Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-02-21
PROSPEROUS FARMERS STORY
How Travelling Elder. Pcnnilcss and
Hungry, Encounters stranger VINO
Rcfutcs Some Stock Statements.

| gan, some years after he had left the
! Mormon Church. Cowdery was prose-
| cutting a criminal case against mur-
| derer. At the conclusion OF his open
| Ing speech. the attorney for the de-
fendant arose and instead of devoting
| his time to the case in hand. with sar-
| casm and I'm bitter speech charged
| Cowdery with having defrauded the
| American people by foisting hateful
| religion. Mormonlsm. upon them, and
defled Cowdery to deny 1t. Cowdery's 8
| calm, dispassionate acknowledgment
| was the subject of Elder Nelson's ad-
| dress, which in part was as follows:
"Those who have received the gospel
| with the laying on of hands for the
! reception of the Holy Ghost have a
| testimony independent of what any
| other person may say of the truth of
| this work and the divinity of tho Book
| of Mormon. But we have in our midst
a rising generation Of young men and
i young women who have had few OF
| the experiences OF life, and have not
had testimony of the power of God
us those of us who have been tried in
| the missionary field and at home.
1T has been like a missing link in
| the life of Oliver Cowdery as to what
| he did for a certain number of years
| from the time he left the Church un
| til he came back and appeared at
| Council Bluffs i'm 1S49. There were
| IL years of which we have little or no
record of his doingS.
ut has been circulated among our
enemies that oliver Cowdery had de-
MED his testimony of the divinity
&c tla Do of A do re-
have been made and published in east
ern states that Oliver Cowdery asked
to be received into some church as
member: that before that church
would receive him he was required to
make confession of his connection with
that terrible religion called Mormon
Ism, and his own testimony regarding
the Book of Mormon and his having
said he saw an angel from heaven. My
friends. I do not believe no ever made
such denial of his testimony. But
our elders have had this to meet. and
for that reason I am going to tell you
something here tonight that will be OF
interest to you.
But, for arguments sake. say OIL
yer Cowdery did recant his testimony,
which I do not admit-what then? Is
he greater than John tho Baptist! who
doubted Jesus when trials and troubles
of having his head cut off to satisfy n
woman? Is Oliver Cowdery greater
than Peter. who In tho hour OF his
trials denied Christ a second and third
time. even curSing and swearing when
accused. See Matthew. 18th chapter
Not one of his disciples acknowledged
him. Suppose. as our enemies have
tried to make 1t appear. that oliver
Cowdery did deny these things before
the Methodist church. it was in day
when the life of a Mormon was
than a rabbit running about in the
sagebrush. Both the Old and the New
Testament show us that when the
spirit of God WAS withdrawn from men
they shrank in fear of losing their
lives and denied what they knew to
be facts.
MISSIONARY EXPERIENCE.
I'm the year 1884. was travelling as
a missionary in Minnesota. I had
most of the eastern part of the state
to myself. was without purse OF
scrip and one night slept in a hay
stack. Next day I came TO city and
wandered up and down the streets
had no money, no friends and didn't
know where to go. ] passed large store
called the Emporium. something like
our C. NJ. /. I was attracted by 1t,
but didn't know why There were
about 25 teams hitched near the place.
owned by farmers in town on business
Something told me to Go over and see
a certain man. The street was full of
people and I wondered which man
Then one man seemed to me as big as
three ordinary men. The spirit whis-
pered: Go over and speak to him.
hesitated to approach this entire
stranger. but the same voice came to
me a second and third time. Then
1 went
"He was a prosperous looking farm
er with fine two-seated buggy.
which he was ready to enter. and was
prominent man. 1 afterwards
learned. Not knowing what else. I
said: How fur are you going2' Home:
where are you going7' I have no GER
tain place: I am from Utah You are
not a Mormon, are you?' he asked,
anxiously. Yes Then God bless
you" he replied. reaching out his arms
and dropping the lines, Get into this
buggy as fast as you can. When we
get home, my wife will rejoice as I re-
jolce now. I will then explain all
But you are not a JosephIte are you7'
No I'm real live Mormon from
Utah
Reaching the home. he called.
Mother here's real live Mormon eld-
err I'm afraid l didn't look very fine.
as had slept in a haystock the proyi
GUS night. They took me by the hand
and led me into the house / was
very hungry and begged for something
to eat. After my hunger was satis
fed, they called In their sons and
daughters and we sat around the ia
Bile. My new found friend then said:
FARMER TELLS HIS STORY.
Now. young man. you thought It
strange how 7 acted when you spoke
to me- When I get through you viii
realize the importance of your coming
to us. When I was Fl years OF age. /
was working my fathers farm In Michi-
gan. ] had worked hard on the farm
that summer and decided to take a day
or, 40 went to the city Near the
courthouse l saw great many people
assembling. and others walking that
way. 80 l went over to see what was I'D.
There was jam In the courtroom, but
being young and strong. I pushed my
way close up to the center, whcre 1
found the prosecuting attorney address
Ing the court and Jury In a murder
trial. The prosecuting attorney was
Oliver Cowdery. and he was giving his
opening address In behalf OF the state"
(Aftcr he was cut off from the Church.
oliver Cowdery studied law. practising
In Ohio, Wisconsin and then Michigan,
where he was elected prosecuting at
torney) After Cowdery sat down tho
ATTORNEY renresentinH the r,Y-faonar n roao