A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsAnderson, Nephi
Religion
A Young Folks' History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Anderson, Nephi
Latter Day Saint churches
On November 6th General Clark made his famous speech to the Saints in Far
West, wherein he told them that he had come to carry out the governor's
orders to destroy them, but he would be lenient and give them a little time
to get out of the state. He advised the Saints to be like other people and
not organize themselves with bishops, presidents, etc. It was a very
foolish, conceited speech.
About twenty-five miles north of Far West was a beautiful settlement of
the Saints. Joseph said it was the place where our father Adam had blessed
his children, and where he will come again to visit his people. So the
place was called Adam-ondi-Ahman. The people here had suffered with the
rest of the Saints, and now in the cold month of November they were driven
from their homes and took refuge for the winter in Far West.
During that hard winter and time of trial when Joseph and many of his
brethren were in prison and many others had apostatized, one name comes to
the front as that of a faithful man. It is Brigham Young. He was ever true
to the Prophet, and Joseph could rely on him. With him were such noble men
as Heber C. Kimball, John Taylor, and many others. Brigham was now
president of the Twelve, and it was his duty to take the lead in looking
after the affairs of the Church during the absence of the First Presidency.
In January, 1839, Brigham Young called a meeting to consider what should be
done in aiding the poor Saints to remove from Missouri. President Young
presented a resolution that the brethren should never desert the poor
Saints, but that they should help them to escape from their persecutors. A
great many brethren agreed to this, and that winter and spring the move
eastward to Illinois continued. They did not travel in large bodies, but in
small companies as they got ready. Not one family who wished to go was left
behind.
The sufferings of that winter journey cannot be told you here. Many died on
the way through exposure and hardships. The mobs would not let them alone
even when they were leaving as fast as they could. Mobs often rode into Far
West, abused the people, stole horses, drove off cattle and took anything
that pleased them. The Saints traded their farms for horses and wagons in
which to get away. Sometimes fine farms were nearly given away. It is told
of one brother that he sold forty acres of good land for a blind mare and a
clock.
July 8, 1838, the Lord gave a revelation wherein he called the Twelve
Apostles to go on a mission to England. The Twelve were to take leave of
the Saints at the temple site in Far West, April 26, 1839. (Doc. and Cov.,
Sec. 118.) This time had now come, but it seemed impossible that it could
be carried out, as most of the Saints had left Far West and the mobbers
swore that this was a revelation that should not be fulfilled. They would
kill the first Apostle that came into the place, they said.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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