Life and Labors of Sidney Rigdon, V

THE LIFE AND LABORS OF SIDNEY RIGDON. BY JOHN JAQUES, ASSISTANT CHURCH HISTORIAN.

V.

At a meeting in Nauvoo, on Sunday, October 22, 1843, Elder Rigdon preached half an hour on "Poor Rich Folks." He also preached there November 5. On the 29th, he spoke at a meeting of citizens of Nauvoo, to adopt a memorial to Congress in regard to the Missouri troubles. January 30, 1844, a Millerite preached in the Assembly Room to a full house, and Elder Rigdon replied to him. Sidney Rigdon, postmaster, published a lengthy appeal to the Legislature of the State of Pennsylvania, setting forth the grievances he had suffered through the persecution against The Church by the State of Missouri, concluding as follows: "Under all these circumstances, your memorialist prays to be heard by your honorable body touching all the matters of his memorial. And as a memorial will be presented to Congress this session for redress of our grievances, he prays your honorable body will instruct the whole delegation of Pennsylvania, in both houses, to use all their influence in the national councils to have redress granted." On February 6, Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney and the twelve apostles, and their wives, had supper and a pleasant time at Elder John Taylor's. Joseph, Hyrum and Sidney met with the twelve apostles in the Assembly Room on the 23rd, concerning the contemplated Oregon and California Exploring Expedition. Joseph said: "I

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told them I wanted an exploration of all that mountain country. Perhaps it would be best to go direct to Santa Fe. Send twentyfive men: let them preach the Gospel wherever they go. Let that man go that can raise $500, a good horse and mule, a double-barrel gun, one barrel rifle, and the other smooth bore, a saddle and bridle, a pair of revolving pistols, bowie knifeand a good sabre. Appoint a leader, and him beat up for volunteers. I want let

every man that goes to be a king and a priest. When he gets on the mountains, he may want to talk with his God; when with the -savage nations, have power to govern, etc. If we don't get vol-

unteers, wait till after the election." A number of brethren volunteered to go. On the evening of Sunday, 25th, at a prayer meeting in the Assembly Room, Joseph said, evidently in reference to the same subject, "I gave some important instructions, and prophesied that within five years we should be out of the power of our old enemies, whether they were apostates or of the world, and told the brethren to record it, that when it comes to pass they need not say they had forgotten the saying." Sidney Rigdon met Joseph and several other brethren in council in the Assembly Room, March 19. On Sunday, 24 th, Sidney addressed the meeting at the stand. Elder Rigdon attended conference, April 6, and addressed the audience, morning and afternoon. In commencing, he said:

"It is with no ordinary degree of satisfaction. I enjoy this privilege this morning. Want of health and other circumstances have kept me in silence for nearly the last five years. It can hardly be expected that when the violence of sickness has used its influence, and the seeds of disease have so long preyed upon me, that I can rise before this congregation, only in weakness. I am now come forth from a bed of sickness, and have enough of strength left to appear here for the first time in my true char- I have not come before a conference for the last five years acter. I shall consider important privilege in my true character. this

sacred in my family history during life." He continued relating incidents connected with the history oi The Church, testifying to its being the work of God, and he (Sidney) had gazed in visions on the glory of God in days gone by.

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He also addressed the conference on Sunday, 7th, and on the 8th. A meeting was held at the stand, on the 27th, to give instructions to the elders going out electioneering. President Rigdon and William Smith addressed the meeting. On the 8th of May, in the case of Francis M. Higbee vs. Joseph Smith, before the municipal court of Nauvoo, on writ of habeas corpus, Sidney Rigdon was one of the counsel for Smith and was also one of the witnesses. Joseph and Sidney attended a prayer meeting on the 11th. At a state convention in the Assembly Hall, on the 17th, Sidney Rigdon addressed the meeting. It was voted that General

Joseph Smith be the choice of the convention for President of the United States, and Sidney Rigdon, Esq., for Vice-President. Writs were expected from Carthage, on the 25th, for the arrest of Joseph Smith, on two indictments, one charging false swearing, on the testimony of Joseph H. Jackson and Robert D. Foster, and the other charging "polygamy or something else," on the testimony of William Law. Francis M. Higbee had sworn so hard that Joseph had received stolen property, that Higbee's testimony was rejected. After a long talk with Edward Hunter, Hyrum Smith, Dr. W. Richards, William Marks, Almon W. Babbitt, Shadrach Roundy, Edward Bonney and others, Joseph concluded not to keep out of the way of the officers any longer. The same day, Sidney Rigdon resigned the office of Postmaster of Nauvoo, and recommended Joseph Smith as his successor. On the 14th of June, Sidney Rigdon wrote to Governor Ford on the situation in Nauvoo and adjacent places, relating the Nauvoo Expositor matters and suggesting the dispersing of all uncalled for assemblies, and letting the laws have their regular course. Sidney concluded thus: "I send this to your excellency as confidential, as I wish not to take any part in the affair, or be known in it." Joseph Smith was arrested, June 25, by Constable David Bettisworth, on a charge of treason against the State of Illinois, on a writ granted the day before, upon the oath of Augustine Spencer. Hyrum was arrested the same day, on a similar charge, on a writ granted on the 24th, on the affidavit of Henry 0. Norton. The two prisoners were taken to Carthage jail.

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On the 26th, Joseph said: "Poor Rigdon, I am glad he is gone to Pittsburg, out of the way; were he to preside, he would lead the Church to destruction in less than five years." It might have been said before, that when they were in Ohio, returning to Kirtland from a mission to Canada, in 1837, Joseph carried Sidney, who was sick, weak and scared, upon his (Joseph's) back and waded in the night through a swampy cross-country, and they thus escaped from mobocratic enemies, who were waiting in the regular road to seize them. Joseph and Hyrum were shot and murdered in Carthage Jail by the mob, on the evening of the 27th. "Murder most foul, as at the best it is." But this in spite of honor's sacred pledge of safety, given by the governor. An everlasting blot on Illinois' escutcheon. Willard Richards and John Taylor were with them in jail when the crime was Committed. Brother Taylor was shot and severely wounded by the mob, at the same time. Upon that fatal day, of the twelve, Brighara Young, Orson Hyde, and Wilford Woodruff were in Boston; Heber C. Kimball and Lyman Wight were in Philadelphia and New York; P. P. Pratt was on a canal boat between Utica and Buffalo, N. Y.; George A. Smith was in Jackson Co., Michigan, and Amasa Lyman was in Cincinnati. On hearing the sad news, they started for Nauvoo. President Sidney Rigdom arrived at Nauvoo from Pittsburg, August 3. Elders P. P. Pratt, W. Richards and Geo. A. Smith invited him to meet in council on the morning of the 4th, which he agreed to. On Sunday, 4th, Elders Pratt, Richards and Smith, met in council and waited an hour for Elder Rigdon, who excused himself afterwards by saying he was engaged with a lawyer. At 10 a. m., at the meeting at the stand, "Elder Rigdon preached from the words: 'For my thoughts are not as your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.' He a vision which he said the Lord had shown him concerning related there must be a guardian the situation of The Church, and said Joseph, as he had begun it. appointed to build The Church up to man that the ancient prophets "He said he was the identical that he was sent to had sung about, wrote and rejoiced over, and

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do the identical work that had been the theme of all the prophets in every preceding generation. He said that the Lord's ways were not as our ways, for the Lord said He would 'Hiss for the fly fromthe uttermost parts of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria/ and thereby destroy his enemies; that the time was near at hand when he would see one hundred tons of metal per second thrown at the enemies of God, and that the blood would be to the horses' bridles; and that he expected to walk into the palace of Queen Victoria and lead her out by the nose, when no one would have the power to say, 'Why do ye so?' and, if it were not for two or three things which he knew, this people would be utterly destroyed, and not a soul left to tell the tale." His talking in this strain showed that his mind was failing. "Elder P. P. Pratt in referring to the remarks of Brother Rigdon, on a subsequent occasion, said, *I am the identical man the prophets never sang nor wrote a word about.' In the afternoon, "Elder William Marks, president of the Stake, gave public notice (at the request of Elder Rigdon) that there would be a special meeting of The Church at the stand, on Thursday, the 8th instant, for the purpose of choosing a guardian (president and trustees). "Dr. Richards proposed waiting till the twelve apostles returned, and told the Saints to ask wisdom of God. "Elder Grover proposed waiting to examine the revelation. "Elder Marks said President Rigdon wanted the meeting on Tuesday, but he put it off till Thursday; that Elder Rigdon was

some distance from his family, and wanted to know if this people had anything for him to do: if not, he wanted to go on his way, for there was a people numbering thousands and tens of thousands who would receive him; that he wanted to visit other branches around, but he had come here first. "Elder Rich called upon William Clayton, and said he was dissatisfied with the hurried movement of Elder Rigdon. He considered, inasmuch as the twelve had been sent for and were soon expected home, the notice for meeting was premature, and it seemed to him a plot laid to take advantage of the situation of the Saints."