Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-28
a MORMON APOSTLE.
Tne Life and Miracles OF Jacob
H@mblin Among the Indians OF
Utah.
Correspondence Ne,o York World.

Venes. steep divide now thrlIsts ftsel
across the ros0 and traversing near the sun
NIT patch of pebbly ground which SCENE
very paradise for botanists, we descen
again into a wilderness OF grease wood
"the uuspeakable Turki among vegetables
Toe mountains between which we pass prc
vide, however, q succession of fiue views
They are OF that bulky, brosd-based an
slowly-s!oping type that is so much NOR
solemn and impressive than jagged, sharp
pointed and precipitous formations
A few miles more bring us to on
of them, and for the first tim
during the journey our road run
through the thicklY-growing "cedars'
which hitherto we have only seen at dis
tance lying like dark clouds upon the hill
sides and black drifts in the gulchee. ThI
wild flowers growing under these "cedars'
(end the pines which are sprinkled among
them) are Of new varieties to me, and en-
Joyed a tive-mile walk In this novel vegeta-
uon immensely. A few years ago, though
Mr.. Indian" would have made himself toe
interesting to travellers for men to 90 wan
dering about the cedars picking posIes.
They would have found those "arrowe
tipped with Jasper" which are so pictures.
que in "Hiawatha," flying about instead OF
nnmmiug birds tipped with emerald, and a
.onshawk hurting through the
70 excite remark than the blue
magpies which 1 saw looking up
snalls. This district was until very RECENTLY
favorite hunting ground of those Indians
OF whom old Jacob Hamblin was the Nestor
the guide, philosopher, friend and victim.
One day they would try to fill his skin full
Of arrows; on the next they would be round
him asking him to make rain medicine.
They would talk Mormonism with him all
day and grunt approvngly; as soon as night
fell they would steal his horse. He was
always patching up peace between this tribe
and that; yet every now and then they
would catch him, have a great pow-wow
over him, and, being unable to decide
whether he should be simply fayed, or be
roasted first over charcoal fire, would let
him go, with provisions and an escort for
his home journey.
His life, indeed, was so wonderful-much
more fascinating than any fiction-that l
am not surprised at his believing as he does,
tbat he is under the special protection of
Heaven, and, as he says, in private cove
nant with the Almighty that "if he does
not thirst for the blood of the Lsmanites
his blood shall never be shed by them" He
began life as farmer near Chicago, but
being baptized received at once ''the imme
date gift of the Holy Ghost" and at once
entered upon a career of "miracles" and
i
earnest are sufficient to stagger Spiritu-
aliSt, or even Koot Hoomi himself. He
cured his neighbors Of deadly ailments by
the laying on of hands, and foretold con-
versions, deaths, and other events with un-
varying accuracy. By prolonged private
meditation he enjoyed what from
his description must be a preguststion
Of the Buddhistic Nirvana, and after
this miracles became quite commonplace
with him. He witnessed the miracle" of
the great quail flights into the camp of the
fugitives and starving Saints in 1916, and
helped to collect the birds and to eat them;
he saw also the miraculous" flights of sea-
gulls that rescued the Mormons from starva-
tion by destroying the locusts In 1S4S But
his personal experiences, narrated with G
simplicity of speech and unquestioning con-
kdence that are bewildering, were even more
marvellous II cattle were lost he could
always dream where they were. II sickness
prevailed he knew beforehand who would
suffer, and which OF them would die, and
which of them recover. II Indians were
about angels gave in his sleep the first
warnings Of his dSuger. His sympathy
With the Indians was, however, very
early awakened, and, being strengthened In
It by the coDciliatOry Indian policy of Brig
ham Young, he became before long the only
recognized medium OF friendly communica-
VI
eral officials, California emigrants, Mormon
missionaries, or Indians themselves, enlisted
his influence whenever trouble with the
tribes was anticipated. His own explana-
tion OF this Influence Is remarkable enough.
As young man, he says, he was sometimes
toled off to join retributive expeditions, but
he could never bring himself to fire at an
Indian; and on one occasion, when he did
try to 90 so. his rifle kept missing fire, while
"the Lsmanites," with equally Intellectual
efforts to shed his blood, kept on pincush-
iOning the ground all around him with their
futile arrows. After this, he and the In
dtans, whenever they met, saved each others
lives with punctual reciprocity
On one occasion he dreamed that he was
walking In a friendly manner with some of
the members OF certain tribe, when he
picked up piece of q shining substance
which stuck to bis fingers. The more he
tried to rub It OFF, the brighter It became.
One would naturally, under such circum-
stances, anticipate the revelation of gold
mine; but Jacob Hamblin, without any ques.
tiOning, went of at once to the tribe in
question. They received him as friends.
and he stsid with them. One day, passing
q lodge, "the Spirit" whispered to him,
Here Is the shining substance you saw in
your dream" But all he saw was a
squaw and boy pspoose. However, he
went up to the squaw and asked for the
boy. She naturally demurred to the
request, but, to her astonishment, the boy,
gathering up his bows and arrows, urged
compliance with 1t, and Hamblin eventually
led on his dream-revealed f1ump." After
a while he asked the boy how It was he was
so eager to come though he had never seen
white man before, and the boy answered:
MY Spirit told me that you were coming to
my fathers lodge for me, and that I was to
20 with you; and when the day came went
put to the edge of the wood and lit fire to
how you the way to me-" And Hamblin
hen remembered that it was the smoke of
\ fire that had led him to that particular
camp instead OF another towards which he
was ridingi
By way of a parenthasis, let me remark
here, that II there are any ''Spiritualists''
among my readers, they should study Nor
nonism. The Saints have long ago formu-
aGed into accepted doctrines those myste-
les OF the occult world which Spirituslists
outside the faith are still investi0atIn0
Your "problems" are their axioms.
This Indian boy became a stsuuch Nor
non, and to the last was in communion
With the other world. Remember. I am
Iuoting Hsmblin's words-not necessarily |
ndorsiDg them In 1858 he was at ST,
fs2Egs Snd az one SdIs y gheR his friends were
le took farewell OF them "forever." s'f |
IN going on a mission, too" be said.
What do YOU mean ?" asked Hamblin. |
Only thai l shall be dead before you come
,ack," was the Indians reply. ''I have
cen myself in dream preaching the Cos
)el to multitude OF my people, ard nv
Incestors were among them. So | know
hat must be a spirit, too, before l can
larry the Word to spirits" In six weeks
1amblin returned to It. George. And the
indian was dead.
Jacob Hamblin, beyond all others, svmpa
hized with the red mans nature. fT argue
With him Just as he argues" he said. He
vas on good terms with the medicine men
ind took delightful interest in their cere,
monies. Blt when they failed TO bring rain
With boufires and bowling, he used TO prav
lown abundant showers; when thev gave
Up tormeGting the sick as psst all hope.
dsmblin restored the invalid to life bv the
sYiDg on OF hands. (Once more let me say
hat am only quoting, not indorslnQ. But /
10 him great Injustice In not being able
% convey In writing the impressive
simplicity OF his language, his low
measured tones, bis contemplative.
earnest attitude, his Indiau-like gravity
)f couutenanct) That he speak,
he implicit truth, according to his own be
lief, am IS certain as that the sun Is shin.
ng on the lake outside my window. His
'occultn sympathies seemed at times to be
for, when In doubt as to a com
panion on perilous journey, some brother
Or other, the fttest person for the occasion.
would always feel mysteriously Influenced
10 go to him to see II his services were
needed. His displeasure killed men-that
Is to say, they went from his presence. sick