OCR Text |
Show W OM AN ' S EX 82 I -- We'seek a land where truth will reign, And innocence be free; Where lawful rights will be maintained A landjf " liberty. families were Early in Julie, companies of when formed, who started Westward, following, In one they could, the track of the pioneers. of these companies, in charge of Capt. Grant, Sister Eliza continued her pilPierce. grimage, with the family of Bro. Robert Jede-aiah-- M; was a long and tedious journey, and none but those acquainted with the facts can ever really is, fully appreciate what such a journey and especially how it would affect a sensitive delicate woman, but just recovering from a severe illness. The lady writes: "Much of the time we were on an untrodden way; but when we came to the track of the pioneers, as we occasionally did, and read the date of their presence, with an 'all well' accompaniment, on a bleached buffalo skull, we had a general time of rejoicing." She refers in glowing terms and evepoetic verse to the moonlight and starlight circled nings, when the brethren and sisters around the blazing camp fires and sung hymns of praise, their voices reverberating "from hill to hill, and echoing through the silent expanse, seemed to fill tne n concave above, while the glory of God seemed to rest on: all around." On the bank of the Platte River, Auuat 25, 1847, Sister Eliza wrote her characteristic "Song of the Desert," which may be found on page 181, Vol. 1, of her poems, "Beside the broad, eiuooth river, Beside the flowing spring, "We often sit and sing. Beneath the sparkling concave, When stars in millions come To cheer the pilgrim stranger And bid us feel at home; Beneath the lovely moonlight, When Cynthia spreads her rays; la social groups assembled, We join in songs of praise." t ing the sick in tents and wagons, and burying the dead by the wayside, consigning the loved ones; to lonely graves in the midst of a wild desert, was indeed mournful, yes, pitiful. But we can only, just glance at those sad occurrenscenes, and pass on ces, those : heart-rendin- g with our simple but truthful narrative. To be Continued. To CJ t LIFE INCIDENTS. BY XtEKEN MAR W1UTWEY. r I.!' or-injur- rated into several small bands, and were e evil reports which were circulated about us were false, and were circulated by our enemies to get us destroyed. the power "After he had got through, of which, melted them into compassion, they arose and offered him their hands, and said exthey would use their influence to allay the citement which everywhere prevailed against us. They accordingly went forth and rode day and' night to pacify the people. They wept, because' they saw we were a poor, afflicted people, and our intentions were pure. The next day the Sheriff of that county, named Neil Gilliam, came to deliver a short address to us. We formed into companies and marched int5 a grove a little distance from the camp, and there formed ourselves into a circle, and sat down upon the ground. "Previous to Mr. Gilliam's address he said: "I have heard much concerning Joseph Smith, and I have been informed that he is in your camp; if he is here, I would like to see him." Brother Joseph arose and said, "I am the man." This was the first time he was made known during the journey of one thousand miles Mr. Gilliam then arose and gave us some instructions concerning the manners and customs of the people, their disposition, Ac, and what course we should take in order to gain their favor and protection. Being in want of salt, I took it upon me to go to some of the inhabitants and get some; Brother Cyrus Smalling took his rifle and went along with me. After passing through' 'a path enclosed bv hail brush, about two miles from ihe.cAmpl discovered a deer standing across the patnVI' nmdemotions and he,drawiti loJSmaTifdff myshoulder which served for a rest, fired and hit the deer; it ran a few rods and fell. We cut a pole, and fastening the deer on it, got it over our shoulders and carried it along to the camp, when we dressed it and divided it among the different companies, and had an excellent feast. "Here Brothers Ezra Thayer and Thomas Hayes were taken sick with the cholera. We left them there, and also Bro. Joseph Hancock, who had been taken with the cholera during the storm, and who was the first person attacked with it Brother Joseph called the camp gether, and told us that in consequence of the disobedience of some who had not been willing to listen to his words, but had been rebellious, God had decreed that sickness should come 'I am sorry, but I cannot upon us. it he When spoke these things it pierced help me like a dart, having a testimony that so it er But there were other scenes enacted, and many dark days as well as bright ones. "Nurs- . to reinstate them upon their own clothingand lands- that we had no. intention to molest to the any people, but only to administer wants of our afflicted brethren; and that the Chobcs." It PONE NT. "On the 21st Colonel Sconee and two other leading men from Ray County came to see us, desiring to know what our intentions were, for said he, "I see that there is an Almighty power Chat protects this people, for I started from Richmond, Ray County, with a company of armed men, having a fixed determination to destroy you, but was kept back by the storm und was not able to reach you." When he came into camp' he was seized with such a trembling that he was obliged to sit down in order to compose himself. Vhen he desired to know what bur intentions were, Brother Joseph arose and began to speak, and the power of God rested .upon him; He gave a relation of the sufferings of our people in Jackson County, and also many of our persecutions, and what we had suffered from our enemies for our religion; and that we had come one. thousand miles to assist dux brethren, to bring them would be. "Onthe morning of the 24th we started for Liberty, Clay County, where our brethren were residing who had been driven from Jackson County. When we were within five or six miles of Liberty, General Atchison and several other gentlemen met us, desiring that we would not go to Liberty, as the feelings of the people in that place were much enraged against us. Changing our course and bearing to the left, we pursued our way across a prairie; then passing through a wood we came to Bro. Sidney Gilbert's, where we camped on the bottom of Rush. Creek, in a field belonging to Brother Burgess, "The destroyer came upon us, I as we had been warned by the servant of God. About 12 o'clock at night we began to hear the cries of those who were seized. Even- those on guard fell, with their guns in their hands, to the ground, and we had to exert ourselves considerably to attend to the sick, for they were stricken down on every hand., Thus it continued till morning, when the camp was sepa - persea among xne Dreinren. " "I was left at the camp in company B. Noble, John D. Parker, Luke di with h Johnson care of those who were Jo-sep- and Warren Ingalls, in sick. We stayed with and prayed for them hoping they would recover; but all hope was lost, for about six o'clock in the evening Jonn S. Carter expired. When the cholera first broke out he was the first who went forward to - rebuke it, when he was immediately seized by it, and was the first who died. In about thirty minutes after, Seth Hitchcock died; and it appeared as though we must all sink under the power of the destroyer. We were not able to obtain lumber to make them coffins, but were under the necessity of rolling them up in and burying them in that manner we placed them on a sled, which was drawn by a horse about half a mile, and buried them in a little bluff by the side of a small branch of Rush Creek; this was accomplished by dark. "Our hopes were that no more would die; but while we were uniting in prayer with u lifted hands to God, we looked at our beloved brother, Eber Wilcox, who was gasping Ms last. At this scene my feelings were beyond expression. Those only who witnessed it' can realize anything of the extent of our sufferings; and I felt to weep and pray to the Lord that he would spare my life, that I might behold my dear family again. ,1 felt to covenant with my God and my brethren never to commit another sin while I lived. We felt to sit and weep over our brethren, and so great was our sorrow that we could have washed them with bur tears. To realize that they had traveled a thousand miles through so much fatigue to lay down their lives for their brethren increased our love for them. . then-blanke- ts . Jjqjjx Liberty and assisted us to bury Bro. Wilcox; their presence gave us much consolation. About twelve o'clock at night we placed Bro. Wilcox on a small sled, which we drew to the place of interment, with one hand hold of the rope, and in the other wre bore our firelocks for our defense. While two were digging the grave, lhe others stood with their arms to de- fend them. "While Brother Luke Johnson was digging, the cholera attacked him with cramping, and blindness. Brother Brigham laid hold of him and pulled him out of the grave, and shook him about, talked to him, and prayed for him, and exhorted him to jump about and exercise himself, when it would leave him for a few moments; then it would attack him again, and thus we had the greatest difficulty to keep the destroyer from laying us low. Soon after we returned, another brother was taken from our little band; thus it continued, until five out of ten were taken away.' "It was truly affecting to see the love manifested among the brethren for' each other during this affliction. Brother Joseph, seeing the sufferings of his brethren, stepped forward, to rebuke the destrojer. but was ' Immediately seized with the disease, and I assisted him' short distance from the place, when it was with V difficulty he could 'wait All that kept our enemies from us was the fear of the destrojer which the: Lord had. sent among us. After burying these five brethren I was seized by the hand of the destroyer as I wtnt into the woods to pray; I was 'instantly struck blind, and saw no way whereby I could,free myself from the disease, only to exert myself byv jumping and threshing myself about until pay sight returned to me and mv blood began to circulate in m7 veins; I started and ran some .distance, and by this means, through the help of God I was en 1 oKlvrl grasp death. To be continued,,, |