Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-12-26
Died IN THE
MISSION FIELD.
FulI Particulars Of Elder John j
fife's Sad Demise.
PRESIDENT NYE WRITES
Doctors Opinion that Tic o'e" %
D,phiheria inicrferes win 'h'p'
ment aud Burial

President Joseph Il Smith mas re-
celyed from Elder Ephraim H. Nye'
president OF the Southern states ms
sion, letter in explanation Of lns
death and burial Of Elder JohnJ' flle'
whose sad demise near Camden, Aia''
was noted In the News some tune
ago. The letter Ii dated Atlanta, Da''
Dec. IA. and is asfollows,
last Monday 1 received by wire WoIu
that Elder John ]. Fife was dead, heal
camden. Wilcox Co. Ala, ! az once
wired Elder Barney b. Tilby MS com
panion. that would reach nm py wy
ilrst train. got TO Camden iuesuas
night al 1880, and was met BY Alabama
CONFIDENCE President II. l., broWn ana
Flder Tlby. who explained as the mes
sage had indicated, that me at.eho .sa,
physician. Or. Benson, thought tsal
diphtheria was the cause 81 EiueI
Flies death, and II that was true 1ne
body could not be shipped 20 EleSl
Erown gnd went to see and lax WIN
the doctor. lie was pleasant ana treat.
cd us we'll 1e said II cannot say u
was dlphtheria, | win not say u was
nott hut gentlemen. ! will take pleas
ure IN giving you the necessary pcpers
10 enable YOU to get the body shipped,
This seemed all sufficient and accoru-
ingiy the next morning we wired 70
Selma. 20 miles By rail-, Tor an en- IN
banner. (undertaker), and metallc
casket. TO come by first train, anu ne
ana the casket arrived "Wednesday az j
n, m. The body lay al Brother Hender-
sons. seven miles over inc hiils,
through the woods and Into the very
depths Of the forest Here OH the
steep hillside amidst the tallest timber.
with logs and brush everywhere, ana
but 4 blind way so rough and bad ihat
il was well nigh impossible for vehi-
vi. 10 reach the spot, stood q new log
cabin. unfinished no floor, but round
ioIsts laid, and on them. In this nut,
j,ly The body OF Elder File. The story
told In detail to me Is as follows
Elders Fife and Tilby reached the
house OF Brother o. 5. Henderson on
Saturday. Nov %. and that evening
Elder Fife complained a little OF sore
throat. and Il continued TO grow worse,
40 that they could not go on their way.
Brother and Sister Henderson the
while doing all that lay IN their power
for Elder Flies comfort, and wen be-
Ing, as also did his companion, but as
the time rolled on he was some days
better and again he was worse I'LL
Thursday il was determined to send Tor
a doctor DR.. Benson OF Camden was
aent for and came, but after his visit
conditions grew rapidly worse till Sun
day, Brother Henderson and Elder
Tilby urged the doctor TO come again
the next day but he said that his medl-
cine would not work In that time and
he did not come again till sent for on
Sunday, when he arrived somewhat
after noon. After the doctor left, the
poor boy continued to sink SO that the
folks became alarmed and followed and
brought him back, but Elder Fife was
dead. He passed away little after
on Sunday night. Nov. Z. His last hours
were peaceful and quiet, and as II he
was going to sleep. He did not seem e
suffer much at any time, and was uI
MORE or less every day. including the
day Of his death, and spoke OF his
companion In answer 10 his question as
10 how he felt, onr more than 10 min
utes before he died His last words
were: "Let me alone, am better now.
The doctor, after the young man was
dead, said that he thought 1t was diph.
iberia, but could not say positively, II
Is declared that he did not intimate NJ
any time before what he thought was
the matter with him. As soon as thu
doctor said that he thought It wa
diphtherla, the people became alarmed
and Brother Henderson offered Eide
Tiiby the loan Of SIS and urged that &
coffin be obtained at once and that The
body be buried, and preparations wer'
made to that end. coffin was bough
and a grave partly dug, but when Eide
Tilby got my message he refused to lie
the burial take place. Tuesday at nooi
Conference President Brown and
reached there at 1880 p. m. After seeinl
the doctor and learning that We coult
ship the body Prest Brown aud Eide
TiIby returned to Brother Henderson
getting there at a. m. and at a. m
Elder Brown was awakened by Brothe
Henderson,, who said the bod.
must be buried az once o
taken away. The body was In goo'
condition, no change had set In, bu
the people were alarmed Elder Brow
Informed him that | should be Their
by o'clock with the embalmer ant
the caskct and that II certainly coul
not be buried and so they had TO TAX
Il away, and finding the hut alread
mentioned and getting permission 0
the owner, q very Kind man and on
who has often befrlended the Elders
he now came and placed the body In hi
wagon, took It TO the hut and there VI
der Tilby and several Of the member
and friends. Brother Henderson,
Brother Cotton and othtrs who's
names | have forgotten. remained an
watched II until We arrived az 5 p. m
when the work OF embalming too
place The body was even yet In y
most perfect condition, not particl
OF odor or any change OF features bu
he looked as II he was asleep. Eide
Tilby says that Brother and Siste
Henderson were as kind as could
and were indeed. father and mother I
Elder Fife. nursing him as an own 80
and doing all IN their power for hii
and for Elder Tilby, too. and the cours
they took in relation TO having the bod
removed was for the safety OF the
own family in View OF the fact that n
doctor had indicated that he though
that Il might be contagious disease
Il was getting dark as We star {
back after the process OF emhalmlr
was accomplished and through u
Sc3ls we wended our way TIL v
reached Camden and on arriving the
we called on Doctor Benson, but y
found that a great change had TAKE
place n him during the day. He Won
not nov sign papers that would enah
US 10 ship the body His charge Z
his two visits was sls, and ai{er We HI
paid him he wrote a certificate N
was complete cutoff. and operated
a barrier to shipping the body.
Finding now that We could not {
the body shipped we determined up
! another plan. About eight miles la
/ IN the woods IN another direction llv
4 . brother James l.. Allison. and 70 hi
I we won't. on our way a dreadful fe
VI lne came over us as " somethi OF
n evil nature was brewing; and n en-
Z tinued 10 Increase tin we felt a mi
terrible fofebodng o. some great &
pending danger hanging over as. \
" spoke Of II q each other and hndi
That we both felt alike we got out a
kneeling BY the buggy. called upon
< Lord. asking Him 10 turn away the Q
~ from us and open our way that
u might accomplish the work IN hand.
our arrival st the house OF Brother
I3t hfon. and stating the case 10 him.
~