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Show JOSS WOM AN8 EXPO N EN r T. 146 SCENES IN NAUYOO AFTER THE " MARTYRDOM OF THE PROPHET AND PATRIARCH. J3T HELEN 3IAR WniTXEY. .- ' For years our most charming and popular singer was ;.iroiner J onn ; is.ayr- wnoso name, .be remembered, became almost a house hold word. His voice, deep and mellow, needed no accompanaiment- to fill our halls, and - - it-will -- : -- - the powerful and thrilling - effect upon the audience when he sang "The Children of Judah" or "The Sea, the sea, the open sea," and others equally charming and melodious, (as well : as some original songs; was aucn tnat once nearcL could not easily be forgotten , I shall , again ; cave occasion to speak of him as he was one of the prominent actors in those scenes, and aiso aiier we ueeame wanuerera, in searcu oi bomes in this far off wilderness, where we had cause to believe that we should dwell unmolested to enjoy the privilege .of worshiping the Almighty after the dictates. of our own ' '" I must now revert to other scenes, and gath er up some broken threads to my narrative consciences. ' - which have been left to give place to other historical incidents My acquaintance with Sarah Ann Whitney, eldest daughter of . Bishop N.:K. and Elizabeth Ann .Whitney," whose name is mentioned in one of my fathers letters, I began to make in the Spring of 1842. Though our parents had long been associated, and. we had known jeach other since the school-da- y a of Kirtlandjbut as she was some four years older than . myself, who had entered my teens but a few , months previous. I had never:: thought of becoming a companion to Her. I had grown up very fast and my father otten took me out with him and for this reason. was taken to be older than I, was. I really thought it curious that Sarah Ann should take such a laucv to me. My nrst introduction into her circle was at a party given in honor of her seventeenth birthday, in March, 1842, L in the Masonic room above : Joseph Smith's store. The -- latter her father had charge of, and hi3 family occupied a small house adjoin- I hla nfn a mr milt A A nrj--tthen; were the daughters of Elder Rigdon, Bishop Higbee's sons, the Miss Pierces, (Mar- 1 - 1 P x .. - A garet nerce xoung being one oi them; and Rachel, Mary and Mary Ann Ivins, , now Rachel Grant, were cousins, with some of their brothers and many others too numerous to mention werfi amnnc flip, miostn thefor-mer- The Prophet spent a little time with them, but took no part. I believe that I was the young est and I know that I was the most bashful, so much so that I declined nearly every inyita. tion to take part in their various games. If there had been dancing I might have passed through with a better grace, but dancing was not so much approved at that time, at least was not so commonly practiced among the ; Saints. Sarah Ann's brother. Horace, who was senior-made-o- twenty-months-b- er- ne of-th- e party but had never dreamed of such a thing tw ujauimuuj wiui me, wiiuui utj oniy remem- bered in the as occupyiug one of the lowest seats. He becoming enough advanced, soon left the one taught in the red schoolhouse on the flat and attended a higher one on the hill, and through our moving to Missouri and Illinois we lost sight of each other. After the earlicst-schoolTtlaysin-Kirtl- and party over I stopped the rest of the night with Sarah, and as her room and his were adjoin-inbeing only separated by a partition, our talk seemed to disturb him, anohewasimpo-- lite enough to tell us oi it, and request us to stop and let him go to sleep, which was proof enough that he had never thought of me only as the green school girl that I was, or he would certainly have submitted gracefully (as lovers Was g, always should) to bo made a 'martfrfof. JSp broiherjin&jsisier : devoted to each other than were- - Horace and Sarah" An n0 He had always' been" ; tocher like a guardian. This P hearl, from her mother imprevious to our intimacy, and it made an pression upon my mind; as being admirable and praiseworthy in an elder brother. Soon after this event he was engaged to accompany Amasa Lyman" and others, as clerk, to the : Sou thern S tales, where they, went to preach andtransact some business for Joseph, and after a short absence they returned He was a printer by trade, and was employed by Don Carlos Smith until the death of the latter, whom he loved as dearly as an own brother. The next AutumnVafJiis-retumn-tB- e South the Bishop moved his family into a house on Parlev Street, nearer to us. About a year after her birthday party she invited my brother and I to attend another small party which, to me, was, very pleasant and far more enjoyable than the other, there being present only a few select friends. The Prophet was there during the early part of the evening, and some peculiar remarks which he made, I remember, gave food for talk and no little amount ofwitwhicbpasgedlfrom eother after he had left; and William and I talked it over after, we returned home, of the enjoyable time- and the peculiarities of Joseph. Soon after this, on the 12th of May, 1843, Horace left for the East to visit his mother's parents, who were then living in North Canaan Co., Connecticut, and other of hiscon- nectionsjn Ohio, remaining away over a year. He and Joseph Kingsbury were in Kirtland 'when they heard of Joseph's and Hyrum's death, and they returned to Nauvoo as quickly as possible. It was not till the summer after he had gone East that I learned of the existence of the plural order of marriage, and that the Spring of 1842 had seen his sister Sarah Ann the wife of Joseph Smith. My father was the first to introduce it to me; which had a similar effect to a sudden shock of a small earthquakei When he found (after the first outburst of displeasure for supposed injury) that I received it meekly, he took the first opportunity to introduce Sarah Ann to me as Joseph's wife. This astonished me beyond a few measure; but I. could things which' had previously been to me a puzzle, and among the rest, the meaning of his words at her party. I saw, or could imagine, in some degree, the great trial that she must have passed through, and that it had required a mighty struggle to take a step of that kind, and had called for a sacrifice, such as few can realize but those who first rendered obedience to thi3 law. It was a strange doctrine, and very dangerous too, to be introduced at such a time, when in the midst of the greatest trouble Joseph had ever encountered. The and 111 inoisians were ready and determined to destroy him. They could but take his life, and that he considered a small thing when compared with the eternal punishment which he was doomed to suffer if he did hot teach and obey this principle.' No earthly inducement could be held forth to the women who entered this order. It was to be a for the sake of an everlasting glory and exaltation. Sarah Ann took this step of her own free will, but had to do it unbeknown to her brother, which ereived her most, and also her mother, that they could not openJtheir .5 hearts to him. But Joseph feared to disclose it, believing that the Hiebee bovs would embitter Horace against him, as they had already caused serious trouble, and for this reason he favored his going Eastrwh'ich Horace was not slow to accept. He had had some slight suspicions that the stories about Joseph were not all without foundation, but had never told them nor did he know, the facts till after his one-to-lh- - - -- then-understa- nd return to Jftuvoo, when Sarah hastened to tell htm all." It wa3 no small" stumbling-blocto him when learning of the , course which had been4akcn towards lHmr which was-- h him to overlook. But Joseph had always treated himvilh the i greatest kindness from the time that hecanie to live in his father's house in Kirtland, in fact they had attended the same school and studied Hebrew together and had pitched quoits and played ball together many a time there and in Nauvoo, and he could hold nothing against him now he was k dead. love Joseph wrasnoted for hischi with and familiarity children, and he never seemed to feel that he was losing, any of his honor or dignity in doing bo. And if, he heard Jthecry or achild he would rush out , of the house to see if it was harmed.- - Sarah felt when she took this step that it would be the means of severing her from the' happy circle in which she had moved as one of their guiding stare. She was called proud and somewhat eccentric; but the influence that she seemed to hold over one was almost magnetic. I found her incapable of professing anything which she did not feel, and that she was a most conscientious and Ou rlfriendship-dat-ed from that period,, - girl. and we became, as much as is possible, like "the two halves of one soul." Bishop Whitney was not a man that readily acceptecf of every doctrine, and would question the Prophet very closely upon principles-inot made clear to his understanding. When Joseph saw that he was doubtful concerning the righteousness of this celestial order he told him to go and enquire of the Lord concerning it, and he'should receive a testimony for himself. The BisKop, with his wife, who had for years been called Mother Whitney, retired together and unitedly - besought the Lord for a testimony whether or not this principle was from Him; and they ever after bore testimony that they received a manifestation and that it was so powerful they could not mistake it. The Bishop never afterwards doubted, and they willingly gave to him their daughter, which was the strongest proof that they could possibly give of their faith and confidence in him as a V true Prophet of God. The following verses, written about the time f4heieath-of-4he-Prophet-athe- - gloom ud that shrouded the city, are not published because of their literary merit, but they indicate a pathos and warm hearted tenderness, and al- though simple in language, express the love and good feeling entertained by the members of the choir and band for each other, the pure-minde- Id-lik- e God-fearin- d, g - f . -- ! rererenceiiihich'thejh their intense love - for the City of Nauvoo. They will be .likely to remind many of the older Latter-da- y Saints of the scenes in which they took an active part. . Mis-souria- ns r life-sacrifi- ce ' - " A SONG FOR THE CHOIR. How cheering to meet Kith so many true friends, 1 Companion in sorrow and joy, without end; We spend a few moments in happy delight, But 'tis time to go home, so, my dear friends, good night Home, home, sweet, svreet home! "We'll return to our friends and companions at home. But alas! we hare lost Brother Joseph! . He's gone To rest for a season from sorrow and pain ne's gone to prepare us (then let us not mourn) In a mansion of bliss, an eternal sweet home. nome, home, s wee Vsweet1 home! now cheering the thought of our endless sweot home. Let praises to God In the highest be glren, Let angels above shout His praises In heaven; Shout, ye Saints on the earth, for the time will J -- come When we'll meet Brother Joseph in anendlass street ' home. Home, home, sweet, sweet home! Hallelujih to Qod kn tternal vmt hone. -- 4 |