Show HOME AGAIN elder elias johnson returned from his mission to ew zealand elders elias johnson of provo and alfred W harper of pleasant grove have returned home from their long missions to new zealand the company left new zealand on the of april and arrived in san francisco on the dinst they departed from the latter place on monday sir brig johnson brother to elder elias johnson went to oden tuesday to meet his brother and accompany him home elder johnson left utah in april and hence has been absent oer three years he first labored in poverty bay district about a year and a half traveling in different parts of it he biad been thera about eight months when he was taken prisoner by the natives in company elder maleby MaI eby the two were bound to a fence and kept in that position some licurs liours the maori chief telling them that unless chev would promise not to visit that region any more he would kill them immediately they were kept in confinement for three days when they were liberated after about eighteen months spent in poverty bay district elder johnson took a gnp to Waira rapa district visiting different districts on the way ha was absent about three months and returned to poverty bay and attended a conference held there in march 1887 at which he was appointed traveling companion and interpreter to president wm for the next six months he traveled in various parts of the island when ho was appointed to preside over the bay of island districts early in october last he labored in that ds gijin company with elder georgo romney jr until released during the last five months of alder A lder johnsons Joho sons labors there he and elder amney baptized soula among them the leading maori chief of new zealand at a great meeting held at waitangi Wai tangi after hia conversion he was attacked bv ministers of the church of england En on account of hav IDS left their church to become a mormon he told them that tha reason why he bad done this was because when those ministers first religion to eliat land they told the natives to look ap to heaven and while the natives were looking towards heaven ane ministers stole the land from under their feet he further defended the mormon elders and tho doctrines they taught and manifests considerable zeal in his new religion elder johnson returns in health save that he feels some ill effects of his journey of the new zealand minion in general he states eliat the progress now being made is excellent and future prospects are very encouraging in the bay of islands district in particular the success of the elders hai ben remarkable elder georgc lonniey Ronni ey jr t elder johnson in the presidency of tho bay of islands district |