--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1842 to 1843. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 4 number: 10 published: 1843-04-01 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“From the Daily Sun,” *Times and Seasons* 4, no. 10 (April 1, 1843): 149–150." printed_title: From the Daily Sun. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-04-01_4_10 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v4n10.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-04-01_4_10 start_page: 149 end_page: 150 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1843 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1843-04-01_4_10 publication_year: 1843 --- # From the Daily Sun Full particulars of the wonderful sights seen by the pilot of the Wm. Penn in the sky on Tuesday night, March 21. On Saturday afternoon Mr. Wm. Frances, pilot of the Wm. Penn Steamboat, a packet that runs between this city and Rising Sun, Ia. called personally at our office to give us the full particulars of the wonderful sight seen by him on the night above mentioned, fully impressed with the solemnity of the subject, and the awful responsibility of telling any thing of this nature but what is strictly true. Mr. F. informed us that he is a member of the church, and assured us in the most solemn manner, that what he was about to relate was truth and nothing but the truth, and he is ready to convince any gentleman or lady that will call upon him. He states that as the Penn was on her trip to this city, when between Rising Sun and Aurora, about 11 or 12 o'clock, P. M. he was steering the boat along, it being a star bright night, excepting a few clouds in the west, low down, sky clear, when of a sudden a light burst forth, the whole face of the earth appearing to be lit up, which so blinded him that it was with difficulty he could see any thing, even the most near object. His first impression was that it lightened very sharply, but its continuing convinced him it must be something else, which he could not account for. The Captain of the Penn, James Pratzman, was sitting in the cabin at the time with three or four candles; he saw the light notwithstanding, ran out to the guard anxious to know the cause-asked Mr. Frances if he saw the light: Mr. Frances said he did. What is it? said Captain Pratzman. Dear only knows answered Mr. Frances, for I don't. From that the Captain disappeared from looking over the hurricane deck and went below. Mr. Frances now being very anxious to discover whence this strange light came, looked dilligently [diligently] out at the side of the pilot-house, in rather a south-west course, but nearly over head, when he saw the outlines of a Serpent in the sky, in a crooked position, except the tail which was straight, the head toward the east. It turned to a lived bright red, deep and awful, and remained stationary in the stars. Mr. Frances watched it for two or three minutes, when the tail part disappeared nearly to the middle, and the remainder in a gradual manner formed into a distinct Roman G Mr. Frances had time now to mind the channel of the river, and deliberate upon the beauty and grandeur of a letter in the sky! It was remarkably interesting to him, as may well be supposed, from the accuracy of its formation. After about one minute and a half, he watching it and the boat alternately, it changed, turning into a distinct O as perfect as was ever seen, in which position it remained as before. Mr. Frances stated that he was surprised greatly at this, but not scared or frightened in the least, and immediately tapped the bell for the Captain to witness the scene. The Captain did not come immediately, but after a moment or two appeared, but ere this, the figure in the heavens had changed to a plain distinct letter D The Captain said to Mr. Frances, 'What's wanting?' 'Come here quick said Mr. Frances, 'and look up yonder, did you ever see the like?' The Captain answered, 'I see it!' and looked at it till it disappeared. Mr. F. states that when the O turned to a D it formed a kind of oblong shape, and then came straight on one side as a D should be. When it disappeared it turned into the same oblong shape as before, and, gradually the sky returned to its original appearance. Mr. Frances states that he did not leave the wheel of the boat, but steered it to this city. He declares that let others think or say as they will, what he has related is strictly true. He is no Millerite, neither is he crazy nor frightened, and if gentlemen or ladies will call upon him he will convince them that what he has told is truth. Captain Pratzman remarked at the time, that it was something quite inexplicable, and was sorry he did not come to the deck sooner so as to have had a full view of this grand, wonderful and unaccountable phenomenon.