| Show interesting FACTS TUE PLACE JOSEPH SMITH WAS imprisoned AD interview with johnc on baurch matters the following letter from th deseret news dated richmond bay co missouri september 13 1888 will prove of general interest to our readers we elders stevenson black and jensen left kansas city yesterday morning taking the chicago santa fe and railway train to junction 42 miles where we arrived about 1130 a m there being no train going to richmond until late in the afternoon we concluded to walk the distance being only about five miles in passing through the country on foot we stopped to converse with a number of the inhabitants and learned from them many things of interest in regard to the country this is truly a delightful land year the missouri it is quite heavily timbered but as we recede from the river the openings and clean become more ex and finally broad prairies enhance the landscape of the various sorts of timber growing on the north side of the river we noticed the oa kelm ash walnut sycamore locust tamarind and others besides the paw paw and numerous ednd of underwood and vines some of tho farms are kept in a thrifty condition while others that most healthy growths of weeds have got the best of the planted crops ismall grains does pretty well but the awl seems to be particularly adapted for raising indian corn which in some instances yields about bushels to the acre we also saw some of the finest cows we have ever beheld in our travels the facilities for pasturage here being second to none in the united states having arrived at richmond we went directly to the residence of the late david witmer and received a somewhat cool reception from his daughter mrs who keeps house for her brother paid at the old homestead elder stevenson remarked that he found altogether a to ed on his former david was alive and any attractions we cemetery situated a short distance the mortal re mains of the last witness of the book of mormon now slumber in the dust we also visited the old cemetery about half a mile north of richmond centre where rest the remains of tho senior peter whitmer in whose house the church was organized and his wife together with their son jacob one of the eight witnesses and oliver cowdery Cow dory A fine marble tomb stone designates the resting place of jacob whitmer but the grave of oliver was entirely hid among and overgrown with weeds while we found the new cemetery in a first class condition we found the old one entirely neglected and marble monuments head stones and fences the ground as the cyclone left it ten years ago standing over the graves cf oliver and jacob we instinctively uncovered our heads uttered a silent prayer and passed on with heavy hearts how we should have appreciated a short interview with him who was blessed with the ministration of angels the savior moses elijah the prophet and other holy beings toward evening we went on foot about one and a half miles south of richmond to the houses of john 0 whitmer the only living son of jacob whitmer he is the presiding elder of the so called Whit merites and is a respectable farmer fifty three years of age he received us kindly and gave us some information that is highly appreciated in regard to the eight witnesses of the book of mormon and others his uncles christian and peter whitmer both died as faithful elders in the church in clay county mo the first named nov and the latter sept 22 1836 both bore faithful and unflinching testimonies to the last of the divine authenticity of the book of of mormon jacob whitmer died in richmond april 21 1856 aged 56 years 2 months and 26 days john died in far west caldwell county mo in 1878 and hiram page died on a farm about fourteen miles west of richmond near the boundary line of clay county aug john 0 whitmer testified as follows concerning the witnesses 1 I was closely connected with hiram page in business transactions and other matters he being married to my aunt I 1 knew him at all times and under all circumstances to be true to his testimony concerning tha divinity of the book of mormon I 1 was also at the deathbed death bed of oliver cowdery in 1850 and I 1 heard him speak to my uncle david whitmer and say brother david be faithful r testimony of the book of mor of god and anon thal itis verily true ha then closed his ey elesin esin death my father jacob was always faithful and true to of the book of Monno nand on his death belOf my whitmer I 1 will say with him a short re ho died at par west missouri when ho confirmed to me what be had done BO many times previously that be knew the book of mormon was true I 1 was also with uncle david whitmer who died here in january jast and heard naiff bead his last testimony the presence of many wit to hesse sr whom he gether for the occasion he solemnly declared that the record of the Nep hites as he always called the book of mormon was of god and his testimony concerning true john C whitmer then gave us in substance the following particulars in regard to the church over which he presides he was baptized by his uncle david whitmer september Sept embar 15 1875 and by him also ordained an elder january receiving instructions to go forth and preach the gospel as it has been taught by joseph Prophet the and organize a new church according to the original pattern in which be john C was to be the first elder in obedience to this ho immediately commenced his labors and succeeded in baptizing the first three individuals on the following february 1876 others followed and soon the new church commenced to hold meetings and completed their organization as far as their number would permit them they now claim to have about one hundred members all told some of these reside in and around Bic hmoud others in independence jackson county while the remainder live in a more scattered condition in iowa kansas delinois Dlin ois tennessee california and other states the few around richmond and as many of the others who can conveniently come together hold beatings mea tings every third sunday in a small schoolhouse situated about a mile and a half south in the school district where jno dowhit mer their president resides the Whit merites or as they call themselves the church of christ believe only a part of the revelations given through joseph smith the prophet but they take the book of mormon and the new testament as their standard and rule of faith anything that agrees with the teachings of these two books they accept and everything that conflicts therewith they reject they have no in their church as they do not believe in that order of the priesthood but they have a few elders priests and teachers they have no deacons but believe in the order and would also ordain apostles and seventies it the number of their members would allow it but there being so few of them they could not possibly find element enough to ordain twelve apostles say nothing about seventy men wherewith to make a quorum of sev ties elder stevenson suggested that the Whit merites and unite so as to make a strong body whereupon mr said he expected to visit independence in a few weeks when he hoped to be able to b altize all the Bendrick ites into his church this morning we visited a number of old settlers trying to gather information in regard to circumstances cum stances transpiring lifty years ago wo visited the site of tho old jad where carloy P pratt morris phelps and others were imprisoned from november 1838 to may 1839 AD old resident told us that he remembered many years afterwards seeing the name of P P pratt on the ceiling of the jail which was finally torn down and the site is now occupied by a large wagon repairing and blacksmith shop owned by powell sons on the identical spot where the jail stood is a well from which we drew and drank water in memory of the past the jail site is a little more than half a block east of the northeast comer of the courthouse square on the north side of the street we made several inquiries about the old log house where joseph the prophet and his fellow prisoners wore guarded during judge austin A kings mock trial in november 1838 and where joseph rebuked the guard but we were to find any who could give us the necessary information one old settler mr B H who acted as county clerk of bay county in 1838 told ua that there were a number of old log houses on the north side boyhe court house square at that time and it was no doubt into one of these that the prophet and his brethren were ushered on that memorable occasion this afternoon we visited mrs bisbee a daughter of the late jacob whitmer and philander page son of th late hiram page and from them anc documents in their possession w gained all the information de aired in regard to the eight witnesses of the book of mormon this even ing we examined the manuscript of the book of mormon in the possession of david J whitmer son of the late david whitmer we satisfied beyond a doubt that it was the copy from which the book was printed a copy of the original manuscript afterwards deposited by joseph in the foundation of the nauvoo house we discerned betwee en at least three different handwritings the mast of it however being written by oliver cowdery whose handwriting is well known it is supposed that emma smith and perhaps christian and peter whitmer wrote the balance the signatures of the witnesses were all written by the same scribe which is another proof that this is not the original manuscript on which each witness signed his own name there was closely written pages each sheet being written on both sides we have also learned that general john B clark the notorious died as a drenkard in fayette howard county about the year 1880 forsaken by his political friends at least the notorious austin A king also died years ago he was taken sick very suddenly at st louis and died almost immediately his remains were brought to bay county for burial richmond is a fine town of nearly three thousand inhabitants the courthouse Couri house around which the principal stores and business houses are clustered is beautifully situated on rising ground while on another gent ly sloping hill a little southward stands the richmond college said to be lafirst classa institution of learning two weekly newspapers the democrat and the conservator are published about seven hundred men are engaged in coal mining around richmond a number of profitable mines having been opened recently during the present season about one hundred new residences have been erected |
