History of the Prophet Joseph

IMPROVEMENT ERA. Vol. V. JULY, 1902. No. 9.

HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH. BY HIS MOTHER, LUCY SMITH.

CHAPTER XXXVIII. THE FIRST WESTERN MISSION —JOSEPH SMITH, JUNIOR, MOVES TO KIRTLAND.

I mentioned, in a foregoing chapter, that when Joseph and Emma left Manchester, they went to Macedon. Here, he com- menced his ministerial labors,and continued, for some time, to preach successively, in this place, Colesville, Waterloo, Palmyra, and Manchester, till, finally, he sent to Pennsylvania for his goods, and settled himself in Waterloo. Soon after which, a revelation was given, commanding Parley Pratt, Ziba Peterson, Peter P. Whitmer, and Oliver Cowdery, to take a mission to Missouri, preaching by the way. As soon as this revelation was received, Emma Smith, and several other sisters, began to make arrange- ments to furnish those who were set apart for this mission, with the necessary clothing which was no easy task, as the most of it had to be manufactured out of the raw material. Emma's health at this time was quite delicate, yet she did not favor herself on this account, but whatever her hands found to do, she did with her might, until she went so far beyond her strength, that she brought upon herself a heavy fit of sickness, which lasted

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four weeks. And, although her strength was exhausted, still her spirits were the same, which, in fact, was always the case with her, even under the most trying circumstances. I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure —she has been tossed "upon the ocean of uncertainty —she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman. It may be, that many — may yet have to encounter the same I pray God, that this may not be the case; but, should it be, may they have grace given them .according to their day, even as has been the case with her. As soon as those men designated in the revelation, were pre- pared to leave home, they started on their mission, preaching and baptizing on their way, wherever an opportunity afforded. On their route they passed through Kirtland, where they preached a short time, and raised up a branch of twenty or thirty members. Before leaving this place, they addressed a letter to Joseph, desir- ing him to send an elder to preside over the branch which they had raised up. Accordingly, Joseph despatched John Whitmer to take the presidency of the church at Kirtland; and when he arrived there, those appointed to go to Missouri, proceeded on their mis- sion, preaching and baptizing as before. In December of the same year, Joseph appointed a meeting at our house. While he was preaching, Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge came in and seated themselves in the congregation. When Joseph had finished his discourse, he gave all who had any remarks to make, the privilege of speaking. Upon this, Mr. Part- ridge arose, and stated that he had been to Manchester, with the view of obtaining further information respecting the doctrine which we preached; but, not finding us, he had made some inquiry of our neighbors concerning our characters, which they stated had been unimpeachable, until Joseph deceived us relative to the Book of Mormon. He also said that he had walked over our farm, and observed the good order and industry which it exhibited; and, hav- ing seen what we had sacrificed for the sake of our faith, and having heard that our veracity was not questioned upon any other

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point than that of our religion, he believed our testimony, and was ready to be baptized, "if," said he, "Brother Joseph will baptize

me." "You are now," replied Joseph, "much fatigued, brother Partridge, and you had better rest to-day, and be baptized to- morrow." "Just as Brother Joseph thinks best," replied Mr. Partridge, "I am ready at any time." He was accordingly baptized the next day. Before he left, my husband returned home from prison, bringing along with him considerable clothing, which he had earned at coopering in the jail yard. The latter part of the same month, Joseph received a letter from John Whitmer, desiring his immediate assistance at Kirtland in regulating the affairs of the church there. Joseph inquired of the Lord, and received a commandment to go straightway to Kirt- land with his family and effects; also to send a message to Hyrum to have him take that branch of the Church, over which he pre- sided, and start immediately for the same place. And my husband was commanded, in the same revelation, to meet Hyrum at the most convenient point, and accompany him to Kirtland. Samuel was sent on a mission, into the same region of country, while I, and my two sons, William and Carlos, were to be left till the en- suing spring, when we were to take the remainder of the branch at Waterloo, and move also to Kirtland. It was but a short time till Joseph and Emma were on their

way, accompanied by Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, Ezra Thayre, and Newel Knight. When they were about starting, they preached at our house on Seneca River; and, on their way, they preached at the house of Calvin Stodard, and likewise at the house of Preserved Harris. At each of these places, they baptized sev- eral individuals into the Church. On Joseph's arrival at Kirtland, he found a church consisting of nearly one hundred members, who were, in general, good breth- ren, though a few of them had imbibed some very erroneous ideas, being greatly deceived by a singular power, which manifested itself among them in strange contortions of the visage, and sudden, un- natural exertions of the body. This they supposed to be a display

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of the power of God. Shortly after Joseph arrived, he called the church together, in order to show them the difference between the Spirit of God, and the spirit of the devil. He said, if a man arose in meeting to speak, and was seized with a kind of paroxysm that drew his face and limbs in a violent and unnatural manner, which made him appear to be in pain; and if he gave utterance to strange sounds, which were incomprehensible to his audience, they might rely upon it, that he had the spirit of the devil. But, on the con- trary, when a man speaks by the Spirit of God, he speaks from the abundance of his heart — his mind is filled with intelligence, and even should he be excited, it does not cause him to do anything ridiculous or unseemly. He then called upon one of the brethren to speak, who arose and made the attempt, but was immediately seized with a kind of spasm, which drew his face, arms, and fingers in a most astonishing manner. Hyrum, by Joseph's request, laid hands on the man, whereupon he sunk back in a state of complete exhaustion. Joseph then called upon another man to speak, who stood leaning in an open window. This man also attempted to speak, but was thrown forward into the house, prostrate, unable to utter a syllable. He was administered to, and the same effects followed as in the first instance. These, together with a few other examples of the same kind, convinced the brethren of the mistake under which they had been laboring; and they all rejoiced in the goodness of God, in once more condescending to lead the children of men by revelation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.

CHAPTER XXXIX.

THE DIFFERENT BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH REMOVE TO KIRTLAND — MIRACLE AT BUFFALO.

Soon after my husband and Joseph left for Kirtland, William, being one of the teachers, visited the church; and calling upon each family, he remained with them until each individual belong- ing to the house had prayed in his hearing. When the brethren considered the spring sufficiently open for traveling on the water, we all began to prepare for our re-

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moval to Kirtland. We hired a boat of a certain Methodist preacher, and appointed a time to meet at our house, for the pur- pose of setting off together; and when we were thus collected, we numbered eighty souls. The people of the surrounding country came and bade us farewell, invoking the blessing of heaven upon our heads. A few minutes before we started, an old brother by the name of Humphry, arrived from Stockholm. This man was convinced by Bon Carlos, at the time that he visited his grandfather in company with my husband. On account of Brother Humphry's age, I wished him to take charge of the company, but he refused, saying that everything should be done, just as mother Smith said; and to this the whole company responded, "yes." At that instant, one Esquire Chamber- lain came on board, and asked me, if I had what money I wanted to make my family comfortable. I replied, that I had an abund-

ance for myself and children, but he might, perhaps, find some on board, who stood in need of assistance. "Well," said he, "here is a little money, and you can deal it out as you like," and, handing me seventeen dollars, he left the boat. Soon after this, we were pushed off and under fine headway. I then called the brethren and sisters together, and reminded them that we were traveling by the commandment of the Lord, as much as Father Lehi was, when he left Jerusalem; and, if faithful, we had the same reason to expect the blessings of God. I then desired them to be solemn, and to lift their hearts to God contin- ually in prayer, that we might be prospered. We then seated our- selves and sang a hymn. The captain was so delighted with the music, that he called to the mate, saying, "Do, for God's sake come here, and steer the boat; fori must hear that singing." He afterwards expressed his pleasure and surprise at seeing such an appearance of devotion among us, stating that his wife had re- fused to accompany him, on account of her prejudice against us, which he very much regretted. At the approach of sunset, we seated ourselves, and sang an- other hymn. The music sounded beautifully upon the water, and had a salutary effect upon every heart, filling our souls with love and gratitude to God, for his manifold goodness towards us.

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The services of the evening being ended, I inquired of the brethren concerning the amount of provisions which they had on hand for the journey; and, to my surprise, I ascertained that we had on board, besides twenty grown persons, thirty children, who were almost destitute of food. This was unaccountable to me at first, but I afterwards learned that they had converted their sub- stance into clothing, expecting that those who were in better cir- cumstances would support them, as well as defray their traveling expenses; those, however, from whom they expected the most as- sistance, disappointed them, consequently, the burden was thrown entirely upon my shoulders. From this time forward, I furnished the whole fifty persons with food from day to day. I soon discovered among the mothers, a kind of carelessness with regard to their children, even when their lives were in danger. So I called them together, and endeavored to impress upon their minds the importance of doing their duty to their children; that in such a place as this, especially, they ought to keep them con- stantly by their side; that they should consider that children were given to them for a blessing, and if they did not treat them as such, they would be taken from them. Still they were negligent,

and excused themselves by saying, that their children were diso- bedient. I told the sisters that I could manage their children, and if they were not better controlled by their mothers, I should take the control of them. I then called the children around me, and said to them, "Now, children, mark what I say to you. When I come up stairs, and raise my hand, you must, every one of you, run to me as fast as you can. Will you do as I tell you?" "Yes," they replied, with one unanimous voice. And they strictly kept their faith to the end of the journey. On getting about half way to Buffalo, the canal broke. This gave rise to much murmuring and discontentment, which was ex- pressed in terms like the following: "Well, the canal is broke now, and here we are, and here we are likely to be, for we can go no further. We have left our homes, and here we have no means of getting a living,consequently we shall have to starve." "No, no," said I, "you will not starve, brethren, nor anything

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of that sort; only do be patient and stop your murmuring. I have no doubt but the hand of the Lord is over us for good; perhaps it is best for us to be here a short time. It is quite probable that the boats cannot leave Buffalo harbor on account of the ice; if

so, the town must inevitably be crowded with families, in which case it would be next to impossible for us to get into a comfort- able house. Are we not in far better circumstances in our present situation ?" "Well, well," returned the sisters, "I suppose you know best;

but it does seem as if it would have been better for us to have staid where we were, for there we could sit in our rocking chairs, and take as much comfort as we pleased, but here we are tired out, and have no place to rest ourselves." Whilst this was passing, a citizen of the place came on board, and after inquiring what denomination we belonged to.he requested that, if there were any preachers on board, a meeting would be appointed in the neigborhood. I introduced him to Elders Hum- phry and Page, who appointed a meeting for the next day, which was held on a beautiful green, bordering on the canal, and of suf- ficient size to accommodate a hundred persons. They listened with attention, and requested that another meeting might be appointed for the succeeding day, but, as the canal was repaired by eleven o'clock, we proceeded on our journey, and arrived at Buffalo on the fifth day after leaving Waterloo. Here we found the brethren from Colesville, who informed us that they had been detained one week at this place, waiting for the navigation to open. Also, that Mr. Smith and Hyrum had gone through to Kirtland by land, in order to be there by the first of April. I asked them if they had confessed to the people that they were "Mormons." "No, indeed," they replied, "neither must you mention a word about your religion, for if you da you will never be able to get a house, or a boat either." I told them I should tell the people precisely who I was; "and," continued I, "if you are ashamed of Christ, you must not expect to be prospered; and I shall wonder if we do not get to Kirtland be- fore you." While we were talking with the Colesville brethren, another

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boat landed, having on board about thirty brethren, among whom was Thomas B. Marsh, who immediately joined us,

and, like the Colesville brethren, he was decidedly opposed to our attending to prayer, or making known that we were professors of religion. He said that if our company persisted in singing and praying, as we had hitherto done, we should be mobbed before the next morning. "Mob it is, then," said I, "we shall attend to prayer before sunset, mob or no mob." Mr. Marsh, at this, left considerably irritated. I then Humphry and Page to go requested brothers around among the boatmen, and inquire for one Captain Blake, who was formerly captain of a boat belonging to my brother, General Mack, and who, upon my brother's decease, purchased the boat, and still commanded the same. They went in search of the man, and soon found him, and learned from him that his boat was al- ready laden with the usual amount of passengers and freight. He said, however, that he thought he could make room for us if we

would take a deck passage. As this was our only opportunity, we moved our goods on board the next day, and by the time that we fairly settled ourselves, it began to rain. This rendered our situ- ation very uncomfortable, and some of the sisters complained bit- terly because we had not hired a house till the boat was ready to start. In fact their case was rather a trying one, for some of them had sick children; in consequence of which, Brother Page went out for the purpose of getting a room for the women and sick children, but returned unsuccessful. At this the sisters re- newed their complaints, and declared that they would have a house, let the consequences be what they might. In order to satisfy them, I set out myself, with my son William, although it was still raining very fast, to see if it were possible to procure a shelter for them and their children. I stopped at the first tavern, and inquired of the landlord if he could let me have a room for some women and children who were sick. The landlord* replied that he could easily make room for them. At this, a woman who was present turned upon him very sharply, saying, "I have put up here myself, and I am not a-going to have anybody's things in my way. I'll warrant the children have got the whooping cough or measles, or some other

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contagious disease, and, if they come, I will go somewhere else." "Why, madam," said the landlord, "that is not n3cessary, you can still have one large room." "I don't care," said she, "I want 'em both, and if I can't have 'em, I won't stay — that's it." "Never mind," said I, "it is no matter; I suppose I can get a room somewhere else, just as well." "No, you can't though," rejoined the lady, "for we hunted all over the town, and we could not find one single one till we got here." I left immediately, and went on my way. Presently I came to a long row of rooms, one of which appeared to be almost vacant. I inquired if it could be rented for a few days. The owner of the buildings, I found to be a cheerful old lady, near seventy years of age. I mentioned the circumstances to her, as I before had done to the landlord. "Well, I don't know," said she; "where be you going?" "To Kirtland," I replied. "What be you?" said she. "Be you Baptists?" her that we were "Mormons." I told

"Mormons!" ejaculated she, in a quick, good-natured tone. "What be they? I never heard of them before." "I told you that we were 'Mormons,' " I replied, "because that is what the world call us, but the only name we acknowledge is Latter-day Saints." "Latter-day Saints!" rejoined she, "I never heard of them either." I then informed her that this Church was brought forth through the instrumentality of a prophet, and that I was the

mother of this prophet. "What!" said she, a "prophet in these days! I never heard of

the like in my life; and if you will come and sit with me, you shall have a room for your sisters and their children, but you yourself must come and stay with me, and tell me all about it." This I promised to do, and then returned to the boat, and had the sisters, and their sick children removed to the old lady's house and after making them comfortable, I went into her room. We soon fell into conversation, in which I explained to her, as clearly

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as I could, the principles of the gospel. On speaking of the laying on of hands for the reception of the Holy Ghost, she was as much surprised as those disciples were whom Paul found at Ephesus, and she asked me, "What do you mean by the Holy Ghost?" I con- tinued my explanations until after two o'clock the next morning, when we removed to the boat again. On arriving there, Captain Blake requested the passengers to remain on board, as he wished, from that time, to be ready to start at a moment's warning; at the same time he sent out a man to measure the depth of the ice, who, when he returned, reported that it was piled up to the height of twenty feet, and that it was his opinion that we would remain in the harbor at least two weeks longer. At this, Porter Rockwell started on shore to see his uncle. His mother endeavored to prevent him, but he paid no attention to her, and she then appealed to me, saying, "Mother Smith, do get Porter back, for he won't mind anybody but you." I told him that,

if he went, we should leave him on shore, but he could do as he liked. He left the boat, and several others were about following him; but when I spoke to them, they replied, "we will do just as you say, Mother Smith," and returned immediately. Just then, William whispered in my ear, "Mother, do see the confusion yonder; won't you go and put a stop to it!" I went to that part of the boat where the principal portion of

our company were. There I found several of the brethren and sisters engaged in a warm debate, others murmuring and grumb- ling, and a number of young ladies were flirting, giggling, and laughing with gentlemen passengers, who were entire strangers to them, whilst hundreds of people on shore and on other boats were witnessing this scene of clamor and vanity among our brethren with great interest. I stepped into their midst. "Brethren and "we call ourselves Saints, and profess to have come sisters," said I, out from the world for the purpose of serving God at the expense of all earthly things; and will you, at the very onset, subject the cause of Christ to ridicule by your own unwise and improper con- duct? You profess to put your trust in God, then how can you feel to murmur and complain as you do! You are even more un- reasonable than the children of Israel were; for here are my sisters pining for their rocking chairs, and brethren from whom I ex-

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pected firmness and energy, declare that they positively believe they shall starve to death before they get to the end of their journey. And why is it so? Have any of you lacked ? Have not I and made you, who had not pro- set food before you every day, vided for yourselves, as welcome as my own children? Where is your faith? Where is your confidence in God? Can you not realize that all things were made by him, and that he rules over the works of his own hands? And suppose that all the Saints here should lift their hearts in prayer to God, that the way might be opened before us, how easy it would be for him to cause the ice to break away, so that in a moment we could be on our journey!" Just then a man on shore cried, "Is the Book of Mormon true?" "That book," replied I, "was brought forth by the power of God, and translated by the gift of the Holy Ghost; and, if I could make my voice sound as loud as the trumpet of Michael, the Arch- angel, I would declare the truth from land to land, and from sea to sea, and the echo should reach to every isle, until every member of the family of Adam should be left without excuse. For I do testify that God has revealed himself to man again in these last days, and set his hand to gather his people upon a goodly land, and, if they obey his commandments, it shall be unto them for an in- heritance; whereas, if they rebel against his law, his hand will be against them to scatter them abroad, and cut them off from the face of the earth: and that he has commenced a work which will prove a savor of life unto life, or of death unto death, to every one that stands here this day — of life unto life, if you will receive

it, or of death unto death, if you reject the counsel of God, for every man shall have the desires of his heart; if he desires the truth, he may hear and live, but if he tramples upon the simplicity of the word of God, he will shut the gate of heaven against him- self." Then, turning to our own company, I said, "Now, brethren and sisters, if you will all of you raise your desires to heaven, that the ice may be broken up, and we be set at liberty, as sure as the Lord lives, it will be done." At that instant a noise was heard, like bursting thunder. The captain cried, "Every man to his post." The ice parted, leaving barely a passage for the boat, and so nar- row, that as the boat passed through, the buckets of the water-

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wheel were torn off with a crash, which, joined to the word of command from the captain, the hoarse answering of the sailors, the noise of the ice, and the cries and confusion of the spectators, presented a scene truly terrible. We had barely passed through the avenue, when the ice closed together again, and the Colesville brethren were left in Buffalo, unable to follow us. As we were leaving the harbor, one of the by-standers ex- claimed, "There goes the 'Mormon' company! That boat is sunk in the water nine inches deeper than ever it was before, and, mark it, she will sink —there is nothing surer." In fact, they were so sure of it, that they went straight to the office and had it published that we were sunk, so that when we arrived at Fairport, we read in the papers the news of our own death. After our miraculous escape from the wharf at Buffalo, we called our company together, and had a prayer meeting, in which we offered up our thanks to God for his mercy, which he had mani- fested towards us in our deliverance; but before our meeting was broken up, the captain's mate came to me and said, "Mrs. Smith, do, for God's sake, have your children stop praying, or we shall all go to hell together; we cannot keep one single man to his post, if we should go to the devil, for they are so taken up with your pray- ing." Therefore, our meeting was broken up. Soon after leaving Buffalo, some of our company began to feel the effects of the motion of the boat, and were overcome with sea-sickness. I went to the cook, and, handing him twenty-five €ents, asked him if he could let me have some hot water for the sick folks. He complied with my request, and I was thus furnished with the means of making them comfortable. Upon further acquaintance with the captain, I made myself known to him as the sister of General Mack. He seemed highly pleased to find in me a relative of his old friend; and I was treated with great attention and respect, both by himself and crew, while I remained on the boat.

A short time before I arrived at Fairport, Brother Humphry and myself went on shore to do some trading for the company. While on shore, this brother told me that I was making a slave of myself unnecessarily; that those sisters whose families I had the •care of could as well wait upon their own husbands and children,

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as for me to do it; that, as for himself, he was not going to stay- on board much longer. I thanked him for his kindness, but told him that I thought I could get along with the work, without in- juring myself. Nothing further passed between us upon the subject. At the next landing, he left, and whither he went I did not know. On drawing near Fairport, where we were to land, the cap- tain, passengers, and crew, bade me farewell in tears. After landing, our company were more disheartened than ever, and the brethren came around me and requested that I should set their wives to sewing blankets together, and making tents of them, that the men might camp by their goods and watch them, for they had no hopes of getting any further. I told them I should do nothing of the kind. As for the sis- ters, some of them were crying, some pouting, and a few of them were attending to the care of their families. As I passed among them, my attention was attracted by a stranger, who sat a short distance from us on the shore of the lake. I inquired of him the distance to Kirtland. He, starting up, exclaimed, "Is it possible that this is Mother Smith? I have sat here looking for you these three days." Replying to his question in the affirmative, I asked him if it would be possible to procure teams to take our goods to Kirtland. He told me to give myself no uneasiness about the matter, that Joseph was expected every hour, and in less than twenty-four hours there would be teams sufficient to take all our company to houses that were waiting to receive them. When he mentioned Joseph's name, I started, for I just began to realize that I was so soon to see both my husband and my sons. I turned from the stranger, and met Samuel, who was coming towards me, closely followed by Joseph. I extended my right hand to Samuel and my

left to Joseph. They wept for joy upon seeing me Samuel, be- — cause he had been warned of God in a dream to meet the company from Waterloo, and feared that some disaster had befallen me; and Joseph, because of the information which he had received that he apprehended, from the fatigue I was undergoing, my life was in danger. After they informed me of these things, Joseph said he should

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take me from the company. As the sisters begged to go with me, he took them as far as Painsville, where we stopped at the house of Brother Partridge. Here we found a fine supper prepared for the whole company. Soon after partaking of this refreshment, I was taken to Brother Kingsbury's, in his own carriage, where I was treated with great kindness and respect. From this place I went with Joseph to Kirtland. The first house that I entered was Brother Morley's. Here I met my beloved husband, and great was our joy. Many of my readers may know my present situation. These can imagine with what feelings I recite such scenes as that which followed the reunion of our family; but let it pass —imagination must supply the ellipsis. Were I my feelings upon such occasions to indulge as this, my strength would not support me to the end of my nar- rative. Soon after arriving at Kirtland, a pair of twins were brought to Emma, which were given to her to fill the place of a pair of her own that had died.

CHAPTER XL. SAMUEL SMITH'S FIRST MISSION TO MISSOURI.

We remained two weeks at Mr. Morley's, then removed our family to a farm which had been purchased by Joseph for the Church. On this farm my family were all established with this arrangement, that we were to cultivate the farm, and, from the fruits of our labor, we were to receive our support; but all over and above this was to be used for the comfort of strangers or brethren, who were traveling through the place. About this time Joseph was requested by Parley P. Pratt and his company, who were then in Missouri, to send some Elders to assist them. He inquired of the Lord, and received the revelation contained in the Times and Seasons, vol. v., p. 416, in which Samuel H. Smith and Reynolds Cahoon were appointed to go together to Missouri. They departed immediately on their mission. Before they had proceeded far, they called at a town, the name of which Ido not remember, where they found William E. McLellin, who was employed as a clerk in a store. After making a little inquiry,

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they found that Mr. McLellin was anxious to hear them preach, and that he was willing to make some exertion to obtain a house and congregation for them, for the name of Latter-day Saint was new to him, and he felt curious to hear what the principles of our faith were. So, by his interposition, they soon had a large con- gregation seated in a comfortable room. They preached that evening, and the next morning they pursued their journey. Shortly after they left, Mr. McLellin became very uneasy re- specting his new acquaintances; he felt that it was his duty to have gone with them and assisted them on their journey. This feeling worked so strongly in his breast, as to deprive him of rest all the ensuing night; and, before morning, he concluded to set out for Missouri, at the hazard of business, character, and everything else. Accordingly, after settling with his employer, he started in pursuit of Samuel, and Brother Cahoon. He passed them on their way, and got to Missouri, and was baptized before they arrived there. On their route, Samuel and Brother Cahoon suffered great privations, such as want of rest and food. At the time that they started for Missouri, near fifty others also set out for the same place, all taking different routes. When they arrived, they dedi- cated the spot for the Temple. About this time, or soon after, a number of revelations were received which the reader will find by following the History of Joseph in the Times and Seasons, vol. v., from p. 448 to 466. A clause in one of these reads as follows: "Let my servant Reynolds Cahoon, and my servant Samuel H. Smith, with whom I am well pleased, be not separated until they return to their homes, and this for a wise purpose in me." p. 465.

And here, let me say, that Samuel was never censured by revela- tion, to my knowledge, for he always performed his missions faithfully, and his work was well approved.

CHAPTER XLI. LUCY SMITH VISITS DETROIT.

As Hyrum, my eldest son, was directed to go to Missouri by the way of Detroit, I thought it would be a good opportunity to visit the family of my brother, General Mack. Accordingly, my niece, Almira Mack, Hyrum, —brothers Murdock, Lyman Wight,

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and Corril and I, set out together for Detroit. When we first went on board the vessel which took us across the lake, we concluded to keep perfectly still upon the subject of religion; but it was after- wards proposed by Hyrum, that Mother Smith should say just what she pleased, and if she got into difficulty, the Elders should help her out of it. Shortly after this, I was sitting at the door of the cabin, reading the Book of Mormon, when a lady came up and in- quired of me what book I was reading. "The 'Book of Mormon'," I replied. But the title of the book was no advantage to her, for she had never before heard of there being such a work in exist- ence. By her request I gave her a brief history of the discovery and translation of the book. This delighted her, and when I men- tioned that it was a record of the origin of the aborigines of America, she said, "how I do wish I could get one of your books to carry to my husband, for he is now a missionary among the In- dians." Just then, another lady, who was a doctor's wife, came near us, wiih the appearance of wishing to hear our conversation. She was gorgeously dressed, and carried herself very daintily, I assure you. She wore a splendid satin scarf, which, as she walked to and fro before us, she would occasionally let fall from the left shoulder,

and expose a neck and bosom decorated with very brilliant jewels. Presently she stopped short, and said, "1 do not want to hear any more of that stuff, or anything more about Joe Smith either. They say that he is a 'Mormon' prophet; but it is nothing but deception and lies. There was one Mr. Murdock, who believed in Joe Smith's doctrines; and the 'Mormons' all believe they can cure the sick and raise the dead; so when this Mr. Murdock's wife was sick, he re- fused to send for a doctor, although the poor woman wanted him to do so, and so bv his neglect his wife died." I told her I thought she must be a little mistaken, that I was acquainted with the family, and knew something in regard to the matter. "I know all about it," said the lady. "Well now, perhaps not," said I, "just stop a moment and I will explain it to you." "No, I won't," returned the woman. "Then," said I, "I will introduce you to Mr. Murdock, and let

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HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH. 657

him tell the story himself." I then turned to Mr. Murdock, who stood near, and gave her an introduction to him. Before this,

however, the chambermaid went down stairs and complained to the doctor of his wife's unbecoming behavior, and before she had heard a dozen words from our brother, her husband came bustling up stairs. "Here," said he, to his wife, "they tell me that you are abusing this old lady;" and taking her hand, he drew it within his arm, and marched her off without further ceremony. This circumstance introduced the subject of "Mormonism" among the passengers, and it continued to be the topic of conver- sation until we arrived at Detroit. On landing in Detroit, we repaired immediately to a tavern, as my niece, Mrs. Cooper, was exceedingly nervous, and we deemed it imprudent to disturb her that evening. The next morning, Almira Mack and myself visited Mrs. Cooper, who was Almira's sister. Almira went into her room, and found her lying on the bed. After the usual salutations she informed Mrs. Cooper that Aunt Lucy was in the parlor waiting to see her, and requested the privilege of inviting me into her room but it was some time before her nerves were sufficiently settled to see me. However, before I was admitted into her presence, she was further informed that her cousin Hyrum, as also several other Elders, had come to Detroit in company with me, and that I would expect them to be invited as well as myself. Put this was refused, Mrs. Cooper, declaring that she could not endure the presence of so many visitors. She sent for me, but forbade her sisters inviting any one else. I went to her ; and after the compliments were over, I said, "Lovisa, I have with me four of my brethren, one of whom is your cousin Hyrum, if I stay they must be invited also." "Oh! no, no; I never can consent to it," exclaimed she, "why, aunt, I am so nervous I am scarcely ever able to see any company." "Now, Lovisa," I replied, "do you know what ails you? I can tell you exactly what it is: there is a good spirit and an evil one

operating upon you, and the bad spirit has almost got possession of you; and when the good spirit is the least agitated, the evil one strives for the entire mastery, and sets the good spirit to flutter- ing, just ready to be gone, because it has so slight a foothold. But

6n8 IMPROVEMENT ERA.

you have been so for a long time, and you may yet live many years. These men who are with me are clothed with the authority of the Priesthood, and through their administration you might receive a blessing; and even should you not be healed, do you not wish to know something about your Savior before you meet him? Further- more, if you refuse to receive my brethren into your house, I shall leave it myself." It was finally concluded that a sumptuous dinner should be prepared, and that the brethren should all be invited. While they tarried with her, they administered to her twice by the laying on of hands in the name of the Lord. They stopped with her during the day, and in the evening left for Pontiac. When she learned that they were not expected back again, she seemed greatly distressed, because she had not urged them to stay and preach. The next morning, I and my niece set out for Pontiac, in the first stage,to visit Sister Mack, my brother's widow, and her daugh- ter, Mrs. Whitermore. Here we were treated with great attention and respect by Mr. Whitermore and his family. The subject of religion was introduced immediately after our arrival, and con- tinued the theme of conversation until near tea-time, when Sister Mack arose, saying, "Sister Lucy, you must excuse me, for I find my nerves are so agitated I cannot bear conversation any longer; the subject is so entirely new, it confuses my mind." I requested her to stop a moment. I then repeated to her the same that I had done two days previous to Lovisa, adding, "Suppose a company of fashionable people were to come in and begin to talk about balls, parties, and the latest style of making dresses, do you think that would agitate you so?" She smiled at this, and said, "I do not know that it would, Sister Lucy; you know that those are more common things." I then told her that I would excuse her, and that she might

go where she pleased, concluding in my own mind never to mention the subject to her again, unless it should be by her own request. That night we slept in the same room. When I was about retiring to rest, she observed, "Do not let my presence prevent you from attending to any duty which you have practiced at home." And soon afterwards she again remarked, "The house is now still, and I would be glad to hear you talk, if you are not too much fatigued."

HISTORY OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH. 659

I told her I would have no objections, provided the subject of re- ligion would not make her nervous; and, as she did not think it would, we commenced conversation, the result of which was, she was convinced of the truth of the gospel. In a few days subsequent to this, we all set out to visit Mrs. Stanly, who was also my brother's daughter. Here Mr. Whiter- more gave me an introduction to one Mr. Ruggles, the pastor of the Presbyterian church to which this Mr. Whitermore belonged. "And you," said Mr. Ruggles, upon shaking hands with me, "are the mother of that poor, foolish, silly boy, Joe Smith, who pretended to translate the Book of Mormon." I looked him steadily in the face, and replied, "I am, sir, the

mother of Joseph Smith; but why do you apply to him such epithets as those?" "Because," said his reverence, "that he should imagine he was going to break down all other churches with that simple 'Mormon' book." "Did you ever read that book?" I inquired. "No," said he, "it is beneath my notice." "But," rejoined I, "the Scriptures say, 'prove all things;' and, now sir, let me tell you boldly, that that book contains the ever- lasting gospel, and it was written for the salvation of your soul, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost." "Pooh," said the minister, "nonsense — am not afraid of any I

member of my church being led astray by such stuff; they have too much intelligence." "Now, Mr. Ruggles," said I, and I spoke with emphasis, for the Spirit of God was upon me, "mark my words— as true as God lives, before three years we will have more than one-third of your

church; and, sir, whether you believe it or not, we will take the very deacon too." This produced a hearty laugh at the expense of the minister- Not to be tedious, I will say that I remained in this section of country about four weeks, during which time I labored incessantly for the truth's sake, and succeeded in gaining the hearts of many, among whom were David Dort and his wife. Many desired me to use my influence to have an elder sent into that region of country, which I agreed to do. As I was about starting home, Mr. Cooper