Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-12-21

President Joseph T. Smith.
l1.EsE1 9Gt.e1.t1@

of 1868, the ship on which [ was pas-
senger had two narrow escapes. one n
barely ayerted collision with a sailing
vessel In the midst of Il dense fog one
night In mid ocean, the other while on
deaYorlng TO deliver the mail AT 81.
Johns, Newfoundland. during heavy
log This time the ship, driven by the
breakers struck upon a rock. causlng
the utmost Consideration until she sue
ceeded In clearing herself and steamlng
INTO safe waters Among the passengers
bound for Utah was Sister Elizabeth
II Cannon, Wife Of President George @
cannon, whose infant child died dur
ing her Journey across the plains.
! acted as chaplain OF Captain John
Woolley's company. which followed lat.
en- but at Green River | Joined a par
! ~ led bv Lewis Robson, which had
| come OUT to meet the train and take
charge of wagon load of powder
which II was supposed Colonel COnnor
and the troops at Fort Douglas in
! tended TO connscate. The powder was
unkegged, sacked, loaded upon mules
and conveyed by an unbroken route
across the mountains and desert TO
| SAT- Lake city where we arrived late
| In September
The next spring ! was again on my
way to foreign land, having been Civ
| en- a second mission to the Sandwich
| Islands This time | accompanied
| Apostles Ezra r. Benson and Lorenzo
! Snow, Elders William w, Clun and
Alma l., Smith the special object of
our errand being TO put stop to the
fraudulent operations Of the lmposter
Walter M. Gibson, who was deceiving
the credulous and simple minded ma
tive members Of the Church, not only
In matters Of doctrine, but with gro
tesquely false representations OF his
own power and authority. He had re-
organized the Church according to his
own fancles, ordained Twelve Apostles
and other officers, selling them their or
dlnations, and imposing himself upon
the people as priestly and kingly
ruler, to whom they must pay AFFECT
homage. We confronted him, charged
him with his misdeeds and labored
faithfully to reclaim him. but he proved
obdurate and impenitent and was there
fore cut off from the Church. We then
directed our energies towards reclaim
ing those whom he had misled, and In
this work, under the blessing of God,
we were very successful
While upon this mission. and at its
very outset. / witnessed the drowning
OF Apostle Lorenzo Snow by the cap
sizing of boat In the rough waters
OF Lahana harbor March 81, 1864 We
had reached Honolulu In safety, and
had proceeded thence TO I.ahaina, on
the schooner Nettie Merrill. from whose
dock | beheld the accident. The only
4 xtfn L.. q
were all the other members Of our par
ty was because being familiar with
the coast at that point | had declined
to enter the ships boat with the rest,
or to disembark while the waves were
running high. Brothers Cuff and Smith
were equally averse to going i'm that |
boat. but yielded to Brother Bensons
persuasions. In due time | rejOned
them on shore, and assisted to care for
Brother Snow, who was resuscitated af-
ter much labor and difficulty being
rolled upon "A barrel until all the wa
ter he had swallowed, was elected and
his lungs then relnnated from the |
mouth Of one of his companions: an
Ingenious process which suggested itself |
to the mind of Brother Clun.
We set in order the affairs Of the |
Hawaiian mission, Of which after Ell. |
dor Glbson's accommodation, ! was |
given charge, with Elders Cluff and |
Smith as my asslstants the two ApOs- /
ties returning to Utah The three of |
as left made tour Of all the Islands
and meantime We're Joined by Elders |
Benjamin Cluff and John X. Young
We worked energetcally against the
imposture, and gradually won back
those whom Gibson had deceived We
recommended by letter to President
Young the gathering Of all the Hawaii
an Saints, TO one place, where they
might be better disciplined in religious
duties and doctrines, as well as indus
trial pursuits Our recommendation
was adopted. and one Of the spots
proposed by us for this purpose, and the
one we most favored, was afterwards
chosen, and II remains 70 this day the
headquarters Of the mission; namely,
the celebrated sugar plantation OF I4aie
on the island Of Oahu. The purchase
Of the. property was made by Elders
Francis A. Hammond and George Neb-
eker, whom | met at San Francisco
while on my way home early In 1860
/ will here remark that my first or
dinaton In the Priesthood was to the
office of Elder, In May, 1854 Just prior
to leaving upon my first mission, In
March, 1858, / became seventy and
in October, 1859, High Priest and n
member Of the High Council OF the Salt
Lake Stake of Zion ! was ordained
an Apostle July /, 1866, by President
Brigham Young. assisted by the Twelve,
and on the Sth Of October 1861 was set
apart to take the place previously oc-
-. NJ in the |
Council Of the Apostles.
Between the spring Of 1874 and the
fall Of 1877 I filled two more missions
to Europe where | was called 10 pre-
side: being summoned home in 1919 on
account of the death OF President Geo
A Smith. and In 1877 on account OF the
death of President Brigham Young. In
the interim OF these two missions | pre-
sided over the Davis Stake Of Zion, and
while IN England on the latter occasion
| visited with Apostle Orson Pratt
various parts of Great Britain, LOT
the purpose Of selecting phonetic type
for the publication Of the Book OF
Mormon in the characters Of the
Deseret alphabet.
In 1878 ] accompanied Brother Pratt
10 the states during which trip we
called upon David Whitmer az Rich
mond. and upon William q. McLellin
AZ independence Missouri; also
touching at Far West. Plano and kirt-
land Al New York | wrote an account
of our tourney for publication, and re-
turned home in time TO attend the Octo-
her conference. .,,.
our interview with David Whitmer
u.as exceedingly interesting He bore
10 us his usual strong and undertaking
estlmony to the truth Of the Book OF
Mormon. and his connection Herewith
,s one OF the three witnesses to whom
Inc angel OF God showed the golden
plates from which II was translated
Nothing could be more earnest, more
sincere than that aged mans solemn !
afIirmation that he saw the angel and
heard his voice declaring that the
characters upon those plates had been !