The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-04-27
SOME EARLY IOWA HISTORY.
Nebraska Case Brings to Mind a Fa-
nous Episode.
sioux civ TRIBUNE.

tofbuA CAll |lllblA--N
Judge Griminson has entered a decree
az Columbus, Neb., awarding the $50
eco estate ofsGuy G. Bsrnum TO his
widow, formerly Maria c. Delomel, Cal
weston, Tex.
The court thus recognized as valid
the wedding that took place at Los An
gelss, Cal, Dec. IT, 1898. Barnum met
the southern lady in the morning, and
they were married in the afternoon.
The other heirs OF Baruum fought the
VIII giving her his property. They
Gained b C~aiifornia marriage was
nUeheed the old man uuduly, but they
nuenced the old man unduly. ut they
were overTUled. BarnuTa died last
summer.
Barnum a few years ago was worth
500, ee. He had been in the legisla-
ture. He stood high in Columbus. But
his mind failed him He spent several
years in the Nebraska asylum. and
when allowed his liberty he roamed
the whole country, spending his money
right and left and finally ending with
the Los Angeles marriage.
In southern M0nona country. Iowa,
where the picturesque Soldier river
sweeps proudly about Q. high, wooded
hill, are nestled a half-GOZen venerable
houses, a diminutive store. and "a
depot. one train stops there each day.
The brakeman calls. Preparation. f"
Here, in this memory of a town, was
set up the first printing press in west
ern Iowa; here was printed the first
publication west of Des MOiues. here
was established tina wild, fanatical
dream, h Jehovah Presbytery Of
Zion. Guy e. Barnum was one of the
two men who named this town
Preparation fog il was here that men
were 10 Be grooued for Transmission
TO heaven: it was 70 be the earthly
preparation for the life beyond.
When Joseph Sraith. father Of the
&ormons, wss shot IN Carthage. H.,
Jail that June night in 1874. the Mormon
faith was . Or less dsuforalized.
Numerous candidates for the mantle
Of Smith spraug up. Living in st.
Louis was a MAI named Charles B.
Thompson. Little more than an ad-
Venturer, he was attracted to the Nor
mon church as q glorious opportunity
fe- a m eScapdGe. He became a
teacher IN the faith He gathered about
him IN -. Louis a constantly i~ncreas-
ing flock. He enlisted as assistant the
services Of Guy G. Barnum. then a
Young man. Thompson possessed a
personality OF rare hypnotic qualities.
Soon he had collected about him a
small army Of pilgrims.
One night he had a vision. Next
morning he announced 70 his hoak thai
Cd had appeared 10 him the night be-
fore. MY children, ne said, '1t IS the
divine viii that we shall journey TO the
far west, and there set up an earthly
kingdom to prepare for the better life
beyond"
a few months later some hundred
prairie s~chOOners, that had numbered
slowly all the way from St. Louis, car
rying some 400 persons, halted at a
bend in the Soldier river. where grass
and trees grew Verdant i'm fertile soil,
Wagons were UnlOaded. men fell to
work hewing logs, and a few weeks
later appeared a branch community IF
the Mormon church that lived and died
without winning a place On history's
page. This was in 1886.
. .
Thompson had another vision. To
his credulOus following he announced
the deity had again appeared to him.
The divine spirit has appointed me
his steward" he said. I am the stew
ard of Cod You are my stewards. Is
your steward I must. under the divine
VIII, possess all you possess. Go, then.
buy lands, and deed them TO your stew
ard"
The community. BOW grown to full
leo men. cbeyed. They pre-empted
two whole townships. They established
stores and blacksmith shops and livery
barns and hotels Every dollar Of profit
was religiously turned over 10 the
steward Of God. through Barnum. as
sistant steward. One man had gone on
a several days journey TO bring back
a load OF lumber. He was met by a
messenger Of the steward.
You must stop where you are: you
must Journey TO Virginia: you must en-
ter the halls Of the legislature at Rich
mond; you must pronounce the curse
Of the steward upon the legislature. be-
cause it has said things n done
things that reflect upon the stewar Of
God and his divine master.
This was the command The lumber
man Obeyed. The messenger took the
seat on the wagon and drove back To
Preparation. The Iunberman. after
weeks Of labOTiOus toiling. reached the
Richmond legislature. pronounced the
curse. and Journeyed back again TO his
Iowa home.
But. by the time the Jehovah Presby-
terry Of Zion had reached its third ami
yersary the faithful at last BEGAN 10
grunsble. The steward was Unsuitable
"a his demand for the profits when ths