Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-07-29
WHENCE COMES
ITS AUTHORITY
Z Recognized Church Makes Claims
That are Not Very Well
Established,
YOUNG JoSEPA's ORDINATION.
One WHO Was With Him Makes All
davlt That No Such Ceremony
Ever Occurred.

The following should set AT rest
acme Of the claims Of the Roorganiscd
church for recognition,
state Of Utah, County Of salt Lake,
~,
John W Rgdon being duly sworn,
SAYS, | am the son OF sidney Rlgdon,
deceased Was born az Mentor, IN the
state OF Ohio, . the year OF 1880, and
am now over 70 years OF age, My
saher' sidney Riedon, Joined The
,shtreh OF Jesus christ Of lallor.day
Saints that year, and was IN 1893 or
daInod 10 be Joseph Smiths FIRST coun-
selor. which position he held M 10 tho
time Joseph The Prophet was killed. AZ
Carthage jall, IN 1874 That Joseph
Smith and sidney nigdon moved from
Kirkland with heir families, to the
state of Missouri, during the winter Of
1881 but Rigdon dld not reach Far
West, m the state Of Missouri, until the
IN OF April 1898 That during the
troubles IN Missouri, IN the year 1879
Joseph Smith, llyrum Smith, hiB
brother, sidney Rlgdon, Lyman Whit
and others, whose names ! do not now
remember, wor0 arrested ana lmprls-
oned IN Liberty IAN, about 10 miles
from the village Of Far West, In Cald-
well county, Missouri, whore they an
remained lncarcorntod Tor several
months That while said Joseph Smith
llynm smith, sidney Rgdon, Lyman
Wight aud others were prisoners IN
saId Liberty Soil, az aforesaid, l. with
my mother wife of sidney llglon
Emma smith, wife of said Joseph
Smith, and Joseph smith, SON of Jos
srh and Emmn Smith, went to see Tho
said prisoners during the Inter part of
the winter Of 1888, We all went to-
gelhor In The same carriage and oamo
homo together We stayed at Liberty
jnll with the prisoners three days ana
ihcn left fol home, The story that Ia
holng told by some Of the momhcrs ~
the Reorganlsed church at Lamont
that young Joseph smith, now presl-
dent Of the said Rc0rRanlgod church.
was ordained by his father Joseph
smith, to be- tho leader ~ the said
church NJ Jesus christ ~ Lntter.d0y
Saints. after his fathers death, Is not
true, for J know that no such ordinn-
ton took place while we were ut lib.
cry Jail lha, n any such ordination
had taken place ] most certainly should
have known II ana remembered e. aa
! was with young Joseph, the Prophets
son, all the time we wcrc there n Jos.
eph Smith had ordained his son Jos.
onh to be leader OF the Church at his
death he would have done 40 In a man.
nor that there could have been no doubt
about A. Roth Of his counsolora were
then IN prison with him, namely, sid.
nty Rlgdon ana llynm Smith, and Il
would have been IN order for tho
Prophet 10 have called upon them 10 az.
'I,t him IN such an ordination had II
taken place, and n record Of tho same
made IN tho church books so that all
members ~ tho Church might have
known that such an ordination had
taken place. lSut nothing of the kind
appears In The Church books My
iolber and mother lived a good many
years after the incarceration at Llb-
trly iail and I, who lived near my
father never heard my father or my
mother mention that such an ordna.
ton ever took place IN Liberty jail,
and 40 ] know myself that no such
ordination took place ~ Liberty jaih
and inasmuch ~ II ~ not claimed that
nm ordination Of this character was be.
slowed at any other place, therefore !