Show bl r KS GARDEN TAZEWELL CO VirG VIRGINIA inia iNrA dec aad 1869 1809 prest B young dear bro since writing to you in july last I 1 have bee been 0 busily engaged and with suc sue success bess tess I 1 would woul have reported to you sooner but I 1 have been laboring in rupell coun county ty for the last two months and I 1 wished to await the results of my labor there so as to be able to report to you the p progress roi of the work throughout my neld field of labor 1 I baptized twenty eight in rupell lately the branch there now numbers fifty four said branch was organized in may last and nearly all have the spirit of gathering and are arranging their matters to that end as fast as circumstances cum stances will permit I 1 have baptized fifteen in other portions of my field making in all forty three since I 1 last reported ct to you there are many more that seem to be strong in the faithana fait hand will come in and seek a home with the saints 1 I 1 can truly say that the work is growing rapidly and the lord has blessed me in my labors and I 1 feel to ascribe all the honor to our father in heaven for it is through his spirit only that we can build up the kingdom of god money is i s very scarce he rebut I 1 think the great majority of the saints can dispose of their lands and stock for a sufficiency nici fici enoy ency of means to emigrate their families they have a spirit of sacrifice for the bak sal sake baue lo 10 of the gospel and a home among the saints there are other others s who cannot emigrate without ass assistance istance all that I 1 have baptized seem to td be men of energy and zeal such as it takes to build up the kingdom Kinga kingdom om the spirit of persecution is the vilest where the greatest work is done A parson of the mission ary Baptist persua tion of rupell remarked in one of his discourses if the people were like me they would shoulder their guns and drive all the mormons cormons Mor mons from the country I 1 re replied lied to the people that that was the on only y weapon they had ever fought the saints with they did not have the moral courage to meet us on the broad platform of eternal truth the invariable charge they bring up against their members for embracing the gospel lri irl iri in order io to excommunicate them is ghe the heresy resy and in nearly every one of ss some one to excommunicate and never once do they try to redeem them for the humblest member we have can pierce them with the sword of truth that thai they can do nothing but howl with rage and tr try y to heal heat the wound from which they never can recover le brother L W peck pa pasted d through here on his r way ay to ohio udo not know whether he has accomplished good or not brother D 11 perry and lady visited us 13 this summer they bore their testimony to the people wherever they were thrown and removed a great many preconceived opinions as the people here were their old friends and acquaintances a I 1 am at present at thos eien lien nen Hen ingers who Is a friend indeed to the elders his wife is in the church V awill will wiil remain here a few days and will go to to smyth county where good will ba be done good work can be done in inky ky a field I 1 opened last winter but atil attl if makes my field held to too large for me to attend nd to there will be some two or three hundred souls that aim to emigrate next season from my field of labor the saints all join me in love to you and the brethren associated with you may god bless you and yours Brother brigham is the prayer of jour sour brother in the gospel THEOD GREIB B LEWIS POLK CITY P pole POLK alc q CO 0 IOWA q dec ath 1869 doar boar rear dear brother cannom oan Can noba nora feeling that afew a few lines iines would not be unwelcome I 1 take the liberty of addressing you brothers edward stevenson ezra azrat T clark dark nathan T potter moroni L pratt and myself arrived at Desin desmoines olnes city at 1130 pm im of the uit uli having crossed the plains in 90 hours and from omaha to desmoines in 6 hours W we e put pot t I 1 u up at the Desmoin Des dis fis house for fox the night and our arrival was wiLs noticed jn i n the ldes des 22 moines bulletin in the following manner mormons cormons Mor mons six mormons cormons Mor mons from salt Silt lake came to our city last night and are stopping at the Desmo desmoines iries irles house they are hunting proselytes prose lytes to their peculiar faith we learn that about have come from Mornion dom A M on this same business and are scattering over the country we found bro Bullin gerand his inter estin esting cf amily family well and alive in the work he is in his right place as president of the branch here hero lie he remembers me as the first mormon elder ha ever saw at which time I 1 held a meeting at his fathers house in brown county illinois this was twenty seven years ag ago 0 we have had some 17 meetings up to ilias date in and about desmornes Des two of which were held in the court house in desmoines we have had very attentive congregations in every instance and a spirit of inquiry is in the hearts of a goodly number we have had no public opposition but once and that time through a man by thi the tho e name of buzzard who has once belonged to the church but is carried away by spiritualism even to denying the atonement of the savior we considering a buzzard an unclean bird noticed him as little as possible but he seems disposed to follow us up and is trying to prejudice the min minds s of the people against us I 1 will here remark that the proprietors of the iowa state register and the desmoines bulletin kindly advertised our meetings at the court house together with other matter in the Be register gister this last expressed a wish to effect an exchange with your office on saturday the uit bro moroni ii pratt and myself took a walk into the eastern p part art of oades des moines city and in the course of our walk brought tha tila state house in our way and asked the privilege of looking at it the janitor being busy kindly gave us the privilege af v ten ter of going through the house after visit visiting ing the different apartments and ald the look out we were about to retire when the ja janitor invited us into the governors rooms where there was a good fire burning we gladly accepted the ommer offer and took seats at the fire he then enquired what part we were from we told him laim we were from utah ah 11 said he iet eglet let me introduce you to secretary at the same time enquiring my name 1 I being the older he led us to the next room and presented me and I 1 in turn presented bro pratt as a son of the apostle P P pratt in a few minutes his excellency governor merrill came in with the hon mr craig of bluff city and other gentlemen the secretary presented me to the governor and 1 I as before presented bro pratt after a pleasant visit of a few minutes we arose to take our leave his excellency arose and gave us a very friendly shade of the hand band as a parting salute the other gentlemen followed his example the governor seems a true gentleman plain but agreeable we ar are e 8 stopping t opping bopping at drother george Bee bees beels at polk city fifteen miles from Des desmoines moines we held gur pur regular fast meeting at his house on thursday last more particularly on account of bro Bee bees son alvaro who has been ed in his entire body so that ho he has been as helpless as a child for three months we commenced meeting at 7 am and continued until 2 30 pm having eaten no food in the morning we had a blessed time 0 nire fire and a half hours at about I 1 pm we proceeded to wash bro beebee and then him from the crown of his head to the soles of his bis feet and then proceeded and laid our hands upon him and blessed him he is fast recovering for which we feel thankful to our heavenly father on saturday last four persons were added to this branch by baptism which now numbers twenty two but in a scattered condition our appointment for tonight to night is out and the door is opening and extending further bro beebee and family are all in the church and alive in the faith and anxious to gather we leave here soon to go farther east to visit we feel there is plenty of labor right here for all of us others have expressed their readiness to be baptized please accept the kind regards of the brethren and myself and our prayers for your future welfare yours in the bands of the covenant PERRY PERAY 0 WESTON CACHE VALLEY december 4 1869 editor deseret mews news dear bro thinking a few lines from our village would be interesting to your readers I 1 have taken the opportunity of writing you weston is situated on the west side of the valley directly opposite franklin it numbers some bome nifty fifty families in comfortable circumstances considering si the small scalf amount of grain raised here this season we have a female relief belief society and a good school house also lafirst a first rate grist mill our intercourse with our neighboring set clements tle ments has been very limited owing to the inconvenience of crossing bea bear x river which has to be done by means of a ferry boat at smithfield but we are progress sing at a recent meeting it was resolved that we unite our efforts to build a good abood substantial bridge across bear river the vote was taken and carried unanimously we have petitioned the county court for assistance and wee woe we expect to get all that will be required already dy the timbers are on the ground and it is expected that by next spring wo we will have a first class free bridge across bear river we have no regular mail but uncle sam has promised us a weekly mail ion on and after the first day of july next bless him 0 ye inhabitants of weston of more anon very respectfully J H 0 smicksburg INDIANA co pennsylvania nov 1869 editor deseret news dear deat bro knowing the he interest you take in the preaching and spreading of the gospel I 1 send you a few lines from this place since last writing to you boothm brother brothen murdock and I 1 have been preaching in the more northern part of the state where we have had good congregations of attentive listeners bro murdock has now gone into massachusetts to see and preach to his relations I 1 am now preaching to my relatives in this state as well as to all who are willin willing g to hear I 1 have been in this and hu huntingdon nt ingdon counties two weeks since which I 1 have preached eight times at each time having a good and attentive audience yet as josh billings says however acx i lous ious folks are to get to heaven very few are ready or willing to start many persons see that this nation is drifting to an awful future and feel to shrink from the consequences but few have faith enough in god to make any move to escape the judgments which are coming I 1 upon the wicked murder drunkenness wickedness in high places adultery deception religious revival sand other things calculated to lead the human family from god are on the increase which all can see but for which none are able abie jo to find a remedy I 1 am trying to bear a faithful testimony to this nation warning them to flee from the judgment to come and if I 1 do my duty I 1 lam iam am willing to leave the result with god your brother in the gospel S OGDEN dec ath 1869 1 EDITOR east dcario the busy scenes that enlivened this city a year ago are being re enacted from day light till dark the noisy clatter of the mechanics tools is heard on main street buildings are springing up suddenly in various directions hunters huntera after the mighty hl dollar are being attracted hither like the magnet to the pole how far the expectations of those with whom money making is the ruling passion and the sole oba objector object eckof of existence will attain a realization here remains yet etto to be seen however speaking business fashion matters in ogden are look looking ingup up it is to be hoped that some branches of business which are becoming a prominent feature here will go down and be extinguished as rapidly as they are looming into prominence I 1 refer more particularly to the liquor traffic shakespeare says when a man indulges in drinking intoxicating draughts he puts an enemy in his mouth costeal to steal away his brains it is a question whether a man possessed of brains will persistently introduce such an enemy into his system should this question be it then resolves itself into another as to whether a man can have stolen from him that which he never had the population of ogden is becoming gradually more heterogeneous as it in in creases in number the nature of some of the additions addition sare are anything but healthy being composed of a certain species of the gc go us homo who can daily be seen hanging around those resorts over the doors of which should be painted in flaming letters I 1 I 1 come and poison yourselves this class seem to have no particular employment yet they exist they are the vultures vui turea of society notwithstanding that considerable of the ardent is being carried around in human receptacles little or no violations of law have yet occurred to disturb the usual equanimity of the peace bace loving citizens of this place the easiness Eu business siness class of transients can be readily distinguished from the class above mentioned instead of the reckless swaggering devil ma maccare may oare care style that generally characterizes the saloon lounger ger gen lu in these western countries they have a keen expression of face and a style ayoutt their gait and manner which make them appear as if they were on a stern chase after something and meant to catell it all of which indications say plainly im after money and intend to get it A person formerly familiar with the locality of tle junction of the three lines of railroad who had not been t cognizant of the rapid changeat hat have been made thus within thelast the past few weeks would be apt to fail to recognize the place the whole face of things here hag has been completely metamorphosed sed that formerly suburban quiet part f the city has been changed to a place of or ilfe lifo and bustle the employees of the U P C P it B R companies are engaged in building a telegraph office I 1 passenger office freight depot a railroad rail rall road employed emp loyes of which judging from the amount of i work already done in so short a time will soon be completed around this part of ogden there is a large number of a class who have gradually r floated to this center with ehg the e building of the two lines of railroad from the east and west members of this class can now be seen busily engaged fixing up their tents and shanties hoping soon to be able to vend forty forked lightning ning to a thirsty public but as yet no license has been granted to sell sel 1 liquor near the depot and I 1 am pleased to learn that no such license is likely to be given as it is the expressed wish wis of the three railroad companies that no drinking saloons be established near the junction this desire is heartily endorsed by the honorable body the city council and also the mayor of ogden it is a wise policy and there are many reasons why it should be adopted one of which is that such auch institutions of modern civilization in close proximity to the depot would have a demoralizing effect upon railroad employees plo A large number of tents and shanties are already on the ground and many have hung out their shingles informing the public that they can have meals at all hours ac there are also sign boards strewn about on the ground with significant words painted in large letters such as billiards and the like the people of corinne are considerably chagrined over the transfer of the depot from that place to ogden orden many of them aro are pulling up stakes and moving in over e here bere now that ogden Is the junction of the three lines of railroad corinne depends almost solely upon the montana trade for existence and andt andl if madam rumor rumon speaks truly |