Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-09-12
BRIGHAM YOUNG'S LAST DAYS.
How the Prophet Prepared for His End
ana Put His House in Order--.Dis-
tribnting His Great Estate and Con-
sOlidating His Dynasty.

hf sbVo't h Diot
%tribnting His Great Estate and Com
solidating His Dynasty.
\ correspondent wrote from Salt Lake
CITY, August 18th, prior to Brigham
Ioungs death During the last six
months Brigham Young bias been en-
gagged with his apostles in recognizing
the working machinery of the Mormon
church. 1t has seemed to some that
TINS was owing to the apprehension of
danger rom the courts III this territory
and from the next congress. But Brig
ham has no such fears. He had rea-
sons, some weeks ago, to apprehend
trouble, when Burton and Clinton we're
arrested on the charge of murder but
since the former i-out on bail, and the
latter is out Of the hands of the United
states marshal, he feels perfectly at
ease, as far as concerns them, and rs
for congress, he has always boosted that
he could purchase it at any time. For
this reorganization of the church there
Is another reason.
Brigham Young has the appearance
OF being physically a strong man yet
the reverse is true. He comes of a long
lived race, but he has frequently had
hard work to pull through attacks of
sickness, and it is only with constant
nursing and much doctoring that he
been able to keep up. When Chief
Justice Mexican was worrying him, the
marshal, with a warrant in his hand,
was almost certain to be met with Il
doctors certificate that the prophet
could not leave his room. This being
so frequently the case, those unac-
qualnted with the facts regarded the
statement of his illness rs Il mere sub
terfuge to keep out Of the hands Of the
officers of justice. But his inability to
leave his house vas real, and as he in
creases III age he grows no better. 1t is
this consciousness of decreasing vitality
and the possibility of the recurrence of
trouble that have prompted the prophet
to . put the church in ORDER SO that,
IN case of sudden death or any other
unpleasant eventuality, he may have
everything prepared for his successor,
and may rest assured that there will be
most killed it at the death of Smith.
To those who have asked the ques-
tons, "Will Mormonism die with Brig
ham loung?" "Will there not be a
general br~eak-up?' VIII will be his
successor?' the prophet is now giving
answer.
More than a dozen years ago Brigham
began to prepare for n proper distribu-
ton OF his private property after his
decease. He chose the most capable
men in his church for this kind of bust
Elder A. Milton Musser, an or
phan of some Pennsylvania Dutch fam
lily. and he set him to work to travel
through the territory to obtain legal
deeds for every piece of property he
said was his. In the two hundred cities
and settlements there is everywhere a
Is. Y. brand. 1t is imprinted on every
thing he coveted, from n y%earling's rump
to a forest Of pine, MuSser was five
years ut the work, and he amassed for
his chief an enormous quantity of
property. The extent of it is incredi-
BILE to those who do not know the oper-
tons of the one-man power. As the
whole machinery of election is in his
own hands, notaries public and record
erS did as they We're told, and asked no
questions. In this way Brigham has
provided for his legion of wives and
children. Now he has begun to provide
for the church.
Brigham was once asked by a young
and Jealous apostle Who will be
your successor, Brother Brigham? He
answered The Lord will manifest
that in due time" Brigham was not
ready to unveil his mind, and until he
is the very biggest Of his crowd can only
guess nj his intentions. He set out to
found a dynasty when he came to these
mountains, and it looks now as if he
were going to carry out his programme
successfully. The people are becoming
familiar with the thought, and the obsta-
cleS that were in his way Il few years are
quickly vanishing.
About a dozen years ago he resolved
to make his three sons. Joseph A., Brig
ham, Jr., and John W., apostles. He
consulted no one, but one day when his
counselor, and the second in authority
in the church, Heber c. Kimball, came
into his office, he said " Brother He
Der, let lis lay hands on the boys" In
the usual manner of ordination, Brig
ham and IIcber laid their hands on the
heads of the three, and in a few minutes
the sons of Brigham were f~ull-Hedgcd
apostles. lleber was amazed at the
business and the part he had taken
in it but as M opposition to the
will of the prophet Vas possible, with
out open rebellion, he had to content
himself as he best could. That was the
first visible step leading to Brigham's
successorship, and wen that was I'M
known for years To any but those within