MISSION TO THE EAST, 1843.
Address of the Prophet on Constitutional Rights.—Orson Hyde's Call to Russia.—Prophet Explains His Position with Respect to Missouri.—Origin of Nauvoo Legion.—Political Explanation.—Departure of the Twelve for the East.—Brigham Young's Fidelity.—Phrenological Chart by O. S. Fowler.—Return of the Twelve to Nauvoo.—W. W. Sealed to Wife.—Adultery.—Governor of Missouri Again Issues Requisition for Prophet.—Endowments.
The people of Nauvoo during these exciting times were greatly agitated over the safety of their Prophet and leader. In keeping with his promise, Joseph Smith addressed the assembled multitude who anxiously awaited the words which were to fall from his lips. There were no stenographic reporters then, and Wilford Woodruff's account of what was said is without doubt the fullest and most accurate statement on record. The following is taken from his journal, wherein he recorded the words of the prophet: "I meet you with a heart full of gratitude to Almighty God, and you doubtless feel as I do. I hardly know how to express my feelings. I feel as strong as a giant. I pulled sticks with the men coming along, and with one hand I pulled up the strongest man on the road, and two could not pull me up. I continued to pull till I pulled them to Nauvoo. Notwithstanding the excitement, I feel cool and dispassionate through it all. Thank God I am now in the hands of those who preside over the municipal court, not in the hands of the Missourians. Relative to our right of habeas corpus we have full power. If there is not power in our charter and courts, then there is none in the state of Illinois, nor in Congress, nor in the constitution of the United States. Congress gave to Illinois her constitution, and Illinois has given to Nauvoo the charter which protects us in our vested rights.
"I want you to learn, O Israel! what is for the happiness and peace of this city and its people. Our enemies are determined to oppress us and deprive us of our rights and privileges as they have done in the past. If the authorities on earth will not give us that protection which the laws and the constitution of the UnitedStates and of this state guarantee, then we will appeal to a higher power, to heaven, to God Almighty, for our constitutional rights.
"The Lord, in my past troubles has raised up friends to me, though they were strangers, and they would have lost their lives to deliver me from my enemies and to protect my rights in this state. I have told them to do no violence for I should be delivered by the power of God. I have brought the men who arrested me to Nauvoo, and I have treated them kindly. I have had the privilege of rewarding them, good for evil. They took me unlawfully, treated me rigorously, strove to deprive me of my right and would have carried me into Missouri to be murdered had not Providence interposed. Now they are in my hands. I took them into my home, set them at the head of the table, and placed before them the best that my home afforded. They were waited upon by my wife whom they deprived of seeing me when I was taken.
"There is a time, however, when forbearance ceases and when suffering longer without resistance is a sin. I shall not bear it any longer, I will spill the last drop of blood I have rather than endure it; and all who feel that they will not bear it any longer say, 'Aye.' The vast assembly shouted, 'Aye.' Whatever may be your feeling about the heavy hand of oppression I wish you to restrain yourself from violence against those men who have arrested me. My word is at stake, a hair of their heads shall not be harmed.
"My life is pledged to carry out this great work, I know you are ever ready to do right, you have done great things and you have manifested your love for me in rushing to my assistance on this occasion, and I bless you in the name of the Lord. I know the Almighty will bless all good men, and may you not have to suffer as I have suffered heretofore. However, I shall restrain you no longer, from this time forth. If occasion require I will lead you to battle, if you are not afraid to die and to spill your blood in your own defense you will not offend me. Be not the aggressor. Bear until they strike you on one cheek and then offer the other. They will be sure to strike that also; then defend yourself and God will bear you off victorious. If I am under the necessity of giving up our chartered rights, privileges, and freedom for which our fathers fought and bled, and which the constitutionof the United States as well as this state grants to us, I will do it at the point of the bayonet and sword.
"Many lawyers contend for that which is against the rights of men, and I can only excuse them because of their ignorance. Go forth, O ye lawyers! and advocate the rights of the people, for we shall rise up Washington-like and break off the fetters which bind us and we shall not be mobbed."
After discussing at some length the charter of Nauvoo and the writ of habeas corpus, he gave an interesting account of his recent arrest and of the return to Nauvoo. He explained that he had prophesied to his wife the day before his presence in the neighborhood, where the people befriended him, that they were a good people, and that he knew it by the spirit of God. "When Mr. Cyrus Walker, an attorney, came to me, those who had arrested me said that I should speak to no man and they would shoot any man who spoke to me. An old man came up and said that I should have counsel and told them he was not afraid of their pistols. My freedom began from that time."
Speaking of the law, the Prophet said: "Almighty God has taught me the true principle of law and the true meaning of the writ of habeas corpus. It is to protect the innocent and to prevent innocent men from being dragged into other states and from being punished by the avowed enemy.
"It did my soul good to witness the manifestation of your feelings and love toward me. I thank God I have the honor to lead so virtuous and honest a people, to be your law-giver as Moses was to the children of Israel. Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to the most high God! I commend you to His grace and may the blessings of Heaven rest upon you, I ask it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
July 1st the trial of the Prophet came off. There were present Brigham Young, Hyrum Smith, Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight, and Sidney Rigdon. They were all called as witnesses and duly sworn. They recounted the history of the Missouri persecutions from the time they were driven from Jackson County until their expulsion from Far West by force of arms. "The recital of these scenes," says President Woodruff, "caused my blood to boil and the spirit of war was awakened in me, even the Gentilelawyers were shocked, and in their speeches counseled the people to stand by their rights whatever the issue might be."
The Fourth of July was at hand and great preparations had been made for its celebration. About fifteen thousand people assembled in the grove. Orson Hyde addressed the vast multitude. He had lately returned from Palestine, and was then under appointment to carry the gospel to Saint Petersburg, Russia. In the afternoon the multitude of Saints was greatly augmented by three steamboat loads of visiting ladies and gentlemen from St. Louis, Quincy, and Burlington. As the visitors arrived they were escorted to the stand by the Nauvoo band, and their presence welcomed by the firing of cannon. Parley P. Pratt spoke at some length, and was followed by the Prophet Joseph, who took this occasion to speak of himself. Elder Woodruff quotes him as follows:
"If the people will give ear a moment, I will address a few words in my own defense. In the first place I will state to those who can hear me that I never spent more than six months in Missouri except the time I was in prison. While at Liberty, Missouri, I was at work for the support of my family. I never was a prisoner of war during my stay there, for I had not made war. I never took a gun, nor a pistol, nor a sword and what has been said by our enemies on that subject is false. I have always been willing to go to any governor, judge, or tribunal where justice could be had and have the matter investigated. I could not have committed treason as I had no control of affairs except in spiritual matters. I was driven from Missouri by force of arms under the exterminating order of Governor Boggs. I have always been a peaceable citizen, yet there is scarcely a crime that can be committed that is not laid at the door of Joseph Smith. I have been dragged before the courts time and again on charges that were false and every time I have been acquitted. As often as God sees fit for me to suffer I am ready, but I am as innocent of those crimes imputed as the angels in heaven. I am not an enemy to mankind, neither am I an enemy to Missouri, its governor, nor its people.
"As for the military station I hold and the reasons for holding it I have this to say: When we came here the state required us to bear arms and to do military duty. As the Church had justbeen driven from Missouri and our people had been robbed of their property and their arms had been taken from them, they, therefore, had no arms with which to do duty, yet they were liable to a fine if they did not respond to the orders of the state in the matter of military service even though they had no arms. I advised them to organize into independent companies and to ask the state for arms. This they did. There were, however, many elders who had license to preach. They are exonerated by the law from military duties. The officers, however, would not release them on those grounds. I then told the Saints that although I was free from military duty by law in consequence of a lameness in one of my legs I would set them an example and do military duty myself. They wanted me for their leader. From these circumstances and conditions the Nauvoo Legion came into existence and I was made Lieutenant General. It was not because I was seeking for power.
"There are those who say we all vote together and that our people vote as I say, but I never tell any man how to vote nor whom to vote for. Let me make a comparison. Suppose there were a Methodist society here, and that outside of that society there were two candidates running for office. One of them says: 'If you will elect me to the gubernatorial chair I will take away the charter of your city and exterminate the Methodists.' The other says: 'If I am elected all men shall be equal before the law, and I will discriminate against no man or society.' Now whom would the Methodists vote for? Certainly not for the man who was their bitter enemy and who would not protect them in their rights. It has been so with us. Joseph Duncan said if the people would elect him he would exterminate the Mormons, take away their charter. Mr. Ford made no such threats, but manifested a disposition to give every man his rights. The people, therefore, voted for him and he was elected governor. However, he has issued writs against me twice at the demands of the Missourians; this has caused me much trouble and expense."
During these remarks much prejudice was removed. There was present a vast multitude of about fifteen thousand people, many of whom were not members of the Church. They gave the strictest attention and were edified by what they saw and heard.
On the morning of July 7th, 1843, Wilford Woodruff rose early, blessed his wife and daughter, Phoebe, and in company with Brigham Young and Elder George A. Smith, started on a mission to the East to strengthen the branches of the Church there and gather funds for the Temple and the Nauvoo House. They left Morrison's landing on the steamerRapidand arrived in St. Louis the next day. Here Elder Woodruff purchased supplies for the "Times and Seasons" and shipped them to Nauvoo. The day following the missionary party boarded the steamerLancetand went up the Ohio to Cincinnati, where they landed on the 13th, their sixth day from Nauvoo. Enroute they obtained a view of the tomb of President Harrison.
On the night of their arrival in Cincinnati, Elder Woodruff dreamed that Joseph would again be arrested and tried in Illinois, and the same night Brigham Young dreamed that the Twelve were called home. These dreams were the preparation for coming events which cast their shadows before. The hearts of those brave men and devoted missionaries were receiving a preparation for the troublous times that were to come.
In Cincinnati Elder Woodruff made further purchases for the "Times and Seasons." From that city they went on to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, with the steamerAdelaide.They reached the place at six p. m. and immediately repaired to the Temperance Hall, where a meeting of the Saints was convened. Here they met Elders Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, and John E. Page. The last named was preaching as they entered the hall; and, contrary to the counsel of the Prophet, Elder Page was making war upon sects of the day. Next day the Twelve held a council, in which John E. Page was severely reproved by President Young for disorganizing a branch in Cincinnati which three of the Twelve had just before that time organized, and for disobeying the Prophet's counsel in the matter of preaching against religious denominations. These acts of disobedience to the counsels of his file-leaders had, no doubt, something to do with his apostasy later on.
Elder Woodruff never forgets to put in his journal the historical items of general interest and speaks of Pittsburg as a city which at that time numbered about thirty-five thousand inhabitants. The city had ninety-five churches, one hundred and twentypreachers, and twenty-one denominations. The Latter-day Saints numbered there at that time seventy-five souls.
On Sunday, the 30th, six of the Twelve Apostles met in conference with the Saints in Temperance Hall. They held three meetings and imparted many valuable instructions to the Saints and visitors in attendance. Elder Woodruff took minutes of the meeting and noted especially the teachings of President Young, as he attached most importance to the words of the man standing highest in authority when giving an account of what was said on any occasion. President Young on this occasion bore a strong testimony to the divinity of the work and to the mission of the Prophet Joseph. "Who," he said, "is the author of this work? God is its author, Joseph Smith being the instrument in the hands of God. He is the greatest man on earth. No other man of this age has power to gather such a great people from all the nations of the earth and with all their peculiar dispositions cement them together. This the Prophet is doing by the power of God, as the Saints are led by the Holy Spirit in their own hearts."
July the 30th the members of the Twelve made a tour of the city. They visited the glass-works, the water-works, and other places of note and interest. Speaking of the water-works, Elder Woodruff says: "Descending the hill we had a view of the city water-works. The building was patterned after Roman architecture. The works cost two hundred thousand dollars. The building was designed by Elder Charles Beck, who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Elder Beck was present at the visit of the Twelve to Pittsburg and showed them every courtesy. He further paid the railroad fare of the six members to Baltimore.
From there they proceeded to Philadelphia, where they arrived August 5th. The following day (Sunday) they met about three hundred Saints in conference. Elder Jedediah M. Grant was also present and opened the conference by prayer. President Young, Orson Pratt, and George A. Smith occupied the principal part of the time in both of the meetings, afternoon and evening. In the forenoon Elder Woodruff accompanied President Young and others to hear the Reverend Mr. Litz, the Millerite preacher. The reverend gentleman strongly contended that the Jews would never be restored to the land of Palestine or be gathered together.
On the 8th the Twelve took a steamboat excursion, and while thus riding for their enjoyment, a number of subjects came up for discussion. Among others the question: "Is the prosperity of any religious denomination a positive evidence of the truth of its contention?" John E. Page took the affirmative, and Elder J.M. Grant the negative. President Young, who was chairman, decided in favor of the negative.
During the stay of the Twelve in this historic city, Elder Woodruff was very active in visiting the Saints, strengthening them in their faith and laying before them the purpose of their mission. At intervals in his labors he occupied himself in gathering a great variety of useful information within his reach. His journal is, indeed, an interesting history of the places visited by him in those early days. He speaks of the visit of himself, Elders Young, Pratt, Smoot, and Hessy to the state house, also of his visit to Independence Hall. "We saw," he remarks, "the room where the patriots signed the Declaration of Independence. We sat in the chair occupied by John Hancock when he signed that immortal instrument."
On the 14th, Elders Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, and William Muir parted with the Saints in Philadelphia and went by steamer to Schuylkill, then walked six miles to a Mr. Mosley's, where they preached in the evening. For several days Elder Woodruff traveled and preached in various neighborhoods of that vicinity. He visited the scene of the Battle of Brandywine.
On the 21st the party returned to Philadelphia, where they learned that the other apostles had gone on to New York. They remained two days, then followed their companions. In New York they held a conference on August 26th and 27th. At this conference many questions which are well understood doctrines of the Church were commented upon in such a manner as to show that they were not plain to the missionaries of those early days, a fact, no doubt, due to the traditions and religious teachings which men of those times brought with them into the Church. Among other things, the question was asked whether a man could be deprived of his priesthood and still retain his standing in the Church. President Young answered decidedly, "No."
On the 29th of that month Elder Woodruff went to Bostonwith Elders Davis and Wandell. This afforded him an opportunity to visit his father and family in his old home at Farmington, Connecticut. On the 9th of September, after reaching Boston, he, with six other members of the Twelve; namely, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and George A. Smith, held conference in Boylston Hall. From his notes the following is taken: "President Young said: 'The spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, is a gathering spirit, and its tendency is to gather the virtuous and good, the honest and meek of the earth, in other words the Saints of God. Now is the set time for the Lord to redeem Israel. He does not require every soul to leave his home as soon as he believes, but requires him to hearken to counsel and follow the counsel which the Lord points out to him. You say the Lord may save us as well where we are. Yes, if the Lord says so, but when He commands us to gather and we do not do it, He will not save us. You might have been baptized seventy times in any other way than that ordained of God and you would not have received the Holy Ghost. Can you get an endowment in Boston? No, only in that place which God has appointed. If you do not help to build the Temple and the Nauvoo House, if you do not help to build up Zion and the cause of God, you will not inherit the land of Zion. Be faithful or you will not be chosen; for the day of choosing is at the door. Why be afraid of sacrifice? I have given my all many times and would be willing to do so again. I would be glad to hear the Lord say to His servant Joseph, "Let my servant Brigham give all he has." I would obey in a moment if it took the last coat from my back.'"
From a discourse of Heber C. Kimball the following is taken: "We do not profess to be polished stones like some of the elders. The more we roll through the forests and get the corners knocked off the better we are. If we were polished and smooth it would deface us to have the surface chipped off. This is the case with Joseph Smith, he never professed to be smooth and polished. Rolling around among the rocks has not hurt him at all, but in the end he will be as polished as any stone, while many who were so very polished in the beginning will become badly defaced."
"Do the Saints of Boston know," said Parley P. Pratt, "that they are identified in laying the foundation of so great and mightya work that it will include all the great and glorious purposes of God which are to be fulfilled in the dispensation of the fullness of times? Millions will yet celebrate the day when the foundation of this work was laid."
The Twelve little dreamed that when they would meet again in Boston it would be on the sad 27th day of June, when the Prophet and the Patriarch would be called upon to lay down their lives at the hands of a murderous mob.
On the 12th Elder Woodruff left for Portland, Maine. The express train conveying him to his destination was thrown from the track. The engineer was killed and a lady passenger bruised; all the rest escaped in a marvelous manner. From Maine Elder Woodruff wrote an account of the wreck to the "Boston Bee" as well as to the "Times and Seasons" in Nauvoo. He occupied some several days in visiting his wife's father, Ezra Carter, and the family of Arthur and Lucy Milliken, the latter being the youngest sister of the Prophet Joseph.
After his visit he returned to Boston, where he again joined the members of this quorum. While there he and several members of the Twelve were examined phrenologically by the noted Professor O. S. Fowler. From his chart we take the following character delineation of President Woodruff:
PHRENOLOGICAL CHART.
"Wilford Woodruff:Is a man of great action, both physical and mental; does up things in a hurry; lets nothing sleep in his hands; great resolution; steamboat speed; loves his liberty; is not disposed to be subject to the will or dictation of others; has great independence; difficulties only stimulate him to increased action; goes in for the largest liberty of the mass and is a democrat of the old school; prefers utility to beauty and substance to show; highly social and fond of family and friends; has but few secrets of his own and tells the plain, unvarnished facts; fears but little danger; is not irresolute, but decides and proceeds at once to action; his first thoughts are always his best; he does his own religious thinking and does not hang his hopes upon the faith of others. He believes but little without proof; is a two edged sword—if he does not cut one way, does another. He makes positivefriends or positive enemies—has much severity; is sarcastic; bitter in reproaches; means to do right; fears the force of moral obligations. His jokes have more vinegar than molasses in them. He recollects and explains facts well; reasons by inference from the facts, by analogy and induction; has good talking talents, and is noted for his clear illustrations.
"Boston, September the 20th, 1843.
"(Signed) O. S. FOWLER.
"B. J. GRAY, Secretary."
Soon after this the Twelve began their return to Nauvoo. They met in Philadelphia, and on the 5th of October continued their journey homeward. The same day a large company of Saints left by rail to gather with the Saints in Illinois. On the 19th they crossed the Alleghanies by means of an incline which hoisted the car, passengers, and freight from one elevator to another until the summit, nearly fifteen hundred feet above, was reached. They were let down on the other side in the same manner. In those days this was a novel contrivance, and the mechanism employed not being so perfect as that of today was attended with many dangers. "The whole passage across the mountains was a constant scene of danger, and I called upon God in my heart to preserve our lives. Even while on the level we were running on the edge of a precipice a hundred feet above the bottom of a chasm. In conversation with a mate in the evening upon the subject of our passage across the mountains, he said that we were not aware of one-half the dangers we had encountered."
At Pittsburg Elder Woodruff took passage for St. Louis and thence up the river to Nauvoo, which he reached November 4th. On the 7th he met in council with the Twelve. He was appointed to raise five hundred dollars for the purchase of paper upon which to print the "Doctrine and Covenants." On the 11th President Hyrum Smith sealed Wilford Woodruff and Phoebe Woodruff for time and eternity according to the patriarchal order of marriage which had previously been revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
About this time the Prophet delivered a strong discourse on the sin of adultery and kindred crimes. The discourse was the result of the action taken in the case of John C. Bennett, who, withother prominent men, had been adjudged guilty of adultery. The Saints were warned against such crimes. The Prophet thought that the example made of John C. Bennett and others was sufficient to show the fallacy of those who advocated or justified such a course. He condemned adultery in unqualified terms and warned those present against its commission.
It was also about this time that General Fryeson came to Nauvoo and met with the Prophet and Twelve to arrange for a memorial to congress in behalf of the Latter-day Saints. Affidavits on the Missouri atrocities were given by Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, P. P. Pratt, Lyman Wight, George W. Pitkin, and Sidney Rigdon.
Trouble was again fomented about this time by the Missourians. A messenger had just arrived from St. Louis informing the brethren that the governor of Missouri had issued another requisition for the Prophet. Joseph had just made a touching appeal to the Green Mountain boys of Vermont, his native state, for assistance in obtaining redress for the wrongs heaped upon the Saints in Missouri. The appeal was published in pamphlet form and sent to the authorities of the government in Washington. A few days later a man named Elliot was arrested and proven guilty of kidnapping brethren and of threatening the life of the Prophet. Notwithstanding the guilt of this man, Joseph forgave him, and he subsequently left in peace. A warrant was also issued for the arrest of Colonel Williams, the leader of the kidnapping party. He, however, gathered a mob and resisted the officers.
December 2nd on the Sabbath morning P. P. Pratt, Orson Hyde, Wilford Woodruff, and Orson Spencer received their anointings; and on December 23rd they met in Joseph Smith's home, where endowments were given to Elder Marley and wife, Orson Pratt, Mrs. Lot, Fanny Murray, Phoebe Woodruff, Bathsheba Smith, Sister Orson Spencer, and Sister Phelps.
Christmas day of 1843 was spent by Elder Woodruff with his old-time friend, A. O. Smoot. They paid a visit to the Saints who had come from Tennessee to Nauvoo. Part of that day Elder Woodruff worked upon his house and discharged many duties of a home nature. Thus another year in his life was closed. During 1843 he had traveled in thirteen states over five thousandmiles, held many meetings, baptized a half dozen persons, reported several sermons, endured a severe sickness, encountered dangers by rail and by water, and closed an eventful year with feelings of gratitude, and with the fullest recognition of God's tender mercies in his behalf.
EARLY DAYS OF 1844.
Conduct of the Laws and the Marks.—Discourse on Elijah by the Prophet.—The Celestial Law.—Prophet's Candidacy for President of U. S.—Exploring Expedition to California Planned.—Joseph, Mayor of Nauvoo.—Hostility in Carthage.—Mischief Makers in Nauvoo.—The Prophet Talks on Politics.
The year 1844, a year pregnant with momentous events—events which history has magnified because of their importance to mankind in general and to the Latter-day Saints in particular, was ushered in with a cold, blustering snow storm. Characteristic of his busy life, Elder Woodruff celebrated the day by plastering and whitewashing the printing office. He was enthusiastic over his new-found occupation and gave his heart and hand to the work before him.
Into the midst of the busy, hopeful life of the Saints, there entered an element of uncertainty and of deep concern, and whispered threats against the life of the Prophet were circulated. The false charges of the apostate element were growing in intensity.
As the outgrowth of these conditions in Nauvoo at that time, there was held on the 3rd of January, in Joseph's store, a court of inquiry. The inquiry was directed to the conduct of William Law, Wilson Law, and William Marks. Of William Law Elder Woodruff writes in his journal: "He professes to believe that Joseph has instructed the police to kill him, but the truth is that the Laws have turned traitors and are breeding mischief which is intended to take the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith." On the 5th of the month a second court was held relating to the same matter. In contradistinction to the spirit of the Laws there was an enthusiastic, hopeful spirit which caused faithful men and women to look forward with fond anticipations to the completion of the Temple. Work in the house of God was then taking hold upon the feelings of men and women who had had revealed to them the relation and duties they sustain to their progenitors as well as to their posterity. The spirit of Elijah was upon the elders of the Church.
On January 21st, Elder Woodruff records the fact that ApostleParley P. Pratt had just received second anointings and that he had been instructed by the Prophet that it was his duty to have his wife sealed to him for eternity in order that his glory might be full. Elder Woodruff records the following words from the prophet: "What shall I talk about today? I discern that Brother Cahoon wishes me to speak upon the coming of Elijah. The Bible says, 'I will send you Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall come, that he shall turn the hearts of the fathers to the chidren and the hearts of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.' The word 'turned' should read 'point' or 'seal.' But, what is the object of this important mission, or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered, the spirit of Elijah is to come, the gospel is to be preached, the Saints of God are to be gathered, Zion is to be built up, and the Saints are to come forth as Saviors on Mount Zion. But how are they to come as Saviors on Mount Zion? By building temples, erecting baptismal fonts and receiving in the temples all the ordinances, sealings, and anointings in behalf of our progenitors who are dead, that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be with us exalted to thrones of glory. I would to God that this Temple were now completed, that we might go forth and attend to these ordinances in their fullness! I would advise all the Saints to gather their living relatives to this place and be prepared against the day when the destroying angel shall go forth. My only trouble now is that which concerns ourselves. The Saints may be divided, broken up and scattered before we accomplish the work now in view. There are so many fools in the world for the devil to act upon that it oftimes gives him the advantage. Any person who is exalted to the highest mansion must abide the celestial law and the whole law, too, but there has been much difficulty in getting understanding into the hearts of this generation. Even the Saints are slow to understand. How many will be able to abide the celestial law, endure the trials, and receive their exaltation I am unable to say. 'Many are called, but few are chosen.'"
The Temple was still incomplete. The Presidency and the Twelve were urging the work upon it. In order that the Twelve might be prepared to administer in the ordinances of the house of God they were given their endowments and their wives sealed tothem for eternity. Elder Woodruff gives the exact dates when certain members of the Twelve received these ordinances. He says, in his journal, "There is at this time quite a revival throughout Nauvoo and an inquiry after the things of God by all the quorums of the Church generally."
There was a strange commingling of spirits in Nauvoo at that time. Spirits of life and death were at war, and the Prophet's approaching end was made manifest to him in a dream which he related in his office to Wilford Woodruff, Willard Richards, and W. W. Phelps. The Prophet clearly saw the coming storm of persecution which awaited him. His release from opposition was represented by his power to pass through the air and be lifted up by the power of God above the earth.
Furthermore this year was one for a presidential election. The Saints had been constantly ground between the political parties of those days. Whatever significance may be attached to the candidacy of Joseph Smith at that time for the presidency of the United States, it has since been the subject of all sorts of speculation. Elder Woodruff, in his journal, says: "A congregation of the citizens met in the room over Joseph's store to hear his views upon the affairs of government, views which he had written and which were read by W. W. Phelps. 'I would not have permitted my name to be used by my friends as a candidate for the President of the United States if we could have enjoyed, unmolested, our religious and civil rights as American citizens—the rights which the constitution guarantees to all citizens, but rights which have been denied us from the beginning. I feel it my right and privilege to obtain what influence and power I can, lawfully, for the protection of injured innocence.'"
At the close of the meeting there was a unanimous vote passed to support Joseph Smith. The Prophet had reason to appreciate the rights and liberties of mankind, of which he had been so often unlawfully and wantonly deprived.
"On the 21st of February," Elder Woodruff writes, "I met with the quorum of the Twelve at Joseph's store, and according to Joseph's counsel a company was selected to go on an exploring expedition to California, and to select a place for the building of a city. Jonathan Dunham, David Fulmer, Phineas Young, Samuel W. Richards and several others were named for the expedition."The Prophet subsequently, in company with a number of his brethren, left Nauvoo on this proposed expedition, but turned back, as all know from the sad story of his last days, to be a martyr to the work he had been instrumental in establishing.
A curious circumstance of those times was the preaching of an Episcopalian minister in an adjoining room. Following the preacher, Joseph said, "The object with me is to obey and to teach others to obey God and all that He commands us to do. It matters not whether the principle be popular or unpopular, I will always maintain it though I stand alone in doing so." According to Elder Woodruff the Prophet, in 1842, predicted that within five years the Saints would be established beyond the Rocky Mountains and became a mighty people in the inter-mountain regions.
On the evening of February 25th the news of the death of Joseph Duncan and Governor Reynolds of Missouri reached Nauvoo. They were among the most persistent enemies of the Saints. The news of their death called forth a notable prophecy from Joseph Smith, who wished his words recorded that they might be remembered when they were fulfilled. He declared that in five years the Saints would be rid of their old enemies, whether they were apostates or men who were never in the Church. Five years saw the Saints located in the valleys of the mountains. Those predictions were more the voice of the spirit than any expectations of the people who were eagerly working for an early completion of the Temple.
On the 7th of March there was a large meeting of the Saints in Nauvoo. Eight thousand people had gathered by invitation to listen to the words of their Prophet and the Twelve. The latter directed their remarks more particularly to the ordinances which should take place in the house of God. "One of the great objects I had in calling this meeting," said the Prophet, "was to make a few remarks relative to the laws and ordinances of the city and to the building of the Temple. The reason I want to speak of the laws is that the officers have difficulty in administering them. We wish to have the people rule, but rule in righteousness. The laws are enacted and they can be repealed, if the people wish it, but the people should not complain of the officers. I am instructed by the city council to tell this people that if you do not like any law we have passed, we will repeal it for we are your servants. There arethose in this community who would oppose anything good. If you preach virtue to them they will oppose it. If a case is tried here, they want it appealed to Carthage."
In those days Carthage contained the chief enemies of the Prophet, and the town became a gathering place for those bent upon his destruction. Any movement in opposition to him or to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo found sympathetic support there. Justice for the Prophet in Carthage was therefore absolutely impossible. The lawyers and those encompassing his destruction took advantage of the law on a question of venue to put the object of their venom at the mercy of men whose attitude towards him was always malignant.
During these days the Prophet was the mayor of Nauvoo, and his home-town sheltered men who were seeking to encompass the Prophet and his devoted followers. Such men were indeed a very small minority, but they were able to make a great amount of noise and do endless mischief. A certain individual had undertaken to appropriate the wharfage lands at the foot of Water Street, and thus create an issue between himself and the city. Such conduct awakened antagonism between people outside of Nauvoo desiring to carry on business there in the city. Outsiders did not always discriminate between the conduct of the mischief-makers and the people at large. Everything disagreeable and annoying was laid at the door of the Latter-day Saints.
These facts will explain the Prophet's outburst of indignation when he said: "I want every fool to stay at home and let the steamboats and captains and peace officers alone. How can we prevent mobs and the shedding of innocent blood unless we strike at everything that rises up in disorder."
There were in the city secret combinations planned to thwart the purposes of Joseph and to bring confusion upon him and the great majority of the people. Among those plotting his ruin were men who professed personal friendship. "I despise," he says, "the man who betrays with a kiss. A certain man has been writing to the New York Tribune. I will not mention his name. He says much that was appropriated for the Temple has been spent for other purposes. But any man who has paid anything for the Temple can learn from the books that every farthing has been used for that building. There are many men in our midst who are tryingto build themselves up at our expense, and others are watching for some pretended iniquity, and make a man an offender for a word."
After an article entitled, "A Voice of Innocence from Nauvoo," was read, Brigham Young addressed in the afternoon the assemblage. "I wish to speak on the duties of lawyers," he said, "classing myself with the lawyers in the house of Israel. When any man who is a lawyer takes a course to break peace instead of promoting it, he is out of the way of his duty. A doctor of law should be a peacemaker. The great object we have before us is the completion of the Temple this season. We have felt the effects of slander and want a cure, or balm for it. I carry one with me all the time, and I want you to do the same. I will tell you what it is. It is to mind our own business and let others alone, to suffer rather than to do wrong. If anyone will take your property away let him alone and have nothing to do with him. A spirit intended to divide the Saints has been manifested in this city. We have built up this city. Would steamboats have landed here if the Saints had not come, or would speculators make anything out of our lands if we had not come to give them value? Israel is to be the head, and not the tail. All who have gone from us have gone from the head to the foot. Oppose this work and it will roll over you. When since it began did this work ever stop? What the Saints need to know is what the Lord wants of them and then have the courage to do it. If the Saints will keep the law of God, the hypocrites and the scoundrels will not be comfortable in their presence."
Closing the meeting the Prophet said, "I care but little for politics; I would not give much for the presidential chair in comparison with the office I now hold; but as men in the world have used the powers of government to oppose and persecute us, it is proper for us to use those powers for our own protection and rights. Were I President of the United States I would never say to an oppressed people, 'Your cause is just but I can do nothing for you.'"
Continuing, he spoke of the annexation of Texas, and he further believed that the United States should receive all the territory that it could. He was in favor of paying for the slaves and further believed that steps should be taken to give freedom to all coloredchildren after a fixed period. By these means he believed that much bloodshed would be averted and that in the end it would be less expensive to the country at large. "This government," he said, "will receive no suggestions from me. Those who hold the responsible places are controlled by a spirit of self-sufficiency, but they will have to meet with fear and trembling in a day to come the false position they have taken."
"The Prophet Joseph," says Elder Woodruff, in his journal, "favored the admission of Canada into the United States. He regarded all of North and South America as the land of Zion, and believed that the principles upon which the government of the United States was founded should govern as well all the various nations on this continent."
On the 8th of March, a number of leading citizens met to consider the question of vice-president on the presidential ticket.
Through all the teachings of the Prophet in those days there ran a spirit of deep concern for the completion of the Temple, so that the ordinances to be performed therein might be enjoyed by the Saints. "These ordinances," Joseph insisted, "must be performed in this life." He spoke on the land of Zion and of the days to come when there would be stakes established throughout North and South America. His words were like the sounds of a distant echo; their realization was then scarcely within the compass of the most vivid imagination. Now that stakes of Zion are spreading out into Canada, Mexico, and various states of the Union, the fulfillment of these prophetic utterances is within the understanding of all Latter-day Saints. And in view of these prophecies one may exclaim with the psalmist of old: "Go about Zion; count the towers thereof."
THE MARTYRDOM OF JOSEPH AND HYRUM, 1844.
Mission of the Apostles to the East.—A Warning to W. W.—A Sad Parting.—Political News of the Prophet Published.—W. W. Arrives in Boston, June 26.—The Martyrdom.—Its Announcement Reaches W. W. in Portland, Maine.—His Return to Boston.—an Epistle to the Elders and Saints in the World.—W. W. Visits His Old Home.—Return to Nauvoo.—Conditions in That City.
The fourth of March, 1844, brought to Elder Woodruff's life the satisfaction that comes to those who esteem it a divinely appointed joy to sit beneath their own vine and fig tree. He moved on that day to the new home he had erected in Illinois; and for the first time he could leave his family, while abroad preaching the gospel, in some measure of comfort and independence. He felt now, more than ever, from a material point of view, that he had prepared for the missionary service which belonged to his calling.
The opportunity for missionary service soon came. The Laws, Higbees, Fosters, Blakesley, and others came out in open rebellion against the Prophet of God, who now felt a foreboding of evil days to come. The Prophet, therefore, made a call upon the Twelve to take a mission to the Eastern States. He would not have their lives jeopardized by the enmity which was intensifying about him. Upon the Twelve rested the responsibility of the Kingdom, should he be called to lay down his life. Elder Woodruff left Nauvoo in company with George A. Smith, J. M. Grant, Ezra Thayer, and the latter's son. Of this circumstance he writes, "This was the last mission the Prophet ever gave to the Twelve Apostles in this dispensation. He wished none of us to remain by him except Willard Richards. Apostle John Taylor was later required to remain and take charge of the printing and publications. The Prophet then turned to me and said: 'Brother Woodruff, I want you to go, and if you do not you will die.' His words rested with mighty weight upon me when he spoke, and I have often thought since, in contemplation of the awful tragedy of his and Hyrum's martyrdom, how truly hiswords would have been verified had I remained. Elder Taylor barely escaped. Willard Richards escaped the bullets altogether. He escaped, as was written of him later, 'without even a hole in his robe.' I took the parting hand of Hyrum and Joseph, at their own dwellings. Joseph stood in the entry of his door when I took his hand to bid him farewell. Brother J. M. Grant was with me. As he took me by the hand, he said: 'Brother Woodruff, you are about to start upon your mission.' I answered, 'Yes.' He looked me steadily in the eye for a time without speaking a word; he looked as though he would penetrate my very soul, and at the same time seemed unspeakably sorrowful as if weighed down by a foreboding of something dreadful. He finally spoke in a mournful voice: 'God bless you, Brother Woodruff; go in peace.' I turned and left him with a sorrowful heart, partaking of the same spirit which rested upon him. This was the last time I ever saw his face or heard his voice again—in the flesh. Sad were the last months of the Prophet's life. They were like the last days of Him who died on Calvary for the redemption of a fallen world. The Apostles of this dispensation, while not aware of the coming events in all their fullness, were yet more fully prepared for the sad event than were the Apostles of Jerusalem. Those of the latter days had been endowed with power from on high, and they did not slumber while their Prophet suffered, as did those 'in the Garden of Gethsemane.'"
After departing upon his mission, Elder Woodruff and others passed the first week in holding public meetings, and on the 18th of May held their first conference in Newark, Kendall County, Illinois. With him at this conference was George A. Smith of the Twelve. At its close they were joined by Elders Charles C. Rich, David Fulmer, and Henry Jacobs from Nauvoo. The evening following they held a political meeting over which Wilford Woodruff presided. Henry Jacobs read the views of Joseph Smith on the policy and powers of the general government. Spirited addresses were made by David Fulmer, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith. The day following they rode thirty miles to Joliet, where a similar meeting was held, and where a good impression was made upon the minds of the people. In his journal he says: "We continued from place to place, holding forth in public assemblage upon political subjects, reading theviews of Joseph Smith and placing him before the public as a fit candidate for the presidency of the United States.
"On the first of June we held conference in Comstock, Kalamazoo County, Michigan. There were present two of the Quorum, myself and George A. Smith. There were eight high priests; S. Bent, Charles C. Richor, David Fulmer, H. Green, Z. Coltrin, Moses Smith, Ezra Thayer, and G. Coltrin; eight seventies and fourteen elders; two priests and one deacon. Charles C. Rich, in council with the officers, appointed the elders to their respective stations in the several counties of the state, and he manifested much wisdom in arranging to carry out his work both in politics and religion in the state of Michigan."
On the eighth day they held a conference in Pleasant Valley, and another in Franklin on the fifteenth. Soon after this Elder Woodruff proceeded to Boston, where he arrived on the 26th of June. On the 27th, the most sorrowful day of this dispensation, he was in company with President Brigham Young. Of this day he subsequently wrote: "The day of the martyrdom, Brigham Young and myself were seated in the railroad station at the time Joseph and Hyrum were assassinated. This was June the 27th, at quarter past five in the evening, at Carthage, Illinois. It was half-past six in Boston. As we sat in the station, Brigham was very sorrowful and depressed in spirit, not knowing the cause. This was the time when Satan struck the heaviest blow he had struck since the Son of God was crucified. We well knew afterwards why all the Twelve, wherever they were on that day and at that time, were, like the president of our Quorum, sorrowful, and burdened in spirit without knowing why."
On the 29th of June the Twelve held a conference with the Saints in Boston. They met in Franklin Hall. There were present Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, William Smith, and Lyman Wight. President Young presided. It occupied two days. The conference was well attended, and every effort was made to present the views of the Prophet and explain the character of the Latter-day Saints. The conference also received instructions in political matters.
July first, by previous appointment, a convention was held inMelodian Hall. Brigham Young of Nauvoo presided. William Smith and Lyman Wight were vice presidents. Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, and A. McAllister of Boston, and N. H. Felt of Salem were secretaries. Resolutions were passed and proceedings of the meeting were published in the "Boston Times" of July 2nd, 1844. An evening session of the convention was held. A number of rowdies made their appearance in the galleries. While President Young was speaking, a woman by the name of Folsom, arose and began to harangue the audience; then a rowdy, supported by a large number of kindred spirits, made such a disturbance that the police came in to quell those creating the confusion. The police, however, were overpowered by the rough element and the meeting was broken up. The convention, however, adjourned until 4 p. m. the following day, to meet at Bunker Hill. Here Heber C. Kimball and George B. Wallace were elected delegates to attend the Baltimore National Convention.
On July 2nd the Twelve met in council and made their plans to support and attend the several conferences in the various states. Elder Woodruff and his old-time friend, Milton Holmes, whom he had not seen for five years, went into Maine. "We left Boston," he says, "at seven p. m. on the 2nd and arrived at Father Carter's home in Scarboro early the next afternoon. I found my wife's father and mother and Brother Fabyan and family all well." A Brother Stoddard had already made the appointment for their conference on the 6th and 7th at Scarboro, in a Presbyterian chapel. About six hundred people assembled. There were present besides himself S. B. Stoddard, Milton Holmes, Elbridge Tufts, and Samuel Parker.
On the 9th, in company with Milton Holmes and Father Carter, Elder Woodruff visited Portland, and dined with his brother-in-law, Ezra Carter. While there he saw for the first time the announcement in the press of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It was published in the "Boston Times." In consequence of the shocking news, he repaired at once to Boston, and the day following his arrival there he met with the Saints and gave them counsel and comfort in the hour of their bereavement. "The next day," he says in his journal, "I wrote a letter to the editor of the "Prophet," published in New York, giving a word of exhortationto the Saints abroad to maintain their integrity, and to keep the faith and endurance of the Saints even unto death. The following morning we obtained information from Quincy, giving full account of the horrible affair at Carthage and the great loss which the Church had sustained.
"The governor himself acknowledged the death of Joseph and Hyrum to be a wanton murder. The state of Illinois was in commotion, and Governor Ford made Quincy his headquarters and issued a proclamation to the citizens of the state. The news of the day stated that the Mormon leaders in Nauvoo had done all they could to restrain the disciples of the martyred Prophet from vengeance. Still there was evidently a disposition on the part of the people and the troops to destroy Nauvoo, lest the Mormons should hold a fearful reckoning with the mobocratic element in desperation over the assassination of their Prophet and Patriarch. 'The wicked flee when no man pursueth.'"
On Sunday, the 14th, Elder Woodruff preached twice to the Saints in Boston, he being the only one of the Twelve then in that city. On the morning of the 16th of July he received a letter from Erastus Snow and one from John E. Page, both confirming the report of the martyrdom. The same day he received the first letter he had obtained from his wife since leaving Nauvoo. This letter contained the narration of a dream given to the Prophet Joseph a few days before his death. In the dream there was clearly indicated to him the conspiracy and treachery of William and Wilson Law, and the fact, too, that they would yet cry unto Joseph to deliver them from the grasp of the monster into whose hands they had wilfully placed themselves; and that his power to help them would be like that of Lazarus, to whom the rich man appealed. There was a gulf between them.
On the 17th of July he says, in his journal: "Elder Brigham Young arrived in Boston. I walked with him to No. 57 Temple Street and called upon Sister Vose. Brother Young took the bed and I the armchair, and then we veiled our faces and gave vent to our grief. Until now I had not shed a tear since the death of the Prophet. My soul had been nerved up like steel. After giving vent to our grief in tears we felt more composed. Brother Brigham left the city the same day, but soon returned. EldersKimball, Hyde, and Orson Pratt also came. We held a council and I was directed to write a letter to the "Prophet," edited in New York, advising the elders who had families in Nauvoo to go immediately to them, and all the elders of the Church to assemble forthwith at Nauvoo for a council. It was signed by order of the quorum of the Twelve, Brigham Young, president, and Wilford Woodruff, clerk. This order of the quorum was subsequently published in the "News," Volume 7, No. 447."
On July 18th, meeting was held in a hall on Washington Street, opposite Boylston Hall. Elder Hyde spoke on the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum, and was followed by Brigham Young, who said: "Be of good cheer. The testimony is not in force while the testator liveth; when he dieth, it is enforced. So it is with Joseph. When God sends a man to do a work, all the devils in hell cannot kill him until his work is accomplished. It was thus with Joseph. He prepared all things and gave the keys to men on the earth and said, 'I am soon to be taken from you.'"
Soon after this the Twelve left for Nauvoo. Elder Woodruff started on the 20th, and two days later found himself at his native home in Farmington, Connecticut. "I found my father and stepmother alone, there was not a child with them in their decline of life to watch over them. I had twenty-four hours to stay and I happily improved the time.
"My father was sixty-seven years of age, and I might never see him again in mortality. I felt deeply impressed of late that I had something to do for my parents. As the sable shades of a serene night drew their curtain over the earth and sealed the cares of the day, we went alone to prayer. There were none but congenial spirits there. I rose and with a spirit like that of Joseph of old towards his father Jacob, opened my heart to my father, and he reciprocated my sentiments. I then laid my hands upon his head and ordained Aphek Woodruff a high priest and patriarch after the order of Melchisedek, and sealed him up unto eternal life. I shall never forget the deep satisfaction and heavenly spirit of that night beneath my father's roof. Sleep departed from me, and I was wrapped in the meditations and visions of days gone by and of days to come."
The day following he journeyed on to New York, where hemet Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt. When they reached Schenectady they met Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Lyman Wight. The six journeyed together until they reached Fairport, where Elder Hyde separated from them to visit his family in Kirtland.
On this journey homeward President Young requested Elder Woodruff to keep an account of the events of those times, for some day he would be called upon to give a record of them. It was during this journey that Lyman Wight testified that while he was in jail in Missouri with the prophet, that Joseph informed him that he (Joseph) would not live to see his 40th birthday, but enjoined him not to speak of it until after his words had been fulfilled. It was during this journey also that Elder Kimball had a dream. It showed the policy of the nation toward the work of God and the important part the Twelve would perform in building upon the foundation laid by the Prophet.
The Twelve arrived in Nauvoo on the sixth day of August, where they received a hearty welcome by families and friends. "When we landed in the city, a deep gloom seemed to rest over Nauvoo such as we had never before experienced."
Those were days of heartfelt anxiety. Conflicting spirits were at work in a struggle for ascendency. Selfish ambitions and sinister motives were operating among the few. The Saints, generally, were trusting themselves to an overruling Providence; they believed that at the proper time and in a manner unmistakeable, there would be some manifestation of God's watchcare over His Saints. The personal ambitions of men had gained no decided sway over the hearts and minds of the great body of the Church. The Apostles had just arrived. They were strong men, and the people felt the power of their influence. Those who were promoting their own selfish ends were likewise concerned over the arrival of the Twelve. To them the presence of these men meant more a contest for supremacy than it did an opportunity for more light and a better understanding. The humble and the God-fearing among the people possessed the key of their own safety. They were seeking a will higher than their own, and were willing when they found it to yield obedience. They knew that it was not their work. They appreciated fully the fact that they were humble instruments and therefore wanted to place themselves in harmonywith that divine authority which had been their guide and their anchor in bygone days. Those who were seeking the light were the first to behold it. The days following the arrival in Nauvoo of President Young and other members of the Twelve were days of great future significance in the history of the Church; every event of those days has been a land-mark in the history of God's people. What followed of importance is carefully recorded by Elder Woodruff in his journal. The contents of that journal are of supreme historical importance in the annals of the Church.