Show THE MEXICAN MISSION deseret news in a time to come there will perhaps be no more inter interesting eating chapter in history go ry than the account of the settlement r ac effaw anew c countries oun tries by the latter day santis their advent into the valley rf the great salt lake is coming into y imminence as one ogle of the most heroic of m mankind and the day it id not far distant when their entrance toto mexico will be placed side by side ath with the valorous conduct of the plo pio J hears of 1847 AB early M a 1880 the instructions of 4 Ps ident job n taylor Tay lorto to elder alexy andar F M mcdonald presiding over lr l r ahe mi salt bal river mission in arizona gre to look out locations for the people to in mexico accordingly a party eon con r of elders mcdonald david C 1 I robison and henry made a visit so the state of sonora in 1881 and in the following the occasional notwithstanding year ear 2 over the country by the apache chieftain geronimo and his savage tribe a party of thirty two per ons done removed to a ranche called san SAD bernardino at tile the june tion of the states of sonora and chihuahua in mexico and the terri of now new mexico and arizona in the united states a section of country drained by the yaqui river thearin their intention was waa to establish there the first mormon colony in mexico but from the fact of there being but little farming land on the ranch apostles snow and thatcher advised the saints against the undertaking and it was given up there the project rested until the fall of 1884 when apostles brigham young and heber J grant were joined at nogales a railway station on the thein international ter national lilue hue between the united states and mexico by parties from the halt river and st joseph settlements with instructions to mke make an attempt at a treaty with the yaqui indians indiana in southwestern sonora from nogales the entire party numbering twenty four men journeyed by team to hermosillo the capital of the state where they arrived at ten on the morning of the 3rd ard day of december in his bis journal made at the time elder milton S ray interpreter and recorder fur for the party gives an interesting account of their further proceedings extracts from which are the main authority for the following narrative apostles young and grant and president A F mcdonald called at the state house to visit the governor but he had bad gone to guaymas and would not return for a day or two brigham young presented letters of introduction to the secretary of state who received his bis visitors with cordiality cordia a and gave them considerably information he told them the party could not visit the with safety as the indians indiana had bad declared their independence from the mexican government and would kill them if they entered the country he said if the expedition tion did so go not to take any n fire rearms for the to capture the mexicans he said were not permitted to go into the yaqui country as the entire nation were rebels and would kill anyone who went in he pointed out on the map the route to the river but advised them again not to go shortly afterward the party met mr cohen a jew in business busine gs in the city who told them the same things after a short consultation the teams were driven out three miles east of town where camp WRO was pitched in the evening at a meeting of the entire party it was decided that apostles brigham young and heber J giant president alexander F me mc donald milton 8 ray and Valen valenzuela zue a papago indian who had embraced the gospel at the salt bait river biver settlement should go by rail to Gua guaymas and from there to the mouth of the yaqui river by water under date of december ath the record says saya the party left camp at 10 a in for the depot ta take train for guaymas Gua upon arriving in ln Hermosillo were met by mr cohn who told us the perfecto general B to bad been looking for OB as and had bad been wanting us to call on 1 him before leaving for guaymas Gua mr cohen accompanied us to the house of the perfecto and introduced us to him the general said to them that when he be heard of their going to the yaqui river he be considered it his duty to wain warn them of their danger after giving considerable information about the country east of hermosillo Hermoe illo on the opo 0 PO ours eura river and the arispe district he requested them to visit the governor who was to be at home in the afternoon from guaymas Gua offering to go to the governor Govera or with them at any hour to suit their convenience returning to camp for the night the party drove in to hermosillo the next morning at 10 in company with general topete the journal says brigham youn young heber J grant A F mcdonald B F johnson and M 8 ray bay called upon governor torres who received us very kindly he gave us to understand that our mission to the was not approved by him that they were in open rebellion against the mexican government and would not come under control at ava all the the governor said had about four thousand soldiers garrisoned and would nt not allow the mexican sol diers diere or mexican people to go into their country As they were a bard borki working rig people the bone and sinew of sonora the government did not wish to make war upon them ther just ujust yet the daquip Yaqui gi they were informed have a go government of their own and allow no one in their country but they go out and take contracts for labor in all parts of sonora Sono he advised them over again not to visit the indians saying that if they did so they must take the responsibility themselves for he considered it unsafe even to go to the mouth of the yaqui river the governor however offered to furnish an escort to any other part of sonora after a pleasant adios the jour ouri oal nal concludes conclude a the account of the interview we left the state house and drove to the depot As with the mormon I in all their history these men had been given a mission to perform and they were determined to do their part and leave the results with the lord at two p in the party con W stating slating of apostle brigham young president A F mcdonald benjamin F johnson hiram brinkerhoff Brinker hoof W 0 demons CleMeD FJ valenzuela zuela and milton S pay bay took train for guaymas Gua where they arrived at pm and engaged rooms at the american hotel the next n ext morning mornin brigham young A F mcdonald L B F johnson and M 8 ray bay called on mr willard the ameri can consul who received enem kindly under his advice for the consul was the only man who gave any encourage ment to the expedition a yaqui boat balucha Fa lucha was employed to take the party to the mouth of the river and back to guaymas for 16 15 provisions to be furnished for all hands bands by the missionaries sion slon aries the boat was loaded and all were on board at 2 oJ clock pm but a calm prevailing the wharf was not cleared until 5 while the boat was waiting walting for the wind mexicans gathered about and told the party to confess their sins as they would not come back alive A catholic priest among the number seemed particularly anxious for the welfare of the little band valenzuela the indian became so fearful at hearing such a warning from the themselves that he be left the boat a and nd refused to go any further from five p w on saturday december eth the vessel was driven by storm and becalmed by turns U until the evening of the ath tb when it reached the mouth of the yaqui I 1 river to find the wind so strong and the breakers so high as to prevent it from pawing passing up the stream therefore the te boat put into a small cove about six miles north of the entrance to the river where anchor was cast on some very fine oyster beds here the party enjoyed themselves for the rest of the day eating oysters and gathering shells the next morning found the wind unabated and the weather cold and rain the sailors said they could not cross the bar at the mouth of the river suggesting that the party go afloat across to the village on the river about five or six miles this a action et ion was determined upon and with three sailors who had put into the same cove during the morning to carry their baggage the party took their way across the country we made our way says the recorder dbr across the rate flats in a rainstorm the mud and water being knee deep whole distance PP P being very heavy apostle brigham young sank bank deeper into the mud than anyone else in the party and it was with difficulty that be made the trip he caught a violent cold and was taken down with the yellow fever indeed no one of the party was at all fitted for such a walk having scarcely recovered from the seasickness of the voyage arrived at last at megano begano the yaqui town the party were taken in charge by one Bonifa bonifacio clo Marti a yaqui chieftain of the interior w who 0 conducted them to the house of lucas the owner of the boat on which the trip had bad been made where they were told to make themselves at home until the second general genera ignacio levis arrived for an interview no one the party were told could pass this point without first seeing this man and getting a passport from him neither would the great chief see anyone without such euch a passport the prisoners of the town for such they were were given free range of an area of about four hundred yards square and might walk about within bounds at will but were warned not to go outside of that and in this predicament they were forced to await the return of chief levis that evening a meeting was held with a few of the leading men when the book of mormon was discussed and the principles of the gospel were explained pla ined to the great interest of the indians under date of december alth the record has this all well except brother young who still had a high fever passed the forenoon looking about the village in the afternoon we employed a yaqui to go and look for the general and tell tal him we would like an interview at 3 pm he returned and told us the general would be at home in a few minutes A little while afterward we saw him coming comin 9 at the head of a dozen or fifteen soldiers the they y arranged some seats for us in front of Bonifac iole house the soldiers were posted about and we were directed to be seated and explain our bussineau bus sineas brother young spoke first making known our mission he spoke to me in english when I 1 inter prated what he said to bonifacio in ila danish who in turn gave eave it to the chief in his hia own tongue for though the chief spoke spanish fluently he could not compromise his dignity by rece receiving i ving a communication from them in any but his native tongue at the close of our explanation tha record continues the general shook hands with us and told us to go ahead and if our mission was what we represented it to be be was pleased to see lee us and anything we said to him would be just the same as if we saw the head chief as be was acting chief on the frontier after detailing our position brother young explained that he was sick and wished to lie down at which the general said he was satisfied with our statements and if we wished to travel further up the country we could do so and he be would furnish us an escort brother young retired and president A F mcdonald spoke on the same subject and counseled them to lay up grain in the evening we held another campfire camp fire meeting and talked to them on the principles of the I 1 read and translated some of the book of mormon to them they were very anxious to have our elders visit them and bring the book of mormon and read and teach it to them brother young told them he thought the book of mormon would be published in about three months in the spanish lan language guRge 11 and a promise was made to them that the book of mormon should be sent into their midst as soon as it was published publish ea but subsequent circumstances preventing the pledge was never kept they told us the record goes on to say of their situation in sonora and of their stand for their rights sa ing they meant to govern iv the chief said they believed our tea trig ing and an when we came with the B of mormon they would send seiad a com slon bion to visit our people and to go t visit salt lake city on the morning of the of dw comber cember the chief gave the part party passport telling them to represent tah as they found them and a g eral leave taking followed but not u til a certificate had been drawn up and signed by all the visitors reciting QU kind treatment and hospitality i at the hards hands har ds of the the party reached guaymas then evening and arrived at hermosilla i 2 p m on the with A aw tie brigham young still very at with this exception however g goo health prevailed alleg throughout owl to the ill health of A adopts boung it was thought adai for him and apostle grant to take the train at hermosillo chion was accordingly ihme done president md donald being instructed to fill an an of the apostles abst at st dava in arizona on the day of decem dece ber 1884 immediately upon the acco account u a 6 t this h I 1 Is v visit is it to the Y yaqui R qui indi indians an b abeln e I 1 made public the press particularly the united states detailed the pa tic ulars of an agreement said aid to been made between the cormons mormons Mor mons and indians by which war on tt mexican government was to be co cox ducted by their united forces th agitation became so BO full of malice as 1 move president taylor to abandon tib idea of making a settlement of the la ter day saints in the yaqui country i that time but the promise to send thern them hotl book of mormon was not forgotten en an in fulfilment fulfillment thereof president W ditl ford woodruff in the summer of set apart to that end elder ammon A amram M tenney of apache count county Y art A zona in company with elders pe Chri and gilbert grier grien mr tenney left home november SO 1887 to commence com his labors th missionaries were joined at mesa a CI jiw on salt river by elder C E richa son and two of the indiana conver tak valenzuela and Chero guis of the tie bi river reservation here too owl to the active hostilities then exists between the state and the baquie is I 1 anti inti a were received by ei elder ammon M tinney to postpone lie afe visit to the and to prosecute att labors bors for the present among the I 1 dian tribes at that point and in n northwestern rth western part of sours soura accordi Accor dingi ly the party consisting of four w and two indian missionaries cobeo fenced their labors onik oni k and west into mexico until th left the confines of civilization the num bitter persecution followed th taeok bmw especially so at the gila river where ra ftc protest protestant an t in minister t e rot of the name coote cook and a school teacher named iraq traby y evi evinced be ed the utmost rancor dahly frothy froths ing at the mouth in their denunez eions however such bitterness bitter 19 W waft taken to be only an indicating indi catino of arl the importance of the work and rat rathe encouraged the elders than otherwise in western sonora among the fall blooded indians the missionaries met with a most extraordinary reception meetings were called and the spirit of at the gospel was manifested to the native races nee as it has baa been to the rest of the world Asa As a consequence the elders were overwhelmed with invitations to visit the different villages and chiefs and deputations came in from all the country around to have their teaching the indian elder valenzuela zuela was particularly spirited in bearing to his bis brethren a testimony of the truth after standing on his feet interpreting and preaching for two houts hours at a time hundreds of indians were baptized and great faith everywhere every where manifested the sick were healed children childred even of those who would not receive bap baptism tiona themselves were blessed to embrace the gospel in the future |