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Title: The Life of John Taylor
       Third President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Author: B. H. Roberts

Release Date: April 1, 2014 [EBook #45303]
[Last updated: October 30, 2023]

Language: English

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THE LIFE OF JOHN TAYLOR,

THIRD PRESIDENT OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS.

BY B. H. ROBERTS.

    The great man is he who chooses the right with invincible
    resolution.

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH: 1892.

To the family of the late President John Taylor this work is
respectfully dedicated, with the hope that it will inspire in the minds
of his numerous and ever-increasing posterity an emulation of his
virtues.



Preface.

If the preface to a book be looked upon as the author's excuse for
writing it, then this book should have no preface, for the author has
no excuse to make. Justice to the character and labors of John Taylor
demanded that his life be written. The annals of the Church could not
be recorded without devoting large space to the part he took in her
affairs; but no notice of his life and labors, however extended in a
general history, could do justice to his great career: for of course
there is much in that career peculiar to himself, and of a character,
too, to make it worthy of a separate volume.

The author is of the opinion that John Taylor would have had a
remarkable history even if Mormonism had not found him; for he
possessed those qualities of mind which would have made him a leader
and a reformer among men. It is quite probable, too, that in the event
of Mormonism not finding him, he would have won more of the honors and
applause of men; for while his connection with the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints threw him into prominence, the disrepute
in which that Church is held brought reproach and odium upon him from
the world. Had the courage and unselfish devotion which he brought to
the support of Mormonism been given to some reform movement less odious
in the estimation of mankind, his conduct would have called forth the
highest encomiums from all men; but as those virtues were displayed for
the interest and advancement of Mormonism, the world either refused to
recognize them at all, or accounted them fanaticism merely, for which
no praise was due.

The praise of the world, however, is a small matter. It often praises
those least worthy; it neglects or abuses those who are its chief
benefactors. Our generation like many that have preceded it, garnishes
the sepulchres of the ancient prophets, saying, "Had we lived in their
day, we would not have persecuted and killed them." And yet with
strange inconsistency they hunt to the death the living prophets whose
memory future generations will honor. But the praise or censure of the
world had little influence over the mind of John Taylor where truth
was concerned. The more men despised it the more intense seemed his
devotion.

In that most beautiful of all his poems entitled "An Irishman's Address
to his Mistress"--the poem is an allegory, the mistress is the Irish
Catholic Church--Thomas Moore represents the Irishman as saying that
through grief and through danger the smile of his mistress had cheered
his way, till hope seemed to spring from thorns that round him lay; the
darker their fortunes, the brighter their pure love burned, until shame
into glory and fear into zeal was turned. The mistress had a rival.
That rival was honored, while the mistress was wronged and scorned; her
crown was of briars, while gold the rival's brows adorned. The rival
wooed him to temples, while the mistress lay hid in caves; the former's
friends were all masters, while the latter's, alas! were all slaves.
"Yet," said the faithful devotee, "cold in the earth at thy feet I
would rather be, than wed what I love not, or turn one thought from
thee!" Such was the love of John Taylor for the Church of Christ to
which he devoted his life.

The author has but one reason to give for undertaking the pleasing
task of writing this book--he loved the subject. To him John Taylor
was the embodiment of those qualities of mind and heart which most
become a man. He therefore applied to the family of the late President
John Taylor--they being the parties most interested in such an
undertaking--for the privilege of writing his history. They gave a
ready assent, and the work was begun. Of the difficulties attending the
production of this history I need not speak. They are such as attend
all similar undertakings. The journals of President Taylor were very
incomplete, covering only fragments of his life at best; but the chief
events of his life were so closely interwoven with the history of the
Church that his movements and labors could be followed in the Church
publications; so that I feel reasonably certain that no important fact
is omitted.

To George J. Taylor--the eldest son of President Taylor--I am indebted
for many valuable items of information; and he has taken an abiding
interest in the work from its commencement.

At my request the first Presidency of the Church appointed a committee
to read the manuscript and pass upon it critically in respect to its
doctrinal and historical correctness. That committee was Elders John
Jaques and L. John Nuttall, the former assistant Church historian,
the latter for a number of years secretary to President Taylor. The
position these brethren occupied made them intimately acquainted with
the subject, and they were enabled to render me valuable assistance in
my work, for which I am deeply grateful to them.

The work is now presented to the public in the hope that it will meet
with approval, and preserve to the present and future generations a
true history of John Taylor, the third President of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints.

THE AUTHOR.



CONTENTS.

Chapter I.

Introductory--Birth and Ancestry

Chapter II.

Boyhood--Early Surroundings--Trade--Spiritual Manifestations--A Storm
at Sea

Chapter III.

Arrival in Canada--Marriage--Leonora--A Message from
God--Investigation--Embraces the Gospel

Chapter IV.

Ordination--Appointed to Preside--Visit to Kirtland--Meets the
Prophet--Defends Him--Arrival of an Imposter--Exposed by the
Prophet--Spread of the Work--A Prophecy and its Fulfillment--the Work
Spreads into England

Chapter V.

Appointed to Collect Funds in Canada--Call to the
Apostleship--Reflections--Prepares to Leave Canada for Missouri

Chapter VI.

Journey to Far West via Kirtland--State of Affairs at
Kirtland--Defiance to a Mob--Experience at De Witt--Missouri
Persecutions--Ordained an Apostle

Chapter VII.

Banished from Missouri--Returns to Fulfill a Prophecy--Starts on His
Mission to England--Sickness by the Way--Arrival in New York

Chapter VIII.

"I have Plenty of Money"--Amusing Conversation--Voyage to
England--Appointed to Preach in Liverpool--People Prepared to Receive
the Gospel--Begins Work--Baptisms

Chapter IX.

Labors Continued in Liverpool--Manner of Meeting
Opposition--Introduction of the Gospel into Ireland--A Prophecy--First
Baptism--Visit to Scotland--Love of the Saints

Chapter X.

Course of Lectures--Visit to the Isle of Man--Reflections--Lectures in
Douglas--Opposition--Challenge--Discussions--Success

Chapter XI.

Return to Nauvoo--Sickness of Leonora--Saved by the Power of
God--Founds "Nauvoo Neighbor"--Edits "Times and Seasons"--Nominates the
Prophet for President--Reasons--Introduction of Celestial Marriage--His
Conduct in Regard to it

Chapter XII.

A Retrospect--A State's Crime--Trouble Brewing

Chapter XIII.

An Important Year--Apostates--Agitation of the Mormon Question--The
Nauvoo "Expositor"--Its Suppression--Effect of suppression--Governor
Ford's Order--Nauvoo under Martial Law

Chapter XIV.

Arrival of Governor Ford in Carthage--Mob Converted into Militia--Elder
Taylor and Dr. Bernhisel go to Carthage--Demands of Governor
Ford--Pledges the Honor of the State for Joseph's Protection--Joseph
Starts for the West--Returns--Arrival and Reception at Carthage

Chapter XV.

The Martyrdom

Chapter XVI.

Flight of the Mob--Excitement of the Governor--Elder Taylor's
Suffering--Hypocrisy--Still in Danger--The Return to
Nauvoo--Gratitude--"With the Greatest of Prophets he Suffered and Bled"

Chapter XVII.

Was Governor Ford a Party to the Massacre?--Suspicious Circumstances

Chapter XVIII.

Management of Affairs in Nauvoo--Arrival of Sidney Rigdon--Arrival
of the Twelve--Rigdon Rejected as Leader--the Twelve
Chosen--Prosperity--Unique Organization--Mobbings--Agreement to Leave
Nauvoo--Bold Speeches of Elder Taylor--"The Lord was with Me"

Chapter XIX.

Preparations for leaving Nauvoo--Labors in the Temple--Elder Taylor's
Sacrifice--Journey Through the Wilderness--Arrival at Council
Bluffs--Helps to Raise the Mormon Battalion--"Who Cannot Trust the
United States?"--Rumors of Trouble in England--Called to a Mission in
England--The Departure

Chapter XX.

The Unjust Stewards called to Account--Disposed of--Tour through
the Churches--Ovations--Articles for the Star--Moderate Spirit of
them--Work Accomplished--Start for Home--Storm Beaten--Return to
Liverpool--Second Start--Successful Voyage--Farewell from America--In
the Nick of Time

Chapter XXI.

Preparations for Journey into the Wilderness--The Outfit--The
Rendezvous--Organization--Manner of Traveling--Meeting the Pioneers--A
Sylvan Feast--Arrival in Salt Lake Valley--"Work enough for One
Fall"--Social Feast--Character of Primitive Society

Chapter XXII.

Mistake in Building--Scarcity of Provisions--Taxed--the Cricket
War--Crops Saved--Harvest Feast--Deputation from the President of the
United States--Elder Taylor Confers with it--Called to France--From
Sawpit to Pulpit--The Life of an Apostle

Chapter XXIII.

Dreary Journey Across the Plains--Charged by A Troop of Indians--Peace
or War?--Suspense--a Feast instead of a Massacre--Arrival at
Kanesville--St. Louis--Letter to Family--Arrival in England

Chapter XXIV.

Arrival in France--Preparations for Work--Monsieur Le Maire--Permission
to Lecture--Meetings in Boulogne-Sur-Mer--Impudent Priests--A
Challenge--Great Discussion--Ministers fly their Colors--Unfair
Chairman--Defense of Elder Taylor

Chapter XXV.

The Work Introduced into Paris--Interview with M. Krolokoski--"Which
is best, your Philosophy or our Religion?" French Philosophy or Fried
Froth--Translation of the Book of Mormon into French--Characteristic
Letter--Unsettled State of Affairs in France--French Liberty--Gospel
Introduced into Germany--Translation of the Book of Mormon into the
German--Zion's Panier--a Conference under Difficulties--Departure from
France--a Knowing Officer and a True Friend

Chapter XXVI.

Busts of the Martyrs--the Government of God--Manufacturing Company
Organized--Farewell to France--to Europe--a Bigoted Captain--Visit
to Washington--Meeting an old Friend--Colonel Kane--Arrival in Salt
Lake--Greetings

Chapter XXVII.

Labors at Home--Called to Preach the Gospel in the Settlements of the
Saints--a Mission to New York--Mormonism to Represent Itself--"I can
call Spirits from the Vasty Deep"--Will they come?--Publishing a Paper
Without Purse or Scrip

Chapter XXVIII.

"The Mormon"--The first Issue--In the front of the Battle--Boldness of
Defense--Challenges Accepted--The acts of Cowards--"The Mormons don't
need your Sympathy, nor Cankered Gold"--A Tertullian

Chapter XXIX.

Defense of Celestial Marriage--Bible Society's War on Mormonism--Elder
Taylor's Bible--Strange Solution of the Mormon Problem--The Army to the
Rescue

Chapter XXX.

"The Mormon" for the Preservation of the Union--The U. P.
Railway--Interviews with President Franklin Pierce--U. S.
Officials--Invasion of Utah--Departure for Salt Lake

Chapter XXXI.

"The Mormon" Commended by Brigham Young--Trying Times--Courage--Elder
Taylor in the Front--"Let the Trial Come"--Speech on the Rights of the
People in the Territories

Chapter XXXII.

The Arrival of Captain Van Vliet in Salt Lake--Elder Taylor on the
Approaching Army--How it would be Met--Van Vliet's Surprise and
Perplexity--His Report to Secretary of the Interior--Captain Marcy's
Letter--Elder Taylor's Reply

Chapter XXXIII.

Martial Law Declared in Utah--The Legislature to Congress--"We
shall not Abandon our Religion"--Give us our rights and we are at
Home--Arrival of Col. Kane--Compromises--Entrance of Governor Cumming
into Salt Lake--Remaining Difficulties--Preparing for an Exodus--The
Peace Commission--Difficulties Adjusted--Elder Taylor's Part

Chapter XXXIV.

Labors after the Utah War--A Member of the Legislature--Speaker of the
House--Probate Judge--Great Discussion with Vice-President Schuyler
Colfax

Chapter XXXV.

A Reign of Judicial Terror--Judges with a Mission--James B. McKean--A
Judicial Crusade--A System on Trial--The Highhanded Measures Stopped
by the Supreme Court--"Masterly Inactivity"--Elder Taylor on the
Crusade--"Be Quiet"--the Counsel Vindicated

Chapter XXXVI.

Interest in Educational Affairs--Chosen Superintendent of Common
Schools--Commended by Authorities at Washington--Death of President
Young--The new Leader--Standing of the Twelve Apostles--Elder Taylor's
Place in the Quorum--The Hand of the Lord

Chapter XXXVII.

Character of President Taylor's Administration--The Gardo House Voted
as his Residence--The Great Jubilee Conference--A Great Testimony
Meeting

Chapter XXXVIII.

The Quorum of Apostles not the Permanent Presiding Quorum of the
Church--First Presidency Chosen--A General Assembly of Quorums--The
Voting--Vox Dei et Vox Populi--Dignity of Presidency--Character of
Government--One of the Noble Ones

Chapter XXXIX.

Labors as President--Sample Tours--Character of Sermons--Less of the
Poet but More of the Philosopher--A Revelation

Chapter XL.

Public Reception at the Gardo House--Promise of Peace--Peace
Disturbed--New Agitation--An Old Opponent with Bad Taste--The False
Indictment--Investigation Asked--Denied--Indecent Haste--Passage of the
Edmunds' Bill--The Sacrifice of President Taylor

Chapter XLI.

"A Storm is Coming"--"Turn up your Collars"--Policy of the Church
Outlined--Contest under the Law every Encroachment on the Dominion
of Liberty--Warnings and Prophecies--Hosanna--No New Shout--Its
Impressions on a Stranger

Chapter XLII.

Work on the "Mediation and Atonement"--Its Character--"The Aaronic
Priesthood"--The "Storm"--Arrival of the Commission--Test Oath--"In the
Marriage Relation"--How it Works--First Case in the Crusade--President
Taylor's Reflections

Chapter XLIII.

The Storm Bursts upon the People--The Morality Plea--Who the Criminals
are--Testimony of Statistics--A Visit to Arizona and Mexico--Assault
upon the People in Arizona--An American Siberia--Seeking a Place of
Refuge--In San Francisco--Threatened with Arrest--Return to Utah--Last
Sermon--Warning and Prophecy

Chapter XLIV.

Presiding Under Difficulties--General Epistle--An Infamous
Crusade--Homes Invaded--Judicial Legislation--Cohabitation--President
Taylor's Deportment

Chapter XLV.

Letter to his Family

Chapter XLVI.

Reflections--Death of Sophia Taylor--Determination to bring about an
Issue--A Violent one Preferred--Half-masting Episode--The Course of
the G. A. R.--Warlike Preparations for Pioneer day--Flags at Half Mast
Throughout the Union--Expressions of Love and Confidence--Last Illness
and Death of President Taylor

Chapter XLVII.

Official Announcement of President Taylor's Death--His Counselors on
his Life and Character--Expressions of the People--Resolutions of
Respect

Chapter XLVIII.

Personal Appearance and Character--His Broad Views--Faith and
Confidence in God--Devotion to his Religion--Moral Life Above
Suspicion--Love of Liberty--"I would not be a Slave to God!"--The
Riches he Sought--"I Prefer A Faded Coat to a Faded Reputation"--Skill
and Maxims as a Workman--Power as a Writer--A Poet--A Preacher of
Righteousness--Social Qualities--A Great Man

Chapter XLIX.

Funeral Ceremonies--Testimonies of President Taylor's Fellow
Laborers--Final Resting Place of the Champion of Liberty

Appendix



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

John Taylor

Exterior Carthage Jail

Scene in Carthage Jail

Residence of John Taylor, Nauvoo

Council Bluffs Ferry

Camp at Wood River

First Residence in Utah

Primitive Saw Mill

Busts of Joseph and Hyrum Smith

Heading of "The Mormon"

Gardo House



CHAPTER I.

INTRODUCTORY--BIRTH AND ANCESTRY.

The leading spirits whom the Prophet Joseph Smith gathered about him in
his brief but glorious career, were remarkable men. Not remarkable for
illustrious birth, for they were of humble origin; not for scholarly
attainments, for such were the conditions of their early life that
scholastic education of a very high order was out of the question: but
they were remarkable for character--that mysterious something which
exists independent of birth, education or fortune.

It has become proverbial that all great movements, all reformations,
all revolutions must produce their own leaders; and this is as true of
the great work of the last days, the establishment of the Church of
Christ on the earth, as it is of any other great movement. Leaders in
established usages and institutions, political, social or religious,
are very seldom converted to innovations. They usually consider it to
their interest to oppose changes, especially those changes which from
their very nature cast any shadow of doubt upon the correctness of
existing customs or institutions with which they are connected. Hence
it happened that the Jewish rabbis, the priests, the scribes, the
members of the great Sanhedrin--leaders in their nation--did not accept
the doctrines of Messiah and become the chief apostles, seventies
and elders of the new church. On the contrary, this class were the
stubbornest opponents to the doctrines taught by the Son of God, and
His most implacable enemies. It was the common people who heard Him
gladly: and from their number He chose the apostles, who, through the
God-given powers of the priesthood conferred upon them, shook the old
systems of morals and religion from their foundations.

Nor can it be doubted that the hand of the Lord is in this matter of
choosing men to be His messengers, His prophets and His rulers. Many
of them are chosen before they are born in the flesh. The messenger
that was to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of God, John the
Baptist, was so chosen. Jeremiah was ordained a prophet to the nations
before he was born. Cyrus the Great, the war prince of Persia, was
selected to be the deliverer of Israel from Babylonian bondage more
than a century before his birth. Indeed, we are given to understand
from the revelations of God, that from among the nobler class of
spirits that dwell in His presence, the Father hath chosen those who
are to be His rulers.

From the very nature of things it must be necessary that men whose
minds are unwarped by prevailing customs and traditions, should be
selected to establish a new order of religion, of government or of
society. How could the Jewish priests and rabbis, bound by long custom
to a slavish adherence to the outward forms and ceremonies of the
Mosaic ritual, the spirit and purpose of which had long been made of no
effect by the rubbish of false traditions, open their minds to receive
the larger and nobler doctrines of the gospel of Christ, unmixed with
the pomp and circumstance which they of that age and nation considered
essential to religion?

Can men educated to an attachment for despotic government, and whose
interests are bound up with its maintenance, be expected to look with
favor on democratic principles, or become the champions of a republic?

Finally, to wander no further from the subject in hand, were the
religious leaders of the early part of the nineteenth century, educated
to the idea that revelation had ceased; that the voice of prophecy
was forever silenced; that the ministration of angels was ended; that
the miraculous powers of the Holy Ghost were done away; that the
ancient organization of the church was no longer needed; and further,
believing that God was a substance merely, without form, without a
body, or parts, or passions--were such men, filled with pride which
the learning of this world too often infuses into the hearts of those
who possess it--were such men qualified to stand at the head of, and
become the leading actors in, the Dispensation of the Fullness of
Times? A dispensation which was to be opened by the personal visitation
of the Father and the Son, followed by numerous visitations of angels,
the re-establishment of the church of Christ, with all its doctrines,
ordinances, priesthoods, powers, promises and blessings; and ending,
eventually, with the full restoration of the house of Israel and the
complete redemption of the earth and all its righteous inhabitants?

Such a work was too large, too high and too deep for minds filled with
false, sectarian ideas. Hence God chose His servants in these last
days from men whose minds were unwarped by false education, but men of
large capacity; possessing breadth and freedom of thought, of sanguine,
fearless temperament: children of nature were they, with consciences
unseared by worldly guile, and strangers to motives other than those
dictated by an honest purpose; and, withal, full of implicit confidence
in God--a confidence born of a living faith in the fact of Deity's
existence, and a consciousness of the rectitude of their own intentions
and lives.

It was these qualities which made the men whom the Prophet Joseph Smith
gathered about him, and who were his trusted counselors, remarkable;
and of that coterie of men there was not one who more completely
united in his own character all those qualities which made the group
remarkable than John Taylor. Nor was there one more devoted in his
friendship for the prophet, or more zealous in his efforts to spread
abroad the glad tidings that the gospel of the Son of God in its
fullness was restored to the earth to bless mankind. Neither was there
one whose experience was more varied, or whose life was more crowded
with thrilling events, or whose position in the Church was more exalted
than his. He proclaimed the gospel in many lands; and as the champion
of truth, stood ready to meet all who assailed it; and whether he
met his opponents in the forum, before a multitude steeped full of
prejudice against him, or in the columns of the public press, he was
equally successful in vanquishing them by his powerful statement of
the truth, backed by a peculiar ability to expose the weakness of his
opponent's position.

So prominent was the career of John Taylor in the Church, as a trusted
friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith, with whom he may be said to have
shared martyrdom; as a founder and editor of Church periodicals; as
a preacher of the gospel; as an apostle; as a pioneer of Utah; as a
legislator; and, finally, as President of the Church during one of
the most trying periods through which she has passed in her eventful
career, that the literature of the Church would be incomplete without
his history. And if the lives of her leading men be the history of the
Church, as some aver, then that history would be extremely imperfect if
the life of her third President in this dispensation were not written.

JOHN TAYLOR was born November 1st, 1808, in Milnthorpe, a small town
near the head of Morecombe Bay, and not far from Windemere, the
"Queen of English Lakes," in the county of Westmoreland, England. His
father's name was James Taylor, whose forefathers for many generations
had lived on an estate known as Craig Gate, in Ackenthwaite. James
Taylor's mother was the second wife of his father, Edward Taylor. By
his first wife Edward Taylor had two sons and three daughters; by his
second wife, whose name was Elizabeth, he had one son, James, and three
daughters, named Mary, Jane and Agnes. Edward Taylor, the grandfather
of the subject of this writing, died before his son James was born;
and owing to the English law of primogeniture, the eldest son took
the estate and left the younger branches of the family to provide for
themselves as best they could.

Though James Taylor was deprived of any share of his father's estate,
he acquired a good English education, some proficiency in the Latin and
Greek languages, and the higher branches of mathematics. What he had
lost by an unjust law, in the sudden demise of his father, was made up
to him by the munificence of an uncle (on his mother's side), William
T. Moon, who bequeathed to him a small estate in Hale, Westmoreland.

John Taylor's mother's name was Agnes; her maiden name was also Taylor.
Her grandfather, Christopher Taylor, lived to be ninety-seven years
of age. His son John, father of Agnes, held an office in the excise
under government, from his first setting out in life to the age of
about sixty. He was between seventy and eighty when he died. The
maiden name of Agnes Taylor's mother was Whittington, a descendant of
the family made famous by Richard Whittington, the younger son of Sir
William Whittington. (Sir William died intestate shortly after his
son Richard was born; and this circumstance, under the English law
of primogeniture, left him without a fortune. Nothing discouraged by
this event, Richard went to London to engage in trade. He apprenticed
himself to a mercer and appears to have risen rapidly in the world. He
was made an alderman in the city of London, then high sheriff; thrice
was he chosen lord mayor of London, and afterwards was elected member
of parliament for the city. He stood in high favor with the king,
who conferred on him the honor of knighthood. He was diligent and
exceedingly prosperous in business, upright and liberal in character,
"a virtuous and godly man, full of good works, and those famous," says
an old chronicler. In many respects he was considerably in advance of
his times and conferred a lustre on his family's name which will live
forever in English story. This illustrious man was born, as nearly as
may be ascertained, about 1360.)

To James and Agnes Taylor were born ten children--eight sons and two
daughters. Three of the sons died while young. John Taylor was the
second son, but as his eldest brother, Edward, died at the age of
twenty-two, John stood next to his father, the head of the family.

John Taylor's father had received an appointment under government in
the excise, and the nature of his office was such that he had to move
from place to place. In 1819, however, he left government employ and
removed from Liverpool, where he had lived five years, and settled on
his estate in Hale.



CHAPTER II.

BOYHOOD--EARLY SURROUNDINGS--TRADE--SPIRITUAL MANIFESTATIONS--A STORM
AT SEA.

John Taylor was eleven years old when his father settled on his estate
in Hale. He attended school at Beetham, about a mile from Hale, and
only a few miles south of his birth place. It was in these boyhood days
at home that he got "mixed up," as he puts it, "with ploughing, sowing,
reaping, hay-making and other farm work; and I have indelibly impressed
on my mind," he continues, "some of my first mishaps in horsemanship
in the way of sundry curious evolutions between the horses' backs and
_terra firma_."

At the age of fourteen he was bound an apprentice to a cooper, in
Liverpool. In about twelve months his employer failed and young Taylor
returned home. He afterwards went to learn the business of turner
in Penrith, Cumberland. Penrith is situated near the middle of a
beautiful, fertile valley sloping northwesterly to the Solway firth,
and drained by the Eden river; the valley because of its rare scenery,
is called the Vale of Eden. It is one of the most romantic districts
in all England. On the east is the Pennine range of mountains, which
in this locality attain their greatest altitude. On the west is the
Cumbrian group, where the highest summits in England are found. The
highest mountain is Scawfell, the loftiest of whose four peaks is 3,229
feet above the sea. A little to the east of this, and hence nearer
Penrith, is Mount Helvellyn 3,118 feet; and to the north Skiddaw 3,058
feet.

Nestling at the feet, or in basins between these mountain peaks, are
the most famous lakes in England, fifteen in number, varying in size
from one mile to ten in length, and from one-third to one mile in
width. Ulleswater is the lake nearest to Penrith, and while it has
little of the soft beauty that has made Lake Windemere famous, its
rugged surroundings and especially Mount Helvellyn at its south west
extremity, give to it a grandeur that verges on sublimity.

The climate of this lake region is very damp, and on the higher
mountain peaks snow lies for six and in some seasons even eight months
in the year. The excessive rain-fall, however, gives great freshness
and luxuriance to vegetation.

Besides the beauty and grandeur of the surrounding country, Penrith and
vicinity are rich in historical associations and monuments of a past
civilization. Lying near the Scotch border it was frequently invaded by
that hardy race during their unhappy conflicts with England; the town
was well nigh destroyed by them in the time of Edward III.; and was
again sacked in the time of Richard III.

In the immediate vicinity are a number of Druidical remains, among
which is the great Druidic monument Long Meg, a monolith eighteen feet
high and fifteen feet in circumference; while about her, in a circle
one hundred and fifty yards in diameter, are sixty-six other monuments,
inferior to her in size, called her daughters. Near by is Lowther
Castle with its beautiful park; Eden Hall, the seat of the ancient
family of Musgrave; Arthur's Round Table, and Shap Abbey, are also
within a radius of five or six miles.

It was in the midst of this splendid scenery, made doubly enchanting
by historic associations and the monuments of those weird people,
the Druids, that John Taylor spent the days of his youth, from his
fifteenth to his twentieth year; and no doubt these surroundings had a
powerful effect on his then forming character, and did much to develop
the poetical impulses of his mind, for the power of poetry was not
among the least of his natural gifts. Thence, too, comes the splendid
imagery so frequently dashed into his sermons and writings. It was
there he saw the "water nymphs playing with the clouds on mountain
tops, frolicking with the snow and rain in rugged gorges, coquetting
with the sun and dancing to the sheen of the moon;" [1] there, too, he
saw the drifting clouds wrapping mountain peaks in solemn gloom, while
the flower-flecked vale below was flooded with warm sunlight. These
scenes and the impressions they formed he treasured up, and afterwards
made them clothe in splendid drapery an eloquence which held thousands
enchanted by the magic of its spell.

The religious nature of John Taylor began early to develope. His
parents were members, nominally, of the Church of England, and he was
told that that Church was the true one, and that the "Roman Catholics
were a dreadful set of fellows." Indeed, it may be said that part of
the Church of England's creed in those days, though unwritten, was
"down with the Pope." He learned the catechism and the prayers of
the church. In a fine vein of satire he says: "I repeated week after
week--'We have erred and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. * * *
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we
have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no
health in us; * * * have mercy upon us, miserable sinners.'"

He was baptized into the church when an infant; a god-father and
god-mother promised and vowed for him that he would renounce the
devil and all his works--the pomp and vanity of this wicked world,
and all the deceitful lusts of the flesh; that he should believe all
the articles of the Christian faith, and keep God's holy laws and
commandments, and walk in the same all the days of his life. "How far I
have filled their pledges," he says, "I must leave others to judge."

In childhood and youth he was naturally vivacious, and seems to have
had but little regard for the stiff formula of church creed, and was
without any definite idea of correct religious views; still he had a
deep reverence for God; with him it was an intuition, and he dreaded
nothing so much as offending Him.

When about sixteen he heard the Methodist doctrines taught, and as he
perceived more spiritual light and force in their teachings than in the
cold, set services of the Church of England, he became a Methodist.
He was strictly sincere in his religious faith, and very zealous to
learn what he then considered to be the truth. Believing that "every
good and perfect gift proceedeth from the Lord," he prayed frequently
in private. Most of his leisure hours were spent in reading the Bible,
works on theology and in prayer. For the latter purpose he usually
resorted to secluded places in the woods and fields. The missionary
spirit about this time began to develop in him. He induced a number
of boys about his own age to join with him in secret prayer, but they
generally soon forsook him. He relates a circumstance that must have
occurred about this time, that still further gives evidence of the
missionary spirit working within him. Living in the same neighborhood
was an old gentleman whom he greatly respected; he was a good man,
a praying man, but he had a wife who did not want to pray, and also
interfered with his devotions. She was restless and turbulent, a kind
of thorn in his flesh. Under these circumstances he did not get along
very well, but it used to drive him to the Lord. After a while she
died, and he married again; this time to a very amiable lady. His wife
was so pleasant and agreeable, that the change in his circumstances was
very great. Being thus comfortably situated he became remiss in his
religious duties; and among other things gave way to the temptations
of liquor. Observing the course he was taking, young Taylor took up a
labor with him. He felt a little abashed on account of his youth, but
because of long friendship, and out of respect for the old gentleman's
many good qualities, he felt it his duty to call his attention to his
neglect of Christian precepts. He told him how he had seen him drunk a
few days previously, and how it had hurt his feelings, as his course
hitherto had been exemplary. The old gentleman appreciated the good
feelings, the respect and courage of his young friend, deplored his
weakness and promised amendment.

Young Taylor possessed a portion of the spirit of God and was very
happy. Manifestations of its presence were frequent, not only in the
expansion of his mind to understand doctrines and principles, but also
in dreams and visions. "Often when alone," he writes, "and sometimes
in company, I heard sweet, soft, melodious music, as if performed
by angelic or supernatural beings." When but a small boy he saw, in
vision, an angel in the heavens, holding a trumpet to his mouth,
sounding a message to the nations. The import of this vision he did not
understand until later in life.

At the age of seventeen he was made a Methodist exhorter, or local
preacher. His first appointment was at a small country town some
seven miles from Penrith. A brother in the same church accompanied
him; and when the two had walked about a mile from Penrith, young
Taylor suddenly stopped, overpowered by a peculiar influence, and as
he stood there in the road, he remarked to his companion, "I have a
strong impression on my mind, that I have to go to America to preach
the gospel!" At the time he knew nothing of America but what he had
learned in his geography at school; and emigration to that country had
not been thought of then by his family. So strong was the voice of the
spirit to him on that occasion that it continued to impress him as long
as he remained in that land; and even after he arrived in Canada, a
presentiment that he could not shake off, clung to him that he had some
work to do which he did not then understand.

At the age of twenty, having mastered the business of turner, young
Taylor left Penrith, and in the town of Hale started business for
himself, under the auspices of his father. Shortly after this, in 1830,
his father and family emigrated to Upper Canada, leaving him to dispose
of some unsold property and settle the affairs of the estate.

In about two years he completed the business entrusted to him and
followed them. While crossing the British channel the ship he sailed
in encountered severe storms, which lasted a number of days. He saw
several ships wrecked in that storm, and the captain and officers of
his own ship expected hourly that she would go down. But not so with
our young emigrant. The voice of the Spirit was still saying within
him, "You must yet go to America and preach the gospel." "So confident
was I of my destiny," he remarks, "that I went on deck at midnight, and
amidst the raging elements felt as calm as though I was sitting in a
parlor at home. I believed I should reach America and perform my work."

Footnotes

1. From Taylor's Reply to Colfax.



CHAPTER III.

ARRIVAL IN CANADA--MARRIAGE--LEONORA--A MESSAGE FROM
GOD--INVESTIGATION--EMBRACES THE GOSPEL.

Landing in New York, he remained there and in Brooklyn and Albany a few
months before going on to Toronto, Upper Canada, where he was to rejoin
his parents.

After his arrival in Toronto he connected himself with the Methodists
in that city, and began preaching under the auspices of their church
organization. It was while he was engaged in this work that he met
Leonora Cannon, to whom he was married on the 28th of January, 1833.

Leonora Cannon was a daughter of Captain George Cannon (grandfather
of President George Q. Cannon) of Peel, Isle of Man. Captain Cannon
died while Leonora was yet in her girlhood; the old homestead in Peel
was rented to strangers, and she went to reside in England with a lady
named Vail. Later she became an inmate of Governor Smelt's family,
residing in Castle Rushen, Castletown, Isle of Man. Here she frequently
met with many distinguished people from England. Finally in the
capacity of companion to the wife of Mr. Mason, the private secretary
of Lord Aylmer, Governor General of Canada, she went to Toronto, and
being a devout Methodist, associated with that church and there met Mr.
Taylor, who became her class leader.

His first proposal of marriage was rejected; but afterwards, through a
dream in which she saw herself associated with him, she was convinced
that he would be her husband. Therefore, when he renewed his proposal,
he was accepted.

Refined both by nature and education, gentle and lady-like in manner,
witty, intelligent, gifted with rare conversational powers, possessed
of a deep religious sentiment, and, withal, remarkable for the beauty
of her person, she was a fitting companion to John Taylor.

Mrs. Taylor frequently accompanied her husband in filling his
appointments to preach on the Sabbath, and he often alluded to the
singular revelation he had received in his youth, about his having to
preach the gospel in America.

"Are you not now preaching the gospel in America?" Leonora would ask.

"This is not the work; it is something of more importance," he would
answer.

As a preacher in the Methodist church, both in England and Canada, he
was very successful, and made many converts. "My object," he remarks,
"was to teach them what I then considered the leading doctrines of the
Christian religion, rather than the peculiar dogmas of Methodism." His
theological investigations had made him very much dissatisfied with
existing creeds and churches, because of the wide difference between
modern and primitive Christianity, in doctrine, in ordinances, in
organization and above all, in spirit and power.

He was not the only one on whom the Spirit was operating in this
manner. There were several others, chiefly men belonging to the same
Church, in or near Toronto, and engaged in the same calling. They were
gentlemen of refinement and education, and generally talented.

It was their custom to meet several times a week to search the
scriptures, and investigate the doctrines of the Christian religion as
contained in the Bible. They were all familiar with the various systems
of theology as accepted by the Christian sects of the day, and as they
had more or less distrust regarding each of them they agreed, in their
investigation, to reject every man's opinion and work, and to search
the scriptures alone, praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

On these lines they investigated the claims of each sect of religion,
as to its being the Church of Christ. The result of that investigation
was that they were driven irresistibly to the conclusion that all
sects were in error, and without authority to preach the gospel or
administer its ordinances. "If modern Christianity is true," said they,
"then the Bible is false," and _vice versa_. Fortunately they clung to
a firm belief in the Bible; and further believed in a restoration of
pure principles and a true church. They believed that men should be
called of God as in former days, and ordained by proper authority; and
that in the Church there should be apostles and prophets, evangelists
and pastors, teachers and deacons; in short, that the primitive
organization of the Church of Christ should be perpetuated.

They believed that men who accepted the gospel should have bestowed
upon them the Holy Ghost; that it should lead them into all truth,
and show them things to come. They believed also in the gift of
tongues, the gift of healing, miracles, prophecy, faith, discerning of
spirits and all the powers, graces and blessings as experienced in the
Christian Church of former days. They believed that Israel would be
gathered, the ten tribes restored; that judgments would overtake the
wicked, and Christ return to the earth and reign with the righteous;
they believed in the first and second resurrection, and in the final
glory and triumph of the righteous. But while they believed all these
things, they recognized the fact that they had no authority to act in
the premises and organize a church, incorporating these views in its
doctrines and organization. True, they might organize a church with
apostles and prophets, and all other officers, and teach the letter of
their principles; but whence should they look for the Spirit to give it
life, and make their dream of a restored, perfect Christian church a
reality? It was evident to them they could not perform this work unless
called of God to do it, and they were painfully conscious of the fact
that not one among them was so called. They could only wait, and pray
that God would send to them a messenger if He had a Church on the earth.

So wide and thorough an investigation of religion, by such a body
of men, could not fail to attract some attention, especially from
the church with which the most of them were nominally connected. The
leading men in the Methodist church called a special conference to
consider the principles of these heterodox brethren. The meeting was
called and presided over by some of the most prominent leaders in the
Methodist persuasion in Canada, among whom were the Rev. Mr. Ryarson
and Rev. Mr. Lord, of the British conference. The hearing was not a
trial _pro forma_, but rather a friendly discussion of those principles
held by the brethren in question.

The hearing continued through several days; and in the debates the
"heterodox" held their own against the learning and talent of the
church leaders; and at the conclusion of the investigation expressed
themselves as being more fully confirmed in their doctrines since
their learned opponents had been unable to refute them by the word of
God. The conclusion reached by the conference was thus stated by the
president:

"Brethren, we esteem you as brethren and gentlemen; we believe you are
sincere, but cannot fellowship your doctrine. Wishing, however, to
concede all we can, we would say: You may believe your doctrines if
you will not teach them; and we will still retain you in fellowship as
members, leaders and preachers."

These conditions the "heterodox" could not conscientiously comply with,
so they were deprived of their offices but retained as members. Since
they considered the Methodist Church without authority, taking from
them their offices was not regarded by them as a hardship.

Meantime, their fastings and prayers, their longing for the Kingdom of
God, came up in remembrance before the Lord, and He sent a messenger
to them. Parley P. Pratt, an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ,
called upon Mr. Taylor, with a letter of introduction from a merchant
acquaintance of his, Mr. Moses Nickerson. As soon as he learned that
Mr. Pratt was a "Mormon," he thought his acquaintance had imposed upon
him a little by sending him such a character; for then, as now, and
as in the days of the ancient apostles, the Saints were everywhere
spoken against, and Mr. Taylor had heard the evil rumors circulated
about them; and because of these rumors, he had been led to regard
"Mormonism" as anything but a _religious_ system. He treated Apostle
Pratt courteously, as he considered himself bound to do, because of
his letter of introduction; but the reception he gave him could not be
called cordial.

It was a strange message the Apostle had to deliver--this story
of the revelation of the gospel: how God had passed by the great,
and learned, and eloquent theologians of the day, and had revealed
Himself to an unlearned youth, reared in the backwoods of New York;
how, subsequently, He sent to him an angel, who made known to him
the existence of the hidden record of the ancient inhabitants of
America--the Book of Mormon; how that angel met him annually in the
month of September for four successive years, and taught him the gospel
and many things concerning the work of the Lord in these last days; and
then delivered into his keeping those records, which he translated into
the English language by the gift and power of God; how this same young
man, during the progress of the work of translation, was visited by
John the Baptist, who conferred upon him and Oliver Cowdery the Aaronic
Priesthood, which gave them the authority to preach repentance and
baptize for remission of sins; how, subsequently, the ancient apostles,
Peter, James and John came and conferred upon the young Prophet the
apostleship, which gave him the right and power to ordain other men
to be Apostles, Seventies, High Priests and Elders; to lay on hands
for the gift of the Holy Ghost--in short, which gave him the right to
preach the gospel in all the world, and establish the Church of Christ
on the earth.

But if this story was strange, the circumstance which led to the
Apostle coming among them, though of less importance than the main
message he had to deliver, was stranger still. He told them how Heber
C. Kimball, and others, came to his house one night, in Kirtland, after
he and Mrs. Pratt had retired. Heber C. Kimball requested him to get up
as he had a prophecy to deliver concerning him. Apostle Pratt arose and
his visitor thus addressed him:

"Brother Parley, thy wife shall be healed from this hour, and shall
bear a son, and his name shall be Parley; and he shall be a chosen
instrument in the hands of the Lord to inherit the priesthood, and to
walk in the footsteps of his father. He shall do a great work on the
earth in ministering the word and teaching the children of men. Arise,
therefore, and go forth in the ministry, nothing doubting. Take no
thought for your debts, nor the necessaries of life, for the Lord will
supply you with abundant means for all things. Thou shalt go to Upper
Canada, even to the city of Toronto, the capital, and there thou shalt
find a people prepared for the gospel, and they shall receive thee, and
thou shalt organize the Church among them, and it shall spread thence
into the regions round about, and many shall be brought to a knowledge
of the truth, and shall be filled with joy; and from the things growing
out of this mission, shall the fullness of the gospel spread into
England, and cause a great work to be done in that land."

To understand the boldness of this prediction the reader ought to be
informed that Apostle Pratt had been married to his wife ten years, but
they had never been blessed with offspring; and for six years his wife
had been considered an incurable consumptive.

As before stated Mr Taylor did not receive Apostle Pratt very
cordially. While seeking for the truth he did not propose being led
away by every wind of doctrine, nor by the cunning craftiness of men
who lie in wait to deceive. He was very cautious, remembering that an
ancient apostle had said:

"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, [the gospel]
receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; for he that
biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." [1]

He therefore rendered Elder Pratt no assistance, until he began to
discover that there were good grounds for believing he was a messenger
sent of God.

Elder Pratt applied to all the ministers of Toronto, and the city
officials having charge of public buildings, for a place in which to
deliver his message, without avail. Disheartened at his unpropitious
reception, he was about to leave a city where he could see no prospect
of making an opening. In this spirit he called on Mr. Taylor to say
farewell.

Mr Taylor's turning shop adjoined his house, and it was here that
Elder Pratt found him. While talking to him, valise in hand ready to
depart, a Mrs. Walton called on Mrs. Taylor in the adjoining room. The
latter told Mrs. Walton about Elder Pratt and his strange mission, and
how, failing to get an opportunity to preach, he was on the eve of
departing. "He may be a man of God," said Leonora, "I am sorry to have
him depart."

At this Mrs. Walton expressed her willingness to open her house for
Elder Pratt to preach in, and proposed to lodge and feed him. Here at
last was an opening. He began holding meetings at Mrs. Walton's, and
was soon afterwards introduced to the investigation meetings held by
Mr. Taylor and his religious friends.

They were delighted with his preaching. He taught them faith in God,
and in Jesus Christ; called upon them to repent of their sins, and to
be baptized in the likeness of Christ's burial, for the remission of
them, and promised them the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands,
together with a full enjoyment of all its gifts and blessings. All
this, and much more that he taught, was in strict harmony with what
they themselves believed; but what he had to say about Joseph Smith and
the Book of Mormon perplexed a great many, and some of their members
even refused to investigate the Book of Mormon, or examine the claims
of Apostle Pratt to having divine authority to preach the gospel and
administer in the ordinances thereof.

It was at this juncture that the noble independence and boldness of
spirit, so conspicuous in John Taylor throughout his life, asserted
itself. He addressed the assembly to the following effect:

"We are here, ostensibly in search of truth. Hitherto we have fully
investigated other creeds and doctrines and proven them false. Why
should we fear to investigate Mormonism? This gentleman, Mr. Pratt, has
brought to us many doctrines that correspond with our own views. We
have endured a great deal and made many sacrifices for our religious
convictions. We have prayed to God to send us a messenger, if He has
a true Church on earth. Mr. Pratt has come to us under circumstances
that are peculiar; and there is one thing that commends him to our
consideration; he has come amongst us without purse or scrip, as the
ancient apostles traveled; and none of us are able to refute his
doctrine by scripture or logic. I desire to investigate his doctrines
and claims to authority, and shall be very glad if some of my friends
will unite with me in this investigation. But if no one will unite with
me, be assured I shall make the investigation alone. If I find his
religion true, I shall accept it, no matter what the consequences may
be; and if false, then I shall expose it."

After this, John Taylor began the investigation of Mormonism in
earnest. He wrote down eight sermons which Apostle Pratt preached, and
compared them with the scripture. He also investigated the evidences
of the divine authenticity of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and
Covenants. "I made a regular business of it for three weeks," he says,
"and followed Brother Parley from place to place." The result of his
thorough investigation was conviction; and on the 9th of May, 1836,
himself and wife were baptized. "I have never doubted any principle
of Mormonism since," was the comment he made in relating, when well
advanced in life, how he came to accept the gospel.

Footnotes

1. II. John, 10, 11.



CHAPTER IV.

ORDINATION--APPOINTED TO PRESIDE--VISIT TO KIRTLAND--MEETS THE
PROPHET--DEFENDS HIM--ARRIVAL OF AN IMPOSTER--EXPOSED BY THE
PROPHET--SPREAD OF THE WORK--A PROPHECY AND ITS FULFILLMENT--THE WORK
SPREADS INTO ENGLAND.

Shortly after his baptism, John Taylor was ordained an Elder in the
Church, and began his labors in the ministry. He was now preaching the
gospel in America in fulfillment of the revelation he received in his
youth.

So rapidly did the work spread in Canada, that Apostles Orson Hyde and
Orson Pratt were sent to assist Parley. The country was excited on the
subject of "Mormonism," and the ministers alarmed. Public discussions
were frequent and the truth everywhere triumphed. All through the
summer of 1836, Elder Taylor was actively engaged in the ministry; and
when in the autumn the apostles departed for Kirtland, he was appointed
to preside over the churches they had founded.

In March of the following year, Elder Taylor visited Kirtland, and
there met the Prophet Joseph Smith, who entertained him at his house
and gave him many items of information pertaining to the work of the
Lord in this dispensation. At that time there was a bitter spirit of
apostasy rife in Kirtland. A number in the quorum of the Twelve were
disaffected towards the Prophet, and the Church seemed on the point
of disintegration. Among others, Parley P. Pratt was floundering in
darkness, and coming to Elder Taylor told him of some things wherein
he considered the Prophet Joseph in error. To his remarks Elder Taylor
replied:

"I am surprised to hear you speak so, Brother Parley. Before you left
Canada you bore a strong testimony to Joseph Smith being a Prophet of
God, and to the truth of the work he has inaugurated; and you said you
knew these things by revelation, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. You
gave to me a strict charge to the effect that though you or an angel
from heaven was to declare anything else I was not to believe it.
Now Brother Parley, it is not man that I am following, but the Lord.
The principles you taught me led me to Him, and I now have the same
testimony that you then rejoiced in. If the work was true six months
ago, it is true today; if Joseph Smith was then a prophet, he is now a
prophet."

To the honor of Parley, be it said, he sought no further to lead Elder
Taylor astray; nor did he use much argument in the first place. "He
with many others," says Elder Taylor, "were passing under a dark cloud;
he soon made all right with the Prophet Joseph, and was restored to
full fellowship."

It was about this time that Elder Taylor first came prominently before
the Church. The apostates met frequently in the temple, and on one of
these occasions, on a Sunday--the Prophet Joseph was absent--Warren
Parrish made a violent attack upon the character of the Prophet, which
was warmly sustained by many of those present. Towards the close of the
meeting, Elder Taylor asked the privilege of speaking. It was granted
him. He referred, in opening his remarks, to the ancient Israelites,
and to their murmurings against God and Moses, and then asked:

"From whence do we get our intelligence, and knowledge of the laws,
ordinances and doctrines of the kingdom of God? Who understood even the
first principles of the doctrines of Christ? Who in the Christian world
taught them? If we, with our learning and intelligence, could not find
out the first principles, which was the case with myself and millions
of others, how can we find out the mysteries of the kingdom? It was
Joseph Smith, under the Almighty, who developed the first principles,
and to him we must look for further instructions. If the spirit which
he manifests does not bring blessings, I am very much afraid that the
one manifested by those who have spoken, will not be very likely to
secure them. The children of Israel, formerly, after seeing the power
of God manifested in their midst, fell into rebellion and idolatry, and
there is certainly very great danger of us doing the same thing."

While the apostates were neither convinced nor silenced by the remarks
of Elder Taylor, the faithful Saints were strengthened, and saw in that
fearless defender of the prophet, a champion of innocence and truth.
While on his part, in commenting on this circumstance, Elder Taylor
remarks: "I was pained on the one hand to witness the hard feelings and
severe expressions of apostates; while on the other, I rejoiced to see
the firmness, faith, integrity and joy of the faithful."

Elder Taylor returned to Canada in company with Isaac Russell and
others. Being detained in Queenstown on Sunday, the brethren determined
to hold meeting. Before seeking for a place to preach in, at the
suggestion of Elder Taylor, the party repaired to a secluded spot under
a high cliff, just below Niagara Falls. While engaged in prayer, there,
within hearing of the mighty cataract, Elder Taylor spoke in tongues
for the first time. Comforted by this manifestation of the power of God
which was with them, the party, full of joy, re-entered Queenstown,
secured a place to meet in, and Elder Taylor preached. Next day they
continued their journey and arrived at Toronto.

Not long after Elder Taylor's return to Canada, Doctor Sampson Avard,
a high priest, presented himself in Toronto, and by virtue of an
appointment signed by his quorum, claimed the right to preside over
the churches in that district. Elder Taylor was absent from Toronto
when Avard arrived, but that officious person at once assumed the
responsibility of presiding; and boasted of his great power, and
what marvelous things he intended to accomplish. Elder Taylor had
been cautioned by the apostles, before their departure, not to allow
any person to take his place, unless he came commissioned by proper
authority. But when on his return Avard showed his authority from the
high priest's quorum, Elder Taylor thought that sufficient, gave up his
presidency and went into Whitby County to preach.

It was in August of that year, 1837, that the Prophet Joseph,
accompanied by Sidney Rigdon and Thomas B. Marsh, then President of
the Twelve Apostles, visited Canada. The course of the Prophet was in
marked contrast with that of the self-sufficient high priest, Sampson
Avard. The latter at once assumed the presidency of the churches, and
commenced regulating affairs without consulting or even seeing Elder
Taylor; the former, though acknowledged and sustained as the President
of the Church in all the world, and Prophet, Seer and Revelator
thereto, called for him, and would not move in any business concerning
the churches in Canada until he had seen him. Although Elder Taylor was
some distance from Toronto, the Prophet sent for him, and patiently
awaited his coming. On his arrival, to the great surprise of Elder
Taylor, the Prophet began to counsel with him as to the best mode of
procedure in relation to holding some conferences during their visit.
Elder Taylor told the prophet that Elder Avard was presiding. It was
Joseph's turn to be surprised now. Avard had never been sent to preside
in Canada by his consent. Elder Taylor told him of the credentials that
Avard had presented from the high priests' quorum. Joseph insisted that
there must be some mistake; an imposition had been practiced, at which
he was much annoyed.

Obtaining a carriage, Elder Taylor accompanied the Prophet and his
associates in visiting the churches. "This was as great a treat to me
as I ever enjoyed," he remarks. "I had daily opportunity of conversing
with them, of listening to their instructions, and in participating
in the rich stores of intelligence that flowed continually from the
Prophet Joseph."

A conference was held in the County of Whitby, in a large barn owned by
Edward Lawrence, which was numerously attended. The spirit of God was
present, the hearts of the Saints were made to rejoice, and many who
were out of the Church believed.

Another conference was held in Scarboro with similar results. At the
latter conference Doctor Avard was present, and the Prophet reproved
him severely for coming to that place with fictitious papers. He
also censured Elder Taylor for yielding up his office on so flimsy a
pretext; but palliated it on account of his youth and inexperience. He
gave him a strict charge never again, on any account, to give up any
office or calling unless he received orders from a legitimate source
that could be relied upon; otherwise he would be held responsible for
any evil that might accrue from it. The apostate party at Kirtland had
appointed Doctor Avard to supercede Elder Taylor. They remembered the
fearless speech the latter had made in Kirtland, in the early spring,
and doubtless thought it to their interest to have a man presiding in
Canada who was less staunch in his friendship for the Prophet than he.
[1]

Before the Prophet and his companions left Canada, they ordained Elder
Taylor a High Priest, on the 21st of August, 1837, and reappointed him
to preside over the Churches.

The work spread rapidly on every hand in Canada. The Lord labored with
His servants, confirming their words by signs following the believers.
The sick were healed; and many possessed the spirit of prophecy. Among
the latter was a boy living in Toronto, who, shortly after his baptism,
prophesied that the people of Canada would soon have war, and that
armed men would arrive in the city of Toronto on a steamer, and stack
their arms on the wharf.

As at that time their was no prospect whatever of war, many of the
enemies of the Church laughed at what they called the impertinence of
the young prophet. The prophecy however was fulfilled.

At that time Canada was divided into two Provinces, Upper and Lower
Canada. A governor was appointed by the English crown, for each
province, and to assist him in his duties there was also appointed an
executive council. In addition to these executive officers there was
a legislative council, appointed by the crown, and an assembly, the
members of which were elected by the people. This latter body formed
the lower branch of the provincial legislature, and the former the
higher.

For years the people had petitioned the British government for the
abolishment of the executive council, and demanded that the legislative
council be made elective. The British Parliament refused these
alterations in the Canadian constitution, whereupon one Mackenzie, the
leader of a party that had urged complete separation from the British
government, considered the times ripe for a revolution, and suddenly
assembled five hundred men at Montgomery's tavern, four miles from
Toronto, with a view of attacking that town. The loyalists as suddenly
assembled to defend the town, and a few days later defeated the rebels
in an open engagement. Mackenzie escaped to Buffalo, in the United
States, and there succeeded in kindling a great enthusiasm for the
cause of his party; and in a short time returned to Canada and mustered
into service over a thousand men.

He took up a position on Navy Island, situated in the Niagara Channel.
Fortifications were commenced which were defended by thirteen cannon,
and for a time the insurgents baffled all attempts of the government to
dislodge them. The uprising, however, was finally suppressed.

It was during this rebellion that all the terms of the young prophet's
predictions were fulfilled. War broke out as he had said it would;
and during the time it existed, troops entered Toronto harbor, were
disembarked and stacked their arms on the wharf. Elder Taylor and his
wife witnessed the arrival of the ships, the landing of the troops, and
saw them stack their arms on the wharf.

Speaking of prophecy, it may be well to state here that the remarkable
prophecy of Heber C. Kimball on the head of Parley P. Pratt was
literally fulfilled. He found a people in Canada prepared to receive
the gospel; they assisted him to sufficient means to relieve him
from his temporal embarrassments: his wife, contrary to all natural
prospects, bore him a son, though she died at his birth; and from
Canada the work of the Lord spread into England in the following manner:

At the request of Elder Joseph Fielding, Elder Taylor wrote a letter
to his brother, a minister in the town of Preston, England, giving
an account of the restoration of the gospel through the ministration
of angels to the Prophet Joseph Smith. This was doubtless the first
announcement of these things in England, by an authorized servant of
God.

Subsequently, in this same year, 1837, Elder Fielding accompanied
Apostles Kimball and Hyde to England; and it was in his brother's
chapel, in Preston, that Apostle Heber C. Kimball preached the first
public discourse, in this dispensation, on the gospel in that land.

Footnotes

1. It may not be out of place to remark here that this Doctor Avard was
the same man who, two years later, in Missouri, took it upon himself
to organize a band of men whom he called "Danites." In this, as in
the matter above related, he ran without being sent, and the affair
ended in his disgrace. He intimated with an air of mystery, when
organizing the Danite band in Missouri, that he had been appointed, by
the heads of the Church, to perform some important work of a secret
character, and at last put the men, whom he had inveigled into his
secret meetings, under fearful oaths not to reveal the nature of his
work. This done he revealed to the captains of the organization his
plans; and to their surprise he proposed a bold scheme of robbery and
plunder against the Gentiles. The brethren to whom he made known his
plans, were indignant, for they knew that the heads of the Church were
not standing behind any such thing as that, and reported the affair to
the Prophet. As soon as Avard's movements were thus made known, he was
promptly excommunicated; and the "Danite" movement was stifled at its
birth.



CHAPTER V.

APPOINTED TO COLLECT FUNDS IN CANADA--CALL TO THE
APOSTLESHIP--REFLECTIONS--PREPARES TO LEAVE CANADA FOR MISSOURI.

The spirit of apostasy so prevalent in Kirtland, in 1837 and 1838,
resulted in many prominent leaders being excommunicated from the
Church. Among those who fell in those dark days were a number of the
Twelve Apostles.

About the same time several business enterprises which the Saints
inaugurated at Kirtland, including a banking establishment, went down
before the wave of financial disaster which swept over the country; and
as the Presidency of the Church were heavily involved in consequence
of these failures, Elder Taylor was appointed to collect funds in
the district over which he presided, to relieve them from their
embarrassment. He accomplished this labor to the entire satisfaction of
the Presidency.

In the fall of 1837, Elder Taylor received word from the Prophet Joseph
that he would be chosen to fill one of the vacancies in the quorum of
Apostles. [1]

This call to the Apostleship, found Elder Taylor busily engaged in the
ministry. He had previously received a manifestation that he would be
called to that high office in the Church, but fearing that it might
be from the devil he wisely kept it hidden in his own breast. Now,
however, he had been chosen to that place by the voice of God through
His Prophet; but while his heart rejoiced at the thought that he was
known of the Lord, and considered worthy by Him to stand in this
exalted station in the Church of Christ, he bore his new honors with
becoming modesty. Commenting upon the appointment, and the prospect
which now opened before him, he remarks:

"The work seemed great, the duties arduous and responsible. I felt my
own weakness and littleness; but I felt determined, the Lord being my
helper, to endeavor to magnify it. When I first entered upon Mormonism,
I did it with my eyes open. I counted the cost. I looked upon it as
a life-long labor, and I considered that I was not only enlisted for
time, but for eternity also, and did not wish to shrink now, although I
felt my incompetency."

Having received notice of his appointment, and instructions from the
Prophet to make his way to Far West as soon as possible, he appointed a
time to leave, and in the interim made a farewell visit to the branches
of the Church he had presided over, for the purpose of setting them in
order.

Some time previous to being called to the Apostleship, in connection
with a brother by the name of Henry Humphrey, Elder Taylor had
purchased a house and barn and five acres of land within a quarter of
a mile of the Kirtland Temple, where they had anticipated going into
business together as soon as he should be released from presiding in
Canada. This, with his expenses during nearly two years that he had
been preaching in Canada without remuneration, left him with very
little means. "But," he writes, "I put my trust in the Lord."

He told his wife to make preparations for leaving at a certain time.

"But how are you going to perform a journey of thirteen or fourteen
hundred miles by land, and to a wilderness country without means?"

"I don't know; but the Lord will open out the way."

Everywhere he went, he told the Saints about the time he expected to
leave for Far West, but still no visible prospect of getting there was
yet in sight. Three or four days before the time appointed for his
departure, he called upon a Brother John Mills, who had previously
talked of going with him to Kirtland when the time came that he could
leave Canada. Elder Taylor now told him that he would have to give up
going to Kirtland as he had received word from the Prophet to go to Far
West.

"Well, I'll go to Far West too," said Brother Mills, "won't you go with
me, Brother Taylor, I have plenty of teams?"

Elder Taylor.--"Brother Mills, I have nothing to pay you with for
taking me."

Brother Mills.--"That makes no difference."

Elder Taylor.--"But I have no money to pay my expenses."

Brother Mills.--"I have plenty, and it is at your service."

Elder Taylor.--"That is very kind of you, but I object to getting into
debt without the prospect of being able to pay."

Brother Mills.--"But you need not pay."

Elder Taylor.--"Well, if you'll clear me of all responsibility in the
matter, and take the Lord for your paymaster, I'll go with you."

Brother Mills.--"Oh, I am quite willing to agree to that."

And so it was arranged right then that they would travel together to
Far West. Before the day of their departure had come, the Saints sent
to Elder Taylor plenty of supplies, flour, cakes and hams; and as it
was the winter season, and such things would keep, they furnished
him enough roasted geese, ducks, and other cooked provisions to last
himself and several other families hundreds of miles on the journey.
Others sent him money and clothing, so that he had an abundance of
everything; and as Brother Mills had supplied the necessary conveyance
for the journey, it would appear that he had not trusted in the Lord in
vain.

They fitted up a covered sleigh for their families to ride in, while
their goods were conveyed in wagons. In this way they traveled to
Kirtland.

Footnotes

1. There is a revelation in the Doctrine & Covenants, Sec 118, that
was given at Far West, on the 8th of July, 1838, in which John Taylor,
John E. Page, Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards, are called to the
Apostleship; and direction is given that they should be officially
notified of their appointment. But it is quite evident that Elder
Taylor was notified of his appointment previous to July 8th, 1838, as
he wound up his affairs and prepared to leave Canada, because of his
being informed of this call to the Apostleship in the fall of 1837.



CHAPTER VI.

JOURNEY TO FAR WEST VIA KIRTLAND--STATE OF AFFAIRS AT
KIRTLAND--DEFIANCE TO A MOB--EXPERIENCE AT DE WITT--MISSOURI
PERSECUTIONS--ORDAINED AN APOSTLE.

On arriving in Kirtland Elder Taylor found that the Presidency of the
Church and many of the Saints had removed to Far West, Missouri. This
alone was calculated to make a great alteration in the place, and
surround it with a spirit of loneliness. But other causes had also been
operating to bring about marked changes since his former visits to this
shrine.

Only a year or two before, everything in and about Kirtland had been
prosperous. The Saints abounded in everything their hearts could
desire. The men wore expensive raiment, ornamented with velvets and
silks of the richest and rarest quality. It may be taken for granted
that the sisters were not a whit behind them. They were arrayed in
their silks, satins, lace, veils and jewelry; and amid all their piety,
manifested a full share of vanity and pride.

Speculation was rife all over the United States at that time, and
the Saints did not escape the contagion. They started a banking
institution, engaged in mercantile pursuits and land speculation. For
a time they were prosperous and wealth rapidly accumulated among them.
Sidney Rigdon declared, in a burst of enthusiasm, that the glory of the
latter-days was now being ushered in, and that Zion would soon become
the glory of the whole earth; when the Lord for silver would bring
gold; for iron, brass; and for stones, iron. But a wave of financial
disaster swept over the entire country. Banking institutions went
down before it; thousands of merchants were hopelessly ruined; and in
the general disaster Kirtland did not escape. Like the inhabitants of
other towns her people were overwhelmed with financial embarrassment.
"Distress, ruin and poverty," says Elder Taylor, "seemed to prevail.
Apostates and corrupt men were prowling about as so many wolves seeking
whom they might devour. They were oppressive, cruel, heartless;
devising every pretext that the most satanic malignity could invent
to harass the Saints. Fraud, false accusation and false swearing,
vexatious law suits, personal violence, and bare-faced robbery
abounded. They were truly afflicted, persecuted and tormented."

As snow failed them at Kirtland Elder Taylor and company had to
abandon their sleigh and take to their wagons. The roads were so very
bad, however, that they had only gone some twenty or thirty miles
when they concluded it would be wise to stop until they should become
dryer. In the village where they stopped Elder Taylor took a job of
varnishing some furniture for a cabinet maker. While here he formed the
acquaintance of a number of infidels with whom he frequently conversed,
and they desired to hear him preach. He consented. They could not obtain
the use of the Methodist Church, though they had assisted to build it;
but nothing daunted, they cleared out and seated a cabinet maker's
shop, and here the Elder held forth.

He proved the Bible true, and then taught them its principles. He
proved the Book of Mormon true, and then preached from that. They were
highly delighted with his lectures; and when the time came that he had
to leave them, they deeply regretted his departure. One of the number
took him by the hand and said: "Mr. Taylor, God bless you wherever you
go."

Among them was a gentleman to whom the Prophet Joseph had gone to
school. He spoke very highly of him as an exemplary, moral young man.
He had never investigated the evidences concerning the Book of Mormon;
but he knew the Prophet's character was misrepresented by pious frauds,
jealous of his influence and the spread of Mormonism.

Near Columbus, the capital of Ohio, they stayed at a town where a
number of brethren resided, and all were anxious to hear Elder Taylor
preach. As they had no hall, it was arranged that he should speak in
the open air.

A little before meeting time a number of the brethren came running to
the house where he was stopping with the information that the whole
town was gathering and that a number of men had proposed tar and
feathers, and boasted they would dress him with them if he undertook
to preach. The brethren advised him not to attempt it as they were not
strong enough to protect him. After a moment's reflection, however, he
decided to go and preach. The brethren remonstrated; they knew the tar
and feathers were prepared and that he could not escape. He replied
that he had made up his mind to go; they could go with him if they
chose, if not, he would go alone.

A very large concourse of people had assembled to listen to him. He
began his remarks by informing them that he had lately come from
Canada--a land under monarchical rule; that standing as he then did on
free soil, among free men, he experienced peculiar sensations.

"Gentlemen, I now stand among men whose fathers fought for and obtained
one of the greatest blessings ever conferred upon the human family--the
right to think, to speak, to write; the right to say who shall govern
them, and the right to worship God according to the dictates of their
own consciences--all of them sacred, human rights, and now guaranteed
by the American Constitution. I see around me the sons of those noble
sires, who, rather than bow to the behests of a tyrant, pledged their
lives, fortunes and sacred honors to burst those fetters, enjoy freedom
themselves, bequeath it to their posterity, or die in the attempt.

"They nobly fought and nobly conquered; and now the cap of liberty is
elevated on the tops of your liberty poles throughout the land, and
the flag of freedom waves from Wisconsin to Louisiana--from Maine to
Missouri. Not only so, but your vessels--foremost in the world--sail
over oceans, seas and bays; visiting every nation, and wherever those
vessels go your flag flutters in the breeze, a hope is inspired among
the down-trodden millions, that they, perchance, if they cannot find
liberty in their own land, may find it with you. * * * Gentlemen, with
you liberty is more than a name; it is incorporated in your system; it
is proclaimed by your senators; thundered by your cannon; lisped by
your infants; taught to your school-boys; it echoes from mountain to
mountain; reverberates through your valleys, and is whispered by every
breeze. Is it any wonder, gentlemen, under these circumstances--having
lately emerged from a monarchical government, that I should experience
peculiar sensations in rising to address you?

"But, by the by, I have been informed that you purpose to tar and
feather me, for my religious opinions. Is this the boon you have
inherited from your fathers? Is this the blessing they purchased with
their dearest hearts' blood--this your liberty? If so, you now have
a victim, and we will have an offering to the goddess of liberty."
Here he tore open his vest and said: "Gentlemen come on with your tar
and feathers, your victim is ready; and ye shades of the venerable
patriots, gaze upon the deeds of your degenerate sons! Come on,
gentlemen! Come on, I say, I am ready!"

No one moved, no one spoke. He stood there drawn to his full height,
calm but defiant--the master of the situation.

After a pause of some moments he continued his remarks and preached
with great boldness and power for some three hours.

At the conclusion of his discourse, he was waited upon by some of the
leading citizens of the place who expressed their pleasure at what they
had heard, and disclaimed, in behalf of the people, any intention of
tarring and feathering him; but the brethren still insisted that such
was the intention of the crowd, and that the tar and feathers had been
provided; but they had been awed into silence by the boldness of Elder
Taylor.

Near Indianapolis, Indiana, Brother Mills and the other brethren who
had joined their company, obtained employment, and Elder Taylor and his
family stayed at the house of a Brother Miller. While there his second
son, Joseph James, was born.

During the two months that he remained in that place, he worked at his
craft and also made a carriage for himself. He preached the gospel
in Indianapolis and raised up a small branch of the Church. His wife
having recovered from child bed, he continued his journey to the west,
parting company with Brother Mills who was not ready to go.

Approaching De Witt, Caroll County, Missouri, about fifty miles from
Far West, as he was holding back his horse, while descending a hill,
his foot slipped and he fell from his carriage. The wheels passed over
his arm, inflicting a serious injury, and he was again detained.

In DeWitt there was a number of Saints who had purchased land and
settled there, and Elder Taylor stayed at the house of a Brother
Humphreys. It was while at DeWitt that he had his first experience with
mobs. It was late in the summer of 1938 when he arrived there, and the
persecutions which were to terminate in the expulsion of the Saints
from Missouri were just beginning.

The mob that first came upon the Saints at DeWitt, was led by two
alleged ministers of the gospel, Sashiel Woods and Abbot Hancock.
"This was the first mob I had ever seen," remarks Elder Taylor,
"and the whole affair was new to me, especially when I considered
the kind of officers they had. I had heretofore looked upon gospel
ministers as messengers of peace; here they came not only in a war-like
capacity, but as the leaders of an armed mob--a gang of marauders and
free-booters, with the avowed object of driving peaceful citizens--men,
women and children--from their homes."

It would appear that while Elder Taylor did not believe in fighting
for slight infringements of his rights, he did believe to the fullest
extent in self-defense; and the ease with which he adapted himself to
the new circumstances in which he was placed, exhibited the character
of the man. "I had no arms," he continues in his account of this affair
at DeWitt, "and heretofore considered that I needed none in a Christian
civilized land; but I found I had been laboring under a mistake. The
civilization here was of a very low order, and the Christianity of
a very questionable character. I therefore threw off the sling and
bandages from my lame arm, suppressed my repugnance to fighting,
borrowed a gun, bought a brace of pistols, and prepared myself at least
for defensive measures."

There were twenty four of the brethren, and about one hundred and fifty
of the mob. The little band, nothing daunted at the superior forces of
the enemy, organized under a captain and prepared for the onset. "These
_reverend_ gentlemen," says Elder Taylor's narrative, "concluded that
it was best to have a parley, and by a little strategy throw us off
our guard. Having captured a stray Saint, they sent by him a message
informing us that they would like three or four of our leaders to come
and treat with them. To this we returned answer that they had come in
the capacity of banditti, to interfere with our rights when in the
peaceful prosecution of our daily avocations; that we could have no
confidence in men occupying so questionable a position; that their
_ruse_ to divide us would not work; and though inferior to them in
numbers, if they attempted to molest us, we should protect ourselves as
best we could."

After some further parleying, the mob gave the Saints ten days in which
to leave, threatening that if they were not gone in that time, they
would return with increased forces, kill every man, woman and child,
and throw their goods into the Missouri.

This affair having ended for the time being, Elder Taylor continued
his journey, and finally reached Far West, where he met the Prophet
Joseph, several of the Twelve and other leading brethren. The mob
did not return in ten days upon the people of De Witt, but they did
return early in October and the Saints at last had to abandon their
homes there, although they had purchased their lands from the general
government.

The history of the prominent men in the Church is so closely interwoven
with that of the Church, that it is difficult to write the one without
also writing the other; and in order to understand the scenes which the
subject of this writing was now in the midst of, it will be necessary
to relate as briefly as may be, the events which befell the Saints in
the state of Missouri up to the time that Elder Taylor joined them, in
the autumn of 1838.

From the Book of Mormon, [1] the Saints learned that upon the continent
of America the people of God, in the last days, are to build a holy
city, the "New Jerusalem," or "Zion." In July, 1831, the Lord revealed
the place where the city should be located and a temple built. That
place was Independence, near the western boundary of Missouri; and
there the Saints were commanded to gather, purchase the land and
dedicate it unto the Lord. This commandment they began to fulfill,
whereupon the jealous rage of the old settlers was aroused against
them. It was the meeting of two elements that had little or no affinity
with each other.

The old settlers were from the slaves states of the south, the Saints
were from the free states of the north, and many of them from New
England. The former were idle, indifferent to their surroundings,
and the development of their lands; the latter were industrious,
frugal, eager to make good homes, develop, build up and beautify
the country--in short, make it the Zion of God in very deed. The
Missourians were habitual Sabbath breakers; horse racing, cock-fighting
and gambling being the "pleasures" they indulged in on that day,
attended with the drunkenness and blasphemy which usually go hand in
hand with such sports. Of course the Saints could not engage with
them in this kind of life, their early training, no less than their
religion, forebade it. The result was a coolness between the Saints and
the old settlers, followed by suspicion on the part of the latter that
they would be supplanted by the new comers. From that conviction to a
resolution to prevent it was a short step, and they made haste to take
it.

Although some of the Saints were, doubtless, unwise in much of their
talk, they were guilty of no overt act against the peace and good
order of the community in which they settled; nor did they in any way
interfere with the old settlers, further, perhaps, than to remonstrate
with them on their manner of life, and surely that was no act that
called for violence.

But if there was no real cause for violence, it was easy to create an
imaginary one, and this was done. All manner of false accusations were
brought against the Saints. They were accused of tampering with the
negro slaves, with a view to creating a servile insurrection; and of
having a design to possess themselves of the land by force.

But it was their religion that was made the chief rock of offense.
It was denounced as blasphemy--"derogatory of God and religion, and
subversive of human reason;" and this because the Saints claimed
and enjoyed, to some extent at least, the power and blessings which
attended the gospel of Christ in ancient days. For these reasons(?) the
old settlers determined to rid themselves of the Saints, "peaceably
if they could, forcibly if they must;" and to the performance of
this unlawful action, they pledged their "bodily power, their lives,
fortunes and sacred honors." They organized mobs; and, finally, with
acts of cruelty and violence that would bring the blush of shame to the
cheek of a savage, they drove the Saints from Jackson County; stole or
destroyed their goods, burned their houses and appropriated to their
own use the lands the Saints had purchased. There were some twelve
hundred Saints, men, women and children thus expelled by violence from
Jackson County.

This first driving took place in December, 1833.

The exiles found a temporary resting place in Clay County, and while
there petitioned the governor of the state to reinstate them in their
lands, and give them protection when so reinstated. The governor
replied that he could call out the militia and escort them back to
their homes; but he considered that he had no authority to detail any
force for their protection after he had thus reinstated them. As to go
back under those circumstances would be exposing themselves to more
violence from their enemies, they could not avail themselves of the
governor's proffered assistance to return.

The Saints remained scattered through Clay and the surrounding counties
until 1836, when, at the request of the citizens of Clay County, who
had kindly received them in their affliction, they moved northward and
petitioned for the forming of a new county. The new county was called
Caldwell, and the county seat, Far West.

The rapidity with which the new county increased in population and
prosperity, aroused the jealousy of the people in surrounding counties;
and as the inhabitants of Jackson had despoiled the Saints with
impunity, it encouraged others that were like-minded to attempt the
same thing. Especially was this the case when they saw those who had
taken a prominent part in expelling the Saints from Jackson County,
holding high positions in the state.

The fact that the religion of the Saints was different from that
professed by their neighbors was of itself sufficient to arouse the
hatred and jealousy of the sectarian ministers, who throughout all the
Missouri troubles took not only an active but a leading part. A leading
part in what? In murdering, plundering, driving, imprisoning, whipping
and turning out of their homes their fellow men! A fine occupation for
ministers of the gospel truly! And for what? Because the Saints bore
witness that God had restored to the earth the gospel of Jesus Christ
in its fullness; that the Priesthood to administer in its ordinances
was again conferred on men; and they announced it as their intention to
beautify the earth and prepare a portion of it for the coming of the
Son of God. For this they were hated by the Missourians, and considered
the legitimate prey of the despoiler.

Another circumstance that increased the hatred and jealousy of the
Missourians against the Saints was the growing political power of
the latter; and it was at a political election in Gallatin, Daviess
County--a county joining Caldwell on the north--that the troubles in
the autumn of 1838 began.

A number of the Saints had settled in Daviess County, and being
citizens of the United States, and of the state and county where they
lived, and possessing all the qualifications of voters, they essayed
to cast their ballots at the aforesaid election, but some of the old
settlers sought forcibly to prevent them; a thing which the brethren
would not quietly submit to, and a disturbance was the result. Upon
that difficulty the mob founded their pretext for the commencement
of open hostilities. The clouds which had been gathering hatred and
jealousy for so long, burst almost without warning upon the unprotected
heads of the Saints.

Scenes of mob violence were of almost daily occurrence; property was
destroyed, men were tied up and beaten until blood streamed down their
backs; the chastity of women was forcibly outraged; cattle and hogs
were wantonly shot down; houses were ruthlessly burned in the presence
of their owners; fields of grain destroyed--but this was not the
worst--helpless women and children were brutally murdered together with
defenseless old men, some of whom had fought in the continental army
during the American Revolution. Elder Taylor, in relating these scenes
some thirty years after they had occurred, refers to one who had been
of the class last named:

"My mind wanders back upwardly of thirty years ago," he says, "when in
the state of Missouri, Mr. McBride, a gray-haired, venerable veteran
of the Revolution, with feeble frame and tottering steps, cried to
a Missouri patriot: 'Spare my life, I am a revolutionary soldier,
I fought for liberty, would you murder me? What is my offense, I
believe in God and revelation?' This frenzied disciple of a misplaced
faith said, 'Take that you God d--d Mormon,' and with the butt of his
gun he dashed his brains out, and he lay quivering there, his white
locks clotted with his own brains and gore, on the soil that he had
heretofore shed his blood to redeem--a sacrifice at the shrine of
liberty!"

Taking advantage of the disturbance at the election in Gallatin, some
of the old settlers at Millport, in the same county, set fire to
their log huts and then fled southward, spreading the report that the
Mormons had burned their houses and driven them from their lands. At
this rumor, false though it was, a wave of popular indignation passed
through the state, which Governor Boggs took advantage of to issue an
exterminating order, and called out the militia of the state to execute
it.

Governor Boggs was the more ready to issue this infamous order, because
he himself had imbibed a hatred of the Saints, and had been an active
participant against them in the Jackson County troubles.

By this edict the Governor virtually converted the mobs that had been
plundering the Saints into the state militia, and gave them full
license to continue the war on the Saints, which they did in the most
brutal manner.

The result of these outrages was that some four hundred of the Saints
were either murdered outright or died from exposure and hardship
inflicted upon them in this unhallowed persecution; from twelve to
fifteen thousand citizens of the United States were expelled from the
state of Missouri--from the lands they had purchased of the general
government; while their homes were destroyed, and their stock and much
other property were confiscated. Many of the leaders in the Church,
among them the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum, were cast into
prison.

Elder Taylor was a witness of these high-handed and unlawful
proceedings, and a sufferer in some of them. One circumstance he
relates which I do not remember to have seen elsewhere, and hence give
it here:

"On one occasion, when some thirty-five hundred of the mob forces were
approaching Far West, our officer, Colonel Hinkle, sought to betray
us, and as a preliminary step, ordered us to retreat. 'Retreat!'
exclaimed Joseph Smith. 'Why, where in the name of God shall we go?'
Then turning to our men he said: 'Boys, follow me.' About two hundred
men went out on the open prairie to meet the thirty-five hundred.
While these forces faced each other, a flag of truce came in from the
mob bearing the message that it was their intention to destroy Far
West; but there was a man and his family--of the name of Lightner--not
Mormons, who had friends among the attacking party, and they desired
this family to leave the city before it was destroyed. This message was
sent to the family. They replied that they had always been treated with
consideration by the Mormons, and they would stay with them. This reply
the Prophet Joseph took in person to the flag of truce man; and just
then a troop of cavalry, two hundred strong, was seen approaching, and
Joseph added this to the answer sent by the non-Mormon family: 'Go tell
your general for me that if he does not immediately withdraw his men, I
will send them to hell!'"

Notwithstanding their superiority in numbers the mob beat a hasty and
inglorious retreat.

Such were the scenes enacted in Missouri during the stay of Elder
Taylor in that state; and it was in the midst of such scenes as these,
on the 19th of December, 1838, that he was ordained an Apostle of the
Lord Jesus Christ, by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball.

Footnotes

1. Ether XIII, and III. Nephi XX and XXI.



CHAPTER VII.

BANISHED FROM MISSOURI--RETURNS TO FULFILL A PROPHECY--STARTS ON HIS
MISSION TO ENGLAND--SICKNESS BY THE WAY--ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK.

The Saints, after their expulsion from the State of Missouri, found a
temporary resting place in Quincy, Illinois, and to that city, after
visiting the Prophet Joseph Smith in Liberty prison, the place of his
incarceration, Elder Taylor made his way.

Several of the Apostles who met there held a consultation in respect to
the revelation which had been given the July previous, commanding their
quorum to take leave of the Saints in the city of Far West, on the 26th
day of April, 1839, at the building spot of the Lord's house, previous
to crossing the Atlantic on a mission to foreign lands. It had been
the constant boast of the mob from the time the revelation was made
known, that this was one of "Joe Smith's" revelations that should fail
of fulfillment if no other did. But the several Apostles who took part
in the above mentioned consultation, among whom was Elder Taylor, were
determined that the revelation should not fail, and agreed to return to
Far West by different routes, and meet at the temple site on the day
appointed.

Their undertaking was successful. Five of the Apostles were at the
temple site before daylight of the day appointed, together with a
number of high priests, elders and priests. At this meeting they
excommunicated a number of persons from the Church, ordained Wilford
Woodruff and George A. Smith apostles, and others were ordained to the
office of seventy. Prayer was offered up by the apostles in the order
of their standing in their quorum. It was a brilliant, moonlight night,
according to Elder Taylor, and out on the still air, strong and clear
rose that glorious song of Zion--

    ADAM ONDI-AHMAN. [1]

    This earth was once a garden place,
    With all her glories common;
    And men did live a holy race,
    And worship Jesus face to face--
             In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

    We read that Enoch walked with God,
    Above the power of mammon;
    While Zion spread herself abroad,
    And saints and angels sang aloud--
             In Adam-ondi-Ahman.

    Her land was good and greatly blest,
    Beyond old Israel's Canaan;
    Her fame was known from east to west,
    Her peace was great, and pure the rest
             Of Adam-ondi-Ahman.

    Hosanna to such days to come--
    The Savior's second coming,
    When all the earth in glorious bloom
    Affords the saints a holy home,
             Like Adam-ondi-Ahman.

At the conclusion of the hymn, Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman
of the Lord's House, laid the south-east corner stone in its position,
and stated that in consequence of the peculiar situation of the Saints
it was deemed prudent to discontinue further labor on the house until
the Lord should open the way for its completion. The Apostles then took
leave of some seventeen Saints who were present, and started on their
way to fill their missions beyond the Atlantic.

On their way they stopped at Quincy, where they met the Prophet Joseph,
who had lately escaped from the hands of his enemies in Missouri. The
Prophet heartily approved the labors of the Twelve, and their course
received also the commendation of the Church in a general conference
assembled at Quincy.

The Saints that same spring began settling at Commerce, afterwards
Nauvoo, on the east bank of the Mississippi, in Hancock County,
Illinois. By this time the reaction from the excitement in which they
had lived for more than a year, set in, and almost the entire people
sank down from exhaustion, and became an easy prey to the malaria
prevalent in the district at that time.

In the midst of this sickness, poverty and general wretchedness, Elder
Taylor made his preparations to continue his journey to England. He
had secured quarters for his family, in connection with others, in
miserable, old log barracks in Montrose, a small settlement opposite
Nauvoo, in what was then the Territory of Iowa.

It was the 8th of August that he left Montrose to fill his mission. He
dedicated his wife and family to the care of the Lord, and blessed them
in His name: "The thought of the hardships they had just endured," he
remarks, "the uncertainty of their continuing in the house they then
occupied--and that only a solitary room--the prevalence of disease,
the poverty of the brethren, their insecurity from mobs, together with
the uncertainty of what might take place during my absence, produced
feelings of no ordinary character. These solicitations, paternal and
conjugal, were enhanced also by the time and distance that was to
separate us. But the thought of going forth at the command of the
God of Israel to revisit my native land, to unfold the principles of
eternal truth and make known the things that God had revealed for the
salvation of the world, overcame every other feeling."

In Nauvoo Elder Taylor joined Wilford Woodruff, who was scarcely able
to drag himself along, and who remarked that he felt and looked more
like a subject for the dissecting room than a missionary. After taking
leave of the Prophet and his counselors, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum Smith,
Elder Taylor and his sick companion left Nauvoo.

On the outskirts of the settlement they passed Parley P. Pratt and
Heber C. Kimball, who were building a log house. Parley, who, it
will be remembered, had carried the gospel to Elder Taylor, was
stripped--bare headed and bare footed. He hailed the brethren as they
were passing and gave them a purse, it was all he had. Elder Heber C.
Kimball, who was but a short distance away, stripped as Elder Pratt
was, came up and said, "As Brother Parley has given you a purse, I have
a dollar I will give you to put in it." Then mutually blessing each
other, they said farewell. Elders Taylor and Woodruff were the first of
their quorum to start on their mission.

At Macomb they found Brother Zebedee Coltrin, who proposed taking them
as far as Cleveland, Ohio, in his wagon, a proposition they gladly
accepted. At this place a Brother Miller, whom Elder Taylor baptized
while there, gave them a horse, and another a saddle and bridle. At
Springfield a broker sold his horse for him, and with the proceeds he
published a pamphlet on the persecutions of the Saints in Missouri. The
edition was 2,000. A portion of these pamphlets were left in the hands
of Elder Coltrin to dispose of, the proceeds to be given to Sisters
Taylor and Woodruff.

Elder Taylor's strong constitution and iron will had carried him
through the Missouri troubles and the trying scenes of poverty and
sickness which prevailed that summer about Nauvoo; but as he traveled
eastward his health began failing him. Approaching Indianapolis he was
taken with violent vomiting and afterwards fainted by the wagon in the
road. It was with some difficulty that his companions resuscitated him
and conveyed him to the house of Brother Horace S. Eldredge, where he
received the kindest treatment. Notwithstanding there were rest and
attention for him at the home of Brother Eldredge until he should be
restored, weak as he was, he continued his journey next morning. He
would travel all day and frequently preach at night, though scarcely
able to stand upon his feet.

At Germantown, in Indiana, his strength again failed him; and seeing
no prospect of immediate recovery, he advised Brothers Woodruff and
Coltrin to proceed on their journey without him. This they reluctantly
did.

The name of the proprietor of the hotel in Germantown where he stopped
was Jacob Waltz; both from himself and his wife Elder Taylor received
the kindest attention.

After a severe illness of two weeks, during which time he was reduced
to a mere skeleton, he began to recover; and with returning health came
the old burning desire to preach the gospel; and before he was fairly
able to stand he obtained the court house adjacent to his hotel and
began holding meetings, though he had to sit part of the time while
delivering his discourses.

One thing that much surprised those who listened to him was that,
although he was a long distance from his home and friends, and had been
prostrate with sickness among strangers, and on expenses, he never
alluded to these things or begged for assistance. What a contrast
between this servant of God and the sectarian priests of the day! Had
one of their number been similarly situated, what a tale of woe would
have been told of his heroic suffering for the gospel's sake, and
what pathetic appeals would have been made to the generous who, loved
the Lord, for assistance! But this Apostle of Jesus Christ bore all
patiently, more anxious to deliver the message he bore than secure his
own comfort. At last a gentleman waited upon him, and asking to be
excused for the liberty he was about to take, referred to the above
matters in the following manner:

"Mr. Taylor, you do not act as most preachers do; you have said nothing
about your circumstances or money, yet you have been here some time
sick; your doctor's, hotel and other bills must be heavy. Some friends
and myself have talked these matters over and would like to assist you,
though we do not wish to give any offense."

In replying to this Elder Taylor thanked the gentleman, and said:

"I preach without purse or scrip, leaving the Lord to manage those
matters you speak of in His own way; and as you have been prompted by
the Lord and your own generous impulses, I shall thankfully receive
whatever assistance you are disposed to render me."

The gentleman then presented him a small sum of money, which, with what
he had, was sufficient to settle all his bills and enable him to pursue
his journey.

Commenting upon the above incident, Elder Taylor says: "I would rather
put my trust in the Lord than in any of the kings of the earth."

Bidding farewell to his kind host and other friends in Germantown, he
started for Dayton, Ohio. The first day out he reached the town of
Richmond, at 5 o'clock, and two hours later he was lecturing to a large
audience on the "Mormon Difficulties in Missouri," and the next day was
on his way to Dayton.

Here he remained a few days preaching the gospel, and then had a
serious relapse which confined him to the house of a friend, a Brother
Brown, for two weeks. As he was recovering from his illness and
preparing to leave Dayton, he was agreeably surprised to learn of the
arrival of his fellow Apostle, George A. Smith, and others. Elder Smith
was on his way to England also, and as there was room in his wagon, he
invited Elder Taylor to ride with him--a proposition that was gladly
accepted.

Together they traveled to Kirtland where they met Elders Brigham Young
and Heber C. Kimball. Here Elder Taylor was again stricken down by
sickness; but through the blessings of God he recovered sufficiently to
accompany his brethren on their way to New York. They arrived in that
city in due time, and were cordially welcomed to the house of Parley
P. Pratt, whom Elder Taylor had left in Nauvoo a few months before,
putting up a log house; but who was now presiding over a large branch
of the Church in the metropolis of the United States.

I have been particular to relate the details of this trying journey
from Nauvoo to New York, that the readers of this work may have a
knowledge of the difficulties encountered by Elder Taylor, in his
efforts to comply with the requirement of God to preach the gospel in
his native land. Truly he went forth weeping, but bearing precious
seed; and we shall see, anon, how he returned rejoicing, bringing his
sheaves with him.

Footnotes

1. The meaning of this word or phrase is not known, further than
it is a name by which a prominent point on Grand River, Daviess
County, Mo., formerly known as Spring Hill, but which the Lord named
Adam-ondi-Ahman, because, said He, it is the place where Adam shall
come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken
of by Daniel the Prophet. (See Daniel 7: 9--14. Doctrine and Covenants,
Section 116.) When discovered by the brethren, an old stone altar
was there, which has since been thrown down. It was the place where
Adam called his posterity together three years before his death and
blessed them; so that holy memories as well as fond anticipations are
associated with the place. W. W. Phelps is the author of the hymn.



CHAPTER VIII.

"I HAVE PLENTY OF MONEY"--AMUSING CONVERSATION--VOYAGE TO
ENGLAND--APPOINTED TO PREACH IN LIVERPOOL--PEOPLE PREPARED TO RECEIVE
THE GOSPEL--BEGINS WORK--BAPTISMS.

When Elder Taylor arrived in New York, Elder Woodruff had been there
some time, and was all impatience to embark for England, but as yet the
former had no means with which to pay for his ocean passage. Although
supplied with all the means necessary on his journey thus far, after
paying his cab-fare to the house of Brother Pratt he had but one
cent left. Still he was the last man on earth to plead poverty, and
in answer to inquiries of some of the brethren as to his financial
circumstances, he replied that he had plenty of money.

This was reported to Brother Pratt, who the next day approached Elder
Taylor on the subject:

Elder Pratt: "Brother Taylor, I hear you have plenty of money?"

Elder Taylor: "Yes, Brother Pratt, that's true."

Elder Pratt: "Well, I am about to publish my 'Voice of Warning' and
'Millennial Poems,' I am very much in need of money, and if you could
furnish me two or three hundred dollars I should be very much obliged."

Elder Taylor: "Well, Brother Parley, you are welcome to anything I
have, if it will be of service to you."

Elder Pratt: "I never saw the time when means would be more acceptable."

Elder Taylor: "Then you are welcome to all I have."

And putting his hand into his pocket Elder Taylor gave him his copper
cent. A laugh followed.

"But I thought you gave it out that you had plenty of money," said
Parley.

"Yes, and so I have," replied Elder Taylor. "I am well clothed, you
furnish me plenty to eat and drink and good lodging; with all these
things and a penny over, as I owe nothing, is not that plenty?"

That evening at a council meeting Elder Pratt proposed that the
brethren assist Elder Taylor with means to pay his passage to England
as Brother Woodruff was prepared and desired to go. To this Elder
Taylor objected and told the brethren if they had anything to give to
let Parley have it, as he had a family to support and needed means for
publishing. At the close of the meeting Elder Woodruff expressed his
regret at the course taken by Elder Taylor, as he had been waiting for
him, and at last had engaged his passage.

Elder Taylor: "Well, Brother Woodruff, if you think it best for me to
go, I will accompany you."

Elder Woodruff: "But where will you get the money?"

Elder Taylor: "Oh, there will be no difficulty about that. Go and take
a passage for me on your vessel, and I will furnish you the means."

A Brother Theodore Turley, hearing the above conversation, and thinking
that Elder Taylor had resources unknown to himself or Brother Woodruff,
said: "I wish I could go with you, I would do your cooking and wait on
you."

The passage to be secured was in the steerage--these missionaries were
not going on flowery beds of ease--hence the necessity of such service
as Brother Turley proposed rendering. In answer to this appeal, Elder
Taylor told Brother Woodruff to take a passage for Brother Turley also.

At the time of making these arrangements Elder Taylor had no money, but
the Spirit had whispered him that means would be forthcoming, and when
had that still, small voice failed him! In that he trusted, and he did
not trust in vain. Although he did not ask for a penny of anyone, from
various persons in voluntary donations he received money enough to meet
his engagements for the passage of himself and Brother Turley, but no
more.

Elder Taylor and his two companions embarked on the 10th of December,
1839, and after a very prosperous voyage arrived in Liverpool, January
11th, 1840. Two days later they went to Preston, Lancashire.

In 1837, Apostles Heber C. Kimball and Orson Hyde and several other
Elders had opened the door of the gospel in England, and raised up
several branches of the Church, the principal one being in Preston.
Elder Willard Richards had been left in charge of the mission in
England, after the return of Elder Kimball in the spring of 1838; and
Elder Joseph Fielding, an old Canadian friend of Elder Taylor's,--at
whose instance he had written an account of the restoration of the
gospel to England some years before--presided over the branch at
Preston.

A council of the priesthood within reach was held at Preston, at which
it was decided that Elder Taylor should labor in Liverpool, with Elder
Fielding to assist him. After receiving this assignment the brethren at
once repaired to Liverpool and began their labors.

A few words here relative to the opening of this English mission. In
England, as in Canada, the servants of God found a people looking for
and prepared to receive the gospel. They believed the major part of
those things which the Elders of Israel had come into their midst to
proclaim, as the company of gentlemen did with whom Elder Taylor was
associated in Toronto. The people were in that peculiar frame of mind
that made them realize that great changes in systems were about to take
place. The Spirit of God was moving upon the righteous, and when they
heard the gospel they were ready to receive it.

Among those so situated was a Mr. Matthews, a brother-in-law to Elder
Joseph Fielding, and formerly a Church of England minister; but he
had resigned his position because he saw how far that church had
departed from the gospel of the New Testament; and how destitute it
was of the gifts and powers of the Holy Ghost; and because it was not
making any preparations for the coming and reign of Christ on earth.
He had heard the gospel preached by Elders Richards and Goodson, in
Bedfordshire; he testified of its truth to his congregation; and went
so far as to appoint a time when he would be baptized with a number of
his followers. For some cause he failed to put in an appearance at the
appointed time, his mind became darkened and he opposed the Elders, but
adopted their principles and began preaching them on his own account.
In this way he raised up a number of congregations, one of which was
located in Liverpool.

Elder Taylor and his companion diligently searched these people out and
presented the gospel message to them. Some gladly received the word,
and others rejected it with great bitterness. Against some of this
latter class the brethren washed their feet as a witness against them.
[1] The manner in which they complied with this ordinance appointed
unto them is described by Elder Taylor as follows:

"We washed our feet and then knelt before the Lord and bore testimony
of it, saying: 'O Lord, our Heavenly Father, we Thy servants have borne
testimony to the truth of those things which Thou hast revealed to Mr.
S--, and he has rejected our testimony. O, Father, Thou knowest we have
no hard feelings toward the man; if Thou canst forgive him and lead
him to the truth, do so, we pray Thee. O, Father, we do this that we
may fulfill Thy word, and bear testimony before Thee according to Thy
commandment; and now, O, Lord, we leave him in Thy hands, praying Thee
to guide us into all truth, in the name of Jesus. Amen.'"

When the Sabbath came they attended services at a chapel in Hope
Street, where Mr. Matthews usually held forth. He was absent on this
occasion, but a young man, whom Elder Taylor describes as very devout,
preached. He lamented the state of the church, its pride, its vanity,
its lack of spiritual power; prayed for the blessings of the Holy Ghost
to be again made manifest, and for the coming of Christ's kingdom.

Such an opening as this was not neglected by Elder Taylor. At the close
of the meeting he arose and requested the privilege of speaking. He
was told, however, that he had better repair to the vestry and there
a hearing would be accorded him. He accepted the proposition. Some
sixteen or twenty class-leaders and elders were present who seemed
anxious to learn what sect the brethren were of. Setting aside that
matter, Elder Taylor thus addressed them:

"Gentlemen, friends and brethren; I have listened with deep interest
to the things that I have heard this morning. I have observed with
peculiar emotions the deep anxiety, the fervent prayer and the strong
solicitude manifested by you in relation to obtaining the Holy Ghost.
I have been pleased with the correct views you entertain in regard to
the situation of the world. We believe in those things as you do. We
hear that you believe in baptism and the laying on of hands, so also do
we. Brethren and friends, we are the humble followers of Jesus Christ
and are from America. I lately arrived in this place, and have come
five thousand miles without purse or scrip, and I testify to you, my
brethren, that the Lord has revealed Himself from heaven and put us in
possession of these things you are so anxiously looking for and praying
that you may receive." ("Glory be to God," was shouted by many present,
and great emotion manifested.)

"That thing has taken place which is spoken of by John in the
Revelations, where he says: 'I saw another angel fly in the midst of
heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell
upon the earth, and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people,
saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give glory to him, for the hour
of his judgment is come.' Brethren, we the servants of God are come to
this place to warn the inhabitants of their approaching danger, and to
call upon them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ,
and they shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

"I feel an anxious desire to deliver this testimony. I feel the word of
the Lord like fire in my bones and am desirous to have an opportunity
of proclaiming to you those blessings that you are looking for, that
you may rejoice with us in those glorious things which God has revealed
for the salvation of the world in the last days."

This speech filled many with exceeding great rejoicing, some even wept
for joy, while others were equally filled with zealous rage. The class
so affected demanded to know if they were not Mormons. "No," replied
Elder Taylor, "we belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, called by our enemies the 'Mormon Church.'"

When this was known some said they had heard an unfavorable opinion of
that people. Others said that their pastor, Mr. Matthews, had declared
the thing was from hell, etc.; and in answer to the application for the
chapel to preach in, an unfavorable reply was made.

In the afternoon Elder Taylor and companion attended a meeting of the
non-communion Baptists. The brethren made themselves known to the
leader of the meeting and asked for the use of the house, telling him
he might make collections and keep the money for his society if he
would grant them the privilege of speaking. He excused himself on the
grounds that the Baptist society was so rigid that they would refuse to
hear; but he treated them very kindly.

In the evening they again attended service at Mr. Matthews' chapel.
"There are many who will become Saints among them," predicted Elder
Taylor, "but they, like others, are sadly under the influence of
priests." That night after meeting one of the preachers of the society,
of the name of William Mitchell, came to Elder Taylor and invited him
to his home, and during the next week opened his house for him to hold
meetings in. And notwithstanding all the efforts on the part of Mr.
Matthews' preachers and class-leaders to prevent their members from
going, the house was filled. At the first meeting Mr. Mitchell and his
wife expressed their determination to receive the message, and others
soon followed. A hall in Preston Street was taken, capable of seating
about three hundred, and the first night it was well filled.

Elder Taylor's text was from Jude:

"It was needful for me to * * * exhort you, that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was delivered to the Saints."

He referred to the laudable efforts of such reformers as Luther,
Melancthon, Calvin, Wesley, Whitfield and others who had tried to bring
about the ancient order of things, but by reference to the gospel
as contained in the New Testament, showed that they had failed to
accomplish it. This was followed up by an account of how the gospel
had been restored to the earth in the present age by the ministration
of angels and the revelations of God to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He
showed them how what they had been praying for was now accomplished,
and exhorted them to receive it.

The effect of his discourse was overwhelming. Exclamations of praise
and thanksgiving were heard in various parts of the house, while the
weeping of others testified to the emotion they could not otherwise
express. Ten offered themselves for baptism at the close of the
meeting, and many others expressed a friendly disposition.

Meantime the news had reached Mr. Matthews that his sheepfold had
been invaded by the "Mormons," and he wrote back a letter warning his
flock against "Mormonism," but to no purpose. The ten were baptized,
among them Mr. Mitchell, and a great many who attended to witness the
ceremony of baptism expressed a desire to obey the message the next
time a day was appointed for baptisms. Thus the work was begun in
Liverpool.

Footnotes

1. "He that receiveth you not, go away from him alone by yourselves,
and cleanse your feet even with water, pure water, whether in heat or
in cold, and bear testimony of it unto your Father which is in heaven,
and return not again to that man." See Doc. and Cov. Sec. 84 and Sec.
61.



CHAPTER IX.

LABORS CONTINUED IN LIVERPOOL--MANNER OF MEETING
OPPOSITION--INTRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL INTO IRELAND--A PROPHECY--FIRST
BAPTISM--VISIT TO SCOTLAND--LOVE OF THE SAINTS.

Elder Taylor continued calling upon ministers and other gentlemen
in Liverpool, bearing testimony to them of the restoration of the
gospel. For this purpose he called upon an aged Methodist minister who
accompanied Doctor Coke in some of his missionary tours, and who was
with him when he died.

The conversation with him was very pleasant, but he did not receive the
message of the gospel. He inquired if his visitor intended calling upon
all the ministers in the city, to which the Elder replied that it was
his determination to deliver the message he had been commissioned with;
he had called upon some ministers and intended to see others; and if
there was liberality enough among the Methodists or other denominations
to open their chapels, he would preach. To this the minister replied
that he thought the doctrines Elder Taylor had to advocate would not
agree with theirs, and that he would have to do as the venerable
founder of Methodism had done--go into the highways and the fields.

"But when Paul, the despised Christian, went into the synagogues of
the Jews, bigoted and fallen as they were," replied the Elder, "they
said to him and his companions, 'Brethren, if ye have any word of
exhortation for the people, say on."

"That is what I say," answered the Methodist, "say on."

"Yes," replied Elder Taylor, "but this is not in your synagogue, sir."

To this gentle hint he could only say that he thought the trustees
would not consent to it. In parting, he shook the Elder by the hand and
wished him God-speed.

Elder Taylor also called upon Mr. Radcliff, agent for the Bible Society
and superintendent of the School of Arts. In a conversation lasting
over of three hours, that gentleman made many admissions relative to
the condition of the religious world, which, when his visitor began to
make use of them to show the necessity of a re-opening of the heavens
and a restoration of the ancient gospel, he stopped alarmed, and
observed that "Mormonism led to tremendous conclusions!"

"I am aware that it does," quietly replied his visitor, "but the words
I have used are not mine, but the words of God."

There was present at this interview a Miss Brannan, from the Isle of
Man, who expressed a fear of Elder Taylor's religion; and who, as
the conversation drew to a close, ventured to censure him because he
condemned others.

"No, he does not," said Mr. Radcliff, "he only says they have been
wrong ignorantly, and that they have doubtless lived up to the best
light they had."

Miss Brannan did not relish this remark, and relapsed into silence.

Before leaving them, Elder Taylor remarked to her that he was thinking
of going to the Isle of Man, and he would be pleased to call upon her.
She would be glad to see him, but not as a religious teacher. Or if
he was like other preachers, she would be pleased to receive him. To
this the Elder replied that he should visit the Isle of Man whether she
desired him to or not; that there were others there who would receive
the gospel if she rejected it, and as to the matter of being like other
ministers, it reminded him of the story of the Prophet Micah, who was
told to speak as the other prophets of king Ahab had spoken, and it
would be well with him; but Micah replied: "As the Lord liveth, even
what my God saith, that will I speak." So, likewise, he could only
declare that which God had revealed; if that came in conflict with the
doctrines and practices of men, so much the worse for their doctrines
and practices.

In this manner Elder Taylor continued to labor day after day, neither
avoiding the poor and lowly nor shunning the high and the learned.
Conscious that he possessed the truth, he fearlessly came in contact
with all sorts and conditions of men; and so gentlemanly and pleasing
was his bearing that it compelled men to listen to the message he
delivered with respectful attention.

On the 6th of April, 1840, Apostles Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball,
Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith and Elder Reuben Hedlock
arrived in Liverpool, from America. The next day they found Elder
Taylor, who was overjoyed to see them. In a few days they repaired
to Preston and held a council--seven of the quorum of Apostles being
present.

The first business of the council was to ordain Willard Richards an
Apostle, and receive him into the quorum. This addition made eight
Apostles in the council. Brigham Young presided; Elder Taylor was made
clerk. The former was also sustained as the President of the Twelve
Apostles, he being next in seniority of ordination to Thomas B. Marsh,
the former President, who apostatized in Missouri.

It was resolved that a periodical should be published and called the
_Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star_, of which Parley P. Pratt was
appointed editor. A hymn book was also to be published, John Taylor
being one of a committee of three to select the hymns. It was also
decided to print an edition of the Book of Mormon.

In appointing the several Apostles to fields of labor, it was decided
that Elder Taylor continue to preach in Liverpool and vicinity.

On his return to that city, the work spread more rapidly than before
the council at Preston. Opportunities for preaching were plentiful,
and baptisms frequent. In May he called those who had been baptized
together, and ordained a number of the brethren Priests and Elders,
which gave them the right to preach the gospel and to administer the
ordinances thereof. These brethren, filled with zeal, went out into
the public parks, to the commons, the fields and even the streets,
proclaiming everywhere the gospel and bearing testimony of its truth.

When the opposition of the priests increased in bitterness, and they
sought by every conceivable device to hinder the work and disturb
the meetings, Elder Taylor instructed several of the most zealous of
the brethren to hold auxiliary meetings simultaneously on the public
thoroughfares--just prior to the time appointed for the main central
meeting--and announce to their hearers that a discourse would be
delivered in the public hall, engaged for that purpose. In this way
an interest was awakened in the work, and the meetings crowded with
people, notwithstanding all the efforts of the hostile ministers to
prevent it.

These labors, and assisting in selecting the hymns suitable for
the worship of the Saints, together with reading the proofs and
superintending the printing of the Book of Mormon, occupied the early
summer of 1840.

In July, however, Elder Taylor took the Music Hall in Bold Street, a
large hall, capable of seating some fifteen hundred people, in which he
proposed delivering a course of lectures.

Pending the opening of this hall for the lectures, he went to Ireland
to proclaim the restoration of the gospel in that land. Among many
others he baptized in Liverpool was a Mr. McGuffie, who had some
acquaintances in Newry, County Down, Ireland. This man and a Brother
William Black he took with him as his companions.

A large company of Saints went with them to the dock to see them off.
It was but natural that Elder Taylor should contrast his situation, now
that he was departing for Ireland, with what it was when he landed in
England a few months before. Then he was friendless, unknown and among
strangers; now he was surrounded by a multitude of friends, anxious to
administer to his necessities and willing to assist him in his mission,
while few men in Liverpool were more sought for, or filled a larger
space in public attention.

The company remained on the pier-head waving their adieux until they
could no longer be seen.

The day after sailing, Elder Taylor and companions arrived in Newry,
a beautiful Irish village nestled among rolling hills, characteristic
of that part of Ireland. Brother McGuffie obtained the Court House
to hold a meeting in, and sent around the bell-man to give notice
of it. A congregation of six or seven hundred gathered in at seven
o'clock in the evening, and Elder Taylor preached to them. This was the
introduction of the gospel into Ireland.

An appointment was given out for the next evening, but only a
few attended, and Elder Taylor turned the meeting into a sort of
conversational, promising to explain anything those present wished to
know respecting the message he had delivered to them the night before.
Thus the evening was passed.

It was determined that night--as his stay in Ireland could only be
brief, in consequence of his appointments in Liverpool--that the next
day they would proceed to the other points they had proposed to visit.

In the night Elder Taylor in a vision saw a gentleman approach him
and ask him to stay, saying he would be pleased to hear him. The next
morning, as himself, Brothers McGuffie and Black and a gentleman of
the name of Thomas Tate were leaving the village in a jaunting car,
the same man whom Elder Taylor had seen in the vision stopped them and
requested him to remain; but as Brother McGuffie expected to return to
Newry and remain there some time, Elder Taylor concluded to go on his
way.

After a ride of seven miles through a beautiful, fertile, undulating
country, cut up into small farms by green hedges closely trimmed, and
plentifully dotted with neatly white-washed cottages, they arrived at
the four towns of Bellimacrat, where, in the evening, Elder Taylor
preached in a barn owned by a Mr. Willie. The following morning they
started on foot for the town of Lisburn, Mr. Tate going with them to
assist in carrying their valises. This Mr. Tate Elder Taylor had met
in Liverpool, and prophesied that he would be the first person to be
baptized in Ireland. As he and Elder Taylor walked on, side by side,
that beautiful, fresh morning they left Bellimacrat, the latter opened
the scriptures to his understanding and taught him the gospel in its
simplicity. The listener was carried away with admiration for the
plan of redemption which God had established for the salvation of His
children, and as conviction of its truth had taken hold of his mind, he
was ready to receive it; and on reaching the summit of a hill, which
suddenly brought them in full view of the beautiful Lock Brickland, he
cried out in ecstacy:

"There is water, what doth hinder me being baptized?"

At this the party stopped, and Elder Taylor, going down into the water,
baptized him. He was the first to receive the gospel in Ireland in this
dispensation.

In the town of Lisburn Elder Taylor preached four times in the market
place to large and attentive crowds.

The preaching in Market Square created considerable interest in that
place, but no one applied for baptism. The whole of County Down had
been considerably excited by the meetings held, and before leaving
Lisburn Elder Taylor learned that Brother McGuffie on his return to
Newry had begun to baptize.

Having thus opened the door of salvation to the Irish nation by the
proclamation of the gospel, Elder Taylor, on the 6th of August, took
passage on a steamer at Belfast for the city of Glasgow. On board
he formed the acquaintance of a gentleman who had met with Elder
Orson Pratt in Edinburgh, where that Apostle was laboring; and also
with an Irish gentleman from Belfast. The latter was a friend of a
Mr. Mulholland, of Illinois, who had written him an account of the
persecutions of the Saints in Missouri. He had the letter published in
one of the Belfast papers.

On arriving in Glasgow, Elder Taylor met with Elders Hedlock, Clark
and Mulliner, and the following Sunday preached to the Saints there,
and ordained two brethren Elders. He also visited a small branch
of the Church in Paisley, Renfrewshire. Here that love which the
gospel inspires in the hearts of those who receive it was abundantly
manifested. Though Elder Taylor was a stranger to the Saints there,
they gathered about him, pleaded with him to remain in their midst and
teach them something further concerning the Kingdom of God. Failing to
persuade him to remain longer, as the time for him to be in Liverpool
drew near, they flocked about him for his blessing, and it was not
until the night was gone and day was approaching that he could get a
chance to retire to rest.



CHAPTER X.

COURSE OF LECTURES--VISIT TO THE ISLE OF MAN--REFLECTIONS--LECTURES IN
DOUGLAS--OPPOSITION--CHALLENGE--DISCUSSIONS--SUCCESS.

Returning to Liverpool Elder Taylor delivered his course of lectures
in the Music Hall, Bold Street. The course covered the principal
events connected with the work of the Lord in these last days.
The transgression of the laws of the gospel; the changing of its
ordinances; the breaking of the covenant thereof after its introduction
by the personal ministration of the Son of God; the restoration of
the gospel through the ministration of angels; the restoration, and
the powers and authority of the Holy Priesthood; the coming forth,
character and value of the Book of Mormon; the gathering of Israel and
final redemption of the earth, etc., etc. The lectures were numerously
attended and created considerable interest in religious circles.

During his absence in Ireland and Scotland the local Elders in
Liverpool had been very active, and a number had been added to the
Church. He also found that Elders Curtis and Winchester had arrived
from New York. Both these Elders were able ministers of the word. The
latter had distinguished himself by his labors in Philadelphia, the
former in New York, near which city was his home. Elder Curtis was sent
to Ireland to continue the work commenced there.

Considerable opposition ran side by side with the labors of Elder
Taylor in Liverpool. The ministers belonging to the churches founded by
Mr. Matthews and his chief supporter, Mr. Aitkins, were the principals
in this opposition. They had been very near the truth at one time--not
far removed from the Kingdom of God; but having made up their minds
to reject it, the light they once possessed departed from them. They
were filled with bitterness, jealousy and hatred, and in their madness
descended to methods of opposition unworthy of those who profess to
be gentlemen, to say nothing of men who professed to be followers and
ministers of the Son of God. They raised commotions in some of the
meetings where Elder Taylor held forth that would have disgraced the
meetings in the very heat of a political campaign. They denounced him
whose doctrines they could not refute by the word of God or by reason,
as a liar, a wolf in sheep's clothing, a hypocrite, a false prophet,
and every other vile epithet that the malice of men or the ingenuity of
Satan could invent. Truly having rejected the truth, they were given up
to a hard heart and a reprobate mind.

Seeing that everything was moving along satisfactorily in Liverpool,
Elder Taylor determined to make his long contemplated visit to the
Isle of Man. He started on the 16th of September, 1840, having for
companions Elder Hiram Clark and Brother William Mitchel, one of the
first to receive his testimony in Liverpool. The party arrived in
Douglas the next day.

It was but natural that his arrival in this island should awaken his
remembrance of "Nora," as he affectionately called his wife, Leonora.
Here she had spent her youthful days in the home of her father. Here,
amid the green hills and flower-flecked vales, which everywhere abound
in this delightful island, she had wandered in girlhood, buoyant with
hope and joy; or with a pleasing fear had seen the storm-clouds gather
about her island home, and saw old ocean's mighty waves lashed into
fury, break into harmless spray on Mona's rugged shores. These thoughts
suggested others. He dwelt in fond remembrance on the occasion of her
becoming his wife, and called to mind her trust and love, and all the
happy scenes and hours they had shared together.

Recollection once at work, stopped not at their joys, but brought up to
his vision their sorrows, their afflictions and the persecutions they
had passed through for the sake of the truth--for the cause of God; and
in conclusion he exclaimed:

"Thou hast passed through trials, Nora, but thou shalt rejoice! Thou
hast been driven from thy home for the truth's sake, but thou and thy
children shall have a home in the Kingdom of God! Thou hast suffered
the bereavement of thy husband--the tender association has been
severed--that others may be made partakers of endless life; but thou
and thy husband shall yet reign together in the celestial kingdom of
God. A few more struggles and the battle will be fought, the victory
will be ours, and with the redeemed out of every nation we will sing,
'Glory, and honor, and power, and might, and majesty, and dominion be
ascribed to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, forever
and forever?'"

A day or two after their arrival it was decided that Elders Clark and
Brother Mitchel should go to Ramsey and Elder Taylor remain to labor
in Douglas. He accompanied the two brethren a short distance on their
journey, and before separating they repaired to a lovely spot in a
field, some distance from the road, and there engaged in prayer. The
burden of that prayer was that an effectual door might be opened to
them in that island for the proclamation of the gospel; that gainsayers
might be put to shame, and that the word might be confirmed by signs
following the believers. After prayer they each sought a stone and
placed it at the foot of a tree, on which Elder Taylor carved their
names and the date of their being there. He also ordained Brother
Mitchel a Deacon; and at the request of Elder Clark he also laid
hands upon his head that he might have the gift of tongues and the
interpretation thereof; and afterwards Elder Clark blessed Elder
Taylor. For some time they spoke in tongues, sang, prophesied, and
finally separated to their respective fields of labor, each to thrust
in his sickle and reap.

Elder Taylor, on returning to Douglas, called on Mr. Cain, a
book-binder and seller, and a Primitive Methodist preacher. Although
he was a minister, he was sensible that his church fell far short of
having a fullness of truth, and hence was ready to listen to one who
claimed to have the fullness of the gospel.

He also called upon a number of his wife's girlhood friends, some of
whom were pleased to see him. In this way he made a large circle of
acquaintances, and taught them the gospel. Finally he engaged the
Wellington Rooms, the largest hall in Douglas, capable of seating one
thousand persons.

In this hall he delivered several lectures amid considerable opposition
from sectarian priests. One of their number, Rev. Thomas Hamilton,
was particularly offensive and made some disturbance, but the Elder
found many who befriended him, and indeed, the people generally seemed
indignant at the course pursued by his opponents. At length Mr.
Hamilton sent a challenge to meet him in public discussion, the body of
which was as follows:

"SIR:--Conceiving that the principles advocated by you in the lectures
which you delivered in the Wellington Rooms have no support from the
word of God, but are diametrically opposed to it, and as you _misquoted
that word, mutilated it, took from_ and _added_ to it; I hereby invite
you to a public discussion of the truth of what I conceive to be mere
assertions, and design to prove you guilty of blasphemy against God and
of decoying souls to perdition."

To this Elder Taylor made the following reply:

"I am not aware of having mutilated, misquoted, taken from or added to
the word of God, or of speaking or teaching blasphemy, or trying to
lead men to perdition, as I am charged with in your note; but have been
conscientiously discharging a duty devolving upon me in unfolding the
principles of eternal truth. But as I never shrink from the task of
supporting those principles, in the strength of the Lord, I comply with
your request on the following terms:

"First. That each of us choose a chairman for the preserving of order
in the meeting.

"Second. That the lectures I have delivered in the Wellington Rooms
be the subject of debate, and that you engage to prove that in those
lectures I have advanced doctrines that are unscriptural.

"Third. That the word of God be the test.

"Fourth. That you have an hour to repudiate those supposed errors, and
that I have the same time to reply; that you then have half an hour to
speak and that I have half an hour to reply, and that the meeting then
close for the evening.

"As you have not said anything in your note about the room being taken
by you, I propose that we take it between us, and make a collection to
pay the charge for its use.

"If these propositions, sir, should meet with your approbation, you may
expect me there at the appointed time.

"As I am a stranger in the town I have not as yet made choice of a
chairman, but as Mr. Cain, in the midst of the confusion the other
evening, spoke a few words in my favor, perhaps I may choose him, if he
will accept it."

The discussion came off in accordance with this arrangement, and Mr.
Hamilton was vanquished. "No great honor, however," says Elder Taylor,
in his account of this affair, "as he was a very ignorant man."

Another minister delivered a course of lectures against him, to which
he replied in his own hall--the Wellington Rooms. Another--a Mr. J.
Curran--published a series of newspaper articles against Mormonism, to
which he replied. At the same time the Rev. Robert Heys, a Wesleyan
Methodist, published three pamphlets in opposition to his doctrines, to
each of which he published a reply. Unfortunately, only one of these
pamphlets--the second--has been preserved; but from it we may learn
something of Elder Taylor's power as a debater, the power by which
he earned his title of "Champion of Truth." It is not my purpose to
follow the discussion in all its details, or even give an outline of
it, but simply introduce a single paragraph that is a specimen of Elder
Taylor's cogent reasoning.

His reverend opponent stoutly objected to Mormonism because it was
based on a new revelation, and in his view the day of revelation had
passed--the volume thereof was complete; and he maintained that the
Bible itself forbids any more revelation being added to it, and as
Mormonism claimed to have come into existence through revelation, it
violated the prohibitions of the Bible, and therefore Mormonism was an
imposture.

In support of this argument, he quoted three passages of scripture:
First from Deuteronomy, "Ye shall not _add_ unto the word which I
command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep
the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you;" second from
Proverbs, "Every word of the Lord is pure, * * * _Add_ thou not unto
his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar;" lastly,
from Revelation, "I testify unto every man that heareth the words of
the prophecy of this book, if any man shall _add_ unto these things,
God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book."

To this argument Elder Taylor replied:

"With astonishing confidence in the infallibility of his skill in
biblical lore, Mr. Heys rapidly carries his readers along with him
through the Old and New Testaments, and then, after showing them why
they were written, he reveals the perfection of his knowledge by
giving publicity to the following, which, for aught I know, he may
consider a new discovery: 'Now of this complete and infallible rule
(meaning the HOLY BIBLE) God has decreed and declared that _nothing
shall be either added to it or taken from it!_' This certainly must
be a _new revelation_, for such a _decree_ or _declaration_ is not to
be found in the whole of the sacred writings! It is true, he quotes
three passages--one from Deuteronomy, one from Proverbs, and another
from Revelation; but not one of them contains the decree! That in
Deuteronomy refers exclusively to the Book of the Law. If they declared
the revelation of God to be _complete_, the other scriptures could
never have been written. That in Proverbs refers to the portion of
the sacred writings then in existence. If it is declared the Holy
Scriptures were _complete_, there would not have been afterwards a
continued written revelation. That in the Revelation refers to the
Apocalypse alone, it being, when written, a separate book, unconnected
with the other books of the New Testament which were not then
collected; it could not, therefore, have reference to any other book
or books of the Holy Scriptures. According to his own interpretation
of the above scriptures, in quoting from Proverbs, he would reject the
New Testament and all the prophets that prophesied after Solomon's day;
and in his quotation from Deuteronomy, he would reject all the Bible
but the five books of Moses. But let Mr. Hays take care that he himself
is not incurring the curse by altering the meaning of the words of the
very books to which the prohibition positively and particularly refers!"

Thus he followed his opponent in all his wanderings, as he promises to
do in the beginning of the reply from which the above is taken--"lest
he should 'pervert the truth' and 'darken counsel by words without
knowledge.'" "And while pursuing him," he continues, "it will afford
me no small degree of satisfaction and delight to observe the mists of
error which he has spread around him, dissipated by the clear light of
the gospel, and to behold the fair flowers of Paradise rising again
unhurt in all their native beauty, from beneath the ruthless tread of
his unhallowed feet."

Despite all the opposition that raged against him, Elder Taylor found
a goodly number who were seeking for the truth, and sufficiently
susceptible to the influence of God's Holy Spirit to receive his
testimony and be baptized. These he organized into a branch of the
Church, and, having placed the work in this island on a substantial
footing, he returned to Liverpool.



CHAPTER XI.

RETURN TO NAUVOO--SICKNESS OF LEONORA--SAVED BY THE POWER OF
GOD--FOUNDS "NAUVOO NEIGHBOR"--EDITS "TIMES AND SEASONS"--NOMINATES THE
PROPHET FOR PRESIDENT--REASONS--INTRODUCTION OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE--HIS
CONDUCT IN REGARD TO IT.

The remainder of Elder Taylor's time while on his first mission to
England was employed mostly in preaching in Liverpool and in assisting
the Saints who were beginning to emigrate to Nauvoo.

There was something singular in this movement among the British Saints.
When the Apostles started on their missions, the Prophet Joseph had
instructed them to say nothing, for the present, in relation to
the gathering of the people. It was doubtless the unsettled state
of the Church at that time which led him to give such counsel. The
instructions were, of course, followed by the Apostles; but no sooner
were the people baptized than they were seized with a desire to gather
with the main body of the Church. "I find it is difficult to keep
anything from the Saints," writes Elder Taylor, "for the Spirit of God
reveals it to them. * * * Some time ago Sister Mitchel dreamed that
she, her husband and a number of others were on board a vessel, and
that there were other vessels, loaded with Saints, going somewhere. She
felt very happy and was rejoicing in the Lord." Another sister had a
similar dream, and was informed that all the Saints were going. Neither
of these sisters, nor any of the Saints at that time, knew anything
about the principle of gathering, yet all were anxious to leave their
homes, their kindred and the associations of a lifetime, to join the
main body of the Church in a distant land, the members of which were
total strangers to them.

Not only had this desire to gather with the Church taken hold of them,
but those who had means were moved upon to assist those who were poor.
Altogether more than eight hundred Saints left England before the
Apostles turned their faces homeward, and Elder Taylor was of material
service to them in Liverpool, as he secured for them the best possible
terms for their passage; organized them into companies, appointing
the most experienced and wisest among them to take charge, that the
inexperienced might not be a prey for sharpers and rogues to feast upon.

In addition to these labors, Elder Taylor visited Manchester,
Birmingham, Sheffield and many other cities, everywhere preaching the
gospel with great success, everywhere preaching the gospel with great
success, converting the unbelieving and strengthening and encouraging
the Saints. Thus the autumn and winter of 1840--41 passed away.

The object for which the Apostles had visited Great Britain was
accomplished. They had established the Church there on a sound basis.
The Book of Mormon and the Hymn Book had been published; a periodical
to advocate and defend the faith delivered to the Saints established;
a permanent shipping agency founded to aid the Saints in gathering to
Zion; branches had been organized in nearly all the principal towns of
the kingdom, and some eight thousand souls had been baptized. In all
this labor Elder Taylor had taken an active, prominent part; and now,
in company with his fellow Apostles, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball,
Orson Pratt, Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Willard Richards, he
sailed on the ship _Rochester_ for America.

Elder Taylor arrived in Nauvoo on the 1st of July, 1841. Here a great
sorrow was awaiting him--his faithful, patient Leonora was sick
nigh unto death. The hardships in Missouri, the separation from her
husband,--on whose strong arm and steadfast courage she was wont to
lean,--and the consequent increase of care in watching over her family,
had at last broken down her strength; and hence he found her pale and
wan, and death clutching at her precious life. He called in twenty
Elders, who prayed for her; she was anointed with oil, hands were laid
upon her, and, in fulfillment of God's promise, the prayer of faith
healed the sick--the Lord raised her up.

It was shortly after the return of the Twelve from England that
the Prophet Joseph made known to them the doctrine of celestial
marriage--the marriage system that obtains in the celestial worlds
where the Gods dwell,--marriage that is to endure for time and for
eternity, the ceremony being performed by one holding that power which
binds on earth and binds in heaven. Celestial marriage also includes a
plurality of wives.

This system of marriage had been revealed to the Prophet a number of
years before, but he had kept the matter in his own heart. The time
had come, however, when the principles of this marriage system must
be made known to others and the practice thereof entered into by the
faithful in the Priesthood. Hitherto the Saints, in common with the
so-called Christian world, had married until death did them part; but
now, through the introduction of celestial marriage, the covenants
between men and their wives were to be made for eternity as well as
for time. In this marriage system the great truth is revealed that the
association of husband and wife, with all its endearing associations is
to continue forever; and that--to paraphrase the words of one who spake
as if inspired on this theme [1]--as long as there is room in infinite
space, or matter in the exhaustless storehouse of nature, or as long
as the bosoms of the Gods glow with affection, just so long will new
worlds be created and filled with the ever increasing posterity of the
righteous, and new kingdoms added to the dominions of the Fathers!

The plurality of wives included in this system of marriage is what gave
rise to grave concern in the minds of the faithful men to whom it was
revealed. The world never made a greater mistake than when it supposed
that plural marriage was hailed with delight by the Elders who were
commanded of the Lord to introduce its practice in this generation.
They saw clearly that it would bring additional reproach upon them from
the world; that it would run counter to the traditions and prejudices
of society, as, indeed, it was contrary to their own traditions; that
their motives would be misunderstood or misconstrued. All this they
saw, and naturally shrank from the undertaking required of them by the
revelation of God. How Elder Taylor looked upon this matter and how he
received it is best told in his own words:

"Joseph Smith told the Twelve that if this law was not practiced,
if they would not enter into this covenant, then the Kingdom of God
could not go one step further. Now, we did not feel like preventing
the Kingdom of God from going forward. We professed to be the Apostles
of the Lord, and did not feel like putting ourselves in a position to
retard the progress of the Kingdom of God. The revelation says that
'All those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same.'
Now, that is not my word. I did not make it. It was the Prophet of God
who revealed that to us in Nauvoo, and I bear witness of this solemn
fact before God, that He did reveal this sacred principle to me and
others of the Twelve, and in this revelation it is stated that it is
the will and law of God that 'all those who have this law revealed unto
them must obey the same.'

"I had always entertained strict ideas of virtue, and I felt as
a married man that this was to me, outside of this principle, an
appalling thing to do. The idea of going and asking a young lady to be
married to me when I had already a wife! It was a thing calculated to
stir up feelings from the innermost depths of the human soul. I had
always entertained the strictest regard of chastity. I had never in my
life seen the time when I have known of a man deceiving a woman--and it
is often done in the world, where, notwithstanding the crime, the man
is received into society and the poor woman is looked upon as a pariah
and an outcast--I have always looked upon such a thing as infamous,
and upon such a man as a villain. * * * Hence, with the feelings I had
entertained, nothing but a knowledge of God, and the revelations of
God, and the truth of them, could have induced me to embrace such a
principle as this.

"We [the Twelve] seemed to put off, as far as we could, what might be
termed the evil day.

"Some time after these things were made known unto us, I was riding out
of Nauvoo on horseback, and met Joseph Smith coming in, he, too, being
on horseback. * * * I bowed to Joseph, and having done the same to me,
he said: 'Stop;' and he looked at me very intently. 'Look here,' said
he, 'those things that have been spoken of must be fulfilled, and if
they are not entered into right away the keys will be turned.'

"Well, what did I do? Did I feel to stand in the way of this great,
eternal principle, and treat lightly the things of God? No. I replied:
'Brother Joseph, I will try and carry these things out."'

So indeed he did, for within two years, in Nauvoo, he married Elizabeth
Haigham, Jane B. Ballantyne and Mary A. Oakley. Subsequently, in Utah,
he married Harriet Whitaker, Sophia Whitaker and Margaret Young. [2]

By tongue and pen, as well as by the force of example, he defended this
celestial order of marriage against all who assailed it; and among all
who have advocated it in the face of the fierce opposition it provoked,
or who spoke out in its defense both at home and abroad, there was not
one whose arguments carried more weight than did his.

Meantime Nauvoo had arisen from the bogs of Commerce, and was now an
incorporated city, divided into four wards, with a population of nearly
five thousand. A glorious temple and other public buildings were in
course of construction, a periodical--the _Times and Seasons_--was
being published, and there was every prospect of the city becoming a
commercial and manufacturing center as well as the headquarters of the
Church.

It is scarcely necessary to say that the Twelve were heartily welcomed
home by the Prophet. He at once rolled on their shoulders much of the
responsibility he had carried during their absence; and called upon
them to assist in gathering the people to Nauvoo and to build up the
Stakes of Zion.

The Twelve forthwith published a proclamation to the Saints in the
British Isles, calling upon them to gather to Zion and to assist in
founding manufactories and other enterprises. Another was issued
denouncing thieves who began to infest Nauvoo, and whose villainy was
charged to the Saints; another calling for aid in the construction of
the temple. In all these labors Elder Taylor took a prominent part. He
was also elected a member of the City Council, made a member of the
Board of Regents for the Nauvoo University, and chosen Judge Advocate
with the rank of colonel in the Nauvoo Legion, a position that made him
the responsible adviser of the court and also the public prosecutor in
affairs military.

These labors, in connection with his private business, occupied his
attention after his return from England until February, 1842, when he
was chosen associate editor of the _Times and Seasons_, the Prophet
Joseph being editor-in-chief. This appointment introduced him into a
field of labor for which he was admirably adapted, and in which, during
his lifetime--notwithstanding his labors in that sphere were frequently
interrupted by the drivings of the Church and calls to other kinds of
employments--he accomplished much good, and became well known as a
powerful writer.

He occupied the position of associate editor on the _Times and Seasons_
for about a year, when the Prophet's increasing cares made it necessary
for him to resign his place as editor-in-chief. Elder Taylor was
appointed to take his place. He continued to edit and publish that
periodical until the Church was driven out of Nauvoo in the spring of
1846.

In addition to his labors on the _Times and Seasons_, within a year
he became the editor and proprietor of another paper, the _Nauvoo
Neighbor_, a large imperial sheet issued weekly, and devoted "to the
dissemination of useful knowledge of every description--the arts,
science, religion, literature, agriculture, manufactures, trade,
commerce and the general news of the day." In both these periodicals he
ably defended the truth against all comers, and did much to stem the
flood of falsehood that set in against the character of the Prophet
Joseph.

The progress of Nauvoo was now by leaps and bounds, rapidly increasing
in trade, commerce and population. The Prophet Joseph's career, too,
was approaching its zenith. He was the most prominent man in the
State of Illinois, and much courted because of his supposed political
influence. Some of the most prominent men in the State sought his
friendship, but it too frequently happened that it was for selfish
purposes they courted him. No one was more sensitively aware of that
fact than Elder Taylor. He knew them to be flatterers of the Prophet,
that political thrift might follow fawning. They were heartless
parasites, clinging to him in his hour of prosperity, but ready to fall
away from and even betray him should the tide of his fortunes begin to
ebb, or their interests require his immolation to satisfy the clamor of
a prejudiced populace.

It was to remove the Prophet out of the filthy slough of party
politics, that he and his people might not be the shuttle-cock for the
battledoors of political demagogues--that he and they might not be the
subjects of fulsome praise on the one hand, nor of fierce denunciation
or unseemly vituperation on the other, that Elder Taylor urged the
Prophet's nomination for the presidency of the United States, in
February, 1844.

In a long editorial in the _Neighbor_, in which he nominates the
Prophet for President, he represents that as Henry Clay--then one of
the prominent candidates for President--inclined strongly to the old
school of federalists, his political principles were diametrically
opposed to those entertained by the people of Nauvoo, and hence they
could not conscientiously vote for him; and they had even stronger
objections to Mr. Van Buren, who, when the Saints appealed to him to
redress the outrages put upon them in Missouri, admitted the justice of
their cause, but claimed that he was powerless to assist them; he also
held that Congress was powerless to redress their grievances.

"But all these things are tolerable to what we have yet to state," says
Elder Taylor. "We have been informed from a respectable source, that
there is an understanding between Mr. Benton [Senator], of Missouri,
and Mr. Van Buren, and a conditional compact entered into that if Mr.
Benton will use his influence to get Mr. Van Buren elected, that Mr.
Van Buren, when elected, shall use his executive influence to wipe
away the stain from Missouri by a further persecution of the Mormons,
wreaking vengeance on their heads, either by extermination or by some
other summary process. We could scarcely credit the statement, and we
hope yet, for the sake of humanity, that the suggestion is false; but
we have too good reason to believe that we are correctly informed."

Then, after enlarging upon the fitness of the Prophet for the high
office of President of the United States, he adds:

"One great reason that we have for pursuing our present course is that
at every election we have been made a political target for the filthy
demagogues in the country to shoot their loathsome arrows at. And every
story has been put into circulation to blast our fame, from the old
fabrication of 'walk on the water' down to the 'murder of Governor
Boggs.' The journals have teemed with this filthy trash, and even men
who ought to have more respect for themselves--men contending for the
gubernatorial chair--have made use of terms so degrading, so mean, so
humiliating, that a Billingsgate fisherwoman would have considered
herself disgraced with. We refuse any longer to be thus bedaubed for
either party; we tell all such to let their filth flow in its own
legitimate channel, for we are sick of the loathsome smell. * * * Under
existing circumstances we have no other alternative [than that of
withdrawing from both political parties,] and if we can accomplish our
object, well; if not we shall have the satisfaction of knowing we have
acted conscientiously and have used our best judgment; and if we have
to throw away our votes, we had better do so upon a worthy, rather than
upon an unworthy individual, who might make use of the weapon we put in
his hand to destroy us.

Then the Prophet was put before the country for President of the
United States. He published his views on the powers and policy of the
government, and called upon his friends to support him.

By adopting this policy there was a candidate in the field the Saints
could vote for conscientiously; and if their candidate from the
beginning was sure of defeat, they had at least removed themselves and
their religion from the filthy vortex of political controversy.

Footnotes

1. Parley P. Pratt's _Key to Theology_.

2. For dates of these marriages, birth of children, etc., see Appendix.



CHAPTER XII.

A RETROSPECT--A STATE'S CRIME--TROUBLE BREWING.

Thus far I have spoken only of those prosperous events which befell the
Saints at Nauvoo from the return of the Twelve from England, in July,
1841, to the nomination of the Prophet Joseph for president of the
United States, February, 1843. It now becomes necessary to note some of
those unfortunate events which befell them during the same period, with
all of which Elder Taylor had more or less to do.

Missouri was not satisfied with robbing the Saints wholesale and
expelling them from her borders, her hatred followed them to Illinois.
Of course the Prophet Joseph was the chief object of their fury. In
the fall of 1841 he was arrested upon a requisition from the Governor
of Missouri on the old charge of "theft, arson and murder," assumed to
have been committed in Caldwell and Daviess Counties, in the autumn of
1838. He obtained a writ of _habeas corpus_ and the case came up before
Judge Stephen A. Douglass, at Monmouth, who found the writ on which he
was held illegal, and discharged the prisoner.

In the spring of 1842 an attempt was made to assassinate ex-Governor
Boggs of Missouri, and as soon as he recovered from the injuries
received, he charged Joseph Smith with being accessory before the
fact to the attempted murder. Again the Prophet was arrested under a
requisition from the Governor of Missouri, and again he obtained a writ
of _habeas corpus_ and went before the circuit court of the United
States, Judge Pope of Springfield, Illinois, presiding. Elder Taylor
and a few others accompanied him. The Prophet was anxious to have the
case tried on its merits, but this Judge Pope held to be unnecessary as
he was entitled to be discharged because of defects in the affidavit on
which the demand for his surrender to Missouri was made.

As the state legislature at the time was in session, there were
gathered in Springfield the principal men of the state; and as
they were all anxious to learn something of "Mormonism," the
Representatives' Hall was tendered the brethren for holding religious
service, on Sunday, and Elder Taylor and Orson Hyde were appointed by
the Prophet to preach, the latter in the forenoon, the former in the
afternoon.

In all these vexatious prosecutions Elder Taylor stood very near the
Prophet, and ably defended him through the editorial columns of the
_Times and Seasons_ and the _Neighbor_.

In the meantime the phenomenal growth of the Church, the prosperity of
the Saints in Nauvoo, and the rapid progress of the city, while very
gratifying to the founders of both Church and city, attracted to the
body religious and municipal a class of men that were very undesirable.
Adventurers seeking for place and power and wealth; demagogues who by
fulsome flattery of the people hoped to attain through their political
influence a realization of their ambitious dreams; knaves who by
falsely professing conversion, thought to cover up corrupt, licentious
lives, and thrive by villainy; thieves and counterfeiters who saw their
opportunity to live by roguery, and steal on the credit of the Mormons,
of whom the people of Illinois were too ready to believe anything that
savored of evil, because prejudiced against their religion--all these
characters were attracted to Nauvoo by the prosperity that reigned
there; and their ungodly conduct hastened the evil day of the city's
destruction.

Chief among these reckless adventurers was John C. Bennett, a man of
learning and intellectual ability but a moral leper. He was guilty of
the most infamous, licentious practices, and seduced several women by
representing that promiscuous intercourse of the sexes was a doctrine
believed in by the Latter-day Saints and that there was no harm in it.
He also said that Joseph Smith and other Church leaders both sanctioned
and practiced such wickedness; that Joseph only denounced such things
in public so vehemently because of the prejudice of the people, and the
trouble that might arise in his own house.

For this conduct he was excommunicated from the Church, compelled to
resign the Mayorship of the city, expelled from the Masonic Lodge,
chastised by the Legion, and his infamy published to the world and
denounced.

This filled him with bitterness against the Saints, and especially
against the Prophet. He at once set on foot measures that he hoped
would bring him a terrible revenge. He succeeded in getting the
Missourians to issue a new warrant for his arrest on the old charge of
"theft, arson and murder," and a new requisition for his arrest was
granted by Governor Ford, of Illinois.

The warrants were served on the Prophet in Lee County, some two hundred
miles from Nauvoo. The officers who arrested him sought to drag him
immediately into Missouri, but in this they failed, as Joseph through
some friends obtained a writ of _habeas corpus_, and the legality of
the warrant was enquired into by the municipal court of Nauvoo. The
court also went behind the writ and tried the case _exparte_ on its
merits, and discharged the accused for want of subsistence in the
warrant on which he was arrested, as well as upon the merits of the
case.

Elder Taylor in an editorial in the _Neighbor_ of July 5th 1843, thus
deals with the course pursued by Missouri in these several instances of
persecution against the Prophet:

"It has fallen to our lot of late years to keep an account of any
remarkable circumstances that might transpire in and about this and
adjoining states; as well as of distant provinces and nations. Among
the many robberies, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes,
fires, mobs, wars, etc., which we have had to record, there is one
circumstance of annual occurrence which it has always fallen to our
lot to chronicle. We allude not to the yearly inundation of the Nile,
nor the frequent eruptions of Vesuvius or AEtna, but to the boiling over
of Tophet, _alias_ the annual overflow of the excrescence of Missouri.
Not indeed, like the Nile, over-flowing its parched banks, invigorating
its alluvial soil and causing vegetation to teem forth in its richest
attire; but like the sulphurous flame that burns unnoticed in the
bowels of a volcano; kept alive by the combustion of its own native
element, until it can contain itself no longer within the limits of its
crater; it bursts beyond its natural bounds; spreads its sulphurous
lava all around, leaving naught but desolation in its path,--destroying
alike the cot of the husbandman, and the palace of the noble, in one
grand sweep; covering vegetation with its fiery lava, and turning the
garden into a bed of cinders. So Missouri has her annual ebulitions,
and must belch forth her sulphurous lava and seek to overwhelm others;
and as it happens that we are so unfortunate as to live near the
borders of this monster, we must ever and anon, be smutted with the
soot that flies off from her burning crater.

"Without entering here into the particulars of the bloody deeds, the
high-handed oppression, the unconstitutional acts, the deadly and
malicious hate, the numerous murders and the wholesale robberies
of that people, we will proceed to notice one of the late acts of
Missouri, or of the governor of that state, towards us. We allude to
the late arrest of Joseph Smith."

Then follows an account of the arrests of the Prophet and the manner in
which he was released from the officers as already briefly stated in
this chapter; he dwells at some length on the events of the last arrest
made near Dixon, detailing the cruelty and brutality of the officers.
He then concludes:

"Why Governor Ford should lend his assistance in a vexatious
prosecution of this kind we are at a loss to determine. He possesses a
discretionary power in such cases, and has a right to use his judgment,
as the chief magistrate of this state; and knowing, as he does, that
the whole proceedings connected with this affair are illegal, we think
that in justice he ought to have leaned to the side of the oppressed
and innocent, particularly when the persecuted and prosecuted were
citizens of his own state who had a right to his sympathies and to be
shielded by his paternal care, as the father of this state. Does not
his excellency know, and do not all the citizens of the state know,
that the Mormons have been robbed, pillaged and plundered in Missouri
without any redress? That the Mormons _en masse_ were exterminated from
that state without any legal pretext whatever? How, then, could they
have any legal claim upon Joseph Smith or any Mormon? Have the Mormons
ever obtained any redress for injuries received in Missouri? No. Is
there any prospect of their receiving any remuneration for their loss,
or redress for their grievances? No. When a demand was make upon the
governor of Missouri, by Governor Carlin of this state for the persons
who kidnapped several Mormons, were they given up by that state? No.
Why then should our executive feel so tenacious in fulfilling all the
nice punctillios of law, when the very state that is making these
demands has robbed, murdered and exterminated by wholesale, without
law, and is merely making use of it at present as a cat's paw to
destroy the innocent and murder those that they have already persecuted
nearly to the death.

"It is impossible that the State of Missouri should do justice with her
coffers groaning with the spoils of the oppressed, and her hands yet
reeking with the blood of the innocent. Shall she yet gorge her bloody
maw with other victims? Shall Joseph Smith be given into her hands
illegally? Never! _No, never!!_ No, NEVER!!!"

He afterwards published in the _Neighbor_ full details of this
_exparte_ trial with the affidavits of the several witnesses given
_in extenso_. Those affidavits make up an indictment against the
State of Missouri which brings the hot blush of shame to the cheek
of every lover of his country's institutions. In their treatment of
the Latter-day Saints the leading officials of Missouri were guilty
not only of high-handed oppression, but of such high crimes and
misdemeanors as would have hung them had they met the just penalty of
their misdeeds. But as those who suffered were members of an unpopular
Church, the atrocious and bloody deeds of that state were passed by and
no one felt called upon to demand justice in behalf of the oppressed;
and those powers that were appealed to for redress of grievances--the
President and congress of the United States--claimed to have no power
to interfere. Mobocracy had triumphed in Missouri, and there was no
power in the government to call Missouri to an account for her wrong
doing.

At the time of the Prophet's arrest at Dixon there was an exciting
political campaign in progress in that part of Illinois where Nauvoo
was located, for representative to congress, and also for county
officers. Two parties were in the field, Whigs and Democrats; each
anxious to obtain the Mormon vote. The Democrats accused the Whigs of
being the instigators of this last arrest of Joseph Smith, at that
particular juncture, that Governor Ford, a Democrat, might be compelled
to issue a warrant for his arrest and thus influence the Saints against
the Democrats; and in proof of this referred to the fact that John
C. Bennett, at whose instance, doubtless, this last warrant for the
arrest of the Prophet was gotten up in Missouri, was the special pet
of what was called the "Whig junto" in Springfield; that a special
session of the circuit court was called in Daviess County, Missouri,
in order to have the warrant act at the proper juncture; that Cyrus
Walker, the Whig candidate for Congress, was within six miles of Dixon
when the Prophet was arrested; that he refused to act as council for
him only on the condition that he pledged him his vote (that pledge
Walker was pleased to consider as binding to his interest the entire
Mormon vote); that on this pledge being given he cancelled all his
appointments to speak in that part of the state and repaired to Nauvoo
where the validity of the arrest and warrants on which it was made were
investigated.

This charge the Whigs vehemently denied and in turn accused the
Democrats with having made it to influence the Mormon vote in favor of
themselves. Thus crimination and recrimination went on, and whichever
party the people of Nauvoo voted for, they were sure to incur the wrath
of the other.

The Prophet Joseph kept his pledge with Cyrus Walker and voted for him,
but the Democratic ticket was overwhelmingly successful in Nauvoo, and
in the county and district. As soon as the result was made known the
disappointed candidates and their friends were enraged. They began
plotting against the people of Nauvoo, and started an agitation that
had for its object the expulsion of the Saints from the state. Public
meetings were called and committees appointed to correspond with
surrounding counties to ascertain how much assistance they would render
in expelling the Mormons from the state.

No effort whatever was made to conceal their intentions. The banishment
of the citizens of Nauvoo from the state was openly discussed and
advocated in public meetings and through the press. Bitter fruit, this,
to be found growing on the tree of liberty, in the land of the free--in
the asylum for the oppressed of all nations!



CHAPTER XIII.

AN IMPORTANT YEAR--APOSTATES--AGITATION OF THE MORMON QUESTION--THE
NAUVOO "EXPOSITOR"--ITS SUPPRESSION--EFFECT OF SUPPRESSION--GOVERNOR
FORD'S ORDER--NAUVOO UNDER MARTIAL LAW.

We have now reached the eventful year of 1844, the year of the great
tragedy, the martyrdom of the Prophets Joseph and Hyrum Smith--a
martyrdom which Elder Taylor shared.

The situation of the Saints at that time was, to say the least,
remarkable. Besides the arch fiend Bennett, the Church had warmed
within her bosom a number of other snakes that turned and stung her.
Among these was William Law, Counselor to the Prophet Joseph, and yet
his most bitter maligner and enemy. A smooth, dissembling villain! The
kind that can look like the innocent flower and yet be the serpent
under it. Not only was he guilty of the grossest immorality, but
he conspired with assassins from Missouri, to take the life of the
Prophet; and even conducted them himself to the house of Joseph. They
were only prevented from accomplishing the foul murder that was in
their hearts, by the faithfulness of two guards, Josiah Arnold and
David Garn, who refused to admit them to the Prophet's presence.

Second to him in treachery and villainy was his natural brother,
Wilson Law, a general in the Nauvoo Legion. Dr. R. D. Foster, a man
not only inclined to profligacy, but one who had the means to indulge
his inclination to the top of his bent, as he was wealthy. Besides
these men there were the two Higbees, Francis and Chauncy, the latter a
young lawyer. They were both sons of Judge Elias Higbee, a man highly
respected by the Church for his upright life and sterling integrity.
All the above named apostates were excommunicated from the Church for
their wickedness, chiefly for seduction and adultery; and so abandoned
and shameful were their crimes that the High Council which tried them
had to sit with closed doors. Besides these leaders in wickedness
there were a large number of apostates in Nauvoo and vicinity that had
been expelled from the Church. They were recreant to every principle
of righteousness, and full of bitterness. Fitful anger rankled in
their breasts. They seemed to have lost the power to repent, and even
the desire for forgiveness. They were possessed wholly with a fierce
determination to destroy the structure--the Church--where in the days
of their righteousness they were wont to find spiritual repose.

In addition to these enemies, the sectarian religionists, maddened to
frenzy because unable to cope successfully with Mormonism, stood ready
to persecute to the death those whom they could not convert. Then
there were the two political parties, Whigs and Democrats, so equally
balanced that whichever party the Saints voted with gained the victory.
It often happened that candidates for office made an issue of the
Mormon question--promising to exterminate them, or lend their influence
to that end if elected. As often as this was done the Saints were
compelled in self-defense to vote against them, and their opponents
were generally defeated. But whichever party the Saints voted with the
other was sure to be offended, and would heap unstinted abuse on their
uncovered heads, filling their press with accounts of "the enormities
of Nauvoo, and of the awful wickedness of a party which would consent
to receive the support of such miscreants."

There was also another class of people that did no end of mischief
to the character of the Saints at Nauvoo. They were counterfeiters,
horse-thieves, cut-throats and all-round scoundrels, which not only
infested Nauvoo and vicinity, but the whole western country. "In some
districts", says Elder Taylor, "their influence was so great as to
control important state and county offices." Of these Governor Ford
bears witness, saying--

"Then again, the northern part of the state was not destitute of
its organized bands of rogues, engaged in murders, robberies,
horse-stealing, and in making and passing counterfeit money. These
rogues were scattered all over the north, but most of them were located
in the counties of Ogle, Winnebago, Lee and DeKalb." [1]

They extended into other counties, however, and even judges, sheriffs,
constables, jailors and professional men were privy to their deeds and
sharers in the fruits of their robberies. "Their object in persecuting
the Mormons," says Elder Taylor--and these characters did persecute
them--"was in part to cover their own rascality, and in part to prevent
the people of Nauvoo from exposing and prosecuting them; but the
principal reason was plunder, believing if the Saints could be removed
or driven they would be made fat on Mormon spoils, besides having in
the deserted city a good asylum for the prosecution of their diabolical
pursuits."

All these elements found it convenient to combine against the Church
for its destruction, the overthrow of the Prophet and those who stood
near him. A regular system of agitation was began, having for its
avowed object the extermination of the Saints from the city founded
by their industry. Meetings were held in various parts of Hancock
and surrounding counties, at which speeches the most intemperate,
resolutions the most inflammatory, and accusations the most vile and
false were fulminated against Nauvoo and her inhabitants. The press
supported the actions of these meetings, publishing their proceedings,
and encouraging them by commendatory comments. Especially was this the
case with the _Warsaw Signal_, edited by one Thomas Sharp, whom Elder
Taylor alludes to as "a violent, unprincipled man, who shrunk not at
any enormity."

Such were the elements that combined against the peace of Nauvoo and
the destruction of her leading citizens. Seeing mischief afoot and an
ever growing popular sentiment against the Mormons and in favor of the
reckless, not to say lawless, course of the anti-Mormon agitators, the
apostates in Nauvoo ventured to publish the most infamous sheet ever
issued from the press--the _Nauvoo Expositor_. Its mendacious slanders
were aimed at the most prominent and virtuous of Nauvoo's citizens. No
sooner did it appear than a storm of indignation passed through the
city; and the people threatened to annihilate it. Wishing to avoid any
unlawful procedure, the city council was convened to consider what
steps should be taken to suppress the unclean and untruthful thing.

The _Expositor_ was produced and read in the council. It was held by
some that the purpose for which it was published was to provoke the
people to some overt act which would make them amenable to the law, and
increase the bitterness of the outside prejudice against them. This was
doubtless the case. Such it seems was the understanding of the council.
In relation to this circumstance Elder Taylor remarks:

"With a perfect knowledge, therefore, of the designs of these infernal
scoundrels who were in our midst, as well as those who surrounded us,
the city council entered upon an investigation of the matter. They felt
that they were in a critical position, and that any move made for the
abating of that press would be looked upon, or at least represented,
as a direct attack upon the liberty of speech, and that, so far from
displeasing our enemies, it would be looked upon by them as one of
the best circumstances that could transpire to assist them in their
nefarious and bloody designs."

After spending nearly a whole night in considering the best plan to
pursue, it was finally decided to declare the _Expositor_ a nuisance,
and order its abatement. Elder Taylor made the motion and it was
carried unanimously, with the exception of one vote, and that person
acknowledged the righteousness of the movement, but feared it would
afford the enemies of the city too great an advantage by giving some
ground for the cry that would be raised, that the freedom of the
press had been overthrown in Nauvoo. It is quite certain, however,
that if the city council had not taken this means of suppressing the
_Expositor_, the citizens would have risen _en masse_ and a mob would
have destroyed it: and that would have given the enemies of the Saints
as good ground for agitation against Nauvoo and her people as the
action of the city council did. So Elder Taylor's motion prevailed.

The _Expositor_ Press was destroyed by the city marshal, John P. Green,
and a small _posse_ of men he called to his assistance. The type was
pied in the streets and the papers in the office taken out and burned.
The whole proceeding was done quietly but determinedly. The only force
employed was the breaking in of the doors to the _Expositor_ office
when admittance was denied. Some of the leading apostates set fire to
their houses and fled to Carthage, the county seat of Hancock County,
with the lie on their lips that their lives were in danger. Fortunately
the police in Nauvoo discovered the houses of these men on fire and
extinguished the flames before any material harm was done, so that they
had no blackened ruins to point to as a witness of Mormon atrocity.

All the mischief anticipated from suppressing the _Expositor_ nuisance
came to pass. "The Mormons had laid unhallowed hands upon the press!"
"They opposed the freedom of speech!" "The laws were no longer a
protection to life and property in Nauvoo!" "A mob at Nauvoo under a
city ordinance had violated the highest privilege in the government!"
Such were the sentences that flew as if on the wings of the wind to all
parts of Illinois.

A mass meeting was held at Warsaw, the prevailing sentiment of which
was that "to seek redress in the ordinary mode would be utterly
ineffectual." The meeting therefore adopted resolutions announcing
that those present were at all times ready to co-operate with their
fellow citizens in Missouri and Iowa to exterminate--_utterly
exterminate_--the Mormon leaders--the authors their troubles. Another
mass meeting was held at Carthage at which the Warsaw resolutions were
adopted.

The anti-Mormon press teemed with intemperate articles, outrageously
false accusations and frantic appeals to the very worst passions of
human nature. The citizens of Nauvoo were represented as a horde of
lawless ruffians and brigands; anti-American and anti-republican;
steeped in crime and iniquity; opposed to freedom of speech and to
progress; among whom neither persons nor property were secure. They
were accused also of having designs upon the citizens of Illinois and
of the United States; and for these things the people were called upon
to rise _en masse_ and utterly exterminate them.

While these falsehoods were being extensively circulated through
Illinois and the surrounding states, it was the most difficult thing,
almost impossible to get a true statement of the case before the
country. True accounts of the proceedings of the city council in the
_Expositor_ affair were published in the _Times and Seasons_ and also
in the _Neighbor_; but it was impossible to circulate them in Hancock
and surrounding counties, as they were destroyed at the post offices.
To get them abroad Elder Taylor had to send them a distance of thirty
or forty miles from Nauvoo before posting them. In some instances they
had to be taken to St. Louis, a distance of two hundred miles, to
ensure their reaching their destination.

The systematic circulation of falsehood on the one hand, and the
suppression of the truth on the other, resulted in a tremendous storm
of indignation against the Saints--especially against the leading
Elders--that threatened to overwhelm them.

In the midst of this excitement, complaint was made by Francis M.
Higbee, and a warrant issued against the members of the city council
for riot in destroying the _Expositor_ press and fixtures. The warrant
was issued by Mr. Morrison, a justice of the peace in Carthage, and
required the constable, Mr. Bettisworth, to bring the parties named
in it before him, "or some other justice of the peace," to be dealt
with according to law. When the writ was served on the members of
the council they expressed a perfect willingness to submit to an
investigation of their proceedings; but as the law of the state made it
the privilege of the accused to "appear before the issuer of the writ
or any other justice of the peace," they desired to avail themselves
of this privilege, and go before some other magistrate than Justice
Morrison, alleging as their reason for this that it was unsafe for
them to go to Carthage. The constable refused to grant their request,
whereupon they sued for a writ of _habeas corpus_ before the municipal
court of Nauvoo, and on a hearing of the case they were dismissed. [2]

This was declared to be resistance to the law, and made use of to
further influence the public mind against the Mormons. Mobs were
therefore assembled and the work of violence inaugurated by kidnapping,
whipping and otherwise abusing the Saints living in out-lying districts
of Nauvoo. For protection the people thus abused fled to Nauvoo, and
this was heralded abroad as the massing of the Mormon forces.

Governor Ford was kept informed of all that was transpiring in Nauvoo
by the city authorities, and in answer to the question, "What course
shall we pursue in the event of an armed mob coming against the city,"
he replied that Joseph Smith was Lieutenant-General of the Nauvoo
Legion; it was his duty to protect the city and surrounding country,
and issued orders to him to that effect. Thus qualified to act, by the
Governor of the state, the Legion was called together and measures were
taken for the defense of the city: as the mob forces grew bolder every
day, Nauvoo was at last placed under martial law.

Footnotes

1. Ford's History of Illinois, p. 246.

2. Subsequently, at the instance of Judge Thomas, the circuit judge of
the judicial district in which Nauvoo was located, the city council
submitted to a new trial, on the same charge, before Squire Wells and
were again acquitted.



CHAPTER XIV.

ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR FORD IN CARTHAGE--MOB CONVERTED INTO MILITIA--ELDER
TAYLOR AND DR. BERNHISEL GO TO CARTHAGE--DEMANDS OF GOVERNOR
FORD--PLEDGES THE HONOR OF THE STATE FOR JOSEPH'S PROTECTION--JOSEPH
STARTS FOR THE WEST--RETURNS--ARRIVAL AND RECEPTION AT CARTHAGE.

Meantime the mobocrats were active in making their misrepresentations
to the governor. He finally determined to visit the scenes of the
difficulty. He went from Springfield to Carthage, the head-quarters of
the mob forces, and received them as the militia of the state.

His first move was to send a message to Nauvoo asking that a committee
be appointed to represent to him the state of affairs in the county.
Elder Taylor and Dr. J. M. Bernhisel were appointed that committee.
Armed with affidavits and duplicates of documents which had been sent
to the Governor at Springfield--he had missed the messengers bearing
them by starting for Carthage--they left on the evening of the 21st
of June, to wait upon the Governor, arriving in Carthage about eleven
o'clock at night. The town was filled with a rabble more or less under
the influence of liquor. The yelling and swearing would justify them in
the belief that they had arrived in pandemonium.

Elder Taylor and companion put up at the Hamilton House; the Governor
also had his rooms there. On retiring they had to pass through another
bed-room to get to their own, and stretched out on the bed was one
Jackson, a vicious cut-throat and desperado, one of the chief enemies
of the Saints. On reaching the chamber assigned them, Elder Taylor
hinted to his companion that things looked suspicious, and took the
precaution to see that his weapons were in order.

No sooner had they retired than the young apostate Chauncy Higbee
came to their door, and stated that Daniel Garn was under arrest and
was about to be committed to prison; that as he believed him to be an
honest man, one who had done wrong only through the instigation of
others, he thought it a pity for him to be committed to prison, and he
had come to ask Dr. Bernhisel to be his bail. Touched by this appeal
the doctor said he would go, and Higbee left him while he dressed,
saying he would call for him in a few minutes.

After the departure of Higbee, Elder Taylor expressed his fear that
this was but a ruse to separate them. They had important documents to
submit to the Governor, and it was his opinion that the object was to
separate them and get possession of those papers, and perhaps murder
one or both of them. The doctor admitted the probability of this and
informed Higbee that Elder Taylor and himself would wait upon the
justice in the morning. That night Elder Taylor laid awake with his
pistols under his pillow, ready for any emergency.

The light of morning came at last, and with the darkness fled their
apprehensions. They waited upon the justice who held Daniel Garn in
custody, and offered to be his bail. The justice answered that he
doubted if property in Nauvoo would be worth anything in a few days,
and therefore refused to accept them as bondsmen. They both had
property outside of Nauvoo which they offered as security. The justice
then told them that such was the nature of the accusation against Mr.
Garn, that he would not feel justified in admitting him to bail. This
confirmed Elder Taylor's suspicion that the request for them to be his
bail the night before was only a ruse to separate them.

That morning they had an interview with the Governor. "And such an
interview!" exclaimed Elder Taylor. He was surrounded by the very
vilest of apostate Mormons and desperadoes, bent on the destruction of
the Saints. As he opened and read aloud some of the documents submitted
to him, he was frequently interrupted with such expressions as, "that's
a lie!" "that's a G--d d----d lie!" "that's an infernal falsehood!" etc.

After the whole case was stated to the Governor, and all the documents
submitted, he insisted that in order to prove to the people that they
were willing to submit to the law, it would be best for Joseph Smith
and all concerned in the destruction of the _Expositor_ press to come
to Carthage for examination. Elder Taylor represented that they had
already been examined before two competent courts on that charge, the
municipal court of Nauvoo and before Squire Wells, a justice of the
peace, and each time acquitted; that they had fulfilled the law in
every particular and that their enemies had murderous designs and were
only making use of this matter to get Joseph Smith and other leading
men into their power. The Governor, however, insisted that the proper
thing for them to do would be to come to Carthage.

Elder Taylor then stated that in consequence of the excitement
prevailing, it would be extremely unsafe for Joseph to come to
Carthage; that they had men and arms to defend themselves, but if
their forces and those of their enemies should be brought into close
proximity the most probable result would be a collision. In reply to
this the Governor "strenuously advised us," says Elder Taylor, "not to
bring our arms, and _pledged his faith as Governor, and the faith of
the state, that we should be protected, and that he would guarantee our
perfect safety_."

After waiting until evening for a communication which the Governor
prepared for Joseph, Elder Taylor and companion started for Nauvoo
in company with Captain Gates and a squad of mounted men sent by
the Governor to escort the Prophet to Carthage, should he conclude
to act on his advice. They reached Nauvoo about nine o'clock, and
at once delivered the Governor's message to Joseph with a report of
their labors. Joseph was much displeased with the spirit manifested
in the Governor's letter and with his whole course. The little group
of friends that met in council were much perplexed as to what course
to pursue, and various plans of action were discussed. Among others
the feasibility of Joseph going to Washington to lay the case before
President Tyler. At this juncture the council was interrupted by the
withdrawal of Joseph to give an interview to two gentlemen,--one of
whom was a son of John C. Calhoun,--who had arrived at the mansion and
were anxious to meet with the Prophet. He was detained sometime, and
between two and three o'clock in the morning, having had no rest the
night before, and thinking that Joseph would not return, Elder Taylor
left the mansion for his home, to rest.

Shortly after he retired, however, the Prophet returned and the
informal council meeting was resumed. The project of laying the
case before President Tyler was abandoned. Joseph had received an
inspiration to go west, and all would be well. He said: "The way is
open. It is clear to my mind what to do. All they want is Hyrum and
myself; then tell everybody to go about their business, and not collect
in groups, but scatter about. There is no danger; they will come here
and search for us. Let them search; they will not harm you in person or
in property, and not even a hair of your head. We will cross the river
tonight and go away to the west."

The Prophet and his brother Hyrum at once crossed the river and their
friends were instructed to procure horses for them and make all
necessary preparations to start for "the Great Basin of the Rocky
Mountains."

The next morning a Mrs. Thompson entered Elder Taylor's house about
seven o'clock.

"What, you here!" she exclaimed, very much surprised, "the brethren
have crossed the river some time since."

"What brethren?"

"Brother Joseph and Hyrum, and Brother Richards."

Elder Taylor at once concluded that those brethren had determined
finally to leave for the East for a season, as had been talked of the
night before, instead of going to Carthage. He knew what a storm of
rage and disappointment that would arouse in the breasts of the mob
militia at Carthage, who were waiting with ill-concealed impatience for
the coming of their prey. Being satisfied that if the mob forces which
Governor Ford had exalted to the dignity of "state militia" should come
to Nauvoo, and find their victims gone, the first thing they would do
would be to destroy the printing office. He therefore called to his
assistance a few brethren in whom he had confidence and removed the
type, the stereotyped plates of the Book of Mormon and the fixtures
that were the most valuable.

This done he made arrangements for the adjustment of his accounts,
having determined, in the event of not finding Joseph and his
companions, to go to Upper Canada for a season. In caring for the
valuables in the printing office, and in making his preparations to
leave Nauvoo, he had been materially assisted by Cyrus H. Wheelock. He
was an active, enterprising man, just such a man as Elder Taylor would
need if he went to Canada, so he said to him:

"Brother Wheelock, can you go with me ten or fifteen hundred miles?

"Yes."

"Can you start in half an hour?

"Yes."

Those were times and circumstances that required prompt action, and
Brother Wheelock had evidently drunk deeply into the spirit of the
times. Brother Wheelock lived on the Montrose side of the river; and
Elder Taylor told him to go and visit his family, procure horses and
the necessary equipage for the journey, and if they heard nothing from
Joseph they would start by night fall. He also arranged for Brother
Wheelock and a Brother Bell to row him across the river during the
afternoon. That he might not be recognized while leaving Nauvoo, he
went to the house of a Brother Eddy on the banks of the river, and
there disguised himself as an old man. He went down to the boat while
the brethren were sauntering along on the banks just below it. Brother
Bell did not recognize him and at last remarked to Brother Wheelock--"I
wish that old gentleman would go away; he has been pottering around
that boat for some time, and I am afraid that Elder Taylor will be
coming." His mistake, when discovered, afforded them considerable
merriment.

At Montrose he was taken by the brethren to a house surrounded by
timber, and there made arrangements to take the stereotyped plates of
the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants with him, thinking he
could supply the publishing company at Nauvoo subsistence money through
the sale of these books in the east.

Meantime Elias Smith, cousin to the Prophet, had procured him some
money for his journey; his horses were reported ready, the friendly
night which would cover him from the eyes of his enemies was
approaching, when word was brought to him from Joseph to meet him in
Montrose. The Prophet had suddenly changed his mind and had determined
on going to Carthage to give himself up; and he wished Elder Taylor to
accompany him.

"I must confess that I felt a good deal disappointed at the news," says
Elder Taylor, "but I immediately made preparations to go."

The facts in the case were that some of Joseph's friends, learning that
he was intending to leave Nauvoo, instead of rendering him all possible
assistance to escape from his enemies, complained of his conduct as
most cowardly, and entreated him to return to the city and not leave
them like a false shepherd leaves his flock when the wolves attack
it. The parties most forward in making this charge of cowardice were,
Reynolds Cahoon, L. D. Wasson and Hiram Kimball. His wife Emma also
sent a letter by the hand of Reynolds Cahoon, entreating him to return
and give himself up, trusting to the pledges of the governor for a
fair trial. Influenced by these entreaties to return, and stung by the
taunts of cowardice from those who should have been his friends, the
Prophet said: "If my life is of no value to my friends, it is of none
to myself." And against his better judgment, and with the conviction
fixed in his soul that he would be killed, he resolved to return. He
crossed over the river to Nauvoo, and sent a message to Governor Ford
that night that he would be in Carthage the next day.

Early the following morning Elder Taylor started in company with the
Prophet and others for Carthage. Within four miles of that place they
met Captain Dunn _en route_ to Nauvoo, with a requisition from the
Governor for the state arms. [1] At the solicitation of Captain Dunn
and his command, the party from Nauvoo returned with him to assist
by their influence to obtain the arms belonging to the state. This
accomplished, the whole party again started for Carthage.

It was midnight when they entered the town, but a militia company
encamped on the public square--the Carthage Greys--were aroused and
gave vent to profane threats as the company passed, of which the
following is a specimen: "Where's the d----d prophet? Stand away you
McDonough boys and let us shoot the d----d Mormons! G----d d----n you,
old Joe, we've got you now! Clear the way, and let us have a view of
Joe Smith, the prophet of God! He has seen the last of Nauvoo! We'll
use him up now."

A crowd followed the party from the public square, and hung round the
Hamilton House yelling and cursing like demons. Governor Ford pushed
up a window and thus addressed them: "Gentlemen, I know your anxiety
to see Mr. Smith, which is natural enough, but it is quite too late
tonight for you to have that opportunity; but I assure you, gentlemen,
you shall have that privilege tomorrow morning, as I will cause him to
pass before the troops upon the square, and I now wish you, with this
assurance, quietly and peaceably to return to your quarters." There was
a faint "Hurrah for Tom Ford," and the crowd withdrew.

Footnotes

1. It was on the occasion of meeting Captain Dunn and his company that
Joseph uttered those prophetic words--"I am going like a lamb to the
slaughter, but I am calm as a summer's morning. I have a conscience
void of offense toward God and toward all men. I shall die innocent,
and it shall yet be said of me, 'he was murdered in cold blood.'" Hyrum
Smith that morning, before leaving Nauvoo, and in spite of an assumed
cheerfulness, had also left evidence that the fate awaiting himself
and brother at Carthage had been foreshadowed in his mind. He read a
passage in the Book of Mormon, near the close of the 12th Chapter of
Ether:

"And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give
unto the Gentiles grace that they might have charity. And it came to
pass that the Lord said unto me, if they have not charity, it mattereth
not unto thee, thou hast been faithful; wherefore thy garments shall
be made clean. And because thou hast seen thy weakness thou shalt be
made strong, even unto the sitting down in the place which I have
prepared in the mansions of my Father. And now I----bid farewell unto
the Gentiles, yea, and also unto my brethren whom I love until we shall
meet before the judgment-seat of Christ, where all men shall know that
my garments are not spotted with your blood."

On this passage he turned down the leaf, and there it is, a silent
witness that he, too, knew he was going "like a lamb to the slaughter."



CHAPTER XV.

THE MARTYRDOM.

The next morning--the 25th of June--the city authorities of Nauvoo and
some persons who had assisted the marshal to remove the _Expositor_
press, appeared before Robert F. Smith, a justice of the peace, to
answer again to the charge of riot. Owing to the excitement prevailing,
the aforesaid parties consented to be bound over to appear before the
circuit court at its next session; and became security for each other
in $500 bonds each.

No sooner was this matter thus disposed of than one Henry O. Norton and
Augustine Spencer--two worthless scoundrels whose words were utterly
unreliable, went before the justice of the peace who had just dismissed
the brethren, and charged Joseph and Hyrum Smith with having committed
the crime of treason. The warrant for their arrest was placed in the
hands of Constable Bettisworth, an over-bearing, insolent officer. He
went to the Hamilton House, where the Messrs. Smith and their friends
were staying: he arrested them and was for dragging them off to jail.
They demanded to see the mittimus committing them to prison, a request
which at first was denied, but finally the instrument was produced.

It recited that the parties under arrest had been before the justice
for trial, but that said trial had been necessarily postponed because
of the absence of material witnesses. That was an infamously false
statement, unless the accused could have appeared before the justice
without being present in person or by counsel. It afforded Constable
Bettisworth an excuse, however, to drag these men off to jail, and
this he was determined to do, their vigorous protest to the contrary
notwithstanding.

Seeing his friends thus illegally and brutally dealt with aroused the
righteous indignation of Elder Taylor. He sought out the governor,
informed him of what was going on, and the character of the men who had
made the charge. The governor regretted that the thing had occurred,
he did not believe the charges, but thought the best thing to do was
to let the law take its course. All this was unsatisfactory to Elder
Taylor. He reminded the governor that they had all come to Carthage
at his instance, not to satisfy the law, for that had no claim upon
them; but to manifest a willingness to meet their action in relation
to the _Expositor_ affair; that at his suggestion they had given bonds
to appear before the circuit court; that they had come without arms at
his request, and relied upon him to shield them from insult; that after
his solemn pledge to Doctor Bernhisel and himself he thought they had a
right to expect protection from him: but if in his very presence they
were to be subject to mob rule, and, contrary to law, be dragged into
prison at the instance of every infernal scoundrel whose oath could be
bought for a dram of whiskey, his protection did not amount to much and
they had miscalculated his promises.

Leaving the presence of the governor he hurried back to his friends. A
great rabble, a mixture of soldiers and citizens and partly under the
influence of liquor, had gathered in the street about the hotel, and
rowdyism and excitement were running high. Fearing a design was on foot
to kill the prisoners on the way to the jail, Elder Taylor hailed a
soldier and said: "I am afraid there is a design against the lives of
the Messrs. Smith; will you go immediately and bring your captain, and
if not convenient, any other captain of a company, and I will pay you
well for your trouble."

The man departed and soon returned with his captain, who, when Elder
Taylor told him of his fears, went after his company and brought them
up just as the constable was hurrying off his victims to jail; this
company of militia guarded them to the prison.

The next day--the 26th of June--there was a long interview between
Governor Ford and the Prophet, at which Elder Taylor was present. All
the difficulties that had arisen were related by the Prophet and the
action of himself and associates explained and defended. In concluding
that conversation the Prophet said: "Governor Ford, I ask nothing but
what is legal; I have a right to expect protection, at least from you;
for independent of law, you have pledged your faith and that of the
state for my protection, and I wish to go to Nauvoo."

"And you shall have protection, General Smith," replied the governor.
"I did not make this promise without consulting my officers, who all
pledged their honor to its fulfillment. I do not know that I shall go
tomorrow to Nauvoo, but if I do, I will take you along."

In the afternoon of the same day Joseph and Hyrum were as illegally
dragged out of prison as they had been unlawfully thrust into it; for
the justice having committed them to prison, "there to remain until
discharged by due process of law," had no more power over them. But
notwithstanding this fact, he ordered the constable to bring them
from jail into his court; and when the prisoners refused to go at the
bidding of this autocratic justice, the constable, under instructions
from the magistrate, called to his assistance a detachment of the
Carthage Greys under Frank Worrell, and again presented himself at the
jail, and in spite of the protests of the prisoners and the jailer,
they forced them to go before Justice Smith.

On arraignment before the justice, counsel for the accused asked for
a continuation until the next day to procure witnesses. This was
granted; a new mittimus was made out and they were again committed to
prison. After the departure of the accused, and without consulting them
or their counsel, the time for the hearing of the case was further
postponed until the 29th.

The following day--the ever-memorable 27th of June--the governor broke
the promise he had made to Joseph Smith the day previous, viz.: that if
he went to Nauvoo he would take him along. He disbanded the mob militia
except a small company he detailed to accompany him to Nauvoo, and the
Carthage Greys, a company of the very worst enemies the Smiths and
their friends had--these he left to guard the prisoners!

The mob-militia, after receiving their discharge, before leaving the
public square in Carthage, publicly boasted that they would only go
a short distance from town, and after the governor left they would
return and kill the Smiths and their friends if they had "to tear down
the jail to do it." Captain Dan Jones, one of the brethren, heard this
threat and informed the governor of it. The only answer he received was
that he was too anxious for the safety of his friends.

Later in the day Captain Jones was dispatched to Hon. O.H. Browning,
a prominent lawyer of Quincy, to secure his professional services in
the pending trial. Cyrus Wheelock left for Nauvoo a little after noon
to obtain witnesses. Before going he left a six-shooting revolver
belonging to Elder Taylor with the Prophet. Stephen Markham being seen
on the street was captured, put on his horse and compelled to leave
town at the point of the bayonet. The departure of these brethren left
only John Taylor and Willard Richards with the Prophet and his brother
Hyrum.

The afternoon drew its slow length along. The four friends carried on
a desultory conversation, in which Elder Richards remarked: "Brother
Joseph, if it is necessary that you die in this matter, and if they
will take me in your stead, I will suffer for you."

Other thoughts were passing through the mind of Elder Taylor. He
regarded the whole thing as an outrage on their liberties and rights;
and the mob proceedings under the forms of law a legal farce. As he
contemplated these acts of injustice he broke out with--"Brother
Joseph, if you will permit it, and say the word, I will have you out of
this prison in five hours, if the jail has to come down to do it." His
idea was to go to Nauvoo, collect a sufficient force of the brethren to
liberate his friends. Joseph refused to sanction such a course.

The four friends were sitting in a large, square room in the prison,
usually occupied by men imprisoned for the lighter offenses. The
afternoon was warm and the spirits of the brethren extremely dull and
depressed--did the shadow of their impending fate begin to fall upon
them? Elder Taylor sang the following song, which had recently been
introduced into Nauvoo. The tune is the one to which he sang it on that
melancholy occasion:

    A poor, wayfaring man of grief
    Hath often crossed me on my way;
    Who sued so humbly for relief,
    That I could never answer "Nay."
    I had not power to ask his name,
    Whither he went, or whence he came;
    Yet there was something in his eye
    That won my love, I knew not why.

    Once when my scanty meal was spread,
    He entered--not a word he spake!
    Just perishing for want of bread;
    I gave him all; he blessed it, brake,
    And ate, but gave me part again;
    Mine was an angel's portion then;
    For while I fed with eager haste
    The crust was manna to my taste.

    I spied him where a fountain burst
    Clear from the rock; his strength was gone;
    The heedless water mocked his thirst;
    He heard it, saw it hurrying on--
    I ran and raised the sufferer up;
    Thrice from the stream he drained my cup;
    Dipped, and returned it running o'er;
    I drank, and never thirsted more.

    'Twas night; the floods were out; it blew
    A winter-hurricane aloof;
    I heard his voice abroad, and flew
    To bid him welcome to my roof.
    I warmed and clothed and cheered my guest;
    I laid him on my couch to rest;
    Then made the earth my bed, and seemed
    In Eden's garden while I dreamed.

    Stripped, wounded, beaten nigh to death,
    I found him by the highway side;
    I roused his pulse, brought back his breath,
    Revived his spirit and supplied
    Wine, oil, refreshment--he was healed;
    I had myself a wound concealed;
    But from that hour forgot the smart,
    And peace bound up my broken heart.

    In prison I saw him next,--condemned
    To meet a traitor's doom at morn;
    The tide of lying tongues I stemmed,
    And honored him 'mid shame and scorn.
    My friendship's utmost zeal to try,
    He asked if I for him would die;
    The flesh was weak, my blood ran chill,
    But the free spirit cried, "I will."

    Then in a moment to my view,
    The stranger darted from disguise;
    The tokens in his hands I knew;
    The Savior stood before mine eyes.
    He spake, and my poor name he named--
    "Of me thou hast not been ashamed;
    These deeds shall my memorial be;
    Fear not, thou didst them unto me."

Shortly Hyrum asked him to sing the song again, to which he replied:

"Brother Hyrum, I do not feel like singing."

"Oh, never mind; commence singing and you will get the spirit of it."

Soon after finishing the song the second time, as he was sitting at one
of the front windows of the jail, he saw a number of men, with painted
faces, rushing round the corner towards the stairs. The brethren must
have seen this mob simultaneously, for as Elder Taylor started for the
door to secure it, he found Hyrum Smith and Doctor Richards leaning
against it to prevent its being opened, as the lock and latch were
of little use. The mob reaching the landing in front of the door,
and thinking it was locked, fired a shot through the key hole. Hyrum
and Doctor Richards sprang back, when instantly another ball crashed
through the panel of the door and struck Hyrum in the face; at the same
instant a ball from the window facing the public square where the main
body of the Carthage Greys was stationed, entered his back, and he fell
exclaiming, "I am a dead man!" With an expression of deep sympathy in
his face, Joseph bent over the prostrate body of the murdered man and
exclaimed, "Oh! my poor, dear brother Hyrum!" Then instantly rising to
his feet he drew the pistol Cyrus Wheelock had left, and with a quick,
firm step, and a determined expression in his face he advanced to the
door and snapped the pistol six successive times; only three of the
loads, however, were discharged. [1]

While Joseph was firing the pistol Elder Taylor stood close behind him,
and as soon as he discharged it and stepped back, Elder Taylor took
his place next the door, and with a heavy walking stick--left there
by Brother Markham--parried the guns as they were thrust through the
doorway and discharged.

The firing from within made the mob pause, but it was only for an
instant, and then the attack was more furious than ever. The scene was
terrible! Streams of fire as thick as a man's arm belched forth from
the ever increasing number of guns in the door-way, yet calm, energetic
and determined, Elder Taylor beat down the muzzles of those murderous
guns.

"That's right, Brother Taylor, parry them off as well as you can," said
Joseph, as he stood behind him. Those were the last words he heard the
Prophet speak on earth in the flesh.

Meantime the crowd on the landing grew more dense and were forced to
the door by the pressure of those below crowding their way up the
stairs. The guns of the assailants were pushed further and further
into the room--the firing was more rapid and accompanied with demoniac
yells and horrid oaths and execrations. Certain that they would be
overpowered in a moment if he remained longer at the door, and thinking
that they might have some friends outside, Elder Taylor sprang for the
open window directly in front of the prison door, and also exposed to
the fire of the Carthage Greys from the public square. As he was in the
act of leaping from the window, a ball fired from the door-way struck
him about midway of his left thigh. He fell helpless on the window sill
and would have dropped on the outside of the jail--when another shot
from the outside, striking the watch in his vest pocket, threw him back
into the room. As soon as he struck the floor his animation returned,
and, in order to avoid the range of fire from the door way, he drew
himself as rapidly as possible in his crippled condition under the
bedstead that stood near the window.

While on his way three other bullets struck him; one a little below
the left knee--it was never extracted; another tore away the flesh to
the size of a man's hand from his left hip and spattered the wall with
blood and the mangled fragments; another entered the forepart of his
left arm, a little above the wrist, and, passing down by the joint,
lodged in the palm of his left hand.

As he laid there weltering in his blood, he heard the mob at the door
shout: "He has leaped from the window!" There was a cessation of
the firing, and a general rush down stairs. At the same instant Dr.
Richards crossed the room and looked out of the window.

It would seem that the Prophet Joseph also attempted to leap from the
window, but on reaching it he was instantly shot and fell to the ground
by the side of an old well-curb. It was this that gave rise to the cry,
"He has leaped from the window!" which attracted the attention of Elder
Taylor.

Brother Richards remained but a moment at the window; and then started
for the inner prison, the door of which opened on the landing in front
of the door to the room the brethren had occupied. As he passed him
Elder Taylor said:

"Stop, doctor, and take me along."

Ascertaining that the iron door to the criminals' cell was open, he
returned and dragged his wounded companion into it. Inside the cell he
exclaimed:

"Oh! Brother Taylor, is it possible that they have killed Brothers
Joseph and Hyrum? It cannot surely be, and yet I saw them shoot them!
Oh Lord, my God, spare Thy servants!" he exclaimed several times,
raising his hands to heaven with each exclamation. "Brother Taylor,
this is a terrible event," he went on; and then dragged him still
further into the cell.

Taking up an old filthy mattress he threw it over the wounded man
saying: "I am sorry I cannot do better for you; but that may hide you,
and you may yet live to tell the tale, but I expect they will kill me
in a few moments."

The doctor then went out to learn for certain the fate which had
befallen the Prophet. While he was gone Elder Taylor suffered the
most excruciating pain. Dr. Richards returned in a few minutes, and
confirmed his worst fears--the Prophet was dead!

"I felt," says Elder Taylor, "a dull, lonely, sickening sensation at
the news."

"When I reflected that our noble chieftain, the Prophet of the
living God, had fallen, and that I had seen his brother in the cold
embrace of death, it seemed as though there was a void or vacuum in
the great field of human existence to me, and a dark, gloomy chasm
in the kingdom, and that we were left alone. Oh, how lonely was that
feeling! How cold, barren and desolate! In the midst of difficulties
he was always the first in motion; in critical positions his counsel
was always sought. As our Prophet he approached our God, and obtained
for us His will; but now our Prophet, our counselor, our general, our
leader was gone, and amid the fiery ordeal that we then had to pass
through, we were left alone without his aid, and as our future guide
for things spiritual or temporal, and for all things pertaining to this
world or the next, he had spoken for the last time on earth!"

"These reflections and a thousand others flashed upon my mind. I
thought, Why must the good perish, and the virtuous be destroyed?
Why must God's nobility, the salt of the earth, the most exalted of
the human family, and the most perfect types of all excellence, fall
victims to the cruel, fiendish hate of incarnate devils?"

Ah, why?

Footnotes

1. It was understood that these shots wounded several of the mob, and
that two of them died from the effects of their wounds. The widow of a
Mr. Lawn, captain of one of the companies of McDonough County militia,
meeting with Elder Parley P. Pratt in California in 1856, told him
that a man by the name of Townsend, living in Iowa, near Fort Madison,
was one of the mob who forced the door of Carthage jail on the above
occasion. One of the pistol shots fired by Joseph wounded him in the
arm near the shoulder, and it continued to rot until taken off, and
then it did not heal, but continued to rot, and about nine months after
he was wounded he died. About six months after he was shot Mrs. Lawn
saw his arm and dressed it. Auto. P. P. Pratt, p. 475-6.



CHAPTER XVI.

FLIGHT OF THE MOB--EXCITEMENT OF THE GOVERNOR--ELDER TAYLOR'S
SUFFERING--HYPOCRISY--STILL IN DANGER--THE RETURN TO
NAUVOO--GRATITUDE--"WITH THE GREATEST OF PROPHETS HE SUFFERED AND BLED."

Immediately after the terrible tragedy was ended, fear seized upon
the perpetrators of it, and they precipitately fled. A number of the
inhabitants of Carthage gathered about the jail, and some of these went
to the head of the stairs to see the work that had been done.

Elder Taylor was brought out of the cell to the landing at the head of
the stairs. Through the open door leading into the room that he and his
friends had occupied when the assault was made, he had a full view of
Hyrum Smith.

"There he lay as I had left him," he writes. "He had not moved a
limb; he lay placid and calm, a monument of greatness even in death:
but his noble spirit had left its tenement and had gone to dwell in
regions more congenial to its exalted nature. Poor Hyrum! he was a
great and good man, and my soul was cemented to his. If ever there
was an exemplary, honest and virtuous man, an embodiment of all that
is noble in the human form, Hyrum Smith was its representative." Such
were his thoughts on the character of his friend, even while suffering
excruciating pains from his wounds.

Among those who stood about him on the landing was a doctor, and
feeling the ball that had lodged in the palm of Elder Taylor's left
hand, he took a pen knife, made an incision and then with a pair of
carpenter's compasses pried out the half-ounce ball. The alternate
sawing with a dull pen knife and prying with the compasses was simply
surgical butchery. The doctor afterwards said that Elder Taylor had
nerves "like the devil" to stand that operation.

The crowd now urged him to consent to be removed to Hamilton's hotel,
where he could be cared for, to which he replied: "I don't know you.
Who am I among? I am surrounded by assassins and murderers; witness
your deeds! Don't talk to me of kindness and comfort; look at your
murdered victims! Look at me! I want none of your counsel nor comfort.
There may be some safety here; I can be assured of none anywhere."

They protested that he was safe with them; it was a shame that he and
his friends had been treated in the manner they had; they swore by
all the oaths known to the damned that they would stand by him to the
death. "In half an hour every one of them had fled from the town," says
Elder Taylor.

Meantime a coroner's inquest was being held over the bodies of Joseph
and Hyrum. Robert F. Smith, the justice of the peace who had issued the
warrant for the arrest of the murdered men on the charge of treason,
who without a hearing had illegally committed them to prison and then
in a few hours as unlawfully dragged them out to appear before his
court, who was captain of the Carthage Greys and who had helped to
murder them, was the coroner! During the investigation the name of
Francis Higbee was mentioned as being in the vicinity.

"Captain Smith, you are a justice of the peace--I want to swear my life
against that man," said Elder Taylor. Word was immediately sent to
Higbee and he left Carthage.

Through the persuasions of Doctor Richards Elder Taylor was at last
removed to Hamilton's hotel, though it was difficult to obtain
sufficient help to move him, as a great fear fell upon the people and
they had fled the place as though a plague had fallen upon it. It
was feared that the Mormons being incensed at the murder of Joseph
and Hyrum would call out the Legion and take summary vengeance on
the people of Carthage. It was only by earnest entreaty that Doctor
Richards could prevail upon the Hamiltons to remain.

All the inhabitants of Carthage knew that a terrible outrage had been
perpetrated; that the pledged faith of the state had been broken; that
the martyrs had voluntarily gone to Carthage and placed themselves
in the power of their enemies at a time when they were amply able
to protect themselves against the mob thrice told, and against the
governor's troops besides. No wonder the people of Carthage expected
that the Mormons would take a terrible vengeance.

Doctor Richards was also afraid that he Saints in their just
indignation would rise in their wrath and take vengeance into their own
hands. He took counsel with Elder Taylor and concluded to send a note
to Nauvoo. "Brother Richards, say that I am _slightly_ wounded," said
Elder Taylor. And when the note [1] making the awful announcement of
the murder of the prophets to the Saints was brought to him, he signed
his name as quickly as possible lest the tremor of his hand should be
noticed, and the fears of his family aroused.

This note was entrusted to George D. Grant, who at once started for
Nauvoo. He was met within three miles of the city by the governor
and his escort, who, on hearing a cannon fired in the direction of
Carthage, had immediately left Nauvoo. Governor Ford had gone to Nauvoo
that morning, and during the day delivered a speech to the people. In
it he had insulted them by assuming that all their enemies had said of
them was true. At this, according to his own account of the matter, the
people manifested some impatience and anger, as well they might, for
baser slanders were never circulated of any community, nor a grosser
insult ever offered to one than for the governor to assume, without
investigation, that all that had been said against them was true.

The governor compelled George D. Grant to return to Carthage with him,
that he might have time to remove the county records from the court
house and give the citizens a chance to escape before the people of
Nauvoo should learn of the murder; for he, too, expected the Mormons
would wreak a terrible vengeance. He reached Carthage about midnight,
and having conferred with Dr. Richards, and promising that all things
should be inquired into, and telling what few people remained in
Carthage to flee for their lives, Governor Ford listened to the voice
of his own fears and with his posse fled in the direction of Quincy.

It was morning before Elder Taylor's wounds could be dressed and he
made in any way comfortable. The day following, the 29th, his wife
Leonora came to him, and also his father and mother, as well as a
number of the brethren who had come to render assistance in removing
the remains of the martyrs to Nauvoo.

General Demming of the Hancock County militia and also Colonel Jones,
treated Elder Taylor with marked courtesy, and seemed solicitous for
his welfare. There were also a number of gentlemen from Quincy and
other places, among them Judge Ralston, who called to inquire after his
welfare. Among them was a doctor who extracted a ball that was giving
him great pain from his thigh.

"Will you be tied during the operation, Mr. Taylor?"

"Oh, no; I shall endure the cutting all right," was the reply, and he
did.

The ball was buried in the flesh, and flattened against the bone to
the size of a 25 cent piece, and the thigh was badly swollen; but the
cutting was a relief from the pain he had endured.

During the performance of the operation Sister Taylor retired to
another room to pray for him, that he might have strength to endure
it and be restored to her and her family. While thus engaged an old
Methodist lady of the name of Bedell entered the room and seeing Sister
Taylor on her knees, approvingly patted her on the back, saying,
"There's a good lady, pray for God to forgive your sins; pray that you
may be converted, and the Lord may have mercy on your soul!"

While in that house, where the inmates talked of praying for the
forgiveness of sins and for mercy, Sister Taylor had heard the murder
of the prophets approved of, at least by the old gentleman Hamilton,
father of the one who kept the house, and she expressed her belief that
the other branches of the family approved of it.

"These were the associates of the old lady referred to," says Elder
Taylor, "and yet she could talk of conversion and saving souls in the
midst of blood and murder: such is man and such consistency!"

Some of the brethren had considerable anxiety for the safety of Elder
Taylor. They by no means thought him secure from the attack of the
mob, some of whom hung about Carthage, and others who began to return
there when they saw the Mormons did not rise _en masse_ and destroy
their neighbors. A brother of the name of Alexander Williams feared
his enemies had some motive in keeping Elder Taylor in Carthage, and
one day he remarked to him that he had fifty men at a given point in
some woods adjacent, and he would soon raise another fifty and take him
to Nauvoo if he would go. Elder Taylor thanked Brother Williams but
thought there was no need of his going.

He did seem to be in some danger, however, for the before mentioned
Colonel Jones when compelled to be absent from his room would leave a
pair of pistols on the table, in case an attack should be made. Some
time after his recovery, too, when publishing an account of the assault
upon the jail, a lawyer of the name of Backman stated that he prevented
the desperado Jackson, before mentioned, from ascending the stairs of
the jail and dispatching him while he lay there unable to move. Backman
at the time of making the statement expressed his regrets at having
prevented the deed. There were others also who said that he ought to
be killed; but that it "was too d--d cowardly to shoot a wounded man."
"And thus," remarks the Elder, "by the chivalry of murderers, I was
prevented from being a second time mutilated or killed."

The motive prompting such a deed, apart from the murderous spirit of
the wretches who contemplated it, would be found in the fact that Elder
Taylor had been a witness of their damning deed, and it was uncertain
how many and whom among them he had recognized. It was important to the
mob that such a witness should be silenced.

How many days Elder Taylor remained in Carthage after he was wounded is
not certain, but it was not many; from three to five only. The people
at Carthage were anxious for him to remain, since they looked upon him
as a sort of hostage; and thought his removal would doubtless be the
signal for the uprising of the Mormons.

At last Brother Marks, the President of the Nauvoo Stake, Doctor Ellis,
a number of brethren on horseback, and James Allred with a wagon, came
to Carthage to remove him to Nauvoo. When asked if he could talk, he
could but barely whisper, "No;" so weak was he from the loss of blood
and the discharge of his wounds. The physicians and people of Carthage
protested that it would be his death if he were removed; but his
friends were anxious for his removal if possible.

Being unable to ride in a wagon or carriage, a litter was prepared for
him, and a number of men living in Carthage, some of whom had been
engaged in the mob, assisted in carrying him. Once on the way, word
was sent to some of the Saints living along the route, not far from
Carthage, to come and meet them. Meantime the men from Carthage made
one excuse after another for leaving until all were gone, much to the
relief of the wounded man, who expressed himself as glad to get rid of
them.

The tramping of those who carried him at last produced violent pain. A
sleigh was therefore obtained and hitched to the back of James Allred's
wagon. A bed was made on the sleigh, and with Sister Taylor by his
side to bathe his wounds with ice-water, the company moved on towards
Nauvoo. The sleigh slipped along over the grass of the prairie almost
without a jar. Five or six miles from Nauvoo the Saints who had learned
of his coming turned out to meet him, and they increased in numbers
as the party with the wounded man drew nearer, until soon there were
troops of friends about him on every hand.

With what joy the storm-tossed, ship-wrecked sailor enters the port
from whence he sailed! How buoyant with delight is the soldier who,
after many a hard-fought field, and a thousand dangers past, returns at
last, weary and worn perhaps, to his native village! But more grateful,
and more joyous than either of these was Elder Taylor to return into
the midst of his friends, after passing through the fearful ordeal at
Carthage jail.

"Never shall I forget the difference of feeling," he writes, "that I
experienced between the place that I had left and the one that I had
now arrived at. I had left a lot of reckless, blood-thirsty murderers,
and had come to the city of the Saints, the people of the living God;
friends of truth and righteousness, all of whom stood there with warm,
true hearts to offer their friendship and services, and to welcome my
return."

One thing only cast a shadow upon his happiness--the recollection that
Joseph and Hyrum were not there--that they were dead!

When Doctor Richards left Carthage with the bodies of the prophets to
convey them to Nauvoo, Elder Taylor suggested that he had better take
his purse and watch as he feared the people might steal them. At this
suggestion the doctor put the purse and watch into one of the owner's
pantaloon pockets, then cutting it off tied a string around the top. It
was thus returned to him after he reached Nauvoo. On opening the pocket
it was found that the crystal to the watch was literally smashed to
powder by the ball that had struck it at the time he had felt himself
falling from the jail window. Up to that time, however, his being
thrown back into the room when he felt himself falling out had been a
mystery; but now it was all clear to him. Had he fallen on the outside
he would have dropped into the very midst of his enemies and would have
been instantly dispatched; but the bullet aimed at his heart was turned
by an over-ruling Providence into a messenger of mercy--it saved his
life.

"I shall never forget the feelings of gratitude that I then experienced
towards my Heavenly Father," he writes in speaking of the discovery
of how his life was saved; "the whole scene was vividly portrayed
before me, and my heart melted before the Lord. I felt that the Lord
had preserved me by a special act of mercy; that my time had not yet
come, and that I had still a work to perform upon the earth." The hands
of the watch stood at five o'clock, sixteen minutes, and twenty-six
seconds, thus marking the moment when its possessor stood between time
and eternity.

The trying ordeal through which he had passed with the martyrs, his
devotion and faithfulness to them in those fearful scenes in the jail,
his undaunted courage, the cruel wounds he himself had received, and
the patience with which he endured his suffering--all bound Elder
Taylor in still stronger bands of affection to the Saints in Nauvoo and
throughout the world.

Shortly after his return to Nauvoo, Eliza R. Snow addressed the
following lines to him:

  Thou chieftain of Zion, henceforward thy name
  Will be classed with the martyrs, and share in their fame;
  Thro' ages eternal, of thee 'twill be said,
  With the greatest of prophets he suffered and bled.

  When the shafts of injustice were pointed at him,
  When the cup of his suff'ring was fill'd to the brim,
  When his innocent blood was inhumanly shed,
  You shar'd his afflictions and with him you bled.

  When around you like hailstones, the rifle balls flew,
  When the passage of death opened wide to your view,
  When the prophet's free'd spirit thro' martyrdom fled,
  In your gore you lay welt'ring--with martyrs you bled.

  All the scars from your wounds, like the trophies of yore,
  Shall be ensigns of HONOR, till you are no more;
  And by all generations of thee shall be said,
  With the best of the prophets, in prison, he bled.

Footnotes

1. Following is a copy of it:

CARTHAGE JAIL,

8 o'clock 5 min. p. m., June 27, 1844.

Joseph and Hyrum are dead. Taylor wounded, not very badly. I am well.
Our guard was forced, as we believe, by a band of Missourians from 100
to 200. The job was done in an instant, and the party fled towards
Nauvoo instantly. This is as I believe it. The citizens here are afraid
of the Mormons attacking them; I promise them no.

W. RICHARDS.

N. B. The citizens promise us protection. Alarm guns have been fired.

JOHN TAYLOR.



CHAPTER XVII.

WAS GOVERNOR FORD A PARTY TO THE MASSACRE?--SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES.

Relative to Governor Ford's complicity in this awful tragedy, Elder
Taylor has the following:

"There had been various opinions about the complicity of the governor
in the murder, some supposing that he knew all about it, and assisted
or winked at its execution. It is somewhat difficult to form a correct
opinion; from the facts presented it is very certain that things looked
more than suspicious against him."

"In the first place, he positively knew that we had broken no law.

"Secondly. He knew that the mob had not only passed inflammatory
resolutions, threatening extermination to the Mormons, but that they
had actually assembled armed mobs and commenced hostilities against us.

"Thirdly. He took those very mobs that had been arrayed against us, and
enrolled them as his troops, thus legalizing their acts.

"Fourthly. He disbanded the Nauvoo Legion, which had never violated
law, and disarmed them, and had about his person in the shape of
militia known mobocrats and violators of the law.

"Fifthly. He requested us to come to Carthage without arms, promising
protection, and then refused to interfere in delivering us from prison,
although Joseph and Hyrum were put there contrary to law.

"Sixthly. Although he refused to interfere in our behalf, yet, when
Captain Smith went to him and informed him that the prisoners refused
to come out, he told him that he had a command and knew what to do,
thus sanctioning the use of force in the violation of law when opposed
to us, whereas he would not for us interpose his executive authority to
free us from being incarcerated contrary to law, although he was fully
informed of all the facts of the case, as we kept him posted in the
affairs all the time.

"Seventhly. He left the prisoners in Carthage jail contrary to his
plighted faith.

"Eighthly. Before he went he dismissed all the troops that could be
relied upon, as well as many of the mob, and left us in charge of the
"Carthage Greys," a company that he knew were mobocratic, our most
bitter enemies, and who had passed resolutions to exterminate us, and
who had been placed under guard by General Demming only the day before.

"Ninthly. He was informed of the intended murder, both before he left
and while on the road, by several different parties.

"Tenthly. When the cannon was fired in Carthage, signifying that the
deed was done, he immediately took up his line of march and fled. How
did he know this signal portended their death, if he was not in the
secret? It may be said some of the party told him. How could he believe
what the party said about the gun signal if he could not believe the
testimony of several individuals who told him in positive terms about
the contemplated murder?

"He has I believe, stated that he left the "Carthage Greys" there
because he considered that, as their town was contiguous to ours, and
as the responsibility of our safety rested solely upon them, they would
not dare suffer any indignity to befall us. This very admission shows
that he did really expect danger; and then he knew that these people
had published to the world that they would exterminate us, and his
leaving us in their hands and taking off their responsibilities was
like leaving a lamb in charge of a wolf, and trusting to its humanity
and honor for its safe-keeping.

"It is said again that he would not have gone to Nauvoo, and thus
placed himself in the hands of the Mormons, if he had anticipated any
such event, as he would be exposed to their wrath. To this it may be
answered that the Mormons did not know their signals, while he did;
and they were also known in Warsaw, as well as in other places; and as
soon as a gun was fired, a merchant of Warsaw jumped upon his horse and
rode directly to Quincy, and reported 'Joseph and Hyrum killed, and
those who were with them in jail.' He reported further that 'they were
attempting to break jail, and were all killed by the guard.' This was
their story; it was anticipated to kill all, and the gun was to be the
signal that the deed was accomplished. This was known in Warsaw. The
governor also knew it and fled; and he could really be in no danger in
Nauvoo, for the Mormons did not know it, and he had plenty of time to
escape, which he did.

"It is said that he made all his officers promise solemnly that they
would help him to protect the Smiths; this may or may not be. At any
rate, some of these same officers helped to murder them.

"The strongest argument in the governor's favor, and one that would
bear more weight with us than all the rest put together, would be that
he could not believe them capable of such atrocity; and, thinking that
their talk and threatenings were a mere ebullition of feeling, a kind
of braggadocio, and that there was enough of good, moral feeling to
control the more violent passions, he trusted to their faith. There
is, indeed, a degree of plausibility about this, but when we put it in
juxtaposition to the amount of evidence that he was in possession of,
it weighs very little. He had nothing to inspire confidence in them,
and everything to make him mistrust them. Besides, why his broken
faith? Why his disregard of what was told him by several parties?
Again, if he knew not the plan, how did he understand the signal? Why
so oblivious to everything pertaining to the Mormon interest, and so
alive and interested about the mobocrats? At any rate, be this as it
may, he stands responsible for their blood, and it is dripping on his
garments. If it had not been for his promises of protection, they would
have protected themselves; it was plighted faith that led them to the
slaughter; and, to make the best of it, it was a breach of that faith
and a non-fulfillment of that promise, after repeated warning, that led
to their death.

"Having said so much, I must leave the governor with my readers and
with his God. Justice, I conceive, demanded this much, and truth could
not be told with less; as I have said before, my opinion is that the
governor would not have planned this murder, but he had not sufficient
energy to resist popular opinion, even if that opinion led to blood and
death."

Governor Ford admits, in his History of Illinois, that he heard of some
threats made against the prisoners. He writes: "I had heard of some
threats being made, but none of an attack upon the prisoners whilst
in jail. These threats seemed to be made by individuals not acting
in concert. They were no more than the bluster which might have been
expected, and furnished no indication of numbers combining for this or
any other purpose."

The day previous to the assault on the jail, the governor was planning
to march all his forces into Nauvoo. This military expedition, not to
say semi-military invasion, was expected to accomplish two purposes:
first, it would gratify the clamors of the anti-Mormons; second, it
was intended to strike terror to the hearts of the citizens of Nauvoo.
Speaking of this intended military display the governor remarks:

"I observed that some of the people became more and more excited and
inflammatory the further the preparations were advanced. Occasional
threats came to my ears of destroying the city and murdering or
expelling the inhabitants. I had no objection to ease the terrors
of the people by this display of force, and was most anxious also
to search for the alleged apparatus for making counterfeit money;
and, in fact, to inquire into all the charges made against that
people, if I could have been assured of my command against mutiny and
insubordination. But I gradually learned to my entire satisfaction
that there was a plan to get the troops into Nauvoo, and there to
begin the war, probably by some of our own party, or some of the
seceding Mormons, taking advantage of the night to fire on our own
force, and then lay it on the Mormons. I was satisfied that there were
those amongst us fully capable of such an act, hoping that in the
alarm, bustle and confusion of a militia camp, the truth would not be
discovered, and that it might lead to the desired collision."

Such are the reasons assigned by Governor Ford for abandoning his plan
of marching all his forces into Nauvoo. If he could persuade himself
to believe that he had those under his command who would resort to
the means he himself alludes to in the foregoing, to bring about a
collision with the citizens of Nauvoo, and that he was fearful that
his whole command would mutiny when once in the city of the Saints,
it is unfortunate for the fame of Governor Ford that his fears could
not be aroused for the safety of his prisoners, who were left at the
mercy of those same militia forces of which he himself was distrustful,
especially since the only barrier between them and the fury of this mob
militia was a guard made up of their bitterest enemies--the Carthage
Greys.



CHAPTER XVIII.

MANAGEMENT OF AFFAIRS IN NAUVOO--ARRIVAL OF SIDNEY RIGDON--ARRIVAL
OF THE TWELVE--RIGDON REJECTED AS LEADER--THE TWELVE
CHOSEN--PROSPERITY--UNIQUE ORGANIZATION--MOBBINGS--AGREEMENT TO LEAVE
NAUVOO--BOLD SPEECHES OF ELDER TAYLOR--"THE LORD WAS WITH ME."

Soon after the return of Elder Taylor to Nauvoo, he, in connection with
Willard Richards and W. W. Phelps, issued an address to the Saints,
beseeching them to hold fast to the faith and to be peaceable citizens,
doing the works of righteousness. The address also stated that as soon
as the Twelve and other authorities could assemble, or a majority of
them, the onward course for the great gathering of Israel, and the
final consummation of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, would
be pointed out.

Elders Taylor and Richards were the only members of the quorum of the
Twelve in Nauvoo at the time, the others all being absent in the East
on Missions.

In a few days Parley P. Pratt arrived and united with these brethren
in directing the affairs of the Church. The council meetings of these
apostles were held at the house of Elder Taylor, in order that he might
take part in them, being still confined to his room by his wounds.

About the time Elder Pratt reached Nauvoo Sidney Rigdon, one of the
counselors to the martyred Prophet, arrived from Pennsylvania. He was
invited to join them in their movements, but this he declined, as he
had his own selfish ambition to gratify. He was determined to become
the leader of the Church; and to accomplish this, he began in an
underhanded way to work up a feeling in his own favor.

Afraid to put in a claim to be made President outright, he sought to
be appointed "guardian" to the Church, to build it up to Joseph. He
held secret meetings among those favorable to his plans, circulated
wonderful "revelations" among them, and ordained men to offices
heretofore unheard of in the Church; and at last appointed a day for
the Church to assemble and select a "guardian." The day appointed was
the 8th of August.

By that time President Young and a majority of the Twelve had arrived.
Elder Rigdon had full opportunity to present his claims to the people,
but they rejected him, and almost unanimously chose the apostles to
preside over the whole Church.

Disappointed in his ambitious designs, Elder Rigdon sought to divide
the people; but as his influence in Nauvoo was limited, he did
not succeed further than to induce a very few to accompany him to
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he gathered about him a few other
followers. He was shortly afterwards excommunicated from the Church, as
he manifested no disposition to repent of his course.

Other restless, ambitious characters, among them James J. Strang and
James Emmet sought to divide the Church, since they could not preside
over it, and did lead some away; their vaulting ambition overleaped
itself, however, and they miserably failed.

The Twelve being sustained as the presiding authority, they took the
direction of affairs and issued a general epistle to the Church, in
which they expressed a determination to carry on the work so well begun
by the Prophet Joseph. Nauvoo must be enlarged, the temple completed
and the gathering of Israel go on. "The gospel in its fullness must now
roll forth," said they, "through every neighborhood of this wide-spread
country, and to all the world, * * * until the kingdoms of this world
become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ."

Capitalists were invited to Nauvoo to establish manufactories,
and were assured that the people there had sufficient skill and
ingenuity among them to carry on nearly all kinds of industry. Elder
Taylor took a prominent part in these temporal affairs as well as in
things spiritual. On his recommendation and under his supervision a
"Trades Union" was formed, an organization having for its object the
establishment of industries that would produce, as far as possible,
everything needed by the people of Nauvoo, and a surplus for
exportation.

Suggestions were made to secure a charter for the association, but as
there was every prospect that the city and other charters granted to
the people of Nauvoo would be repealed by the state legislature, Elder
Taylor proposed a plan of organization that was at once novel and not
likely to be interfered with by the state:

First, Twelve men to be appointed, forming a _Living Constitution_,
with a president, secretary, etc., to take the lead in all the affairs
of the association.

Second. Separate trustees to organize themselves and have their own
laws, but to be subject to the living constitution.

These movements gave an impetus to industry, and an era of prosperity
dawned upon Nauvoo such as she had never before witnessed. Immigration
rapidly increased her population, factories of various kinds sprang
into existence, and the diversity of industries thus created, made an
exchange of home productions possible and very profitable.

After the ruthless murder of the prophets there was a cessation of
active hostilities against the Saints, and even a reaction of popular
sentiment in their favor. This, however, was but momentary. It grew
out of the awe inspired by the dastardly murder committed at Carthage,
sufficient in atrocity to make hell itself stand aghast and tremble. It
was sufficient, also, to silence the tongue of slander in Illinois for
the moment; and even fired some with boldness enough to denounce the
deed and call for the enforcement of the law against the murderers.

Brave souls! Kind hearts, to weep over the wounded honor of the state!
Their tears were gracious drops! But at the first cry of "_thieves,
thieves, thieves_ in Nauvoo!" a cry raised by the men whose hands
were red with the innocent blood of God's servants--Illinois forgot
her horror at the atrocious murder of innocent men while under her
protection; and clapped her hands with joy at the prospect of finding
even the slightest shadow of palliation for the monstrous crime which
dragged her honor in the dust, and stamped the brand of infamy forever
on her brow.

The murderers of the prophets were so industrious in crying "thieves"
and charging the Mormons with crimes which were never committed, that
soon they not only made Illinois forget her shame in permitting the
prophets of God to be murdered, but had her applauding the deed. So
bold were the mob in their determination not to be brought to justice,
that they threatened Governor Ford, and said if he insisted on pushing
the investigation they would make him an accessory to the crime. Nine
of the mob, however were finally brought to trial; and such trial! it
was but a travesty on the term. The testimony of the chief witnesses
for the prosecution was thrown out of evidence; and though the accused
were notoriously guilty, they were acquitted.

Made bold by the impunity with which scoundrels had preyed upon the
Saints, there was a further gathering of thieves, blacklegs and
counterfeiters into Hancock County, and all their desperate crimes
were credited to the Mormon people, together with many which had no
existence, except as they were coined by the lying tongues of men bent
on the destruction of the Saints. The city council of Nauvoo took up
the matter, investigated it, and defied the world to substantiate a
single instance where they had screened criminals from the law. The
citizens in mass meeting assembled denied the slanderous allegations;
the deputy sheriff of Hancock County denied them over his signature;
Governor Ford investigated them, and in his annual message to the
legislature, said: "I have investigated the charge of promiscuous
stealing and find it to be greatly exaggerated. I could not ascertain
that there were a greater proportion of thieves in that community than
in any other of the same number of inhabitants, and perhaps it the city
of Nauvoo were compared with St. Louis, or any other western city, the
proportion would not be so great."

Regardless of these denials the charges of thieving, counterfeiting
and shielding criminals were repeated until popular prejudice was
thoroughly aroused against the inhabitants of Nauvoo, and began to
demand their extermination. Made utterly reckless by the success of
their misrepresentations, the anti-Mormons held a meeting to devise
means for getting rid of the Saints. A number of their own crowd fired
upon the house where the meeting was being held. This was charged to
the Mormons, and made a pretext for burning the houses and stacks of
grain belonging to the Saints in Morley settlement, near which the
aforesaid meeting was held.

This outrage was not avenged by the citizens of Nauvoo, though
their means of doing so were ample. They laid the matter before the
authorities and there let it rest. Meantime the mob was making similar
assaults on all the out-lying settlements. Houses and stacks of grain
were burned, the sick and helpless driven from their homes to the
open prairie. Mr. Backenstos, sheriff of Hancock County, called for a
posse of the law-abiding citizens outside to put down mob violence. He
thought it best to call upon citizens outside of Nauvoo to quell the
disturbance lest the operations of a posse from Nauvoo should be made
a pretext for the opening of civil war. There was no response to the
sheriff's call, and house-burning and other acts of violence went on
unchecked.

In the midst of these exciting scenes a mass meeting in Quincy resolved
that the only hope for peace was in the removal of the Mormons from
the state, and they appointed a committee to wait upon the Church
authorities to lay these conclusions before them, and request them to
leave. Weary with being continually harassed with illegal prosecutions
and mob violence, the Saints agreed to leave the state in the spring,
providing the citizens in Hancock and surrounding counties would use
their influence in assisting them to rent or sell their property, that
they might have means with which to remove; and further that they would
cease vexatious lawsuits against them, as they had violated no law.
This proposition was accepted by the people of Quincy and also by the
anti-Mormons in Hancock County. The civil authorities were largely
superceded by the military, Major Warren being sent into Hancock County
with a company of militia to keep the peace.

These events occurred in the fall of 1845; and the Saints the winter
following began extensive and active preparations for their departure
in the spring. Meantime the anti-Mormons were breaking their part of
the treaty almost daily. Illegal writs were issued for the arrest of
the Twelve, and efforts made to serve them. House-burning and even
murder went right on under the very eyes of Major Warren. At last,
being exasperated beyond endurance, Elder Taylor declared he would
submit no longer to the injustice being heaped upon himself and the
people. President Young made a similar declaration. This led Major
Warren to seek an interview with the authorities in which he upbraided
them for their declared "resistance to law." In the course of that
interview Elder Taylor made the following answer to the remarks of the
major:

"Major Warren, I stand before you as a man who has received deep injury
from the citizens of this state, and consequently have some feelings.
You talk, sir, about 'the majesty of the law, and maintaining the law:'
why, sir, the law to us is a mere farce. For years past the law has
been made use of only as an engine of oppression. We have received no
protection from it. I have suffered under its cruel influence. You talk
about your troops being efficient, supporting law and preserving peace.
This tale may do to tell some, but it fails to charm us. I stand before
you as a victim of such protection. I went from this place some time
ago in a time of difficulty like the present, as one of a committee
by the special request of Governor Ford, who solemnly pledged his
honor for my protection; but how was I protected? I was shot nearly to
pieces, and two of the best men in the world were shot dead at my side.
This is a specimen of your protection!"

Warren doubtless saw the storm that was coming and at this point
interrupted to say that he did not wish to enter upon this exciting
subject, but wished to speak relative to the present.

Elder Taylor: "I will touch upon the things of the present in a
moment.--You may think this outrage was an outbreak--a sudden
ebullition of feeling that the governor could not control; but who
was it that did this deed? The governor's troops, sir, were among the
foremost of that bloody gang. And where, sir--tell me where is our
redress? You talk about the majesty of the law! What has become of
those murderers? Have they been hung or shot, or in any way punished?
No, sir, you know they have not. With their hands yet reeking in blood,
having become hardened in their deeds of infamy, knowing that they will
not be punished, they are now applying the torch to the houses of those
they have already so deeply injured. What has been done to them under
your administration? Have they been brought to justice, have they been
punished for their infamous proceedings? No, sir; not one of them. They
are still burning houses under your supervision; and you have either
been unwilling or unable to stop them. Houses have been burned since
your arrival here; men have been kidnapped, cattle stolen, our brethren
abused and robbed when going after their corn. Are we to stand still
and let marauders and house-burners come into our city under the real
or assumed name of "governor's troops," and yet offer no resistance to
their nefarious deeds? Are we to be held still by you, sir, while they
thrust the hot iron into us? I tell you plainly for one I will not do
it. I speak now on my own responsibility, and I tell you, sir, I will
not stand it. I care nothing for your decrees, your martial law or
any other law, I mean to protect myself; and if my brethren are to be
insulted and abused in going after their own corn, and pursuing their
lawful business--if nobody else will go to protect them I will. They
shall not be abused under pretext of law or anything else; and there is
not a patriot in the world but what would bear me out in it.

"Where is the spirit of '76? Where is the fire that burned in the
bosoms of those who fought and bled for liberty? Is there no one who
will stand up in defense of the oppressed? If a man had the least
spark of humanity burning in his bosom--if he were not hardened and
desperate, he would be ashamed to oppress a people already goaded by a
yoke too intolerable to be borne, and that, too, in a boasted land of
liberty. Talk about law! Sir, I stand before you as a victim of law. I
feel warm on this subject--who would not? I have seen my best friends
shot down while under legal protection. What is our governor? These
scenes have been enacted under his supervision. What are our generals
and judges? They have aided in these matters. If an honorable jury is
legally selected, a house-burner or perhaps a murderer makes affidavit
that he has reason to believe they are partial and the judge will order
a mobocratic sheriff and jury for the purpose of acquitting the guilty
and condemning the innocent. What are all these legal men but a pack of
scoundrels? And you will talk to us of law and order, and threaten us
with punishment for disobeying your commands and protecting our rights!
What are we? Are we beasts? I tell you for one, sir, I shall protect
myself, law or no law, judge or no judge, governor or no governor. I
will not stand such infernal rascality, and if I have to fight it out,
I will sell my life as dearly as I can."

A few days after this, Major Warren again rode into Nauvoo with his
troops. It was reported that he had writs for the Twelve, but he sent
word that he wanted an interview with them and pledged his word that
no writs should be served. In the interview which followed he read a
letter from Mr. Brayman, attorney general of the state _Pro tem._,
asking if the statement made by Mr. Young and Mr. Taylor to the effect
that they would not be subject to any law and would resist all civil
process, was to be looked upon as sincere.

They denied having made such statement. What they complained of was
mal-administration and illegal prosecution. They had always been
subject to law. They had always sustained it and still felt disposed to
do so. "But I wish to make a few remarks concerning my own individual
feelings," said Elder Taylor. "I have endured as much as I feel willing
to endure under this government. I feel myself oppressed and wronged. I
have never violated any law in the United States, and to be vexed and
annoyed continually with vexatious lawsuits and illegal prosecutions I
do not feel disposed tamely to submit to. If it is not enough for me
to be deprived of my rights and my liberty; if it is not enough for
me to sacrifice my property and to become an exile; if I cannot have
the short space of six months to dispose of my effects and to leave
the state--if the governor will only tell me, I will leave now; but I
cannot and will not endure a continuation of these wrongs. I do not
mean to be taken by any unjust requisition and thrust into prison; if
I am, I must go there dead; for they shall not take me there alive. I
have no personal feelings against you, Major Warren, but I will not put
up with these accumulated wrongs."

The _Warsaw Signal_ in speaking of this affair said that the troops had
writs to serve on the Twelve, and although Major Warren had pledged
his honor to the Twelve that no writs should be served, yet he was
under promise to assist those holding them the day following; but after
hearing the remarks of Elder Taylor fear seized upon them and they were
afraid to make any attempt at serving them. Judge Purple also advised
them not to serve them as he had no doubt there would be blood shed.
Warren accordingly left with his troops.

"I had felt surprised at myself at the manner in which I had spoken,"
remarks Elder Taylor, "but I have no doubt I was directed by the Spirit
of the Lord."



CHAPTER XIX.

PREPARATIONS FOR LEAVING NAUVOO--LABORS IN THE TEMPLE--ELDER TAYLOR'S
SACRIFICE--JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS--ARRIVAL AT COUNCIL
BLUFFS--HELPS TO RAISE THE MORMON BATTALION--"WHO CANNOT TRUST THE
UNITED STATES?"--RUMORS OF TROUBLE IN ENGLAND--CALLED TO A MISSION IN
ENGLAND--THE DEPARTURE.

All through the winter of 1845-6 the Saints in Nauvoo were busy
making their preparations for the contemplated exodus. Early dawn
and the latest twilight saw them hurrying to and fro gathering
together provisions, cattle, carriages, wagons, seeds, farming
implements--everything that was likely to be of service to them in the
new homes they were going to make somewhere in the wilderness. Nor did
their labors end with the light of day. Often it happened that the
dingy smithies were illuminated through the night by the blazing forge,
and the stillness of midnight was broken by the merry ring of anvils,
while others sat in council devising the best methods of traveling
and organizing into companies those whose arrangements were nearing
completion.

Meantime the temple had been so far completed that endowments could be
given to the faithful; and in this work Elder Taylor with others of his
quorum was employed during that eventful winter. He also continued to
publish the _Times and Seasons_ up to the time of his departure for the
wilderness. The _Neighbor_ was discontinued shortly after the Quincy
Committee requested the Saints to leave the state.

While making every effort to fill his part of the agreement with
said committee to leave the state in the spring, he was continually
harassed by his enemies seeking to arrest him on illegal writs. The
whole community, in fact, was frequently threatened with mob violence.
Their enemies were as impatient for Nauvoo to fall into their hands as
hungry tigers are for their prey. The wheels of time moved altogether
too slowly for them. They sought to make the people of other counties
believe that the Mormons had no intention of leaving in the spring,
and therefore to wait for spring to come before driving them out was
only a waste of time, for to that issue it would come at last. Their
ingenuity exhausted itself in concocting schemes to justify an invasion
of Nauvoo. Finally, that all doubts as to the settled intention of
the Saints to leave the United States might be put at rest, a large
company, four hundred families all told, including nearly all the
leaders of the Church and their families, left Nauvoo on the 11th
of February, crossing the Mississippi on the ice. The exodus was
not commenced so early, and at such an inclement season of the year
because there was anything in the treaty the Saints had entered into
that demanded it, but the movement was made to give proof that it was
their intention to leave, and to take away from the mob all excuse for
violence or bloodshed.

Elder Taylor and his family crossed the river on the 16th of February,
and joined the Camp of Israel in the wilderness of the Territory of
Iowa. For his own family and those who had lived with him in Nauvoo,
he had eight wagons and a carriage, with the necessary force of teams.
Snow was on the ground when he left Nauvoo, and shortly after crossing
the river a thaw set in, which made travelling difficult. An encampment
was made at a place where wood was plentiful, and there the exiles made
themselves as comfortable as possible, until traveling should become
less disagreeable.

There they lay, exposed to the inclement season, while only a short
distance away--almost in view--were their comfortable houses, their
beautiful city and magnificent temple! These homes which they had
left, and that city were still theirs, for so hurried had been their
departure that they had no time to dispose of property.

Elder Taylor had left a large, two-story brick house well furnished,
with a brick store on one side and a new brick building that he had
erected for a printing office on the other, and a large barn in the
rear. This lot and the buildings were worth $10,000. In addition to
this property, a short distance east of Nauvoo he had a farm of 106
acres of unimproved land, another of 80 acres, 40 of which was under
cultivation and the remaining 40 timber. He also had a corner lot 101
x 85 feet on Main and Water street, opposite the Nauvoo Mansion. All
this--to say nothing of breaking up his printing and book-binding
establishment--he had been compelled to leave with but small hope of
ever receiving anything for it; while he himself was driven forth an
exile to wander, perhaps to perish, in the wilderness, a victim of
religious intolerance.

This was in an age of boasted enlightenment--in the 19th century! In
the great American Republic--the vaunted asylum of the oppressed!

To facilitate travel and for the better regulation of the people, the
exiles were divided into companies of from seventy to a hundred wagons;
but these companies followed each other so closely that they formed an
almost unbroken procession across the Territory of Iowa.

To tell in detail the story of that journey from Nauvoo to Council
Bluffs--how the Saints struggled on through trackless prairies
converted into vast bogs by the spring thaws and rain and sleet which
seemed to fall continuously; how the bleak winds from the pitiless
northwest were more cruel than the sharpest frosts; how the young and
strong left the main companies to go into Missouri and districts in
Iowa remote from their line of march to exchange household furniture
for corn or flour; how those who had merely enough provisions for
themselves--no one had a surplus--divided with those who had none;
how heroically they struggled against weakness and disease brought on
through exposure; how they laid away their dead in nameless graves--to
tell all this would fill a volume of itself, and belongs rather to a
history of the whole people than to this biography.

The 5th of June found Elder Taylor with his company at Mount Pisgah,
in Iowa, about one hundred and sixty miles from Nauvoo, where the
companies under Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball had encamped and
were putting in crops for those who would come on later to harvest.

From Mount Pisgah to the "Bluffs" he met numerous squads of
Pottawattomie Indians, all of whom he treated kindly, and generally
distributed tobacco among them, a thing with which they were highly
pleased. These Indians had been removed from their lands east of the
Mississippi some years before, and were themselves exiles. Perhaps it
was that fact which led them to treat kindly the exiled Saints. At any
rate they gave them permission to pass through their reservation, and
finally permitted them to settle for a time upon their lands and use
what timber they needed to build temporary abodes.

Elder Taylor brought his company up to the main encampment [1] at
Council Bluffs on the 17th of June. Soon afterwards he was busily
engaged with his brethren in raising a company of pioneers to go to the
Rocky Mountains in advance of the main body of the people. He was going
as one of this company and began putting his wagons in order.

It was in the midst of these preparations that Captain Allen of the
United States army came to the encampment and called upon the Saints
in the name of the United States for five hundred volunteers to march
to California. The strained relations which for some time had existed
between the United States and Mexico had resulted in a declaration
of war, and an actual beginning of hostilities in May. It was part
of General Scott's plan of campaign for the "Army of the West" to
rendezvous at Fort Leavenworth, invade New Mexico and co-operate with a
fleet which was to sweep around Cape Horn and attack the enemy on the
Pacific coast of his territory. It was to assist in carrying out this
part of the campaign that the exiled Saints were called upon to furnish
five hundred men.

In that moment of supreme trial the leaders of the Church did not
permit the memory of their wrongs to outweigh their patriotism. They
resolved to raise the number of men required. For this purpose meetings
were called and the proposition of enlistment made to the brethren. It
was not at first received with much enthusiasm by the people. Perhaps
they could not forget that the general government had witnessed without
protest their expatriation and expulsion from the confines of the
United States. They also remembered that their repeated appeals for
justice had been met with repeated and increasing indifference, and it
required no small amount of persuasion at the first to induce men to
enlist.

In this work of arousing the people to trust the government of the
United States to deal justly by them, no one was more earnest than
Elder Taylor. In a speech he made at a meeting held in George A.
Smith's camp, he said:

"Many have felt something like rebelling against the government of the
United States. I have myself felt swearing mad at the government for
the treatment we have received at the hands of those in authority,
although I don't know that I ever swore much. We have had cause to
feel as we have, and any man having a spark of the love of liberty in
him would have felt likewise. We are now something like Abraham was,
wandering about we know not whither, but fleeing from a land of tyranny
and oppression."

He then explained that it was the present intention to settle in some
part of California, which at that time belonged to Mexico; but to go
there they must have a legal pretext else they would be regarded as
interlopers. As the United States was at war with Mexico, they had a
right, according to the law of nations, to invade her territory; and
if they enlisted in the service of the United States they would have a
right to go there; and as the stipulations offered by the government
provided as the stipulations offered by the government provided for
their being disbanded in California, they would be at or near the place
of their proposed destination, with a right to remain. There they would
be the "old settlers," and bringing in some thirty thousand people,
there was a prospect of obtaining a state or territorial government,
where they could live in peace. Their children could boast, too, that
their fathers had fought and bled for their country. "Although," he
remarked, "I do not think you will have much fighting to do. Still, I
do not say this to encourage cowards to go on this expedition.

"A great many seem to distrust the government," he continued, "and
are afraid they will not be carried to California, but be sent to
Texas or somewhere else. They will not be--they need not fear. Who
cannot trust the United States? Her flag floats over every ocean,
and her ministry are in every nation. I know it is a great journey
for a man to undertake and leave his family; but Captain Allen says
he will give absolute permission for the families to remain here.
He has also obtained a writing from the Pottawatamie sub-agency,
signed by the chiefs and braves to that effect, so that everything is
straightforward."

He concluded by making a motion that a body of five hundred men be
raised, and make Captain Allen Lieutenant-Colonel, a promotion he
had been promised providing he raised the battalion. That motion was
carried.

It was the 30th of June that Captain Allen arrived at Council Bluffs
and asked for the battalion, and by the 16th of July the men were
organized and placed under his command, ready to start for Fort
Leavenworth.

About the time the battalion was made up, the men Elder Taylor had sent
out form his company to trade for corn and flour and to swap horses
for cattle returned without having met with any success. "I now found
myself in the wilderness without the means of procuring the necessary
provisions for a year and a half;" and then he adds, half reflectively,
"Twelve months prior to this time, I had ten thousand dollars' worth of
property at my disposal!"

The day following the return of his men, however, a brother named
Stewart called upon him for counsel; and before leaving loaned him a
sum of money sufficient to relieve him of his embarrassments, and we
have him saying joyfully, "I felt thankful to the Lord that He had
opened my way, as He always does in time of need."

Meantime from England reports of transgression, wild financial schemes,
chicanery and fraud reached the authorities--reports which were
confirmed by manifestations of the Spirit to President Young.

After the Twelve took the direction of the affairs of the Church, in
August, 1844, they sent Wilford Woodruff to preside over the British
Mission, a post he filled until called away to join the Saints in
their exodus from the United States. On his departure Reuben Hedlock
was appointed to preside over the mission with Thomas Ward and John
Banks for counselors. Soon after the departure of Apostle Woodruff
an agitation was set on foot to found what was called "The British
and American Joint Stock Company." The ostensible purposes for which
this company was organized were to engage in commercial enterprises
with a view of enriching the Church, emigrating the poor Saints to
America, shipping machinery, etc., and founding manufactures in the new
gathering place in the wilderness, and to operate in building up the
kingdom of God generally.

Announcing these as the objects to be accomplished, it was not
difficult to induce the Saints to take stock in the concern, and
hundreds of pounds were subscribed and paid to Hedlock and his
coadjutors. Much of this means was squandered by Hedlock and his
associates instead of being used for the purposes for which the company
had been organized.

Upon hearing these reports Elder Taylor, in connection with Orson Hyde
and Parley P. Pratt, was sent to England to correct these abuses and
set in order all the affairs of the Church in that land. He left his
family in the wilderness with the other exiled Saints, and with his
companions took passage in an open flat boat that was passing down the
Missouri River about the time they were ready to start. This boat was
owned by a party of Presbyterian missionaries who had been laboring
among the Pawnee Indians, and were now returning, with their families,
to St. Joseph, Missouri.

At St. Joseph the brethren purchased the boat and continued their
journey, rowing all day and tying up the boat and sleeping on shore
at night. They reached Fort Leavenworth before the departure of the
Battalion for the west and from those brethren--just then drawing
their bounty of forty dollars each from the government--received some
assistance to help them on their journey. The brethren of the Battalion
were also desirous of sending some means to their families in the
wilderness, and Parley P. Pratt was chosen to carry it to them. While
he returned to the encampment of the Saints, Elder Taylor and Orson
Hyde continued their journey to England, arriving in Liverpool on the
3rd of October.

Footnotes

1. The encampment is thus described by Thomas L. Kane, who visited
it shortly after the arrival of Elder Taylor: "They were collected a
little distance above the Pottawatamie Agency. The hills of the high
prairie crowding in upon the river at this point and overhanging it,
appear of an unusual and commanding elevation. They are called the
'Council Bluffs.' * * * To the south of them, a rich alluvial flat of
considerable width follows down the Missouri some eight miles, to where
it is lost from view by a turn, which forms the site of an Indian town
of _Point aux Poules._ Across the river from this spot the hills recur
again, but are skirted at their base by as much low ground as suffices
for a landing. This landing, and the large flat or bottom on the east
side of the river, were covered with covered carts and wagons; and each
one of the Council Bluff hills opposite was crowded with its own great
camp, gay with bright white canvas, and alive with the busy stir of
swarming occupants. In the clear blue morning air the smoke streamed up
from more than a thousand cooking fires. Countless roads and by-paths
checkered all manner of geometric figures on the hill-sides. Herd
boys were dozing upon the slopes; sheep and horses, cows and oxen
were feeding round them, and other herds in the luxuriant meadows of
the then swollen river. From a single point I counted four thousand
head of cattle in view at one time. As I approached, it seemed to me
the children there were to prove still more numerous."--_Historical
Address_.



CHAPTER XX.

THE UNJUST STEWARDS CALLED TO ACCOUNT--DISPOSED OF--TOUR THROUGH
THE CHURCHES--OVATIONS--ARTICLES FOR THE STAR--MODERATE SPIRIT OF
THEM--WORK ACCOMPLISHED--START FOR HOME--STORM BEATEN--RETURN TO
LIVERPOOL--SECOND START--SUCCESSFUL VOYAGE--FAREWELL FROM AMERICA--IN
THE NICK OF TIME.

The very day of arrival in Liverpool Elders Hyde and Taylor issued
a circular to the Saints in which they stated that the Joint Stock
Company was an institution wholly independent of the Church. The
circular also appointed a conference to convene at Manchester, on the
17th of the month--October.

By that time Elder Pratt had arrived. The unfaithful stewards were
called to account, severely reproved and the chief offenders,
excepting Hedlock, disfellowshipped until they could appear before the
authorities in the camp of Israel to be further dealt with. Hedlock
would not meet the American deputation of Elders; but fled to London
where he lived in obscurity in company with a dissolute woman. He was
excommunicated at once. On the fall of this man Elder Taylor wrote the
following reflections:

"Elder Hedlock might have occupied a high and exalted situation in the
Church, both in time and in eternity; but he has cast from his head the
crown--he has dashed from him the cup of mercy, and has bartered the
hope of eternal life with crowns, principalities, powers, thrones and
dominions, for the gratification of his own sensual appetite; to feed
on husks and straw--to wallow in filth and mire!"

It was arranged that Elder Hyde should take charge of the _Star_ and
the office at Liverpool, while Elders Taylor and Pratt visited the
various conferences and branches of the Church. Everywhere they were
received with demonstrations of joy. Elder Taylor traveled sometimes
alone and sometimes in company with Elder Pratt; but whether alone
or with his companion, he was always made welcome by the Saints. He
labored in season and out of season, and God worked with him and his
associates.

Through their promptness in dealing with the unfaithful stewards,
and the power which attended their administrations, confidence was
restored, the Saints were re-baptized, many new members were added to
the Church, and it was a general time of refreshing from the presence
of the Lord. Social gatherings were frequent, and while he fed the
Saints the bread of life, they administered to his necessities and made
his heart glad with their songs and rejoicing. His reception in Wales
was especially enthusiastic,--it amounted to an ovation; indeed the
same may be said of his reception throughout the British Mission.

Still in the midst of these busy scenes he found time to write a number
of articles for the _Star,_ one of which is especially worthy of
mention--his _Address to the Saints in Great Britain._ In that address
he writes the very best sketches I have yet seen of the evacuation of
Nauvoo and the journey of the Saints to Winter Quarters. Its chief
value consists in its accuracy and temperate tone--much more temperate
than one could reasonable expect it to be from a writer who was a
participator in those cruel scenes, and one of the chief sufferers.

He makes prominent the fact that even if the persecution which
expelled the Saints from Nauvoo had not arisen, their destiny would
have led them to the mountain valleys of the great West. "Many
living witnesses," he writes, "can testify that we proposed moving
to California, [1] leaving the land of our oppression, preaching the
gospel to the Lamanites, building up other temples to the living
God, establishing ourselves in the far distant West. The cruel
and perfidious persecutions that we endured, tended to hasten our
departure, but did _not_ dictate it. It jeopardized our lives, property
and liberty, but was not the cause of our removal."

"Many a time" he continues, "have I listened to the voice of our
beloved Prophet, while in council, dwell on this subject [the removal
of the Saints to the Rocky Mountains] with delight; his eyes sparkling
with animation, and his soul fired with the inspiration of the Spirit
of the living God. It was a theme that caused the bosoms of all who
were privileged to listen, to thrill with delight; intimately connected
with this, were themes upon which prophets, patriarchs, priests and
kings dwelt with pleasure and delight: of them they prophesied, sung,
wrote, spoke and desired to see, but died without the sight. My spirit
glows with sacred fire while I reflect upon these scenes, and I say, O
Lord, hasten the day! Let Zion be established! Let the mountain of the
Lord's house be established in the tops of the mountains!"--a thing,
I may add,--and which he plainly intimates,--could not have been done
had the Saints remained in Nauvoo. The Saints did not come to these
mountain valleys because they were compelled to by their enemies,
they came here because it was their destiny to come; because the Lord
would have them here; and because there were problems to work out in
connection with the work of God which could be worked out nowhere else.

While he admits that the Saints had suffered great loss by being
driven from Illinois--that they had been obliged to make a great
sacrifice--yet, speaking relatively, he held that the Saints were
better off than if they had remained in Nauvoo, a remark that then
seemed paradoxical, but its truth is now confirmed by history; for the
little one has become a great people, occupying an immense area of
country, and they have attained a strength they never could have known
in Nauvoo.

In this article, while he dwells at some length on the sufferings of
the Saints from the fury of the pitiless storm--the drifting snow, the
pelting hail and the icy chills of storm and tempest, Elder Taylor does
not forget to vindicate God whose part it was to stand very near to His
people in such trying times. In continuing his remarks on the exposure
of the Saints to cold and storm he says:

"We sustained no injury therefrom; our health and our lives were
preserved--we outlived the trying scene--we felt contented and
happy--the songs of Zion resounded from wagon to wagon--from tent
to tent; the sound reverberated through the woods, and its echo was
returned from the distant hills; peace, harmony, and contentment
reigned in the habitations of the Saints."

So, too, in speaking of the privations of camp life: "It is true that
in our sojourning we do not possess all the luxuries and delicacies
of old established countries and cities, but we have an abundance of
the staple commodities, such as flour, meal, beef, mutton, pork, milk,
butter and in some instances cheese, sugar, coffee, tea, etc., etc. We
feel contented and happy in the wilderness. The God of Israel is with
us--union and peace prevail; and as we journey, as did Abraham of old,
with our flocks and herds to a distant land, we feel that like him, we
are doing the will of our Heavenly Father and relying upon His word and
promises; and having His blessing, we feel that we are children of the
same promise and hope, and that the great Jehovah is our God."

Such remarks as these lighten the rather sombre picture that is usually
drawn by writers who relate the story of the evacuation of Nauvoo and
the subsequent journey in the wilderness; and who in their anxiety
to give a vivid picture of the sufferings of the Saints, forget to
vindicate the goodness of God who was with His people in those trying
times, and who, by opening the way before them to obtain food and
lands to dwell upon, and giving them strength as their day, made their
afflictions light as air. These things, Elder Taylor in his sketches
does not fail to recognize.

At the time of Elder Taylor's visit, great distress existed among the
laboring classes in England, and as the Saints were chiefly of that
class, they suffered with the rest. The trouble arose very largely
from over-population. This being the case, the queen was memorialized
by the Saints to adopt a system of emigration to Oregon, a general
name given to an immense but indefinite tract of country in the
western part of the British possessions, Vancouver's Island forming
part of it. To return the means that government was asked to expend
in emigrating the people, it was proposed that in a tract of country
divided into sections of six hundred and forty acres, and numbered,
that each emigrant be entitled to settle on the sections bearing even
numbers, and that government retain the odd sections. The presence of
the settlers and their improvements on the even sections would give a
value to the odd sections and bring them into market, and through the
sale of these lands government would soon be repaid the sum expended
for emigration.

In the interest of this scheme, Elder Taylor called upon, and obtained
an interview with the Earl of Dartmouth, but the government refused to
engage in the business.

Having accomplished the object of his mission to England, Elder
Taylor's heart turned to his family in the wilderness. He left the port
of Liverpool in the ship _America_, in company with Elder Pratt, and a
few Saints--fourteen in all. No ship ever left that port with brighter
prospects, but no sooner were they fairly out into the Irish Sea, than
they met a heavy gale and for nine days were tempest-tossed and utterly
unable to reach the broad Atlantic. At last they were compelled to
return to Liver pool.

"I had strange presentiments," says Elder Taylor, "before we went on
board, of danger or ship-wreck--the spirit did not manifest which; and
I was glad when we safely returned to Liverpool."

A second start was made on the seventh of February, and after a
pleasant voyage of thirty-six days, the vessel made the port of New
Orleans. Here Elder Taylor wrote to the editor of the _Star_, his
farewell address to the Saints, which virtually is a review of his
brief mission among them. Following are extracts from it:

"As I had no time before I left England, I now wish to say a few words
to the Saints. When I was there, in consequence of having so many
places to visit, and to travel so extensively, my stay was necessarily
short at the various branches; and it made it impossible for me to
visit so many places, to form so extensive an acquaintance with the
Saints as I should gladly have done had time permitted. If my stay had
been longer, I should gladly have spent two, three, or six months more,
in order to have visited all the branches and seen the Saints at their
homes, for I love the people of God, and delight in the habitations of
the righteous. There peace reigns--there reigns the spirit of God--and
there is my home. And here I wish to say, that although very much
pressed and hurried, I have seldom enjoyed myself better than I did on
my late visit to the British churches. I saw an honesty and simplicity
which I admired. The Saints seemed to vie with each other in many
little acts of kindness and charity which were duly appreciated by me,
and which I have taken pleasure in acknowledging. They were esteemed
not so much on account of their intrinsic value as for the feelings of
those who administered them.

"Our arrival in England was very opportune. * * Before we left [Council
Bluffs], it was revealed to the authorities that the presidency in
England was in transgression, and that it was necessary that some of
the Twelve should proceed immediately to England. * * * When Elder Hyde
and myself were in New York, and Elder Pratt in Boston, we thought it
expedient, rather than to wait two or three days for him, to proceed
immediately to Liverpool. We found on our arrival that we had not come
any too soon. The teachers of the people were under transgression; they
were corrupt: they were acting dishonorably, and dishonestly; stripping
the poor of their last pittance, and yet those wanton profligates
professed that they were doing the will of God, while they, under a
cloak of religion, were reveling in debauchery, drunkenness and fraud!
But they have their reward.

"Many of the Elders were at a loss what to do. They saw that things
were out of order, but how to regulate them they knew not. * * * They
felt a disposition to hope for the best, but it seemed to be hoping
against hope; in fact the whole head was sick and the whole heart
faint; and had it not been that the Saints were in possession of the
eternal principles of truth, and had the testimony of the Spirit,
giving them assurance of the truth and verity of this work, they might
all have made ship-wreck of faith.

"As Elder Pratt and myself journeyed among the churches, we found them
generally doing well, rejoiced to see us, and expressing a willingness
to follow our advice in all things. * * * I would here say a word or
two to the Saints by way of caution. Because you have been deceived
by your former leaders, do not mistrust those [2] you have now, but
let them have your confidence and your prayers. * * * I say again have
confidence in your presidency; neither condemn one man for what another
has done, neither be afraid of him. Give all good men your confidence;
if they betray it, judge them according to that which they have
done--not what they may or may not do. It is a devilish principle to be
jealous of men who have done no wrong, and to withhold our confidence
from those who ought to have our support, merely because it is possible
they may abuse it.

"Now brethren, as I had not time before I left, I must take the liberty
from this side of the ocean, of saying farewell--farewell! and God
bless you for ever and ever, worlds without end. Amen. It is a long
distance to salute you from, as I am now six thousand miles from you,
but I know it will be welcome, for I came more than six thousand miles
to see you, and I had to salute my family from your homes. We have yet
two thousand miles to go to see our families, and part of that through
mobbers, black-legs and murderers, who would gladly take our lives, but
we trust in the God of Israel, that He will take us safely through, and
that we shall arrive in the camp of Israel in peace, and rejoice in
once more meeting our families and friends.

"I left the camp in company with my brethren, July 3rd, 1846, and when
I return shall have traveled upwards of seventeen thousand miles,
three thousand of this was in England, Scotland and Wales. I now feel
well in health and spirits, am thankful that so much of my mission is
completed, and I bless the name of the God of Israel."

From New Orleans he took passage in the steam-packet, _Patrick Henry_,
for St. Louis, where he arrived on the 25th of March. Here he parted
company with Elder Pratt, who made his way through the country to the
camp; while Elder Taylor in charge of the small company of Saints
took steamer up the Missouri for the same point; but on reaching St.
Joseph he left the boat and took carriage, as he desired to reach the
camp before the pioneer company left for the West, as he had with him
some surveying and scientific instruments purchased in England for
them. Those instruments consisted of two sextants, two barometers, two
artificial horizons, one circular reflector, several thermometers and a
telescope.

He arrived in time to meet President Young and deliver these
instruments [3] and some money sent from England to aid the Church. The
pioneer camp had left Winter Quarters a day or two before, and was then
camped on the Elk Horn, some twenty or thirty miles distant, so that he
had returned just in time.

The labors of Elder Taylor and companions were highly approved by
President Young, and he heartily welcomed them back to their families
and the Church.

Footnotes

1. Then the general name for the great West, including what is now Utah.

2. Elder Orson Spencer was left in charge of the mission after the
departure of the Apostles, and Elder Franklin D. Richards was his
counselor.

3. It was with those instruments that Orson Pratt, a few months later,
laid out Salt Lake City.



CHAPTER XXI.

PREPARATIONS FOR JOURNEY INTO THE WILDERNESS--THE OUTFIT--THE
RENDEZVOUS--ORGANIZATION--MANNER OF TRAVELING--MEETING THE PIONEERS--A
SYLVAN FEAST--ARRIVAL IN SALT LAKE VALLEY--"WORK ENOUGH FOR ONE
FALL"--SOCIAL FEAST--CHARACTER OF PRIMITIVE SOCIETY.

The Saints at Winter Quarters had been instructed to organize into
companies and follow the pioneers into the mountains as soon as
practicable. As Elders Taylor and Pratt did not arrive in time to fit
out and accompany the pioneers; and as they were members of the quorum
presiding over the Church at the time, Elder Taylor was associated with
Elder Pratt in a general superintendency of affairs at Winter Quarters
and especially in organizing the companies destined to follow the
Pioneers that summer.

The plan of organization for traveling was to divide the people into
companies of one hundred wagons, subdivided into companies of fifty
wagons, and ten wagons, with captains over each division, the captains
of fifties being subordinate to captains of hundreds, and captains of
tens being subordinate to captains of fifties--all being subject to
the direction of the Apostles. Each fifty had a blacksmith with tools
for repairing wagons and shoeing animals. Three hundred pounds of
breadstuff were required for each person. Every man had to have a gun
with one hundred rounds of ammunition; and each family was expected to
take along its proportion of seed grain and agricultural implements.

As fast as individuals and families were found who had the required
outfit, or could obtain it, they rendezvoused at a point on the Elk
Horn River, where the organization for the journey to the mountains was
perfected.

The families who had traveled with Elder Taylor from Nauvoo to Council
Bluffs, desired to be again enrolled in the company in which he
traveled. That request was granted, and they were chiefly enrolled
in the first fifty of the hundred of which Edward Hunter, afterwards
Presiding Bishop of the Church, was the captain, and Joseph Horne was
captain of the fifty.

In preparing for this journey Elder Taylor was kept extremely busy.
Wagons had to be overhauled, tires re-set, horses and oxen to be
collected and shod, supplies obtained, and only a limited number of
hands with which to accomplish it all; for five hundred able-bodied
men, it will be remembered, had been taken into the service of the
United States, and about one hundred and forty more had gone as
pioneers, and those who from their circumstances had to remain at
Winter Quarters were busily engaged in putting in crops for supplies
for another season.

During the early part of June, however, some six hundred wagons
gathered on the Elk Horn ready to start. There were 1553 souls in the
company, 2213 oxen, 124 horses, 887 cows, many of which had to do
service under the yoke, 358 sheep, 716 chickens and a number of pigs.

On the 21st and 22nd of June this large company began its journey.
It was late in the season for starting on such an expedition. It was
too late for them to put in crops that season, even if they stopped
far short of the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. They barely had
provisions to last them a year and a half, and if their first crop
failed, starvation must follow, for they would be from ten to fifteen
hundred miles from the nearest point where food could be obtained, and
no swifter means of transportation than horse or ox teams!

It was a bold undertaking, this moving over fifteen hundred souls--more
than half of whom were women and children--into an unknown country,
through hostile tribes of savages. Had it not been for the assurance
of the support and protection of Jehovah, it would have been not only
a bold but a reckless movement--the action of madmen. But as it was,
the undertaking was a sublime evidence of their faith in God and their
leaders.

This company differed from the pioneers. The latter was made up of
able-bodied men, excepting three women--none were helpless. They had
the best of teams, and if they failed in finding a place of settlement
they could return to the place of starting. Meantime their families
were not endangered. They were secure at Winter Quarters. Not so with
the Pratt and Taylor company. They had their all upon the altar,
including their wives and children, who must share their hardships
and their fate. They knew not their destination, they entrusted all
on a single venture, from which there was no chance of retreat. If
they should fail to find a suitable location and raise a crop the
first season, there was no getting provisions to them, nor them to
provisions. They must succeed, or perish in the wilderness to which
they had started. With a faith that has never been surpassed, they
placed themselves under the guidance and protection of their God, and
we shall see in the sequel that they trusted not in vain.

Usually on the journey this great camp traveled in sections of one
hundred wagons each. The company in which Apostle Pratt traveled took
the lead, and the one in which Elder Taylor traveled followed next, and
then the others in their order. Between the hundreds in which Elders
Taylor and Pratt traveled was a company of artillery, commanded by
Charles C. Rich. When feed for the cattle was scarce, or roads bad, or
water not abundant, then they traveled fifty wagons in a section, but
always sufficiently near each other to readily unite for protection in
case of an assault from the Indians. When the prairies were wide and
the ground unbroken, two companies often traveled abreast. Crossing the
level plains that now form the state of Nebraska, they came in contact
with immense herds of buffalo, which supplied them with plenty of beef.
Public prayer was offered up daily in the camps. Sunday was observed
as a day of rest, religious services were held in each camp, and the
stillness of the great wilderness of the west was broken by Saints
singing the songs of Zion.

Thus day after day, week after week, the sections of the great company
drew their slow length along, until the wide spreading plains of La
Platte are behind them, they enter the Black Hills and at last approach
the Rocky Mountains.

On what was known as the Upper Crossing of the Sweetwater, east of the
South Pass, between three and four hundred miles east of Salt Lake,
Elder Taylor's division met the returning pioneers. That band of men
had entered the Salt Lake Valley, selected a site for a city, commenced
the erection of a fort, plowed several acres of land and planted late
crops; and having left a few of their number with some members of the
Mormon Battalion who had joined them there to continue the work, they
were now on their way back to Winter Quarters with the glad news that a
gathering place had been selected for Israel.

The morning that Elder Taylor's division met the returning pioneers,
there was a flurry of snow. The heavens were darkened, the bright
sunshine which they had enjoyed without a cloud to obscure it for weeks
together, was now shut out from view, and snow fell two or three inches
deep. Snow! and in September, too! Was that the kind of climate they
were going to? The hearts of some sank within them, and the prospect
looked gloomy enough. But that which produced fears in the breasts of
the timid, only provoked laughter from Elder Taylor. He bade them be of
good cheer, and laughingly proposed to insure the lives of the whole
company at five dollars per head.

Elder Taylor and other leading brethren in his division met in
council with the Apostles in the pioneer company. What a weight of
responsibility rested upon these men! They had selected a location
for a great people in an unknown climate; they had planted seed in an
untried soil; they knew they would have to depend upon new methods of
agriculture to mature their crops--irrigation--would it succeed? There
were tens of thousands of people on the banks of the Missouri waiting
for them to return to lead them forth into the wilderness, to the new
home; the means of getting them there this body of men in council
must devise; they were founding a commonwealth in the wilderness; the
whole world was watching their movements and would hold them morally
responsible for any disasters that might occur. With this burden upon
them, they might well hold council meetings, whenever convenient, in
order to discuss their present situation and future prospects.

But while the brethren were in council the clouds cleared away, and
before the warm sunshine the snow soon disappeared. There was a nervous
activity in the camp, mysterious movements among the sisters. Trunks
that had been undisturbed on the journey were opened, their contents
investigated and certain articles hurriedly conveyed to a beautiful,
natural lawn enclosed by a dense growth of bushes. Several improvised
tables of uncommon length, covered with snow-white linen, and fast
being burdened with glittering tableware, gave evidence that a surprise
was in store for the weary pioneers. The "fatted calf" was killed;
game and fish were prepared in abundance; fruits, jellies and relishes
reserved for special occasions were brought out until truly it was a
royal feast.

Moreover, though the place selected for the spread was adjacent to
the camp, it was successful as a surprise. The pioneers knew nothing
of what had taken place until they were led by Elder Taylor through a
natural opening in the bushes fringing the enclosure, and the grand
feast burst upon their astonished vision.

One hundred and thirty sat down at the supper; and if for a moment
rising emotions at this manifestation of love choked their utterance
and threatened to blunt the edge of appetite, the danger soon passed
under the genial influence of the sisters who waited upon the tables
and pressed their guests to eat: in the end they paid a full and hearty
compliment to the culinary skill of the sisters.

Supper over and cleared away, preparations were made for dancing;
and soon was added to the sweet confusion of laughter and cheerful
conversation the merry strains of the violin, and the strong, clear
voice of the prompter directing the dancers through the mazes of
quadrilles, Scotch-reels, French-fours and other figures of harmless
dances suitable to the guileless manners and the religious character of
the participants. Dancing was interspersed with songs and recitations.
"We felt mutually edified and blessed," writes Elder Taylor, "we
praised the Lord and blessed one another." So closed a pleasant day,
though the morning with its clouds and snow looked very unpromising.

The morning following they separated, the pioneers going towards the
rising, the others towards the setting sun.

On the 5th of October, Elder Taylor reached Salt Lake Valley.

After so long and so tedious a journey, a few days' rest would have
been the proper thing, but there was no time for that. They must
prepare for the winter, of the mildness or severity of which they knew
nothing only through report. The pioneers and members of the battalion
had made some progress in erecting a square fort, enclosing ten acres
of ground; this was known as the Old Fort. On the arrival of the Pratt
and Taylor encampment, they commenced the erection of a fort on the
south side of it, the same width but twice its length. Each family
had its allotment of ground according to the number and necessities
of its members. Some built with adobies, others with round logs and
others with split logs. Whip-saws were called into requisition for the
manufacture of lumber by hand.

"Our houses," writes Elder Taylor, "were built on the outside line
[of the fort] in shanty form, with the highest wall outside, the roof
sloping towards the interior. The windows and doors were placed on the
side facing the enclosure, the outside being left solid, excepting loop
holes--for protection. Our corrals, hay-stacks and stables were some
distance behind and outside the fort.

"About Christmas, I had put up, enclosed and covered about ninety feet
of building made of split logs, out of which was taken a four-inch
plank. The plank was used for partitions, etc. * * * In addition to
this, I had built corrals and stables behind, and enclosed a garden
spot in front, with a board-rail fence. I assisted in all this labor of
sawing, building, hauling, etc.,--enough for one fall."

In the midst of these busy scenes the spiritual instruction of the
people was not neglected. After the arrival of the several divisions
of the company that left Winter Quarters in June, they were called
upon to repent and renew their covenants in baptism, Elders Taylor and
Pratt setting the example. The Saints very generally responded to this
requirement and the Spirit of God rested upon them in great power.

A Stake of Zion had been organized by the Apostles of the pioneer
company before they returned to Winter Quarters, and John Smith, uncle
to the Prophet Joseph, was chosen president. The Saints had no public
place for worship, but they met in the private houses of leading elders
on the Sabbath, and sometimes in the evenings of week days to be taught
in their duties. All through that winter Elder Taylor was diligent in
that labor, going from house to house to instruct the Saints. Meetings
for his own family were frequently called, and there he taught them how
to live in peace, to be courteous, kind and considerate of each other's
feelings; and there, doubtless, was laid the foundation of that kindly
feeling and courteous deportment toward each other, and that union
which today is a characteristic of his large family.

The condition of the Church during that first winter in the valley of
Salt Lake was very similar to that of the Nephite Church in the first
years of the Nephite Republic, of which the historian says; "when the
priests left their labor to impart the word of God unto the people, the
people also left their labors to hear the word of God, and when the
priest had imparted unto them the word of God, they all returned again
diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself
above his hearers; for the preacher was no better than the hearer; and
thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according
to his strength." [1]

So Elder Taylor labored through that winter. His days were spent in
the saw-pit, where he manufactured lumber by hand with a whip-saw; his
evenings and the Sabbaths were spent in councils with his brethren and
in the meetings of the Saints, where he taught them the way of life.

Occasionally a social party broke the monotony of their life in the
wilderness, and for several reasons I give Elder Taylor's description
of one of these parties held at his own house. It seems there had
been an order or agreement entered into by the Saints that they would
have no dancing until after their first harvest in the valley--such
an agreement was _law_ to this primitive community--so originated all
their laws; but when new year's came, and with it the recollection of
the merriment of former years, they seemed to repent of the strictures
they had placed upon themselves, and it was rumored as New Year's
day approached that license had been given by the president of the
stake for dancing on the evening of that day, but there was to be no
more until harvest--so much is necessary to the understanding of the
following:

_January 1st, 1847:_

"As today was New Year's day, several of my family spoke to me
about having a party as usual upon that day. The plan they proposed
getting it up on was that every one should bring his own provisions.
The principle itself was repugnant to me, but still under the
circumstances, if we had a party, this must be the principle we must
have it on, as I could not possibly spare provisions for so large a
company as we must necessarily have; and upon this plan there was one
gotten up. We had an excellent supper, sixty-nine sat down and we
enjoyed ourselves very much. I gave the presidency to Brother Sherwood.
I sat at the head of one table, Brother Hunter at another, Brother
Horne and Shurtliff at others. After the tables were cleared, the order
was given for dancing. My reasons for indulging in this recreation were
that Brother Shurtliff went up and saw Uncle John Smith (the president
of the stake) and told him that we had made calculations upon having a
dance; but when I heard there was a law against it, I was resolved not
to have any unless Uncle John should say I was justified in doing it.
He said if he was me he would have the dance as it had been arranged
for.

"I sent to Uncle John to see about this, not because I thought there
was any harm in dancing, but because I did not wish to encourage
law-breaking by my example in this thing. There was an intermission in
the dancing when we had some singing and a comic sermon from Brother
Sherwood, after which dancing was resumed and continued until a little
after eleven o'clock. Brother Sherwood called the house to order and
told them the time had come to separate; but before parting he had a
few remarks to make. He spoke on a variety of principles and made some
very good remarks. Upon his concluding I arose and made some remarks
upon the object of our meeting, my object in having dancing, on the
principles of power existing in the kingdom, and the active part we are
destined to take in the affairs of kingdoms."

In the above appears the large and generous nature of Elder Taylor
which shrank with repugnance, even in those days of scarcity, from the
idea of having his guests bring their provisions with them to a feast
in his house. There is also manifested his respect for law. There
was no assumed airs because he was an Apostle, followed by a haughty
disregard of a rule established by the president of the stake--but a
humble disposition to submit to it.

The conclusion of his description of this party gives us to understand
that although he, with the rest of the Saints, had been expatriated,
and driven into exile in the wilderness, and well nigh stripped of all
their earthly possessions--he had lost none of his faith in the future
high destiny of the people of God,--they were yet to be active in the
affairs of kingdoms! Lastly his description of this party enables
one to see something of social life in the infant commonwealth of
Deseret--the homely joys of the people; their simple, guileless ways;
their unfeigned enjoyment of innocent, natural pleasures:

  Yes! let the rich deride, the proud disdain
  These simple blessings of the lowly train;
  To me more dear congenial to my heart,
  One native charm than all the gloss of art;
  Spontaneous joys, where nature has its play,
  The soul adopts and owns their first-born sway!

Far better this than--

  The long pomp, the midnight masquerade,
  With all the freaks of wanton wealth arrayed,
  In these, ere triflers half their wish obtain,
  The toiling pleasure sickens into pain;
  And e'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy,
  The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy!

Footnotes

1. Alma, I, 26.



CHAPTER XXII.

MISTAKE IN BUILDING--SCARCITY OF PROVISIONS--TAXED--THE CRICKET
WAR--CROPS SAVED--HARVEST FEAST--DEPUTATION FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES--ELDER TAYLOR CONFERS WITH IT--CALLED TO FRANCE--FROM
SAWPIT TO PULPIT--THE LIFE OF AN APOSTLE.

So the winter passed away, and the spring came, and with it came
frequent rain storms. "We made one mistake in building," remarks Elder
Taylor; "having been informed there was no rain, or very little, in
the valley, we made our roofs too flat, which, when the spring rains
commenced, caused considerable trouble." It was with great difficulty
that their beds could be kept dry. But this was not their chief
difficulty--food was getting scarce, and a number of the improvident
ones were without.

At a public meeting, Elder Taylor proposed that a tax be laid upon the
people according to their means to pay it, to supply those who were
in need; and that the High Council be authorized to levy it, and have
discretionary power to determine who should be taxed, and who should be
assisted. The motion was carried unanimously.

Elder Taylor and his family, in common with the whole people, made
every effort to get in extensive crops of grain and large gardens.
In this they were quite successful; but when early summer brought
flattering promises of a bountiful harvest, then from the mountains
came myriads of black crickets into their grain fields and threatened
to destroy them. The people, even to the women and children, turned
out, to stay, if possible, the ravages of the destroyer. They devised
various ways to rid themselves of the terrible insect, but in vain they
labored; the crickets were rapidly making green fields bare. When it is
remembered that the colonists were dependent on that crop for food for
the ensuing year, it is not surprising that hope sank within them, or
that they became alarmed and talked of sending an express to President
Young, begging him not to bring in any more people, as there was a
famine in prospect. But in the midst of their calamity a wonderful
deliverance was at hand; untold thousands of snow-white sea-gulls
came in clouds from the direction of the lake, and settling down upon
the fields of grain, began devouring the crickets. Day after day did
these white-winged messengers of mercy continue the work of devouring
crickets, until the pests were destroyed and the fields of growing
grain saved.

In August an abundant harvest was gathered, and a public harvest feast
proclaimed. In the midst of the feasting and dancing, singing and
rejoicing, the Saints did not forget to thank and praise the Power
which had given them the rich fruits of the earth; and expressions of
gratitude--soul-felt and universal--in prayer and speech, occurred as
frequently as song or dance.

In all these anxieties, labors, fears, hopes and rejoicings, Elder
Taylor took part. Many leaned on his strength in those days. When
despair settled over the colony he infused it with hope; when the
weak faltered, he strengthened them; when the fearful trembled, he
encouraged them; those cast down with sorrow, he comforted and cheered.
His faith and trust in God, and in His power to preserve and deliver
His people were as unshaken in the midst of the difficulties they
encountered in settling the desert valleys of Utah, as it had been in
the midst of mob violence in Missouri and Illinois; as unmoved as it
was amid the confused shouts and curses, groans and shriekings, and
murderous bullets which, all mingled together, made up that scene of
hell and death in Carthage jail.

Though much of his time was occupied in teaching and encouraging
others, he was also active in farming, gardening, fencing fields, etc.;
and during the summer of 1849, constructed a bridge over the Jordan
River, the first that ever spanned that stream. With Parley P. Pratt
and others he went on several exploring expeditions. In one of these
he visited Utah Valley and Lake. He built the first boat that was
launched on that beautiful sheet of water, and ascertaining that there
was an abundance of fish in the lake he manufactured a sein a hundred
feet long, for which his wives spun the material. The fish caught in
this manner materially assisted in eking out the scant supplies of the
colonists.

In August, 1849, General John Wilson, with a small military escort,
visited the colonists. He was on a private mission from the President
of the United States, Zachary Taylor, to the Saints. The object of that
mission was this:

There was trouble anticipated in the then approaching congress, about
the territorial question, involving as it did, at that time, the
extension of slavery. General Wilson, therefore, was sent to request
the settlers in Salt Lake Valley to unite with California and form a
state, which it was proposed to admit into the Union, and thus, for the
time being, remove the slavery question from congress. The pro-slavery
party had been gaining ground rapidly for a few years previous to this
time. Texas had been annexed, and was a slave state. So extensive
was its territory, that it was capable of being divided into several
states, all of which, of course, would tolerate slavery.

The treaty which closed the war with Mexico had resulted in the United
States obtaining an immense area of country, out of which new states
and territories would be carved; and of course there was in prospect
a terrible struggle between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery parties,
the former seeking to establish slavery in, and the latter to exclude
it from the states and territories to be made out of this new accession
of country. It was thought by the administration, that if a large state
extending from the Pacific ocean eastward to Salt Lake, with slavery
prohibited by its constitution, was admitted into the Union, it would
offset the then late accession of Texas, and calm the rising storm over
that question.

General Wilson stated, that so eager was the President of the
United States in regard to the subject, that if he [Wilson] found
any difficulty in the way, his instructions were to appeal to the
patriotism of the Mormon people.

Elder Taylor, Charles C. Rich and Daniel Spencer were appointed to
confer with General Wilson upon the subject of his mission. The result
of those deliberations was a proposal by the people of Salt Lake
Valley, California agreeing therewith, to form a state unitedly, and
continue in that condition two years; after which the eastern part of
the state was to be formed into a state by itself.

With this as a basic proposition, General Wilson started for
California, to confer with another gentleman who had been sent out on
a like mission to that place; but he encountered very severe weather
in the mountains, by which he was delayed. After many severe hardships
he reached the coast, only to find that his coadjutor had become tired
of waiting and had sailed for the East, so that they did not meet to
confer upon the matter proposed to the Saints.

Senator Truman Smith, of Connecticut, in a speech he delivered in the
United States Senate, July 8th, 1850, after having read some statements
furnished him by Dr. John M. Bernhisel, thus alludes to the presence of
General Wilson in Salt Lake Valley:

"The statement of Dr. Bernhisel touching the wonderful progress made
by the people of Deseret within a space of time incredibly brief, is
abundantly confirmed by a letter which I received from General John
Wilson, dated at Salt Lake City, September 6th, 1849, from which I
submit the following extract:

"A more orderly, earnest, industrious and civil people, I have never
been among than these, and it is incredible how much they have done
here in the wilderness in so short a time. In this city which contains
about from four to five thousand inhabitants, I have not met in a
citizen a single idler, or any person who looks like a loafer. Their
prospects for crops are fair, and there is a spirit and energy in all
that you see that cannot be equaled in any city of any size that I have
ever been in, and I will add, not even in old Connecticut."

Elder Taylor having labored for two years in laying the foundation of a
future great commonwealth, was then called upon to leave that kind of
labor and introduce the gospel into France.

What a change is here! from the desert wilds of the Rocky Mountains,
in the interior of America, to France--to proud, beautiful France,
first in all that pertains to modern civilization! From a city of adobe
huts, log cabins and board shanties, to the glittering splendors and
sumptuous palaces of splendid Paris! From the saw-pit to the pulpit, and
lecture-platform--such is the life of an apostle!



CHAPTER XXIII.

DREARY JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS--CHARGED BY A TROOP OF INDIANS--PEACE
OR WAR?--SUSPENSE--A FEAST INSTEAD OF A MASSACRE--ARRIVAL AT
KANESVILLE--ST. LOUIS--LETTER TO FAMILY--ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND.

It was at the October conference of 1849 that Elder Taylor was called
to go to France, and the 19th of the same month saw him leave his home
for that distant land. In the same company were Lorenzo Snow, bound for
Italy; Erastus Snow, for Denmark; Franklin D. Richards, for England;
besides some eight or ten other Elders for various fields of labor, and
a number of brethren for the Eastern States on business.

The journey across the plains was a tedious one; the cold, pitiless
winds swept over them from the north-west, which made the traveler
think of the pleasant fireside he had left in the Salt Lake Valley.

The Indians, too, especially the Crow tribe, manifested something of
a hostile disposition. Between the upper crossing of the Platte and
Independence Rock, they met with four men carrying the mail to Fort
Hall, whom the Indians had partly robbed, or "tithed" as Elder Taylor
put it, of their blankets, clothes and provisions. This circumstance
made our travelers more vigilant in guarding their horses--"As we
rather preferred to be tithed by our own bishops, whom we had with
us, than be subjected to the ordeal by those who officiate without
authority"--remarks Elder Taylor.

The circumstance also put a rather serious phase at first, upon the
following: Two days after passing Fort Laramie, while our travelers
were baiting their horses at noon on the banks of the Platte, they saw
a large force of Indians suddenly come over the crest of a hill east of
them. From the crest of the hill, or swell of the prairie to the river
was about three-quarters of a mile, and down the gentle slope came the
troop at break-neck speed, clad in all the paraphernalia of "feathers,
paints and brooches," that delights the savage heart. The horses were
as gaily ornamented as their riders, and seemed to partake of the same
free, wild spirit.

As on they came like a whirlwind, some could be seen shaking out the
priming of their fire-arms and priming them afresh; others were putting
arrows to bow-strings, and others setting their lances at rest. Did
this mean war, or what was more likely a massacre--for the approaching
troop numbered two hundred? Our travelers had little time to prepare
for either an attack or friendly visit; but they made good use of what
they had. As soon as the approaching troop was discovered, several of
the brethren were ordered to secure the horses to the wagons, while the
rest, seizing their arms, were drawn up into line to receive the shock
of conflict.

On came the Indians in silence, their faces betraying no emotion by
which it could be determined whether they meant war or peace. Meantime
our travelers were in anxious suspense. To fire on them first would,
perhaps, turn what was intended for a frolic into a massacre, and
yet they must needs do something soon or be run over. Meanwhile they
stood their ground undaunted. On came the savage troop, determined
apparently, to break their line, but as it stood unmoved they came to a
dead halt within a rod and a half of it, setting their horses back on
their haunches by a sudden jerk of the rein. Even after this, some of
them made a show of preparing their arms.

Presently their chief came up and showed signs of peace. But as
the Indians neither understood French nor English, and none of our
travelers understood the Indian dialect, communication was difficult.
One of the chiefs at last, produced a paper, stating that their tribe,
the Cheyennes, was friendly to the whites. This being learned, the
scene which looked so much like war a few moments before, was changed
to one of feasting, the Indians, to their great delight, being treated
to crackers, dried meat and tobacco.

The same evening Elder Taylor, with Lorenzo Snow and Bishop Hunter,
visited their encampment, some three or four miles distant. They were
informed by a Frenchman living with them that the tribe numbered six
hundred warriors, and they were quite wealthy--well armed and mounted.
The brethren visited a number of lodges and were well treated, though
the Indians seemed a little chagrined at the occurrence of the morning.
They undoubtedly intended their semi-warlike demonstration to frighten
our travelers, perhaps make them take to the river; but as the rather
practical joke failed, it left the jokers subject to ridicule.

On arriving at Kanesville the party were received by the Saints still
remaining there with every demonstration of joy; and from thence Elder
Taylor and several of the company made their way to St. Louis, where
there were several strong branches of the Church, numbering upwards of
three thousand members all told.

Here I insert a letter addressed by Elder Taylor from St. Louis to his
family, not so much for items of history that it contains, as for the
expression of his appreciation of family associations and enjoyments.
We so frequently have seen him sacrifice the association of family and
the comforts of home to carry the gospel to distant lands, and doing
it so cheerfully, that it is just possible that those acquainted only
with his public career may regard him as being indifferent to the
fond endearments of home life. If such there be, let them read the
following letter and learn that Elder Taylor possessed strong native
attachments for his home and its holy relationships; and that his love
for wives and children was not less intense because he sacrificed their
companionship for the gospel's sake. It was not because he loved home
and wives and children less, but that he loved the gospel more that he
left them for its sake:

_"My Dear Family_:

"After a long absence I now sit down to write to you. I have been in
this city about three weeks, and stayed in Kanesville about as long.
I have been going leisurely along for the purpose of studying French,
that I might be the better prepared to enter on my mission on my
arrival in France. I have made some progress in the language and hope
to be able to speak it on my arrival there. The Saints wherever I go
treat me with the greatest kindness and hospitality.

"The latter part of our journey over the plains was a cold and dreary
one, but the Lord was with us and protected us, and opened out our way
before us. The snows fell on our right and left, before and behind, but
we never encountered a snow storm until the last day. We arrived safe,
however, and all is well.

"At Kanesville we were saluted with the firing of guns on our arrival,
and the greatest manifestations of rejoicing, and parties, musical
entertainments, etc., were gotten up. This has also been the case in
St. Louis. Here the Saints have a magnificent hall and a splendid band
and do things up in good style. * * * But these outward tokens of
friendship are very little to me, when compared with the heart-felt
joy, the kindly feeling, the sympathetic and warm-hearted brotherhood
manifested by many of my old friends, hundreds of whom seem anxious in
every possible way to promote my happiness, secure my company and have
my blessing and friendship. On my arrival both here and in Kanesville
the Saints flocked around me like bees; and the greatest trouble I have
is that of not being able to fulfill the many engagements that have
pressed themselves upon me.

"But,' say you, 'do you not think of us and home? and do you never
think of me, and of me?' This is what I have been wanting to get at
for some time, and this long, tedious preface has become wearisome to
me--let me tell my feelings if I can. Home! Home! Home! What shall
I say? can I tell it? No, a thousand times no! Your forms, your
countenances, your bodies and your spirits are all portrayed before
me as in living characters. You are with me in my imaginations,
thoughts, dreams, feelings; true our bodies are separated, but there
you live--you dwell in my bosom, in my heart and affections, and will
remain there forever. Our covenants, our hopes, our joys are all
eternal and will live when our bodies moulder in the dust. Oceans,
seas, mountains, deserts and plains may separate us--but in my heart
you dwell.

"Do I see an amiable, lovely woman--my feelings are not there, they fly
to my home. Do I see a beautiful infant--hear the prattle of lovely
innocents, or the symmetry and intelligence of those more advanced in
years? My mind flies to my home--there I gaze upon my wives, there
I fondle and kiss my children and revel for a time in this mental
delight; but I awake from my reverie and find that it is but a dream,
and that mountains, deserts and plains separate us! Do I murmur? No! Do
you? I hope not--shall I not say for you, No?

"I am engaged in my Master's business; I am a minister of Jehovah to
proclaim His will to the nations. I go to unlock the door of life to a
mighty nation, to publish to millions the principles of life, light and
truth, intelligence and salvation, to burst their fetters, liberate the
oppressed, reclaim the wandering, correct their views, improve their
morals, save them from degradation, ruin and misery, and lead them to
light, life, truth and celestial glory. Do not your spirits co-operate
with mine? I know they do. Do you not say, 'Go, my husband, go, my
father; fulfill your mission, and let God and angels protect you and
restore you safe to our bosoms?' I know you do. Well, our feelings are
reciprocal, I love my family and they love me; but shall that love be
so contracted, so narrow, so earthly and sensual as to prevent my doing
the will of my Father in heaven? No, say I, and you echo, No. No! our
thoughts and feelings soar in another atmosphere. We live for time, and
we live for eternity; we love here and we will love forever--

    While life or thought or being last,
    Or immortality endures!

"Our separations here tend to make us more appreciative of each other's
society. A few more separations and trials, a few more tears, a few
more afflictions, and the victory will be ours! We'll gain the kingdom,
possess the crown, inherit eternal glory, associate with the Gods, soar
amidst the intelligences of heaven; and with the noble, the great, the
intellectual, the virtuous, the amiable, the holy, possess the reward
held in reserve for the righteous, and live and love forever. * * * May
the spirit of peace be and abide with you forever; and when you bow
before the Throne of Grace remember your affectionate husband, father
and friend."

From St. Louis to New York the journey was uneventful. In company
with Elders Curtis E. Bolton and John Pack he took passage in the
_Westervelt_, a splendid vessel of fifteen hundred tons' burden, and
arrived in Liverpool on the 27th of May, 1850.



CHAPTER XXIV.

ARRIVAL IN FRANCE--PREPARATIONS FOR WORK--MONSIEUR LE MAIRE--PERMISSION
TO LECTURE--MEETINGS IN BOULOGNE-SUR-MER--IMPUDENT PRIESTS--A
CHALLENGE--GREAT DISCUSSION--MINISTERS FLY THEIR COLORS--UNFAIR
CHAIRMAN--DEFENSE OF ELDER TAYLOR.

After a brief stay in England Elder Taylor sailed for France,
arriving in Boulogne-sur-Mer--a fortified seaport town in the North
of France--on the 18th of June. He was accompanied by Elder Bolton
and William Howell, from Wales. The latter had preached the gospel in
various places in the Jersey Islands and on the coast of France, and
had baptized a few into the Church.

Elder Taylor's first step was to call upon the mayor of the city and
find out the extent of his privileges in preaching. He explained to
that officer that the object of his visit to France was religious not
political; that he wished to preach the gospel, and that his principles
taught him to uphold the laws and government wherever his lot might
be cast; and that he might not infringe upon the laws of France or of
that city, he called upon him as the chief officer in the place for
information.

Monsieur le Maire was all politeness and attention. He first inquired
if Monsieur Taylor had any papers, and upon having placed in his hand
a letter of recommendation from the Governor of Deseret, signed by the
Secretary of State, he expressed himself as satisfied; and informed the
Elder that if he preached in a consecrated church nothing more would
be required; but if he preached in a hall not consecrated, it would be
necessary to address a note to him, specifying his intention and the
doctrines he would preach; naming the hall and his place of residence,
and he would then give him the necessary liberty. Such was the law at
the time, that if this routine was not observed, the person attempting
to hold the public meeting was liable to be imprisoned or banished from
the country.

At first the conversation was carried on by Elder Bolton acting as
interpreter; but the mayor either wishing to display his learning or
accommodate Monsieur Taylor, undertook to make his replies in English.
Elder Taylor observing the mayor's imperfect English, and not to be
outdone in politeness, was soon trying to answer his grace in equally
bad French.

Elder Pack joined the little party in Boulogne on the 26th of June, and
the same evening they walked down on the sea-shore, and as the friendly
shades of night shut them out from the rest of the world, they bowed
down in prayer, in which Elder Taylor was mouth. He thanked the Lord
for preserving them in their travels over mountains, deserts, plains,
oceans and seas; and solemnly dedicated himself and his brethren to
the labors to which they had been called by His own voice through His
servants. He prayed for wisdom, for intelligence--in short, for the
co-operation of God in their efforts to introduce the gospel in that
land.

His next step was to secure a hall for preaching, near the center
of the city, and announce a course of lectures on the principles of
the gospel. He also wrote a number of letters to the editor of the
_Interpreter Anglais et Francais_, in which he explained the object of
his mission, and gave a brief account of the restoration of the gospel,
with an explanation of its leading principles. These letters were
published both in French and English.

The lectures were not very largely attended. The French people are
notoriously indifferent to religion. They are lovers of pleasure more
than lovers of God; are gay, volatile, careless, happy, intelligent.
Anything in fact but religious. Therefore the announcement of these
religious lectures did not create much interest.

There were a number of Protestant ministers in the town and they not
only attended his lectures, but made themselves particularly obnoxious
by their impudence. The evening of his first lecture a Mr. Robertson,
an Independent minister, arose in the meeting and wanted the privilege
of asking a few questions. Fearing, however, that to grant such a
request might lead to disorder, and the mayor under those circumstances
might withdraw his permission for holding the meetings, Elder Taylor
told the reverend gentleman that he would answer as many questions as
he might think proper to ask at his lodgings, or he would call on the
gentleman at his house and answer them there, but could not admit of
anything that might lead to a disturbance. Mr. Robertson pleaded that
it was for the good of the public, and his friends who were there, that
he wished to ask the questions. Elder Taylor replied that he might
bring his friends with him, or he would meet them at his house.

Not satisfied with this, Mr. Robertson followed him out into the street
and being joined by a Baptist minister, began to abuse "Joe Smith,"
calling him an impostor, etc.

"Whom do you speak of," said Elder Taylor, "I was personally acquainted
with Mr. Joseph Smith; he was a gentleman, and would not treat a
stranger as you do me." They still followed him, but he paid no more
attention to them.

A few days after this occurrence, he received a challenge to a public
discussion from the _Revs_. C. W. Cleeve, James Robertson and Philip
Cater. This challenge he enclosed to the mayor, with a note, asking
if there would be any objection to such a meeting. Being informed
there would be no objection, the challenge was accepted, and the
preliminaries arranged.

The questions for discussion were stated as follows: First, the late
Joseph Smith; his public and pretended religious career. Second, the
Book of Mormon; is it a revelation from God? Third, are the ministers
of that people [the Mormons] sent of God by direct appointment? The
fourth article of the agreement stated that "Mr. Taylor will have the
privilege of discussing the validity of the faith and calling of his
opponents."

The discussion began on the evening of the 11th of July, and continued
three nights, from seven until ten, each party having thirty minutes
alternately. The first two nights, and one hour of the third evening
were taken up on the first three questions, leaving Elder Taylor only
an hour in which to enquire into the doctrines and callings of his
opponents; yet, as we shall see, that was sufficient.

In discussing the character of Joseph Smith, Elder Taylor's opponents
introduced the infamous statements of Doctor Bennett, the Rev. Henry
Caswell and others, charging Joseph with a number of crimes and
immoralities. Elder Taylor had no documentary evidence to rebutt
these slanders, but he offered his own testimony to the character of
the Prophet: and as Elders Bolton and Pack both knew him personally,
he called upon them to testify, which they did. Elder Taylor's own
testimony was especially strong. Burning with just indignation at
the slanders against his friend, repeated by these priests of a dead
theology, he said:

"I testify that I was acquainted with Joseph Smith for years. I have
traveled with him; I have been with him in private and in public; I
have associated with him in councils of all kinds; I have listened
hundreds of times to his public teachings, and his advice to his
friends and associates of a more private nature. I have been at
his house and seen his deportment in his family. I have seen him
arraigned before the courts of his country, and seen him honorably
acquitted, and delivered from the pernicious breath of slander, and
the machinations and falsehoods of wicked and corrupt men. I was
with him living, and with him when he died; when he was murdered in
Carthage jail by a ruthless mob with their faces painted, and headed
by a Methodist minister, named Williams--I was there, and was myself
wounded. I, at that time, received four balls in my body. I have seen
him, then, under these various circumstances, and I testify before God,
angels and men, that he was a good, honorable, virtuous man--that his
doctrines were good, scriptural and wholesome--that his percepts were
such as became a man of God--that his private and public character
was unimpeachable--and that he lived and died as a man of God and a
gentleman. This is my testimony; if it is disputed bring me a person
authorized to receive an affidavit, and I will make one to this effect."

In another part of the debate, he remarked on the testimony of himself
and brethren: "We have heard from our opponents about testimony that
would be received in a court. The testimony of three living witnesses
against a criminal, if his crime was murder, would hang him."

Chairman: Oh, no! oh, no!

A gentleman in the audience: (a barrister) "It would."

Elder Taylor: "I say Mr. Chairman, that it would. Let three respectable
men make affidavit before a court, that they had seen one man murder
another, and if their testimony was unimpeached the man would
hang--their testimony would be conclusive."

Replying to his opponents remarks about not coming prepared with
documents to answer their scurrilous charges, and about his testimony
being that of an interested party, or of a particular friend, Elder
Taylor said:

"Mr. Cleeve * * * thinks I ought to bring documents to be accredited,
as if it were necessary for us to bring replies to all the trash
ever published against us! Now, what testimony had St. Paul when he
preached at Athens, at Rome or at Antioch? He said that he had seen
a vision, the people, of course, could believe him or not, as they
thought proper. The wicked Jews were sent after him and his colleagues
to testify evil. How could he rebutt it? Where were his documents? The
Jews could state that he had been found guilty in several places, and
whipped and imprisoned. Could he deny it? Assuredly not. They could
testify that Jesus whom he preached, was crucified, as a blasphemer and
an impostor, by the Jews, his own people. Could he say that this was
not a legal decision? It seems to me that these gentlemen have never
studied their Bibles, or they would have known more about such things;
they must see that they are taking the same stand that the Pharisees
and chief priests did formerly."

He then showed his opponents what position they would be in providing
they were transplanted to a nation that did not believe in Jesus or the
Bible. As the passage is both instructive and amusing, I quote it in
full:--

"Now, I will speak a little about the position of my opponents. I
suppose they are considered gentlemen here; their doctrines are
believed, at least, by their respective flocks, if they have any. The
Bible is believed by all. Suppose we transplant them to Hindostan or
China. What evidence would they have to present before the people? They
present the scriptures, and tell the people they are true. But how are
we to know it, say the people. We tell you so. That is all very well,
but we want some proof. Well, say you, they speak of Jesus coming to
atone for the sins of the world.

"Yes, but the Jews tell us he was an impostor and a wicked man."

"But we believe Him to be a good man, and the son of God."

"Did you ever see Him?"

"No."

"Did you ever see anybody that had seen him?"

"No."

"How do you know anything about Him then?"

"We believe Him to be good."

"Who wrote this book?"

"His apostles."

"_Oh, his particular friends!_"

"Yes."

"Did you ever see them?"

"No."

"Did you ever see anybody that did?"

"No."

"Well, we don't put much confidence in your remarks; but we will read
your book."

Having read it they say:

"Oh, I perceive that certain signs are to follow them that believe--the
sick are to be healed, devils cast out, they are to speak in other
tongues, have the gift of prophecy, etc. Do these signs follow you?

"Oh, no!"

"But you say you are believers, and your Bible says these signs shall
follow them that believe."

"Oh, they are done away with and not necessary."

"But one of your apostles says, 'follow after charity and desire
spiritual gifts.'"

"But they are not needed."

"Strange! Your Apostle St. Paul says, 'the eye cannot cay to the ear,
I have no need of thee; nor the head to the foot, I have no need of
thee.' But shall we not receive these gifts if we believe in Jesus,
repent and are baptized?"

"No."

"Oh, you have a friend here, I see who is also a Christian minister. Do
you believe in the same book, sir?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe in the same doctrine?"

"No."

"But do you get yours from the same book?"

"Yes."

"And does it teach you differently?"

"We believe differently."

"But you have, we perceive, another friend here; is he also a minister?"

"Yes."

"Which of your doctrines does he believe?"

"Neither."

"Do you all believe the Bible?"

"Yes."

"Do you believe it to be true or false?"

"True."

"Does a true book teach three different ways [of salvation]?"

"Those are our opinions."

"Oh, I thought you had come to teach us truth; if opinions are all, we
have plenty of them already and can dispense with your services."

When the discussion turned upon the doctrines and authority of his
opponents, he made short work of it. He proved very clearly that they
were without authority to act in the name of God; that their doctrines
were out of harmony with the scriptures and their religion a mere form
of Godliness without the power thereof. To his statements and arguments
they refused to reply, but still continued harping on the character of
Joseph Smith. Paying no heed to their vain repetition of the slanderous
charges against the Prophet, to which he had once made answer, he
continued to unmercifully bombard their religious citadels, until,
seeing them tumbling about their ears, the reverend gentlemen sought
safety in flight.

The following is, in part, the bombardment before which they finally
fled:

"What about their calling? Are we to have no answer to this subject?
I have positively proved and demonstrated that they have no authority
to preach, and they never attempted to disprove it, but have given us
another rehearsal of the old ditty [the character of Joseph Smith].
Gentlemen, you sit down very quietly under the appellation of false
teachers; of course we must believe that you are such unless you can
prove to the contrary. Mr. Robertson, indeed, honestly says that he has
no authority. Then God has nothing to do with him or his calling. He,
of course, acknowledges that he is administering in the name of one who
never sent him. We shall take him at his word, and set him down as a
teacher whom God has not sent. In France or England they would punish
persons as imposters for committing an act of forgery. But the judgment
of those who administer falsely in the name of Jesus has not yet come;
but the time will come when some will come and say, we have preached
in thy name; and He will answer, depart from me, I never knew you
(confusion). We shall set Mr. Cater on the stool with Mr. Robertson.
Mr. Cleeve will not degrade himself by investigating the matter! Will
he tell me why he, as a gentleman, undertook to discuss a subject, and
published that engagement, which he is now disgusted with? And why he
did not express his feelings of disgust before he heard the argument?
I presume a criminal would express his disgust at an executioner for
being so impolite as to put a noose round a gentleman's neck. But it
is there, and there it will remain, Mr. Cleeve, until it is removed
by you. It needs more formidable weapons than disgust or contempt to
remove it; and we shall still say you have no authority, that you are a
false teacher, and that God has not sent you, unless you can show some
reason to the contrary." (Confusion.)

Elder Taylor, amid considerable confusion, hastily sketched the
outlines of the doctrines of Christ as contained in the New Testament,
the organization of the Church and the gifts and powers that attended
the primitive Saints, all of which was to be perpetuated in the Church.

"Now let us examine how this doctrine agrees with that of these
gentlemen; for be it remembered that St. John says, 'He that
transgresseth and abideth not in the doctrines of Christ hath not God,
but he that abideth in the doctrines of Christ hath both the Father and
the Son.' (II John, 9.) Now, have they apostles? No. They ridicule the
idea of them. Have they prophets? No. They tell us there is to be no
more prophecy. Have they evangelists, pastors and teachers--inspired
men? No. They don't believe in inspiration, and tell us the cause of
inspiration has ceased. Do they speak in tongues? No: you have heard in
turned into ridicule time and again. Do they have prophets among them
who prophesy? This they call a delusion. If any are sick, do they do as
St. James says, 'send for the Elders of the Church that they may pray
for them, and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord?' No. That
they call fanaticism. Do they baptize in the name of the Lord for the
remission of sins? No. Do they lay on hands for the gift of the Holy
Ghost? No. What have they got that in the least resembles the gospel?
They have not even a clumsy counterfeit. How will they stand the test?
'He that abideth not in the doctrines of Christ hath not God.' I will
not, however, call them imposters, that I shall leave, and go on to
examine their doctrines more in detail.

"First, I will commence with Mr. Cleeve. He professes to be a Methodist
minister. I am somewhat acquainted with their doctrines. Their
ministers are not all ordained as Mr. Cleeve is; they have their class
leaders, local preachers, exhorters and itinerant preachers, made
just at random, according to convenience. But I will here take Mr.
Cleeve and Mr. Cater and compare their doctrines. Mr. Cleeve believes
in sprinkling; Mr. Cater in immersion; neither of them believing in
baptism as Peter did, for remission of sins. (Interruption.) But the
Methodists have arranged the matter more conveniently, for according
to the discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, they
have three different modes of baptism--they will baptize either by
sprinkling, pouring or immersion. This is the doctrine of the Episcopal
Methodist Church in America; so that after teaching a person what
they call the plan of salvation, they do not know as teachers how to
baptize, but must apply to the person whom they are teaching. Thus Mr.
Cleeve would--"

Mr. Cleeve.--I am not a Methodist, sir.

Elder Taylor.--I certainly understood you were a Wesleyan Methodist.

Mr. Cleeve.--I have nothing to do with the Wesleyan Methodists, either
directly or indirectly. [1]

Elder Taylor.--Then I must say that I am laboring under a mistake; this
was certainly my understanding. I will therefore turn to Mr. Cater. I
understand that he is a Baptist minister.

Mr. Cater.--I am not a member of the Baptist Association. [2]

Elder Taylor.--I was certainly told and understood until now that
you were, sir. Pray, gentlemen, what are you? (Great laughter and no
answer.)

At this point the Rev. Mr. Long, evidently ashamed of the cowardice
of the ministers that were flying from their colors, arose in the
audience and exclaimed, "I am not ashamed of my profession, sir; I am a
clergyman of the Church of England." (Great laughter.)

Elder Taylor.--I certainly think the gentlemen have taken a strange
position, they seem to be afraid of acknowledging what their profession
is. However, I will proceed. I have three different ministers to do
with of some persuasion, for they all call themselves _Reverends_.
Now, do their doctrines agree with the scriptures? Have they the
organization, ordinances, gifts, prophecy, revelations, visions,
tongues, apostles, prophets? No. This they cannot deny, for they
have all of them opposed these things; yet all of these things were
associated with primitive Christianity. Their offices, their doctrines,
their calling, their teaching, their ordinances are all incorrect, they
are devoid of the blessings, powers, unity, certainty and revelation,
and are left struggling in the mazes of confusion, division, strife,
uncertainty and error. They know not God nor the power of God.
(Interruption.) There is scarcely a principle that these gentlemen have
that is correct, even the doctrine of baptism for the remission of sins
they treat lightly; yet Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch--when
he believed, he immersed him in water; John baptized in non because
there was much water there; St. Paul was told to arise and wash away
his sins, and Jesus says that except a man be born of water and of the
spirit, he can in no wise enter the kingdom of God.

Chairman.--(to Elder Taylor) Do you wish to continue, the gentlemen on
the opposite side are satisfied that it rest here?

Elder Taylor.--I certainly did not anticipate this. I expected to
investigate their principles further, according to agreement.

Chairman.--They do not wish to say any more.

Elder Taylor.--If they have no reply to make, of course I must let it
rest.

Here the debate closed, and the Champion of Truth was triumphant.

The chairmen of the meetings, Mr. Luddy, Dr. Townley and Mr. Groves
made some remarks at the close of the debate, and very unfairly, as
Elder Taylor could have no opportunity to reply to them, undertook
to rescue the vanquished ministers. In the published report of the
discussion, however, he wrote out his replies to their strictures, and
very effectually answered them.

There is one item connected with this discussion that should be dealt
with, since it is a matter that the enemies of Elder Taylor have
sought to make much of in casting reproach upon his veracity and moral
courage. In the course of the discussion his opponents rehearsed all
the charges of crime and immorality made in the writings and lectures
of John C. Bennett after he was excommunicated from the Church; and
accused the Saints with practicing the grave immoralities described
by this arch apostate. Among the immoralities charged were those of
promiscuous sexual intercourse, a community of wives, the keeping of
seraglios, polygamy, illicit intercourse by permission of the Prophet,
and the keeping of spiritual wives.

To all this Elder Taylor made a general and emphatic denial, and
read from an article then published in the Appendix of the Doctrine
and Covenants, expressing the belief of the Church on the subject
of marriage; and inasmuch as he knew of and had obeyed the law of
celestial marriage, including as it does a plurality of wives, he has
been accused of falsehood, and of seeking to deceive by denying the
charges then brought against the Church.

The polygamy and gross sensuality charged by Bennett and repeated
by those ministers in France, had no resemblance to celestial or
patriarchal marriage which Elder Taylor knew existed at Nauvoo, and
which he had obeyed. Hence in denying the false charges of Bennett he
did not deny the existence of that system of marriage that God had
revealed; no more than a man would be guilty of denying the legal,
genuine currency of his country, by denying the genuineness and
denouncing what he knew to be a mere counterfeit of it.

Another illustration: Jesus took Peter, James and John into the
mountain and there met with Moses and Elias, and the glory of God shone
about them, and these two angels talked with Jesus, and the voice of
God was heard proclaiming Him to be the Son of God. After the glorious
vision, as Jesus and His companions were descending the mountain, the
former said: "Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of Man be risen
again from the dead." [3] Suppose one of these apostles had turned
from the truth before the Son of Man was risen from the dead; and
under the influence of a wicked, lying spirit should charge that Jesus
and some of His favorite apostles went up into a mountain, and there
met with Moses and Elias,--or some persons pretending to represent
them,--together with a group of voluptuous courtesans with whom they
spent the day in licentious pleasure. If the other apostles denounce
that as an infamous falsehood, would they be untruthful? No; they would
not. Or would they be under any obligations when denying the falsehoods
of the apostate to break the commandment the Lord had given them by
relating just what had happened in the mountain? No; it would have
been a breech of the Master's strict commandment for them to do that.
So with Elder Taylor. While he was perfectly right and truthful in
denying the infamous charges repeated by his opponents, he was under no
obligation and had no right to announce to the world, at that time, the
doctrine of celestial marriage. It was not then the law of the Church,
or even the law to the Priesthood of the Church: the body thereof at
the time knew little or nothing of it, though it had been revealed
to the Prophet and made known to some of his most trusted followers.
But today, now that the revelation on celestial marriage is published
to the world, if the slanderous charges contained in the writings of
John C. Bennett should be repeated, every Elder in the Church could
truthfully and consistently do just what Elder Taylor did in France--he
could deny their existence.

That Elder Taylor neither lacked the courage of his convictions on this
subject, nor the boldness to proclaim them, nor the skill to defend,
was amply proven in subsequent years, when, after the law of celestial
marriage was proclaimed to be the law of the Church, he went to the
city of New York to publish a paper, and there in the metropolis and
center of civilization of America, fearlessly proclaimed that doctrine,
and successfully defended it against all comers.

Footnotes

1. Elder Taylor in a postscript to a letter to the Editor of the
Boulogne _Interpreter_, in which a condensed report of the debate
was published, writes: "Mr. Cleeve denied publicly being a Wesleyan
minister, or being in any way connected with the Wesleyan Society.
What means the following sign over the door of his chapel--'Wesleyan
Chapel?' And also the following notice inside: 'Wesleyan Station at
Boulogne?'"

2. Subsequent to the discussion, when in Bath, Elder Taylor was
informed that Mr. Cater had officiated for ten years in York Street
Chapel, in Bath, as a Baptist minister. Inquiring indirectly about the
matter of a Mr. Cox, a Baptist minister in Bath, he said that Mr. Cater
was a Baptist minister, and was then preaching in Boulogne.

3. Matthew xvii.



CHAPTER XXV.

THE WORK INTRODUCED INTO PARIS--INTERVIEW WITH M. KROLOKOSKI--"WHICH
IS BEST, YOUR PHILOSOPHY OR OUR RELIGION?"--FRENCH PHILOSOPHY OR FRIED
FROTH--TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON INTO FRENCH--CHARACTERISTIC
LETTER--UNSETTLED STATE OF AFFAIRS IN FRANCE--FRENCH LIBERTY--GOSPEL
INTRODUCED INTO GERMANY--TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK OF MORMON INTO THE
GERMAN--ZION'S PANIER--A CONFERENCE UNDER DIFFICULTIES--DEPARTURE FROM
FRANCE--A KNOWING OFFICER AND A TRUE FRIEND.

Shortly after the discussion Elder Taylor left Boulogne for Paris,
where he began studying the French language, and teaching the gospel.
Among the interesting people whom he met there was M. Krolokoski,
a disciple of M. Fourier, the distinguished French socialist. M.
Krolokoski was a gentleman of some standing, being the editor of a
paper published in Paris in support of Fourier's views. Another thing
which makes the visit of this gentleman to Elder Taylor interesting
is the fact that it was the society to which he belonged that sent M.
Cabet to Nauvoo with the French Icarians, to establish a community on
Fourier's principles. At his request Elder Taylor explained to him the
leading principles of the gospel. At the conclusion of that explanation
the following conversation occurred:

M. Krolokoski.--"Mr. Taylor, do you propose no other plan to ameliorate
the condition of mankind than that of baptism for the remission of
sins?"

Elder Taylor.--"This is all I propose about the matter."

M. Krolokoski.--"Well, I wish you every success; but I am afraid you
will not succeed."

Elder Taylor.--"Monsieur Krolokoski, you sent Monsieur Cabet to Nauvoo,
some time ago. He was considered your leader--the most talented man
you had. He went to Nauvoo shortly after we had deserted it. Houses
and lands could be obtained at a mere nominal sum. Rich farms were
deserted, and thousands of us had left our houses and furniture in
them, and almost everything calculated to promote the happiness of
man was there. Never could a person go to a place under more happy
circumstances. Besides all the advantages of having everything made
ready to his hand, M. Cabet had a select company of colonists. He
and his company went to Nauvoo--what is the result? I read in all
your reports from there--published in your own paper here, in Paris,
a continued cry for help. The cry is money, money! We want money to
help us carry out our designs. [1] While your colony in Nauvoo with
all the advantages of our deserted fields and homes--that they had
only to move into--have been dragging out a miserable existence, the
Latter-day Saints, though stripped of their all and banished from
civilized society into the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, to seek
that protection among savages--among the _peau rouges_ as you call our
Indians--which Christian civilization denied us--there our people have
built houses, enclosed lands, cultivated gardens, built school-houses,
and have organized a government and are prospering in all the blessings
of civilized life. Not only this, but they have sent thousands and
thousands of dollars over to Europe to assist the suffering poor to go
to America, where they might find an asylum.

"The society I represent, M. Krolokoski," he continued, "comes with
the fear of God--the worship of the Great Eloheim; we offer the simple
plan ordained of God, viz: repentance, baptism for the remission of
sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. Our
people have not been seeking the influence of the world, nor the power
of government, but they have obtained both. Whilst you, with your
philosophy, independent of God, have been seeking to build up a system
of communism and a government which is, according to your own accounts,
the way to introduce the Millennial reign. Now, which is the best, our
religion, or your philosophy?"

M. Krolokoski.--"Well, Mr. Taylor, I can say nothing."

"Philosophy" has always been a passion with the French; but Elder
Taylor seems not to have had a very high regard for what he saw of it
among them. He held it in the same esteem that Paul did the "science"
of the Greeks--he considered it a misnomer--philosophy, falsely so
called.

One day in walking through the splendid grounds of the _Fardin des
Plantes_ with a number of friends, one of the party purchased a curious
kind of cake, so thin and light, that you could blow it away, and eat
all day of it and still not be satisfied. Some one of the company asked
Elder Taylor if he knew the name of it. "No," he replied, "I don't know
the proper name; but in the absence of one, I can give it a name--I
will call it French philosophy, or fried froth, which ever you like."

During his stay in Paris he visited the Palace Vendome, and with a
number of friends ascended Napoleon's Column of Victory. His companions
scratched their names on the column as thousands had done before them.
Seeing that Elder Taylor had not written his name, they asked him to
write it with theirs. "_No_," he replied, _"I will not write my name
there; but I will yet write it in living, imperishable characters !_"

Having baptized a number of people in Paris, he organized a branch of
the Church in that city early in December. During the summer, too,
he had made arrangements for translating the Book of Mormon into the
French language, and publishing a monthly periodical, also in French,
called _Etoile Du Deseret_--The Star of Deseret,--a royal octavo sheet,
the first number of which appeared in May, 1851.

In the work of translating the Book of Mormon he was greatly assisted
by the patient labors of Elder Curtis E. Bolton, Brother Louis Bertrand
and several highly educated gentlemen whom he baptized in Paris, but
whose names unfortunately cannot be obtained.

When he announced his intention of publishing the Book of Mormon in
French, Elder Franklin D. Richards called upon the conferences of the
British Mission to come to his assistance with means; but he made other
arrangements to meet his engagements with the publishing house; and
wrote the following characteristic letter to Elder Richards:

"I feel very much obliged to you for the remarks you made on the
subject of the French mission, a short time ago, wherein you requested
the presiding Elders, of the conferences, to raise means for publishing
the Book of Mormon in French. In noticing, however, the position of
the churches in this country, and the many calls that have been made
upon the brethren, I have been seeking to make other arrangements
without troubling them, which I am very happy to inform you, I have
accomplished, and therefore shall not be necessitated to make any calls
upon the conferences. * * The scriptures say, that, 'it is more blessed
to give than to receive,' and if in making the above move, I may have
deprived some of an anticipated blessing, I hope they will excuse me;
for perhaps there may be an opportunity afforded them of assisting some
of my brethren in another way. If not, the world is large, and there is
ample opportunity to do good."

A few wealthy members of the Church in England had privately furnished
him the means, and he made such arrangements with the publishers that
when copies of the book were sold a certain amount of the proceeds was
put away for printing another edition. "And thus it can be continued
from time to time," writes Elder Taylor, "as necessity shall require,
until 200,000 copies are printed without any additional expense."

The translation is said to be a very correct one, the original
simplicity of the Nephite writers is retained, and it is as literal as
the genius and idiom of the French language will admit.

In addition to these literary labors Elder Taylor applied to the
government authorities for permission for himself and the Elders to
preach throughout France; and the prospects were fair for obtaining it;
but at that juncture, a mob arose against the Saints in Denmark, their
meeting house where they assembled was torn down and much excitement
created. It was this circumstance which doubtless led the French
ministry to prohibit the Elders from preaching altogether, instead of
granting them the liberty for which they asked.

The political situation in France at the time was precarious, and did
much to prevent Elder Taylor and his companions from spreading the
gospel among that people. In 1848 Louis Philippe had been compelled
to abdicate the throne of France by an insurrection of the people;
the provisional government that succeeded was soon supplanted by the
republic which was proclaimed by the voice of the people; of which
Louis Napoleon, the nephew of the great Napoleon, was elected president
for four years, as provided for in the constitution. This term of
office was altogether too brief and too precarious for a Bonaparte, and
the newly elected President soon set on foot secret measures for an
increase of power and an extension of time in office.

Having won over the army to his views, he boldly seized such members
of the National Assembly, and other prominent citizens, who were
opposed to his interests and imprisoned them, suppressed the newspapers
and proclaimed the dissolution of the assembly and council of state.
He hastily sketched a new and more despotic constitution, which was
accepted by the people, and had himself elected president for ten years.

These movements were soon followed by even bolder acts of usurpation.
He secured the passage of a decree by the new senate, making him
hereditary Emperor with the title of Napoleon III. And thus an empire
was erected on the ruins of the fallen republic.

Such were the agitations and revolutions going on in France during
the time that Elder Taylor was there introducing the gospel; and with
such an irreligious and excitable people as the French, it is not to
be expected that they will turn away from excited multitudes shouting
now _vive la Republique_, and then _vive l'empereur_, with the whole
country on the verge of civil war--it is not to be expected, I say,
that a people, and especially the French people, are going to turn from
all this to listen to a stranger preach on the peaceable things of the
kingdom of heaven!

Still, meetings were held in Paris twice a week, and the work spread
into Havre, Calais, Boulogne and other places. In the three cities
named, as well as in Paris, branches of the Church were organized. In
June, 1851, the Channel Islands,--hitherto belonging to the British
mission--in which there were several branches of the Church, were added
to the French mission and of course considerably increased its strength.

In the latter part of July or about the first of August, 1851, Elder
Taylor accompanied by Elder Viet, a German, and a teacher of that
language in France, and Elder George P. Dykes, went to the city of
Hamburg, Germany. Here, with the aid of Elder Viet, a Mr. Charles
Miller, whom he baptized shortly after his arrival there, and George P.
Dykes, he made arrangements for and supervised the translation of the
Book of Mormon into the German language. The work was finally completed
and stereotyped; and the text so arranged that the French and German
would face each other, each page containing the same matter in the same
opening, and thus both could be bound together.

In Hamburg as in Paris, he published a monthly periodical, a royal
octavo sheet, which was called _Zion's Panier_--Zion's Banner. The
first number was issued November 1st, 1851. He also preached the
gospel and raised up a branch of the Church in Hamburg; after which
he returned to Paris, to attend a conference of the French mission
appointed to convene there.

He ran considerable risk in appointing this conference, for the law
prohibited more than twenty persons assembling together, and a number
of times the meetings of the Saints in Paris were entered by the
police, and the number present counted to see if they were violators of
the law. Referring to this cramped situation of affairs Elder Taylor
remarks: "'Liberty,' 'Equality,' 'Fraternity,' were written upon almost
every door. You had liberty to speak, but might be put in prison for
doing so. You had liberty to print, but they might burn what you had
printed, and put you in confinement for it"--such was French liberty!

Elder Taylor arrived in Paris about the 18th or 19th of December.
On the 2nd of the same month Louis Napoleon by his famous _coup
d'etat_ had overthrown the first republic succeeding the government
of Louis Philippe; and in the meantime had sketched the more despotic
constitution which was to succeed it, with himself elected President
for ten years. Paris was in the hands of the soldiers; her streets
had recently been soaked with blood; many of the buildings had
been battered down into shapeless ruins; and about five hundred
prisoners, untried before any tribunal--even that of a drum-head court
martial--had been shipped off to Cayenne.

It happened, too, that the day appointed for the holding of this
conference was the very day on which the people were to vote for
Napoleon for president--it would evidently be a day of excitement; and
altogether the circumstances would have been considered sufficient, by
ordinary men, to have postponed the conference indefinitely. Not so
with Elder Taylor. A French revolution was not to hinder him in his
work. The revolution would give the authorities of Paris something else
to do than to look after him. So the conference was held.

There were about four hundred represented at the conference. A
number of elders, priests and teachers were ordained; a conference
was regularly organized and a presidency appointed over the Church
in France. "At the very time they [the French people] were voting
for their president," Elder Taylor remarks, "we were voting for our
president; and building up the kingdom of God; and I prophesied that
our cause would stand when theirs is crushed to pieces; and the kingdom
of God will roll on and spread from nation to nation, and from kingdom
to kingdom."

It scarcely need be said that the prophecy has been, or is being
fulfilled. The work the French people did that day was undone in less
than a year by the usurping "Prince President" becoming Emperor, and
crushing out the life of the republic by founding a despotism as
absolute as any kingdom of the middle ages; and which in its turn was
violently overthrown, a few years afterwards, by another revolution.
Meantime the kingdom of God goes steadily forward--slowly, perhaps, but
none the less surely on that account. The Almighty is not anxious to
reap results today from promises He laid down yesterday. The oak grows
slowly; but every year adds something to its size; the winds which beat
upon it only fix its mighty roots deeper in the earth and increase the
strength of its fiber; and at last, in spite of slowness of growth, in
spite of howling tempest and the thunder-bolt, the grand oak stands
monarch of the forest. So shall it be with the kingdom of God among the
nations of the earth.

Elder Taylor's mission in France and Germany was now completed; and he
began making his arrangements for returning home. It was the day after
the conference in Paris that he started for England, intending to call
at the Channel Islands _en route_.

It was not more than ten minutes after he had taken the cab and started
to the railway station to take his departure from France, when one
of the high police officials came to inquire for him. The gentleman
with whom he had stayed in Paris, M. Ducloux, was a very affectionate
friend to him, and he, with his sister-in-law, kept the officer in
conversation for two hours, speaking very highly of their late guest,
maintaining that he was a respectable, high-minded gentleman. In turn
the officer told him every place Elder Taylor had been since his
arrival in Paris; when he came to France, what hotel he stayed at; when
he went to England, and how long he remained; when he went to Germany,
and how long he stayed there; what books he had printed, etc. In fact
he gave a most minute account of all his movements, all of which were
recorded in the police records.

Whether an attempt to intercept Elder Taylor was made or not is
unknown. It might have been done by telegraphing their police agents,
which were so numerous as to be ubiquitous, but without any design
on his part to avoid them, for he did not know they were after him,
he turned off the main route to England, to visit a little seashore
town where he remained a week, and thus missed what might have been
something more serious than a mere annoyance.

Footnotes

1. A year or two after this conversation, the Icarian society at Nauvoo
miserably failed. It also failed in France.



CHAPTER XXVI.

BUSTS OF THE MARTYRS--THE GOVERNMENT OF GOD--MANUFACTURING COMPANY
ORGANIZED--FAREWELL TO FRANCE--TO EUROPE--A BIGOTED CAPTAIN--VISIT
TO WASHINGTON--MEETING AN OLD FRIEND--COLONEL KANE--ARRIVAL IN SALT
LAKE--GREETINGS.

Elder Taylor took advantage of his visit to England and Europe, where
skill in the fine arts was more perfect than in the United States,
to get out the busts of his friends and fellow-martyrs, Joseph and
Hyrum Smith. He evidently contemplated this work before leaving home,
since he had with him in England casts taken from the faces of the
martyrs immediately after their death. He also had with him the various
drawings made of them during their lives, to assist the artist in
his work. The modeller, Mr. Gahagan, was one of the first artists of
England, in proof of which it is only necessary to say that he had
taken the busts of the duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Sir Robert
Peel, the emperor of Russia and a number of the principal nobility and
gentry of England. The work was done under the personal direction of
Elder Taylor, and he was successful in obtaining for himself and future
generations a correct outline of the heads and features of the two
martys, and as perfect a likeness of them as it was possible to obtain
so long after their death.

It was while he was on this French and German mission, too, that he
wrote his admirable work "The Government of God," [1] a book of some
two hundred pages. The author defines the kingdom of God to be the
government of God, on the earth, or in the heavens; and then in his
first two chapters proceeds to place the magnificence, harmony, beauty
and strength of the government of God, as seen throughout the universe,
in contrast with the meanness, confusion and weakness of the government
of men.

It is a bold picture he draws in each case; one displaying the
intelligence, the light, the glory, the beneficence and power of God;
the other the ignorance, the folly, the littleness and imbecility of
man. The great evils, both national and individual which He depicts
with such vividness, the author maintains are beyond the power of
human agency to correct. "They are diseases," he remarks, "that have
been generating for centuries; that have entered into the vitals of
all institutions, religious and political, that have prostrated the
powers and energies of all bodies politic, and left the world to groan
under them, for they are evils that exist in church and state, at home
and abroad; among Jew and Gentile, Christian, Pagan and Mahometan;
king, prince, courtier and peasant; like the deadly simoon, they have
paralyzed the energies, broken the spirits, damped the enterprise,
corrupted the morals and crushed the hopes of the world. * * * No power
on this side of heaven can correct this evil. It is a world that is
degenerated, and it requires a God to put it right."

The author then rather hurriedly reviews the incompetency of the means
made use of by man to regenerate the world; showing that neither the
Roman Catholic nor Greek churches, though having full sway in some
countries, and backed by national and even international power, have
been able to make happy, prosperous, unselfish and righteous those
countries whose destinies they have directed; and being unable to
accomplish these desirable objects in the nations where their power
has been supreme, the author argues that they would be unsuccessful in
regenerating the world should their dominion be universal.

Nor is our author more hopeful that the reformed churches, the
Protestants, would be any more successful than the Greek and Roman
churches have been. So far Protestantism has but increased division,
and multiplied strife without changing materially the moral and
spiritual condition of the world.

Turning from those who would regenerate the world through the medium
of Christianity--a false, a corrupted Christianity, for such is the
so-called Christian religion of the churches above mentioned--turning
from these to those who would take their destiny into their own hands,
and who, either denying the existence of God or ignoring His right to
direct in the affairs of men, seek by their own wisdom to establish
institutions for the amelioration of mankind, our author remarks:

"If skepticism is to be the basis of the happiness of man, we shall be
in a poor situation to improve the world. It is practical infidelity
that has placed the world in its present condition; how far the
unblushing profession of it will lead to restoration and happiness, I
must leave my readers to judge. It is our departure from God that has
brought upon us all our misery. It is not a very reasonable way to
alleviate it by confirming mankind is skepticism."

Neither has man been able to devise any form of government that is a
panacea for the numerous ills with which the world is cursed. Poverty,
iniquity, crime, injustice, greed, pride, lust, oppression, exist in
republics as well as in kingdoms or empires; in limited monarchies as
well as in those that are absolute. Our author maintains that neither
religion nor philosophy, the church nor the state, nor education nor
all of these combined, as they exist among men, are sufficient to
regenerate the world; "our past failures," he writes, "make it evident
that any future effort, with the same means, would be useless."

The author then proceeds to discuss the questions--What is man? What
his destiny and relationship to God? The object of his existence on the
earth, his relationship thereto; and his accountability to God. To say
that Elder Taylor treats these grave questions with marked ability is
unnecessary.

He then deals with God's course in the moral government of the world;
and then of the question--"Whose right is it to govern the world?"
He clearly proves that it is God's right, basing that right on the
fact that God created it--that it is His; and He, and they to whom He
delegates His power are the only ones who have legitimate authority
to govern it. But men have usurped authority; they have taken the
management of affairs, so far as they have the power into their own
hands; they have rejected God and his counsels; and, as a consequence,
the evils and corruptions of which all nations and peoples are sick
follow.

This leads him to the question: Will man always be permitted to usurp
authority over his fellow-men, and over the works of God? He answers in
the negative. It would be unreasonable, unjust, unscriptural--contrary
to the promises of God--and would frustrate His designs in the creation
of the world. No, the time must come when the moral world, like the
physical universe, shall be under the direction of the Almighty, and
God's will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. The manner in
which this is to be brought about, the peace, prosperity, happiness
and general blessedness which are to follow the establishment of the
government of God on earth, are the subjects of his concluding chapters.

Such, in brief, is an outline of this fine work--Elder Taylor's
masterpiece! A work which is sufficient at once to establish both his
literary ability and his power as a moral philosopher. One can only
regret that in the later years of his life he did not find time to
enlarge it. The flight is splendid, but one wishes he had remained
longer on the wing. He wrote this work, as he tells us in his foot-note
on the first page, to believers in the Bible. I regret that he did
not so add to it that its sublime truths would appeal with equal
force to those who reject the Jewish Scriptures. No writer in the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has yet, in any manner
worth mentioning, undertaken to establish the divinity of the Jewish
Scriptures, or made answer to the indictments brought against the Bible
by infidels; but no one can read the "Government of God" without being
convinced that its author was pre-eminently qualified for such an
undertaking.

While in France Elder Taylor became somewhat acquainted with the
process of manufacturing sugar from the sugar-beet, and being convinced
that both climate and soil in Utah were favorable to the production
of the beets, he organized a company to found that industry in the
distant vales of Deseret. The company was to be known as the "Deseret
Manufacturing Company," and while its purposes were not confined to the
establishment of one industry alone, sugar was to be its first venture.

The company was composed of four partners with equal shares, of which
Elder Taylor was one. The capital stock was put at fifty thousand
pounds sterling, equal to a quarter of a million dollars.

Elder Taylor had the machinery for the intended sugar works made in
Liverpool by Faucett, Preston & Co., at a cost of twelve thousand five
hundred dollars. It was first class machinery, the very best that could
be obtained, and such was its weight that it would require fifty-two
teams to carry it from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake. It was an immense
undertaking.

Having fulfilled his mission and accomplished in addition these
miscellaneous but important labors, Elder Taylor set sail from England
on the 6th of March, 1852, on board the steam-ship _Niagara_. There
were about twenty emigrating Saints who accompanied him.

The first Sunday out the passengers, composed principally of the
English aristocracy, were anxious to have Elder Taylor preach to them
in the cabin; but the law, _alias_ the captain, a narrow-minded,
bigoted man refused to accede to their request.

The _Niagara_ reached Boston harbor on the eighteenth of the same
month, and Elder Taylor proceeded to Philadelphia, where he visited
Colonel Thomas L. Kane, then confined to his bed by sickness. After
preaching to the Saints in that city, he proceeded to Washington,
where he met his old friend, Dr. John M. Bernhisel, Utah's delegate to
Congress. He also met with Senator Stephen A. Douglas and a number of
other senators and members of the lower house.

From Washington he went to St. Louis and there remained a week or more,
awaiting the arrival of the ship _Rockaway_, at New Orleans, having
on board a company of emigrating Saints, and his sugar manufacturing
plant. While waiting the arrival of this vessel he was actively engaged
in preaching the gospel. The _Rockaway_ arrived in port in the latter
part of April; and having made arrangements for the shipment of his
machinery, Elder Taylor again turned his face homeward.

After a tedious journey across the plains, he arrived in Salt Lake City
on the 20th of August, where he was welcomed by his family, and by his
brethren of the priesthood, who heartily approved of all his labors,
blessed him for his faithfulness, his untiring zeal and the energy he
had manifested.

How sweet to the ear! how joyous to the soul! how gratifying to
the heart is that grandest of all salutations--"Well done thou good
and faithful servant!" and when spoken by those holding the holy
priesthood, backed by the warm grasp of the hand, and confirmed by the
countenance lit up with unfeigned brotherly love, it certainly is a
fore-taste of the joy that shall fill the hearts of the faithful who
hear the same salutation from the Master, who will add: "Enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord!"

Footnotes

1. Of this work the historian, Hurbert H. Bancroft says: "As a
dissertation on a general and abstract subject it probably has not its
equal in point of ability within the range of Mormon literature. The
style is lofty and clear, and every page betokens the great learning
of the author. As a student of ancient and modern history, theologian,
and moral philosopher, President Taylor is justly entitled to the front
rank."--_History of Utah, 433--note_.



CHAPTER XXVII.

LABORS AT HOME--CALLED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL IN THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE
SAINTS--A MISSION TO NEW YORK--MORMONISM TO REPRESENT ITSELF--"I CAN
CALL SPIRITS FROM THE VASTY DEEP"--WILL THEY COME?--PUBLISHING A PAPER
WITHOUT PURSE OR SCRIP.

It may well be imagined that after an absence of three years, Elder
Taylor found plenty of employment in looking after his own affairs for
a season, and putting in motion enterprises that would have for their
object the accumulation of wealth. But Elder Taylor's affections were
not given to the wealth of this world that perishes with the using.
Other things than those that please the children of this world had
taken hold of him; and hence it happened that although the state of
his finances on his return from this protracted mission to Europe,
would have induced most men to devote themselves exclusively to the
betterment of their personal affairs, Elder Taylor was to be found
taking part in the councils of the Church, and devoting a considerable
amount of time to preaching the gospel.

The machinery for the manufacturing of sugar arrived in due time and
was put in operation; but owing to a lack of skilled workmen to take
charge of the various branches of the business, the production of
sugar was unsatisfactory, and at the instance of President Young the
enterprise was abandoned.

He took part in the ceremonies connected with laying the corner stones
of the Salt Lake Temple, on the 6th of April, 1853; and during that
conference, with several other members of his quorum and the First
Seven Presidents of Seventies, was called and sustained as a missionary
"to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the valleys of the mountains."
In fulfilling that mission he visited nearly all the settlements of
Utah, and everywhere was made welcome by the people, who knew so well
his manner of life, his untiring zeal and devotion to the great cause
he had espoused.

The Saints, no less than sinners, have a habit of assessing the value
of pulpit precepts by the test of personal example; and one of the
things which made Elder Taylor a welcome visitor of missionary among
them was the fact that in this matter of personal example he did not
break down. On the contrary, his daily life reflected the precepts he
taught in the pulpit and in private; and hence the people believed in
him and respected his counsels.

The year following he was elected a member of the Territorial
Legislature; but before the Legislature assembled he was again called
upon a mission. This time he was called to preside over the churches
in the eastern states, supervise the emigration and publish a paper
in the interest of the Church. He promptly resigned his position as
a member elect of the Legislature, and in the fall of 1854 started
for New York, accompanied by Elder Jeter Clinton, Nathaniel H. Felt,
Alexander Robbins, Angus M. Cannon, and his son, George J. Taylor. His
being called to publish a paper in New York was but part of a general
movement by which Mormonism and the Saints were to be represented by
their own accredited agents. Orson Pratt was in Washington publishing
the _Seer_; Erastus Snow and Orson Spencer were to publish a paper in
St. Louis; and George Q. Cannon one in San Francisco.

The object in starting these publications was to disabuse the public
mind, then fast being prejudiced against the Church by the tongue of
slander. When the Saints disappeared in the great western wilderness
of America there were a variety of opinions as to what would be their
fate. Few, however, thought they would survive the terrible ordeal
through which they passed in their expulsion from the United States
and the subsequent perils and hardships of the great desert. But when
the miracle of their preservation was forced upon their attention,
and not only their preservation, but the fact, also, that they were
more numerous and in possession of more power than when driven from
Nauvoo--when it was known that they had laid the foundation of a
commonwealth which was soon to be knocking at the gate of the capital
for admission into the Union as a sovereign state--when all this was
known, their enemies, who flattered themselves that they had seen the
last of the hated Mormons, suddenly aroused themselves for a renewal of
the suspended conflict.

Meantime the Church had publicly announced as a principle of its faith
the doctrine of celestial marriage, including as it does, a plurality
of wives.

No sooner was the announcement made than misrepresentation distorted
this doctrine into everything that was vile and impure. The old stories
of licentious practices among the Saints in Nauvoo, fulminated by John
C. Bennett and other apostates--but which had no existence except as
these same apostates and a few other corrupt men practiced them, and
for which they were expelled from the Church--were revived and believed
with avidity by a credulous public, until Utah was looked upon as a
hot-bed of impurity, and the Mormon religion as a veil under which was
hidden all the ungodliness of man's baser and degrading passions.

It was to stem the constantly increasing tide of prejudice, set in
motion by this flood of falsehood, that the movement by the Church to
establish publications in the cities I have named, was made.

It was a difficult task that had been assigned Elder Taylor. Both the
pulpit and the press were against him; and there could be no question
as to what course political parties would take respecting the question.
What the populace condemned, they would condemn. Besides, he found
himself cramped financially for such an enterprise. The Church in Utah
was unable to furnish the necessary means. The people there were having
a severe struggle for existence with the unpropitious elements of the
wilderness, and money there was none, or, at least, very little.

It is true there were many members of the Church in the eastern states
at the time, but they were unorganized, and indifferent to the progress
or defense of the work of God. Elder Taylor called upon the Saints to
come to his assistance in publishing a paper, but it reminded him of a
man, he humorously said, in describing the result to President Young,
who said, "I can call spirits from the vasty deep;" "So can I," shouted
another, "but they won't come." Still there were a few who responded,
and with what they furnished and the money obtained for the teams and
wagons he had brought with him from Utah, and a few hundred dollars
which he and those with him could borrow, a paper was started, the
first number bearing the date of the 17th of February, 1855.

"We commenced our publication," writes Elder Taylor to President Young,
"not because we had means to do it, but because we were determined to
fulfill our mission, and either make a spoon or spoil a horn. * * *
How long we shall be able to continue, I don't know. We are doing as
well as we can, and shall continue to do so; but I find it one thing to
preach the gospel without purse or scrip, and another thing to publish
a paper on the same terms."



CHAPTER XXVIII.

"THE MORMON"--THE FIRST ISSUE--IN THE FRONT OF THE BATTLE--BOLDNESS OF
DEFENSE--CHALLENGES ACCEPTED--THE ACTS OF COWARDS--"THE MORMONS DON'T
NEED YOUR SYMPATHY, NOR CANKERED GOLD"--A TERTULLIAN.

"The Mormon" was the title which Elder Taylor gave his paper. It was
a handsome, well printed, twenty-eight columned weekly. It had a very
striking and significant heading, filling up at least one fourth of the
first page. It represented an immense American eagle with out-stretched
wings poised defiant above a bee-hive, and two American flags. Above
the eagle was an all-seeing eye surrounded by a blaze of glory, and the
words: "Let there be light; and there was light." On the stripes of the
flag on the left was written: "Truth, Intelligence, Virtue and Faith;"
signed, "John Taylor;" upon those on the right; "Truth will prevail;"
signed, "H. C. Kimball;" while in the blue fields of one of the flags,
the star of Utah shone resplendently. Two scrolls on either side of the
eagle bore the following inscriptions: "Mormon creed--mind your own
business," Brigham Young; and "Constitution of the United States, given
by inspiration of God," Joseph Smith.

On the inside, at the head of the editorial column was the American
eagle standing on a bee-hive with an American flag on either side. Upon
the bee-hive, on one side, leaned the Doctrine and Covenants, Book of
Mormon and Bible; on the other a tablet on which was written: "Peace
and good will to man." The eagle held in its break a scroll on which
was written: "Holiness to the Lord."

The Mormon office was situated on the corner of Nassau and Ann streets,
with the offices of the New York _Herald_ on one side, and those of
the _Tribune_ on the other. Elder Taylor was thus in the very heart of
Gotham's newspaper world. Selecting such a stand is evidence enough
that he did not intend to hide his light under a bushel. On the
contrary he had taken a prominent position with a determination to keep
it. He stationed himself in the front rank, unfurled his colors and we
shall see that with the bold, dashing courage of a Henry of Navarre,
how well he held his place.

It was the custom at the time to distribute the first issue of
newspapers free to the news boys, and let them sell them for what they
pleased. Accordingly on the first day of its publication hundreds of
news boys filled the lower offices and thronged the stairway leading
to the upper rooms, clamoring for _The Mormon_. As they were promptly
supplied, the paper with its conspicuous heading was waved in the face
of the public and all through the principal thoroughfares the cry of
"_Mormon,_" "_Mormon_"--"Here's yer _Mormon_," was heard ringing and
echoing on every side.

To say that this first springing of the batteries created a sensation
but feebly expresses the effect produced.

The prospectus of _The Mormon_ announced that it would be devoted to
the cause and interests of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints; "and will be the advocate of its claims, social, moral,
political and religious; and will also treat upon all subjects which
the editor may deem instructive or edifying to his readers, among which
will be science, literature and the general news of the day. Further
than this he has no pretensions, nor does he propose to be bound to any
particular party or interest."

Subsequently, though in an early number of _The Mormon_, Elder Taylor
made a further announcement of his principles, and what he meant to
sustain, as follows:

"We believe in good, sound, healthy morals, in matter of fact
philosophy, in politics uncorrupted, and that secure the greatest good
to all. We believe in the God of heaven and certainly in religion. We
believe in a religion that will make a man go down to the grave with a
clear conscience, and an unfaltering step, to meet his God as a Father
and a Friend without fear."

During the two years and a half that he continued to edit _The
Mormon_, he kept free from all entangling alliances in party politics,
but criticised all parties and measures with a fearlessness and
intelligence that is truly refreshing at a time when party prejudice or
venality controlled the utterances of the press.

But it is as a defender of the faith and character of the Saints that
Elder Taylor in _The Mormon_ is most conspicuous. He leaped into the
public arena, threw down his gage of battle and dared the traducers
of the Saints of God to take it up. The very name Mormon--which they
had derided and made the synonym for all that was absurd in religion,
impure in social life, or disloyal to government, he took up and made
the title of his paper--wrote it in bold letters and surrounded it
with the symbols of liberty, intelligence and truth, and defied its
slanderers to pluck from it the emblems in which he enshrined it.

"We are Mormon," he writes in the first number, "inside and outside; at
home or abroad, in public and private--everywhere. We are so, however,
from principle. We are such, not because we believe it to be the most
popular, lucrative, or honorable (as the world has it); but because we
believe it to be true, and more reasonable and scriptural, moral and
philosophic; because we conscientiously believe it is more calculated
to promote the happiness and well-being of humanity, in time and
throughout all eternity, than any other system which we have met with."

A short time afterward we have him saying: "We have said before and say
now, that we defy all the editors and writers in the United States to
prove that Mormonism is less moral, scriptural, philosophical; or that
there is less patriotism in Utah than in any other part of the United
States. We call for proof; bring on your reasons, gentlemen, if you
have any; we shrink not from the investigation, and dare you to the
encounter. If you don't do it, and you publish any more of your stuff,
we shall brand you as poor, mean, cowardly liars; as men publishing
falsehoods knowing them to be so, and shrinking from the light of truth
and investigation."

The _New York Mirror_, in calling attention to his presence in the
city and the spread of Mormonism, said: "While our public moralists
and reformers are making war upon the hotels and taverns and private
property of our citizens, a hideous system--an immoral excrescence--is
allowed to spring up and overtop the Constitution itself. Why are there
no public meetings convened in the tabernacle to denounce Mormonism?
The evil has become a notorious fact--its existence cannot be any
longer ignored--and it is not therefore prudent that the eyes of the
public should be closed to its effects."

To this Elder Taylor replied: "We are ready to meet Mr. Fuller in
the tabernacle on this question at any time. We court investigation
and have nothing to hide." Mr. Fuller did not accept the challenge;
and when, some time afterwards, he repeated his abuse, Elder Taylor
taunted him with cowardice and charged him with being guilty of willful
falsehood; but the editor of the _Mirror_ shrank from the investigation
in the tabernacle which he had proposed. His act was truly that of a
blustering coward who had raised the cane over the head of his enemy,
but was afraid to strike the blow. [1]

The New York _Herald_ was as bitter and unfair in its attacks upon
the Saints and Mormonism as the _Mirror_; and Elder Taylor was as
incisive and fearless in his rejoinders to the former as to the
latter. The _Herald_ proposed that a meeting be called in Tammany
Hall and that the ministers of the several churches should make an
expose of the absurdities and wickedness of Mormonism. Elder Taylor
promptly announced his willingness to meet those ministers in such a
gathering and defend the character and doctrine of the Saints. The
meeting was not called. The ministers of the several churches were
not fighting Mormonism that way. Slander, vituperation, denunciation,
falsehood uttered at times and places where no answer could be made,
not discussion open and manly has ever been the methods of Christian
ministers against Mormonism.

The New York _Sun_ was also in the field against Mormonism, and was
behind none of its contemporaries in the bitterness of its attacks. So
bitter, indeed, was the press generally, that the _Woman's Advocate_,
touched with pity for a people so universally denounced, deplored the
lack of charity manifested in the discussion of the Utah question; and
when the famine of 1855 threatened the destruction of the Saints in
Utah, and the press of the east but ill concealed its rejoicing at the
prospect of the solution of the Mormon problem by such a calamity, the
same journal lamented the lack of sympathy manifested toward the Mormon
people in their trying circumstances, In reply the _Sun_ said:

"As to the alleged want of sympathy, it is enough to say that there has
yet been no appeal for help from Utah. If an appeal were made in the
name of humanity, the degrading and disgusting doctrines of Brigham
Young, and others of the priesthood, promulgated as articles of faith,
would not hinder the American people from responding to it."

To which Elder Taylor with some warmth answered:

"The _Sun_ says there has been no appeal from Utah for help. An appeal
for help indeed! They have called for their own, but their rights have
been continually withheld, though your statesmen owned their cause was
just. And shall they now ask charity of those that robbed and despoiled
them of their goods and murdered their best men? We have been robbed of
millions and driven from our own firesides into the cold, wintry blasts
of the desert, to starve by your charitable institutions, and shall
we now crave your paltry sixpences? Talk to us with your hypocritical
cant about charity! Pshaw! it's nauseating to everyone not eaten up
with your corrupt humbuggery and pharisaical egotism. You forgot you
were talking to Americans, born upon the soil of freedom, suckled in
liberty, who have inhaled it from their fathers' lips--their ears
yet tingling with the tales of a nation's birth--sons of fathers who
fought for rights which you, in your bigotry and self-conceit, would
fain wrench from them. Intolerance has thrice driven them from their
homes, but the wild burst of liberty of '76, now reverberates through
the mountain passes of Utah, bidding defiance to mobocracy and its
leaders; and hurling mock charity and pretended patriotism back to the
fount of corruption from which it issues. The Mormons neither need
your sympathy nor your cankered gold. Your malicious slanders only
excite contempt for those base enough to utter them. Your contemptible
falsehoods fail to ruffle a feather in our caps. * * * The God of Jacob
in whom the Mormons trust--He who brought up Israel out of Egypt--He
it is who sustained the Mormons in their tedious journeyings over the
barren deserts and wild mountain passes of this continent. In the dark
hour of trial, amid all their distresses, without friends or home--God
upheld and sustained them; He sustains them still, and will cause them
to shine forth with the bright radiance of eternal truth over the
wide world, long after their malicious slanderers shall have sunk to
oblivion in the filth of their own corruptions."

This boldness in rejoinder to all opponents reminds one of the tone of
Tertullian's defense of the early Christians. Of him it is said: "His
was not the tone of a supplicant pleading for toleration. He demanded
justice." So with Elder Taylor.

Footnotes

1. There were two men named Fuller connected with the Mirror while
Elder Taylor was publishing The Mormon. The first was a very courteous
gentleman. He had visited Utah and spoke very highly in the Mirror of
her people. But shortly after the advent of the Mormon, there arose a
controversy about the ownership of the Mirror, and it fell into the
hands of the second Mr. Fuller, who was as bitter in his feelings
against the Saints as his methods of opposing them were cowardly.



CHAPTER XXIX.

DEFENSE OF CELESTIAL MARRIAGE--BIBLE SOCIETY'S WAR ON MORMONISM--ELDER
TAYLOR'S BIBLE--STRANGE SOLUTION OF THE MORMON PROBLEM--THE ARMY TO THE
RESCUE.

And what of the question of polygamy, which, during the years that _The
Mormon_ was published, was the slogan of the enemies of the people
of Utah--the head and front of Mormon offending? To understand the
amount of bitterness infused into the remarks of the press--discussion
would be too dignified a term for the denunciation and invectives
found in it--the reader must remember that besides being a religious
controversy, Mormon plural marriage was also dragged into the politics
of the country.

The Democratic party at that period took the ground that the
territories were to be free to regulate their domestic institutions in
their own way, subject only to the Constitution of the United States.
This was the celebrated "Popular Sovereignty" doctrine, which grew up
out of the slavery controversy; and was the manner in which certain
sections of the pro-slavery party proposed to settle the question of
the existence of slavery in the territories--that is by leaving it to
the inhabitants of the Territory to establish or reject it on becoming
states. The Abolition Party promptly took advantage of their opponents
who accepted the "Popular Sovereignty" doctrine, by saying that if the
Territories were to be free to regulate their domestic institutions
in their own way, then Utah had a right to establish polygamy as well
as slavery if she so elected, and thus threw the odium of sustaining
polygamy as well as slavery--which they denominated the "Twin relics of
barbarism"--upon the popular sovereignty division of the pro-slavery
party.

To escape this odium of sustaining a Territory in the right to
establish polygamy, if the inhabitants thereof should so desired,
the pro-slavery party was more vindictive in its denunciations of
Mormon plural marriage than the abolitionists themselves--and thus
all parties, with all the bitterness which characterized political
discussions in those days were arrayed against Mormonism--especially
against plural marriage: and finally, when the Republican Party was
organized, in 1856, and adopted the doctrines of the abolitionists, it
incorporated in its platform the following:

"_Resolved_, That the Constitution confers upon Congress sovereign
power over the Territories of the United States for their government,
and that in the exercise of this power it is both the right and the
imperative duty of Congress to prohibit in the Territories those twin
relics of barbarism, slavery and polygamy."

In the midst of the agitation and bitterness which led up to such
a conclusion as this, though unaided and alone--sustained only by
his own conviction of the truth of the system of marriage that God
had revealed, and conscious of the support and approval of Almighty
God--Elder Taylor stood unmoved and fearlessly sustained the
rightfulness of Mormon plural marriage against all who opposed it.

In the very first issue of the _Mormon_, under the caption "Polygamy,"
he said:

"Since this doctrine has been promulgated by us as a part of our
religious creed, every variety of opinion has been expressed by men
in all classes of society. It has been talked about by religious and
irreligious, professors and profane. It has been the theme in the
legislative hall, the pulpit, the bar-room and the press. Polygamy
and the Mormons, Mormons and polygamy have resounded everywhere. * *
* In this our first issue it may be expected that something would be
said in relation to this matter. This we undertake as cheerfully as
any other task; for we are not ashamed here in this great metropolis
of America * * * to declare that we are polygamists. We are not
ashamed to proclaim to this great nation, to rulers and people, to the
president, senators, legislators, judges; to high and low, rich and
poor, priests and people, that we are firm, conscientious believers in
polygamy, and that it is part and parcel of our religious creed. We do
this calmly, seriously and understandingly, after due deliberation,
careful examination and close investigation of its principles and
bearings religiously, socially, morally, physically and politically! We
unhesitatingly pronounce our full and implicit faith in the principle
as emanating from God, and that under His direction it would be a
blessing to the human family."

After drawing a vivid picture of the immoral state of the world,
and allowing that some who opposed polygamy did so because they
considered it as a scheme devised to still further plunge humanity into
licentiousness, he continues:

"We are not surprised, then, that men of reflection and virtue, and
having a knowledge of the world should feel indignant at polygamy. They
look upon it as something pandering to the brutal passions of man; and
from the exceedingly low standard of virtue, can scarcely conceive
of anything but lasciviousness associated with the sex. We respect
the conscientious feelings of such men; for we know that with their
ideas of such things, they must be extremely revolting. But we would
respectfully ask such persons if they ever seriously reflected upon
the matter? and further: Is it prejudice, education and the corrupt
state of society that has led them to these conclusions [respecting
plural marriage]; or matters of fact deduced from scripture, reason,
history or precedence? Did they ever think that Abraham, Jacob, David,
Solomon and a host of other good men mentioned in the scriptures were
polygamists? That the Twelve Tribes of Israel, to whom belong the
covenants and promises, descended from four women, the wives of one
man? Did they ever reflect that those men were more virtuous than this
generation; and that for such things that are practiced here every day
with impunity--adultery--a man would be stoned to death by all Israel?
Did they ever reflect that it might be possible for the Lord to be
unchangeable? That He had not learned much from man in a few thousand
years; and that possibly He was not in error then; and if not then, the
same principles might probably be as correct now as they were at that
time? It is well for us not to be too hasty."

Referring again to the sexual corruption everywhere prevalent, and the
vain endeavors of philanthropists, statesmen, kings and presidents to
check it, he concludes by saying: "The Lord's way [plural marriage] as
practiced by ancient men of God--the restitution of which has lately
taken place--we think will stop it among us."

Upon these lines he continued to defend the marriage system which God
revealed; and when the press, for want of better argument, denounced it
as immoral, and pretended to be shocked at Mormon wickedness, because
they believed it right under certain conditions for a man to have
more wives than one; Elder Taylor drew aside the flimsy veil covering
the licentious practices of monogamous "Christian" communities, and
reminded his opponents that the cities and towns and states in which
they themselves lived, were not so immaculate in their purity that
ministers, editors and moralists must needs cross the plains and the
mountains, in order to find impurity to suppress. He reminded them that
the demon of licentiousness stalked abroad unchallenged in their own
midst; that he was to be found in their guilded ball-rooms and opera
houses; met them upon their streets, mingled in their best society and
even sat in their pews.

This was no attempt to justify the practice of one evil by pointing to
the existence of another; but to remind them of the fact that even if
Mormon polygamy was as bad as they represented it to be, there were
evils infinitely worse rotting and festering in their very midst, and
which they sought in vain to ignore, as they met them at every street
corner, flaunted in their public highways, and were disgustingly
placarded on their walls; while the victims thereof filled their poor
houses, shrieked out their madness in their asylums, lay slowly rotting
in their hospitals or sought relief in self-destruction. He referred
to these things to show up the hypocrisy of a generation that could
live in the midst of such social corruption, without an effort to check
its ravages; and at the same time pretend to be horrified at supposed
social evils existing in distant Utah. In this he further resembled
Tertullian, of whom it is said, that being arraigned as a criminal at
the bar, he accused and condemned his judges.

But while he uncovered for an instant the corruptions of monogamous
Christian communities, in order to reprove their hypocrisy, he by no
means regarded that exposure as a defense of plural marriage. His
defense of that doctrine he based upon the sanction which Almighty
God gave to it, as clearly demonstrated in holy writ; upon well known
physiological facts; upon moral and social necessities, and his defense
was unassailable.

While he was in New York a number of plans were suggested for the
overthrow of Mormonism. Among the more humane ones was that of the
American Bible Society, which proposed flooding the settlements of Utah
with Bibles, being under the impression, doubtless, that the Mormon
people did not accept the Bible as the word of God. Hearing of the
project Elder Taylor called at the office of the society and offered
his assistance in the enterprise, urging them to send well bound books,
and gave them the following advice through _The Mormon_:

"Our mountaineers never do things by halves or for appearance; if they
carry Bibles they mean to use them; they'll read them frequently and
thoroughly, too. We have a Bible that has kept us company many years
on our pilgrimage through life; it has dangled in our pockets many a
thousand miles, when, for the gospel's sake, we have visited towns,
cities and hamlets. We have had to patch it together frequently, and
in fact our friend has got so covered over with our own notes and
references, that a white spot is scarcely discernible. We would,
therefore, respectfully suggest to the managers of the American Bible
Society--if they propose doing real good to the inhabitants of Utah in
the Bible line--do it, gentlemen, respectably, for the inhabitants of
that Territory will probably use them as we have ours."

Whether his visit and these remarks dashed the ardor of the Bible
Society in the undertaking or not, or convinced them of its
uselessness, I do not know, but certain it is that the project failed.

Shortly afterwards the _Sun_, seized with a sudden spasm of confidence
that Christianity could overwhelm Mormonisn, called upon the churches
of New York to send out ministers to convert the Mormons from the
error of their ways. Elder Taylor approved of the undertaking, and
gave assurance that they would be well treated and receive respectful
attention; but he at the same time expressed his doubts as to their
going, and referred to the failure of the Bible Society, saying:

"The Bible Society got up a report about two months ago, that they were
going to send a Bible agent to Utah. We then hastened to offer them our
co-operation, but as we advanced to receive the precious gifts, they
vanished into their original element--gas!"

But of all the schemes for the suppression of Mormonism, there was
one suggested by the New York _Herald_, which for vileness, stood
pre-eminent. In August, 1854, Lieutenant-Colonel E. J. Steptoe arrived
in Salt Lake, with a detachment of United States troops _en route_ for
California, but remained in Utah until the following spring. During
their stay, it is said, that members of the command prostituted a
number of squaws and also seduced and betrayed several white women. The
latter, having lost caste among their former associates, followed their
betrayers to California. When this item of news reached the East, the
New York _Herald_ made the following comments and recommendations:

"This is momentous news, and very significant withal. It shows that
the Mormon women are ripe for rebellion, and that a detachment of
the regular army is a greater terror to the patriarchs of the Mormon
Jerusalem than Indians or drouth or grasshoppers. It indicates the
way, too, for the abolishment of the peculiar institution of Utah.
The astonishing results of the expedition of Colonel Steptoe, in this
view, do most distinctly suggest the future policy of the government,
touching this nest of Mormons. It is to send out to the Great Salt
Lake, a fresh detachment of young, good-looking soldiers, and at the
end of two or three months, order them off to California and replace
them by a new detachment at Salt Lake City and so on until those Turks
of the desert are reduced, by female desertions, to the standard
Christian regulation of one wife apiece. Unquestionably, if, with a
taking detachment of the army in a new and showy uniform, the President
were to send out to Utah at this crisis of impending famine, a corps
of regular disciplined woman's rights women, to lay down the law to
their sisters among the Mormons, they would soon compel the patriarchal
authorities of Salt Lake to an exodus to some other region beyond the
reach of our gallant army, and our heroic warriors in petticoats,
who know their rights, and knowing, dare maintain them. * * * The
hint should be appropriated by the administration, for, if under
the doctrine of squatters' sovereignty, we cannot constitutionally
reach this crying evil of polygamy at Salt Lake, we must reach it by
stratagem. We recommend, therefore, to the President and Secretary of
the Interior, the policy of detailing another detachment of troops
for Great Salt Lake City with the auxiliary force of half a dozen
regular woman's rights women whatever the cost; and thus even should
the grasshoppers fail to conquer the Territory in the expulsion of the
Saints, the work may be done by a revolution among the wives of the
apostles." [1]

To this shameless gloating over the downfall of innocence, and still
more infamous recommendation, Elder Taylor remarked:

"Such then is the _modus operandi_ proposed! Gentlemenly debauchee
officers are to be sent out--'good looking ones,' that they may be
the better able to take away from vice the horrid appearance it would
have dressed in another garb. After these shall have performed their
work of misery and death, they are to be recruited by others--fine,
dashing, young, good-looking fellows, who will be quite competent
to deceive and destroy; real Christian gentlemen with 'new, showy
uniforms,' who will be able to corrupt the daughters of Utah, and
introduce Christianity in all its beauty as practiced in the United
States. They are to take with them a number of pals,--'woman's rights
women,' who are to assist in their conversion, and to show them their
rights, that the inhabitants of Utah may have ocular demonstration of
the beautiful workings of monogamous Christianity, and be brought back
to the standard Christian regulation of one wife apiece--and as many
misses or fast young women as suits our convenience, that a deadly
blow may be struck at the virtue of Utah: and that she may be crowded
with voluptuaries, and prostitutes like all other good Christian
states and cities; that debauchery and corruption may run riot, that
we may have our procuresses, pimps, cyprians, hotel accommodations,
and houses of assignation; that virtue, chastity and purity may be
banished from Utah; that our daughters may be prostituted and our
wives debauched; that we may have our _nymphis du pave_, our 'Five
points,' our Randall's Island, [2] our infanticides, our _Maisons
d'accouchment_, our diseases, doctors and hospitals and all the other
appliances of a good Christian community. That when officers, lawyers,
judges, soldiers and Gentiles in general go to Utah they can find the
same conveniences and accommodations that are to be met with everywhere
among the virtuous Gentile monogamous Christians! And all this glory is
to be achieved by the gallant officers and soldiers of our army, under
the auspices and direction of James Gordon Bennett. [3] * * * * * *

"What are we to think of a man who is publishing a popular journal, and
who publicly and unblushingly advocates seduction, and openly proposes
the introduction of debased characters into a Territory for the avowed
purpose of seduction, prostitution and infamy, for the purpose of
corrupting the Mormons and reducing them to our standard previous to
their overthrow?"

Footnotes

1. New York _Herald_, 15th Sept., 1855.

2. Famous in those years for its hospital for the unfortunate victims
of man's licentiousness.

3. Proprietor and manager of the New York _Herald_.



CHAPTER XXX.

"THE MORMON" FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE UNION--THE U.P.
RAILWAY--INTERVIEWS WITH PRESIDENT FRANKLIN PIERCE--U. S.
OFFICIALS--INVASION OF UTAH--DEPARTURE FOR SALT LAKE.

Besides defending the character of the Saints in Utah and their
religion, _The Mormon_ raised its voice for the preservation of the
Union. In those years disunion sentiments were rife and schemes
for splitting up the country into two or more nations were openly
discussed. _The Mormon_ sounded a warning to those engaged in such
discussions, and called upon the degenerate sons of noble sires to
cease such wrangling and preserve the nation bequeathed to them by
their fathers.

_The Mormon_ also urged the construction of a railroad to the Pacific
coast, and, in short, discussed in an intelligent spirit the general
questions then agitating the public mind.

Elder Taylor occasionally visited Washington, and assisted in watching
over the interests of the inchoate state of Deseret. He was introduced
to and had several interviews with Mr. Franklin Pierce, then the
President of the United States. The first of these interviews occurred
in the spring of 1855, when President Pierce, following a mistaken
popular sentiment, rather than acting from any relish he had for the
undertaking, was persuaded to remove Brigham Young from the office of
Governor of Utah. In this interview President Pierce submitted the
proposition to Elder Taylor and spoke very highly of the urbanity, wise
conservatism and honor of Colonel Steptoe, the man he had in his mind
to appoint as Governor Young's successor.

Elder Taylor expressed his pleasure at learning that Colonel Steptoe
was so honorable a gentleman, and took occasion to tell the President
that the people of Utah had been so frequently abused by incompetent
men who seemed determined to make a hobby of the Mormon question
whereon to ride into power, that they began to think their rights
were infringed upon and that they were used as a convenience for
unprincipled political aspirants, who frequently not only interfered
with their political but with their religious rights.

The President assured him that Colonel Steptoe would not resort to such
meanness.

Elder Taylor then referred to the circumstances under which Utah had
been settled, in all of which Brigham Young was their trusted leader;
that if any man had a claim upon that position it was Governor Young.
Besides, accepting the doctrine of popular sovereignty, the people of
Utah considered that their wishes as to who should govern them ought
to be somewhat consulted, and if that were done, Brigham Young would
be the universal choice of the people. Still he assured the President
that he need have no anxiety as to any difficulty arising from his
appointing another man: for while the people would think it an act
going to the extent of his authority, they of course recognized the
authority of the President of the United States, and would submit to
any legal or constitutional enactment.

Colonel Steptoe during his stay in Utah was tendered the governorship
of Utah by the President, but he refused to accept it, and joined in a
petition to President Pierce praying for the re-appointment of Brigham
Young, both as Governor and Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Governor
Young was accordingly re-appointed.

In March, 1856, a Constitutional Convention was held in Salt Lake City,
and a constitution, republican in spirit and liberal in its provisions,
was adopted. John Taylor and George A. Smith, appointed delegates to
present Utah's request for admission into the sisterhood of states.
Elder Taylor joined his colleague in Washington during the summer of
1856, and labored among the members of Congress with a view of having
a bill introduced for the admission of Utah. The Republican party,
however, was already in the field with its platform that denominated
polygamy and slavery as "twin relics" of barbarism. This marshaled all
the Republicans against the admission of Utah; and so desirous were the
Democrats to cast off the odium of befriending a polygamous people,
that they were more bitter in their denunciation of the Mormons, if
possible, than the Republicans. Even Senator Stephen A. Douglas, who
had been a professed friend of the Mormon people, and who had been
intimately acquainted with the Prophet Joseph, and in addition to that
was recognized as the champion of the Popular Sovereignty doctrine,
turned against them, and in a speech delivered in Springfield,
Illinois, early in 1856, referred to Mormonism as "the loathsome ulcer
of the body politic." [1]

Under such circumstances it would have been folly to have pushed
the claims of Utah in Congress; it would only have invited defeat,
therefore the delegates decided to withhold any introduction of the
matter at that time.

In addition to all these labors, Elder Taylor rendered considerable
valuable assistance in looking after the emigration business of the
Church, especially in caring for the poor, who, having started from
England, could get no further than New York. These he found employment
for and watched over them with all the interest of a brother and a
friend. He also directed the labors of the brethren who were preaching
the gospel in the east and presided over all the churches. When he
first went to the east to preside, the branches were disorganized,
the Saints were scattered and like sheep without shepherds. But his
assuming control of affairs was the signal for activity everywhere, and
the work of the Lord revived. In reporting the progress of the work,
early in 1856, we have him saying in _The Mormon_:

"It affords me very much pleasure to have to state that since the
arrival of myself and brethren in these eastern states, Mormonism
assumes quite another aspect: we have large and flourishing churches
in different parts of this state, [New York] which are continually
increasing, not only by emigration but by baptisms. The Spirit of the
Lord rests among the assemblies of the Saints; the inquiries after
truth are many; the floods of falsehood with which this country was
deluged before our arrival are being dissipated, and the light of
eternal truth is bursting forth with resplendence and glory."

The spirit of reformation which in those days moved on in such mighty
power among the Saints in Utah, extended its operations among the
Saints in the east, and there was a general awakening to a sense of
duty and responsibility. President Young in a letter to Elder Taylor
under date of October 30th, 1856, urged him to take up the work of
reformation. He said:

"Brother Taylor, we are arousing the people of this Territory to
a sense of their obligations and their duties; great and thorough
reformations are pervading every quorum, every family, neighborhood
and settlement. The power of the Highest is resting down upon us, and
blessing our exertions. We wish to suggest to you that probably a
reformation might transpire in New York among the Saints, and in other
states, and in Europe and other places where there are any Saints. * *
* Arouse you, then, first getting the Holy Ghost, and be ye filled with
it, and pour it out upon the people. Preach evenings, make appointments
in the various branches and fill them. Make the Elders feel the fire in
you, and make them labor."

With many such words did he urge him forward to this work. But long
before the slow mails brought the letter to hand, Elder Taylor had
been seized with the spirit that the words of President Young were
calculated to arouse within him; and the work of reformation was well
advanced on the arrival of the letter. The speed of the Spirit of God
out-ran the tardy mails, and communicated the will of the Lord to His
servant.

Meantime the adversary was not idle. A number of United States
officials that had been sent to Utah turned out to be the vilest of
characters. Vain, ambitious, corrupt, revengeful, hypocritical; and
evidently regarding the Mormons as their legitimate prey--as a people
having no rights which they were under obligations to respect. As
the time-serving, villainous Oswald, in King Lear, looked upon the
eyeless head of the unfortunate, traitor-proclaimed and yet innocent
Gloucester, as being framed to raise his fortunes, so did these
impudent, corrupt officials regard the Mormon people; and hoped by
opposing their unpopular religion, and social customs--with which they
had, of right, nothing to do--to ride into popular favor and good
fortune. Utah was to be a convenient stepping-stone to higher political
preferment.

The outrages of these officials reached a climax in the conduct of
Associate Judge W. W. Drummond; who, having deserted his wife in
Illinois, brought with him a prostitute who sat by him on the judicial
bench in open court; and in various ways insulted the people by
unwarranted assaults upon institutions religious and social which they
held to be most sacred; and even their territorial laws, to which
the government at Washington had taken no exceptions whatever, were
threatened by this gambler and black-leg, upon whose unworthy shoulders
the ermine had been unwisely thrown. To the honor of the Mormon
community, he did not long remain in the Territory to disgrace her
judiciary, but fled in fear from Utah to California, from which place
he wrote his resignation and falsely reported to the Attorney-General
that the Mormons were in open rebellion to the government; that the
records and papers of the supreme court had been destroyed by order of
the Church; that Brigham Young and other leading Church officials were
responsible for the murder of a number of U. S. officials who had died
in the Territory, and others who had been massacred by Indians.

Upon receiving these statements from Judge Drummond, President
Buchanan, without taking the pains to ascertain the truth or falsehood
of them, about the latter part of May, 1857, ordered an army into Utah
to suppress this imaginary rebellion.

Many criticisms were made upon the evident inconsiderate action of
President Buchanan in this affair. Elder Taylor, in a discussion he
had some years later on the "Mormon Question" with Vice-President
Schuyler Colfax, in referring to this action on the part of the
government, says: "Mr. Buchanan had another object in view, [than that
of suppressing the "Mormon Rebellion"] and Mr. J. B. Floyd, Secretary
of War, had also his ax to grind, and the whole combined was considered
a grand _coup d'etat_. It is hardly necessary to inform Mr. Colfax that
this army, under pretense of subjugating the Mormons, was intended
to coerce the people of Kansas to his views, and that they were not
detained, as stated by Mr. Colfax's history, which said: 'The troops
necessarily moving slowly were overtaken by the snows of November and
wintered at Bridger.' I need not inform Mr Colfax that another part
of this grand tableau originated in the desire of Secretary Floyd
to scatter the U. S. forces and arms preparatory to the Confederate
Rebellion. Such is history and such are facts."

John B. Floyd, Secretary of War in Buchanan's cabinet, was from
Virginia, and favored the southern cause, as indeed the whole
administration and the party that elected it did; so that Elder
Taylor's charge respecting the scattering of United States forces,
rests upon the ground of strong probability. Relative to the charge
that under pretence of subjugating Utah the President intended to
coerce the people of Kansas to an acceptance of his views, it is true
that part of the army for Utah left Fort Leavenworth before the last
of July; but Brigadier-General Harney, to whom the command of the
expedition had been given, remained with several squadrons of the
second dragoons in Kansas, until after the elections in that Territory
in October; and President Buchanan was involved in an intrigue to
defeat the popular will in Kansas.

There is, however, another consideration which I doubt not influenced
the action of the administration in sending an army to Utah. The party
that supported the administration was anxious to give proof to the
country that it was no more favorable to the unpopular Mormons than
the Republican party was; and seized upon the false reports of Judge
Drummond as a golden opportunity to out-herod Herod, hoping by that
movement to throw off the odium its opponents had fastened upon it in
charging that its doctrines of popular sovereignty would permit the
people of Utah to establish polygamy as well as slavery if they so
elected.

It was in May, 1857, that Elder Taylor left New York for the west.
Judge William I. Appleby and T. B. H. Stenhouse were left in charge of
_The Mormon_, and continued its publication until September 19th, when
it was discontinued, principally on account of the threatened "Mormon
War."

Footnotes

1. It may be of interest to note in passing that once in conversation
with Senator Douglas, early in the forties--the Senator then being a
judge in one of the judicial districts of Illinois--the Prophet Joseph
said to him in substance: "Judge Douglas, you will yet aspire to the
Presidency of the United States; but if you ever turn against me or
my people, you will fail." When Senator Douglas forgot the warning of
the Prophet and advocated cutting "the loathsome ulcer out of the body
politic," he sounded the death knell to his ambitious hopes.



CHAPTER XXXI.

"THE MORMON" COMMENDED BY BRIGHAM YOUNG--TRYING TIMES--COURAGE--ELDER
TAYLOR IN THE FRONT--"LET THE TRIAL COME"--SPEECH ON THE RIGHTS OF THE
PEOPLE IN THE TERRITORIES.

Elder Taylor arrived in Salt Lake City from his mission to the eastern
states on the 7th of August, 1857. Two days later, in the bowery on
the Temple square, he preached a powerful discourse, in which he
represented what the spirit of the people of the east was in respect to
Mormonism, and dwelt at some length on the grandeur of the mission in
which the Saints had engaged.

He was followed by President Young, who took occasion to commend
the labors of the committee appointed to present Utah's claims for
admission into the Union (Elder Taylor was one of the committee, it
will be remembered), and respecting the individual labors of Elder
Taylor, expressed himself as follows:

"With regard to the labors of Brother Taylor in editing the paper
called _The Mormon_, published in the city of New York, I have heard
many remarks concerning the editorials in that paper, not only from the
Saints, but from those who do not profess to believe the religion we
have embraced; and it is probably one of the strongest edited papers
that is now published. I can say, as to its editorials, that it is
one of the strongest papers ever published, so far as my information
extends; and I have never read one sentence in them but what my heart
could bid success to it, and beat a happy response to every sentence
that I have read or heard read. Brother Taylor, that is for you; and I
believe that these are the feelings and the sentiments of all in this
community who have perused that paper."

It was a critical time in Utah when he returned. For several years the
crops, through excessive drouth and grass-hoppers, had been at least
a partial failure; the isolation of the people from manufacturing
and commercial centers, with very limited and very slow means of
transportation, had left them almost destitute of clothing; an army
was _enroute_ for the Territory, but as to its mission the governor
received no definite information, though there was a general and a
fairly accurate understanding that its mission was not one of intended
peace and good will to the people of Utah. If its mission was to be
judged by the boasts of its officers and men, there was to be a sort
of "Mormon conquest," and Mormon houses, gardens, orchards, vineyards,
fields, and also Mormon wives and daughters were to be the spoils.
The very houses were picked out that certain persons were to inhabit;
farms, property and women were to be distributed. "Beauty and booty"
were their very watchwords.

It had already been determined by Governor Young and his associates
that such an army with such objects in view should not enter the
Territory, even if it had to be prevented by force of arms. It had
further been determined that before their enemies should again revel
in the homes which their industry had builded, they would burn them to
ashes; cut down every fruit-tree and shrub, burn the fences, and leave
the country behind them a ruined, blackened waste, while they fled
again to the wilderness. These were bold measures. The "army of Utah,"
as the invading force was called, marched under the United States flag;
it was commanded by United States officers; it had been ordered to
Utah by the President of the United States; and to resist it might be
construed into rebellion or even treason--that meant hanging, to the
leaders, who opposed it. Yet bold as these measures were, and fraught
with such serious consequences to the leaders who adopted them, they
were fearlessly proclaimed, and would have been as promptly executed on
occasion.

Among that brave band of men who had the courage to thus proclaim their
rights, and dared to maintain them even against the United States,
none were more bold or fearless than John Taylor. In speech and action
he went as far as he who went farthest. In the council chamber and
in the field he was in the front rank; shoulder to shoulder he stood
with President Young and his brethren, and his public discourses in
those times glow with a soul-stirring eloquence that reminds one of
the spirit of the Revolutionary patriots of '76. In the very discourse
delivered two days after his return from the east, he said:

"So far as I am concerned, I say let everything come as God has
ordained it. I do not desire trials; I do not desire affliction; I
would pray to God to leave me not in temptation; * * * but if the
earthquake bellows, the lightnings flash, the thunders roll and the
powers of darkness are let loose, and the spirit of evil is permitted
to rage and an evil influence is brought to bear on the Saints, and my
life with theirs, is put to the test--let it come. * * * I know that
President Young and those associated with him are full of the spirit of
revelation, and they know what they are doing; I feel to acquiesce and
put my shoulder to the work, whatever it is. If it is for peace, let it
be peace; if it is for war, let it be to the hilt."

Speaking again in the latter part of the same month, he stated and
expounded the principles which justified the resistance of the people
of Utah to the proceedings of the administration at Washington. His
speech on that occasion was a sound exposition of the rights of the
people inhabiting the Territories as against the encroachments of the
general government, and should be preserved as a valuable addition to
the political literature extant upon that subject. After disclaiming
any disposition on his own or on the part of his brethren to commit the
act of treason, Elder Taylor said:

"There are thousands of you who are Americans, who have been born in
this land, whose fathers fought for the liberties we used to enjoy,
but have not enjoyed for some years past. There are thousands of such
men here who feel the same spirit that used to burn in their father's
bosoms--the spirit of liberty and equal rights--the spirit of according
to every man that which belongs to him, and of robbing no man of his
rights. Your fathers and grandfathers met the tyrant when he sought to
put a yoke on their necks; as men and true patriots, they came forward
and fought for their rights and in defense of that liberty which we, as
their children, ought to enjoy. You feel the same spirit that inspired
them; the same blood that coursed through their veins flows in yours;
you feel true patriotism and a strong attachment to the Constitution
and institutions bought by the blood of your fathers, and bequeathed
to you by them as your richest patrimony. There are others of you that
have taken the oath of allegiance to the United States; and some of
you not understanding correct principles, may, perhaps, feel qualms of
conscience, and think, probably, that if we undertake to resist the
powers that are seeking to make aggression upon us, we are doing wrong.
No such thing. You let your conscience sleep at ease; let it be quiet;
it is not we who are doing wrong; it is others who are committing wrong
upon us."

He then referred to the circumstance of the Saints being driven
from Missouri, and of their expulsion from Nauvoo--not for any ill
that they had done, not that they had interfered with the rights of
others; but because there was not virtue enough either in state or
general government to protect an innocent, helpless people in the
enjoyment of their Constitutional rights; because, for sooth, they were
unpopular--friendless. The speaker then asked:

"What did we do when we came here? We framed a Constitution, a
provisional government, and reported our doings to the United States.
Right on the back of all the insults, robbery and fraud which we had
endured, we still went Constitutionally to work. Afterwards they gave
us a territorial government. Is there any step that we have taken that
is contrary to law? There is not. They have appointed our governor,
our secretaries, our judges, our marshals; they have done to us the
same in this matter as they have done with other Territories. I do not
believe in their right Constitutionally to appoint our officers. Still
they have done it, and we have submitted to it. And they have sent some
of the worst scoundrels here that ever existed on the earth. Instead
of being fathers, they have tried every influence they could bring
to bear in order to destroy us. Such have been our protectors! Those
have been the men who have been sworn to fulfill their public duties;
but they have foresworn themselves in the face of high heaven. * * *
We have submitted to their sending officers here; that is all right
enough if we have a mind to. We are citizens of the United States, and
profess to support the Constitution of the United States; and wherein
that binds us we are bound; wherein it does not, we are not bound. *
* * If there is any man in this congregation, or anywhere else, that
will show me any principle or authority in the Constitution of the
United States that authorizes the President of the United States to
send out governors and judges to this Territory, I would like to see
it. I cannot find such authority. I will admit that a usage of that
kind has obtained--that it is quite customary for the President of
the United States, by and with the consent of the senate to appoint
governors, judges, marshals, secretaries, and all of those officers
that you have had here. But it is a thing that is not authorized by the
Constitution,--much less to force them upon us by an armed soldiery.
There is no such authority existing.

"I will quote to you from the Constitution--if I had the Constitution
here I would read it to you--it is to the effect 'that the powers not
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to
the people.' No matter, therefore, whether the people live in the
states or territories, they possess constitutional privileges alike.
The most that is said in regard to Territories and the authority of
the President or Congress is, that 'The Congress shall have power to
dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the
territory _or other property_ of the United States,' that is speaking
of it as land; and some of the most prominent statesmen of the United
States have so construed it. It is property as land--territory as land
they have a right to interfere with, not territory as regards people.
I published this in _The Mormon_ long ago, and said the Missouri
Compromise was unconstitutional. [1] By and by the United States judges
gave the same decision. I gave mine, however, before they gave theirs.
It is a true principle--they have not the authority. If they have it at
all, it is in the people ceding it to them, and not what they possess
by the Constitution of the United States. * * * So far as right is
concerned, then, they have no right to appoint officers for this or any
other Territory; and I will defy any man to prove that there is any
such right in the Constitution.

"I conversed with a judge Black who was coming up to Nebraska Territory
on a steam boat--an intelligent man, a Democrat, of course. When
talking about these principles to him, which he acceded to, I said:
'Judge, what are you doing here?'

'I am here,' said he, 'according to the usage that has obtained; but if
the people do not want me, all they have to do is to express it, and I
will go away again.' I wish we had only half such decent men as that
sent here.

"* * * We are not lacking for men in the United States, at the present
time who want to make it appear that the United States have a right
to lord it over the Territories, the same as the British government
used to over their colonies. Thousands of you before me were citizens
of the United States, where you came from. You had the right of
franchise--had a right to say who should be your governor and who
should be municipal and state officers. You came out here by thousands
or by tens of thousands. _By what right or upon what principle are
you disfranchised_? Can anybody tell me? Say some: 'You need not have
come out here unless you had a mind to.' Of course not. But we had a
mind to; we were American citizens before we came out, and we have
transgressed no law in coming; and by what rule are we deprived of our
citizenship. If we had a right then to vote for anything, we have a
right now; and nobody has a right to crowd this or that man upon us
without our consent,--much less have they a right to dragoon us into
servility to their unconstitutional exactions.

"* * * In the Declaration of Independence, it is stated [as one of
the just causes of complaint against the English government] that the
people had rulers placed over them, and they had no voice in their
election. Read that instrument. It describes our wrongs as plainly
as it did the wrongs the people then labored under and discarded.
Our government is doing the very things against us that our fathers
complained of--'They send armed mercenaries among us to subjugate us.'
What is our government doing? The same thing."

"As American citizens and patriots, and as sons of those venerable
sires can we, without disgracing ourselves, our fathers and our nation,
submit to these insults, and tamely bow to such tyranny? We cannot do
it, and we will not do it. We will rally round the Constitution, and
declare our rights as American citizens; and we will sustain them in
the face of high heaven and the world.

"No man need have any qualms of conscience that he is doing wrong.
You are patriots, standing by your rights and opposing the wrong
which affects all lovers of freedom as well as you; for those acts
of aggression have a withering, deadly effect, and are gnawing like
a canker worm at the very vitals of civil and religious liberty. You
are standing by the Declaration of Independence, and sustaining the
Constitution which was given by inspiration of God; and you are the
only people in the United States at this time that are doing it. You
dare do it, and you feel right about the matter.

"* * * We are not taking any steps contrary to the laws and the
Constitution of the United States, but in everything we are upholding
and sustaining them. _Gentlemen, hands off_! We are free men; we
possess equal rights with other men; and if you send your sealed orders
[2] here, we may break the seal, and it shall be the opening of the
first seal!"

Such, then, were the principles which justified the resistance of Utah
to the encroachments of the general government. The Mormons were not
religious enthusiasts--fanatics--rebels--seeking to become a law unto
themselves; but patriots demanding their rights--rights based upon
the broad principles of liberty as set forth in the Declaration of
Independence, and guaranteed in the Constitution of their country. They
were contending for the right to regulate their own local affairs in
their own way, and to be governed by men of their own choosing--they
were but walking in the footsteps of their Revolutionary Fathers.

Footnotes

1. This Missouri Compromise was the adjustment of the Territorial
question respecting slavery, by which it was agreed in Congress that
slavery should not be introduced in the territory ceded by France to
the United States north of 36 deg. 30' north latitude. The anti-slavery
party in Congress, when Missouri applied for admission in to the Union,
in 1820, sought to prohibit slavery in that state; this they could
not do; but as a compromise between them and the pro-slavery party,
they accepted the provision restricting slavery in the territory above
indicated. This was the Missouri Compromise; and it was this compromise
which Elder Taylor held to be unconstitutional and which the supreme
court of the United States decided was unconstitutional in the Dred
Scott decision, given in 1857; in which it was held that Congress had
no power to prohibit slavery in any of the territories of the Union.

2. The army approaching Utah was coming with sealed orders.



CHAPTER XXXII.

THE ARRIVAL OF CAPTAIN VAN VLIET IN SALT LAKE--ELDER TAYLOR ON THE
APPROACHING ARMY--HOW IT WOULD BE MET--VAN VLIET'S SURPRISE AND
PERPLEXITY--HIS REPORT TO SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR--CAPTAIN MARCY'S
LETTER--ELDER TAYLOR'S REPLY.

The advanced companies of the "Army of Utah," having reached Ham's
Fork, a tributary of Green River, late in the autumn of 1857, Captain
Van Vliet was sent to Salt Lake to purchase forage and lumber and
assure the people of Utah that the troops would not harm or molest
them. The captain arrived on the 8th of September and was cordially
received by the leading Elders of the Church, among others by Elder
Taylor.

His mission as to forage and lumber was unsuccessful, neither did he
make the people believe the statement that the troops would not harm
them. The very natural question was, Why are they coming to Utah, then?
An army naturally suggests the idea of war, and war means violence.

The captain's visit, however, was not in vain. He learned that the
Mormons had much to justify them in the stand they had taken, and,
moreover, that they were very determined in it. He attended service
the Sabbath after his arrival, and that day Elder Taylor addressed the
assembly. In the course of his remarks he asked the people:

"What would be your feelings if the United States wanted to have
the honor of driving us from our homes, and bringing us subject to
their depraved standard of moral and religious truth? Would you, if
necessary, brethren, put the torch to your buildings and lay them in
ashes and wander houseless into these mountains? I know what you would
say and what you would do."

President Brigham Young.--"Try the vote."

Elder Taylor.--"All you that are willing to set fire to your property
and lay it in ashes rather than submit to their military rule and
oppression, manifest it by raising your hands."

The congregation, numbering more than four thousand, unanimously raised
their hands.

Elder Taylor.--"I know what your feelings are. We have been persecuted
and robbed long enough; and in the name of Israel's God, we will be
free!"

Congregation responded "Amen!"

President Young.--"I say amen all the time to that."

Elder Taylor.--"I feel to thank God that I am associated with such men,
with such people, where honesty and truth dwell in the heart--where men
have a religion that they are not afraid to live by, and that they are
not afraid to die by; and I would not give a straw for anything short
of that."

Captain Van Vliet's surprise was little short of astonishment. He
was not prepared to expect such unanimity of sentiment nor such
determination of purpose. He admired their courage, but trembled for
their safety in a conflict with the government. He pointed out the fact
that if they successfully resisted the army then on their borders, the
next year would see an overwhelming force sent to suppress and punish
them. His remonstrance was answered:

"We know that will be the case; but when these troops arrive they
will find Utah a desert; every house will be burned to the ground;
every tree cut down and every field laid waste. We have three years'
provisions on hand, which we will cache, and then take to the mountains
and bid defiance to all the powers of the government."

The captain returned to the army on Ham's Fork deeply impressed with
the seriousness and perhaps with the absurdity of the government's
movement against Utah. Moreover he had become the friend of the Mormon
people, and his report to the Secretary of War, made at Washington
the November following, did much, doubtless, in paving the way for an
amicable adjustment of the Utah difficulties.

Shortly after the departure of the captain, Elder Taylor received a
letter from Captain Marcy, of the 5th Infantry, camped with the army on
Ham's Fork; and as Elder Taylor's reply to that letter is a thoughtful
exposition of the causes which led up to the Utah expedition, and a
scathing rebuke to the administration that inaugurated it, as well
as a fair sample of Elder Taylor's literary style and gentlemanly
sensibility, I give the correspondence _in extenso_:

Captain MARCY'S LETTER.

"CAMP OF THE 5TH INFANTRY ON HAM'S FORK,

"October 13th, 1857.

"Herewith I take the liberty of sending you a letter of introduction
from our mutual friend, W. J. A. Fuller, of New York City. I also beg
leave to trouble you with the accompanying note of introduction to
Governor Young from Mr. W. I. Appleby, which I will thank you to read
to the governor at your convenience.

"When I left the states I expected to have the honor of delivering
these letters in person, but as our movements are so slow, I have
thought it better to transmit them by the bearer, hoping that the
opportunity may be afforded me of paying my personal respects at some
future time.

"In the meantime, suffer me to assure you that within the circle of my
observation among the officers of this army, there has not been the
slightest disposition to meddle with or in any way interfere with the
religious or social customs of your people; on the contrary, there
has, from the commencement of our march, been an almost universal
manifestation of a desire for a kind and friendly intercourse: and I
most sincerely hope that this desirable result may be brought about.

"I verily believe that all the officers entertain the same feelings
towards the Mormons as Captain Van Vliet, and I entertain no doubt that
an acquaintance with them would satisfy you that such is the fact.

"I am very respectfully and truly yours,

"R. B. MARCY.

"_Rev. John Taylor_,

"_Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory_."

ELDER TAYLOR'S REPLY.

"GREAT SALT LAKE CITY,

"October 21, 1857.

"_Captain Marcy_.

"MY DEAR SIR: I embrace this the earliest opportunity of answering your
communication to me, embracing a letter from Mr. Fuller, New York, to
you, an introductory letter to me, and also one from W. I. Appleby to
Governor Young; the latter immediately on its receipt I forwarded to
His Excellency. And here let me state, sir, that I sincerely regret
that circumstances now existing have hitherto prevented a personal
interview.

"I can readily believe your statement that it is very far from your
feelings and most of the command that are with you to interfere with
our social habits or religious views. One must naturally suppose that
among gentlemen educated for the army alone, who have been occupied by
the study of the art of war, whose pulses have throbbed with pleasure
at the contemplation of the deeds of our venerated fathers, whose minds
have been elated by the recital of the heroic deeds of other nations,
and who have listened almost exclusively to the declamations of
patriots and heroes, that there is not much time and less inclination
to listen to the low party bickerings of political demagogues,
the interested twaddle of sectional declaimers, or the throes and
contortions of contracted religious bigots. You are supposed to stand
on elevated ground, representing the power and securing the interests
of the whole of a great and mighty nation. That many of you are thus
honorable, I am proud as an American citizen to acknowledge, but you
must excuse me, my dear sir, if I cannot concede with you that all your
officials are so high-toned, disinterested, humane and gentlemanly, as
a knowledge of some of their antecedents would expressly demonstrate.
However, it is not with the personal character, the amiable qualities,
high-toned feelings, or gentlemanly deportment of the officers in your
expedition that we at present have to do. The question that concerns
us is one that is independent of your personal, generous, friendly and
humane feeling, or any individual predilection of yours; it is one that
involves the dearest rights of American citizens, strikes at the root
of our social and political existence, if it does not threaten our
entire annihilation from the earth. Excuse me, sir, when I say that
you are merely the servants of a lamentably corrupt administration,
that your primary law is obedience to orders, and that you come here
with armed foreigners, with cannons, rifles, bayonets and broadswords,
expressly and for the openly avowed purpose of 'cutting out the
loathsome ulcer from the body politic.'

"I am aware what our friend Fuller says in relation to this matter,
and I entertain no doubt of his generous and humane feelings, nor do
I of yours, sir, but I do know that he is mistaken in relation to the
rabid tone and false, furious attacks of a venal and corrupt press. I
do know that they are merely the mouthpiece, the tools, the barking
dogs of a corrupt administration. I do know that Mr. Buchanan was
well apprised of the nature of the testimony adduced against us by
ex-Judge Drummond and others, for he was informed of it to my knowledge
by a member of his own cabinet. And I further know from personal
intercourse with members of the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States, that there have been various plans concocted
at headquarters for some time past for the overthrow of this people.
Captain, Mr. Fuller informs me that you are a politician. If so, you
must know that in the last presidential campaign that the Republican
party had opposition to slavery and polygamy as two of the principal
planks in their platform. You may know, sir, that Utah was picked out,
and the only Territory excluded from a participation in pre-emption
rights to land. You may also be aware that bills were introduced into
Congress for the prosecution of the Mormons, but other business was too
pressing at that time for them to receive attention. You may be aware
that measures were also set on foot and bills prepared to divide up
Utah among the Territories of Nebraska, Kansas, Oregon and New Mexico,
(giving a slice to California) for the purpose of bringing us into
collision with the people of those Territories.

"I might enumerate injuries by the score--not to say anything
about thousands of our letters detained at the post office at
Independence--and if these things are not so, why is it that Utah is
so _knotty a question?_ If people were no more ready to interfere
with us and our institutions than we are with them and theirs,
these difficulties would vanish into thin air. Why, again I ask,
could Drummond and a host of other mean scribblers, palm off their
bare-faced lies with such impunity and have their infamous slanders
swallowed with such gusto? Was it not that the administration and their
satellites having planned our destruction, were eager to catch at
anything to render specious their contemplated acts of blood? Or, in
plain terms, the Democrats advocated strongly popular sovereignty. The
Republicans tell them that if they join in maintaining inviolate the
domestic institutions of the south, they must also swallow polygamy.
The Democrats thought this would not do, as it would interfere with
the religious scruples of many of their supporters, and they looked
about for some means to dispose of the knotty question. Buchanan,
with Douglas, Cass, Thompson and others of his advisers, after
failing to devise legal means, hit upon the expedient of an armed
force against Utah, and thus thought by the sacrifice of the Mormons
to untie the knotty question; do a thousand times worse than the
Republicans ever meant,--fairly out-Herod Herod, and by religiously
expatriating, destroying or killing a hundred thousand innocent
American citizens satisfy the pious, humane, patriotic feeling of
their constituents, take the wind out of the sails of the Republicans,
and gain to themselves immortal laurels. Captain, I have heard of a
pious Presbyterian doctrine that would inculcate thankfulness to the
all-wise Creator for the privilege of being damned. Now, as we are not
Presbyterians nor believers in this kind of self-abnegation, you will,
I am sure, excuse us for finding fault at being thus summarily dealt
with, no matter how agreeable the excision or expatriation might be to
our political, patriotic, or very pious friends. We have lived long
enough in the world to know that we are a portion of the body politic,
that we have some rights as well as other people, and that if others do
not respect us, we at least have manhood enough to respect ourselves.

"Permit me here to refer to a remark made by our friend, Mr. Fuller,
to you viz., 'that he had rendered me certain services in the city of
New York, and that he had no doubt that when you had seen and known us
as he had, that you would report as favorably as he had unflinchingly
done.' Now those favors, to which Mr. Fuller refers, were simply
telling a few plain matters of fact, that had come under his own
observation during a short sojourn at Salt Lake. This, of course, I
could duly appreciate, for I always admire a man who dare tell the
truth. But, Captain, does it not strike you as humiliating to manhood
and to the pride of all honorable American citizens, when among the
thousands that have passed through and sojourned among us, and know
as well as Mr. Fuller did, our true social and moral position, that
perhaps only one in ten thousand dare state his honest convictions? and
further, that Mr. Fuller with his knowledge of human nature, should
look upon you as a _rare avis_, possessing the moral courage and
integrity to declare the truth in opposition to the floods of falsehood
that have deluged our nation? Surely we have fallen on unlucky times
when honesty is avowed to be at so great a premium!

"In regard to our religion, it is perhaps unnecessary to say much,
yet whatever others' feelings may be about it, with us it is honestly
a matter of conscience. This is a right guaranteed unto us by the
Constitution of our country, yet it is on this ground, and this
alone, that we have suffered a continued series of persecutions, and
that this present crusade is set on foot against us. In regard to
this people, I have traveled extensively in the United States, and
through Europe, yet have never found so moral, chaste and virtuous a
people, nor do I expect to find them. And if let alone, they are the
most patriotic and appreciate more fully the blessing of religious,
civil, and political freedom than any other portion of the United
States. They have, however, discovered the difference between a blind
submission to the caprices of political demagogues, and obedience to
the Constitution, laws, and institutions of the United States; nor can
they in the present instance be hood-winked by the cry of 'treason.'
If it be treason to stand up for our Constitutional rights: if it be
treason to resist the unconstitutional acts of a vitiated and corrupt
administration, who by a mercenary armed force would seek to rob us of
the rights of franchise, cut our throats to subserve their own party,
and seek to force upon us their corrupt tools, and violently invade the
rights of American citizens; if it be treason to maintain inviolate our
homes, our firesides, our wives, and our honor, from the corrupting,
and withering blight of a debauched soldiery; if it be treason to
maintain inviolate the Constitution and institutions of the United
States, when nearly all the states are seeking to trample them under
their feet--then indeed are we guilty of treason. We have carefully
considered all these matters, and are prepared to meet the 'terrible
vengeance' we have been very politely informed will be the result
of our acts. It is in vain to hide it from you that the people have
suffered so much from every kind of official that they will endure it
no longer. It is not with them an idle phantom, but a stern reality. It
is not as some suppose the 'voice of Brigham' only, but the universal,
deep settled feeling of the whole community. Their cry is 'Give us
our Constitutional rights; give us liberty or death.' A strange cry,
indeed, in our boasted model republic, but a truth deeply and indelibly
graven on the hearts of 100,000 American citizens by a series of
twenty-seven years unmitigated, and unprovoked, yet unrequited wrongs.
Having told you of this, you will not be surprised, that when fifty
have been called to assist in repelling our aggressors, hundreds have
volunteered; and when a hundred have been called, the number has been
more than doubled; the only feeling is, 'don't let us be overlooked
or forgotten.' And here let me inform you that I have seen thousands
of hands raised simultaneously voting to burn our property rather
than let it fall into the hands of our enemies. Our people have been
so frequently robbed and despoiled without redress, that they have
solemnly decreed that if they cannot enjoy their own property nobody
else shall. You will see by this that it would be literally madness
for your small force to attempt to come into the settlements. It would
only be courting destruction. But say you: have you counted the cost?
have you considered the wealth and power of the United States and the
fearful odds against you? Yes, and here let me inform you that if
necessitated we would as soon meet 100,000 as 1,000, and if driven to
the necessity, will burn every house, tree, shrub, rail, every patch of
grass, and stack of straw and hay, and flee to the mountains. You will
then obtain a barren, desolate wilderness, but will not have conquered
the people, and the same principle in regard to other property will be
carried out. If this people have to burn their property to save it from
the hands of legalized mobs, they will see to it that their enemies
shall be without fuel; they will haunt them by day and by night.
Such is in part our plan. The 300,000 dollars worth of our property
destroyed already in Green River County is only a faint sample of what
will be done throughout the Territory. We have been thrice driven by
tamely submitting to the authority of corrupt officials, and left our
houses and homes for others to inhabit; but are now determined that if
we are again robbed of our possessions, our enemies shall also feel how
pleasant it is to be houseless at least for once, and be permitted as
they have sought to do to us,--

  "'To dig their own dark graves,
  Creep into them and die.'

"You see we are not backward in showing our hands. Is it not strange to
what lengths the human family may be goaded by a continued series of
oppression? The administration may yet find leisure to pause over the
consequences of their acts, and it may yet become a question for them
to solve whether they have blood and treasure enough to crush out the
sacred principles of liberty from the bosoms of one hundred thousand
freemen, and make them bow in craven servility to the mendacious acts
of a perjured, degraded tyrant.

"You may have learned already that it is anything but pleasant
for even a small army to contend with the chilling blasts of this
inhospitable climate. How a large army would fare without resources
you can picture to yourself. We have weighed those matters; it is
for the administration to post their own accounts. It may not be
amiss, however, here to state that if they continue to prosecute this
inhuman fratricidal war, and our Nero would light the fires, and,
sitting complacently in his chair of state, laugh at burning Rome,
there is a day of reckoning even for Neroes. There are generally two
sides to a question. As I before said we wish for peace, but that
we are determined on having if we have to fight for it. We will not
have officers forced upon us who are so degraded as to submit to be
sustained by the bayonet's point. We cannot be dragooned into servile
obedience to any man.

"These things settled, Captain, and all the little preliminaries of
etiquette are easily arranged; and permit me here to state that no man
would be more courteous and civil than Governor Young, and neither
could you find in your capacity of an officer of the United States a
more generous and hearty welcome than at the hands of His Excellency.
But when, instead of battling with the enemies of our country, you come
(though probably reluctantly) to make war upon my family and friends,
our civilities are naturally cooled and we instinctively grasp the
sword. Minie rifles, Colt's revolvers, sabres and cannon may display
very good workmanship and great artistic skill, but we very much object
to having their temper and capabilities tried upon us. We may admire
the capabilities, gentlemanly deportment, heroism and patriotism of
United States officers; but in an official capacity as enemies, we
would rather see their backs than their faces. The guillotine may be a
very pretty instrument and show great artistic skill, but I don't like
to try my neck in it.

"Now, Captain, notwithstanding all this, I shall be very happy to see
you if circumstances should so transpire as to make it convenient for
you to come, and to extend to you the courtesies of our city, for I am
sure you are not our personal enemy. I shall be happy to render you any
information in my power in regard to your contemplated explorations.

"I am heartily sorry that things are so unpleasant at the present time,
and I cannot but realize the awkwardness of your position and that of
your compatriots; and let me here say that anything that lies in my
power compatible with the conduct of a gentleman, you can command.

"If you have leisure I should be most happy to hear from you. You will,
I am sure, excuse me, if I disclaim the prefix of Rev. to my name.
Address: John Taylor, Great Salt Lake City.

"I need not here assure you that personally there can be no feelings of
enmity between us and your officers. We regard you as the agents of the
administration only, in the discharge of a probably unpleasant duty,
and very likely ignorant of the ultimate designs of the administration.
As I left the east this summer you will excuse me when I say I am
probably better posted in some of these matters than you are, having
been one of a delegation from the citizens of this Territory to apply
for admission into the Union. I can only regret that it is not our real
enemies that are here instead of you. We do not wish to harm you nor
any of the command to which you belong, and I can assure you that in
any other capacity than the one you now occupy, you would be received
as civilly and treated as courteously as in any other portion of our
Union.

"On my departure from the states the fluctuating tide of popular
opinion against us seemed to be on the wane. By this time there may
be quite a reaction in the public mind. If so it may probably affect
materially the position of the administration, and tend to more
constitutional, pacific and humane measures. In such an event our
relative positions would be materially changed, and instead of meeting
as enemies we could meet as all Americans should, friends to each
other, and united against our legitimate enemies only. Such an issue
is devoutly to be desired, and I can assure you that no one could more
appreciate so happy a result to our present awkward and unpleasant
position than

"Yours Truly,

"John Taylor."



CHAPTER XXXIII.

MARTIAL LAW DECLARED IN UTAH--THE LEGISLATURE TO CONGRESS--"WE
SHALL NOT ABANDON OUR RELIGION"--GIVE US OUR RIGHTS AND WE ARE AT
HOME--ARRIVAL OF COL. KANE--COMPROMISES--ENTRANCE OF GOVERNOR CUMMING
INTO SALT LAKE--REMAINING DIFFICULTIES--PREPARATIONS FOR AN EXODUS--THE
PEACE COMMISSION--DIFFICULTIES ADJUSTED--ELDER TAYLOR'S PART.

It was but a few days after the departure of Captain Van Vliet on
his return to the army, that Governor Young issued his proclamation
forbidding all armed forces from entering the Territory. He called
on the territorial militia to enforce the proclamation, and declared
martial law to exist throughout Utah. This action was followed by
sending a portion of the militia to watch the movements of the army,
and prevent its marching into the Territory.

These military movements were under the immediate supervision of
Lieutenant-General Daniel H. Wells; but when he went to the front
he was accompanied by Elders Taylor and Geo. A. Smith. Elder Taylor
remained with the militia at the front until about the middle of
December, when he returned to Salt Lake City, as the legislature, to
which he had been elected a member from Salt Lake County, convened in
the latter part of that month. He was unanimously chosen Speaker of the
House.

The most important action of this legislature was the passage of a
memorial to the President and Congress of the United States. It called
attention to the fact that a previous legislature had memorialized
Congress in respect to the situation in Utah, had set forth the
grievances of the people and made known their wishes in regard to the
appointment of the U. S. officials for the Territory. They had asked
that the said officials be selected from the citizens of Utah, whose
interests would be identical with those of the people among whom they
administered the law.

The present memorialists reminded the President and Congress that
no action had been taken, no answer made to this former memorial,
"unless," said they, "it is to be understood that the appointment of a
full set of officers for this Territory, backed by an army to enforce
them upon us * * is to be deemed an answer." And then, notwithstanding
an army was encamped on their borders, with the prospect of being
re-enforced and marched into Salt Lake Valley in the spring, the
legislature had the spirit to talk to Congress in the following strain:

"We appeal to you as American citizens who have been wronged, insulted,
abused and persecuted; driven before our relentless foes from city to
city--from state to state--until we were finally expelled from the
confines of civilization to seek a shelter in a barren, inhospitable
clime, amid the wild, savage tribes of the desert plains. We claim
to be a portion of the people, and as such have rights that must be
respected, and which we have a right to demand. We claim that in a
republican form of government, such as our fathers established, and
such as ours still professes to be, the officers are and should be the
servants of the people--not their masters, dictators or tyrants.

"To the numerous charges of our enemies we plead not guilty, and
challenge the world before any just tribunal to the proof. * * Try on
the plaster of friendly intercourse and honorable dealing instead of
foul aggression and war. Treat us as friends--as citizens entitled to
and possessing equal rights with our fellows--and not as alien enemies,
lest you make us such. * * All we want is the truth and fair play.
The administration have been imposed upon by false, designing men;
their acts have been precipitate and hasty, perhaps through lack of
due consideration. Please to let us know what you want of us before
you prepare your halters to hang, or 'apply the knife to cut out the
loathsome, disgusting ulcer.' Do you wish us to deny our God and
renounce our religion? That we shall not do. * * Withdraw your troops,
give us our Constitutional rights and we are at home."

This document was signed by Elder Taylor, Speaker of the House; and
Heber C. Kimball, President of the council.

During the winter of 1857-8 the "army for Utah" was kept encamped on
or near Ham's Fork, and about Fort Bridger, unable to move into Salt
Lake Valley, as large numbers of its stock had been run off; and a
forced march into the Valley was impracticable as the mountain passes
were well fortified and guarded by the Utah militia, determined to
resist such a movement. Meantime the favorable report given of the
Mormons by Captain Van Vliet at Washington, had produced a change in
public sentiment; and President Buchanan found himself with his Utah
expedition on his hands without being able to assign any reasonable
cause for having inaugurated it.

It was at this juncture that Colonel Thomas L. Kane, of Pennsylvania,
offered his services to the perplexed President. Colonel Kane had been
a witness of the cruel expulsion of the Mormons from Illinois, and
had become their firm and fast friend. It was, therefore, as much the
object of the Colonel to render further service to a people to whom
he had become attached, as it was to prevent the administration at
Washington from making a further blunder, that induced him to offer his
services as mediator between the President and the people of Utah.

The Colonel arrived in Salt Lake City in February, 1858, and was
heartily welcomed by the Church leaders and the Saints. The result
of his mediation was that the people received and acknowledged the
President's appointee for Governor of the Territory, Alfred Cumming, of
Georgia, provided he would agree to come to Salt Lake City without the
army--conditions which Governor Cumming readily accepted.

He was escorted to Salt Lake City by Colonel Kane and several
companies of the Utah militia; and everywhere was met with a hearty
welcome and acknowledged Governor of Utah. He notified General Albert
Sidney Johnston--who had succeeded Harney in the command of the Utah
expedition--to this effect; and informed him that the presence of the
army was not necessary to maintain his authority.

In his report to the Secretary of State, Governor Cumming denied the
charges made against the Mormon people--charges which had been pointed
to as justifying the President in sending the army--so that there was
left not even the shadow of a justification for this inconsiderate,
hostile demonstration. But even before Governor Cumming's report
reached Washington, President Buchanan had become so heartily sick of
his blunder that he issued a proclamation [1] pardoning the people for
their alleged rebellion and treason.

Governor Cumming had entered the Territory, his authority had been
acknowledged, he was in the full discharge of his official duties and
congratulated himself that all the Utah difficulties were approaching
a happy termination. His rejoicing was premature. The difficulties
were not ended. The army was within a few days' march of the capital
and other thickly settled portions of the Territory, and might rush
in at any time to be quartered in Salt Lake City or encamped in close
proximity to other settlements to insult, abuse and oppress the people.
Furthermore, with the army and its camp followers once settled in or
near Salt Lake City, with judges deeply prejudiced against them, and
with an idea that they were judges with a mission, it was more than
possible, it was quite probable, that juries composed of teamsters and
camp followers would be packed to set in judgment on the old settlers
of Utah in respect to events which had occurred during the unsettled
state of affairs of the past two years. To these things the leaders of
the people had determined not to submit; and rather than brook such
treatment, an exodus from the Territory was determined upon.

Early spring saw the people in the northern settlements moving
_en masse_ for the south, leaving only enough men in the deserted
settlements to fire them and lay waste the country. Alfred Cumming
might be Governor of the Territory, but the people leaving would make
his sceptre a barren one. The army might march into the Territory with
all the pomp and circumstance of glorious war, but the country would be
a blackened waste--not much glory to be reaped on such a field for the
army of the great Republic!

By June, Salt Lake City and all the settlements north of Lehi were
deserted, save by those left to destroy them. Such was the state of
things in Utah when President Buchanan's Peace Commissioners--L. W.
Powell, Senator-elect from Kentucky, and ex-Governor of that state, and
Major-General Ben McCullough--arrived. A conference between them and
the leaders of the Church, in which Elder Taylor took part, resulted in
an adjustment of the Utah difficulties. The past was to be buried. In
the language of Commissioner Powell, "Bygones are to be bygones;" and
while the army was to be permitted to enter the Territory it was not to
be encamped nearer than forty miles of Salt Lake City, and not adjacent
to densely settled districts.

The location decided upon for its encampment was in Cedar Valley,
south-west of Salt Lake City. The troops marched through the deserted
city _en route_ for this point, but made no stay in it. Their permanent
encampment in Ceder Valley was made at Fairfield, and named Camp Floyd,
in honor of the then Secretary of War.

These stipulations carried out on the part of the Governor, the
Commission and the army, and assurances given that they should be
faithfully observed, the people returned to their deserted homes in
time to reap the volunteer harvest with which their fields were spread;
and affairs in troubled Utah began to settle to normal conditions.

In all these stirring events Elder Taylor took a prominent part. Having
implicit faith in God his glorious hopes for the future, lined the dark
and threatening clouds with brightest silver. Confident, as he ever
was, that God held the destiny of His people and that of their enemies
in His own hands, he was ready for peace or war; or for the abandonment
and destruction of his home, if such were the will of God. This spirit
of trust and confidence in the Lord he not only possessed himself,
but had also the faculty of imbuing others with it. He encouraged the
disheartened, cheered the sorrowful, strengthened the weak, reproved
the fearful, convinced the unbelieving, counseled even the wise; and
throughout those dark and turbulent times, bore himself with dignity,
courage and true manliness which intensified the love of the Saints for
him, and called forth the admiration of his brethren.

Footnotes

1. Governor Cumming's report to Lewis Cass, Secretary of State, bears
the date of May 2, 1858: The President issued his proclamation, on the
sixth of April, of the same year.



CHAPTER XXXIV.

LABORS AFTER THE UTAH WAR--A MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE--SPEAKER OF THE
HOUSE--PROBATE JUDGE--GREAT DISCUSSION WITH VICE-PRESIDENT SCHUYLER
COLFAX.

After the close of the "Mormon War," Elder Taylor's public labors were
mostly confined to Utah. For a number of years he traveled extensively
through all the settlements of the Saints, preaching the gospel,
usually accompanying President Brigham Young in his annual preaching
tours. He also attended all conferences and councils, and assisted in a
general way all public enterprises.

He was a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature from 1857 to 1876;
and was elected speaker of the House for five successive sessions,
beginning in 1857. As the Speaker of the House he won the esteem of the
members by his uniform courtesy and fairness. As a member he sought
to promote the interests of his constituents and at the same time to
legislate for the welfare of the entire Territory.

In 1868 he was elected Probate Judge of Utah County, and continued
in office until the December term of that court in 1870. As the laws
of Utah then provided that the probate courts should "have power to
exercise original jurisdiction, both civil and criminal, and as well
in chancery as in common law," the position was one of considerable
importance. Especially in those days when the perverseness of Federal
judges led them frequently to close the district courts indefinitely,
because, forsooth, the grand juries insisted on indicting men only when
the facts before them warranted such action, and petit juries insisted
on the right to judge the guilt or innocence of men accused of crime
according to the facts proven in open court, instead of finding them
guilty or innocent according as the wishes or prejudices of the judge
would have them condemned or liberated.

During these years, too, he continued to stand up in defense of the
rights and liberties of the Saints, missing no opportunity to speak out
in his bold, manly style against those who would wrong them.

In October, 1869, Utah for the second time was visited by the Hon.
Schuyler Colfax, then vice-President of the United States. On the 5th
of the month he delivered a speech from the portico of the Townsend
House, now the Continental Hotel. In that speech, which was extensively
published in the east, the vice-president made an attack on the Mormon
religion, and justified Congress in the enactment of laws against
the practice of plural marriage. To this speech Elder Taylor, then
temporarily absent from the Territory, in Boston, replied through the
columns of the New York _Tribune_.

In his speech the vice-president took the position that the marriage
institution of the Saints did not involve the question of religion;
his exact words were: "I do not concede that the institution you have
established here, and which is condemned by the law, is a question of
religion;" and from that basis argued the question. His main point
of argument I quote, observing only in passing that it has been the
argument of tyrants and persecutors, acting under the cloak of law,
ever since liberty had to struggle against oppression:

"I have no strictures to utter as to your creed on any really religious
question. Our land is a land of civil and religious liberty, and the
faith of every man is a matter between himself and God alone. You have
as much right to worship the Creator through a President and twelve
apostles of your church organization, as I have through the ministers
and elders and creed of mine. And this right I would defend for you
with as much zeal as the right of every other denomination throughout
the land.

"But our country is governed by law, and no assumed revelation
justifies any one in trampling on the law. If it did, every wrong-doer
would use that argument to protect himself in his disobedience to it."

Replying to this part of the Vice-President's argument, Elder Taylor
commended the magnanimity and even-handed justice of the first
paragraph saying that the sentiments did honor to the author of them
and that they ought to be engraven on every American heart. To the
second paragraph he replied:

"That our country is governed by law all admit; but when it is said
that 'no assumed revelation justifies any one in trampling on the
law,' I should respectfully ask, What! not if it interferes with my
religious faith, which you state 'is a matter between God and myself
alone?' Allow me, sir, here to state that the assumed revelation
referred to is one of the most vital parts of our religious faith; it
emanated from God and cannot be legislated away; it is part of the
'Everlasting Covenant' which God has given to man. Our marriages are
solemnized by proper authority; a woman is sealed unto a man for time
and for eternity, by the power of which Jesus speaks, which 'seals on
earth and it is sealed in heaven.' With us it is 'Celestial Marriage;'
take this from us and you rob us of our hopes and associations in the
resurrection of the just. This not our religion? You do not see things
as we do. * * * I make these remarks to show that it is considered,
by us, a part of our religious faith, which I have no doubt, did you
understand it as we do, you would defend, as you state, 'with as much
zeal as the right of every other denomination throughout the land.'
Permit me here to say, however, that it was the revelation (I will
not say assumed) that Joseph and Mary had, which made them look upon
Jesus as the Messiah; which made them flee from the wrath of Herod,
who was seeking the young child's life. This they did in contravention
of law which was his decree. Did they do wrong in protecting Jesus
from the law? But Herod was a tyrant. That makes no difference; it was
the law of the land, and I have yet to learn the difference between a
tyrannical king and a tyrannical Congress. When we talk of executing
law in either case, that means force,--force means an army, and an
army means death. Now I am not sufficiently versed in metaphysics to
discover the difference in its effects, between the asp of Cleopatra,
the dagger of Brutus, the chalice of Lucretia Borgia, or the bullet or
sabre of an American soldier.

"I have, sir, written the above in consequence of some remarks which
follow:

"'I do not concede that the institution you have established here, and
which is condemned by the law, is a question of religion.'

"Now, with all due deference, I do think that if Mr. Colfax had
carefully examined our religious faith he would have arrived at other
conclusions. In the absence of this I might ask, who constituted Mr.
Colfax a judge of my religious faith? I think he has stated that 'The
faith of every man _is a matter between himself and God alone_.'

"Mr. Colfax has a perfect right to state and feel that he does not
believe in the revelation on which my religious faith is based, nor in
my faith at all; but has he the right to _dictate_ my religious faith?
I think not; he does not consider it religion, but it is nevertheless
mine.

"If a revelation from God is not a religion, what is?

"His not believing it from God makes no difference; I know it is. The
Jews did not believe in Jesus but Mr. Colfax and I do; their unbelief
does not alter the revelation."

Commenting more at length on the Vice-President's assumption that the
marriage system of the Saints had nothing to do with religion, he said:

"Are we to understand that Mr. Colfax is created an umpire to decide
upon what is religion and what is not, upon what is true religion and
what is false? If so, by whom and what authority is he created judge? I
am sure he has not reflected upon the bearing of this hypothesis, or he
would not have made such an utterance.

"According to this theory no persons ever were persecuted for their
religion, there never was such a thing known. Could anybody suppose
that that erudite, venerable, and profoundly learned body of men,--the
great Sanhedrim of the Jews; or that those holy men, the chief priests,
scribes and Pharisees, would persecute anybody for religion? Jesus was
put to death,--not for His religion,--but because He was a blasphemer;
because He had a devil and cast out devils through Beelzebub the prince
of devils; because He, being a carpenter's son, and known among them
as such, declared Himself the Son of God. So they said, and they were
the then judges. Could anybody be more horrified than those Jews at
such pretensions? His disciples were persecuted, proscribed and put to
death, not for their religion, but because they 'were pestilent fellows
and stirrers up of sedition,' and because they believed in an 'assumed
revelation' concerning 'one Jesus, who was put to death, and who, they
said, had risen again.' It was for false pretensions and a lack of
religion that they were persecuted. Their religion was not like that of
the Jews; ours, not like that of Mr. Colfax.

"Loyola did not invent and put into use the faggot, the flame, the
sword, the thumbscrews, the rack and gibbet to persecute anybody, it
was to purify the Church of heretics, as others would purify Utah. His
zeal was for the Holy Mother Church. The Nonconformists of England and
Holland, the Huguenots of France and the Scottish non-Covenanters were
not persecuted or put to death for their religion; it was for being
schismatics, turbulent and unbelievers. All of the above claimed that
they were persecuted for their religion. All of the persecutors, as Mr.
Colfax said about us, did 'not concede that the institution they had
established which was condemned by the law, was religion;' or, in other
terms, it was an imposture or false religion."

Referring to the injustice and oppression which had been perpetrated
on humanity in the name of law, he wrote the following fine vein of
sarcasm:

"When Jesus was plotted against by Herod and the infants were put of
death, who could complain? _It was law_: we must submit to _law_.
The Lord Jehovah, or Jesus, the Savior of the world, has no right to
interfere with _law_. Jesus was crucified _according to law_. Who can
complain? Daniel was thrown into a den of lions strictly _according
to law_. The king would have saved him, if he could; but he could not
resist law. The massacre of St. Bartholomew was in accordance with
_law_. The guillotine of Robespierre, of France, which cut heads off
by the thousand, did it according to _law_. What right had the victims
to complain? But these things were done in barbarous ages. Do not let
us, then, who boast of our civilization, follow their example; let us
be more just, more generous, more forbearing, more magnanimous. We are
told that we are living in a more enlightened age. Our morals are more
pure, (?) our ideas more refined and enlarged, our institutions more
liberal. 'Ours,' says Mr. Colfax, 'is a land of civil and religious
liberty, and the faith of every man is a matter between himself and
God alone,' providing God don't shock our moral ideas by introducing
something we don't believe in. If He does, let Him look out. We won't
persecute, very far be that from us; but we will make our platforms,
pass Congressional laws and make you submit to them. We may, it is
true, have to send out an army, and shed the blood of many; but what of
that? It is so much more pleasant to be proscribed and killed according
to the laws of the Great Republic, in the 'asylum for the oppressed,'
than to perish ignobly by the decrees of kings, through their miserable
minions, in the barbaric ages."

The reply of Elder Taylor to the Vice-President's speech brought that
gentleman out again in a long article on the Mormon question, published
in the New York _Independent_. In addition to repeating the main
argument of his speech, Mr. Colfax, undertook to trace out the history
of the Mormons and answer the arguments of Elder Taylor. To this second
production Elder Taylor made an elaborate and masterly reply that was
quite as extensively published in the east as was the Vice-President's
article. He followed his opponent through all his meanderings in
dealing with the Mormon question; he corrected his errors, reproved his
blunders, answered his arguments, laughed at his folly; now belaboring
him with the knotty cudgel of unanswerable argument, and now roasting
him before the slow fire of his sarcasm; now honoring him for his zeal,
which, however mistaken, had the smack of honesty about it; and now
pitying him for being led astray on some historical fact.

In the opening of his article the Vice-President made a rather
ungenerous effort to belittle the achievements of the Mormon people,
in redeeming the desert valleys of Utah. "For this," said he, "they
claim great credit: and I would not detract one iota from all they are
legitimately entitled to. It _was_ a desert when they first emigrated
thither. They have made large portions of it fruitful and productive,
and their chief city is beautiful in location and attractive in
its gardens and shrubbery. But the solution of it all is in one
word--_water_. What seemed to the eye a desert became fruitful when
irrigated; and the mountains whose crests are clothed in perpetual
snow, furnished, in the unfailing supplies of their ravines, the
necessary fertilizer."

This afforded Elder Taylor a fine opportunity for one of those poetic
flights so frequently to be met with both in his writings and sermons.
"Water!" he exclaimed. "_Mirabile dictu_! Here I must help Mr. C. out."

"This wonderful little water nymph, after playing with the clouds on
our mountain tops, frolicking with the snow and rain in our rugged
gorges for generations, coquetting with the sun and dancing to the
sheen of the moon, about the time the Mormons came here, took upon
herself to perform a great miracle, and descending to the valley with
a wave of her magic wand and the mysterious words, 'hiccory, diccory,
dock,' cities and streets were laid out, crystal waters flowed in ten
thousand rippling streams, fruit trees and shrubbery sprang up, gardens
and orchards abounded, cottages and mansions were organized, fruits,
flowers and grain in all their elysian glory appeared and the desert
blossomed as the rose; and this little frolicking elf, so long confined
to the mountains and water courses proved herself far more powerful
than Cinderella or Aladdin. Oh! Jealousy, thou green-eyed monster! Can
no station in life be protected from the shimmer of thy glamour? must
our talented and honorable Vice-President be subjected to thy jaundiced
touch? But to be serious, did water tunnel through our mountains,
construct dams, canals and ditches, lay out our cities and towns,
import and plant choice fruit-trees, shrubs and flowers, cultivate the
land and cover it with the cattle on a thousand hills, erect churches,
school-houses and factories, and transform a howling wilderness into
a fruitful field and a garden? * * * * * * * Unfortunately for Mr.
Colfax, it was Mormon polygamists who did it. * * * * * What if a
stranger on gazing upon the statuary in Washington and our magnificent
Capitol, and after rubbing his eyes were to exclaim, 'Eureka! it
is only rock and mortar and wood!' This discoverer would announce
that instead of the development of art, intelligence, industry and
enterprise, its component parts were simply stone, mortar and wood. Mr.
Colfax has discovered that our improvements are attributable to water!"

Replying to the Vice-President's arguments and illustrations that the
United States was justified in suppressing what it considered to be
immoral, notwithstanding the Mormons claimed it to be part of their
religious faith--in the course of which Mr. Colfax referred to the now
familiar conduct of the English government in suppressing the suttee in
India--Elder Taylor said:

"To present Mr. Colfax's argument fairly, it stands thus: The burning
of Hindoo widows was considered a religious rite by the Hindoos. The
British were horrified at the practice, and suppressed it. The Mormons
believe polygamy to be a religious rite. The American nation consider
it a scandal, and that they ought to put it down. Without entering into
all the details, I think the above a fair statement of the question.
He says 'The claim that religious faith commanded it was powerless,
and it went down, as a relic of barbarism.' He says: 'History tells us
what a civilized nation, akin to ours, actually did, where they had the
power.' I wish to treat this argument with candor: * * * * * *

"The British suppressed the suttee in India, and therefore we must
be equally moral and suppress polygamy in the United States. Hold!
not so fast; let us state facts as they are and remove the dust. The
British suppressed the suttee, but tolerated eighty-three millions
of polygamists in India. The suppression of the suttee and that of
polygamy are two very different things. If the British are indeed to be
our exemplars, Congress had better wait until polygamy is suppressed
in India. But it is absurd to compare the suttee to polygamy; one is
murder and the destruction of life, the other is national economy
and the increase and perpetuation of life. _Suttee_ ranks truly with
_infanticide_, both of which are destructive of human life. _Polygamy_
is salvation compared with either, and tends even more than monogamy to
increase and perpetuate the human race."

Elder Taylor closed the discussion with a vivid expose of the loathsome
immorality and crime that existed in the villages, towns and cities
of the East; and called the attention of the Vice-President to the
fact that there was work enough for himself, for Congress and also
for the moralists and ministers in the United States nearer home,
in suppressing the evils by which they were immediately surrounded,
without plunging into the isolated valleys of Utah to legislate away
the religion of the Mormons, under the specious plea of suppressing
crime.

Taking it all in all, this is doubtless the most important discussion
in the history of the Church. The great reputation of Mr. Colfax as a
speaker and writer; the fact that he had for many years been a member
of Congress and accustomed to debate, together with the high station
he occupied at the time of the discussion, gave to it a national
importance. It occurred, too, at a critical time in the history of the
Church. The Republican party had pledged itself to the accomplishment
of two objects: the suppression of slavery and polygamy. Slavery it
had abolished; and it was now expected that polygamy would receive its
attention.

There was also, just then, an effort being made by prominent and
wealthy members of the Church, to destroy the influence of President
Brigham Young, or, if that failed, to weaken it by dividing the Church
into parties. Of this movement the Vice-President was aware, as was
also the President and the members of his Cabinet; and lent their
influence as far as they could, to this scheme of disintegration;
hoping, by fostering it, to solve the Mormon problem. That it failed
miserably is notorious; but these considerations make the discussion
between Elder Taylor and the Vice-President all the more important.

The discussion also serves another purpose. It affords an opportunity
of comparing Elder Taylor with a man of acknowledged ability, liberal
education and wide experience. In that comparison Elder Taylor loses
nothing. In fact he gains by it; for, maugre the experience and
learning and position of his opponent, he surpassed him not only
in the force of argument, but in literary style, in the elegance,
ease and beauty of his diction; while for courtesy, fair dealing and
frankness, he was not surpassed by the Vice-President, who was noted
for possessing these admirable qualities.



CHAPTER XXXV.

A REIGN OF JUDICIAL TERROR--JUDGES WITH A MISSION--JAMES B. MCKEAN--A
JUDICIAL CRUSADE--A SYSTEM ON TRIAL--THE HIGH-HANDED MEASURES STOPPED
BY THE SUPREME COURT--"MASTERLY INACTIVITY"--ELDER TAYLOR ON THE
CRUSADE--"BE QUIET"--THE COUNSEL VINDICATED.

The years from 1871 to 1875 are notable in the history of Utah for the
judicial reign of terror which prevailed. In the spring of 1871, James
B. McKean, of New York, arrived in Salt Lake City and entered upon the
duties of his office as Chief Justice of the Territory. He was a man
of moderate capacity, a sectarian bigot, fanatical in his opposition
to the Mormon people: in a word, he was "a judge with a mission," and
utterly reckless in his methods of executing it.

His conception of the work appointed to him to perform as Chief Justice
of Utah, is best expressed in what are said to be his own words to
Judge Louis Dent, brother-in-law to President Grant:

"Judge Dent, the mission which God has called upon me to perform in
Utah, is as much above the duties of other courts and judges as the
heavens are above the earth, and whenever or wherever I may find the
local or federal laws obstructing or interfering therewith, by God's
blessing I shall trample them under my feet."

While it seems too monstrous for belief that a United States judge
should make such remarks as these, it is a stubborn fact, borne out by
the records of the proceedings of his court, that James B. McKean did
all he threatened to do in the above reported conversation.

His first attack was upon the Territorial attorney-general and marshal,
both of whom, without the authority of law, were pushed out of office
and their duties performed by the United States district attorney and
marshal. The next step was to ignore the Territorial statutes providing
for the impanelling of grand and petit jurors; and authorizing the
United States marshal to select them at his own pleasure. The result
was packed juries of pronounced anti-Mormons, chosen to convict the
Church leaders. One more step and the machinery of the court was ready
for the evidently contemplated judicial crusade; the United States
prosecuting attorney having resigned, Judge McKean appointed as his
successor R. N. Baskin, a man as bitter in his hatred of the Church of
Jesus Christ and its chief officers as the judge himself; and not one
whit behind him in recklessness. This appointment was made in violation
of law, since only the President of the United States with the consent
of the senate, has power to appoint that officer.

The machinery all being ready, a number of indictments were found
against men high in authority in the Church, under an old Territorial
statute defining and punishing adultery. It was notorious throughout
the United States that if these men in their polygamous relations were
guilty of any offense at all, it must have been the violation of the
anti-polygamy laws of Congress, and not the aforesaid Territorial law
enacted by a legislature the members of which were chiefly polygamists.

Among those indicated under this _regime_ was President Brigham Young,
against whom an indictment with sixteen separate counts was found. Each
count constituting a separate offense. He appeared in court to answer
to these charges; and the judge in over-ruling a motion to quash the
indictment took occasion to say:

"Courts are bound to take notice of the political and social condition
of the country which they judicially rule. It is therefore proper
to say, that while the case at bar is called 'The People _versus_
Brigham Young,' its other and real name is 'Federal Authority _versus_
Polygamous Theocracy."'

Public sentiment was outraged by the high-handed measures of Judge
McKean. Popular excitement ran high. For a time there was a threatened
collision between the court and the people. It was at this juncture
that Elder Taylor published five letters in the _Deseret News_,
reviewing the situation in Utah, and denouncing the Territorial
government as un-American in principle and oppressive in its operation;
but at the same time warned the people against violent resistance to
the court, insolent and oppressive as it was.

He was in court with President Young when Judge McKean made the
statement: "It is therefore proper to say that while the case at bar is
called 'The People _versus_ Brigham Young,' its other and real name is
'Federal Authority _versus_ Polygamous Theocracy.' * * A system is on
trial in the person of Brigham Young." This he took for his text in the
letters above referred to, and interpreted it to mean, which it did,
that war was declared against the Church of Jesus Christ. "Stripped
of all its tinsel and wrappings," said he, "it simply resolves itself
into this: that the government of the United States is at war with the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Elder Taylor then proceeds to show that in making war on a system
of religion, the great principle of religious liberty itself is
threatened, and that such a crusade as that foreshadowed in the
declaration of Judge McKean, could but end in disaster to the liberties
of the people.

Giving himself wide latitude in the discussion, he inquired into the
principles underlying American institutions, and from that inquiry
arrives at the following conclusion:

"The whole foundation and superstructure of American ethics or
jurisprudence is based upon the popular will. That its executive,
legislative and judicial powers originate with the people, and that
the people having granted to the men of their choice, certain powers,
agencies and authorities, to act for and in their behalf; limiting all
of them by the provisions of the Constitution which all of them take an
oath to support, they reserve to themselves, to their state or to 'the
people,' all the remainder.

"If indeed the above is a correct exposition of our rights and
privileges as American citizens," he writes, "how is it that such
infamies can transpire as have lately been exhibited in our courts?
I may be here met with the statement that we are only a territory;
but we are American citizens, and have never abjured our citizenship
nor relinquished our Constitutional guarantees. * * If the above be
true, and the axiom of the declarers of Independence be correct,
that governments 'derive their just powers from the consent of the
governed,' what becomes of our federal officers? For not one of our
citizens invited them here, or had any vote in their coming, nor was
their consent asked. If all just powers are derived from the consent
of the governed, then the powers exercised by them [the Territorial
officials appointed by the President] must be unjust.

" * * The facts are the people, one hundred thousand American citizens,
living in the Territory of Utah, with the full rights of free men,
and the protecting guarantees of a written constitution, find in the
persons of federal officers 'another government' not of the people, and
in violation of Constitutional guarantees and authority; claiming to
come from the United States, '_imperium in imperio_,' whose policy and
practices are in grave particulars at variance with its own; and I ask
by what authority it presumes to set itself up against the legitimately
constituted authority of the people of the territory or state; by what
authority it ignores its laws; by what authority it over-rides and
tears down the safeguards of society, fosters in our midst drunkenness,
gambling and whoredoms, those infamous adjuncts and institutions of
professed civilization; by what authority it repudiates its officers;
by what authority it interferes with the religion of the people, with
their social, religious, political and moral rights?"

He then proceeds at some length to show that some of the most
eminent statesmen of America held to the view that the people of the
territories possessed the right to manage their own municipal, social
and domestic affairs in that way which to them seemed best, limited
only in the exercise of these powers by the Constitution of the United
States.

These letters, however, were most valuable in allaying the excitement
of the people, who by the infamous proceedings of the courts were fast
approaching that condition of mind when men throw off all restraint,
and regardless of consequences avenge their own wrongs. He called the
attention of the people to the fact that this was probably the object
of the crusade, that a pretext might be found for further oppression
and robbery.

"The lamb is drinking below, the wolf is fouling the water above. The
big boy is strutting about with a chip on his shoulder, daring you
to knock it off. Some pretext is needed. Don't give it to them. * *
Let the same wisdom that has governed your acts hitherto still be
continued. They want a cause of quarrel, that they may rob and pillage
according to law. Don't give it to them. * * Let them pack juries fresh
from houses of ill-fame to try you on virtue. Never mind, it is their
virtue that suffers, not yours. Let them try you for living with and
protecting your wives and providing for your children; fidelity and
virtue are not crimes in the eyes of the Almighty, only in theirs.

"' * * But they are accusing some of our best and most honorable men of
murder!' What of that? Who have they suborned as their accusers? They
themselves call them by the mild name of assassins--these are their
fellow-pirates with whom they hob nob and associate. Be quiet!

"'But other aggressions are contemplated; they are bent on provoking a
quarrel and mischief.' No matter, it takes two to make a quarrel, don't
you be one of them.

"'They offer themselves to be kicked.' Don't do it, have some respect
for your boots.

"'But they insult us on every hand.' What! they insult you! Nature has
provided for many animals and insects a certain species of aggression
and defense. Some snakes crush their victims in their folds; others
carry poison in their teeth; the wasp and scorpion sting you; the ant
poisons with its bite; the vampire sucks your blood; while the pole-cat
protects itself by its insufferable odor--

  "'Their power to hurt each little creature feels,
  Bulls use their horns and asses use their heels.'

"Now who would consider himself insulted by the hissing of a snake,
the attack of the wasp, or the odor of a skunk? You would simply avoid
them. It is not in their power to insult you.'

"There is no law they can place us under which we cannot obey. We must
live above all law, and nothing can harm us if we are 'followers of
that which is good,' so keep quiet!'

" * * There is something heroic in being able calmly to view with firm
nerves and unblanched cheek the acts of your petty tormentors. Filled
with the light of eternal truth, rejoicing in the possession of the
favor of God, 'having the promise of the life which now is, and that
which is to come," standing on a more elevated platform, you can smile
with complacency on their feeble attacks, and"

  'Like Moses' bush ascend the higher,
  And flourish unconsumed by fire.'

"But independent of this, it is our very best policy to be quiet. The
court can proceed, yet the sun will rise and set, the earth will roll
on its axis, potatoes and corn will grow irrespective of the decrees of
courts. Hitherto you have been subject to the misrepresentations and
manufactured lies from the small fry of this coterie--little whelps
who lick the hands of their master, and vomit their lies by wholesale,
to pervert public opinion; but they are found out. They have run their
erratic race. You have no fear from them. Your cause is before the
public. The eyes of the great American nation are now upon you, and men
of honor, probity and position represent your acts. (And to their honor
be it spoken the intelligent press, irrespective of party, denounce
your persecutors.) This clique are not representatives of American
sentiment. The majority of strangers in our midst repudiate them; and
there are hundreds of thousands of honest, high-minded, honorable men
throughout the land, who despise as much as you do, these infamous
acts. We live in the most liberal and enlightened nation in the world;
if there are evils, they can be corrected; but the undercurrent, the
vital, strong, living sentiment of America is fair play, justice
for all, equal rights, liberty, equality and brotherhood; they are
opposed to hypocrisy, fraud, injustice and piracy, and will sustain
republicanism, democracy, equity and the inalienable rights of man.
Men of standing and position are now noting your acts, and they will
report them truly and correctly; therefore keep quiet, and do not play
into your enemies' hands. For they war, not only against you, but
against the liberal, enlightened sentiment of the nation, against the
time-honored principles of republicanism and equal rights."

The wisdom of the policy advised by Elder Taylor was soon vindicated
by glorious results. The Supreme Court of the United States decided
that the grand and petit jurors summoned by McKean, were both drawn in
violation of law, and as "a legal consequence, all the indictments now
pending in the courts of Utah are null and void. Brigham Young and his
Mormon brethren must be discharged from confinement, and the records
of this judicial conspiracy expunged." McKean had the mortification
of setting in the Supreme Court at Washington during the reading of
this decision which so utterly condemned his fanatical and illegal
proceedings.

But the end was not yet. McKean still had sole control of judicial
affairs in Utah, in the district courts; and not being able to
prosecute Mormons according to the plan he had first adopted, he
determined to follow the policy of "masterly inactivity," by which
he hindered and delayed the business of the courts, both civil and
criminal, by refusing to empanel either grand or petit juries,
hoping by this means to compel Congress to enact such a jury law for
Utah as would keep Mormons off all juries, whether they were actual
polygamists or only believers in it; and thus enable him to drag the
class of men he had singled out as his victims, before their avowed
enemies for trial. In these measures he was partially successful for
Congress passed the Poland Bill in 1874, which virtually abolished
the office of Territorial marshal and Territorial attorney general,
by enlarging the duties and powers of the United States marshal and
United States prosecuting attorney. The powers of the probate courts
were also cut down, being limited by the Poland Bill to jurisdiction
in the settlement of the estates of deceased persons and their
descendants, guardianship and other like matters; but otherwise they
were to have no civil, chancery or criminal jurisdiction whatever. They
were permitted to hold concurrent jurisdiction in divorce cases with
the United States district courts, but an appeal could be taken from
them after appearance, before plea or answer. Thus the courts of the
people were practically abolished and others set up in their place.
Changes were also made in the manner of selecting juries, so that the
Gentile population--at the time but an insignificant minority of the
inhabitants of Utah--was given equal representation on the juries with
the overwhelming majority of the people.

The conduct of Judge McKean and the measures introduced into Congress
respecting Utah affairs, again brought Elder Taylor out in a series
of six letters to the press, in which he made a scathing exposure of
federal official corruption in our Territory, and a searching criticism
of the various measures pending in Congress, previous to the passage
of the Poland Bill. In closing one of these letters that reviewed some
of the bills in Congress, he made the following stirring appeal to the
national legislators:

"With all the reverence and respect due to the rulers of a mighty
nation, from the tops of these distant mountains I call upon you to
pause in your career, for I also am a teacher, and have a right to be
heard. I speak in behalf of one hundred and fifty thousand citizens of
Utah. I speak in behalf of forty millions of free American citizens
in the United States. I conjure you out of respect for the memory of
the dead, as the rightful guardians of the liberties of a vast nation,
that stands proudly prominent among the nations of the earth, and
in behalf of unborn millions, to pause. I conjure you, in behalf of
our honor and integrity, in behalf of republican principles, and the
cause of freedom throughout the world. I plead with you in behalf of
our common humanity, and the rights of man, to reflect. Would you,
to gratify a morbid sentimentality desecrate and tear down one of
the most magnificent temples of human liberty, ever erected? Would
you wantonly deliver up the sacred principles of liberty, equity and
justice, bequeathed by your fathers, to the grim Moloch of party who is
crushing, grinding and trampling under foot our God-given rights, and
whose sanguinary jaws are extended to gorge and devour the quivering
remnants of our feeble, expiring liberty? Have we not had more than
enough trouble already with Virginia, North Carolina, Louisana and
Utah? Can we ever be satisfied? 'Let us have peace.'"

The opening of the "Black Book," as he called his inquiry into the
conduct of federal officials in Utah, revealed a lamentable state of
affairs. Men who had come to the Territory for the ostensible purpose
of administering the law were found to be among the chief transgressors
thereof, and the aiders and abettors of criminals. But I allow Elder
Taylor to make his own indictment against them, only adding that he
demonstrated the truth of every item charged in it, by publishing
the time when, the places where, and the names of the criminals they
liberated. Elder Taylor writes:

"While our territorial courts, officers and municipal authorities, have
been always foremost in punishing crime, whether committed by Mormons
or Gentiles, some of the United States officials have shielded and
protected criminals, and for this purpose every subterfuge known to
the law has been brought into requisition. Thus, by writs of error,
injunctions, _habeas corpus_, pardons, and officious and indecent
interference, they have exhibited themselves as the abettors and
protectors of crime. They have liberated _felons_ and murderers,
encouraged drunkenness and riot, protected and shielded brothel-houses,
winked at and sustained gambling, and so clogged the wheels of justice,
in both civil and criminal cases, that they have brought the judiciary
into such contempt that it has become a stink in the nostrils of honest
men."

These charges and the facts he published to prove them he prefaced with
the following:

"I am not writing under the very questionable shelter of a _nom de
plume_, and have nothing but facts to relate, for which I hold myself
responsible."

The parties he indicted before the bar of public opinion made no
attempt to refute his statements--a tacit admission of the truth of his
charges.

Judge McKean and his coadjutors, however, continued their lawless
course. The judge entertained a suit for divorce and alimony brought
into his court by Ann Eliza Webb, the plural wife of President Brigham
Young. The marriage between Ann Eliza Webb and Brigham Young was not
recognized by the law of the land. It was illegal, and therefore
void from the beginning; consequently there could be neither divorce
nor alimony. Still Judge McKean entertained the suit, and ordered
the defendant to pay $3,000 attorney's fees to plaintiff's counsel,
$9,500 alimony to plaintiff, and also $500 per month to her, pending a
decision in the case.

President Young, acting on the advice of his counsel, pending an appeal
to the supreme court of the United States, did not obey the orders of
the judge; whereupon he was found guilty of contempt of court, fined
twenty-five dollars, and sentenced to one day's imprisonment in the
penitentiary. In this James B. McKean displayed the petty, personal
spite of a small man, instead of the courage of a dignified judge
defending the honor of the bench. The rash and illegal act cost the
Judge his official head. No sooner did the country become acquainted
with the course he had taken than a storm of public indignation arose,
and clamored loudly for his removal from office. Four days afterwards
he was dismissed from the bench.

The federal officers which followed the McKean ring were a better class
of men; and for some years Utah had a period of peace. A circumstance
which vindicated the wisdom of Elder Taylor's counsel to "Be quiet."



CHAPTER XXXVI.

INTEREST IN EDUCATIONAL AFFAIRS--CHOSEN SUPERINTENDENT OF COMMON
SCHOOLS--COMMENDED BY AUTHORITIES AT WASHINGTON--DEATH OF PRESIDENT
YOUNG--THE NEW LEADER--STANDING OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES--ELDER TAYLOR'S
PLACE IN THE QUORUM--THE HAND OF THE LORD.

The interest which Elder Taylor had taken for some years in the
educational affairs of Utah, resulted in his election, in 1877, to the
office of Territorial Superintendent of district schools. His labor
in that department of the public service, however, was considerably
interfered with, at least as to details, by his being called to operate
in a higher and more important sphere. Still school interests were, by
no means, neglected. He called to his assistance the most competent
educators in the Territory, and under his direction the work they
accomplished, was perfectly satisfactory.

In his bi-annual reports to the Territorial Legislature, in addition
to giving the usual general and statistical information from his own
Territory, he incorporated a brief summary of important educational
statistics for all the states and territories, which led Charles
Warren, Esq., acting commissioner of education at Washington, to write
him a letter of commendation, in which the following occurs:

"The example thus set is a good one, and only by this means, while
Congress limits the circulation of our reports, can the statistics,
laboriously collected at this central office, reach the vast body of
minor school officers and teachers, for whose benefit they should be
spread abroad. It is to be hoped that other superintendents will follow
the pattern thus presented, and thus enable all school officers and
teachers in their several states or territories, to compare their own
statistics with those of others elsewhere."

The circumstances which called Elder Taylor to a higher sphere of
labor than that of superintendent of district schools, was the death
of President Brigham Young. He died on the afternoon of the 25th of
August, 1877. It was a sorrowful event. For thirty-three years Brigham
Young had stood as the earthly head of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, its President, and the Lord's prophet, seer
and revelator to it. Under God's direction he delivered the Saints
from the oppression of mob rule and violence at Nauvoo, and led them
in an unparalleled exodus from civilization through wilderness and
desert to the valleys of Utah. He located their settlements, taught
them how to build forts for their protection from the savages; how to
subdue the desert and make it fruitful; how to become self-sustaining,
independent: and by these labors, he laid the foundation of a great
commonwealth. He had not only been President of the people, he was,
as well, their counselor, friend and brother. He had never betrayed
their interests, they could and did trust him implicitly. In times of
trial and sorrow they turned to him for comfort; in times of danger
they looked to him to direct their action; in times of perplexity they
went to him for the word of the Lord; and Brigham Young, full of a
heaven-inspired wisdom, never failed them in any of these things. It is
not to be wondered at, therefore, that the Saints had come to look upon
him as well nigh indispensable to the work of the Lord, or that a cloud
of sorrow settled upon all Israel at his death.

But the work the Lord has established in these last days is independent
of any man, be he ever so wise, or influential. This has been so
frequently demonstrated that it is now accepted as a truism by the
faithful. The work, called by the world "Mormonism," is God's work.
He is its founder and its Grand Head. Earthly leaders,--Joseph Smith,
Brigham Young and others, operate under His directions. They are but
instruments in His hands; and as one passes away, He raises up another
competent to carry out His purposes. Brigham Young was dead, but the
Church of Christ still lived; and its Great Head, the Lord Jesus
Christ, though in heaven,--far above the power of death, of mobs or
any earthly accident,--was watching over its interests and guiding
its destiny. Surely He is able to raise up another earthly leader for
Israel! Indeed the man is already at hand. The Saints while weeping
for the departure of their late President, recognize him through the
mists of their tears. It is the man who in a voice full of power and
inspiration that thrills every soul in the vast congregation assembled
to pay the last tribute of respect to the remains of Brigham Young--it
is the man who is saying:

"We are not alone! God is with us, and He will continue with us from
this time henceforth and forever. And while we mourn a good and great
man dead, I see thousands of staunch and faithful ones around me, and
before me, who are for Israel, for God and His kingdom; men who are
desirous to see His will done on earth, as angels do it in heaven."

We are not alone! God is with us! Israel did not doubt it. How could
they? He who proclaimed it knew whereof he spake; and the Spirit of God
which penetrated the hearts of the Saints as he uttered those words,
bore witness that they were true. It was John Taylor who thus spoke.

At the death of President Young, Elder John Taylor was President of
the quorum of Twelve Apostles. It is a principle well established now
by precedent, that at the death of the President of the Church, the
authority of presidency devolves upon the next quorum--the Twelve
Apostles: and as Elder Taylor was the President of the Twelve, he
became the mouth-piece of the Lord to the people, by virtue of that
position so long as that quorum presided over the Church. Not alone
by precedent, however, did the Twelve succeed to the presidency of
the Church with Elder Taylor at their head, the arrangement was also
sanctioned by the spirit of inspiration.

On the 4th of September, 1877, the two counselors of the late President
Young and ten of the Twelve Apostles--Orson Pratt and Joseph F.
Smith, the other two members, were absent in England--held a meeting
and waited upon the Lord. With humble, contrite and saddened hearts
they earnestly sought to learn His will concerning themselves and the
Church. The Lord blessed them with the spirit of union, and revealed to
them what steps should be taken, and the following is what was done:
Elder Taylor was unanimously sustained as the President of the Twelve;
and with the same unanimity it was voted that the Twelve Apostles
should be sustained as the presiding authority in the Church, while
the counselors to the late President Young, John W. Young and Daniel
H. Wells, were sustained as one with, counselors to and associated
in action with the Twelve Apostles. To facilitate the transaction of
business it was also voted that for the time being President Taylor
should be assisted by John W. Young, Daniel H. Wells and George Q.
Cannon, in attending to business connected with the temples, the public
works and other financial affairs of the Church. They were a kind of
executive committee. These preparations were made for pushing forward
the work of the Lord in the earth, without even a halt or jostle.

Here it will be proper to note those circumstances which brought Elder
Taylor to the exalted station he now occupied. The position in which
the members of the Twelve stand in their quorum is determined by
seniority of ordination, not of age. Therefore it is always the senior
member by ordination that of right is the president of the quorum.

For a number of years, however, there were three members of the quorum
living at the death of President Young whose names stood before
President Taylor's: Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff.
Doubtless Wilford Woodruff's name was placed upon the records before
the name of John Taylor through some inadvertence, or perhaps through
the incorrect idea that seniority of age decided the order in which
the members of the quorum stood--Wilford Woodruff was the older man.
John Taylor, however, was ordained before Wilford Woodruff, in fact,
the former assisted at the ordination of the latter, so there could
be no question as to his seniority of ordination. The attention of
President Young and his counselors being called to these facts, it was
decided--the Twelve also concurring--that John Taylor stood before
Wilford Woodruff in the quorum, the names after this were so arranged.

During the troublous times at Far West, Missouri, Orson Hyde became
involved in some difficulty, in connection with Thomas B. Marsh, which
resulted in his excommunication, so that he lost his place in the
quorum.

Orson Pratt was also involved in some difficulty in Nauvoo which led to
his being dropped from his quorum, and Amasa Lyman was ordained to fill
the vacancy.

Both Brother Hyde and Brother Pratt afterwards repented, were forgiven
and received back into the quorum by ordination; and without any
particular investigation or arrangement they took the positions
formerly occupied by them. But both these brethren had been dropped
from the quorum, and when they were received back by ordination, it is
evident that all those who had remained in the quorum out-ranked them
by seniority of ordination.

It was this consideration, doubtless, which led President Young,
several years before his death, to have the name of John Taylor placed
at the head of the quorum. Thus he stood in the same position that
President Young did at the death of the Prophet Joseph; and like him
was upheld "the President of the quorum of the Twelve, as one of the
Twelve, and First Presidency of the Church."

But aside from his succeeding to this position by virtue of his
standing in his quorum, his long experience in the Church, the love the
Saints had for him, their confidence in his fidelity, together with
his great abilities as a leader among men, pre-eminently qualified
him for the position he was called upon to fill. And in those changes
made under the direction of President Young, by which Elder Taylor
was assigned his proper place in the quorum of the Apostles, may we
not discern the inspiration of God preparing the way for the man whom
the Lord designed to succeed to the leadership of His people, when
President Brigham Young should be called home?



CHAPTER XXXVII.

CHARACTER OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR'S ADMINISTRATION--THE GARDO HOUSE VOTED
AS HIS RESIDENCE--THE GREAT JUBILEE CONFERENCE--A GREAT TESTIMONY
MEETING.

Great energy characterized President Taylor's administration of
affairs in the Church, both in Zion and abroad. He pushed forward
with increased zeal the work on the temples, of which three were in
course of erection, at the time of his taking control of affairs. He
required bishops to hold weekly priesthood meetings in their wards;
presidents of stakes to hold general priesthood meetings monthly in
their respective stakes; and appointed quarterly conferences in all the
stakes of Zion, publishing the dates of holding them for half a year in
advance, a custom which has continued until the present.

He personally attended as many of these quarterly conferences as he
could, without neglecting the executive branch of his calling, which
necessarily occupied much of his time, and kept him at or within easy
reach of Salt Lake City. But where he could not go himself, he sent
members of his quorum, so that the Saints received much teaching and
instruction from the Apostles, more perhaps than at any previous
time in the history of the Church. The result was a great spiritual
awakening among the Saints.

The work abroad received increased impetus by a greater number of
elders being sent to the world. A missionary himself nearly all his
life, it was but natural for President Taylor to be interested in the
work of preaching the gospel abroad.

Pioneer Day--the 24th of July--1880, was celebrated with unusual
grandeur in Salt Lake City. One feature of the splendid procession
which marched through the gaily decorated streets of the city was
three cars filled with representatives of the various countries where
the gospel, as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith, had been
received. A man and a woman, dressed in native costume, represented
each country; the women bearing shields with the national colors
and the name of the nation represented. In the tabernacle, these
nationalities were arranged on a platform in front of the pulpits;
and after Apostle Orson Pratt, the Church historian, finished reading
a brief account of the introduction of the gospel to the various
countries of the earth, the nationalities, twenty-five in number, [1]
with their shields and banners, stepped forward in line, facing the
congregation. President Taylor then rose behind them and said: "The
Lord commanded His servants to go forth to all the world to preach the
gospel to every creature. We have not yet been to _all_ the world, but
here are twenty-five nations represented today, and thus far we have
fulfilled our mission; and it is for us to continue our labors until
all the world shall hear us, that all who are desirous may obey, and we
fulfill the mission given us."

That mission, during the presidency of John Taylor, was faithfully
pushed forward among all the nations who would receive it.

At the April conference of 1879, President Taylor was voted the use of
the Gardo House as a family residence. The Gardo, located on the corner
of South Temple and First East streets, at that time was doubtless
the largest and finest residence in Salt Lake City. I call attention
to this fact, not because of any petty pride the subject of this
writing had in mansions, splendid furnishings, soft carpets, statuary,
paintings,--the gewgaws that flatter and engross small minds--but to
call attention to a prophecy made by Elder Heber C. Kimball, who, when
President Taylor's circumstances were the poorest, boldly prophesied
that he would yet live in the largest and best house in Salt Lake
City--a prediction that was fulfilled when President Taylor took
possession of the Gardo House as his family residence.

It was with considerable reluctance that he accepted the proposition of
his brethren. His habits of life were simple; free from ostentation, as
were also those of his family; and had he followed the bent of his own
inclination he would have remained in his own humbler home. Not until
the change was repeatedly urged upon him did he consent to it. The
spirit in which he accepted the house as a residence may be best judged
from his own words at the conference which voted its use to him:

"I will state that I feel very much obliged to my brethren for the
generous feeling manifested to myself. Permit me, however, to say
with regard to some of these ideas presented to the conference by
Brother George Q. Cannon, and which, as he he has said, he has
frequently presented to me and others of the Twelve, that while I duly
appreciate the feelings and views of my brethren, and am not ignorant
of the proprieties of life, individually I would not wish to change
my position. Personally I care nothing about the outside show, the
glitter and the appearance of men; but I do care about the great and
eternal principles associated with the Church and kingdom of God upon
the earth. And as stated it was some time before I could make up my
mind to accept a proposition of this kind, and I accept it now simply
in the capacity of your servant for Christ's sake, for the benefit of
the kingdom of God, and that all things may be conducted in a proper
manner."

The general conferences of the Church--those mammoth semi-annual
gatherings of the Saints of God, where representatives from all the
Stakes of Zion assemble to hear instruction, council, reproof and
the word of the Lord--under President Taylor's administration were
spirited, valuable and soul-stirring. The one held in April, 1880,
known as the Jubilee Conference, was especially so. The Church had just
completed the fiftieth year of its existence. Half a century before
it had been organized in a log room, possibly fourteen feet square,
with six members. During that time a knowledge of the work had spread
throughout the civilized world, and among some of the tribes of the
heathen.

The Church had survived the ridicule of the worldly-wise, the clamor
of bigots, the intrigues of demagogues, the violence of mobs, its
banishment from civilization. Neither fire nor sword, nor intrigue,
nor ridicule, nor banishment, nor its journey through the wilderness,
nor any other thing had prevailed against the Church of Christ. It was
fitting, then, at the close of the first half century of its existence
that the Saints should rejoice mightily before the Lord.

To ancient Israel every fiftieth year was a jubilee. In it the
inheritance which had been sold in the days of misfortune or poverty
was restored to the original possessor, and his family returned to
the old homestead. The poor debtor was released; the man who had sold
himself to his brother, to be his hired servant, was set free, together
with all that was his, his wives and his children and they returned to
their inheritance.

"Ye shall hallow the fiftieth year," was the word of the Lord to
them, "and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the
inhabitants thereof." President Taylor resolved that something of this
spirit should enter into the teachings and proceedings of the Jubilee
Conference. "It occurred to me," said he to the Saints assembled on
that occasion, "that we ought to do something, as they did in former
times, to relieve those that are oppressed with debt, to assist those
that are needy, to break off the yoke of those that may feel themselves
crowded upon, and to make it a time of general rejoicing."

Many of the Saints had been gathered from the Eastern States and the
countries of the old world through means furnished by the Perpetual
Emigration Fund Company. A company organized for the gathering of the
poor. The manner in which the poor were assisted to emigrate by this
company was as follows:

The company forwarded the means necessary for their emigration and took
their notes at the legal rate of interest. When the notes were paid,
the money was thrown back into the fund to be used again in assisting
others. But many of those thus assisted were old and decrepit; and
after their arrival in Utah, poverty refused to release his clutch upon
them, and they found it difficult and in some instances impossible
to meet their obligations. Then others, the fund company not being
importunate in its demands upon them, became careless and neglected to
take up their notes. Others lost the faith, and with it, in most cases,
all sense of honor, and ignored their obligations. Through these causes
a large indebtedness to the fund had accumulated by the year 1880.
The principal of the indebtedness amounted to $704,000. The interest,
extending along for many years, at 10 per cent. per annum, amounted to
$900,000, making in all $1,604,000.

President Taylor proposed that one-half of this amount of the people's
indebtedness to the Fund, $802,000, be released; that is, that the
worthy poor throughout Zion who were unable to meet their engagements
with the Fund be forgiven their indebtedness, not half of it, but
the whole. The amount released was to be applied to their benefit in
this way. The debtors able to pay were to be held accountable for
the amounts they owed. "In former times," said President Taylor, in
explaining this matter, "they did not release the rich, it was the
poor. The rich can always take care of themselves--that is, so far as
this world is concerned."

Then there was a tithing indebtedness on the books of the bishop of
the Church against the Saints, amounting to $151,798. President Taylor
proposed that one half of that, $75,899, be released to the poor on the
same principle that one-half of the Fund indebtedness was released.
Both of these propositions were carried by the unanimous vote of the
conference.

The year 1879 was a very trying one in Utah. The drouth was excessive,
and crops consequently light. The winter was one of the severest ever
experienced, and thousands of cattle and sheep perished. Some people
had lost their last cow, and others all the sheep they had. "Now," said
President Taylor, "we propose to raise 1000 head of cows--not old cows
which do not give any milk, nor any one teated cows, but good milk
cows--and have them distributed among those that may be destitute in
the different stakes, under the direction of the authorities thereof."
The Church was to put in 300 head of the 1,000, the other 700 head to
be furnished by the stakes.

He also proposed that 5,000 head of sheep be appropriated to the poor,
to be distributed by the same authorities, 2,000 of which the Church
was to furnish, and the stakes the remainder.

For years the servants of the Lord had urged the Saints to store up
grain, but only a few had acted upon their advice. The result was that
many were without grain even for seed. The Female Relief Society,
however, had been wiser than individuals, and had stored up wheat in
nearly all the settlements of the Saints. President Taylor now saw an
opportunity to use it, and give a practical illustration of the wisdom
that had counseled storing up grain. "Inasmuch as the brethren," he
remarked, "had been careless and slow to heed the counsel of President
Young in relation to storing away wheat, he [President Young] requested
the sisters to do it, and some of us 'lords of creation' thought it
a very little thing for our sisters to be engaged in. But we find
now they are of some use, and that the 'ladies of creation' can do
something as well as we 'lords.' * * They have 34,761 bushels of wheat?
Who of you men can raise that much? Where's your wheat?" (Laughter.)

"Now," he continued, "those 34,761 bushels of wheat will be of
considerable importance judiciously managed, and loaned out to some of
our poor brethren. It will furnish seed wheat and after harvest they
can return it again. We do not want any more harsh talk about the woman
question after this."

A voice. "May they [the sisters] vote now?"

President Taylor. "Oh, yes, they may vote now if they choose to,
everybody is willing they should vote now. [Laughter.] That is, they
are willing the sisters shall vote on the wheat question. [Renewed
laughter.] We may as well call a vote on this question now. All you
sisters who are in favor of carrying out this request, hold up your
right hand. [A forest of hands went up.] There they go, you see!
[Laughter.] I think that is the most hearty vote yet. I knew they would
do it."

A voice. "Is it to be loaned without interest?"

President Taylor. "Somebody asks if it is to be loaned without
interest. Why, of course it is; we do not want any nonsense of that
kind." Then raising his splendid voice to its grandest notes, so that
it sent a thrill through the entire audience, he exclaimed, "IT IS THE
TIME OF JUBILEE!"

Having finished with these public matters, President Taylor reminded
the brethren that it was just as praiseworthy for private people to
forgive one another their debts as it was for corporations to do it.

"If you find people owing you who are distressed, if you will go
to work and try to relieve them as much as you can, under the
circumstances, God will relieve you when you get into difficulties. I
will tell you that in the name of the Lord."

Then in a circular issued to the officers of the Church a few days
after the close of the conference, he added: "The rich * * * have a
fitting opportunity for remembering the Lord's poor. If you are holding
their notes and they are unable to pay, forgive the interest and the
principal, or as much thereof as you might desire them to forgive
were their and your circumstances reversed, thus doing unto others
as you would that others should do unto you. For upon this hang the
law and the prophets. If you have mortgages upon the homes of your
brethren and sisters who are poor, worthy and honest, and who desire
to pay you but cannot, free them in whole or in part. Extend to them
a jubilee, if you can consistently. You will have their faith and
prayers and confidence, which may be worth more than money. We invite
Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution as the parent, all other
co-operative institutions as the children, and our brethren who are
engaged in profitable railroad, banking, mercantile, manufacturing or
other remunerative enterprises, to extend a helping hand. Free the
worthy, debt-bound brother if you can. Let there be no rich among us
from whose tables fall only crumbs to feed a wounded Lazarus. * * The
Church of Christ has set us a worthy example, let us follow it, so that
God may forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors."

I have given a detailed account of these philanthropic transactions
connected with the Jubilee Conference, hoping that the transactions
themselves may not prove uninteresting, but more especially because
they throw out in bold relief the noble generosity of President
Taylor's character.

Apart from these acts of generosity, looking to the relief and blessing
of the poor, the Jubilee Conference was noted for the out-pouring of
spiritual power upon the Apostles and other Elders in their teachings,
admonitions and testimonies. The regular conference was preceded by a
two days' meeting in the Salt Lake Assembly Hall, and the last meeting
of the conference was made memorable by ten of the Apostles bearing
testimony to the truth of the great work of the last days, President
Taylor closing that grand testimony meeting with these words:

"I testify as my brethren have done, that this is the work of God
that has been revealed by the Almighty, and I know it. God will
sustain Israel; no power can injure us if we will do what is right.
This kingdom will roll on, the purposes of God will progress, Zion
will arise and shine, and the glory of God will rest upon her. We
will continue to grow and increase, until the kingdoms of this world
shall become the kingdoms of our God and His Christ, and He will reign
forever and forever."

Footnotes

1. The nations and peoples represented were: United States,
American Indians, Canada, Hawaii, Holland, Germany, France, Spain,
Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland,
Schleswig-Holstein, Russia, Ancient Britain, England, Ireland,
Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man, British India and Australasia. In the
procession they carried a banner on which was emblazoned the text: "I
will gather you from all nations."



CHAPTER XXXVIII.

THE QUORUM OF APOSTLES NOT THE PERMANENT PRESIDING QUORUM OF THE
CHURCH--FIRST PRESIDENCY CHOSEN--A GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF QUORUMS--THE
VOTING--VOX DEI ET VOX POPULI--DIGNITY OF PRESIDENCY--CHARACTER OF
GOVERNMENT--ONE OF THE NOBLE ONES.

While it is a well established rule that the quorum of Twelve Apostles
become the presiding quorum at the death or removal of the President of
the Church, it is not in accordance with the order of the Priesthood
that the Twelve should become the permanent presidency of the Church.
The Lord has said [1] that three Presiding High Priests, chosen by
the body, appointed and ordained to that office, and upheld by the
confidence, faith and prayer of the Church, form a quorum of the
presidency of the Church. Therefore it must follow that the presidency
of the Twelve Apostles over the Church can only be temporary. But as
they stand next, and form a quorum equal in authority to the First
Presidency, they have the power and of right preside when for any cause
the First Presidency becomes disorganized.

For more than three years the quorum of Twelve Apostles had presided
over the Church, from the death of President Young in August, 1877,
to October, 1880. The Lord then inspired His servants to organize
the First Presidency. For President there was but one choice--John
Taylor. The spirit of revelation indicated that he was the man; and
he received the unanimous vote of his fellow Apostles for that high
office. He named George Q. Cannon as his first counselor, and Joseph F.
Smith, the son of Hyrum Smith, for his second. These brethren were also
unanimously sustained by their fellow Apostles. But it is not enough
that they be sustained by that quorum alone. All the other quorums of
the Priesthood have a voice in these important transactions, as also
have all the members of the Church.

It was presenting this action of the Apostles for the approval of
the various quorums of the Priesthood and the members of the Church,
which constituted the leading feature of the Semi-Annual Conference of
October, 1880.

Nothing can be more solemn and impressive than the voting of the
quorums of the Priesthood, when they meet to act as a general assembly
of quorums. The _States-General_ of France, assembled in the _Salle
des Menus_ just before the French Revolution, in all the glory of
raised platforms for Throne, Court and Blood-royal; with space for six
hundred Commons Deputies in front; with three hundred clergy on the
right of the throne and as many _noblesse_ on the left; with lofty
galleries filled with two thousand spectators, dames of honor, foreign
deplomacies, "and other gilt-edge and white-frilled individuals,"
though constituting the most remarkable assembly the world ever saw,
is not equal in imposing grandeur to the assembly and action of the
quorums of the Priesthood.

On the present occasion the Apostles occupied the stand set apart for
their use in the great Tabernacle, the second one in the tier of three.
The space south of the stand was occupied by the Patriarchs, Presidents
of Stakes and their Counselors, and the High Councils of the various
Stakes. North of the stands the Bishops and their Counselors were
seated, with Presiding Bishop Hunter and his Counselors in front. The
High Priests occupied the north center of the body of the great hall,
with their Presidents in front. The Seventies were seated in the south
half of the body of the hall, with the First Seven Presidents in front.
The space immediately back of the High Priests was reserved for the
Elders, while the north side of the house, under the gallery was set
apart for the quorums of the Lesser Priesthood, the Priests, Teachers
and Deacons. The gallery, capable of seating three thousand people, was
reserved for the use of the members of the Church.

Apostle Orson Pratt, with hair and full beard, made gloriously white
by the frosts of sixty-nine winters, presented the several motions
to be acted upon. The manner of voting was for the proposition to be
presented to each quorum severally, except in the case of the Priests,
Teachers and Deacons, who voted all together as the Lesser Priesthood;
the members of each quorum rose to their feet as the question was
presented and raised the right hand in token of assent, or, if any were
opposed to the proposition, they could make it manifest in the same way
after the affirmative vote had been taken.

The order in which the quorums voted was as follows:

First, the Twelve Apostles;

Second, the Patriarchs, Presidents of Stakes, their Counselors, and the
High Councils;

Third, the High Priests;

Fourth, the Seventies;

Fifth, the Elders;

Sixth, the Bishops and their Counselors;

Seventh, the Lesser Priesthood.

After this the Presidents of the quorums voted on the question and it
was then put to the entire assembly which arose _en masse_ and voted in
the same manner.

It was a remarkable scene. There was not a dissenting vote in all
that vast assembly; and there were probably thirteen thousand people
crowded into the great Tabernacle. Perfect unanimity prevailed; and
as the several quorums registered their votes and the entire assembly
arose and with uplifted hands sanctioned what they had done, the
scene was indescribably grand and impressive, carrying with it a
power and influence that can only come from a righteous people giving
their unrestrained assent to that which God has appointed. It was an
influence born of a union of _vox dei et vox populi_. It was a Spirit
identical with that which in a larger degree pervades the councils of
the Gods.

John Taylor was now invested with the highest office and honors which
God gives to man on the earth. He was placed on a par with Melchisedek,
Moses, Peter, Joseph and Brigham: for by the action of this conference
he was made President of the High Priesthood, whose duty it is to
preside over the whole Church, to be like Moses, a seer, a revelator,
a translator, a prophet, having all the gifts of God which He bestows
upon the head of the Church. [2]

The Lord in describing the power and authority of the Higher or
Melchisedek Priesthood, says: It holds the keys of all the spiritual
blessings of the Church. It has the privilege of receiving the
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; of having the heavens opened to it;
the right to commune with the general assembly and church of the first
born; and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and
Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant. [3]

These are the privileges of the High Priesthood, and John Taylor was
called to preside over it, with a right to all the gifts and powers
associated therewith. What higher authority can man possess? What honor
greater can be given him? True, in the ceremonies which invested him
with these high dignities, there was no long drawn out pomp, no tapers,
processions, chantings, or clouds of incense; no vestures red or
white, gold-laced or furred; no sceptre or tiara; no peal of bells, no
cannon's roar, no formal, solemn _Te deum_! Yet what office created by
man--pontifical, princely, kingly--how graced so ever with the formal
pomp and show in the bestowal of it, can equal that conferred on John
Taylor, by the voice of God and the common consent of his brethren?

There is no man-created office but what is insignificant in comparison
with it. Monarchs with powers usurped, the fruits of conquest, or
inherited from a long line of princely ancestors, at the best held by
the sufferance of those they rule--monarchs who fret and strut out
their brief hour upon this world's troubled stage, who come, and see,
and conquer and then vanish, are but fools in power compared with
him who attains to the God-created office of President of the High
Priesthood.

The power of earthly potentates is limited to the earth, often to an
insignificant portion of it; and in duration to a few brief years,
then they perish, together with their power and glory; while the power
of him who attains to the office of President of the High Priesthood,
enters within the vail and has effect both in time and in eternity. He
binds on earth and it is bound in heaven; he looses on earth and it is
loosed in heaven. [4] He hath become a prince to that government to the
increase and dominion of which there is no end, and whose sceptre is an
unchanging sceptre of righteousness.

The princes of this world win and sustain their dominion by the sword;
he by the preaching of peace on earth, good will to man; they trust to
force--to armies and navies--for the perpetuation of their power; he
to love unfeigned, persuasion, long suffering, gentleness, meekness,
kindness and pure knowledge--reproving with sharpness at times, it is
true, but afterwards showing forth a double portion of love towards
those reproved, lest reproof be taken for enmity. [5] Moreover, the
princes of this world exercise dominion over their subjects, and
they that are great, exercise authority upon them--arbitrary, often
cruel, authority--and, as one of their own poets hath said, "Play such
fantastic tricks before high heaven, as make the angels weep." The Lord
hath decreed that it shall not be so in His government; but he that
would be chief in it, let him be the servant of all, even as the Son of
Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. [6] Jesus spake
truly when he said: "My kingdom is not of this world."

Such was the office, then, to which President Taylor succeeded;
and such the spirit in which its powers are to be exercised. Both
his native disposition and experience qualified him for the place.
From his earliest youth arrayed on the side of liberty as against
arbitrary authority, so pronounced in sentiment in that controversy, so
fearless in maintaining it, that he won the proud title of "Champion
of Liberty"--it was natural for him in his administration to pay due
regard to the principle of common consent, by which all things are to
be done in the Church.

With him as President there could be no arbitrary government among the
Saints. Teach men correct principles and let them govern themselves,
was a doctrine he learned in his early manhood from the Prophet
Joseph. He made it a leading principle in his career. He adopted it
in his family government, in his presidency of churches, conferences
and missions in the eastern states and in foreign lands. It was a
prominent characteristic of his administration while President of
the Twelve Apostles; it continued to be his motto during his more
direct Presidency of the Church. Yet while he respected the principle
of common consent, he blended with that respect a native dignity of
character and bearing which prevented in his administration that
severely democratic principle of government descending into factious
opposition: and on occasion could make those with whom he came in
contact feel that _vox Dei_ as he felt it within his own inspired soul
had a right to be heard in the administration of Church affairs, as
well as _vox populi_.

President Taylor's accession to the Presidency of the Church reveals
another thing in connection with his history which must not be
overlooked. It raises the corner of the veil which separates the
natural and spiritual worlds, and permits us to form an idea of
his career and character in his first estate, when as a spirit he
associated with the Gods in the eternal worlds. It is recorded of
Abraham that the Lord showed unto him the intelligences that were
organized before the world was; "and among all these there were many
of the noble and great ones; and God saw these souls that they were
good and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make
my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that
they were good; and he said, * * * Abraham, thou art one of them, thou
wast chosen before thou wast born." [7]

So with John Taylor. The high place as one of God's rulers which he had
now attained proclaimed that he, too, was one of the "noble and great
ones;" and like Jesus, [8] Abraham, Jeremiah, [9] and other prophets,
he was chosen before he was born.

Footnotes

1. Doc. and Cov. Sec. 107:22.

2. Doc. and Cov. Sec. 107: 91, 92.

3. Ibid, 18, 19.

4. Matt. xvi.

5. Doc. and Cov. Sec. 121.

6. Matt. xx.

7. Book of Abraham.

8. Heb. i: 1, 2.

9. Jeremiah i: 5.



CHAPTER XXXIX.

LABORS AS PRESIDENT--SAMPLE TOURS--CHARACTER OF SERMONS--LESS OF THE
POET BUT MORE OF THE PHILOSOPHER--A REVELATION.

Although President Taylor, at the time he became President of the
Church, was two years past the three score years and ten allotted
by the Psalmist as the life of man, he was not bowed down by their
weight. His form was erect and his step elastic; and he entered upon
the performance of his high duties with a zeal and vigor only to be
expected of a younger man. He visited the Stakes of Zion in Utah
and the surrounding territories, setting them in order, teaching,
counseling and encouraging the Saints with all the energy and kindness
of his great soul.

As a sample of his travels and labors among the people I give the
following summary of two of his trips during the year 1881: In the
latter part of July, in company with several of the Apostles and other
brethren, he started on a tour to visit some of the northern Stakes
and settlements. He was absent from Salt Lake City seventeen days,
during which time he visited five Stakes of Zion, viz., Cache, Rich,
Summit, Wasatch and Utah, traveling much of the distance in carriages.
Twenty-three meetings were held by the party. President Taylor attended
all but three, and spoke at the most of them.

In the latter part of November of the same year, he visited the
southern Stakes and settlements, accompanied by his Counselor Joseph
F. Smith and several of the Twelve Apostles. This tour occupied five
weeks and four days. The party held sixty-eight meetings; besides
many council meetings where advice and instructions to Presidents of
Stakes, Bishops and other officers of the Church were freely given.
Thus he labored incessantly among the people from his accession to the
Presidency until he was driven into retirement by the judicial crusade
waged against the Saints some years later.

The subject matter in the discourses of President Taylor in these years
dealt very largely with the duties of the Saints in all the relations
of life; as husbands and wives, parents and children, neighbors and
citizens; unity, honor, integrity, honesty, purity in thought and act
were his themes--in one word he preached righteousness as essential to
the favor of God, and with the favor of God he assured the Saints they
need not fear what man or nations could do. "God will be on the side of
Israel, if Israel will be on the side of right," was his oft-repeated,
confident assertion.

He was particularly careful to set in order the quorums of the
priesthood, and charged them to walk in holiness before the Lord. Who
does not remember with what earnestness and power in conferences and
other public meetings, he was wont to admonish Presidents of Stakes and
bishops of wards to set in order the priesthood and institutions under
their supervision? And how he urged them to labor with all diligence,
long-suffering and kindness for the reformation of the wayward! But if
they would not reform, how he then strictly charged the authorities
having jurisdiction in the case to sever them from the Church, that
God, angels and the world might know that Israel had no fellowship with
drunkards, debauchees, thieves, liars or the dishonest.

Alluding to the Priesthood and its organization he would say: "These
things are given to us for what? To gratify our ambition? to enable
us to ride over and trample under foot our fellow-creatures? to place
power and authority upon us? No; not for any man's emolument or
aggrandizement. Although there is nothing more honorable, nothing more
dignified, nothing to which a man ought so much to aspire to as to be a
servant of the living God, and to be commissioned by Him to do His work
upon the earth. And what for? To spread correct principles among men;
to combat priestcraft, statecraft, oppression, fraud and iniquity of
all kinds; and to introduce among men those pure and holy principles by
which the Gods are governed in the eternal worlds."

In addition to these things he taught implicit trust in God, showed the
Saints their dependence upon Him, and frequently alluded to the source
from whence they derived their knowledge of truth. "Any intelligence
which we may possess," he would say, "and which we may be able to
impart, is not of ourselves, but of God. It did not originate with
Joseph Smith, with Brigham Young, with the Twelve Apostles, nor was
it received from any institution of learning, or of science, either
religious, political or social. Our philosophy is not the philosophy of
the world; but of the earth and the heavens, of time and eternity, and
proceeds from God."

How like in spirit is this to that famous reply of the Son of God to
the Jews, who marveled at his doctrine, saying, "How knoweth this man
letters, having never learned?" What humility, what deep reverence for
God there is in the reply of Messiah--"My doctrine is not mine, but His
that sent me!"

If in these discourses preached in the latter years of his ministry
there were fewer of those poetic flights of eloquence so characteristic
of his earlier discourses and writings, there was a deeper solemnity,
a calmer but more intense, earnestness. If there was less of the poet,
there was more of the philosopher. The flower and bloom had fallen,
perhaps, but it was only that the ripening fruit and golden grain might
appear.

Finally, his counsels, his warnings, his doctrines and promises
received the most direct approval by the voice of God Himself,
demonstrating that his teachings had all along been inspired. The
approval above referred to is contained in the following revelation:

REVELATION GIVEN THROUGH PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR

AT SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH TERRITORY,

October 13TH, 1882.

Thus saith the Lord to the Twelve, and to the priesthood and people
of my Church: Let my servants George Teasdale and Heber J. Grant
be appointed to fill the vacancies in the Twelve, that you may be
fully organized and prepared for the labors devolving upon you, for
you have a great work to perform; and then proceed to fill up the
presiding quorum of Seventies, and assist in organizing that body
of my priesthood who are your co-laborers in the ministry. You may
appoint Seymour B. Young to fill up the vacancy in the presiding quorum
of Seventies, if he will conform to my law; for it is not meet that
men who will not abide my law shall preside over my priesthood; and
then proceed forthwith and call to your aid any assistance that you
may require from among the Seventies to assist you in your labors in
introducing and maintaining the gospel among the Lamanites throughout
the land. And then let High Priests be selected, under the direction of
the First Presidency, to preside over the various organizations that
shall exist among this people; that those who receive the gospel may
be taught in the doctrines of my church and in the ordinances and laws
thereof, and also in the things pertaining to my Zion and my kingdom,
saith the Lord, that they may be one with you in my Church and my
kingdom.

Let the Presidency of my Church be one in all things; and let the
Twelve also be one in all things; and let them all be one with me as I
am one with the Father.

And let the High Priests organize themselves, and purify themselves,
and prepare themselves for this labor, and for all other labors that
they may be called upon to fulfill.

And let the Presidents of Stakes also purify themselves, and the
priesthood and people of the Stakes over which they preside, and
organize the priesthood in their various Stakes according to my law,
in all the various departments thereof, in the High Councils, in the
Elders' quorums, and in the Bishops and their councils, and in the
quorums of Priests, Teachers and Deacons, that every quorum may be
fully organized according to the order of my Church; and, then, let
them inquire into the standing and fellowship of all that hold my holy
priesthood in their several Stakes; and if they find those that are
unworthy let them remove them, except they repent; for my priesthood,
whom I have called and whom I have sustained and honored, shall honor
me and obey my laws, and the laws of my holy priesthood, or they shall
not be considered worthy to hold my priesthood, saith the Lord. And let
my priesthood humble themselves before me, and seek not their own will
but my will; for if my priesthood, whom I have chosen, and called, and
endowed with the spirit and gifts of their several callings, and with
the powers thereof, do not acknowledge me I will not acknowledge them,
saith the Lord; for I will be honored and obeyed by my priesthood.

And, then, I call upon my priesthood, and upon all of my people, to
repent of all their sins and short-comings, of their covetousness
and pride and self-will, and of all their iniquities wherein they
sin against me; and to seek with all humility to fulfill my law, as
my priesthood, my saints and my people; and I call upon the heads of
families to put their houses in order according to the law of God, and
attend to the various duties and responsibilities associated therewith,
and to purify themselves before me, and to purge out iniquity from
their households. And I will bless and be with you, saith the Lord,
and ye shall gather together in your holy places wherein ye assemble
to call upon me, and ye shall ask for such things as are right, and I
will hear your prayers, and my Spirit and power shall be with you, and
my blessing shall rest upon you, upon your families, your dwellings and
your households, upon your flocks and herds and fields, your orchards
and vineyards, and upon all that pertains to you; and you shall be my
people and I will be your God; and your enemies shall not have dominion
over you, for I will preserve you and confound them, saith the Lord,
and they shall not have power nor dominion over you; for my word shall
go forth, and my work shall be accomplished, and my Zion shall be
established, and my rule and my power and my dominion shall prevail
among my people, and all nations shall yet acknowledge me. Even so,
Amen.



CHAPTER XL.

PUBLIC RECEPTION AT THE GARDO HOUSE--PROMISE OF PEACE--PEACE
DISTURBED--NEW AGITATION--AN OLD OPPONENT WITH BAD TASTE--THE FALSE
INDICTMENT--INVESTIGATION ASKED--DENIED--INDECENT HASTE--PASSAGE OF THE
EDMUNDS' BILL--THE SACRIFICE OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR.

In the latter part of December, 1881, the committee appointed to
furnish and arrange the affairs of the Gardo House as the family
residence of President Taylor, announced that it was ready; and if
agreeable to him, suggested that he immediately move into it. They also
intimated that they would be pleased to announce to his friends when
they could call upon him. He acted upon their suggestion and appointed
the 2nd of January as the day that a public reception would be given,
between the hours of 11 a. m. and 3 p. m.

At eleven o'clock that day Croxall's Band entered the enclosure and
serenaded the President in his new home, after which the doors were
thrown open and the stream of callers began filing into the house.
President Taylor, surrounded by his family, his counselors and a
few personal friends, received them cordially, and exchanged kindly
greetings. During the hours of reception Professor C. J. Thomas'
orchestral Band serenaded him. The Tabernacle choir came also, and
sang several pieces, among which was the grand anthem "And it shall
come to pass in the last days," etc., concluding with "Auld Lang
Syne." Two large tables in the dining hall were kept replenished with
refreshments, of which nearly all who called partook. It was estimated
that more than two thousand friends called upon the President that day.
All were pleased to greet him, and were full of kindness and the best
wishes for the man of God.

It was a grand day in the life of President Taylor. His youth and
manhood had been spent in the service of God. He had never manifested
a disposition to desert the ministry, no matter how strained his
own circumstances might be. He was never called to do service in
the cause of God, but that he answered, "ready!" and now that the
frosts of seventy-four winters had made silvery white his hair, he
was comfortably established in a magnificent home, surrounded by his
family, his friends and brethren and honored by all Israel. No man had
fairer prospects for enjoying the one boon ever coveted by age--the
privilege--

  "To husband out life's taper at the close,
  And keep the flame from wasting by repose."

The fair prospect of ease and comfort, however, was soon to be marred
by the ruthless machinations of unreasoning hate.

During the year 1881, a bitter agitation of the Mormon question, was
inaugurated in Utah and spread throughout the United States. It was the
work of sectarian religious bigots and political adventurers.

The efforts of sectarian ministers who have come to Utah as
missionaries to convert the Mormons to their creeds, have always
ended in dismal failure. Even those Saints who through neglect of
religious duty, or for other causes have become indifferent as to their
connection with the Church, could not be persuaded to feed upon the
dry husks of the dead theology preached by sectarian ministers. While
those who were feeding to the full in the rich pastures of the gospel
of Christ, would not so much as look in the direction of the barren
moors to which these missionaries invited them. The result was rage
and disappointment in the vexed souls of these ministers; and they
concluded that Mormonism was a thing not to be reasoned with, but to be
stamped out by force. [1]

Hunger for the spoils and emoluments of office, explains the motives
of the political adventurers who joined in this agitation. In all the
recommendations made to Congress by priests and demagogues, it may be
seen that the one object to be attained is the complete control of the
Territory by them.

Measures ostensibly for the suppression of plural marriage were
introduced into Congress; and a call was made upon the churches
throughout the country to hold mass meetings and adopt resolutions
urging Congress to enact the Edmunds' Bill. These mass meetings were
held early in 1882.

The one at Chicago was held at Farwell Hall, and among those
present was ex-Vice-President Colfax, the former opponent, it will
be remembered, of President Taylor in a discussion of the "Mormon
question." His presence at that meeting was a tacit, but none the less
emphatic acknowledgment, that he had failed to effect anything by his
argument. He had the best of reasons for knowing that argument could
not destroy Mormonism; he had tried it, and failed. Hence we see him
associated with those who had determined that it must be "stamped out."
He was at Farwell Hall that night to give the weight of his character
to a meeting, the purpose of which was to urge Congress to enact
proscriptive laws, to crush a people against whom he had hurled the
thunderbolt of his logic in vain. It was bad taste, to say the least,
for him to be present at that meeting. A decent respect for himself and
the opinion of mankind, would have suggested that he leave such work to
be done by other hands.

Meetings of this character were held in nearly all the large cities
in the Union. They were much alike in spirit. Hatred for the Mormon
people characterized them all. Bishop Fallows, at the meeting in
Chicago, declared that if the measures then pending in Congress were
not sufficient to heal the "political cancer," there were three hundred
thousand swords ready to cut it out.

I leave it to the reader to judge how much sweet Christian charity
there was in a meeting where such a remark was applauded.

As a sample of the charges made against the Saints and the Church in
this agitation, I take those presented at the meeting held in St. Louis.

It was alleged that the Mormon Church interfered in political affairs;
and that a recent vote for Delegate to Congress in Idaho had been
carried by a brief order from George Q. Cannon, directing the Mormons
to vote for a certain man:

That its numbers are daily recruited by cunning appeals to the
ignorance and base passions of men;

That the number of polygamous felons in Utah is strongly increased by
the importation from abroad of thousands who are ignorantly seduced or
licentiously attracted to this shameful institution;

That a large proportion of the whole number of polygamists are
unnaturalized foreigners who own no allegiance to the United States or
its laws;

That it openly derides the authority of the national government,
preaches treason publicly, and makes polygamous rebellion a religious
duty;

That it degrades women, blotting out of their speech the very notion of
home and all the sacred associations which it calls up, making a parody
of religion;

And, lastly, that it foolishly assumes to be defiant to and stronger
than the government.

As in these meetings it was assumed that these false statements
were true, it was not difficult to work up a spirit of indignation
throughout the country and to flood Congress with resolutions and
petitions to pass the Edmunds Bill.

Meantime the Saints in Utah were not inactive. They did not permit this
storm-cloud to gather without remonstrance. In February the Territorial
legislature passed resolutions denying the charges made against the
great majority of their constituents, and praying Congress to appoint a
commission of honorable men to investigate the condition of affairs in
Utah.

In addition to this, meetings in all parts of the Territory were held
and remonstrances drawn up against the enactment of the measures
pending before the national legislature. Memorials were formulated
by the men, women and the youth of both sexes respectively. In all
these memorials the false charges and base misrepresentations of their
detractors were emphatically denied. In the memorial signed by the men,
referring to plural marriage, it was said:

"Whatever of polygamy exists among the Mormons, rests solely upon their
religious convictions. It is unsupported by any Territorial legislative
enactments, and its practice already exposes them to the penalties
of Congressional law. And it is better to leave it to the legitimate
operations of that law, and the moral influences at work, than to
attempt to extirpate it by radically oppressive or revolutionary
measures."

On the same subject the women said: "And moreover, we your petitioners
hereby testify that we are happy in our homes, and satisfied with our
marriage relations and desire no change. * * * And we most solemnly
aver before God and man that our marital relations are most sacred,
that they are divine, enjoining obligations and ties that pertain to
time and reach into eternity. Were it not for the sacred and religious
character of plural marriage, we should never have entered upon the
practice of a principle which is contrary to our early teachings, and
in consequence of which our names are cast out as evil by the Christian
world."

The following paragraph occurred in the memorial of the young men: "We
deny that the religious institution of plural marriage, as practiced
by our parents, and to which many of us owe our existence, debases,
pollutes, or in any way degrades those who enter into it. On the
contrary, we solemnly affirm, and challenge successful contradiction,
that plural marriage is a sacred religious ordinance, and that its
practice has given to thousands, honorable names and peaceful homes
where Christian precepts and virtuous practices have been uniformly
inculcated, and the spirit of human liberty and religious freedom,
fostered from the cradle to maturity."

This in the young ladies': "We have been taught and conscientiously
believe that plural marriage is as much a part of our religion as
faith, repentance and baptism. * * * We solemnly and truthfully declare
that neither we nor our mothers are held in bondage, but that we enjoy
the greatest possible freedom, socially and religiously; that our homes
are happy ones and we are neither low nor degraded; for the principles
of purity, virtue, integrity and loyalty to the government of the
United States, have been instilled into our minds and hearts since our
earliest childhood."

In each memorial the petitioners prayed that Congress would suspend
further action on all bills relating to Utah, and send a commission of
honorable, intelligent and unprejudiced men and women to enquire into
and learn the true state of affairs in said Territory. The signers to
the men's petition numbered 16,256; those to the women's, 19,108; young
men's, 15,636; young ladies', 14,152; a total of 65,152.

Surely petitions so respectfully worded, solemnly denying such grave
charges, asking for so reasonable a thing as an inquiry into the
true condition of affairs in Utah, and so numerously signed as these
were, had some claim upon the attention of Congress. They were laid
aside, after being read, however, and the Edmunds Bill passed with
indecent haste. The bill was ably discussed in the Senate, and many
constitutional objections urged against it; but when it came to the
House, it was "railroaded through," and that with a rush; debate upon
it being limited to five minute speeches, the whole discussion not
lasting more than two hours. It was approved by the President on the
22nd of March, and then became law.

In addition to defining polygamy and fixing the punishment for it, the
new law also made cohabitation with more than one woman, a misdemeanor,
to be punished by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars and
six months' imprisonment; it provided that counts for polygamy and
unlawful cohabitation might be joined in the same indictment; it made
actual polygamists and those who believed in the rightfulness of it,
incompetent as jurors in any prosecution for polygamy or unlawful
cohabitation; it also made polygamists, or those cohabiting with more
than one woman, incompetent to vote or hold office. It vacated all
registration and election offices of every description, and placed the
registration of voters and the management of elections under a federal
returning board, known as the Utah Commission.

When the news of the full enactment of this law reached Utah, President
Taylor, knowing the vindictive hatred of the conspirators in Salt Lake
City who had concocted that law and aroused the popular clamor which
induced Congress to enact it; and knowing that they would seek first to
entangle him within its meshes because he was President of the Church;
and further knowing that such were the nature of his duties to the
Church that it was imperative that he have his liberty, that he might
watch over the interests of the great people committed to his care--he
resolved to make a great personal sacrifice by submitting to this law,
unjust, cruel and infamous as it was. He therefore took counsel with
his family and it was arranged that his wives return to their former
homes, while he continued to reside at the Gardo House.

Footnotes

1. At a Methodist conference held in Ogden during that year, a number
of resolutions were adopted on the subject of Mormonism, in one of
which it was said:

"Mormonism holds the balance of power in Idaho and Arizona and menaces
New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. We believe polygamy is a
foul system of licentiousness, practiced in the name of religion, hence
hideous and revolting. It should not be reasoned with, but ought to be
STAMPED OUT."

The same spirit ran through all the resolutions adopted.



CHAPTER XLI.

"A STORM IS COMING"--"TURN UP YOUR COLLARS"--POLICY OF THE CHURCH
OUTLINED--CONTEST UNDER THE LAW EVERY ENCROACHMENT ON THE DOMINION
OF LIBERTY--WARNINGS AND PROPHECIES--HOSANNA--NO NEW SHOUT--ITS
IMPRESSIONS ON A STRANGER.

The morning of the second day's conference in April, 1882, was stormy
and cold. The wind blew in fitful gusts, pelting the Saints with sleet
as with bowed heads and turned up collars they hurried along to attend
the conference. President Taylor made an impressive allusion to this
storm in the course of his remarks that day.

Referring to the late enactment of Congress--the Edmunds Bill--and the
bitter prejudice aroused against the Saints, he warned them that a
storm was coming; and that it would break in its fury upon them. "Let
us treat it," said he, half humorously "the same as we did this morning
in coming through the snow-storm--put up our coat collars (suiting the
action to the word) and wait till the storm subsides. After the storm
comes sunshine. While the storm lasts it is useless to reason with the
world; when it subsides we can talk to them."

In the afternoon he again referred to this matter: "I stated this
morning that there was a storm coming--in fact it is raging at present
and has been for some little time, and that it would be well for us to
keep up our coat collars and protect ourselves as best we could until
the storm passed over. There will be a storm in the United States
after awhile; and I want our brethren to prepare themselves for it. At
the last conference, I think, I advised all who were in debt to take
advantage of the prosperous times and pay their debts; so that they
might not be in bondage to anyone, and when the storm came they might
be prepared to meet it. There will be one of that kind very soon; and I
thought I would give you this warning again, and repeat this piece of
advice--the wise will understand."

On the last day of the conference--the 9th of April--President Taylor
preached one of the most remarkable and powerful sermons of his life.
He occupied more than two hours in delivering it; and throughout, the
immense congregation which filled the great Tabernacle to its utmost
capacity listened with rapt attention.

In addition to sketching the rise and progress of the work of the Lord
in these last days, he refuted by the most positive testimony the base
slanders on which the late agitation against the work was founded.
Referring to the assault made upon the Saints under the pretext of
suppressing polygamy, he thus defined the position and policy of the
Church:

"We covet no man's possessions. But we expect to maintain our own
rights. If we are crowded upon by unprincipled men or inimical
legislation, we shall not take the course pursued by the lawless, the
dissolute and unprincipled. We shall not have recourse to the dynamite
of the Russian Nihilists, the secret plans and machinations of the
communists, the boycotting and threats of the Fenians, the force and
disorder of the Jayhawkers, the regulators or the Molly Maguires, nor
any other secret or illegal combination; but we still expect to possess
and maintain our rights; but to obtain them in a legal, peaceful and
constitutional manner. As American citizens, we shall contend for
all our liberties, rights and immunities, guaranteed to us by the
Constitution; and no matter what action may be taken by mobocratic
influence, by excited and unreasonable men, or by inimical legislation,
we shall contend inch by inch for our freedom and rights, as well as
the freedom and rights of all American citizens and of all mankind.

"As a people or community, we can bide our time; but I will say to
you Latter-day Saints, that there is nothing of which you have been
despoiled by oppressive acts or mobocratic rule, but that you will
again possess, or your children after you. * * * Your possessions, of
which you have been fraudulently despoiled in Missouri and Illinois,
you will again possess, and that without force, or fraud or violence.
The Lord has a way of His own in regulating such matters. We are told
the wicked shall slay the wicked. He has a way of His own of 'emptying
the earth of the inhabitants thereof.' A terrible day of reckoning
is approaching the nations of the earth; the Lord is coming out of
His hiding place to vex the inhabitants thereof; and the destroyer of
the Gentiles, as prophesied of, is already on his way. * * * Already
combinations are being entered into which are very ominous for the
future prosperity, welfare and happiness of this great republic. The
volcanic fires of disordered and anarchial elements are beginning to
manifest themselves and exhibit the internal forces that are at work
among the turbulent and unthinking masses of the people.

"Congress will soon have something else to do than to prescribe and
persecute an innocent, law-abiding and patriotic people. Of all bodies
in the world, they can least afford to remove the bulwarks that bind
society together in this nation, to recklessly trample upon human
freedom and rights, and to rend and destroy that great palladium of
human rights--the Constitution of the United States. Ere long they
will need all its protecting influence to save this nation from
misrule, anarchy and mobocratic influence. They can ill afford to be
the foremost in tampering with human rights and human freedom, or in
tearing down the bulwarks of safety and protection which that sacred
instrument has guaranteed.

"The internal fires of revolution are already smouldering in this
nation, and they need but a spark to set them in a flame. Already are
agencies at work in the land calculated to subvert and overthrow every
principle of rule and government; already is corruption of every kind
prevailing in high places and permeating all society; already as a
nation, we are departing from our God, and corrupting ourselves with
malfeasance, dishonor and a lack of public integrity and good faith;
already are licentiousness and debauchery corrupting, undermining and
destroying society; already are we interfering with the laws of nature
and stopping the functions of life, and have become the slayers of our
own offspring, and employ human butchers in the shape of physicians to
assist in this diabolical and murderous work.

"The sins of this nation, the licentiousness, the debauchery, the
murders are entering into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, and I tell
you now [addressing himself to the nation], from the tops of these
mountains, as a humble servant of the living God, that unless these
crimes are stopped, this nation will be overthrown, and its glory,
power, dominion and wealth will fade away like the dews of a summer
morning. I also say to other nations of the earth, that unless they
repent of their crimes, their iniquities and abominations, their
thrones will be overturned, their kingdoms and governments overthrown,
and their lands made desolate.

"This is not only my saying, but it is the saying of those ancient
prophets which they themselves profess to believe; for God will
speedily have a controversy with the nations of the earth, and, as I
stated before, the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way to overthrow
governments, to destroy dynasties, to lay waste thrones, kingdoms and
empires, to spread abroad anarchy and desolation, and to cause war,
famine and bloodshed to overspread the earth."

Reverting again to the position to be assumed by the Church in relation
to the Edmund's law, he expressed himself thus:

"We do not wish to place ourselves in a state of antagonism, nor
act defiantly towards this government. We will fulfill the letter,
so far as practicable, of that unjust, inhuman, oppressive and
unconstitutional law, so far as we can without violating principle;
but we cannot sacrifice every principle of human right at the behest
of corrupt, unreasoning and unprincipled men; we cannot violate the
highest and noblest principles of human nature and make pariahs and
outcasts of high-minded, virtuous and honorable women, nor sacrifice
at the shrine of popular clamor the highest and noblest principles of
humanity!

"We shall abide all constitutional law, as we always have done; but
while we are God-fearing and law-abiding, and respect all honorable
men and officers, we are no craven serfs, and have not learned to lick
the feet of oppressors, nor to bow in base submission to unreasoning
clamor. We will contend inch by inch, legally and constitutionally, for
our rights as American citizens. * * * We stand proudly erect in the
consciousness of our rights as American citizens, and plant ourselves
firmly on the sacred guarantees of the Constitution. * * * We need have
no fears, no trembling in our knees about these attempts to deprive us
of our God-given and constitutional liberties. God will take care of
His people, if we will only do right."

The speaker concluded as follows:

"Our trust is in God. You have heard me say before, Hosanna, the Lord
God Omnipotent reigneth; and if this congregation feels as I do, we
will join together in the same acclaim. Follow me. HOSANNA! HOSANNA!
HOSANNA TO GOD AND THE LAMB, FOREVER, AND EVER, WORLDS WITHOUT END.
AMEN, AMEN, AND AMEN!"

Thrice was the shout repeated, the vast congregation of from eleven
to thirteen thousand followed President Taylor as with one voice. The
grand words of praise and triumph were not new to Israel. They had
shaken the walls of the Temple at Nauvoo during the one day that it
stood resplendent in all the glory of the House of God--though the
Saints knew they would be compelled to abandon it the next day to their
enemies. The same glorious shout in the midst of toil and hardships had
rolled through the woods bordering the streams of Iowa, and had broken
the silence that for ages brooded over the vast prairies of the west.
Indeed the shout was older than that, older than the everlasting hills
which now listened to it--aye, older than the earth itself! For was not
this the shout which shook the heavens before the foundations of the
earth were laid, when "the morning stars sang together and all the sons
of God shouted for joy?" [1]

A celebrated press correspondent, [2] who was present in the interest
of the New York _World_, thus describes the closing scenes of that
conference:

"Acquainted though I am with displays of oriental fanaticism and
western revivalism, I set this Mormon enthusiasm on one side, as being
altogether of a different character; for it not only astonishes by its
fervor, but commands respect by its sincere sobriety. The congregation
of the Saints assembled in the Tabernacle, numbering, by my own careful
computation, eleven thousand odd, and composed in almost exactly equal
parts of the two sexes, reminded me of the Puritan gatherings of the
past as I had imagined them, and of my personal experiences of the
Transvaal Boers as I knew them. There was no rant, no affectation,
no straining after theatrical effect. The very simplicity of this
great gathering of country-folk was striking in the extreme, and
significant from first to last of a power that should hardly be trifled
with by sentimental legislation. * * * Nor could anything exceed the
impressiveness of the response which the people gave instantaneously
to the appeal of their President for the support of their voices. The
great Tabernacle was filled with waves of sound as the 'Amens' of the
congregation burst out. The shout of men going into battle was not more
stirring than the closing words of this memorable conference, spoken as
if by one vast voice."

Footnotes

1. Job xxxviii.

2. Mr. Phil Robinson who remained three months in Utah writing a series
of letters for the _World_. They are now published in book form under
the title of "Sinners and Saints." Mr. Robinson is one of the few
writers who have endeavored to tell the truth about the Mormons.



CHAPTER XLII.

WORK ON THE "MEDIATION AND ATONEMENT"--ITS CHARACTER--"THE AARONIC
PRIESTHOOD"--THE "STORM"--ARRIVAL OF THE COMMISSION--TEST OATH--"IN THE
MARRIAGE RELATION"--HOW IT WORKS--FIRST CASE IN THE CRUSADE--PRESIDENT
TAYLOR'S REFLECTIONS.

Notwithstanding the cares, labors and anxiety which his position as
President of the Church thrust upon him, in these eventful years of
which we are now writing, President Taylor still found time to write
works on the gospel. In the year 1882 he issued his work on the
Mediation and Atonement of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is a
book of some two hundred royal octavo pages.

In the main, it is a collection of scriptural passages bearing upon the
subject, brought together from both ancient and modern revelations,
and arranged in such manner as to develop the necessity, sufficiency,
efficacy, glory, power and completeness of the atonement made by
Messiah, for the sins of the world. It is not a work ambitious of
displaying literary skill, or written with a view to meet the shallow
and trifling objections urged against this great, central fact of the
gospel by glib-tongued infidels and repeated without thought by their
apish followers. It was the object of the author to bring together
all the testimonies to be found in holy writ on this subject, as well
in modern as in ancient scripture; and most admirably did he succeed,
linking the testimonies together with such remarks as make their
meanings and bearings clear, and increase the value of the original
passages. The student of the great subject of the atonement, will find
in President Taylor's work a most valuable collection of material for
his consideration.

In chapter XXIII he will also find a most valuable reference to the
doctrine of evolution as believed in by the Darwinian school of
philosophers--a school of philosophy which professes to trace living
phenomena to their origin, and which, if it were true, would at once
destroy the doctrine of the Atonement.

In the appendix to the work, also will be found some interesting
information in relation to the ideas of a general atonement and
redemption entertained by the ancient heathen nations, traces of which
may still be found in the traditions of their descendants. From these
facts some noted infidel writers have sought to make it appear that
the Christian doctrine of the atonement was derived from the heathens;
but President Taylor clearly proves that the heathens originally
derived their knowledge of these things from the earlier servants of
God, and have preserved those truths, though in a mutilated form, in
their traditions. "Exhibiting," as President Taylor writes, "that
the atonement was a great plan of the Almighty for the salvation,
redemption and exaltation of the human family; and that the pretenders
in the various ages, had drawn whatever of truth they possessed,
from the knowledge of those principles taught by the priesthood from
the earliest periods of recorded time; instead of Christianity being
indebted, as some late writers would allege, to the turbid system of
heathen mythology, and to pagan ceremonies."

About this time he also wrote a pamphlet of some forty-five pages on
the Aaronic Priesthood, chiefly relating to the authority and duties of
Bishops.

The Mormon question having come once more prominently before the
country through the enactments of Congress against it, the editor of
the _North American Review_ visited Utah for the express purpose of
soliciting President Taylor to write an article on the then present
state of the Mormon question, which he did, reviewing the operations
of the recently passed Edmunds law; and in addition to that, refuted
many of the false, slanderous misrepresentations, both new and old,
respecting the Saints.

Meantime the storm which President Taylor had predicted at the April
conference in 1882, burst upon the Saints in all its fury. The
conspirators against the Church of Christ, in the Edmunds enactment,
had a law under which they hoped to be able to destroy its power.

The first act of the Commission appointed by that law, was to frame
a test oath which they required every person to take before he was
permitted to register or vote. This practically disfranchised a whole
Territory at one fell swoop; and in order to be reinstated as a voter,
every man had to take the oath, which required him to swear that he had
never simultaneously lived with more than one woman "_in the marriage
relation_;" or if a woman, that she was not the wife of a polygamist,
nor had she entered into any relation with any man in violation of the
laws of the United States concerning polygamy and bigamy.

By this arrangement it will be seen that those who cohabited with
more than one woman in adultery or prostitution, were not affected
by its provisions. The _roue_, the libertine, the strumpet, the
brothel-keeper, the adulterer and adulteress could vote. No matter how
licentious a man or a woman might be, all but the Mormons were screened
and protected in the exercise of the franchise by the ingenious
insertion of the clause, "in the marriage relation," a clause which
nowhere appears in the Edmunds law. Such broad constructionists were
the Commission, that they declared no man or woman who had ever been a
member of a family practicing plural marriage, should be permitted to
register or vote, no matter what their present status might be. As a
case in point, President Taylor himself relates the following incidents
connected with the operations of this law. They are from the article
above referred to in the _North American Review_:

"A former mayor of Salt Lake City, Mr. Feramorz Little, a very
honorable gentleman and highly respected, came to this Territory
many years ago, before there was any law of Congress against plural
marriage, and espoused two wives. Subsequently, one of these wives
died, then the other, and at the time that this incident occurred he
had been for years without a wife. He had a son who was appointed
registrar for a certain district in this city, and this son had the
mortification of being compelled, under the ruling of the Commission,
to refuse his father permission to register, and consequently deprived
him of the right to vote--a privilege which he had a perfect right to
exercise, both because of the provision in the Constitution that no
_ex post facto_ law shall be made, and again by reason of the statute
of limitations, which bars all action in any such cases after the
expiration of three years. Soon after the refusal of the registrar to
place his father's name on the registration list, a well known keeper
of a bagnio and her associates presented themselves, and the son had
the humiliation of having to permit them to register. These courtesans
afterward voted.

"Another case: A man came to the place of registration, and remarked
to the officer that he supposed he could not register, as he had a
wife and also kept a mistress. This man might be considered a very
straight-forward fellow to make so ready an acknowledgment, but I fail
to see anything straight-forward in such a crooked transaction as the
breaking of the marriage vows and marital infidelity. But the officer
knew what was in the oath better than this man, and advised him to read
it. He did so. When he came to the words, 'in the marriage relation,'
he immediately said, 'Yes, I see. I can go that,' and was at once sworn
and registered."

Having begun the application of the law so as to effect the franchise
of the party in the majority, the next move of the conspirators was to
begin action judicially.

The first case prosecuted under the new regime was that of Rudger
Clawson, a young man highly respected in the community. His case
marks the inauguration of as cruel and unjustifiable a judicial
crusade as was ever perpetrated against a free people in a professedly
free government. He was arraigned both for polygamy and unlawful
cohabitation, found guilty and sentenced on the 3rd of November,
1884. His sentence on both charges covered a period of four years
imprisonment, and eight hundred dollars in fines.

President Taylor was subpoenaed as a witness in his case, but the
testimony he gave was not material. Indeed the prosecution seemed more
anxious to involve him in a conflict with the court than to elicit any
fact he might know in relation to this particular case. His description
of the scene in court during this trial, the character of the man being
tried, and that of the men trying him, with a review of their methods
and the principles involved in the controversy, together with the
picture he draws of the present state of society as he described them
off hand in a discourse delivered in Ogden, a few days after the trial,
is too important to be omitted; and it demonstrates that the fire of
President Taylor's eloquence could still burn brightly on occasion,
until it scorched and burned an opponent, and vindicated the right. He
said:

"While I was in court a few days ago, and gazing upon the assembly
of judges, lawyers, marshals, witnesses, spectators, etc., many
reflections of a very peculiar character passed through my mind, some
of which I will here rehearse:

"I could not help thinking as I looked upon the scene, that there
was no necessity for all this; these parties [Rudger Clawson and his
plural wife] need not have placed themselves in this peculiar dilemma.
Here was a young man blessed with more than ordinary intelligence,
bearing amongst all who know him a most enviable reputation for virtue,
honesty, sobriety and all other desirable characteristics that we are
in the habit of supposing go to make a man respected and beloved, the
civilized world over. He had been trained from early childhood in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, had been an attendant at Sabbath
school and Young Men's Improvement Societies, where his course was
of the most pleasing kind; more than this, some years ago when quite
a youth, he had shown his devotion to the faith in which he had been
reared, by going forth without purse or scrip to preach in the midst
of the unbelieving the doctrines of a most unpopular faith. And as I
reached this point in my reflections, my mind instinctively wanders to
a monument I gazed at in Salt Lake City cemetery but a few days ago.
That monument records in fitting words of respect and admiration the
devotion of two young missionaries in a far-off southern state, one of
whom had fallen a victim to mob violence, had sealed with his blood
the testimony which he bore, the other had stood by him in his hour
of sore need, and rescued his mangled body and brought it safely for
thousands of miles to the home of his bereaved parents and sorrowing
co-religionists.

"This heroic young man is the one now arraigned before the courts of
his country, for an alleged offense against the morality of the age!
Assuming that the reports pertaining to him should prove to be correct,
and he really has a plural wife, what then would be the position?
He from his earliest recollection, had been taught to reverence the
Bible as the word of God, to revere the lives and examples of the
ancient worthies whom Jehovah honored by making them His confidents,
and revealing unto them the secrets of his divine purposes; he had
read of one who was called 'the friend of God and the father of the
faithful;' of another who was said to be a 'man after God's own heart;'
of a third who in all things is said to have done the will of heaven,
and so on until they could be numbered by the score; yet all these
men, the friends, associates and confidents of the great Creator of
heaven and earth, were men with more than one wife, some with many
wives, yet they still possessed and rejoiced in the love and honor of
the great judge of all the world, whose judgments are just, and whose
words are all righteousness. This young man is charged with following
these worthy examples; it is asserted that he has taken to wife a
beautiful and virtuous young lady, belonging, like himself, to one of
our most respected families, and who also believes in the Bible, and in
the example set her by those holy women of old, such as Rachel, Ruth,
Hannah, and others, who honored God's law, and became the mothers of
prophets, priests and kings.

"And as my cogitations ran, I thought what need had these two to follow
such examples of a by-gone age; why not walk in the way of the world
today, unite with our modern Christian civilization, and if passion
guide their actions why call each other husband and wife, why hallow
their associations by any sacred ceremony--was there any need of such?
Why not do as tens of thousands of others do, live in the condition
of illicit love? And then if any child should be feared from this
unsanctified union, why not still follow our Christian exemplars,
remove the foetal incumbrance, call in some copyist of Madame Restell,
the abortionist, male or female that pollute our land? That would have
been, _sub-rosa_, genteel, fashionable, respectable, Christian-like, as
Christianity goes in this generation.

"If this did not succeed, the young man might have turned his victim
into the street to perish, or die of pollution as is done in tens of
thousands of instances, in the most sanctified manner by the hypocrites
of the day. Then in either of these cases, the young gentleman could
have been received into good society, be petted and applauded; could
hold a position under our government, be even a deputy marshal,
registrar or what not, and still further, be able to answer all
necessary questions; and be admitted as a grand juror without being
brought in as a gutter snipe on an open venire, but as a respectable
citizen on the regular panel.

"Or, again, these two, in the event of a child being born, might
consign it to the care of some degraded hag, some 'baby farmer,' where
gradually and quietly its innocent life would ebb out, and bye and bye
the grief-stricken parents would receive the anticipated notice that
their dear little offspring, notwithstanding every care, was dead and
buried! This is a respectable crime, a crime committed principally by
those who go to high-toned churches and fashionable meeting houses
in velvets and feathers, in silks and satins, and who with upturned
eyes and hypocritical voices, insult the majesty of heaven by drawling
out, 'Lord have mercy upon us, miserable sinners!' Yet they are
murderers--murderers of the worst kind, the shedders of innocent blood,
consumers of their own flesh, whom the vengeance of God awaits!

"This young man and woman could have done all this and no marshals with
ready feet would have dogged their steps, no packed grand juries with
unanimous alacrity would do the bidding of over-zealous prosecuting
attorneys; no federal judge would overturn precedent, ignore law,
disregard justice on purpose to convict. No, they might have been the
friends, associates, companions of judge and prosecutor, governor and
commissioner; but now, as they would neither associate unrighteously,
nor take means to destroy the results of their union, but honestly
and virtuously live, as is claimed, as husband and wife, he stands in
the felon's dock, charged with an offense against the dignity of the
United States, and to convict him, oppressive laws, more oppressively
administered are brought to bear with all the ingenuity that malice can
devise and hatred adopt.

"And there, in this ignominious position, he stands with every person
who might possibly be his friend, excluded from the jury, without the
possibility of a fair trial by his peers, not one of the panel being in
the least sympathy with himself; by such people this unfortunate young
gentleman has to be tried, judged, prosecuted, proscribed and condemned
because of his firm and unswerving faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob; of David, Solomon, and numerous other God-fearing and
honorable men, who, like him, have despised the cant and hypocrisy of
an ungodly world, and dared to obey the behests of Jehovah.

"Of these things he had learned from the Bible, in the Sunday School;
no wonder then that our would-be reformers are so anxious to exclude
the Bible from our district schools, as its teachings and examples so
emphatically condemn the theories on which the acts and legislation of
Congress are based, as well as the course pursued by those who seek to
aid in the regeneration of Utah, by adding to or taking from the law as
is best suited to shield their own corrupt practices; or, on the other
hand, by extra judicial proceedings, under cover of law, they pervert,
to prosecute and persecute the Mormons.

"Where was this scene enacted? In the gorgeous palaces of Belshazzar,
surrounded by his wives, concubines, and nobles, and where was seen
written on the walls '_Mene, Mene, Tekel Upharsin_?' No. Was it at the
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, when ten righteous persons could
not be found to avert the wrath of an offended God, or in Pompeii or
Herculaneum, which, in their turn, for their libidinous and unrighteous
practices, as Sodom and Gomorrah, suffered the vengeance of eternal
fire? No. Was it at the Saturnalia of the Bacchanals of ancient Greece
and Rome? No. Those nations have long been overthrown and are now only
known to a few readers of ancient history. Was it during the reign
of the first French Republic, when they elevated a prostitute as the
goddess of reason? No. Was it in the days of the inquisition, when
the rack, the gibbet, the faggot and the flames were brought into
requisition to force unwilling victims to testify of things which
their conscience forbade, and who perished by thousands for daring
to think, and act, and believe in and worship God according to their
own consciences? No. Was it under the influence of Bacchus, or in the
midnight revelings as exhibited in Rome under Nero? No; this scene
was enacted in mid-day, in the nineteenth century, in the year of our
Lord, 1884, in the Federal court house, in Salt Lake City, at a court
presided over by Judge Charles S. Zane, Chief Justice for the United
States in the Territory of Utah, assisted by Prosecuting Attorney
William H. Dickson, and the other adjuncts of the law, and in the
presence of several hundred American citizens!"



CHAPTER XLIII.

THE STORM BURSTS UPON THE PEOPLE--THE MORALITY PLEA--WHO THE CRIMINALS
ARE--TESTIMONY OF STATISTICS--A VISIT TO ARIZONA AND MEXICO--ASSAULT
UPON THE PEOPLE IN ARIZONA--AN AMERICAN SIBERIA--SEEKING A PLACE OF
REFUGE--IN SAN FRANCISCO--THREATENED WITH ARREST--RETURN TO UTAH--LAST
SERMON--WARNING AND PROPHECY.

The "storm" increased in violence. Special appropriations were made in
Washington to aid in the enforcement of the infamous Edmunds law. With
those funds deputy marshals were multiplied, some of them being men
of notoriously immoral lives. They usually went in squads, pouncing
first upon one village and then another, raiding the homes of the most
respected and honorable men in the community, who were suspected of
living with their plural wives--with women they had honored with the
name of wife in some instances for more than a quarter of a century,
by whom they had reared large and respectable families: and because
they would not abandon them--thrust them away like unclean, nameless
things--this pack of human hounds were turned loose upon them, to dog
their footsteps, to invade their homes and insult their families.

Spotters and spies were employed to betray their neighbors; children
were hailed upon the streets and questioned about the affairs of
their parents; wives--lawful wives--were dragged into the courts and
compelled to testify against their husbands; shamefully indecent
questions were put to modest maidens in jury rooms and in open court;
juries were packed to convict; a Mormon accused of violation of the
anti-polygamy laws stood before a jury of his avowed political and
religious enemies; suspicion was equivalent to accusation; accusation
to indictment; indictment to conviction; and conviction met almost
invariably with the full penalty of the law, unless the victim was so
recreant to every sense of honor as to push from him the women he had
taken as wives for time and all eternity!

In the midst of this judicial "storm" which broke upon the Church in
Utah and the surrounding territories, President Taylor moved calmly on,
discharging his duties, counseling, encouraging and strengthening the
people. At the same time he did not fail to rebuke and proclaim the
hypocrisy of the men who were the prime movers in this unholy crusade,
carried on, professedly, in the interests of morality. For this purpose
he published the criminal statistics of Utah for the year 1883, by
which he demonstrated that while the Gentile population was greatly in
the minority, they furnished the overwhelming majority of criminals.
Following are his statements:

"The population of Utah may be estimated at one hundred and sixty
thousand in 1883.

"Of these say one hundred and thirty thousand are Mormons, and thirty
thousand are Gentiles--a very liberal estimate of the latter.

"In this year there were forty-six persons sent to the penitentiary
convicted of crime. Of these thirty-three were non-Mormons, and
thirteen reputed Mormons.

"At the above estimate of population the ratio or percentage would be
one prisoner for every ten thousand Mormons, or one hundredth of one
per cent., and of the Gentiles one convict in every nine hundred and
nine, or about one ninth of one per cent. So that the actual proportion
of criminals is more than ten times greater among the Gentiles of Utah,
with the above very liberal estimate, than among the Mormons.

"It is urged that these non-Mormon prisoners are not a fair
representation of the average of crime throughout the country, but are
the result of the flow of the desperate classes westward to the borders
of civilization; with greater truth we reply that the Mormon prisoners
are not representatives of Mormonism, nor the results of Mormonism, but
of the consequences of a departure from Mormon principles; and of the
thirteen prisoners classed as Mormons, the greater portion were only so
by family connection or association.

"ARRESTS IN SALT LAKE CITY IN 1883:

Mormons 150

Non-Mormons 1,559

or more than ten times the number of Mormon arrests.

"Again it is estimated that there are six thousand non-Mormons and
nineteen thousand Mormons in Salt Lake City, which shows of Mormons one
arrest in one hundred and twenty-six and two-thirds.

"Non-Mormons, one arrest in a fraction less than four, or rather more
than twenty-five per cent.

"If we were not on the defensive in this case," observed President
Taylor, when presenting the above facts, "I would say nothing about
these things; but it ill-becomes men who have ten criminals to our one,
to come here as our reformers, and try to disfranchise men who are
ten times as good as they are. These are facts that are not of my own
getting up. They come from the public records and can be verified by
the prison and other statistics."

In order to still further explode the defense made by those whom these
facts placed in so unenviable a position, _viz_: that the scum of
society from the eastern states had floated out here to the west, and
consequently the Gentile population in Utah was not representative of
Gentile communities elsewhere, he collected a number of statements
from the sermons and writings of leading ministers and writers from
various parts of the Union, on the subject of infanticide, foeticide
and kindred crimes, that told a sad tale of sexual immorality, which
every year, according to the authors he quoted, was growing worse and
worse--something too much of this:

    Handle it carefully,
    Deal with it gently,
    Speak of it tenderly,
    Poor justice is blind!

The Stakes of Zion located in Arizona suffered quite as much from this
judicial crusade as those living in Utah, and they were further away
from the chief pastors of the flock, and hence greater perplexity and
excitement. On learning of this, President Taylor determined to visit
them, learn the true situation of their affairs and counsel them as the
Lord should give him wisdom.

Accordingly a party of brethren was made up including his second
counselor, Joseph F. Smith, and also Apostles Moses Thatcher and
Francis M. Lyman, Bishop John Sharp and others. They were joined in the
south also by Apostle Erastus Snow.

The party left Salt Lake City on the 3rd of January, 1885, by the Union
Pacific Railway to Denver, thence to Albuquerque, in New Mexico, thence
to the settlements of the Saints in Apache County, Arizona, in the
vicinity of Winslow.

President Taylor went to St. David, in the extreme south-east corner
of Arizona, near Benson, where he met with the Presidents of the four
Stakes in that Territory; Jesse N. Smith, Christopher Layton, Alexander
F. McDonald and Lot Smith. He found the Saints in a lamentable
condition. They had been set upon in the most ruthless manner by their
enemies. Nearly all the forms of law had been abandoned in dealing with
them, and outrages had been heaped upon them, under the pretext of
executing the law, that were well nigh unendurable. Those who had been
convicted and sentenced had been shipped off to Detroit, a distance of
two thousand miles, notwithstanding there was a good available prison
at Yuma, within the Territory.

Under these circumstances President Taylor thought it better for the
brethren to evade the law; and in order that those who were being
hunted might find a temporary place of refuge, he sent two parties down
into Mexico to find suitable place for the settlement of those who had
to flee from this unhallowed persecution.

During the absence of these parties, he visited with a portion of his
party Guaymas, on the Gulf of California, in the state of Sonora,
Mexico. On the return trip he stopped off at Hermosillo, the capital
of the state of Sonora, where he and his party were received at the
residence of Governor Torres, with distinguished consideration.

Returning to Benson he met with the brethren sent in search of a
place of refuge, and decided in his capacity as Trustee-in-Trust of
the Church to assist in purchasing a place which had been selected by
Christopher Layton, just over the line in the state of Sonora.

After giving general directions to guide the Presidents of the Stakes
in Arizona as to their future policy and movements, President Taylor
and party visited the settlements of the Saints in Maricopa County, on
Salt River; and from thence _via_ Los Angeles went to San Francisco.
Here he spent a day or two visiting points of interest. Among other
features of his visit was a call at the famous library of the veteran
historian, Hurbert H. Bancroft.

While in San Francisco he received despatches to the effect that it
would not be safe for him to return home, as his arrest had been
determined upon. Notwithstanding this information he immediately
started for Salt Lake City, where he arrived on Tuesday, January 27th,
1885, having traveled nearly five thousand miles since the 3rd of the
same month.

The Sunday following, February 1st, he preached his last public sermon.
In it he related the principal incidents of his late mission into
Arizona, described the wrongs inflicted upon the people there, and told
the counsel he had given them.

As the vindictiveness of the courts had increased during his absence,
he gave the same advice to the people of Utah.

He deplored the condition of things in the Territory, not so much
on account of the Latter-day Saints, as on the account of the great
government of the United States, which had stooped from the proud
position it had hitherto boasted as the asylum for the oppressed of
all nations, to that of a persecutor of a righteous people for their
religion, until they had to find an asylum in an adjoining republic!
Referring to the outrages perpetrated both in Arizona and in Utah, he
asks:

"What would you do? Would you resent these outrages and break the heads
of the men engaged in them, and spill their blood? No;" said he, "avoid
them as much as you possibly can--just as you would wolves, or hyenas,
or crocodiles, or snakes, or any of these beasts or reptiles. * * *
Get out of their way as much as you can. What! Won't you submit to the
dignity of the law? Well, I would if the law would only be a little
more dignified. But when we see the dignity of the ermine bedragged
in the mud and mire, and every principle of justice violated, it
behooves men to take care of themselves as best they can. * * * But no
breaking of heads, no bloodshed, rendering evil for evil. Let us try
to cultivate the spirit of the gospel, and adhere to the principles of
truth. * * * While other men are seeking to trample the Constitution
under foot, we will try to maintain it. * * * I will tell you what you
will see by and by. You will see trouble! _trouble_! TROUBLE enough in
these United States. And as I have said before, I say today--_I tell
you in the name of God_, WOE! _to them that fight against Zion, for God
will fight against them!_"

Such was his last admonition, his last warning, his last prophecy
delivered in person in public to the people of God, to the nation in
which he had labored as a faithful servant of God, with such untiring
zeal, wisdom and skill for half a century.

That night he went into retirement, to escape the ruthless persecution
aimed at him by the unrelenting and hate-blinded enemies of the Church
of Christ.



CHAPTER XLIV.

PRESIDING UNDER DIFFICULTIES--GENERAL EPISTLE--AN INFAMOUS
CRUSADE--HOMES INVADED--JUDICIAL LEGISLATION--COHABITATION--PRESIDENT
TAYLOR'S DEPORTMENT.

From his places of retirement among the Saints, President Taylor
continued to preside over the Church, and under God to shape its policy
and direct its movements. Prevented by the mistaken zeal of the United
States officials and the vigilance of their myrmidons--the spotters
and spies--from attending the public meetings and conferences of the
Church, he, with his counselors, addressed general epistles to the
Saints in which they imparted such counsel and instruction as they
considered necessary and suited to the conditions by which they were
environed.

These papers are remarkable for their conservative tone and wisdom; for
the total absence of anger or vindictiveness, as also for the scope and
variety of the subjects they treated upon. They compare favorably with
the wisest and best state papers ever issued by kings or presidents,
ministers of state or cabinet councils. The flock of Christ, therefore,
was not left without the counsel of heaven or the care of the shepherds.

Still those were dark days. The seats reserved and usually occupied
by the leaders of Israel in the public assemblies were either vacant
or filled by comparative strangers. The recent enactments of Congress
infamous in themselves, were still more infamously enforced. The
courts and United States officials in Utah seemed utterly reckless in
their methods of executing the law. Men who at the most were guilty
of what the law defined to be a misdemeanor, punishable by six months
imprisonment and three hundred dollars fine, were hunted as if they
were guilty of the grossest crimes which could endanger the peace and
safety of the community.

Frequently, and I may say usually, deputy marshals in the night would
surround the houses suspected as being the places where their victims
were to be found, and then in the morning, before the inmates were
astir, would pounce upon them in the most unceremonious and brutal
manner. No place was so sacred in the homes of the people but these
minions under the color of law would force their way into it. Even
the bed chambers of modest maidenhood were rudely entered before the
occupants could dress, and in some instances the covering of their beds
stripped from them in the pretended search for violators of the law;
and they the while compelled to listen to their low blasphemies.

In proof of these allegations, which may seem too hard for belief
as time with its ever-moving wheels carries us away from the years
in which these acts of petty tyranny were perpetrated, I insert a
few statements of parties who suffered them. These statements are to
be found in a memorial addressed to Congress by the women of Utah,
presented in the Senate on the 6th of April, 1886, by Senator Blair of
New Hampshire, and ordered printed by that body:

"On January 11th, 1886, early in the morning, five deputy marshals
appeared at the residence of William Grant, American Fork, forced the
front door open, and, while the inmates were still in bed, made their
way up stairs to their sleeping apartments. There they were met by one
of the daughters of William Grant, who was aroused by the intrusion
and, despite her protestations, without giving time for the object
of their search to get up and dress himself, made their way into his
bedroom, finding him still in bed and his wife _en deshabille_ in the
act of dressing herself."

Mrs. Easton, of Greenville, near Beaver, relates the following:

"About seven a. m. deputies came to our house and demanded admittance.
I asked them to wait until we got dressed, and we would let them in.
Deputy Gleason said he would not wait, and raised the window and got
partly through by the time we opened the door, when he drew himself
back and came in through the door. He then went into the bedroom; one
of the young ladies had got under the bed, from which Gleason pulled
the bedding and ordered the young lady to come out. This she did, and
ran into the other room, where she was met by Thompson. I asked Gleason
why he pulled the bedding from the bed, and he answered, 'By God! I
found Watson in the same kind of a place.' He then said he thought
Easton was concealed in a small compass, and that he expected to find
him in a similar place, and was going to get him before he left."

Miss Morris, of the same place, says:

"Deputy Gleason came to my bed and pulled the clothing off me, asking
if there was any one in bed with me. He then went to the fireplace
and pulled a sack of straw from there and looked up the chimney. One
of them next pulled up a piece of carpet, when Gleason asked Thompson
if there was anyone under there. Thompson said 'No,' and Gleason
exclaimed, 'G--d d--it, we will look, any way.' They also looked in
cupboards, boxes, trunks, etc., and a small tea chest, but threw
nothing out."

Deputy Thompson, referred to in the above, is the man who, a few months
afterwards, December 16th, 1886, killed Edward M. Dalton at Parowan
by shooting him down in the street under the plea that Dalton was
trying to escape arrest for unlawful cohabitation. The testimony of
eye witnesses to the whole transaction, however, does not bear out the
claims of the man upon whose hands will be found innocent blood when he
shall stand before that tribunal where there is no shuffling--where the
action will be seen in its true light--where the guilty man himself,
even in the teeth and forehead of his offending, must give in the
evidence.

The following which occurred in Idaho is also from the aforesaid
Memorial:

"February 23rd, 1886, at about eleven o'clock at night, two deputy
marshals visited the house of Solomon Edwards, about seven miles from
Eagle Rock, Idaho, and arrested Mrs. Edwards, his legal wife, after she
had retired to bed, and required her to accompany them immediately to
Eagle Rock. Knowing something of the character of one of the deputies,
from his having visited the house before, when he indulged in a great
deal of drinking, profanity, and abuse, she feared to accompany them
without some protection, and requested a neighbor to go along on
horseback while she rode in the buggy with the two deputies. On the way
the buggy broke down and she, with an infant in her arms, was compelled
to walk the rest of the distance--between two and three miles. They
could have no reason for subpoenaing her in the night, and compelling her
to accompany them at such an untimely hour, except a fiendish malice or
a determination to heap all the indignities possible upon her, because
she was a Mormon woman, for she never attempted to evade the serving of
the warrant, and was perfectly willing to report herself at Eagle Rock
the next day. She was taken to Salt Lake City to testify against her
husband."

After reading such atrocities--such unjustifiable invasions of the
homes of the people--one instinctively asks himself if in the great
republic the wheels of civil liberty have not been turning backward
instead of forward. More than a century before these things transpired,
the eloquent Lord Chatham announced the great doctrine for all England
and her colonies, including those in America, that a man's house was
his castle; that though it might be so poor that the rains of heaven
could penetrate it, and the winds whistle through its crevices, yet
the king of England could not cross its threshold without its owner's
permission.

Not satisfied with the penalties affixed to the laws against unlawful
cohabitation, the Utah courts determined to increase them by means
little short of legislation itself. The trick resorted to was to decree
that the time a man had cohabited with more women than one as wives,
could be divided up into years, months or weeks, and separate bills
of indictment be found for each fragment of time. So ruled the Chief
Justice, Charles S. Zane. Judge Orlando W. Powers of the First Judicial
District, carried the infamous doctrine still further, and in charging
a grand jury, on the 23rd of September, 1885, said: "An indictment may
be found against a man guilty of unlawful cohabitation, for every day,
or other distinct interval of time, during which he offends. Each day
that a man cohabits with more than one woman, as I have defined the
word cohabit, is a distinct and separate violation of the law, and he
is liable for punishment for each separate offense."

His definition of cohabitation was as follows:

"The offense of cohabitation is complete when a man, to all outward
appearances, is living or associating with more than one woman as his
wife. To constitute the offense it is not necessary that it be shown
that the parties indulge in sexual intercourse. The intention of the
law-making power, in enacting the law, was to protect monogamous
marriage by prohibiting all other marriage, whether evidenced by a
ceremony, or by conduct and circumstances alone."

So held all the courts, and under that ruling such infamies as the
following were possible:

"In the case of Solomon Edwards recently accused of this
offense--unlawful cohabitation--it was proved by the evidence for the
prosecution that the defendant had lived with one wife only since the
passage of the Edmunds act, but after having separated from his former
plural wife, he called with his legal wife at the former's residence
to obtain a child, an agreement having been made that each party
should have one of the two children, and the court ruled that this was
unlawful cohabitation in the meaning of the law, and defendant was
convicted." [1]

It is but proper to say that the Supreme Court of the United States, on
an appeal being taken to it, decided against this infamous doctrine.
But it held sway for a time and exhibited the venomous disposition of
those entrusted with the execution of the laws in Utah.

In this crusade every effort was made to find President Taylor. His
own houses, the Church offices, and the Gardo House, were well-nigh
always under the surveillance of spies or deputy marshals, and the
latter places were several times searched, but always in vain. That
the place of his concealment was not discovered is little short of
the miraculous, since the business to which he continued to give
his personal attention was considerable, and required frequent
communication with agents who were at liberty to act. He owed his
safety, however, more to the promptings of the Holy Spirit than to the
cunning of man. More than once, in obedience to its whisperings, and
when to all outward appearances there was no danger to be feared, he
would leave his place of temporary abode. By frequently changing his
place of concealment, while running considerable risk of discovery in
moving, he kept his enemies mystified as to his whereabouts.

Though driven into retirement by a malicious and perverted
administration of the Edmunds law, he never allowed it to embitter his
thoughts or disturb the calmness and patience of his disposition. No,
not even so much as to lead him to speak evil of those who persecuted
him. "God forgive them," he would say, "they know not what they do." "I
pity them, with all my heart." The following letter addressed to his
family that had convened to celebrate the anniversary of his birth--a
custom with them for years--is the very best evidence both as to his
sentiments toward his enemies and the grandeur of his soul.

Footnotes

1. Women's Memorial to Congress.



CHAPTER XLV.

LETTER TO HIS FAMILY.

"_To my wives, my children, relatives and friends, who may have
assembled at the Gardo House, to celebrate the return of my birthday,
November 1st, 1886:_--

"As I am prevented from being with you on the present occasion, I
desire to send to you my benediction and blessing; and to say unto you:
May grace, mercy and peace be extended to you from God our Eternal
Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, Redeemer and
Friend.

"I need not say unto you, that it would have afforded me very great
pleasure to have been with you on the present occasion, and to have
saluted you personally, as I know it would have been very gratifying
unto you. But, through the dispensation of an All-wise Providence,
things are not in a position that we would desire to have them; they
are in accordance, however, with the design of our Heavenly Father, who
ordains all things in harmony with the dispensation of His providence
towards the children of men.

"Some people suppose that persecutions and trials are afflictions;
but sometimes, and generally, if we are doing the will of the Lord
and keeping His commandments, they may be truly said to be blessings
in disguise. When our great Redeemer was on earth, He said to His
disciples: 'Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for
so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.'

"Although for the time being, these things may be painful, yet if
properly comprehended and realized, we should look at them in another
view, and feel as Paul said to the saints in his day: 'For our light
affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things
which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things
which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are
eternal,' and will lead us to reflect in most instances even as John
Wesley sang:

    "'Shall I be carried to the skies,
    On flowery beds of ease;
    While others fought to win the prize,
    And sailed through bloody seas!

    "'No; I must fight, if I would reign,
    Increase my courage, Lord;
    I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
    Supported by thy word.'

"The foregoing are my sentiments, which I express from the bottom of
my heart; and I would state further, that if we expect to be united
with the hundred and forty-four thousand of which John speaks; who are
clothed in white raiment, and who were gathered together from every
nation, kindred, people and tongue, and who had washed their robes and
made them white in the blood of the Lamb (therefore were they next the
throne and serve their Maker day and night); we must pass through the
same ordeal they did.

"These people who were so honored of God, and of the Redeemer, and the
heavenly hosts, were those who had come up through much tribulation;
and we are further told in late revelations which God has given us
through the Prophet Joseph, that 'After much tribulation cometh the
blessing.'

"I was very sorry to learn, in the midst of other things, of the
sickness of my wives Jane and Sophia, and my heart has gone out in
prayer for them, accompanied by my brethren, that they may be healed,
and I am pleased to learn that there is some slight improvement in the
health of Aunt Jane, and also that there are some reasonable hopes of
the removal of the terrible affliction that has overtaken Aunt Sophia.
I would here remark that in speaking of these strokes, I have been
making careful inquiry about them since her sad affliction, and learned
that it is no uncommon thing for people to be healed of this kind of
disease. A lady of about her age that I conversed with quite recently,
said she had had two strokes of that kind, and she is now quite well,
hale and hearty. I mention these things in hopes that it will afford
some consolation to Aunt Sophia and to you, her friends.

"I am pleased to be informed that the health of the family is generally
good, and that the disposition and feeling of both wives and children
is to fear God, to work righteousness, and to yield obedience to His
laws. For if we expect to obtain a celestial glory and exaltations with
thrones, principalities and powers in the celestial kingdom of our God,
we must abide a celestial law. For it is expressly stated that we can
only inherit such a kingdom, such glory, and blessings as we prepare
ourselves for, by yielding obedience to the laws thereof; whether it be
a celestial, or terrestrial or telestial.

"We are engaged in a great work, and laying the foundation thereof--a
work that has been spoken of by all the holy prophets since the world
was; namely, the dispensation of the fullness of times, wherein God
will gather together all things in one, whether they be things in the
earth, or things in the heavens; and for this purpose God revealed
Himself, as also the Lord Jesus Christ, unto His servant the Prophet
Joseph Smith, when the Father pointed to the Son and said: 'This is
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye Him.' He further
restored the everlasting gospel; together with the Aaronic and
Melchisedek Priesthoods; both of which are everlasting as God is; and
in the interest of humanity sent forth His gospel to the nations of
the earth. I am happy to say that I have been a bearer of this gospel
to several nations, and have been the means of bringing many to the
knowledge of the truth; among which are some of you, my wives. We
have been gathered together, according to the word of the Lord, and
the order of His Priesthood, to our present homes, our lands and our
possessions. We have had the privilege of assisting in building temples
to the Lord, and administering therein. The principles which have been
developed for the progression, the happiness and exaltation of the
faithful in Christ Jesus; and some of you, my sons, have been favored
with the Holy Priesthood, which is after the order of Melchisedek,
after the order of the Son God and of God the Eternal Father, and after
the power of an endless life. We expect and have faith, that this earth
will yet be renovated and purified, the wicked will be rooted out of
it, and the righteous inherit it; and we further look forward to the
time when there will be a new heaven and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness; and a new Jerusalem, wherein the Lord God and the Lamb
will be the light thereof, and you, my wives, and also my children who
have come to years of maturity, will have the privilege, if faithful
to your covenants, of entering into and partaking of the most exalted,
glorious, and eternal blessings, which any men or women on earth have
enjoyed in this world, or in the world to come; and will eventually be
associated with the Gods in the eternal worlds.

"We are here gathered together in this land of Zion for the purpose
of purifying, instructing and building up the Church of God; and also
building up a Zion of God, and establishing the rule and government
of God on the earth, and fulfilling that which is spoken of by the
Prophet: 'The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is
our King; He will save us.'

"In view of the many great and precious promises which are made to us,
and which fall to our lot through obedience to the laws of God; we
should at all times place ourselves in conformity with the laws, usages
and requirements of the Church and kingdom of God upon the earth. Our
lives should not be a blank. We are heirs of eternal lives. We ought to
use all our energies in the interest of humanity, in the establishment
of the Zion of God, and the building up of the kingdom of God on the
earth.

"It would be very proper for you, my wives, and daughters who are
of sufficient age, if you have not already done so, to associate
yourselves with the Relief Societies; and of my sons and daughters
to unite themselves with the Young Men's and Young Women's Mutual
Improvement Associations; and thus, while you are receiving information
and benefit, you, at the same time may make yourselves useful and a
blessing unto others. Let me here say, that the Prophet Joseph Smith
instituted the Ladies' Relief Society for that purpose. It is proper
that you should all reverence the Lord your God in all things, and
cultivate His love and fear in your hearts. All ought to dedicate
themselves daily, morning and evening to the Lord, and seek for His
mercy, blessing and oversight, both day and night. You who have
families ought to gather them together every morning and every evening,
and dedicate yourselves to the Lord. And this dedication ought to be
in private, between yourselves only and the Lord, as well as in public
or family prayer. The Prophet Joseph gave a special charge to me while
living, as near as I can remember as follows: 'Brother Taylor, never
arise in the morning or retire at night, without dedicating yourself
unto God and asking His blessings upon you through the day or night, as
the case may be, and the Lord God will hear and answer your prayers;
and don't let any circumstances prevent it.' I had been in the habit
of doing so, for years before this; but since that time I have not
omitted, to my knowledge, the observance of this duty, morning or
evening.

"Never do an act that you would be ashamed of man knowing, for God sees
us always, both day and night, and if we expect to live and reign with
Him in eternity, we ought to do nothing that will disgrace us in time.

"We should be strictly honest, one with another, and with all men; let
our word always be as good as our bond; avoid all ostentation of pride
and vanity; and be meek, lowly, and humble; be full of integrity and
honor; and deal justly and righteously with all men; and have the fear
and love of God continually before us, and seek for the comforting
influence of the Holy Ghost to dwell with us. Let mothers be loving,
kind and considerate with their children, and the children kind and
obedient to their mothers, and to their Fathers; and seek always to be
governed by good and wise counsel, and so to live every day, and in all
our acts, as to keep a conscience void of offense towards God and man.
Be kind and courteous to all, seek to promote the welfare of all, be
gentlemen and ladies, and treat one another, and all men with proper
courtesy, respect and kindness. So shall you be honored by the good
and virtuous, enjoy the blessings of a good conscience, and secure the
approbation of God, and of the holy angels, in time and throughout all
eternity.

"The protecting care of the Lord over me and my brethren has been very
manifest since my absence from home, for which I feel to bless and
praise His holy name. I always am very desirous to acknowledge His
hand in all things, and I am very anxious that you should do the same.
For to the Lord we are indebted for every blessing which we enjoy,
pertaining to this life, and the life which is to come.

"While we seek to God our Heavenly Father for His blessings, let
us be careful to so live that we can secure and claim them, by our
obedience to His laws. Be merciful, and kind, and just, and generous
to all. Preserve your bodies and your spirits pure, and free from
contamination. Avoid lasciviousness, and every corrupting influence;
that you may be indeed the sons of God without rebuke, in the midst of
a crooked and perverse generation.

"I pray God the Eternal Father that when we have all finished our
probation here, we may be presented to the Lord without spot or
blemish, as pure and honorable representatives of the Church and
kingdom of God on the earth, and then inherit a celestial glory in the
kingdom of our God, and enjoy everlasting felicity with the pure and
just in the realms of eternal day, through the merits and atonement of
the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, in worlds without end.
Amen.

"To those present of my friends and not of my immediate family, I
present a most hearty welcome, and an affectionate regard.

"I thank you all for your sympathetic, kind and generous feelings
manifested through the letters I have received. I must also beg you to
exercise to me a spirit of benevolence and charity, over my apparent
negligence, at times, in not being as prompt as desirable in answering
your communications. For while I profoundly respect and appreciate
your kindness, it is not always convenient for me to send an immediate
reply, as I have daily to attend to all my official duties as when in
my office at home.

"In regard to my position and that of my brethren who are with me, I
am happy to inform you that we now are, and always have been, during
our exile, supplied with everything that is necessary to our comfort
and convenience. Go where we will, we have good accommodations, plenty
of food and the necessaries of life, kind and sympathetic friends,
and the best of treatment. I am also happy in the belief that you are
comfortably situated. If there is anything that any of you require and
you will inform me, I shall be happy to supply it, if within my power.
Some of you have written that you 'would like to have a peep at me.'
I heartily reciprocate that feeling, and would like to have a 'peep'
at you on this occasion; but in my bodily absence my spirit and peace
shall be with you.

"God bless you all, in time and throughout the eternities to come, is
the prayer of your affectionate husband, father and friend in the new
and everlasting covenant--

"JOHN TAYLOR."



CHAPTER XLVI.

REFLECTIONS--DEATH OF SOPHIA TAYLOR--DETERMINATION TO BRING ABOUT AN
ISSUE--A VIOLENT ONE PREFERRED--HALF MASTING EPISODE--THE COURSE OF
THE G. A. R.--WARLIKE PREPARATIONS FOR PIONEER DAY--FLAGS AT HALF MAST
THROUGHOUT THE UNION--EXPRESSIONS OF LOVE AND CONFIDENCE--LAST ILLNESS
AND DEATH OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR.

Such was the man whom the United States officials in Utah thought it
necessary to hunt down like an atrocious felon, and even put a price
upon his head for his apprehension! This is the man adjudged unworthy
by the Edmunds law to vote or hold office in the United States! This
is the man who must be driven from his family and the comforts of home
to satisfy the clamor of an unthinking, prejudiced populace, aroused
to a frenzy of excited intolerance by misrepresentation and an appeal
to passion! It is a sad comment on the subserviency of our national
legislators to have it to say that they yielded a ready submission to
the clamors of the multitude, and steadily refused to investigate the
charges against the Latter-day Saints before enacting the proscriptive
legislation under which President Taylor and men of like character
suffered.

His wife Sophia mentioned in the foregoing letter, who was suffering
from the effects of a paralytic stroke at the time it was written, died
on the 27th of February following. During her distressing illness he
could not visit her; nor yet when the last sad rites that men performed
for the dead were held over her remains could he be present to look
upon the face of this loving and faithful wife. During her illness
her house was closely watched by spies, and even while she was dying
it was searched in hopes of finding him. Though his heart was torn
with anguish under these trying circumstances, he bowed to the hard
conditions with that Christian fortitude which had been characteristic
of him all his life.

When President Taylor retired from public view on the evening of the
1st of February, 1885, it was not out of any consideration for his
personal safety, or ease or comfort, but for the public good and in
the interests of peace. There can be no question but that there was
a cunningly devised plan on the part of the assailants of the Church
to involve the Saints in difficulty with the government, to provoke
them to acts of violence against the alleged execution of the law,
that a pretext might be found for their destruction or expulsion from
the land they had redeemed from the desert. What meant, else, that
unwarranted invasion of the homes of the people? What meant this
inhuman hounding of men so highly honored in the community? What
meant this reign of terror in which laws were perverted, time-honored
precedents overturned, and nearly all the rules of jurisprudence
ignored? What meant the repeated efforts to engage the military power
in the settlement of Utah affairs if violence was not contemplated?
That a pre-text for violence was eagerly sought is clearly seen in the
following:

On the 4th of July, 1885, the United States flag was raised at
half-mast at the City Hall, in Salt Lake City, and over some
other buildings, among them, Z. C. M. I., _Deseret News_ Office
and Tabernacle. This action was designed to express sorrow at the
subversion of those principles of religious and civil liberty in our
Territory for which the founders of our government had fought and died.
This act was construed to be an insult to the flag, and to portend
treason and rebellion. The wildest excitement prevailed; and threats of
violence were indulged in by the enemies of the Saints.

"Pioneer Day," the 24th of July, was not far off, and it was alleged by
the enemies of the Saints that it was the intention of the "Mormons"
to again "insult" the flag by putting it at half-mast, and draping it
in mourning. By industriously circulating such a rumor the country
expected a conflict on that date, and General O. O. Howard, deceived by
the misrepresentations of the anti-Mormon clique, in Salt Lake City,
made such representations to President Cleveland that he was directed
to keep all posts of the Western Platte department of the army in full
strength and be prepared for any emergency that might arise in Utah in
the near future. General Hatch with the Fifth Cavalry was ordered to
remain in readiness at Ogallala, Nebraska, to proceed by express train
to Salt Lake City if necessary.

On the 18th of the month there was a meeting of Lincoln Post No.
2, Grand Army of the Republic, in Butte, Montana. After some minor
business, the subject of the approaching Pioneer Day and Mormon
celebration at Salt Lake, July 24th, and General Howard's dispatches in
relation thereto was taken up and fully discussed. The result was the
appointment of a committee on resolutions. That committee reported the
following, which was unanimously adopted.

"LINCOLN POST, G. A. R.,

"BUTTE CITY,M. T., July 18, 1885.

"WHEREAS, from the report of General Howard and information received
from comrades of the G. A. R., residents of Utah, we are advised that
the representatives of the twin relic of barbarism design on the 24th
inst., to repeat their treasonable actions of July 4th and threaten to
trample the flag of our country in the dust, therefore, be it

"_Resolved_, that the comrades of Lincoln Post, No. 2, G. A. R., tender
to Governor Murray, of Utah, and to H. C. Wardleigh, Commander of the
Department of Utah, G. A. R., the services of this Post at Salt Lake
City on July 24, and 'continue during the war.'

"_Resolved_, that the members of this Post hold themselves in readiness
to 'move together' upon the request of our comrades in Utah; that the
Quartermaster be instructed to at once issue members of the Post arms
and ammunition, and the Adjutant be instructed to notify every member
of this Post to report for duty at once.

"(Signed) E. L. HOLMES,

"J. D. JENKS,

"F. R. VINCENT."

"SPECIAL ORDER."

"HEADQUARTERS LINCOLN POST, no. 2,

"DEPARTMENT OF MONTANA, G. A. R.,

"BUTTE, Montana, July 18, 1885.

"_Special Order No. 4_."

"I. COMRADES: In obedience to resolutions this day passed by Lincoln
Post, each comrade will hold himself in readiness to report for duty,
armed, uniformed and equipped.

"II. This Post is divided into two companies, A and B. Comrade C. S.
Shoemaker is assigned to the command of A. company, and Comrade John
Bechtel is assigned to the command of B. company.

"III. Harry C. Kessler, Quartermaster will at once issue arms and
ammunition to each comrade, and make the proper arrangement for such
transportation, subsistence and supplies as the occasion may require.

"[By order of the Post Commander.]

"J. J. YORK, Adjutant."

The cause of such a movement as this doubtless occurred at the instance
of the bitter anti-Mormons in Salt Lake. Eight days before, their
organ, the Salt Lake _Tribune_, said:

"The ex-Confederate soldiers are talking of holding an indignation
meeting here on the 24th inst., to express their views on the insult
offered to the flag on July 4, by the Mormon Church in this city. The
federal court room has been obtained, the railroads have agreed to give
half-fare rates from the Park, Ogden and the mining camps, and the
hotels such reasonable rates as to make it an object. The sentiments
of the ex-Confederates are to be embodied in the form of resolutions
to be sent to the Southern States and Congressmen, politicians and
newspapers in that section. It is believed that the southern people
should be made aware of the true condition of affairs in Utah, and that
they will listen to and believe what the ex-Confederate soldiers living
here may say on the subject, with more readiness than they would were
the information to come to them from all loyal citizens of Utah without
distinction. It is a good move, and for another reason. There is talk
on the streets to the effect that on the 24th--Pioneer's Day--the
Mormons intend to drape the flag in mourning and float it at half-mast.
That would be a good day for the presence in this city of two or three
thousand old soldiers, Federal and Confederate. It would probably
result in a speedy and effectual settlement of the whole Mormon
business, for with such men here in force the nation's flag would not
be insulted with impunity."

In all this one may see the wolf accusing the lamb with fouling the
water, though the latter stood below him in the stream: or the big
bully of a boy, though a coward at heart, strutting about with a chip
on his shoulder daring little urchins to knock it off. There can be no
question but what it was the design of the anti-Mormon agitators to
have present on that day if not "two or three thousand old soldiers,"
at least that many desperate men to precipitate a crisis by provoking
the people to resistance, that there might be a "speedy and effectual
settlement of the whole Mormon business." With such a gathering
not even the aid of conjecture is necessary to determine how "the
settlement" would have been attempted.

It is needless to say there had been no intention to insult the flag,
by putting it at half-mast on the 4th of July. The people had cause to
mourn, and they did it quietly and respectfully with the flag which
they revered at half-mast; and no one but blustering demagogues,
seeking cause of quarrel could see in that treasonable designs on the
government, or disrespect to the flag. Neither had there been any
determination to drape the flag in mourning and fly it at half-must
on the 24th of July. All that originated in the depraved minds of men
who were only too anxious to have the Saints do something that would
furnish an excuse for making war upon them. The most formidable thing
contemplated on that day, on the part of the Saints, was a gathering of
Sunday school children at the Tabernacle.

All these war-like demonstrations on the part of the enemies of the
Saints, however, were very singularly quieted. General U. S. Grant, who
for some time had been having a stubborn fight with death, surrendered
quietly to the dread monarch on the morning of July 23rd. The same day
the Governor of Utah, Eli H. Murry, issued a proclamation recommending
that "flags draped in mourning be placed on all public buildings, and,
as far as practicable, on business houses and on the houses of the
people, and that they so remain until the burial."

Thus the crisis passed.

This incident reveals the need there was of taking every precaution
to avoid excitement, and vindicates the wisdom of President Taylor's
course in going into exile. He had observed the determination of men in
official positions to involve the Saints in serious trouble, and was
determined that so far as he was concerned, they should have no pretext
on which to base their actions.

The Latter-day Saints appreciated his motives, and sent to him in
his exile cheering words of blessing, confidence and support. As the
conference held at Provo, in April, 1887, was drawing to a close,
Apostle F. D. Richards arose and said:

"In view of recent occurrences, and the assaults which have been made
upon the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints,

"I move that we, the officers and members of the Church, in general
conference assembled, express to our faithful brethren who preside over
us, and to the world at large, by our vote, our undiminished confidence
in and love for them.

"That, inasmuch as President John Taylor is our Prophet, Seer and
Revelator, chosen by the Lord, we do express to him in this manner,
our love and respect for him, and unite in saying that we have viewed
with admiration the steadfastness, integrity and valor which he has
displayed in the cause of God.

"That, as Trustee-in-Trust, we approve of his course, and endorse and
ratify his official acts, and have entire confidence in his integrity
in this capacity.

"And that we also entertain the same feelings for his two Counselors,
Presidents George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith, in their places; and
desire to assure these, our beloved brethren, that we do uphold them by
our faith, prayers, and works; and that we look forward with delight to
the time when we shall have the privilege of again beholding the faces
of these, our brethren, the First Presidency of the Church, and hearing
their voices in our public assemblies."

This was carried by a hearty, unanimous vote.

But the Saints were no more to have the privilege in this life of
seeing the face and hearing the voice of President Taylor. Though
his age had been as a lusty winter, frosty but kindly; though in his
youth never had he partaken of hot and rebellious liquors to inflame
or contaminate his blood, nor with unbashful forehead wooed the means
of weakness and debility, yet his long exile and the confinement
incidental thereto, at last broke down his health. Notwithstanding the
kind attentions of his associates in exile, and trusted friends who
gladly received him into their houses, their friendly administrations
could not fill the place of home and its joys, its happy reunions and
associations. Nor could he have that regular exercise in exile that he
would have had in freedom. Add to these things the cares and anxieties
forced upon him by reason of the unwarranted and inhuman assaults made
upon himself and the people over whom he presided, and you have at once
the causes of his last illness and death. Had it not been for these
things President Taylor undoubtedly would have lived many years longer
to direct the affairs of the Church of Christ.

His health commenced failing about a year before his death, but his
last illness began about five months before that sad event. Sustained
by his marvelous will-power, he resisted the approach of death
with all his characteristic determination. He would neither permit
himself nor others to believe that he was seriously ill. But his
decreasing inclination to take what little exercise he could under the
circumstances; and periods of prostration occurring with increasing
frequency, told its own story as to how the battle was going.

The tenth of July marked a crisis in the struggle for life which
alarmed his friends and attendants. The tenth occurred on Sunday. It
had been his custom in these years of exile to hold religious service
on the Sabbath and fast days, the first Thursday of every month. The
brethren who were with him usually took turns in presiding in these
meetings. The service consisted of singing, prayer, administering the
sacrament and such remarks as the brethren felt inclined to make. On
the tenth of July before named, the meeting was called as usual and
opened, but no one could speak. President Taylor's illness had taken a
turn for the worse and the unpleasant conviction forced itself on those
about him least willing to believe it, that he was gradually sinking.
The day after the memorable tenth of July, his first Counselor, George
Q. Cannon, wrote the following to Daniel H. Wells:

"It gives me great pain to be obliged to communicate to you the
intelligence that, I think, President Taylor is gradually passing
away, and according to present appearances, may not live many days or
a week at the farthest. For four months past he has been ailing, and
his health and strength gradually failing him; but he has been so full
of hope and pluck that he has impressed us all who have been with him
with a feeling that he would recover. Through all his sickness up to
the present he has steadily maintained that he would get better, and
knowing how much the faith of the people has been exercised in his
behalf, it has been difficult to resist the conviction that he would
get well. I addressed letters to the Twelve who are absent from the
city on the 1st inst. advising them of his condition. On the 5th, being
in the city, I addressed letters to them again, advising them that
I had heard such good reports from President Taylor, that I felt it
my duty to communicate it to them. He appeared to have taken a very
favorable turn, and asserted that now he would get better; but this
lasted only a few days. An unfavorable change took place yesterday and
I think he is sinking.

"It is with a great reluctance that I admit this to myself; but I feel
it my duty to try and communicate it to you and to all the brethren of
the Council."

Letters similar in import were written to the Apostles; but after this
he rallied again and inspired those around him for several days with
new hopes. On the 18th his second Counselor, Joseph F. Smith, arrived
from the Sandwich Islands. President Taylor was very weak and low but
still conscious; and as he looked up and recognized Brother Joseph, and
his attention was called to the fact that the First Presidency were
together once more--the first time since December, 1884--he said:

"_I feel to thank the Lord_!"

After this he continued to grow weaker, with only intervals of
consciousness, until the evening of the 25th.

It was at the house of Thomas F. Rouche, of Kaysville, that President
Taylor was fighting out this last battle, with such remarkable
determination. On the above named evening, the few friends who were
permitted to be with him, among whom were his two Counselors, two of
his wives, Mary Oakey Taylor and Maggie Young Taylor, and the Rouche
family, were gathered about his bed as he slowly sank under the hand of
Death. He was passing away without a struggle, quietly as a child falls
asleep. At five minutes to eight o'clock, "the weary wheels of life
stood still"--the great spirit had left its earthly tabernacle.



CHAPTER XLVII.

OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR'S DEATH--HIS COUNSELORS ON
HIS LIFE AND CHARACTER--EXPRESSIONS OF THE PEOPLE--RESOLUTIONS OF
RESPECT.

The next day the sad event of President Taylor's death was announced
to the Church and the world in the following communication from his
counselors to the _Deseret News_:

"Once more the Latter-day Saints are called upon to mourn the death
of their leader--the man who has held the keys of the kingdom of God
upon earth. President John Taylor departed this life at five minutes to
eight o'clock on the evening of Monday, July 25th, 1887, aged 78 years,
8 months and 25 days.

"In communicating this sad intelligence to the Church, over which he
has so worthily presided for nearly ten years past, we are filled
with emotion too deep for utterance. A faithful, devoted and fearless
servant of God, the Church in his death has lost its most conspicuous
and experienced leader. Steadfast to and immovable in the truth,
few men have ever lived who have manifested such integrity and such
unflinching moral and physical courage as our beloved President who
has just gone from us. He never knew the feeling of fear connected
with the work of God. But in the face of angry mobs, and at other
times when in imminent danger of personal violence from those who
threatened his life, and upon occasions when the people were menaced
with public peril, he never blenched--his knees never trembled, his
hand never shook. Every Latter-day Saint always knew beforehand, on
occasions when firmness and courage were needed, where President John
Taylor would be found and what his tone would be. He met every issue
squarely, boldly and in a way to call forth the admiration of all who
saw and heard him. Undaunted courage, unyielding firmness were among
his most prominent characteristics, giving him distinction among men
who were distinguished for the same qualities. With these were combined
an intense love of freedom and hatred of oppression. He was a man whom
all could trust, and throughout his life he enjoyed, to an extent
surpassed by none, the implicit confidence of the Prophets Joseph,
Hyrum and Brigham and all the leading men and members of the Church.
The title of "Champion of Liberty," which he received at Nauvoo, was
always felt to be most appropriate for him to bear. But it was not only
in the possession of these qualities that President Taylor was great.
His judgment was remarkably sound and clear, and through life he has
been noted for the wisdom of his counsels and teachings. His great
experience made his suggestions exceedingly valuable; for there has
scarcely been a public movement of any kind commenced, carried on, or
completed, since he joined the Church in which he has not taken part.

"But it is not necessary that we should, even if time permitted,
rehearse the events of his long and busy life. To do so would only be
to give the greater part of the history of the Church; for with it his
biography is inseparably interwoven.

"The last time President Taylor appeared in public was on Sunday,
February 1st, 1885. On that occasion he delivered a lengthy discourse
in the Tabernacle, in Salt Lake City. Rumor had been floating around
for some time that his arrest was contemplated. In fact, while
returning from a trip to the settlements in Arizona, he was advised
in California that he was in great danger, and it was suggested that
perhaps it would be better for him not to return to Salt Lake City. He
listened to these cautions but still resolved to take the risk, and
came back and fearlessly went about his business for some time. But on
the evening of Saturday, February 1st, he concluded to withdraw himself
from the public performance of his numerous and important duties. In
taking this step he did so more to preserve peace and to remove all
possible cause of excitement, than from any desire of personal safety.
He perceived that there was a determination on the part of men holding
official position here to raise an issue, and, if possible, involve
the Latter-day Saints in serious trouble. He had not broken any law.
He knew he was innocent and that if he were arrested and could have a
fair trial, nothing could be brought against him. He had taken every
precaution that a man could take under his circumstances to make
himself invulnerable to attack. He was determined that, so far as he
was concerned, he would furnish no pretext for trouble, but would do
everything in his power to prevent the people over whom he presided
from being involved in difficulty.

"From that date, upwards of two years and a half ago, when he left his
home in Salt Lake City, he had not the opportunity of crossing its
threshold again. To home and its joys, its delightful associations and
its happy reunions he has been a stranger. He has lived as an exile--a
wanderer in the land, to the development and good government of which
he has contributed so much! While living in this condition, one of his
wives was stricken with disease, and though his heart was torn with
anguish at the thought of her condition, and with anxiety to see her
and minister to her in her deep distress, her residence was closely
watched by spies, and when she was in a dying condition, was even
searched with the hope of entrapping him! Thus she was deprived of the
privilege of looking upon his beloved face, and he had not even the sad
consolation of witnessing or taking any part in her funeral ceremonies.

"During the two years and a half that President Taylor has been living
in this condition, he has been cut off from all the society and loving
ministrations of his family. But though this was so hard to bear at
his time of life, he never murmured. He was always full of courage
and hope, cheering everyone with whom he was brought in contact, and
lifting his companions by his noble example out of despondency and
discouragement. With the same courage with which he stood by the
Prophet of God and with a walking cane parried the guns of the mob
when they vomited their sheets of flame and messengers of death in
Carthage jail, he confronted the difficulties and the trials which
he had to meet when compelled to leave his home and the society of
those whom he loved. His demeanor throughout this long ordeal has been
most admirable. Everyone who has seen him has been impressed by his
equanimity and stately bearing. Always distinguished for his courtesy
and dignity of character, at no period of his life did he ever exhibit
those traits to greater advantage than he has during his exile. He
has never condescended even to speak evil of those who so cruelly
persecuted him.

"By the miraculous power of God, President John Taylor escaped the
death which the assassins of Carthage jail assigned for him. His blood
was then mingled with the blood of the martyred Prophet and Patriarch.
He has stood since then as a living martyr for the truth. But today
he occupies the place of a double martyr. President John Taylor has
been killed by the cruelty of officials who have, in this Territory,
misrepresented the Government of the United States. There is no room
to doubt that if he had been permitted to enjoy the comforts of home,
the ministrations of his family, the exercise to which he had been
accustomed, but of which he was deprived, he might have lived for many
years yet. His blood stains the clothes of the men, who with insensate
hate have offered rewards for his arrest and have hounded him to the
grave. History will yet call their deeds by their right names; but One
greater than the combined voices of all historians will yet pronounce
their dreadful sentence.

"It is now some time since President Taylor was attacked by disease.
It came upon him by degrees, manifesting itself in the beginning by
a swelling of the limbs for the want of proper exercise. He fought
disease with his characteristic pluck and determination. He would not
yield. He would neither allow himself nor anyone else to think that his
sickness was serious. He would not permit his family to know his real
condition, as he did not wish them to have any anxiety on his account,
and it was almost against his express wishes they were told how sick
he was. When messages were sent by him to them, they were always of a
re-assuring character. Up to the last day or two he was able to sit
in his chair, and until quite recently he was able to assist himself
in getting in and out of bed. The strength he has exhibited and his
tenacity of life have been very wonderful; for though so strong, he
had partaken of scarcely and nourishment for the past six weeks. So
peacefully did he pass away, and so like a babe falling asleep that a
brief period elapsed before those who stood around his bed were sure
that his spirit had taken its flight.

"As the sad intelligence which we now communicate will spread through
these valleys and mountains, sorrow will fill the hearts of all at
hearing of the last days of their beloved and venerable President. We
know how deep has been the sympathy that has filled the hearts of the
Saints for him in his advanced years, in thinking of his condition and
of his being compelled to live as an exile from his family the people.
The expressions of esteem love which have come to him from all parts
of the land have deeply touched him and caused him great pleasure in
thinking how much he was beloved and how much his welfare was desired
by all the Saints throughout the earth.

"His constant desire was to do everything in his power to relieve
the Latter-day Saints from the oppressions under which they suffer.
Every pulsation of his heart beat with a love of Zion and a desire for
her redemption. We desired, and the desire was general, we believe,
throughout the Church--that he might live to emerge from his exile and
be once more a free man among the people whom he loved. But this has
been denied us. He has gone to mingle with the holy and the pure, and
to quote his own eloquent words, written concerning his dear friend,
Joseph the Seer:

    "Beyond the reach of mobs and strife,
    He rests unharmed in endless life;
    His home's in the sky, he dwells with the Gods,
    Far from the furious rage of mobs."

And though we have lost his presence here, his influence will still be
felt. Such men may pass from this life to another, but the love which
beats in their hearts for righteousness and for truth cannot die. They
go to an enlarged sphere of usefulness. Their influence is extended
and more widely felt, and Zion will feel the benefit of his labors, as
it has the labors of others who have gone before him. The work of God
will roll forth. One after another of the mighty men--the men who have
spent their lives in the cause of God--may pass away, but this will
not affect the purposes of our Great Creator concerning His latter-day
work. He will raise up others, and the work will go on increasing
in power, in influence, and in all true greatness, until it will
accomplish all that God has predicted concerning it.

"We feel to say to the Latter-day Saints: Be comforted! The same God
who took care of the work when Joseph was martyred, who has watched
over and guarded and upheld it through the long years that have since
elapsed, and who has guided its destinies since the departure of
Brigham, still watches over it and makes it the object of His care.
John has gone; but God lives. He has founded Zion. He has given His
people a testimony of this. Cherish it in your heart of hearts, and
live so each day that when the end of your mortal lives shall come, you
may be counted worthy to go where Joseph, Brigham and John have gone,
and mingle with that glorious throng whose robes have been washed white
in the blood of the Lamb.

"This is the earnest prayer for all Saints, and for all the honest in
heart, of your unworthy servants in Christ,

"GEORGE Q. CANNON,

"JOSEPH F. SMITH."

This announcement cast an inexpressible gloom over the entire
community. Everywhere could be heard expressions of esteem for the
departed: "We did not think when he was driven into exile that we would
never see him in life again," said some. "Well, he is beyond the reach
of the minions of the law now," said others. "How we would like to have
seen his face and heard his kindly voice once more before he left us!"
"This makes twice he has suffered martyrdom!"

The _Deseret News_, in concluding a lengthy biographical sketch of him
said:

"The soul of honor, of indomitable energy and unflinching firmness when
convinced of the right, President Taylor was the embodiment of dignity
and urbane authority. His record is without a stain, and his name will
be inscribed in the archives of heaven, among those of the mighty
spirits who have helped to sway the destinies of this world. He has
gone to mingle with his brethren of the last dispensation who laid the
foundation of this great work, and with them he will shine in eternal
splendor as a son of God, an heir to the royal Priesthood, a ruler in
the Father's kingdom. May peace and comfort rest upon the bereaved!"

Following are the resolutions of respect adopted by the Board of
Directors of Z. C. M. I.--of which he was President,--at their first
meeting after his death:

"_Whereas_, On the 25th day of July, 1887, it pleased an All-wise
Creator to remove from our midst, by the hand of death, President John
Taylor; and,

"_Whereas_, He was elected a director of the Z. C. M. I., October 7th,
1877, and served in that capacity until October 5th, 1883, when he
was elected president of this institution, and acted in that office
continuously from that date until his demise; and,

"_Whereas_, His whole life has been prominent for unblemished rectitude
and distinguished ability, the last fifty years of it having been
devoted almost exclusively to the benefits of his fellow men--as an
able companion of human liberty--and advocate of correct religious
principles, as a journalist, legislator and a leader of a great people.
Therefore, be it

"_Resolved_, That in the departure from this life of one so good, noble
and useful as the late President John Taylor, we have sustained a
great loss, in which the community widely participates and while fully
sensing this effect of his decease, we extend to his family, in the
hour of their bereavement, our most heart-felt sympathy. Also,

"_Resolved_, That this expression of our appreciation of the character
and ability of our deceased, venerated President, brother and friend be
spread upon the minutes of this board meeting in full, and that a copy
thereof be engrossed and presented to his family."

The _Deseret News_, a few days after his death, speaking again of him
said:

"The departed servant of God, the tokens of whose decease still droop
from the doors and depend from the places that once were dignified by
his presence, needs no eulogy of the living to glorify his tomb. He has
a pattern of integrity, intrepidity, firmness and calm reliance upon
God and the truth. His record is clean and his course without a spot."

Such were a few of the expressions of mingled esteem and love which
welled up from the hearts of the people, and found expression on their
lips.



CHAPTER XLVIII.

PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND CHARACTER--HIS BROAD VIEWS--FAITH AND
CONFIDENCE IN GOD--DEVOTION TO HIS RELIGION--MORAL LIFE ABOVE
SUSPICION--LOVE OF LIBERTY--"I WOULD NOT BE A SLAVE TO GOD!"--THE
RICHES HE SOUGHT--"I PREFER A FADED COAT TO A FADED REPUTATION"--SKILL
AND MAXIMS AS A WORKMAN--POWER AS A WRITER--A POET--A PREACHER OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS--SOCIAL QUALITIES--A GREAT MAN.

The story of President Taylor's life is before the reader. We may now
consider his character as reflected in that story.

In person President Taylor was nearly six feet in height and of fine
proportion, that combination which gives activity and strength. His
head was large, the face oval and the features large, strong and finely
chiseled. The forehead was high and massive, the eyes gray, deep-set,
and of a mild, kindly expression, except when aroused, and then they
were capable of reflecting all the feelings that moved his soul,
whether of indignation, scorn or contempt. The nose was aquiline, the
mouth well formed and expressive of firmness, the chin powerful and
well rounded. In early life he was of a fair complexion, but with age
the face grew swarthy, and even in middle life his abundant hair turned
to a silvery whiteness, which but added beauty to his brow and made his
appearance venerable.

In his manner he was ever affable and polite, easy and gracious, yet
princely in dignity. In his intercourse with others he was familiar
but never vulgar. He was not a man whom a friend, however intimate,
would slap familiarly on the back or turn and twist about when shaking
hands; such proceedings with him would have been as much out of place
as with the proudest crowned monarch in the presence-chamber. Yet there
was no affectation in his deportment, no stiffness; his dignity was
that with which nature clothes her noblest sons. It did not spring from
self-conceit, or self-sufficiency, or any spirit such as

    "I am Sir Oracle, and when I speak
    Let no man ope his lips!"

Nor was it studied, or copied, or put on for state occasions. He
carried it with him wherever he went--into his own home, into the
homes of his friends. It was with him in courts and palaces, among the
refined and the titled nobility of this world; he never plucked it off
on entering the humblest cottage of the poor. He was to his manners
born, and they were suited to the man. In any assembly he would have
been a striking figure.

There was a beautiful harmony in the character of his mind and the
lineaments of his person. If the habitation was splendid, the inmate
was worthy of it. His noble form and bearing were but the outward
expression of the spirit within. A universal benevolence, powerful
intellect, splendid courage, physical as well as moral, a noble
independence of spirit, coupled with implicit faith and trust in
God, a high sense of honor, unimpeachable integrity, indomitable
determination, and a passionate love of liberty, justice and truth
marked the outlines of his character--in short, the elements were

    "So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up
    And say to all the world--'This is a man!"'

President Taylor believed absolutely in the universal Fatherhood of God
and the brotherhood of man. From that grand cardinal doctrine sprang
his liberal views as to the hand dealings of God with His children. He
despised anything that savored of narrow-mindedness or bigotry. Who
does not remember with what scorn he treated the spirit which led the
man to pray:

    "Lord, bless me and my wife,
    My son John and his wife,
    Us four, but no more. Amen."

"I think sometimes," he would remark, "that as a people we are a good
deal sectarian in our feelings, and it is necessary for us occasionally
to look at the pit from whence we were dug, and the rock from whence
we were hewn. We are all too ready to cry out, as the sectarians do in
their different orders:

    "'The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,
    The temple of the Lord are we!'

"We say we are the children of God. That is true, we are. We are sparks
struck from the blaze of His eternal fire. But what of the rest of
the world--whose children are they? They are also the children of our
Heavenly Father, and He is interested in their welfare as He is in
ours; and as a kind, beneficent Father towards His children, He has
been seeking from generation to generation to promote the welfare, the
happiness and the exaltation of the human family.

"We sometimes talk about the hand of God being over us. Of course it
is, and will be over us for ever, if we will only serve Him, for He is
always true. But His hand is over the nations of the earth also. He is
interested in the welfare of this nation, and all other nations, and
all other peoples, as well as in our welfare.

"I believe in God, in Jesus Christ, and in the exaltation of the human
family, and consequently have acted and do act in accordance with that
belief. If others choose to do otherwise, that is their business.
'But,' says one, 'don't you want to send them all to hell?' No, I
don't; but I would be glad to get them out of it; and if I could do
them any good, I would do it with pleasure. I do not believe in this
wrath and dread, but if a man acts meanly I will tell him that he is a
poor, mean cur. Then if I find him hungry, I would feed him; or if I
found him naked, I would clothe him; for the gospel teaches me to do
good and benefit mankind as far as lies in my power.

"I remember reading a few lines of some very zealous Protestant who
wrote over some public building:

    "'In this place may enter
    Greek, Jew or Atheist,--
    Any thing but a Papist.'

"Now, I say, let the Papist come in, too, the Moslem, the Greek, the
Jew, the pagan, the believers and the unbelievers, and the whole world.
If God sends His rain on the good and the evil, and makes His sun to
shine on the just and the unjust, I certainly shall not object. Let
them worship as they please and have full freedom and equal rights and
privileges with us and all men."

It will be seen from the foregoing that while he claimed absolute
religious liberty for himself, he accorded the same right to others.
"There are two things," he remarks, "that I have felt very decided upon
ever since I could comprehend anything; one is that I would worship God
as I pleased, without anybody's dictation; and that I would dictate to
no man his faith, neither should any man dictate to me my faith; the
other is that I would vote as I pleased."

Of the deep religious convictions of President Taylor it is scarcely
necessary to speak. His whole life demonstrates how deep was the
religious soil in his nature, into which the seeds of truth were sown
to bring forth an hundred fold. His devotion to his religion was not
only sincere, it was without reserve. He gave himself and his whole
life to it. His faith, his trust and confidence in God were complete.
"I do not believe in a religion that cannot have all my affections," he
would sometimes remark, "but I believe in a religion that I can live
for, or die for.

"I would rather trust in the living God than in any other power on
earth. I learned [while on missions] that I could go to God and He
always relieved me. He always supplied my wants. I always had plenty
to eat, drink and wear, and could ride on steam-boats or railroads, or
anywhere I thought proper: God always opened my way, and so He will
that of every man who will put his trust in Him.

"I would rather have God for my friend than all other influences and
powers outside."

Such were his sentiments, such his devotion to his religion, such his
testimony to the goodness of God.

"He was a man," said one who knew him well nigh half a century, "that
could not get down to grovel with the low-lived, the vicious, the
ribald, nor any who indulged in the follies and vanities of mortal
life." Referring himself to those who did love the abomination of
wickedness, with all its crookedness, deceitfulness and crime he ever
exclaimed: "My soul, enter thou not into their secret; and mine honor,
with them be thou not united!" In all these things he not only lived
above reproach, but above suspicion.

The most prominent feature of his character, doubtless, was his ardent
love of liberty. For this he was distinguished even among his brethren
who as a group were remarkable for their love of and devotion to
freedom. To other men the love of liberty was a principle; with him it
was not only a principle but a passion: others may have been educated
to love it; he loved it instinctively.

In a letter to one of his brethren, answering one that had laid rather
hard conditions upon him, he expressed the following sentiments, in
which it is difficult to determine which most appears, his love of
liberty or his detestation, his utter abhorrence of slavery:

"I was not born a slave! I cannot, will not be a slave. I would not
be slave to God! I'd be His servant, friend, His son. I'd go at His
behest; but would not be His slave. I'd rather be extinct than be a
slave. His friend I feel I am, and He is mine:--a slave! The manacles
would pierce my very bones--the clanking chains would grate upon my
soul--a poor, lost, servile, crawling wretch to lick the dust and
fawn and smile upon the thing who gave the lash! Myself--perchance my
wives, my children to dig the mud, to mould and tell the tale of brick
and furnish our own straw! * * * But stop! I'm God's free man: I will
not, cannot be a slave! Living, I'll be free here, or free in life
above--free with the Gods, for they are free: and if I'm in the way on
earth, I'll ask my God to take me to my friends above!"

He never devoted himself to money getting. He never bowed at the gilded
shrine of mammon. The yellow god of this world found in him no devotee.
"Many men could see a sovereign or a half eagle a long way farther off
than he could," remarked one who knew him. Yet the amount of property
he accumulated at Nauvoo, and which he sacrificed in order to flee
into the wilderness with the Church of Christ, is sufficient to prove
that he was not without financial ability. But he had his eyes and
heart fixed upon the better riches, those which moth and rust could not
corrupt, neither mobs break through nor steal. These things filled his
soul, engrossed his attention and left but a small margin of time to
him in which to fall in love with the wealth of this world. His motto
was--"Money is of little importance where truth is concerned."

"It is the crowns, the principalities, the powers, the thrones, the
dominions, and the associations with the Gods that we are after, and we
are here to prepare ourselves for these things--this is the main object
of existence."

Still it must not be thought that he was indifferent to financial
enterprises and the development of the resources of the country. His
efforts at establishing sugar works after his return from France;
building and running the first nail factory; the contracts he took and
filled when the Union Pacific railroad was building; his interest in
the mining industry of the Territory; his association with Z. C. M. I.,
all give evidence to the contrary. He merely gave financial affairs a
subordinate place to the interests of the kingdom of God.

He was cautious in his business methods, and scrupulously honest.
During a period that he was in straightened circumstances, a member of
his family was out of fuel, and without the means to purchase any. She
sent word of the situation to him; having no money, and not wishing to
go in debt as long as he saw no prospect of repaying it, he sent to
her his new overcoat as that was the only thing he had at hand which
could be turned into money. It was accompanied with a kind note that
directed one of his sons to dispose of it, and deplored the rather
close circumstances in which they were placed. "I can get along very
nicely with my old coat this winter," he wrote: "it is a little faded,
but then _I prefer a faded coat to a faded reputation_; and I do not
propose to ask for accommodations that I am not prepared to meet."

He was a skillful workman in his business of turner, and when not
engaged in the ministry, like Paul, "his own hands administered to his
necessities." We have already seen him in the saw-pit day after day
manufacturing lumber with a whip saw before the erection of saw mills;
building his own house, cultivating his own garden, fencing his own
farm, constructing the first bridge over the river Jordan.

He had adopted in practice some most excellent maxims which would have
insured him success in any business he might have chosen. What they
were may be seen in this: If he plowed a field it must be done well. He
was not content to skim over the ground merely. If the ground was hard
or rocky in places, some one must ride on the beam and the plow made
to do its work. Moreover, the furrows must be straight. If he planted
trees the holes must be made large; in setting them in, the fibres of
the roots must be spread out and the soil placed round them carefully,
and then be well watered that they might have every chance to live.

He had some skill in drawing and was an adept at wood carving for which
his patterns were of his own designing. Of this kind of work as of all
other kinds he would often say: "If a thing is done well, no one will
ask how long it took to do it, but who did it."

Of his skill and power as a writer, the reader who has followed us
through this volume, has seen some evidence from the extracts from
his writings. These, however, have been mainly from his discussions,
editorials and newspaper articles in the defense of Zion and her
interests; and from his theological works. Powerful as he was in his
style of composition, he also had ability in other departments of
literature. He wrote in part a drama founded on incidents recorded in
the Book of Mormon. He never completed it, and the manuscript of it,
unfortunately, is lost; but those who heard it read, speak of it as
giving evidence of considerable dramatic skill in its construction,
and applaud the speeches of the characters for vigor and elegance of
diction.

President Taylor was also a poet; and from the deep religious nature
of the man, it could but be expected that the grand themes suggested
by the gospel would inspire his muse. The restoration of the gospel,
the going forth of messengers of glory with it to the sons of men,
furnished him with inspiration for several hymns published in the
Latter-day Saints' Hymn Book. The one on page 295, beginning--

    "The glorious plan which God has given,
    To bring a ruined world to heaven,"

suggested by this passage of scripture--"For there are three that bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost; and these
three are one; and there are three that bear witness in earth, the
Spirit, the water and the blood; and these three are one" [1]--is not
only a poem, but a discourse in which the harmony and beauty of the
Triune witnesses in heaven and in earth are made to stand out in bold
relief.

Friendship also inspired his muse, and his "Response" to Parley P.
Pratt's "Fiftieth Year;" [2] and "The Seer," [3] written in memory of
the Prophet Joseph Smith, are two of his noblest pieces in verse.

His friends speak of a number of his poems that were never published,
written in different strains from those with which the public is
familiar, especially of one written while crossing the Atlantic, highly
humorous and exhibiting an extensive knowledge of mythology. This is
not to be found among his papers.

The following in blank verse is worthy of preservation for the grandeur
and sublimity of the theme. It was written September 5th, 1846:

LINES WRITTEN IN THE ALBUM OF MISS ABBY JANE HART, OF NEW YORK CITY.

    ABBY: knowest thou whence thou camest? Thine
    Origin? Who thou art? What? And whither thou
    Art bound? A crysolis of yesterday:
    Today a gaudy, fluttering butterfly--
    A moth; tomorrow crushed, and then an end
    Of thee. Is this so? and must thou perish
    Thus, and die ingloriously without a hope?

    Ah, no; thou art no such thing. Thou in the
    Bosom of thy Father bask'd and liv'd, and
    Mov'd thousands of years ago. Yes, e'er this
    Mundane sphere from chaos sprung, or sun, or
    Moon, or stars, or world was fram'd; Before the
    Sons of God for joy did shout, or e'er the
    Morning stars together sung--thou liv'd'st.
    Thou liv'dst to live again. Ah, no! thou liv'd
    But to continue life eternal--to
    Live and move, and act eternally. Yes;
    Long as a spirit, God or world exists;
    From everlasting, eternal, without end!
    And whilst thou dwelt in thy paternal home,
    And with thy brethren shar'd extatic bliss,
    All that a spirit could, not clothed in flesh,
    Thou through the vista of unnumbered years
    Saw'st through the glimmering veil that thou would'st
    Dwell in flesh--just as the Gods.

                                Tread in the
    Footsteps of thine elder brother, Jesus--
    The "Prince of Peace," for whom a body was prepared.

    Thou heard; thou look'd; thou long'd; thou pray'd;
    Thou hop'd for this, at length it came; and thou
    Appeared on this terraqueous ball,
    From the hands of Eloheim--eternal
    As himself--part of thy God. A small spark
    Of Deity, struck from the fire of his eternal blaze.

    Thou cam'st! thou cam'st to live! of life thou art
    A living monument; to it thou still
    Dost cling--eternal life! To thee all else
    Are straw and chaff, and bubbles light as air;
    And will be all, until thou gain'st once more
    Thy Father's breast; raised, quickened, immortal;
    Body, spirit, all; a God among the Gods forever bless'd.
    Abby, and hast thou dared to launch thy
    Fragile barque on truth's tempestuous sea;
    To meet the pelting storm and proudly brave
    The dangers of the raging main; and through
    The rocks and shoals, and yawning gulfs pursue
    The nearest way to life, in hopes that thou
    Woulds't speedily gain a seat among the Gods?

    See'st thou the multitudes who sail in
    Guilded barques, and gently float along the
    Silvery stream? Downward they go with sweet,
    Luxurious ease, and scarce a zephyr moves
    The tranquil bosom of the placid stream.
    Unconscious of the greatness of the prize
    They might obtain, they glide along in peace;
    And as they never soar aloft, nor mount
    On eagle's wings, nor draw aside the veil
    Of other worlds, they know none else than this--
    No other joys. They dream away their life,
    And die forgot, just as the butterfly,
    They gaily flutter on; today they live--
    Tomorrow are no more.

                            And though, like thee
    In them is the eternal spark, thousands
    Of weary years must roll along er'e they
    Regain the prize they might with thee have shar'd.
    Regain it? Never! no! They may come where
    Thou wert, but never can they with thee share
    Extatic bliss.

               For whils't in heaven's progressive
    Science skilled, thou soard'st from world to world, clad
    In the robes of bright seraphic light; and
    With thy God, eternal--onward goest, a
    Priestess and a queen--reigning and ruling in
    The realms of light. Unlike the imbeciles
    Who dared not brook the scorn of men, and knew not
    How to prize eternal life.

    Abby, the cup's within thy reach; drink thou
    The vital balm and live!

How priceless the album containing such a gem!

It will be as a preacher of righteousness that President Taylor will be
best remembered by the generation who heard him. His published sermons
would make several large volumes if collected; but those published are
insignificant in comparison with the number he delivered. The Saints
who listened to him for half a century will remember as long as they
live his commanding presence, his personal magnetism, the vigor and
power of his discourses and the grand principles of which they treated.
He spoke extemporaneously as indeed do all the Elders of Israel. The
formal, set discourse, so common in the world, has never been favorably
received in the Church of Jesus Christ. It may be said that in that
Church a new school of oratory, quite distinct from the strictly
scholastic oratory of the world, is being formed; a manner of speech
which depends for its success rather upon the presence and operations
of the Holy Spirit than upon the cunning or ability of the speaker.
When the Lord sent the first Elders out to preach the gospel He gave
them these instructions:

"Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say, but treasure up
in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you
in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man."

"Verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people, speak
the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be
confounded before men; for it shall be given you in the very hour, yea,
in the very moment, what ye shall say. But a commandment I give unto
you, that ye shall declare whatsoever things ye declare in my name in
solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things. And I
give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this, the Holy Ghost
shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye
shall say.

"This is an example unto all those who are ordained unto this
priesthood, whose mission is appointed to go forth [to preach the
gospel]. They shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost,
and whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost,
shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the word
of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto
salvation; behold this is the promise of the Lord unto you, O ye my
servants."

This makes the kind of oratory which obtains in the Church of Christ
today resemble closely that which existed in the Church among the first
Christians. The reader will doubtless remember that the great apostle
of the Gentiles said:

"And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's
wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power."

In the primitive as in the modern Church the reason for instituting
this manner of discourse, is the same: That the faith of believers
should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

These instructions from the Almighty, President Taylor carried out as
implicitly as any man engaged in the ministry; and while his discourses
may lack the polish, the faultless rhetoric, the studied climax to be
found in the set speeches of the learned orators of the world, they are
full of great thoughts and the inspiration of God--an excellence which
more than repays for the want of smoothness and the fine finish that a
carping criticism demands.

It was not his manner to deal with nice distinctions of words, their
derivations or the various shades of their meanings. His was not the
skill to

    "Distinguish and divide
    A hair 'twixt South and South-west side."

He chose rather to deal with general principles, great truths and
build on them such arguments, and draw thence such sound deductions as
convinced the judgment, appealed to the feelings, increased the faith,
reformed the wayward or more firmly established the convictions of
those who believed. He was deliberate in speech, almost slow, but not
more so than the great principles he was wont to treat of required.
His voice was clear, strong, resonant, and of wonderful compass; and
whether it sank, as it often did, to the tender tones which give
expression to the deep pathos that sometimes moved his soul, or calmly
reasoned upon some heavenly doctrine, or was raised to its grandest
swell or thunder tones to denounce injustice or oppression, no one
could grow weary of listening to it.

His eloquence was a majestic river full to the point of overflowing its
banks, sweeping grandly through rich regions of thought. His discourse
was mainly argumentative and abounding with occasional colloquialisms,
not unfrequently of a humorous turn: for among his other qualities of
mind he had a keen sense of the ridiculous. His gestures were few, but
very significant. His manner was, in the main, calm and dispassionate,
but when a train of thought more than ordinarily sublime stirred his
emotions, he became more animated and impressive; the form dilated, the
utterance was more rapid and the whole man was aglow with enthusiasm
that it was impossible to resist.

If, as it often chanced, his theme was the wrongs of the Saints, or if
he spoke in defense of the broad principles of liberty and the rights
of man, he then had a theme which called forth all his powers. His
denunciations of injustice and tyranny were terrible. At such times
his brow, usually beaming with mingled intelligence and benevolence,
grew dark as the coming storm approached. The form was drawn up to its
full height, the gestures were majestic--the word suited the action,
the action the word; eye and arm, voice and movement--the whole man,
with the love of liberty burning like consuming fire in his bones,
poured out impassioned utterances against tyranny in all its forms;
and the demonstrations of the congregation as the climax was reached,
is sufficient evidence that they were irresistibly borne along by that
tempest of passion. Yet in these bursts of eloquence he never seemed
to put forth all his strength. He always appeared to have still more
force in reserve that he could have used had he so minded. Moreover, he
had that rare faculty which in the very torrent, tempest and whirl-wind
of passion exercised a temperance that gave it smoothness and never
permitted it to become strained or incongruous.

These qualities in him sprang from nature, not from training. There was
nothing of the schools, nor of the studied elocutionist in his manner.
His style of speaking was peculiarly his own and was well suited to the
man, and to him alone.

The great body of the Saints knew him principally as a public man;
and so prominent was he as such that his private life and domestic
virtues have attracted but little attention. Yet it is pleasant to
know that his private life was in every sense as praiseworthy as his
public career. The letters to his family published in this volume give
all necessary evidence to the existence of deep solicitude for their
welfare, comfort and happiness; as well as a true parental interest
in the mental, moral and spiritual development of his children; an
interest so intense that it was an anxiety, such as only generous,
manly bosoms, big with hopes that reach beyond the grave, are capable
of experiencing. While he was willing and did labor for the good
of the human race, and possessed brilliant talents and a universal
sympathy which eminently qualified him for that work, he looked upon
his own family as being the nucleus of that kingdom over which he would
reign as priest, as king, as God! He loved his family, but that love
was sanctified and made devoid of all selfishness by the hopes and
aspirations awakened in his breast by the glorious gospel of the Son of
God. Love so sanctified could only result in making him a kind, noble
father, a gentle and loving husband.

He possessed superb self-control, which, with his nice sense of justice
and honor, enabled him to be remarkably successful in the patriarchal
order of marriage. Each wife was treated as the equal of the others,
and with her children shared equally in the blessings and material
advantages he was able to bestow upon them.

The social circle offered him an opportunity for the exercise of
all his generous impulses. He delighted in family gatherings, in
neighborhood feasts, and the reunions of friends, especially of those
tried and true. His genial manners, his delightful conversation, his
powers as a vocalist, together with his great experience, and an
inexhaustible fund of humor made him a central figure and often the
very life of these social gatherings.

Such was the character of President John Taylor; such the qualities
of his mind; such his public and domestic virtues: and if, as an old
English writer hath it, the great man is he who chooses the right
with invincible resolution; who resists the sorest temptations from
within and without; who bears the heaviest burdens cheerfully; who is
calmest in storms, and most fearless under menace and frowns; and whose
reliance on truth, on virtue, and on God, is most unfaltering--the name
of JOHN TAYLOR must be written high up on the column of fame where
the names of the great are enshrined, for in all these things he was
pre-eminent.

Footnotes

1. I John v., 7, 8.

2. The poem will be found in Parley P. Pratt's Autobiography, p. 500.

3. The Seer is published in the Latter-day Saints' Hymn Book, p. 337.



CHAPTER XLIX.

FUNERAL CEREMONIES--TESTIMONIES OF PRESIDENT TAYLOR'S FELLOW
LABORERS--FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE CHAMPION OF LIBERTY.

The morning of Friday, July 29, 1887, dawned over Salt Lake Valley,
rosy and beautiful; but it was a day of sadness in the chief city of
the Saints, and throughout Israel. It was the day appointed for the
funeral services of President Taylor. Shortly after day-light had
broken over the eastern mountains, vehicles loaded with people could be
seen coming into the city from all directions to do honor to the great
departed. Later special trains loaded to their utmost capacity brought
in those too far from the city to reach it with teams.

The remains of President Taylor were removed to the Gardo House on the
night of the 26th, and at six o'clock in the morning of the 29th, the
day of his funeral, his family assembled to take a mournful but fond
_adieu_ of the earthly remains of him who had been their head--their
husband, father and their friend. At ten minutes before seven the body
was removed to the large Tabernacle; and at seven the doors of the
mammoth building were thrown open to the great throng which already
surrounded it. The body was placed in the open space in front of the
stand so that the people could pass in single file on each side. The
coffin in which it was enclosed was made of Utah pine, stained and
polished until it resembled mahogany. It was tastefully ornamented with
silver trimmings, but there was an entire absence of any display. On a
silver plate on the coffin was inscribed in neatly engraved lettering:

    PRESIDENT JOHN TAYLOR.

    DIED JULY 25, 1887

    AGED 78 YEARS, 8 MONTHS AND 24 DAYS.

At the bottom of the plate was engraved:

    HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

    REST IN PEACE.

The Tabernacle was draped in mourning, the great organ and stands being
covered with crape. In front of the organ was an excellent life sized
portrait of the deceased. The stands were decorated with a profusion
of beautiful flowers tastefully arranged. On the sacrament stand, in
the centre, was a fine piece of floral ornamentation, on which was
inscribed the noble title won by President Taylor in his early manhood--

CHAMPION OF LIBERTY.

Near it was a large sheaf of ripe wheat, bearing the inscription--

WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.

The countenance of the deceased President was peaceful, and much more
natural than might have been expected. There was but little evidence of
physical suffering, though he looked somewhat worn, by the anxiety and
confinement through which he had passed in the last few years of his
earthly career.

For four and a half hours there was a continuous stream of humanity
passing in at the west gate of the Temple enclosure and into the
Tabernacle by the north-west entrance. Fully twenty-five thousand
people passed the coffin and gazed for a moment in sadness upon the
countenance of the noble man they had learned to trust and love as one
of God's most distinguished servants, a friend and leader. While the
people were passing through the building, Professor J. J. Daynes played
a number of appropriate selections on the grand organ. There were but
few faces in that great throng that were not wet with tears, and many a
bosom swelled with righteous indignation at the thought that President
Taylor's life had been shortened by his enforced confinement, made
necessary by the cruelty of relentless enemies.

At 12 o'clock, the hour appointed for commencing the services, the
great Tabernacle was filled to its utmost capacity, even to the
standing room, while thousands were unable to enter but waited without
until the formation of the burial cortege. President Taylor's two
Counselors, and many of the Apostles and other leading Elders in
Israel could not be present at the funeral services without great
danger of falling into the hands of their enemies. The stand of the
First Presidency was therefore unoccupied. That stand so long graced
by the majestic form and presence of President Taylor being vacant,
and so many of the well-known leading Elders being absent from their
accustomed places, made the feeling of loneliness doubly oppressive.
But three of the quorum of Twelve Apostles were present--Lorenzo Snow,
Franklin D. Richards, Heber J. Grant. Daniel H. Wells, himself bowed
with the weight of 73 years was there; as was also the Patriarch of
the Church, John Smith. Angus M. Cannon, President of the Salt Lake
Stake, and A. O. Smoot of Utah Stake, together with Patriarchs Lorenzo
D. Young and Joseph B. Noble were seated in the second stand with the
Apostles. In the third were Presidents Jacob Gates, Horace S. Eldredge,
Seymour B. Young, Abraham H. Cannon of the first Council of Seventies,
and others. The members of President Taylor's family occupied the seats
immediately in front of the stands.

At fifteen minutes past 12, the services began by President Angus M.
Cannon reading the following letter written by President Taylor some
years before his death, in answer to one addressed by President Young
to him and the other Apostles asking them to give a written account of
how they wished to be buried:

"SALT LAKE CITY,

"November 17, 1873.

"_President Brigham Young_,

"DEAR BROTHER: Being asked to give a written account of the way I wish
to be buried, I present the following:

"I have no desire for any particular formula, but I should wish my
body to be washed clean, to be clothed in clean white linen garments
and robes, with shoes, apron and cap, etc.; to be laid in a coffin
sufficiently large to contain my body without pressure.

"Should I die here, let me be buried in my own lot in the grave yard.
Let the coffin be neat and comely, but plain and strong, made of cedar
or red wood, or of our own mountain pine; if of the latter, colored
or stained, and placed in an outer strong box, with a light cotton or
woolen mattress or bed and a convenient pillow for the head.

"The services such as prevail at the time among the Saints. A plain
slab may be placed over the body, and a stone at the head and feet, on
the stone to be given an account of my name, age and birth, as shall
suit the feelings of my family.

"Should I die in Jackson County, Missouri, let the above directions be
carried out as far as practicable.

"Respectfully your Brother,

"JOHN TAYLOR."

The choir and congregation united in singing the hymn by Wm. Clayton,
beginning:

    "When first the glorious light of truth
      Burst forth in this last age,
    How few there were with heart and soul
      T'obey it did engage!
    Yet of those few how many
      Have passed from earth away,
    And in their graves are sleeping
      Till the resurrection day."

The fourth verse of the hymn refers to the martyrdom of the Prophets
Joseph and Hyrum Smith, which, in view of the fact that these lines
were being sung as a requiem over the remains of their fellow martyr,
was doubly pathetic.

    "Our Patriarch and Prophet, too,
      Were massacred, they bled;
    To seal their testimony
      They were numbered with the dead.
    Oh, tell me, are they sleeping?
      Methinks I hear them say,
    Death's icy chains are bursting--
      'Tis the resurrection day!"

Bishop Millen Atwood offered the opening prayer; after which the choir
sang,

    "Thou dost not weep to weep alone,
      The broad bereavement seems to fall
    Unheeded and unfelt by none,
      He was beloved--beloved by all."

Apostle Lorenzo Snow was the first speaker. He read his text from
Paul's second letter to Timothy:

    "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is
    at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I
    have kept the faith."

The speaker then said:

"Paul, whose remarks I have just read in your hearing, was an apostle
of the Lord, our Savior. The man whose remains now lie before us was
also an apostle of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of the
living God. And as Paul made this statement in regard to himself, so
also could be made a statement similar by President Taylor, whose
remains lie before us this afternoon.

"Paul, during his life, struggled and contended for the faith which was
once delivered to the Saints--those principles which pertain to the
exaltation and salvation of the human family; and he was willing to
make any sacrifice and go through every scene of difficulty and trouble
in order to accomplish this object, that his testimony in regard to
the Son of God and those principles that he had espoused might be
carried forth to the nations of the earth--to the whole human family.
He suffered imprisonment; he suffered the lash of his persecutors; he
suffered every indignity, and finally died a martyr to those principles
he so laboriously and so effectually carried forth among the human
family.

"So also we can say of President Taylor. Those principles made known
to him by the revelations of the Son of God as being of a divine
nature--principles that pertain to the interest and salvation and
exaltation of the human family--he carried forth to the various nations
of the earth: and he heeded not the difficulties that ensued, or that
were in his path of progress. He has shown to the world, he has shown
to the Latter-day Saints, he has shown to the angels and to the Lord
our God, his willingness, his determination, his resolution to do all
in his power to carry out and accomplish the work of the Most High God.
This he has done, and there lie his remains. He has left this world of
sorrow, of trials, of afflictions of every nature that the Saints have
to endure. He has gone to a better world. And it may be said of him
truthfully, as was announced to John the Revelator when upon the Isle
of Patmos, who was commanded to write what he heard by a voice from the
eternal worlds:

"'Blessed are they that die in the Lord from henceforth. Yea, saith the
spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow
them.'

"In a few verses before those that contain this vision it says an angel
was seen passing swiftly through the midst of eternity, coming down
to the earth bearing the gospel of the Son of God, to be declared to
every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people. This message our
dear, beloved brother has sought, during a part of his life covering
a period of fifty years, to carry forth to the nations of the earth.
And during this period it is well known to the Latter-day Saints, the
sufferings, the trials, the afflictions, and the blood that he spent in
announcing and carrying forward these principles of life and salvation
to the world of mankind. He truly fought a good fight. He has finished
his course; 'and henceforth,' his spirit could well proclaim, 'there is
laid up, for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them
also that love his appearing.'

"Of course we feel the affliction; we feel the sad stroke. The
Latter-day Saints feel that they have lost a friend; that we have lost
a mighty counselor; that we have lost one of the greatest men that
have stood upon the earth since the days of the Son of God--a man
whose virtue, whose integrity, whose resolution to pursue the path of
righteousness is known, and well known.

"Now, we could apply this passage of scripture to many others who have
gone before; they have fought the good fight and kept the faith to
the end; and they have finished their course, and they now sleep in
peace in the spirit world, and the influence of their grand doings and
great accomplishments in the path of righteousness, extend over the
land of Zion. The Latter day Saints feel those beautiful and glorious
influences. Our hearts are made glad to contemplate their virtues,
their fidelity, their faithfulness, their glorious integrity.

"This our beloved brother has not only been a father and friend to
his wives and to his children--to his numerous family; he has been a
faithful friend also to the world of mankind, which at some future
period, though it may be for a thousand years to come, they will
distinctly understand. He has stood firm to those principles that are
a light to the world, that are a light to the human family. And did
the world understand President Taylor and his motives during the last
fifty years of his pilgrimage among the children of men, they would
feel differently towards him than they do. Those who put themselves
in the attitude of enemies to the Latter-day Saints and the servants
of God, do so because they don't comprehend us; they don't understand
our hearts, and don't understand our willingness to sacrifice in order
to lay a plan or to carry out measures by which salvation may come to
them also. We dedicate our lives which we hold as not dear to us, in
order that the world may understand that there is a God in the eternal
worlds; in order that they may understand that God has something to do
at the present time with the affairs of the children of men. The world
is passing into feelings and opinions of infidelity. Even among the
Christian portion of the human family, thousands and tens of thousands,
though they are not willing to confess it because of being unpopular,
do not believe that God has anything to do with the children of men. We
have to stand forth and make sacrifices in order that that belief and
knowledge may come to the children of men. That is the case with our
beloved brother, President Taylor. He has shown himself willing to make
sacrifices before he would deny or turn his back upon those principles
that, when people understand them, lead them to the path of knowledge,
of salvation and of immortality.

"Well, it is so ordered that one man's death, or the death of a dozen,
though they stand in the highest positions in the Church, does not
stop this work. The Latter-day Saints have advanced to that wisdom
and that intelligence and that understanding, that this does not
materially affect their interest. The kingdom of God moves forward.
It is not dependent upon one man or a half dozen men. It was thought
by some in the days of Joseph that this Church could not prosper
except Joseph guided its destinies; and when the time came that he
was to pass away from this world as a martyr, into the spirit world,
the Saints throughout the kingdom of God were greatly agitated. It
was something unexpected. They hardly knew how things would then
move. The responsibility then devolved upon the quorum of the Twelve
Apostles; and through the blessings of God upon them and the spirit of
inspiration that dwelt in their bosoms, and under the guidance of the
Almighty, the kingdom moved forward. And so in regard to the time when
our beloved Brother Brigham Young was called from this state into the
spirit life. He passed away almost unexpectedly. The Saints were hardly
prepared for it. And yet the kingdom of God moved forward. The duties
of guidance were still upon the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

"The Lord has seen proper now to call our beloved brother, President
Taylor, away from these scenes of suffering, these scenes of martyrdom;
and the Church still moves forward.

"Notwithstanding the duties and the obligations devolve again upon
the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, for the third time, through the
blessings of the Almighty and the spirit of inspiration that will be
upon them as it always has been, the Church will move forward. We are
gaining that experience that each man and each woman knows what his or
her duty is; and they know the foundation upon which this kingdom and
Church is founded; they know the foundation upon which each individual
is established; and they know that God reigns over the children of men
and over the affairs of the Latter-day Saints. They feel, now, perhaps,
different to what they generally feel when circumstances of this kind
occur. They feel more calm, more assurance in the providences of the
Almighty.

"And so in regard to the beloved family of President Taylor. Of course
they cannot but feel--and it is well that they do feel--that they have
lost a parent, a father, a guide, to direct and counsel. But still
there is nothing in the way of their progress, any more than there
is in the way of the progress of the kingdom of God. They can move
forward, and it is their duty to move forward in order that the word of
the angel may be fulfilled which said: 'Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord henceforth; yea, saith the spirit, that they may rest from
their labors and their works do follow them.

"And this family of President Taylor's, if they prepare themselves,
can go onward notwithstanding they have lost their head. The road
is still clear. They still have the counsels of the Holy Spirit, to
which they are entitled, for guidance and direction, and they can
move forward in the path of wisdom and knowledge, and in all those
beautiful qualifications that make a Latter-day Saint; and they can
prepare themselves, so that the words of the angel may be fulfilled.
Elder Taylor's works follow him. His labors, so far as his family are
concerned, follow him. Well, I have occupied sufficient time. There
are a number here that we wish to speak. I ask God in His mercy to
bless the family of President Taylor, that the Holy Spirit of life
may be upon them, and that they may have consolation in their hearts.
Their parent is now dwelling in glory, having a crown of righteousness
upon his head; and he will be there to welcome them as they pass off
one after another from this into the next world and to take them by
the hand. God bless the family of President Taylor, God bless the
Latter-day Saints; God bless the quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on whom
rests the responsibility of moving forward the interests of the kingdom
of God. God bless the authorities of the Latter-day Saints and bless
the honest in all the world of mankind, is my prayer, in the name of
Jesus. Amen."

Apostle Franklin D. Richards followed Apostle Snow:

"Beloved fellow-mourners: On occasions of this kind, when the great men
whom God has raised up for our guidance, are released from their labors
in this low estate and called to another of a higher and more glorious
character, it appears to me suitable that we should spend a little
time and dwell upon their virtues, their excellent examples, and those
high, dignified traits of character which they have shown forth unto
us as the exemplars of that which is right and proper before all good
people, and which is most acceptable to God and the angels of heaven.
We are called upon to part with one of God's noblemen--a brother, a
father, a husband and a true friend to all that is praiseworthy among
mankind. Many of the points of his character and of the transactions of
this great and good man have already been noticed in the prints, and
it is to be hoped that a correct, competent and creditable biography
of his life may be given to the Saints and to the world, that his
true character as a man of God may be known as a standing and abiding
testimony to the whole human family. I, therefore, cannot--neither can
any of us today--enter largely into a consideration even of the most
important features of the busy and very profitable life which he has
spent. But I wish to notice two or three of the prominent traits of
his character, which as a fellow-laborer in the gospel, I have come
personally to know.

"President Taylor was a man who could not get down to grovel with the
low-lived, the vicious, the ribald, nor any who indulged in the follies
and vanities of mortal life. When the gospel found him, he was aspiring
from the measure of grace that existed among the most devout religious
worshipers, and hungering and thirsting for something nobler and
better; and the testimony of the glorious truths again revealed came to
his ears by the Elders of the Church, and soon by the blessed testimony
of the Prophet Joseph.

"Brother Parley P. Pratt had the distinguished honor to sound the
gospel of Jesus Christ in his ears. He was the instrument to lead him
into the Church of Christ. Brother Pratt found in him that right heart,
and that open hand by which he was led to go right forward in the
truth, and the new wine in the old vessel did no harm. President Taylor
was a man bold and daring for the truth. He knew no fear. I recollect
well when he and I were on our missions in Europe together, he labored
in France--on the coast of infidel France--if I mistaken not in Havre.
[1] He labored in that vicinity diligently; and at one time a number of
religious divines combined together to put down this heresy, as they
term it. President Taylor, with that boldness which ever characterized
him, consented to meet a whole pack of them, all that were willing
to conspire together to silence and turn away the testimonies from
reaching the hearts of the people. I recollect well my feelings when in
Liverpool at the time. Morally speaking it was like Paul when he writes
about fighting wild beasts at Ephesus. He withstood them and he brought
forth the truth, and souls were given him as the fruit of his labors;
an interest was awakened, and some were gathered out. His labors were
continued and incessant until he obtained a translation of the Book of
Mormon in the French language.

"President Taylor was a man who in his bearing and nature was onward
and upward. Who that is before me ever heard him indulge in ribaldry
or light and trifling and vain conversation? He was always looking
forward, from the moment he embraced the gospel, for a higher platform
upon which he could climb, and raise until he could go back, a son of
God, and associate as he did here upon the earth, with the prophets
of the Most High. There were but very few men that attained the warm,
personal relation that he attained to and maintained most successfully
with the Prophet Joseph Smith till he died, and the story of that
personal affection was consummated by the bullets he received in
Carthage jail with the Prophet when he was slain. President Taylor
was himself disabled. In the scene that he then passed through he
experienced all that pertains to martyrdom. He never suffered greater
pain, or more severe pain than he experienced in the jail with the
Prophet Joseph. But it was not appropriate for him to give up the ghost
then. He had to wait another forty years, that he might show forth his
magnanimity, his Priesthood and his fervor, and be a blessing to God's
people in these valleys of the mountains.

"At another time when President Taylor was laboring in New York, he
went to work and with faith, and the co-operation of such brethren as
he could find, established a paper, and published it in New York--one
of the most successful enterprises of the kind that was ever undertaken
in the last days. Some of the papers of New York undertook to run him
out, thinking New York belonged to them. They dared President Taylor
to an investigation. He proposed to meet as many of them as pleased
to attend; but he was ready with so magnanimous a heart and so full
a hand, that they declined the opportunity to meet him. I cite these
instances of the high moral bravery that President Taylor possessed
anywhere, everywhere and at all times in behalf of the truth while
traveling and laboring in various countries. This has been his spirit
and feeling. And while he has been of this magnanimous character, he
has always entertained a most profound regard for legitimate authority.
No man delighted more to receive and obey the counsel of those over
him. This he did with the Prophet Joseph although some of the counsels
given him, tested him and many of his brethren to the innermost soul
and to the veritable life itself. President Taylor always delighted
to serve the people. It was a notable trait in his character that he
was not addicted to hankering after money. Many men could discover a
sovereign or a half eagle a long way farther off than he could. He
sought for the riches of eternal life. Blessed be God, he is rich
in the possession of the knowledge he attained, and the skill and
integrity which he exercised, and the authority with which he was
entrusted until he has taken his departure and gone hence.

"President Taylor entertained the most profound regard for the
superiority of the principles of the American government as embodied in
the holy constitution, and the just laws of the land. I recollect well
when the news arrived of the passage of those laws which have lately
engaged the attention of the people, how with what consideration he
sat down and conversed with myself and others upon that subject, and
how he carefully and prayerfully adjusted the affairs of his household
in a way that, in the honesty of his heart and the magnanimity of his
soul, he felt that no man nor no government could take exceptions to.
He felt to place himself in conformity with the law. He would rather do
that than that any issue should arise. He therefore gladly bade family,
kindred and friends _adieu_ and went into retirement, went where, under
certain circumstances he could still serve his brethren, still counsel
them in the ways of life, still advise them as a man who was entrusted
with the keys of eternal life to the human family, and this he did,
blessed be God! until the day of his death. And it will be pleasant
to some who are present to know that President Taylor has not died
of organic disease. He has died from the legitimate consequences of
confinement, of limitation from exercise, just as everybody else would
do if they were limited and could not get exercise. Their candle would
go out from want of oil; the fires of their life would go out for want
of fuel. He has attained to the age of four score, and the Lord has
permitted him to finish his days in this, and to a great degree, happy
manner, notwithstanding the unfavorable circumstances which surrounded
him.

"When we recount the activity of his life, when we contemplate the
dignity of his character and of his course, and how exceptional it has
been, what an example it is for us! Should we not be tending upward too
and continually so?

"But President Taylor, by the blessing of God was placed in a position
in which he was not only a father and protector to his family, but
God made him a great benefactor to many of the human race. There are
numbers here today before me, who have been brought from distant
lands--lands where poverty and want looked them in the face--and they
have been brought to this land where there is room for enterprise and
industry, whereby multitudes of the poor have come to have homes and
the comforts of life around them. President Taylor has exercised this
discretion and this authority with a liberality that was becoming
a saint of God, and there are few in the Church more intimately
acquainted with these facts than myself, and I wish to testify to them.
A great man and a good man has fallen--fallen not from grace, not from
any virtue, or any adornment of mortal life, but his mortal body is
laid down that his spirit may go hence.

"And we are together in meeting, we are in his presence, though we may
not discern it. God is bringing to light many wonderful developments
of science, so much so that men are constructing eyes that they can
look at the distant planets and tell their surface, and tell their
distances, and comprehend those things that lie at very remote
distances in space.

"And these things are made after the pattern of the human eye. Shall He
who made the human eye not see? We are taught in the revelations that
some men can see into the future. But God is able and He has power to
see us continually. We are in His presence continually, and we ought
never to forget it.

"He who has made the ear, shall He not hear? Behold! men are already
learning to talk to others at a distance of many hundreds of miles. If
men can do this by the limited knowledge they possess, is it not true
that greater things shall yet be revealed?

"Jesus said to marvel not at certain things; for the day shall come
when all they that are in their graves shall hear His voice and live.
We lay our bodies down, but it is as true to science as it is to
revealed religion that these bodies shall be brought forth by the power
of that resurrection which was attained to by Jesus, and though the
wicked may scoff and the fool may say in his heart, 'There is no God,'
Saints know their foolishness.

"Now, then, my dear friends, my brethren and sisters--friends and
relatives of President Taylor--I feel thankful that I have been favored
with an acquaintance of so great and noble a household. There are few
households, indeed, in Israel or on the earth that are as honorable as
that of President Taylor. My dear young brethren and sisters, endeavor
and ask God to help you to strive to emulate those glorious qualities
of your dear father, who has gone before you, as he has written in
the song--for President Taylor, be it known, was a writer, he was an
author and a poet and there are very few productions more exalted and
ennobling and dignified than the one he composed, and which he used to
sing with great _eclat_, beginning,

    "'The seer the seer, Joseph the seer,
    I love to dwell on his memory dear,
    The chosen of God and the friend of men,' etc.

"He who had all these qualifications as a man here among us, is a
great exemplar to all Israel, and a worthy instructor to my young
brethren and sisters. I beg you to heed the counsels he has given,
heed the testimonies he has left on record, and strive to follow the
same, so that by-and-by, when you return to clay, he will be ready to
welcome you to Zion's shore. He has gone to prepare a place for you.
Be not discouraged. Be not afflicted. We mourn President Taylor's
absence. We will lose his counsel. We cannot well spare such men. We
need such men in the Church to establish righteousness and preach the
gospel and build up Zion on the earth. You and I feel the loss--all
Israel feel it. We are all mourners on this occasion. I feel to say,
then, that while we bid President Taylor _adieu_, let us send with
him congratulations. Oh what a joyful reception will be given him
yonder, when he will shake hands with Joseph again, with Hyrum and
Brigham, with Parley and Orson, and George A. and Willard, and all of
the brethren of the Twelve! Why there is nearly a quorum of the Twelve
Apostles to establish and carry on the work which we here but begin.

"My dear brethren and sisters, may the spirit of the gospel, the spirit
of the Gods be with all those who seek to know and obey the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, to keep His commandments and to walk in His
statutes and ordinances continually."

"May the Lord help us to cultivate and to follow the examples of so
great and glorious men. May we acquire their virtues and like them
seek more abundantly to become Saints of God; seek to stand without
rebuke in this untoward generation; seek to overcome all evil, that we
may ultimately gain the reward of the faithful. This is my desire, my
purpose and my labor with you all, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."

Apostle Heber J. Grant said:

"I feel that it is much more appropriate that those men who have lived
almost a life time with President Taylor should be the speakers on this
occasion. However, inasmuch as I have been requested to make a few
remarks, I will willingly do so. I can say of President Taylor that he
lived a faithful, honest and conscientious life; that he did all that
was in his power for the advancement of the work of God upon the earth.
He has been a faithful Latter-day Saint, and no more can be said of any
man. * * He has lived unto a good old age. He has filled up the measure
of his creation, and there is no man but can say that he has been true
to his own conscience. No matter what has been the obstacle before him,
he has never faltered. He has always been firm and steadfast in walking
in the path of duty. May God bless his family. May God bless the
Latter-day Saints everywhere, is my prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen."

Counselor Daniel H. Wells was the next speaker:

"I agree with the psalmist who said: 'I shall be satisfied when I
arise in His likeness.' The Lord Jesus Christ has brought light and
redemption into the world for the benefit of the human family, from the
creation of the world to the redemption of every creature worthy of
eternal life.

"President Taylor espoused this cause [referring to the work of the
Lord in the last days] because he had the light of truth burning within
him when it was first made known to him. He lived a fearless, noble
and God-like life--let those who still live seek to emulate his noble
example. President Taylor has been a friend to himself, a friend to his
family, a friend to this people and a friend to God. He has been the
champion of human rights, the champion of liberty, truth and freedom.
He has lived a noble, useful life, full of honor and credit to himself
and family, a satisfaction to the people and a glory to God. I take
pleasure in bearing this testimony to the faithfulness and devotion
of President Taylor, to his integrity to God and the love of his
people. I knew him to be a man determined to do right, to see justice
administered, truth upheld, and honor sustained among this people. He
has lived to see this people pass through many changes. He sought to
maintain the right in every instance, for which there are great and
glorious crowns in the eternal worlds reserved for him."

He prayed for the divine providential care to rest upon the family of
those who are called to mourn his absence, that they may follow in his
footsteps, and ever cherish the love they now have for their father and
husband, and that it may grow stronger and become brighter with the
lapse of time, and that those remaining may live to meet him in his
glorious and exalted estate.

Brother Wells bore his testimony that Mormonism is true, that Joseph
Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor were prophets, seers and
revelators of the Church of Jesus Christ in the last dispensation. And
as the people of God have twice before been called upon to part with
their leader, and have survived, and the work been strengthened, so
now God will raise up men who will continue it where President Taylor
has left off, until shall become mighty and powerful over all the
earth. * * The speaker extolled the example of the revered and honored
President, and commanded all who would be great to follow in his path.
He bore his testimony to the existence of God, the power of His work,
having no fear of its final destiny; trusted all would fulfill the
obligation incumbent upon them, and as President Taylor had kept his
first estate, come here on earth, kept his second estate, and had now
gone to the spirit world, so may those of his family, his brethren and
all Israel do likewise--prove their integrity to God and finally meet
the reward of an exaltation in His presence.

President A. O. Smoot:

"It is nearly forty-nine years since I first became acquainted with
President John Taylor, whose remains now lie before us. I first knew
him as a distinguished and successful missionary. I next knew him in
the troubles of Missouri, in what are termed the wars of Missouri.
I next knew him as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I knew him
as a journalist in Nauvoo, as editor of the Nauvoo _Neighbor_ and
other periodicals. I knew him in crossing the plains from Winter
Quarters to this city. I knew him as a distinguished Legislator in the
councils of the Legislature of the Territory of Utah. I have known
him in adversity, I have known him in prosperity, and in a great many
capacities have I been familiar with Brother Taylor for forty-nine
years. And in all the positions which I have known him to occupy, he
has been eminently faithful and has filled them with ability and with
unflinching integrity to the kingdom of God on the earth.

"We have come here to mourn with those who mourn, and we in reality
have occasion to rejoice as well as to mourn. Brother Taylor has filled
up the measure of his days in usefulness, and has never been known to
waver, or to flinch, or to murmur, or to complain of his hardships. He
stood up for the right. He supported the truth at home and abroad, for
the salvation of the human family, and we have occasion to rejoice that
he has thus filled up the measure of his days in usefulness.

"While we have reason to mourn his absence for the loss of his
usefulness among the Latter-day Saints, as has appropriately been said
others will be raised up in the midst of the people of God that will be
qualified to magnify the callings and positions which he has filled,
and the calling he filled at the time of his demise, and they will
do honor to Israel as he has done. I do not feel to mourn for him as
a man, and it is to be hoped that we may all be so happy as to pass
the ordeal with the stars of honor with which he has done and with as
little reflection of wrong, or of wrong-doings, either by friend or
foe, as Brother Taylor has passed it. May it be our happy lot so to
do. And I hold that we should not cleave to life longer than we are
useful. God bless all those who are faithful in Israel. It is true this
departure of our beloved President is a bereavement to his family and
to all Israel. It is an occasion for mourning, and yet that mourning
may be tempered with joy. I do not wish, my brethren and sisters, to
detain you, or to enter into details in relation to his character.
History gives this.

"Eulogy is not required in the case of President Taylor. History will
tell his life, and his doings and his devotion to God and His kingdom
upon the earth. May the comfort of the Holy Spirit rest upon the
mourners.

"May the comforting influence rest abundantly upon them that they may
feel to acknowledge the hand of God and to profit by Brother Taylor's
example in life."

Lorenzo D. Young and Joseph B. Noble, Patriarchs in the Salt Lake and
Davis Stakes respectively, made remarks, bearing testimony to the
excellent character and nobility of soul of the deceased President.

Angus M. Cannon, President of the Salt Lake Stake, was the last
speaker. He said:

"It is with feelings of solemnity that I arise before you on this
occasion. In looking upon the remains of our late President, it brings
to my memory many of his noble traits and actions. My acquaintance with
him dates back a little over forty years ago, when I was a child, and
when he brought the gospel to my parents. I have been familiar with
his record from that day to this. When nigh unto death with leaden
missiles, received through his integrity to the Prophet of Almighty God
and his brethren and the servants of the Most High, he stood immovable,
determined to maintain the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"If I ever abided in the truth--nourished and cherished by his
testimony and God like qualities--within me, it has been under his
divine instructions and by the aid of his holy example and by his
self-denial and the integrity that he has exhibited for the testimony
of the Lord Jesus Christ.

"I saw him last in enfeebled health, and when I asked him if he would
have me bear a message to his loved ones--to his family, his wives and
his children--he said, 'Yes, say unto them I remember them always. I
love them individually, and never cease to plead with God for them. And
although I am feeble now, I hope soon to be better.'

"He has been relieved from his pains. He sleeps in God; and I can
imagine seeing the portal of heaven open through which he has entered.
I see Joseph, I see Hyrum, I see the Patriarch, the father of Joseph,
I see Don Carlos, [2] Samuel [3] and Heber, [4] Brigham, [5] Willard,
[6] David Patten, [7] Jedediah [8] and George A., [9] and as he is free
with them and in their society, I can imagine and rejoice in the joy
and counsels and power of God that they who have gone exhibited, which
they are now enjoying and which will animate and strengthen the hands
and comfort the hearts of those brethren who remain.

"And I tell you this day that the work of God will roll on with
greater rapidity than it has ever done, and God will be glorified.
His servants' hands will be strengthened and Jesus' testimony will be
maintained.

"Brother Taylor took the testimony that Joseph gave him, that Jesus
delivered unto Joseph, that God bade Joseph to listen to from the lips
of his beloved Son--and he bore those tidings to foreign lands, and
made our hearts tingle with the words which he there enunciated. I say
the joy and rejoicing with which President Taylor has met with his
co-laborers beyond the veil, surrounded with apostles of Jesus Christ,
is great.

"When I think of the glory that attends God's work, the increase of
His servants, the growth of Israel born in the everlasting covenant,
surrounded by these lofty crags and peaks, inspiring them with love
of liberty, I trust that from the ashes of our beloved President--who
obtained the title of Champion of Freedom and Liberty, the champion of
the people's rights--I trust that from his ashes may spring innumerable
champions who will stand in the image of their Maker, as has our
departed president, and that they may maintain the right and the rule
of truth of God as he has done. We can not sacrifice principle. We can
go to prison. We can endure death; we can separate ourselves from our
families, with the hope that we will have them eternally with God. But
we cannot forsake the work that He has assigned unto us. And I bear
testimony today that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Joseph was His prophet and sealed his testimony with his blood. Brigham
Young his successor, and also John His servant, have gone from the
earth, sealed their testimonies as Prophets, Seers and Revelators in
this generation.

"May God our Heavenly Father nourish His loved ones who remain with
us. May He inspire the hearts of His people that they may go on in
good works, emulating the example of our beloved President and perform
works that will exalt them to meet with him. May He cherish and nourish
the little ones who are left; may He bless them in health, give them
strength and enable them to follow in the footsteps of him whose body
now lies before us. May God grant that his wives may set such examples
and give such counsel to those of their children who remain that will
make them worthy to be received of him and be cherished in his bosom
eternally.

"And may God strengthen His Saints to maintain the rule of
righteousness, extend the principles of truth and enable us to bring
about greater good to humanity, that God may be glorified, His Church
strengthened, and that we, as His people, may be qualified for every
event in life, through Jesus Christ. Amen."

The choir sang the splendid anthem:

    "Jerusalem, my glorious home."

The benediction was pronounced by Patriarch John Smith.

This closed the services in the Tabernacle. Although they had lasted
for two hours and a half, and many in the congregation had been sitting
in the building from early morning, there was no sign of weariness. The
most profound silence was maintained. Nothing was heard in the vast
building but the sweet strains of music, the voice of the speakers as
they recounted the noble deeds and virtues of the illustrious dead. A
spirit of profound sorrow brooded over that great congregation. Israel
sincerely mourned the departure of their great leader.

As the congregation slowly and mournfully left the Tabernacle the
funeral cortege was formed as follows:

Held's Cornet Band,

Pall Bearers--Twelve sons of the deceased, [10]

Hearse,

Ogden Brass Band,

Family,

Garfield Beach Band,

First Presidency,

Apostles,

Patriarchs,

First Seven Presidents of the Seventies,

Olsen's Brass Band,

Presidents of Stakes,

High Councilors,

Choir,

Presidencies of High Priests' Quorums,

Sixth Ward Silver Band,

Presidencies of Elders' Quorums,

Presiding Bishopric,

Provo Silver Band,

Bishops and Counselors,

Salt Lake City Band,

Presidencies of Teachers' Quorums,

Presidencies of Deacons' Quorums,

Committee of Arrangements,

Citizens in Carriages and on Foot.

The cortege was of great length, and splendid in its appointments.
It proceeded east on South Temple Street, to N Street, thence turned
north, and entered the cemetery at the upper gates.

At the grave a select choir sang with exquisite sweetness that most
beautiful and heaven inspired of hymns--

    O, my Father, thou that dwellest
    In that high and glorious place!

The dedicatory prayer was offered by Elder Richard Ballantyne, after
which the earthly remains of the great Apostle and President of the
Church of Jesus Christ were consigned to their temporary resting place,
pending the construction of a stone vault, and the immense throng
quietly and sadly dispersed.

Early in the morning of the 20th of August, the remains of President
Taylor were removed, in the presence of his family, from the first
grave to their permanent resting place. The sepulcher is of granite
rock slabs twelve inches in thickness firmly clamped and doweled
together with heavy bolts and rods of solid steel, thus forming a
chamber seven feet by four, and five feet in depth. This is inclosed by
a massive, solid cap-stone of the same material, eight feet six inches
by six feet, one foot thick and weighing four and a half tons. It is
secured in its position by a number of powerful steel rods, making a
structure almost impregnable.

There sleeps in peace the body of the fearless CHAMPION OF LIBERTY, and
the APOSTLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Footnotes

1. It was in Boulogne ser-Mer and Paris that he labored principally
while in France, and it was at the former place he held the discussion
alluded to by Elder Richards.

2. A younger brother of the Prophet Joseph's, a most excellent young
man; he died in Nauvoo, 1841.

3. Samuel Smith, a brother to the Prophet.

4. Heber C. Kimball.

5. President Brigham Young.

6. Willard Richards, who was with President Taylor and the two Prophets
in Carthage Jail.

7. He was the Apostle that was killed at the battle of Crooked River,
in Missouri, 1838.

8. Jedediah Grant, Counselor to President Young.

9. George A. Smith, a Counselor to President Young.

10. Had it been possible, it would have been eminently proper for
the Twelve Apostles to have been the pall bearers, because President
Taylor had been so long identified with that organization; but this
was impracticable, as the most of the quorum were in exile. It was
therefore decided to select members of the family to act in that
capacity, and twelve of the seventeen sons present at the funeral were
chosen for that purpose.



Appendix

Family of John Taylor.

For an account of the ancestry of John Taylor, see Chapter 1.

  Wives.

    Name.              When Born.      Where Born.         When Died.    Where died.     Father's Name     Mother's Name      Marriage

    Leonora Cannon     Oct. 6, 1796    Peel, Isle of Man   Dec. 9, 1868  Salt Lake City  George Cannon     Leonora Callister  Jan 28, 1833, in
                                                                                                                                Toronto, Canada
    Elizabeth Haigham  Sept. 11, 1811        do                                          Thos. Haigham     Elizabeth Garret   Dec. 12, 1843, in
                                                                                                                                Nauvoo, Ills.
    Jane Ballantyne    Apl. 11, 1813   Shildfield, Paich                                 David Ballantyne  Annie Bannerman    Feb. 25, 1844, in
                                         Earlston, Scotland                                                                     Nauvoo, Ills.
    Mary Ann Oakley    March 20, 1826  Flat Lands, Long                                  Ezra Oakley       Elizabeth DeGroot  April, 1845, in
                                         Island, New York                                                                       Nauvoo, Ills.
    Sophia Whitaker    Apl. 21, 1825   Blakedown, Worcest- Feb. 27, 1887 Salt Lake City  Thos. Whitaker                       April 23, 1847, in
                                         shire, England                                                                         Winter Quarters, Iowa
    Harriet Whitaker   Apl. 21, 1825         do            July 16, 1882       do        Thos. Whitaker                       Dec. 4, 1847, in
                                                                                                                                Salt Lake City
    Margaret Young     Apl. 24, 1837   Westport, Fairfield                               Ebenezer Russel   Margaret Holden    Sept. 26, 1856, in
                                         Co., Conn.                                        Young                                Salt Lake City

  Children.

    Name.                  When Born.      Where Born.              When Died.     Where died.     Father's Name     Mother's Name

    George John Taylor     Jan. 31, 1834   Near Toronto, Canada                                   John Taylor       Leonora Taylor
    Mary Ann Taylor        Jan. 23, 1836   Toronto, Canada          Dec. 9, 1890   San Francisco       do                  do
    Joseph James Taylor    June 8, 1838    Near Indianapolis, Ind.                                     do                  do
    Leonora Agnes Taylor   June 1, 1842    Nauvoo, Ills.            Sep. 10, 1843  Nauvoo, Ills.       do                  do
    Josephine Taylor       March 15, 1846  Nauvoo, Ills.                                               do           Elizabeth Taylor
    Thomas Edward Taylor   Nov. 7, 1849    Salt Lake City, Utah                                        do                  do
    Arthur Bruce Taylor    Oct. 9, 1853            do                                                  do                  do
    Richard James Taylor   Feb. 4, 1848            do                                                  do           Jane Ballantyne Taylor
    Annie Maria Taylor     Oct. 21, 1849           do                                                  do                  do
    David John Taylor      Aug. 8, 1853            do               Sep. 6, 1881   New York            do                  do
    Henry Edgar Taylor     Dec. 26, 1849           do                                                  do           Mary Ann Oakley Taylor
    Mary Elizabeth Taylor  Jan. 30, 1854           do               Jan 16, 1859   Salt Lake City      do                  do
    Brigham John Taylor    Aug. 8, 1858            do                                                  do                  do
    Ida O. Taylor          Sept. 6, 1860           do                                                  do                  do
    Ezra O. Taylor         May 20, 1863            do                                                  do                  do
    Harriet Ann Whitaker   Dec. 7, 1847            do                                                  do           Sophia Taylor
      Taylor
    James Whitaker Taylor  March 2, 1850           do               June, 1851     Salt Lake City      do                  do
    Hyrum Whitaker Taylor  Jan. 10, 1854           do                                                  do                  do
    John Whitaker Taylor   May 15, 1858            do                                                  do                  do
    Helena Whitaker Taylor March 21, 1860          do               April 10, 1870 Salt Lake City      do                  do
    Moses Whitaker Taylor  March 9, 1862           do                                                  do                  do
    Frederick Whitaker     July 18, 1866           do                                                  do                  do
      Taylor
    Sophia Elizabeth       July 14, 1849           do                                                  do           Harriet Whitaker Taylor
      Taylor
    William Whitaker       Sept. 11, 1853          do               Aug. 1, 1884   Salt Lake City      do                  do
      Taylor
    John Taylor            March 19, 1855          do               March 29, 1855       do            do                  do
    Ebenezer Young Taylor  Feb. 25, 1860           do                                                  do           Margaret Young Taylor
    Frank Young Taylor     Nov. 4, 1861            do                                                  do                  do
    Leonora Young Taylor   March 25, 1864          do                                                  do                  do
    Robert Young Taylor    March 2, 1866           do               Sept. 30, 1867       do            do                  do
    Maggie Young Taylor    March 15, 1870          do                                                  do                  do
    Nephi Young Taylor     Oct. 25, 1872           do                                                  do                  do
    Mary Young Taylor      Dec. 6, 1875            do                                                  do                  do
    Abraham Young Taylor   Dec. 12, 1878           do                                                  do                  do
    Samuel Young Taylor    Nov. 20, 1881           do                                                  do                  do

The grand children and great-grand children of President Taylor now
number upwards of one hundred, so that in addition to a name and a fame
for himself, he also is the founder of a family that is not likely to
perish while the earth shall stand; nor is it likely that he will ever
be without a man to stand before the Lord in the priests' office--a
thing esteemed by the ancients as one of the greatest blessings.



Transcriber's Note

In a couple of cases where the correct reading was clear, unmatched
quotation marks were corrected. An instance of "No. they" was changed
to "No. They" to match other instances in the same paragraph, and some
other obvious printer's errors (e.g. psss for pass, judical for judicial,
Tayor for Taylor, etc. etc.) were corrected.





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