The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-07-27

the Saints of God were driven out
of Jackson County, Missouri, by a
lawless mob, into Clay County.
Some were massacred, some WHIP
ped with hickory goads, and others
were tarred and feathered. Their
houses were burned and their pro-
perty was destroyed, and they were
driven, penniless and destitute,
across the river. The Council then
in Zion called for volunteers to go 10
Kirkland. a thousand miles distant,
to see the Prophet Joseph for coun-
sci to know what to do. Farley p.
Pratt, who with his family was now
destitute OF all earthly means Of sup
port, and Lyman Wight, with his
wife lying beside log in the woods,
with a babe three days old, and
without food, raiment or shelter,
volun beered to 90 to visit the Pro-
phet Of God. While the driven
Saints lay in this pitiable condition
in the night of Nov. 18th and 18th,
occurred one of the grandest and
most remarkable meteoric displays
ever known, consisting Of number
less falling or shooting stars all over
the visible heavens.
When Elders Pratt and Wight
arrived in Kirkland they told their
tail of woe TO the Prophet Joseph,
who asked the Lord what he
should do. The Lord told him to so
to and gather up the strength Of the
Lords house, the young men and
middle aged and go up and redeem
Zion. See Doctrine and Covenants,
Sec. los. 1t was the viii of God
that they should gather up 500 mon,
but they were not TO go with less
than 100. The Saints of the Lord
gathered up 205 men, most Of whom
assembled in Kirkland in the spring
of 1884. This was the first time |
ever saw the face of the prophet, or
any Of those members of lions
Camp. We We're organized into
companies of tens with a captain
over each, and the Prophet Of God
led this company of 205 men of
lions Camp 1,00O miles.
have not time to repeat the his
tory of that journey here to-day, but
the counsel and the word Of the
Lord through the prophet of the
Lord, and its fulfilment, with our
joys and our sorrows in connection
with those scenes and events, are
engraven upon our hearts as with an
iron pen upon a rock, and the his
tory thereof will live through all
time and in eternity. We were fol-
lowed by spies hundreds Of miles to
find out the object of our mission.
We had some boys in the camp.
George 4. Smith was among the
youngest. When they could get
him alone they would question him,
thinking that he looked green
enough for them to get what they
wanted out of him. The following
questions were frequently put and
answered:
"My boy, where are you FROM"
"From the east"
"Where are you gOing??"
$40 the west"
"What fOr?"
"To see where we can get land
cheapest and best"
"Who leads the camp"
sometimes one, sometimes an
olher."
"What name?"
"Captain Wallace, Major Bruce,
Orson Hyde, James Aired" ETC."
This was about the information
the spies obtained from any of the
camp that were questioned.
AS we were drawing near Clay
County, Missouri, the inhabitants of
hnf.ar,,n x-aY-rr ~,
easy, and q ferry boat containing
twelve men crossed the Missouri
River to Liberty, LAY County, call
ed meeting of the inhabitants in
the State House and made
flaming speeches TO stir up
the people to go out and destroy
the Mormon Camp. But the in
habitant5 of Clay county did not feel
disposed to do it. Samuel G. Owen
and James Campbell were the lead
ers of that Jackson county party.
Cambell swore that the eagles and
turkey buZZardS should eat his flesh
if he did not fix go. Smith" and his
army, so that their skins would not
hold shucks before two days were
passed. These twelve men went to
the ferry and undertook to cross the
river after dark. When in the mid
die of the river the boat sank as if
it had been made of lead. Seven of
the twelve were drowned. Owen
fioated down stream about four miles
and lodged on an isla d. Finding
that he could not reach the shore
With his clothing on, he disrobed
himself, left the island about day
light and finally got ashore in a nude
state. In trying to find his way he
wandered through a lot of high net
ties, and when he reached the road he
lay down by the side of log, nearly
chilled to death, and in great misery
also from the stings OF the nettles.
After a while he obtained a shawl,
from a woman who was passing ON
horseback, to cover his naked
ness until he could get to a
house. Thus he became con-
joy, satisfaction, nor money
in fighting the MOrmOns. The
>keleton of Owen was found about
three weeks after, on a pile of drift
wood, four or five miles down tho
river, the eagles, buzzards, ravens,
crows and wild animals having eat
en- the flesh from his bones, and his
ey es out of their sockets, according
20 his own impious prediction. So
he found the promise true that what
s0ever measure We mete unto others
shall be measured to you.
However, a mob was raised in
jackson county, of both cavalry
and footmen, which crossed theriver
INTO Clay county and came down to
meet and destroy us. We had camp
ed on the east side of Fishing River.
and they there intended 10 give US
attic. We camped by the side of a |
BAPTIST Westinghouse, under a clear
ky, with not a clOud to be seen. As |
soon as we had got our tents pitched,
TWO men on horseback passed |
through our camp, uttering terrible
oaths and swearing that we should |
catch hell enough before morning.
As they rode east out of the camp,
there was a small cloud appeared in |
The northwest, which began to I'M
roll itself like a scroll, and soon the
whole heavens over our heads were
lined with n cloud as black a. ink. |
N short time the lightnings flash
ed, the thunders rolled, the rain de-
scended in torrents, aud sheets of
lail fell, some in our own camp
about the size of robins eggs,
which soon covered the earth as with |
a white mantle. We all had to flee
into the meeting house for protec-