Scraps of Biography: Tenth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day SaintsVarious
Religion
Scraps of Biography: Tenth Book of the Faith-Promoting Series. Designed for the Instruction and Encouragement of Young Latter-day Saints
Various
Latter Day Saints -- Biography
In the Summer of 1847, Elder Tanner had a thrilling adventure with
Indians. The following account of the marvelous circumstance is from
the journal of Jane Grover (afterwards Sister Stewart).
She says, "One morning we thought we would go and gather goose-berries.
Father Tanner (as we familiarly called the good, patriarchal John
Tanner) harnessed a span of horses to a light wagon, and, with two
sisters by the name of Lyman, his little grand-daughter and I, started
out. When we reached the woods we told the old gentleman to go to a
house which was in sight, and rest, while we picked the berries.
"It was not long before the little girl and I strayed some distance from
the others, when, suddenly we heard shouts. The little girl thought it
was her grandfather, and she was going to answer, but I prevented her,
thinking it might be Indians. We walked forward until within sight of
Father Tanner, when we saw he was running his team around. We thought
it nothing strange at first, but as we approached, we saw Indians
gathering around the wagon, whooping and yelling as others came and
joined them. We got into the wagon to start, when four of the Indians
took hold of the wagon, and two others held the horses by the bits, and
another came to take me out of the wagon. I then began to be afraid as
well as vexed, and asked Father Tanner to let me get out of the wagon
and run for assistance. He said, `No, poor child, it is too late!' I
told him they should not take me alive.
"Father Tanner's face was as white as a sheet! The Indians had
commenced to strip him. They had taken his watch and handkerchief, and
while stripping him, were trying to pull me out of the wagon. I began
silently to appeal to my Heavenly Father. While praying and struggling,
the Spirit of the Almighty fell upon me, and I arose with great power,
and no tongue can describe my feelings. I was as happy as I could be.
A few moments before, I saw worse than death staring me in the face,
and now my hand was raised by the power of God, and I talked to those
Indians in their own language. They let go the horses and wagon, and
stood in front of me while I talked to them by the power of God. They
bowed their heads and answered `yes' in a way that made me know what
they meant. Father Tanner and the little girl looked on in speechless
amazement. I realized our situation. Their calculation was to kill
Father Tanner, burn the wagon, and take us women prisoners. This was
plainly shown to me. When I stopped talking, they shook hands with all
of us and returned all they had taken from Father Tanner, who gave them
back the handkerchief, and I gave them berries and crackers. By this
time the other two women came up and we hastened home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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