baptized her into the\nChurch and Kingdom of God, and we mingled our sympathies, prayers and\ntears together before the throne of grace.\n\nHow truly are the bonds of consanguinity and of the blood of Christ\nunited in binding the hearts of the Saints of God together, and \"how\nblessings brighten as they take their flight!\"\n\nThis being the last night I was to spend beneath my father's roof while\nupon this mission, I felt the weight of it, and my prayer was, \"O,\nLord, protect my father's house, and bring him to Zion!\" (which prayer\nwas granted.)\n\nOn the morning of July 3rd, I took leave of my relatives and my native\nland, and started on my return to Maine.\n\nI arrived in Scarboro on the 6th, and on the 14th my first child--a\ndaughter--was born, at Father Carter's house. We named her Sarah Emma.\n\nOn the 30th of July, I left my wife and child at Father Carter's and\nstarted once more to visit Fox Islands.\n\nWhile holding meeting with the Saints at North Vinal Haven on the 9th\nof August, I received a letter from Thomas B. Marsh, who was then\nPresident of the Twelve Apostles, informing me that Joseph Smith, the\nProphet, had received a revelation, naming as persons to be chosen to\nfill the places of those who had fallen; John E. Page, John Taylor,\nWilford Woodruff and Willard Richards.\n\nPresident Marsh added, in his letter, \"Know then, Brother Woodruff, by\nthis, that you are appointed to fill the place of one of the Twelve\nApostles, and that it is agreeable to the word of the Lord, given very\nlately, that you should come speedily to Far West, and, on the 26th of\nApril next, take your leave of the Saints here and depart for other\nclimes across the mighty deep.\"\n\nThe substance of this letter had been revealed to me several weeks\nbefore, but I had not named it to any person.\n\nThe time having now come for me to prepare for leaving the islands,\nI had a desire to take with me all the Saints I could get to go to\nZion. There had already been a line drawn upon the islands between the\nSaints and those who had rejected the gospel, and the enemies were very\nbitter against me and the work of God I had labored to establish. They\nthreatened my life, but the Saints were willing to stand by me.\n\nI spent four days with the Saints visiting them, holding meetings and\nencouraging them, while the devil was raging upon every hand.\n\nI had baptized and organized into the Church nearly one hundred persons\nwhile upon the islands, and there seemed a prospect of gathering about\nhalf of them with me, but the devil raged to such an extent that quite\na number were terrified.\n\nThe inhabitants of the islands had but little acquaintance with the\nmanagement of horses or wagons; in fact, most of them knew more about\nhandling a shark than a horse. However, in company with Nathaniel\nThomas, who had sold his property and had money, I went to the mainland\nand purchased ten new wagons, ten sets of harness and twenty horses.\nWhen I got everything prepared for the company to start, I left the\naffairs with Brother Thomas, and went on ahead of the company to\nScarboro, to prepare my own family for the journey.\n\nThe outfit which I purchased for the company cost about $2,000.00.\n\nBefore leaving Brother Thomas, I counselled him in regard to the course\nto pursue, and charged him not to be later than the 1st of September in\nstarting for the mainland.\n\nI arrived at Father Carter's on the 19th of August, and waited with\ngreat anxiety for the arrival of the company from the islands, but\ninstead of reaching there by the 1st of September they did not arrive\ntill the 3rd of October; and when they did arrive the wagon covers were\nall flying in the breeze. It took a good day's work to nail down the\ncovers, paint the wagons and get prepared for the journey.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nSTART UPON OUR JOURNEY--A HAZARDOUS UNDERTAKING--SICKNESS---SEVERE\nWEATHER--MY WIFE CONTINUES TO FAIL--HER SPIRIT LEAVES HER\nBODY--RESTORED BY THE POWER OF GOD--HER SPIRIT'S EXPERIENCE\nWHILE SEPARATED FROM THE BODY--DEATH OF MY BROTHER--ARRIVAL AT\nROCHESTER--REMOVAL TO QUINCY.\n\nOn the afternoon of the 9th of October, we took leave of Father Carter\nand family, and started upon our journey of 2,000 miles at this late\nseason of the year, taking my wife with a suckling babe at her breast\nwith me, to lead a company of fifty-three souls from Maine to Illinois,\nand to spend nearly three months in traveling in wagons, through\nrain, mud, snow and frost. It was such a trial as I never before had\nattempted during my experience as a minister of the gospel.\n\nOn our arrival at Georgetown we were joined by Elder Milton Holmes.\nWe traveled each day as far as we could go, and camped wherever night\novertook us.\n\nOn the 13th of October, while crossing the Green Mountains, I was\nattacked with something resembling the cholera. I was very sick. I\nstopped at a house for about two hours, but the Elders administered to\nme, and I revived.\n\nOn the 24th I was again taken sick, and my wife and child were also\nstricken down. We also had several others sick in the company, through\nthe exposure of the journey.\n\nOn the 31st we had our first snow storm, and the horses dragged our\nwagons all day through mud, snow and water.\n\nOn the 2nd of November Elder Milton Holmes left us, and took steamer\nfor Fairport; and two days afterwards a little boy of Nathaniel\nHolmes', about six years of age, died, and we had to bury him at\nWestfield.\n\nThe roads finally became so bad and the cold so severe that Nathaniel\nThomas and James Townsend concluded to stop for the winter. We parted\nwith them on the 21st of November, near New Portage, Ohio.\n\nOn the 23rd of November my wife, Phoebe, was attacked with a severe\nheadache, which terminated in brain fever. She grew more and more\ndistressed daily as we continued our journey. It was a terrible ordeal\nfor a woman to travel in a wagon over rough roads, afflicted as she\nwas. At the same time our child was also very sick.\n\nThe 1st of December, was a trying day to my soul. My wife continued to\nfail, and in the afternoon, about 4 o'clock, she appeared to be struck\nwith death. I stopped my team, and it seemed as though she would breath\nher last lying in the wagon. Two of the sisters sat beside her, to see\nif they could do anything for her in her last moments.\n\nI stood upon the ground, in deep affliction, and meditated. I cried\nunto the Lord, and prayed that she might live and not be taken from me.\nI claimed the promises the Lord had made unto me through the prophets\nand patriarchs, and soon her spirit revived, and I drove a short\ndistance to a tavern, and got her into a room and worked over her and\nher babe all night, and prayed to the Lord to preserve her life.\n\nIn the morning the circumstances were such that I was under the\nnecessity of removing my wife from the inn, as there was so much noise\nand confusion at the place that she could not endure it. I carried her\nout to her bed in the wagon and drove two miles, when I alighted at a\nhouse and carried my wife and her bed into it, with a determination to\ntarry there until she either recovered her health or passed away. This\nwas on Sunday morning, December 2nd.\n\nAfter getting my wife and things into the house and wood provided to\nkeep up a fire, I employed my time in taking care of her. It looked as\nthough she had but a short time to live.\n\nShe called me to her bedside in the evening and said she felt as though\na few moments more would end her existence in this life. She manifested\ngreat confidence in the cause she had embraced, and exhorted me to have\nconfidence in God and to keep His commandments.\n\nTo all appearances, she was dying. I laid hands upon her and prayed for\nher, and she soon revived and slept some during the night.\n\nDecember 3rd found my wife very low. I spent the day in taking care of\nher, and the following day I returned to Eaton to get some things for\nher. She seemed to be gradually sinking and in the evening her spirit\napparently left her body, and she was dead.\n\nThe sisters gathered around her body, weeping, while I stood looking at\nher in sorrow. The spirit and power of God began to rest upon me until,\nfor the first time during her sickness faith filled my soul, although\nshe lay before me as one dead.\n\nI had some oil that was consecrated for my anointing while in Kirtland.\nI took it and consecrated it again before the Lord for anointing the\nsick. I then bowed down before the Lord and prayed for the life of my\ncompanion, and I anointed her body with the oil in the name of the\nLord. I laid my hands upon her, and in the name of Jesus Christ I\nrebuked the power of death and the destroyer, and commanded the same to\ndepart from her, and the spirit of life to enter her body.\n\nHer spirit returned to her body, and from that hour she was made whole;\nand we all felt to praise the name of God, and to trust in Him and to\nkeep His commandments.\n\nWhile this operation was going on with me (as my wife related\nafterwards) her spirit left her body, and she saw it lying upon the\nbed, and the sisters weeping. She looked at them and at me, and upon\nher babe, and, while gazing upon this scene, two personages came into\nthe room carrying a coffin and told her they had come for her body. One\nof these messengers informed her that she could have her choice: she\nmight go to rest in the spirit world, or, on one condition she could\nhave the privilege of returning to her tabernacle and continuing her\nlabors upon the earth. The condition was, if she felt that she could\nstand by her husband, and with him pass through all the cares, trials,\ntribulation and afflictions of life which he would be called to pass\nthrough for the gospel's sake unto the end. When she looked at the\nsituation of her husband and child she said: \"Yes, I will do it!\"\n\nAt the moment that decision was made the power of faith rested upon me,\nand when I administered unto her, her spirit entered her tabernacle,\nand she saw the messengers carry the coffin out at the door.\n\nOn the morning of the 6th of December, the Spirit said to me: \"Arise,\nand continue thy journey!\" and through the mercy of God my wife was\nenabled to arise and dress herself and walked to the wagon, and we went\non our way rejoicing.\n\nOn the night of the 11th I stopped for the night at an inn, the weather\nbeing very cold. I there learned of the sudden death of my brother,\nAsahel H. Woodruff, a merchant of Terre Haute, Ind.\n\nI had anticipated a joyful meeting with this brother on the following\nday. Instead of this, I only had the privilege of visiting his grave,\nin company with my wife, and examining a little into his business.\n\nI was offered the position of administrator of his affairs, but I was\nleading a company of Saints to Zion, and could not stop to attend\nto his temporal business. Strangers settled his affairs, and took\npossession of his property. His relatives obtained nothing from his\neffects except a few trifling mementos.\n\nI left this place and crossed into Illinois on the 13th of December,\nand arrived at Rochester on the 19th, and, getting information of the\nsevere persecutions of the Saints in Missouri and the unsettled state\nof the Church at that time, we concluded to stop at Rochester and spend\nthe winter.\n\nThus ended my journey of two months and sixteen days, leading the Fox\nIsland Saints to the west, through all the perils of a journey of\nnearly two thousand miles, in the midst of sickness and great severity\nof weather.\n\nI took my family in the spring and removed to Quincy, Illinois, where\nI could mingle with my brethren, and I felt to praise God for His\nprotecting care over me and my family in all our afflictions.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nA PECULIAR REVELATION--DETERMINATION OF ENEMIES TO PREVENT ITS\nFULFILLMENT--START TO FAR WEST TO FULFILL REVELATION--OUR ARRIVAL\nTHERE--HOLD A COUNCIL--FULFILL REVELATION--CORNER STONE OF THE TEMPLE\nLAID--ORDAINED TO THE APOSTLESHIP--LEAVE FAR WEST--MEET THE PROPHET\nJOSEPH--A CONFERENCE HELD--SETTLE OUR FAMILIES IN NAUVOO.\n\nJoseph Smith, the Prophet, asked the Lord what His will was concerning\nthe Twelve, and the Lord answered in a revelation, given July 8th,\n1838, in which He says: \"Let them take leave of my Saints in the city\nFar West, on the 26th day of April next, on the building spot of my\nhouse, saith the Lord. Let my servant John Taylor, and also my servant\nJohn E. Page, and also my servant Wilford Woodruff, and also my servant\nWillard Richards, be appointed to fill the places of those who have\nfallen, and be officially notified of their appointment.\"\n\nIt will be observed that this differs from nearly all other revelations\nin this respect: a fixed day and a stated place were given for the\ncommencement of the mission. When the revelation was given, all was\npeace and quietude in Far West, Missouri, the city where most of the\nLatter-day Saints dwelt; but before the time came for its fulfillment,\nthe Saints of God had been driven out of the State of Missouri into\nthe State of Illinois, under the edict of Governor Boggs; and the\nMissourians had sworn that if all the other revelations of Joseph\nSmith were fulfilled, that should not be. It stated that the day and\nthe place where the Twelve Apostles should take leave of the Saints,\nto go on their missions across the great waters, and the mobocrats\nof Missouri had declared that they would see that it should not be\nfulfilled.\n\nIt seemed as though the Lord, having a foreknowledge of what would\ntake place, had given the revelation in this manner to see whether the\nApostles would obey it at the risk of their lives.\n\nWhen the time drew near for the fulfillment of this commandment of the\nLord, Brigham Young was the President of the Twelve Apostles; Thos. B.\nMarsh, who was the senior Apostle, had fallen. Brother Brigham called\ntogether those of the Twelve who were then at Quincy, Illinois, to\nsee what their minds would be about going to Far West, to fulfill the\nrevelation. The Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon,\nLyman Wight and Parley P. Pratt were in prison in Missouri, at the\ntime; but Father Joseph Smith, the Patriarch, was at Quincy, Illinois.\nHe and others who were present did not think it wisdom for us to\nattempt the journey, as our lives would be in great jeopardy. They\nthought the Lord would take the will for the deed. But when President\nYoung asked the Twelve what our feelings were upon the subject, we\nall of us, as the voice of one man, said the Lord God had spoken, and\nit was for us to obey. It was the Lord's business to take care of His\nservants, and we would fulfill the commandment, or die trying.\n\nTo fully understand the risk the Twelve Apostles ran in making this\njourney, my readers should remember that Lilburn W. Boggs, governor\nof the State of Missouri, had issued a proclamation, in which all the\nLatter-day Saints were required to leave that State or be exterminated.\nFar West had been captured by the militia, who were really only an\norganized mob; the citizens had been compelled to give up their arms;\nall the leading men who could be got hold of had been taken prisoners;\nthe rest of the Saints--men women and children--had to flee as best\nthey could out of the State to save their lives, leaving all their\nhouses, lands and other property which they could not carry with them\nto be taken by the mob. In fact they shot down the cattle and hogs of\nthe Saints wherever they could find them, and robbed them of nearly\neverything they could lay their hands upon. Latter-day Saints were\ntreated with merciless cruelty and had to endure the most outrageous\nabuses. It was with the greatest difficulty that many of them got out\nof the State, especially the prominent men; for there were many men of\nthat State at that time, who acted as though they thought it no more\nharm to shoot a \"Mormon\" than a mad dog. From this brief explanation\nyou will be able to understand why some of the brethren thought we\nwere not required to go back to Far West to start from there upon our\nmission across the ocean to Europe.\n\nHaving determined to carry out the requirement of the revelation, on\nthe 18th of April, 1839, I took into my wagon Brigham Young and Orson\nPratt; and Father Cutler took into his wagon John Taylor and George A.\nSmith, and we started for Far West.\n\nOn the way we met John E. Page, who was going with his family, to\nQuincy, Illinois. His wagon had turned over, and when we met him he was\ntrying to gather up a barrel of soft soap with his hands. We helped him\nget up his wagon. He drove down into the valley below, left his wagon,\nand accompanied us on our way.\n\nOn the night of the 25th of April, we arrived at Far West, and spent\nthe night at the home of Morris Phelps, who was not there, however,\nhimself; he, having been taken prisoner by the mob, was still in prison.\n\nOn the morning of the 26th of April, 1839, notwithstanding the threats\nof our enemies that the revelation which was to be fulfilled this day\nshould not be, and notwithstanding that ten thousand of the Saints had\nbeen driven out of the State by the edict of the governor, and though\nthe Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum Smith, with other leading men\nwere in the hands of our enemies, in chains and in prison, we moved\non to the temple grounds in the city of Far West, and held a council,\nand fulfilled the revelation and commandment given unto us, and we\nperformed many other things at this council.\n\nWe excommunicated from the Church thirty-one persons, who had\napostatized and become its enemies.\n\nThe \"Mission of the Twelve\" was sung, and we then repaired to the\nsouth-east corner of the temple ground, and, with the assistance of\nElder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman of the building committee,\nlaid the south-east chief corner stone of the temple, according to\nrevelation.\n\nThere were present of the Twelve Apostles: Brigham Young, Heber C.\nKimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page and John Taylor, who proceeded to\nordain Wilford Woodruff and Geo. A. Smith, to the apostleship, and as\nmembers of the quorum of the Twelve, in the places of those who had\nfallen, as they had been called by revelation.\n\nDarwin Chase and Norman Shearer, who had just been liberated from\nRichmond prison, were also ordained to the office of Seventies.\nThe Twelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order:\nBrigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John\nTaylor, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, after which we sang\n\"Adam-ondi-Ahman.\"\n\nThe Twelve then took their leave of, and gave the parting hand to, the\nfollowing Saints, agreeable to revelation: A. Butler, Elias Smith,\nNorman Shearer, Wm. Burton, Stephen Markham, Shadrach Roundy, Wm. O.\nClark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard,\nMary Ann Peck, Artimesia Granger, Martha Peck, Sarah Granger, Theodore\nTurley, Hiram Clark, and Daniel Shearer.\n\nBidding good-by to the small remnant of the Saints who remained on the\ntemple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandments of God,\nwe turned our backs on Far West and Missouri, and returned to Illinois.\nWe had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us,\nor any man saying, \"Why do you do so?\"\n\nWe crossed the Mississippi river on the steam ferry, entered Quincy on\nthe 2nd of May, and all had the joy of reaching our families once more\nin peace and safety.\n\nThere was an incident connected with our journey that is worthy of\nrecord. While we were on our way to fulfill the revelation, Joseph, the\nProphet, and his companions in chains had been liberated, through the\nblessings of God, from their enemies and prison, and they passed us.\nWe were not far distant from each other, but neither party knew it.\nThey were making their way to their families in Illinois, while we were\ntraveling to Far West into the midst of our enemies. So they came home\nto their families and friends before our return.\n\nMay the 3rd was a very interesting day to me, as well as to others. In\ncompany with five others of the quorum of the Twelve, I rode four miles\nout of town to Mr. Cleveland's, to visit Brother Joseph Smith and his\nfamily.\n\nOnce more I had the happy privilege of taking Brother Joseph by the\nhand. Two years had rolled away since I had seen his face. He greeted\nus with great joy, as did Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight, all of whom had\nescaped from their imprisonment together. They had been confined in\nprison six months, and had been under sentence of death three times;\nyet their lives were in the hands of God, and He had delivered them,\nand they were now mingling with their wives, children and friends, and\nout of the reach of the mob. Joseph was frank, open and familiar as\nusual, and our rejoicing was great.\n\nNo man can understand the joyful sensations created by such a meeting,\nexcept those who have been in tribulation for the gospel's sake.\n\nAfter spending the day together, we returned to our families at night.\n\nOn the day following, May 4th, we met in conference at Quincy, the\nProphet Joseph presiding, which caused great joy and rejoicing to all\nthe Saints.\n\nOn Sunday, May 5th, Joseph Smith addressed the assembly, followed by\nSidney Rigdon and the Twelve Apostles. The Spirit of the Lord was\npoured out upon us, and we had a glorious day.\n\nOn May 6th, I met with the Seventies, and we ordained sixty men into\nthe quorums of Elders and Seventies. Brother Joseph met with the\nTwelve, Bishops and Elders, at Bishop Partridge's house; and there were\na number with us who were wounded at Haun's Mill. Among them was Isaac\nLaney, who had been, in company with about twenty others, at the mill,\nwhen a large armed mob fired among them with rifles and other weapons,\nand shot down seventeen of the brethren, and wounded more. Brother\nLaney fled from the scene, but they poured a shower of lead after him,\nwhich pierced his body through and through. He showed me eleven bullet\nholes in his body. There were twenty-seven in his shirt, seven in his\npantaloons, and his coat was literally cut to pieces. One ball entered\none arm-pit and came out at the other.\n\nAnother entered his back and came out at the breast. A ball passed\nthrough each hip, each leg and each arm. All these shots were received\nwhile he was running for life, and, strange as it may appear, though he\nhad also one of his ribs broken, he was able to outrun his enemies, and\nhis life was saved. We can only acknowledge this deliverance to be by\nthe power and mercy of God.\n\nPresident Joseph Young was also among the number. He also fled, and\nalthough the balls flew around him like hail, he was not wounded. How\nmysterious are the ways of the Lord!\n\nBefore starting on our missions to England, we were under the necessity\nof settling our families. A place called Commerce, afterwards named\nNauvoo, was selected as the place at which our people should settle.\n\nI left Quincy, in company with Brother Brigham Young and our families\non the 15th of May, and arrived in Commerce on the 18th. After an\ninterview with Joseph we crossed the river at Montrose, Iowa. President\nBrigham Young and myself, with our families, occupied one room about\nfourteen feet square. Finally Brother Young obtained another room and\nmoved into it by himself. Then Brother Orson Pratt and family moved\ninto the same room with myself and family.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nA DAY OF GOD'S POWER WITH THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH--A GREAT NUMBER OF\nSICK PERSONS HEALED--THE MOB BECOMES ALARMED--THEY TRY TO INTERFERE\nWITH THE HEALING OF THE SICK--THE MOB SENT OUT OF THE HOUSE--TWIN\nCHILDREN HEALED.\n\nWhile I was living in this cabin in the old barracks, we experienced a\nday of God's power with the Prophet Joseph. It was a very sickly time\nand Joseph had given up his home in Commerce to the sick, and had a\ntent pitched in his door-yard and was living in that himself. The large\nnumber of Saints who had been driven out of Missouri, were flocking\ninto Commerce; but had no homes to go into, and were living in wagons,\nin tents, and on the ground. Many, therefore, were sick through the\nexposure they were subjected to. Brother Joseph had waited on the sick,\nuntil he was worn out and nearly sick himself.\n\nOn the morning of the 22nd of July, 1839, he arose, reflecting upon the\nsituation of the Saints of God in their persecutions and afflictions,\nand he called upon the Lord in prayer, and the power of God rested upon\nhim mightily, and as Jesus healed all the sick around Him in His day,\nso Joseph, the Prophet of God, healed all around on this occasion. He\nhealed all in his house and door-yard, then, in company with Sidney\nRigdon and several of the Twelve, he went through among the sick lying\non the bank of the river, and he commanded them in a loud voice, in\nthe name of Jesus Christ, to come up and be made whole, and they were\nall healed. When he healed all that were sick on the east side of\nthe river, they crossed the Mississippi river in a ferry-boat to the\nwest side, to Montrose, where we were. The first house they went into\nwas President Brigham Young's. He was sick on his bed at the time.\nThe Prophet went into his house and healed him, and they all came\nout together. As they were passing by my door, Brother Joseph said:\n\"Brother Woodruff, follow me.\" These were the only words spoken by any\nof the company from the time they left Brother Brigham's house till we\ncrossed the public square, and entered Brother Fordham's house. Brother\nFordham had been dying for an hour, and we expected each minute would\nbe his last.\n\nI felt the power of God that was overwhelming His Prophet.\n\nWhen we entered the house, Brother Joseph walked up to Brother Fordham,\nand took him by the right hand; in his left hand he held his hat.\n\nHe saw that Brother Fordham's eyes were glazed, and that he was\nspeechless and unconscious.\n\nAfter taking hold of his hand, he looked down into the dying man's face\nand said: \"Brother Fordham, do you not know me?\" At first he made no\nreply; but we could all see the effect of the Spirit of God resting\nupon him.\n\nHe again said: \"Elijah, do you not know me?\"\n\nWith a low whisper, Brother Fordham answered, \"Yes!\"\n\nThe Prophet then said, \"Have you not faith to be healed?\"\n\nThe answer, which was a little plainer than before, was: \"I am afraid\nit is too late. If you had come sooner, I think I might have been.\"\n\nHe had the appearance of a man waking from sleep. It was the sleep of\ndeath.\n\nJoseph then said: \"Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ?\"\n\n\"I do, Brother Joseph,\" was the response.\n\nThen the Prophet of God spoke with a loud voice, as in the majesty of\nthe Godhead: \"Elijah, I command you, in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,\nto arise and be made whole!\"\n\nThe words of the Prophet were not like the words of man, but like the\nvoice of God. It seemed to me that the house shook from its foundation.\n\nElijah Fordham leaped from his bed like a man raised from the dead. A\nhealthy color came to his face, and life was manifested in every act.\n\nHis feet were done up in Indian meal poultices. He kicked them off his\nfeet, scattered the contents, and then called for his clothes and put\nthem on. He asked for a bowl of bread and milk, and ate it; then put on\nhis hat and followed us into the street, to visit others who were sick.\n\nThe unbeliever may ask: \"Was there not deception in this?\"\n\nIf there is any deception in the mind of the unbeliever, there was\ncertainly none with Elijah Fordham, the dying man, nor with those who\nwere present with him, for in a few minutes more he would have been in\nthe spirit world, had he not been rescued. Through the blessing of God,\nhe lived up till 1880, in which year he died in Utah, while all who\nwere with him on that occasion, with the exception of one, are in the\nspirit world.\n\nAmong the number, were Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Brigham\nYoung, Heber C. Kimball, George A. Smith, Parley P. Pratt and Orson\nPratt. Wilford Woodruff is the only one living who was present at the\ntime, and he will soon mingle with those who have gone.\n\nAs soon as we left Brother Fordham's house, we went into the house of\nJoseph B. Noble, who was very low and dangerously sick.\n\nWhen we entered the house, Brother Joseph took him by the hand, and\ncommanded him, in the name of Jesus Christ, to arise and be made whole.\nHe did arise and was immediately healed.\n\nWhile this was going on, the wicked mob in the place, led by one\nKilburn, had become alarmed, and followed us into Brother Noble's house.\n\nBefore they arrived there, Brother Joseph had called upon Brother\nFordham to offer prayer.\n\nWhile he was praying, the mob entered, with all the evil spirits\naccompanying them.\n\nAs soon as they entered, Brother Fordham, who was praying, fainted and\nsank to the floor.\n\nWhen Joseph saw the mob in the house, he arose and had the room cleared\nof both that class of men and their attendant devils. Then Brother\nFordham immediately revived and finished his prayer.\n\nThis shows what power evil spirits have upon the tabernacles of men.\nThe Saints are only saved from the power of the devil by the power of\nGod.\n\nThis case of Brother Noble's was the last one of healing upon that\nday. It was the greatest day for the manifestation of the power of God\nthrough the gift of healing since the organization of the Church.\n\nWhen we left Brother Noble, the Prophet Joseph went, with those who\naccompanied him from the other side, to the banks of the river, to\nreturn home.\n\nWhile waiting for the ferry-boat, a man of the world, knowing of the\nmiracles which had been performed, came to him and asked him if he\nwould not go and heal two twin children of his, about five months old,\nwho were both lying sick nigh unto death.\n\nThey were some two miles from Montrose.\n\nThe Prophet said he could not go; but, after pausing some time, he said\nhe would send some one to heal them; and he turned to me and said: \"You\ngo with the man and heal his children.\"\n\nHe took a red silk handkerchief out of his pocket and gave it to\nme, and told me to wipe their faces with the handkerchief when I\nadministered to them, and they should be healed. He also said unto me:\n\"As long as you will keep that handkerchief, it shall remain a league\nbetween you and me.\"\n\nI went with the man, and did as the Prophet commanded me, and the\nchildren were healed.\n\nI have possession of the handkerchief unto this day.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nPREPARING FOR OUR JOURNEY AND MISSION--THE BLESSING OF THE PROPHET\nJOSEPH UPON OUR HEADS, AND HIS PROMISES UNTO US--THE POWER OF THE DEVIL\nMANIFESTED TO HINDER US UN THE PERFORMANCE OF OUR JOURNEY.\n\nOn the first of July, 1839, Joseph Smith and his counselors, Sidney\nRigdon and Hyrum Smith, crossed the river to Montrose, to spend the day\nwith the Twelve, and set them apart and bless them, before they started\nupon their missions. There were twelve of us who met there, and we all\ndined in my house.\n\nAfter dinner, we assembled at Brother Brigham Young's house for our\nmeeting.\n\nBrother Hyrum Smith opened by prayer; after which the Presidency laid\ntheir hands upon our heads and gave each of us a blessing.\n\nPresident Rigdon was mouth in blessing me, and also blessed Sisters\nYoung, Taylor and Woodruff.\n\nThe Prophet Joseph promised us if we would be faithful, we should be\nblessed upon our mission, have many souls as seals of our ministry, and\nreturn again in peace and safety to our families and friends; all of\nwhich was fulfilled.\n\nBrother Hyrum advised me to preach the first principles of the gospel;\nhe thought that was about as much as this generation could endure.\n\nThen Joseph arose and preached some precious things of the Kingdom of\nGod unto us, in the power of the Holy Ghost; some of which I here copy\nfrom my journal:\n\n\"Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive\nour brethren on the first intimation of their repentance and desire\nfor forgiveness; for our Heavenly Father will be equally as merciful\nunto us. We also ought to be willing to repent of and confess our sins,\nand keep nothing back. Let the Twelve be humble and not be exalted,\nand beware of pride and not seek to excel one another, but act for\neach other's good, and honorably make mention of each other's names in\nprayer before the Lord and before your fellow-men. Do not backbite or\ndevour a brother. The Elders of Israel should seek to learn by precept\nand example in this late age of the world and not be obliged to learn\neverything we know by sad experience. I trust the remainder of the\nTwelve will learn wisdom and not follow the example of those who have\nfallen. When the Twelve, or any other witnesses of Jesus Christ, stand\nbefore the congregations of the earth, and they preach in the power\nand demonstration of the Holy Ghost, and the people are astonished and\nconfounded at the doctrine, and say, 'That man has preached a powerful\nsermon,' then let that man or those men take care that they do not\nascribe the glory unto themselves, but be careful that they are humble,\nand ascribe the glory to God and the Lamb; for it is by the power of\nthe Holy Priesthood and the Holy Ghost that they have power thus to\nspeak.\n\n\"Who art thou, O man, but dust! and from whom dost thou receive thy\npower and blessings, but from God?\n\n\"Then let the Twelve Apostles and Elders of Israel observe this key,\nand be wise: _Ye are not sent out to be taught, but to teach_.\n\n\"Let every man be sober, be vigilant, and let all his words be seasoned\nwith grace, and keep in mind it is a day of warning, and not of many\nwords.\n\n\"Act honestly before God and man; beware of sophistry, such as bowing\nand scraping unto men in whom you have no confidence. Be honest, open,\nand frank in all your intercourse with mankind.\n\n\"I wish to say to the Twelve and all the Saints, to profit by this\nimportant key, that in all your trials, troubles, temptations,\nafflictions, bonds, imprisonments and deaths, see to it that you do not\nbetray Jesus Christ, that you do not betray the revelations of God,\nwhether in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Doctrine and Covenants, or any\nof the words of God.\n\n\"Yea, in all your troubles, see that you do not this thing, lest\ninnocent blood be found upon your skirts, and ye go down to hell.\n\n\"We may ever know by this sign that there is danger of our being led to\na fall and apostasy when we give way to the devil, so as to neglect the\nfirst known duty; but whatever you do, do not betray your friend.\"\n\nThe foregoing are some of the instructions given to the Twelve by the\nProphet Joseph, before they started upon their missions.\n\nInasmuch as the devil had been in a measure thwarted by the Twelve\ngoing to Far West, and returning without harm, it seemed as though the\ndestroyer was determined to make some other attempt upon us to hinder\nus from performing our missions; for it seemed that as soon as any one\nof the Apostles began to prepare for starting, he was smitten with\nchills and fever or sickness of some kind.\n\nNearly all of the quorum of the Twelve or their families began to be\nsick, so it still required the exercise of a good deal of faith and\nperseverance to start off on a mission.\n\nOn the 25th of July, for the first time in my life, I was attacked\nwith chills and fever; and this I had every other day, and, whenever\nattacked, I was laid prostrate.\n\nMy wife, Phoebe, was also soon taken down with the chills and fever, as\nwere quite a number of the Twelve.\n\nI passed thirteen days in Montrose with my family, after I was taken\nsick, before I started on my mission.\n\nThe 7th of August was the last day I spent at home in Montrose, and\nalthough sick with the chills and fever the most of the day, I made\nwhat preparations I could to start on the morrow on a mission of four\nthousand miles, to preach the gospel to the nations of the earth, and\nthis, too, without purse or scrip, with disease resting upon me, and a\nstroke of fever and ague once every two days.\n\nYet I did this freely, for Christ's sake, trusting in Him for the\nrecompense or reward. My prayer was: \"May the Lord give me grace\naccording to my day and souls for my hire, and a safe return to my\nfamily and friends, which favor I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.\nAmen.\"\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nLEAVE MY FAMILY--START UPON MY MISSION--OUR CONDITION--ELDER TAYLOR\nTHE ONLY ONE NOT SICK--REPROOF FROM THE PROPHET--INCIDENTS UPON THE\nJOURNEY--ELDER TAYLOR STRICKEN--I LEAVE HIM SICK.\n\nEarly upon the morning of the 8th of August, 1839, I arose from my bed\nof sickness, laid my hands upon the head of my sick wife, Phoebe, and\nblessed her. I then departed from the embrace of my companion, and left\nher almost without food or the necessaries of life.\n\nShe parted from me with the fortitude that becomes a Saint, realizing\nthe responsibilities of her companion. I quote from my journal:\n\n\"Phoebe, farewell! Be of good cheer; remember me in your prayers. I\nleave these pages for your perusal when I am gone. I shall see thy face\nagain in the flesh. I go to obey the commands of Jesus Christ.\"\n\nAlthough feeble, I walked to the banks of the Mississippi river. There\nPresident Brigham Young took me in a canoe (having no other conveyance)\nand paddled me across the river.\n\nWhen we landed, I lay down on a side of sole leather, by the post\noffice, to rest.\n\nBrother Joseph, the Prophet of God, came along and looked at me.\n\n\"Well, Brother Woodruff,\" said he, \"you have started upon your mission.\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said I, \"but I feel and look more like a subject for the\ndissecting room than a missionary.\"\n\nJoseph replied: \"What did you say that for? Get up, and go along; all\nwill be right with you!\"\n\nI name these incidents that the reader may know how the brethren of the\nTwelve Apostles started upon their missions to England, in 1839.\n\nElder John Taylor was going with me, and we were the first two of the\nquorum of the Twelve who started on their mission.\n\nBrother Taylor was about the only man in the quorum that was not sick.\n\nSoon a brother came along with a wagon, and took us in. As we were\ndriving through the place, we came to Parley P. Pratt, who was stripped\nto the shirt and pants with his head and feet bare. He was hewing a\nlog, preparing to build a cabin.\n\nHe said: \"Brother Woodruff, I have no money, but I have an empty purse,\nwhich I will give you.\" He brought it to me, and I thanked him for it.\n\nWe went a few rods further, and met Brother Heber C. Kimball, in the\nsame condition, also hewing a log, towards building a cabin.\n\nHe said: \"As Parley has given you a purse, I have got a dollar I will\ngive you to put in it.\"\n\nHe gave me both a dollar and a blessing.\n\nWe drove sixteen miles across a prairie, and spent the night with a\nBrother Merrill. The day following we rode ten miles, to a Brother\nPerkins', and he took us in his wagon to Macomb, and from thence to\nBrother Don Carlos Smith's.\n\nI rode four hours during the day over a very rough road of stones and\nstumps, lying on my back in the bottom of the wagon, shaking with the\nague, and I suffered much.\n\nWe held a meeting in a grove near Don Carlos Smith's and here Elder\nTaylor baptized George Miller, who afterwards was ordained a Bishop.\n\nAt the meeting the Saints gave us nine dollars, and George Miller gave\nus a horse to help us on our journey.\n\nI rode to Rochester with Father Coltrin, where I had an interview with\nseveral families of the Fox Island Saints, whom I had brought up with\nme from Fox Islands, in 1838. I spent several days with them and at\nSpringfield, where Elder Taylor published fifteen hundred copies, in\npamphlet form, of a brief sketch of the persecutions and sufferings of\nthe Latter-day Saints, inflicted by the inhabitants of Missouri.\n\nWe sold our horse, and in company with Father Coltrin, Brother Taylor\nand myself left Springfield, and continued our journey.\n\nI had the chills and fever nearly every other day, which made riding in\na lumber wagon very distressing to me, especially when I shook with the\nague.\n\nOn the 24th of August, we rode to Terre Haute, and spent the night with\nDr. Modisett. I suffered much with the chills and fever.\n\nElder John Taylor up to this time had appeared to enjoy excellent\nhealth, but the destroyer did not intend to make him an exception to\nthe rest of the Apostles. On the 28th of August, he fell to the ground\nas though he had been knocked down. He fainted away, but soon revived.\nOn the following day, however, the enemy made a powerful attack upon\nhis life. He fainted away several times, and it seemed as though he\nwould die. We stopped several hours with him at a house by the wayside.\nWe then took him into the wagon and drove to Horace S. Eldredge's, and\nspent the remainder of the day and night doctoring him.\n\nIn the morning Brother Taylor was so far recovered that he thought he\nwould be able to ride. So we started on our journey on the morning of\nthe 30th, and we traveled forty miles, to Louisville, and spent the\nnight with the family of Brother James Townsend.\n\nWe felt terribly shaken up, being in such a weak state. Brother\nTownsend was away from home, but we were kindly entertained by Sister\nTownsend.\n\nIn the morning, Elder Taylor, though very weak, felt disposed to\ncontinue his journey. We traveled fourteen miles to Germantown. He was\nquite sick at night, and the bilious fever seemed to settle upon him. I\nwas also very feeble, myself.\n\nOn the day following, September 1st, being Sunday, Brother Taylor\nconcluded to remain there for the day, and hold a meeting.\n\nIt was a German settlement. He wished me to speak, and I spoke upon the\nfirst principles of the gospel. He followed me, and spoke until he was\nexhausted.\n\nAfter we returned to the inn where we were stopping, I was taken with a\nchill and fever, and had a very bad night. Brother Taylor was also very\nsick.\n\nThe following day, September 2nd, was a painful day to my feelings. It\nwas evident that Brother Taylor had a settled fever upon him, and would\nnot be able to travel.\n\nFather Coltrin was resolved to continue his journey, and, in conversing\nwith Brother Taylor, he thought it better for one sick man to be left\nthan for two, as I was so sick with the chills and fever that I was not\nable to render him any assistance, nor, indeed, to take care of myself.\nUnder these circumstances, Brother Taylor advised me to continue my\njourney with Brother Coltrin, and make the best of my way to New York.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nCONTINUE MY JOURNEY--LEAVE ELDER TAYLOR IN GERMANTOWN--ARRIVE IN\nCLEVELAND--TAKE STEAMER FROM THERE TO BUFFALO--DELAYED BY A STORM--GO\nTO FARMINGTON, MY FATHER'S HOME--DEATH OF MY GRANDMOTHER--MY UNCLE\nDIES--I PREACH HIS FUNERAL SERMON--ARRIVE IN NEW YORK--SAIL FOR\nLIVERPOOL--ENCOUNTER STORMS AND ROUGH WEATHER--ARRIVE IN LIVERPOOL.\n\nAfter committing Elder Taylor into the hands of the Lord, though\npainful to me, I gave him the parting hand, and started. I left him in\nGermantown, Wayne County, Indiana, in the hands of a merciful God and\na kind and benevolent family, who promised to do everything in their\npower to make him comfortable until his recovery.\n\nThis they did, though he passed through a severe course of the bilious\nfever, and was sick nigh unto death. Through the mercy of God, however,\nhe recovered from his sickness, and continued his journey. We next met\nin the city of New York.\n\nI continued my journey with Father Coltrin, and we reached Cleveland\non the 18th of September. We there took steamer for Buffalo, but were\nthree days and a night in a storm before we made the harbor. We landed\nat midnight, and in doing so we ran into a schooner, and stove it in.\n\nFrom Buffalo I traveled to Albany in a canal boat, and had a stroke of\nthe ague daily.\n\nWhile on my journey, at Albany, I took a stage in the night, and rode\nto my father's home in Farmington, on the 21st of September.\n\nI was glad to meet with my father's family and the other members of the\nsmall branch of the Church which existed there upon this occasion, as I\nfound them all strong in the faith of the gospel, and glad to meet with\nme.\n\nI was still suffering with the ague daily.\n\nOn the 27th of September, my grandmother (on my mother's side), Anna\nThompson, died at Avon. She was eighty-four years of age.\n\nIt was a singular coincidence that she, with her husband, Lot Thompson,\nalso Mercy Thompson and Samuel Thompson, all of one family, died\nwhen they were eighty-four years of age. I was not able to attend my\ngrandmother's funeral.\n\nOn the 4th of October, 1839, my uncle, Adna Hart, died, aged\nforty-three years. I had visited him in his sickness, and preached the\ngospel to him, and he was believing. I had also been associated with\nhim from my youth up.\n\nOn his death-bed he sent me a request that I would preach his funeral\nsermon.\n\nI was having the chills and fever daily at the time, attended with a\nvery severe cough, so much so, that my father thought that I would\nnever leave his home alive. But when they brought me the request of my\ndying uncle, and the day came for his burial, I told my father to get\nhis horse and buggy ready, for I was going to attend the funeral.\n\nHe thought I was very reckless in regard to my own life, as I had\nsuffered with the chills and fever some fifteen days, and to attempt to\nspeak in my weak state, and to begin at the same hour that my chill was\nto come on, seemed to him foolhardy.\n\nMy parents were quite alarmed, yet according to my request my father\ngot up his team, and I rode with him and my step-mother five miles,\nthrough a cold, chilly wind, and I commenced speaking to a large\ncongregation, at the same hour that my chill had been in the habit of\ncoming on.\n\nI spoke over an hour with great freedom, and my chill left me from that\nhour, and I had no more attacks for many days.\n\nOn the Monday following, October 17th, I felt sufficiently restored to\nhealth to continue my journey. I took leave of my father and sister,\nand left for New York, where I arrived on the morning of the 8th of\nNovember.\n\nI spent two months and seven days after my arrival in New York, in\ntraveling and preaching in that city, New Jersey and Long Island, a\nportion of the time with Parley and Orson Pratt. I had frequent attacks\nduring this time of the chills and fever, but I preached almost daily.\n\nOn the 13th of December I attended our conference in New York City,\nwith Parley P. Pratt, and on this day Elder John Taylor arrived in our\nmidst, and it was a happy meeting.\n\nHe had passed through a severe siege of sickness after we parted, but\nthrough the mercy of God had been preserved, and was able to continue\nhis journey. He also informed us that others of the quorum of the\nTwelve had suffered a great deal of sickness, and that it was with\ndifficulty that they could travel.\n\nAfter spending six days in New York, Elder John Taylor, in company with\nElder Theodore Turley and myself sailed out of New York Harbor for\nLiverpool, on board the packet ship _Oxford_, on the 19th of December,\n1839.\n\nWe took the steerage passage, which cost fifteen dollars each. We had\nstorms and rough weather, but most of the winds were favorable for a\nquick passage.\n\nWhile on the ship a Methodist minister got into a discussion with some\nCatholics who were in the company, and the arguments of the minister\nran rather more into abuse than sound argument.\n\nElder Taylor told the Methodist minister that he did not think it was\nbecoming in a daughter to find so much fault with the mother as they\ndid, for as the Methodists came out of the Catholics, Elder Taylor\nthought the mother had as much right to enjoy her religion unmolested\nas the daughter had. That ended the argument.\n\nOur company consisted of 109 souls, composed of Americans, English,\nScotch, Irish, Welsh and Dutch.\n\nWe arrived in Liverpool dock on the 11th day of January, 1840, having\nmade the voyage from New York in twenty-three days.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nOUR FIRST VISIT TO PRESTON--OUR FIRST COUNCIL IN ENGLAND, IN 1840--WE\nTAKE DIFFERENT FIELDS OF LABOR--A WOMAN POSSESSED OF THE DEVIL--ATTEMPT\nTO CAST IT OUT AND FAIL--TURN OUT THE UNBELIEVERS, AND THEN\nSUCCEED--THE EVIL SPIRIT ENTERS HER CHILD--COMMENCE BAPTIZING--THE LORD\nMAKES KNOWN HIS WILL TO ME.\n\nOn January 13th, 1840, after visiting Mr. George Cannon, the father\nof President George Q. Cannon, and his family, we took cars in the\nevening, and arrived in the midst of the Preston branch of the Saints,\nbuilt up in 1837, by Elders Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde and Willard\nRichards.\n\nWe very soon had a pleasant interview with Elder Willard Richards, who\nhad remained in Preston to take care of the Church, while the rest had\nreturned home to America.\n\nWe spent three days at Preston in visiting the Saints, and on the 17th\nwe held a council at Elder Richards' home in that place.\n\nAfter consulting upon the best course for us to pursue, it was finally\nresolved that Elder John Taylor and Joseph Fielding go to Liverpool,\nElder Woodruff to Staffordshire Potteries, Theodore Turley to\nBirmingham, Elder Richards wherever the Spirit might direct him, and\nthat Wm. Clayton preside over the branch in Manchester.\n\nAfter various principles of the Church had been expounded by the\nApostles present, the council adjourned.\n\nElder Willard Richards had been called to be one of the quorum of the\nTwelve Apostles, but had not yet received his ordination.\n\nOn the day following I parted with Elders Taylor and Fielding, who went\nto Liverpool, and with Elder Richards, who tarried in Preston. Elder\nTurley and I went to Manchester.\n\nIt was the first time I ever visited that city. I here first met with\nElder Wm. Clayton. As soon as I had an introduction to him, he informed\nme that one of the sisters in that place was possessed of the devil,\nand he asked me to go and cast it out of her, thinking that one of the\nTwelve Apostles could do anything in this line he might wish to.\n\nHowever, I went with him to the house where the woman lay, in the hands\nof three men, in a terrible rage, and trying to tear her clothing from\nher.\n\nI also found quite a number of Saints present, and some unbelievers,\nwho had come to see the devil cast out and a miracle wrought.\n\nIf I had acted upon my own judgment I should not have attempted to\nadminister to her with the company present, but as I was a stranger\nthere, and Brother Clayton presided over the branch, I joined him in\nadministering to the woman. But the unbelief of the wicked present was\nso great, we could not cast the devil out of her, and she raged worse\nthan ever.\n\nI then ordered the room to be cleared, and when the company left the\nhouse, except the few attending to her, we laid hands upon her, and I\ncommanded the devil to come out of her, in the name of Jesus Christ.\nThe devil left her, and she was entirely cured and fell asleep.\n\nThe next day being the Sabbath, she came before a large congregation of\npeople, and bore testimony to what the Lord had done for her. We had a\nlarge assemblage through the day and evening, to whom I preached the\ngospel.\n\nOn Monday morning, the devil, not being satisfied with being cast out\nof the woman, entered into her little child, which was but a few months\nold.\n\nI was called upon to visit the child. I found it in great distress,\nwrithing in its mother's arms. We laid hands upon it and cast the\ndevil out of it, and the evil spirits had no power over the household\nafterwards.\n\nThis was done by the power of God, and not of man. We laid hands upon\ntwenty in Manchester who were sick, and they were mostly healed.\n\nOn the 21st, I arrived in Burslem by coach, and met, for the first\ntime, with Elder Alfred Cordon. This being my field of labor, I stopped\nand commenced work.\n\nElder Turley stopped in the pottery district some eight days, then went\nto Birmingham, his field of labor.\n\nI received a letter on the 10th of February, from Elder John Taylor,\nwho was at Liverpool, saying they had commenced there and baptized ten\npersons.\n\nI labored in the Staffordshire Potteries, in Burslem, Hanley, Stoke,\nLane End, and several other villages, from the 22nd of January until\nthe 2nd of March, preaching every night in the week and two or three\ntimes on the Sabbath.\n\nI baptized, confirmed and blessed many, and we had a good field open\nfor labor. Many were believing, and it appeared as though we had a door\nopen to bring many into the Church in that part of the vineyard.\n\nMarch 1st, 1840, was my birthday, when I was thirty-three years of age.\nIt being Sunday, I preached twice through the day to a large assembly\nin the City Hall, in the town of Hanley, and administered the sacrament\nunto the Saints.\n\nIn the evening I again met with a large assembly of the Saints and\nstrangers, and while singing the first hymn the Spirit of the Lord\nrested upon me, and the voice of God said to me, \"This is the last\nmeeting that you will hold with this people for many days.\"\n\nI was astonished at this, as I had many appointments out in that\ndistrict.\n\nWhen I arose to speak to the people, I told them that it was the last\nmeeting I should hold with them for many days. They were as much\nastonished as I was.\n\nAt the close of the meeting four persons came forward for baptism, and\nwe went down into the water and baptized them.\n\nIn the morning I went in secret before the Lord, and asked Him what His\nwill was concerning me.\n\nThe answer I got was, that I should go to the south, for the Lord had a\ngreat work for me to perform there, as many souls were waiting for the\nword of the Lord.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nMY JOURNEY TO HEREFORDSHIRE--INTERVIEW WITH JOHN BENBOW--THE WORD\nOF THE LORD FULFILLED TO ME--THE GREATEST GATHERING INTO THE CHURCH\nKNOWN AMONG THE GENTILES SINCE THE ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH IN THIS\nDISPENSATION--A CONSTABLE SENT TO ARREST ME--I CONVERT AND BAPTIZE\nHIM--TWO CLERKS SENT AS DETECTIVES HEAR ME PREACH, AND BOTH EMBRACE\nTHE TRUTH--RECTORS PETITION TO HAVE OUR PREACHING PROHIBITED--THE\nARCHBISHOP'S REPLY--BOOK OF MORMON AND HYMN BOOK PRINTED--CASE OF\nHEALING.\n\nOn the 3rd of March, 1840, in fulfillment of the word of the Lord to\nme, I took coach and rode to Wolverhampton, twenty-six miles, and spent\nthe night there.\n\nOn the morning of the 4th I again took coach, and rode through Dudley,\nStourbridge, Stourport and Worcester, and then walked a number of miles\nto Mr. John Benbow's, Hill Farm, Castle Frome, Ledbury, Herefordshire.\nThis was a farming country in the south of England, a region where no\nElder of the Latter-day Saints had visited.\n\nI found Mr. Benbow to be a wealthy farmer, cultivating three hundred\nacres of land, occupying a good mansion, and having plenty of means.\nHis wife, Jane, had no children.\n\nI presented myself to him as a missionary from America, an Elder of the\nChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who had been sent to him\nby the commandment of God as a messenger of salvation, to preach the\ngospel of life unto him and his household, and the inhabitants of the\nland.\n\nMr. Benbow and his wife received me with glad hearts and thanksgiving.\nIt was in the evening when I arrived, having traveled forty-eight miles\nby coach and on foot during the day, but after receiving refreshments\nwe sat down together, and conversed until two o'clock in the morning.\n\nMr. Benbow and his wife rejoiced greatly at the glad tidings which I\nbrought unto them of the fullness of the everlasting Gospel, which God\nhad revealed through the mouth of His Prophet, Joseph Smith, in these\nlast days.\n\nI rejoiced greatly at the news that Mr. Benbow gave me, that there\nwas a company of men and women--over six hundred in number--who had\nbroken off from the Wesleyan Methodists, and taken the name of United\nBrethren. They had forty-five preachers among them, and had chapels and\nmany houses that were licensed according to the law of the land for\npreaching in.\n\nThis body of United Brethren were searching for light and truth, but\nhad gone as far as they could, and were continually calling upon the\nLord to open the way before them, and send them light and knowledge\nthat they might know the true way to be saved.\n\nWhen I heard these things I could clearly see why the Lord had\ncommanded me, while in the town of Hanley, to leave that place of\nlabor and go to the south, for in Herefordshire there was a great\nharvest-field for gathering many Saints into the kingdom of God.\n\nI retired to my bed with joy after offering my prayers and thanksgiving\nto God, and slept sweetly until the rising of the sun.\n\nI arose on the morning of the 5th, took breakfast, and told Mr. Benbow\nI would like to commence my Master's business, by preaching the gospel\nto the people.\n\nHe had a large hall in his mansion which was licensed for preaching,\nand he sent word through the neighborhood that an American missionary\nwould preach at his house that evening.\n\nAs the time drew nigh many of the neighbors came in, and I preached\nmy first gospel sermon in the house. I also preached on the following\nevening at the same place, and baptized six persons, including Mr. John\nBenbow and his wife, and four preachers of the United Brethren.\n\nI spent most of the following day in clearing out a pool of water, and\npreparing it for baptizing in, as I saw many to be baptized there. I\nafterwards baptized six hundred in that pool of water.\n\nOn Sunday, the 8th, I preached at Frome's Hill in the morning, at\nStandley Hill in the afternoon, and at John Benbow's, Hill Farm, in the\nevening.\n\nThe parish church that stood in the neighborhood of Brother Benbow's,\npresided over by the rector of the parish, was attended during the day\nby only fifteen persons, while I had a large congregation, estimated to\nnumber a thousand, attend my meeting through the day and evening.\n\nWhen I arose in the evening to speak at Brother Benbow's house, a man\nentered the door and informed me that he was a constable, and had been\nsent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest me.\n\nI asked him \"For what crime?\"\n\nHe said, \"For preaching to the people.\"\n\nI told him that I, as well as the rector, had a license for preaching\nthe gospel to the people, and that if he would take a chair I would\nwait upon him after meeting.\n\nHe took my chair and sat beside me. I preached the first principles\nof the everlasting gospel for an hour and a quarter. The power of\nGod rested upon me, the Spirit filled the house, and the people were\nconvinced.\n\nAt the close of the meeting I opened a door for baptism, and seven\noffered themselves. Among the number were four preachers and the\nconstable.\n\nThe latter arose and said, \"Mr. Woodruff, I would like to be baptized.\"\n\nI told him I would like to baptize him. I went down to the pool and\nbaptized the seven. We then met together and I confirmed thirteen, and\nbroke bread unto the Saints and we all rejoiced together.\n\nThe constable went to the rector and told him if he wanted Mr. Woodruff\ntaken up for preaching the gospel, he must go himself and serve the\nwrit, for he had heard him preach the only true gospel sermon he had\never listened to in his life.\n\nThe rector did not know what to make of it, so he sent two clerks of\nthe Church of England as spies, to attend our meeting, and find out\nwhat we did preach.\n\nBut they were both pricked in their hearts and received the word of the\nLord gladly, and were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of\nJesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.\n\nThe rector became alarmed and did not dare to send anybody else.\n\nThe ministers and rectors of the South of England called a convention\nand sent a petition to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to request\nParliament to pass a law prohibiting the \"Mormons\" from preaching in\nthe British dominion.\n\nIn this petition the rector stated that one \"Mormon\" missionary had\nbaptized fifteen hundred persons, mostly members of the English church,\nduring the last seven months.\n\nBut the archbishop and council, knowing well that the laws of England\ngave free toleration to all religions under the British flag, sent word\nto the petitioners that if they had the worth of souls at heart as much\nas they had the ground where hares, foxes and hounds ran, they would\nnot lose so many of their flock.\n\nI continued to preach and baptize daily.\n\nOn the 21st day of March I baptized Elder Thomas Kingston. He was the\nsuperintendent of both preachers and members of the United Brethren.\n\nThe first thirty days after my arrival in Herefordshire, I had baptized\nforty-five preachers and one hundred and sixty members of the United\nBrethren, who put into my hands one chapel and forty-five houses, which\nwere licensed according to law to preach in.\n\nThis opened a wide field of labor, and enabled me to bring into the\nChurch, through the blessing of God, over eight hundred souls during\neight months, including all of the six hundred United Brethren except\none person; also including some two hundred preachers of various\ndenominations.\n\nThis field of labor embraced Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and\nWorcestershire, and formed the conferences of Garway, Godfield Elm and\nFrome's Hill.\n\nI was visited by President Young and Dr. Richards.\n\nBrother Benbow furnished us with \u00a3300 to print the first Book of Mormon\nthat was published in England: and on the 20th of May, 1840, Brigham\nYoung, Willard Richards and I held a council on the top of Malvern\nHill, and there decided that Brigham Young go direct to Manchester and\npublish 3,000 copies of the Hymn Book and 3,000 copies of the Book of\nMormon, this being the first publication of these books in England.\n\nThe power of God rested upon us and upon the mission.\n\nThe sick were healed, devils were cast out, and the lame were made to\nwalk.\n\nOne case I will mention: Mary Pitt, who died in Nauvoo, sister of Wm.\nPitt, who died in Salt Lake City, had not walked upon her feet for\neleven years. We carried her into the water and I baptized her.\n\nOn the evening of the 18th of May, 1840, at Brother Kingston's house in\nDymock, Elders Brigham Young, Willard Richards and I laid hands upon\nher head and confirmed her.\n\nBrigham Young, being mouth, rebuked her lameness, and commanded her to\narise and walk, in the name of the Lord. The lameness then left her,\nand she never afterwards used a staff or crutch.\n\nShe walked through the town of Dymock next day, which created a stir\namong the people; but the wicked did not feel to give God the glory.\n\nThe whole history of this Herefordshire mission shows the importance\nof listening to the still small voice of the Spirit of God and the\nrevelations of the Holy Ghost.\n\nThe Lord had a people there prepared for the gospel. They were praying\nfor light and truth, and the Lord sent me to them, and I declared the\ngospel of life and salvation unto them, and some eighteen hundred souls\nreceived it, and many of them have been gathered to Zion in these\nmountains. Many of them have also been called to officiate in the\nbishopric, and have done much good in Zion. But in all these things we\nshould ever acknowledge the hand of God, and give Him the honor, praise\nand glory, forever and ever. Amen.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nCLOSING TESTIMONY--GOOD AND EVIL SPIRITS\n\nBefore closing this little book, as a reader for our children, I wish\nto bear my testimony upon several principles, to the Latter-day Saints,\nespecially to the rising generation, the young men of Israel.\n\nFirst, I wish to speak of the spirits of good and evil. The Lord says,\nwhatever leads to good is of God, and whatever leads to do evil is of\nthe devil. This is a very important subject for us to understand.\n\nThe scriptures again tell us that there are many spirits gone out into\nthe world; and that we should try the spirits, to prove which are of\nGod and which are of the evil one. The New Testament says that every\nspirit that confesses that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God; and\nevery spirit that denieth that Jesus is the Christ is anti-Christ,\nand is not of God. I will also add that every spirit that confesses\nthat Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and that the _Book of Mormon_,\n_Bible_ and _Doctrine and Covenants_ are true, is of God; and every\nspirit that denieth this is not of God, but is of the evil one.\n\nI wish here to ask our young friends as well as the older ones, the\nquestion: Do you ever consider or contemplate anything about the number\nof evil spirits that occupy the earth, who are at war against God and\nagainst all good, and who seek to destroy all the children of men in\nevery age of the world?\n\nLet us reason together a moment upon this subject. It may be impossible\nfor any man, without direct revelation from God, to get to know the\nexact number, but we may approximate towards it.\n\nThe Lord has said by revelation that Lucifer, an angel in authority,\nrebelled against God, and drew away one-third part of the hosts of\nheaven; and he was cast down to the earth and the heavens wept over him.\n\nHow many were cast out of heaven down to the earth? We suppose that\nthe inhabitants of heaven here referred to were the spirits begotten\nof our Father in heaven who were to come dawn to the earth and take\ntabernacles. How many were there to come down and take tabernacles?\nThis, again, may be difficult to tell, yet perhaps we may come near\nenough for the purpose. It has generally been conceded that there are\nabout 1,000,000,000 persons on the earth at a time, though the late\nstatistics make out 1,400,000,000 at the present time. But we will say\n1,000,000,000. It is also said that a generation passes off the earth\nevery thirty-three and one-third years, making three generations in a\ncentury, which would be 3,000,000,000 in one hundred years. Multiply\nthis by ten and it will make 30,000,000,000 in 1,000 years. Multiply\nagain by seven and it will make 210,000,000,000 in 7,000 years.\n\nThe argument might be used that when our earth was first peopled there\nwere but two persons on the earth, and after the flood but eight souls\nwere left alive, but the probability is that during the millennium the\ninhabitants will increase very fast as the age of children will be as\nthe age of a tree, and the inhabitants of the earth will not die off as\nthey do now.\n\nBut we will suppose that there were 100,000,000,000 of fallen spirits\nsent down from heaven to earth, and that there are, 1,000,000,000 of\ninhabitants upon the face of the earth to-day, that would make one\nhundred evil spirits to every man, woman and child living on the earth;\nand the whole mission and labor of these spirits is to lead all the\nchildren of men to do evil and to effect their destruction.\n\nNow, I want all our boys and girls to reflect upon this, and to see\nwhat danger they are in, and the warfare they have to pass through.\n\nThese one hundred evil spirits to each one of the children of men seek\nto lead them into every temptation possible, to use tobacco, smoke,\ndrink whisky, get drunk, curse, swear, lie, steal, and commit adultery\nand murder, and do every evil to cut them off from exaltation as far as\npossible.\n\nOn the other hand, the Spirit of God labors and strives to preserve all\nthe children of men from these evils; and the Lord has given His angels\ncharge concerning us, and they do all they can for our salvation.\n\nBut yet we all have our agency, to choose the good and refuse the evil,\nor choose the evil and refuse the good. The Lord forces no man to\nheaven; neither does the Lord tempt any man to do evil. When a man is\ntempted to do evil, it is by the power of the devil, who is an enemy to\nall righteousness.\n\nI feel very anxious to have our boys and girls, our young men and\nmaidens, seek for that which is good.\n\nWhenever you are tempted to do evil, turn from it. Never make light of\nany of the commandments or ordinances of the gospel of Christ, and when\nyou meet with any persons who do it, shun their society.\n\nAvoid the use of tobacco and strong drink, for they lead to evil.\n\nYou are laying the foundation while in the days of your youth, for\na character which will decide your destiny through all time and\nthroughout all eternity, either for good or evil.\n\nThe Lord has told us by revelation (See _Doc. and Cov. Sec._ 130)\nthat whatever knowledge or principle of intelligence we attain to in\nthis life, it will rise with us in the resurrection, and any person\nwho gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his\ndiligence and obedience than another, will have so much the advantage\nin the world to come.\n\nTherefore, we should all strive to be diligent in obtaining\nintelligence, and bringing to pass righteousness upon our agency, and\nnot wait to be commanded in all things, and great will be our reward in\nso doing.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nHOW TO OBTAIN REVELATION FROM GOD--JOSEPH SMITH'S COURSE--SAVED FROM\nDEATH BY A FALLING TREE, BY OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT--A COMPANY\nOF SAINTS SAVED FROM A STEAMBOAT DISASTER BY THE SPIRIT'S WARNING--PLOT\nTO WAYLAY ELDER C. C. RICH AND PARTY FOILED BY THE SAME POWER.\n\nIn order to obtain revelation from God, and in order to know, when we\ndo obtain revelation, whether it is from God or not, we must follow the\nteachings of the revelations of God unto us. St. James says: \"If any\nman lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,\nand upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.\" Again, it is said,\n\"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it\nshall be opened unto you.\"\n\nIt was upon this promise that Joseph Smith went before the Lord and\nprayed in the name of Jesus Christ, and asked for knowledge, wisdom and\nunderstanding, in order to know what to do to be saved; and he proved\nthe promise of St. James before the Lord, and the heavens were opened\nto his view, and the Father and Son were revealed unto him, and the\nvoice of the great Eloheim unto him was: \"This is my beloved Son, hear\nye Him.\"\n\nThis was the first revelation of God to him. He did hearken to the\nvoice of Jesus Christ all his life afterwards, and received a code of\nrevelations and the word of the Lord unto him as long as he dwelt in\nthe flesh.\n\nJoseph Smith left as strong a testimony as was ever given to the human\nfamily, and sealed that testament with his own life and blood.\n\nWe all have to pursue the very same course in order to obtain\nrevelations from God. But I wish to impress this truth upon the rising\ngeneration and all who read this testimony, that the Lord does not give\nrevelations or send angels to men or work miracles to accommodate the\nnotions of any man who is seeking for a sign.\n\nWhen we have the principles of the gospel revealed to us through the\nmouth of the Savior, or by inspired prophets or apostles, we have no\nneed to ask the Lord to reveal that unto us again. While the priesthood\nis restored to the earth, and the revelations of God are revealed to us\nthrough the mouths of prophets and apostles concerning the fullness of\nthe gospel--doctrine, ordinances and principles, we should study them,\nand treasure up knowledge by faith. We should study out of the best\nbooks, and the Holy Ghost will bring to our remembrance those things\nwhich we stand in need of, in the self-same hour that we are called to\nteach the people.\n\nBut when any priest, elder, prophet, apostle, or messenger is sent of\nGod to preach the gospel, gather the Saints, work in temples or perform\nany work for the Lord, and that man is faithful and humble before the\nLord, in his prayers and duty, and there is any snare or evil in his\npath, or the righteous to be sought out, or danger to the emigration of\nthe Saints either by sea or land, or knowledge needed in a temple, then\nthe Lord will reveal to him all that is necessary to meet the emergency.\n\nThe teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith to President John Taylor and\nthe rest of us was to obtain the Holy Spirit, get acquainted with it\nand its operations, and listen to the whisperings of that Spirit and\nobey its voice, and it soon will become a principle of revelation unto\nus.\n\nWe have found this true in our experience, and in order to prove\nwhether a revelation is from God or not we follow out the principles\nrevealed to us, and if we find that which was manifested to us proves\ntrue, we know it is from God; for truth is one of His attributes, and\nthe Holy Ghost deceiveth no man. When a man becomes acquainted with the\nwhisperings of the Holy Ghost, which is revelation, he should be very\ncareful to obey it, for his life may depend upon it.\n\nRevelation is one of the gifts of the Holy Ghost, and for the benefit\nof my young friends who may read this work, I will give an account of a\nfew instances from my own experience of listening to the revelations of\nthe Holy Ghost to me.\n\nIn 1848, after my return to Winter Quarters from our pioneer journey, I\nwas appointed by the Presidency of the Church to take my family and go\nto Boston, to gather up the remnant of the Latter-day Saints and lead\nthem to the valleys of the mountains.\n\nWhile on my way east I put my carriage into the yard of one of the\nbrethren in Indiana, and Brother Orson Hyde set his wagon by the side\nof mine, and not more than two feet from it.\n\nDominicus Carter, of Provo, and my wife and four children were with me.\nMy wife, one child and I went to bed in the carriage, the rest sleeping\nin the house.\n\nI had been in bed but a short time when a voice said to me: \"Get up,\nand move your carriage.\"\n\nIt was not thunder, lightning or an earthquake, but the still, small\nvoice of the Spirit of God--the Holy Ghost.\n\nI told my wife I must get up and move my carriage. She asked: \"What\nfor?\"\n\nI told her I did not know, only the Spirit told me to do it.\n\nI got up and moved my carriage several rods, and set it by the side of\nthe house.\n\nAs I was returning to bed, the same Spirit said to me, \"Go and move\nyour mules away from that oak tree,\" which was about one hundred yards\nnorth of our carriage.\n\nI moved them to a young hickory grove and tied them up. I then went to\nbed.\n\nIn thirty minutes a whirlwind caught the tree to which my mules had\nbeen fastened, broke it off near the ground and carried it one hundred\nyards, sweeping away two fences in its course, and laid it prostrate\nthrough that yard where my carriage stood, and the top limbs hit my\ncarriage as it was.\n\nIn the morning I measured the trunk of the tree which fell where my\ncarriage had stood, and I found it to be five feet in circumference. It\ncame within a foot of Brother Hyde's wagon, but did not touch it.\n\nThus by obeying the revelation of the Spirit of God to me I saved my\nlife and the lives of my wife and child, as well as my animals.\n\nIn the morning I went on my way rejoicing.\n\nWhile returning to Utah in 1850 with a large company of Saints from\nBoston and the east, on my arrival at Pittsburg I engaged a passage\nfor myself and company on a steamer to St. Louis. But no sooner had I\nengaged the passage than the Spirit said to me, \"Go not on board of\nthat steamer, neither you nor your company.\"\n\nI obeyed the revelation to me, and I did not go on board, but took\nanother steamer.\n\nThe first steamer started at dark, with two hundred passengers on\nboard. When five miles down the Ohio river it took fire and burned the\ntiller ropes, so that the vessel could not reach the shore, and the\nlives of nearly all on board were lost either by fire or water. We\narrived in safety at our destination, by obeying the revelation of the\nSpirit of God to us.\n\nIn another instance, after attending a large annual conference in Salt\nLake City, and, having a good deal of business to attend to, I was\nsomewhat weary, and at the close of the conference I thought I would\nrepair to my home and have a rest.\n\nAs I went into the yard the Spirit said to me, \"Take your team and go\nto the farm,\" which is some three miles south of the Tabernacle.\n\nAs I was hitching the horse to the wagon Mrs. Woodruff asked where I\nwas going.\n\nI said, \"To the farm.\"\n\n\"What for?\" she asked.\n\n\"I do not know,\" I replied; but when I arrived there I found out.\n\nThe creek had overflowed, broken through my ditch, surrounded my home\nand filled my barn-yard and pig pen. My wife was wading in the water,\ntrying to turn it from the lot to save the home and family.\n\nThrough my own exertions I soon turned it, and prevented much damage\nthat might have occurred had I not obeyed the voice of the Spirit.\n\nThis same Spirit of revelation has been manifested to many of my\nbrethren in their labors in the kingdom of God, one of which I will\nhere name.\n\nElder Chas. C. Rich was going from Sacramento to San Bernardino with\na company of brethren. He had in his possession a large amount of\nmoney to make payment on their land purchase. This was known to some\nroad agents in the vicinity, who gathered a company of robbers and\nwent on ahead of Brother Rich and lay in ambush, intending to kill the\n\"Mormons\" and rob them of their money.\n\nBefore reaching the company of robbers Brother Rich came to a by-path\nor trail. The Spirit then told him to take that path.\n\nThe brethren with him marveled at his course, not knowing that enemies\nawaited them, but they arrived in safety at San Bernardino with their\nlives and their money, while the robbers wondered why their prey did\nnot come.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nRESULT OF NOT OBEYING THE VOICE OF THE SPIRIT--LOST IN A\nSNOWSTORM--SAVED IN ANSWER TO PRAYER--REVELATION TO MISSIONARIES\nNECESSARY--REVELATIONS IN THE ST. GEORGE TEMPLE.\n\nI will now give an example from my own experience of the result of not\nobeying the voice of the Spirit.\n\nSome years since I had part of my family living in Randolph, Rich\nCounty. I was there on a visit, with my team in the month of December.\n\nOne Monday morning my monitor, the Spirit watching over me, said: \"Take\nyour team and go home to Salt Lake City.\"\n\nWhen I named it to my family who were at Randolph they urged me\nstrongly to stop longer.\n\nThrough their persuasion I stayed until Saturday morning, with the\nSpirit continually prompting me to go home. I then began to feel\nashamed to think that I had not obeyed the whisperings of the Spirit to\nme before.\n\nI took my team and started early on Saturday morning. When I arrived at\nWoodruff, the Bishop urged me to stop until Monday and he would go with\nme.\n\nI told him, \"No, I had tarried too long already.\"\n\nI drove on sprightly, and when within fifteen miles of Wasatch, a\nfurious snow storm overtook me, the wind blowing heavily in my face.\n\nIn fifteen minutes I could not see any road whatever, and knew not how\nor where to guide my horses.\n\nI left my lines loosely on my animals, went inside my wagon, tied down\nthe cover, and committed my life and guidance into the hands of the\nLord, trusting to my horses to find the way, as they had twice before\npassed over that road.\n\nI prayed to the Lord to forgive my sin in not obeying the voice of the\nSpirit to me, and implored Him to preserve my life.\n\nMy horses brought me into the Wasatch station at 9 o'clock in the\nevening, with the hubs of my wagon dragging in the snow.\n\nI got my horses under cover and had to remain there until next Monday\nnight, with the snow six feet deep on the level, and still snowing.\n\nIt was with great difficulty at last that I saved the lives of my\nhorses by getting them into a box car and taking them to Ogden; while,\nif I had obeyed the revelation of the Spirit of God to me, I should\nhave traveled to Salt Lake City over a good road without any storm.\n\nAs I have received the good and the evil, the fruits of obedience and\ndisobedience, I think I am justified in exhorting all my young friends\nto always obey the whisperings of the Spirit of God, and they will\nalways be safe.\n\nThe Spirit of God will rule over and guide all men who will permit it\nand seek for it, and this is especially necessary for young Elders who\nare laboring in the vineyard of the Lord. For the Lord knows where the\nrighteous, honest and meek of the earth are, and will lead the Elders\nto them.\n\nI have already related a remarkable instance of this in my own\nexperience, when the voice of the Lord came to me in the town of\nHanley, England, in 1840.\n\nIn that case it dictated me quite contrary to my expectations, for I\nhad appointments out for a week ahead. But I obeyed the voice of the\nSpirit, went south as I was directed to, and my readers know the result.\n\nI will refer to one more instance in my experience upon the subject of\nrevelation:\n\nAll the Latter-day Saints understand that we build temples for the\npurpose of administering ordinances for the dead as well as for the\nliving.\n\nThe Lord has opened the way in a remarkable manner for many of the\nmembers of the Church to obtain records of the names of their dead for\nseveral generations.\n\nI had also obtained a record of somewhat over three thousand of my\nfather and mother's families.\n\nAfter the dedication of the temple at St. George, President Young\nappointed me to preside over it. When we commenced work in the temple\nI began to reflect: \"How can I redeem my dead? I have some three\nthousand names of the dead who have been baptized for, and how can I\nget endowments for them?\"\n\nI had none of my family there, and if any had been there they would not\nhave been able to get endowments for so many.\n\nWhile praying to the Lord to show me how to redeem my dead, the Spirit\nof God rested upon me, and the voice of the Spirit said to me, \"Go and\ncall upon the sons and daughters of Zion in St. George, to come into\nthe temple of the Lord and get endowments for your dead; and it shall\nbe acceptable unto me, saith the Lord.\"\n\nThis filled my soul with joy, and I saw that it opened a field as wide\nas eternity for the salvation of our dead and the redemption of man,\nthat we might magnify our calling as saviors upon Mount Zion.\n\nOn my birthday, March 1, 1877, the day that I was seventy years old,\none hundred and fifty-four sisters at St. George went into the temple\nto get endowments for the same number of the female portion of my dead.\n\nThis principle was received by President Young and adopted from that\nhour, and through the kindness of friends I have had nearly two\nthousand of my friends receive endowments in the temple of the Lord;\nand thousands of others have received the same blessings in the same\nway.\n\nPresident Young received revelations in the temple, and there are\nyet many revelations to be received in the last days, concerning the\nredemption of the dead and many other subjects, but they will all be\nmanifest in due time through the proper authority unto the Church and\nKingdom of God.\n\nThere are many other manifestations of the power of God and the\nrevelations of Jesus Christ to us in our lives. We have been called\nby revelation to give endowments for many persons now dead, who, when\nliving, were honorable men of the earth, and some who were prominent in\nour nation, but who were not members of our family.\n\nBut I have said sufficient upon this branch of the subject.\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nPATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS AND THEIR FULFILLMENT--PREDICTIONS IN MY OWN\nBLESSING--GOLD-DUST FROM CALIFORNIA--TAUGHT BY AN ANGEL--STRUGGLE WITH\nEVIL SPIRITS--ADMINISTERED TO BY ANGELS--WHAT ANGELS ARE SENT TO THE\nEARTH FOR.\n\nThe duty of a Patriarch is to bestow blessings upon his posterity and\nthe children of men.\n\nIn a revelation (_Doc. and Cov_., sec. 107) the Lord says that \"Three\nyears previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan,\nMahalaleel, Jared, Enoch and Methuselah, who were all High Priests,\nwith the residue of his posterity who were righteous into the valley of\nAdam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessings. * *\nAnd Adam * * predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the\nlast generation. These things are all written in the book of Enoch, and\nare to be testified of in due time.\"\n\nAbraham, Isaac and Jacob were patriarchs, and blessed their posterity.\nAll that Jacob said and sealed upon the heads of his twelve sons has\nbeen fulfilled to the very letter, so far as time has permitted.\n\nWe also have patriarchs in our day. Father Joseph Smith, the father\nof the Prophet Joseph Smith, was the first Patriarch of the Church\nof Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He gave a great many blessings\nunto the Saints, which are recorded, and many of them have seen their\nfulfillment.\n\nWhen he put his hands on the head of a person to bless him, it seemed\nas though the heavens were opened, and he could reveal the whole life\nof that person.\n\nHe gave me my patriarchal blessing in the Temple of the Lord at\nKirtland, on the 15th day of April, 1837.\n\nMany marvelous things which he sealed upon my head, for which I could\nthen see no earthly chance of fulfillment, have already been fulfilled\nto the very letter.\n\nOne or two instances I will name. He said I should have access to the\ntreasures hid in the ground to assist me in getting myself and others\nto Zion.\n\nWhen in Cambridgeport gathering up the Saints, in 1850, Alexander\nBadlam went to California on business, and the Saints who were digging\ngold filled a little sack with gold dust and sent it to me to assist me\non my mission.\n\nBy the sale of this treasure from California I was enabled to emigrate\nmyself, family and a number of others to Zion in the mountains.\n\nHe also said I should have power to bring my father and his family into\nthe Church. This was fulfilled when I visited them during my mission to\nthe Fox Islands, as previously related.\n\nMy father gathered to Salt Lake City with the Saints, and he died\nthere, aged 83 years.\n\nThe Patriarch also said that I should be wrapt in the visions of\nheaven, and an angel of God should teach me many things. This was\nliterally fulfilled.\n\nAgain, he told me I should be delivered from my enemies (who would seek\nmy destruction) by the mighty power of God and the administrations of\nangels. This was marvelously fulfilled while in the city of London\nin 1840. Brothers Heber C. Kimball, Geo. A. Smith and I went to\nLondon together in the winter of 1840, being the first Elders who had\nattempted to establish the gospel in that great and mighty city.\n\nAs soon as we commenced we found the devil was manifest; the evil\nspirits gathered for our destruction, and at times they had great power.\n\nThey would destroy all the Saints if they were not restrained by the\npower of God.\n\nBrother Smith and myself, were together, and had retired to our rest,\neach occupying a cot, and but three feet apart.\n\nWe had only just lain down, when it seemed as if a legion of devils\nmade war upon us, to destroy us, and we were struggling for our lives\nin the midst of this warfare of evil spirits until we were nearly\nchoked to death.\n\nI began to pray the best that I could in the midst of this struggle and\nasked the Father in the name of Jesus Christ to spare our lives.\n\nWhile thus praying three personages entered the room, clothed in white\nand encircled with light.\n\nThey walked to our bedside, laid hands upon our heads and we were\ninstantly delivered; and from that time forth we were no more troubled\nwith evil spirits while in the city of London.\n\nAs soon as they administered unto us they withdrew from the room, the\nlights withdrew with them and darkness returned.\n\nMany other sayings of the Patriarch Joseph Smith in my blessing have\nbeen fulfilled in my experience, but I have said sufficient on this\nsubject. All the blessings that are sealed upon our heads will be\nfulfilled, and many more, if we are faithful and live for them.\n\nIn closing my testimony I wish to say that I do not think that the Lord\never sends an angel to the earth to visit the children of men, unless\nit is necessary to introduce a dispensation of the gospel, or deliver a\nmessage, or perform a work that cannot be done otherwise.\n\nIt required an angel of God to deliver the gospel to Joseph Smith\nbecause it was not then upon the earth, and that was in fulfillment of\nthe word of the Lord through John the Revelator (_Revelations xiv_.\n6). And so in regard to the administrations of angels in all ages of\nthe world; it is to deliver a message and perform a work which cannot\notherwise be accomplished.","title":"Leaves from My Journal: Third Book of the Faith-Promoting Series: Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-Day Saints","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":35273}