| Show ACCOUNT OF HIS RI LISSIO 17 BT ELDER EDMUND ELLSWORTH AND ills ilis p lix K IN leading LI FIRST HAND nand HANDCART C cant CART RT COMPANY FROM PROM IOWA lona CITY TO GREAT S SALT SILT LIKE lice CITY BOWERY sept 28 ism av BY a D WATT I 1 brethren and sisters I 1 jo do not feel competent this thia morning to give you tou as full hill a report ort as I 1 would wish rish of the travels 0 of f my grethren Er brethren ethren and sisters in crossing the plains wit with me though I 1 may be able to present a few in in this great liand hand handcart cart enterprise enter prize that may be somewhat inter sting being called upon to go to ibe the old c antry to preach the gos gosp pelland eland administer therein in any capacity that I 1 was capable of administering appeared to me to be no particular hardship th ip for I 1 had bao learned noine some lithe in ha the school in which yon you are all schooled I 1 had hid learned to do what I 1 was called upon to do to be a minute anute man in the kirl of G gt 0 consequently E quent u ly to leave wives wina children friends and the e happy home of the ilig saints and go forth into the world I 1 this was no particular cross to mp me firt further her ber than feeling heling my weakness to do that I was called upon to do for I 1 knew unless I 1 was aided by the spirit of ti nth uth and bled bied b by y the faith fifth and prayers of my brethren and sisters among whom I 1 went to labor tabor and by the faith and confidence of the first presidency of the church and those who presided over me where I 1 labored that I 1 was incapable of doin doln doing that which would please god and ang ana ha hae have e a ten tend e build up the kingdom of god on the face oc the earth so in weakness and with trembling knees zid ard I 1 go forth the field of my labors in england was at a distance from the head quarters in that country and ana I 1 had but little opportunity f for rot or receiving counsels from that source oni only y what I 1 could receive by correspondence but in the midst midat of all my labors god has been heen with me y and at no time has he suffered me roe tp la lacee ro for r the counsels of his holy spirit forshen for when it was not convenient for me to get counsel from the presidency pricy at liverpool b by dreams and visions have I 1 had comm communion linion with our cur president in the valleys of the mountains in dreams have L conversed with him in fit his office fril iril enthis th 1 8 c city I 1 it a and n d lie he has given me such inspru instructions cli 0 n s a as s ile ike the n next ext morning morn inc were necessary to enable me to discharge the duties incumbent upon me roc and long before any communication came in writing from president young to the old country tr calling upon me to lead a handcart hand cart company across the plains I 1 dreamed that I 1 was ili ip company with him and that lie he expressed a wish to have israel gathered and looked upon them a as I 1 dil di l 1 in their scattered forlorn condition groaning and mourning to be gathered Za to enjoy the blessings bles bies singa you enjoy and to hear the Prop prophets hots bots vols voices lie lle he expressed pressed to me in the dream his full conviction to avi ej on that he could take a company of saints men hornen and ani children from the old country bring them to the frontiers on the missouri river there fit them out with hand carts and lead them across the plains and that in traveling in such a manner the principle of life would be increased among them and ard and health and strength would te be given them on such a journey more so than if they rode iu a caone wa ons onE and when they arrived ia la the val leys the they would be better pe prepared pared to enter into the cuties duties of saints lie ile also said to me my bly duties call me to be in another place I 1 must therefore call upon others to do the work that I 1 would gladly do can you arise now and be a man of god ani and and lead the pioneer company of hand carts across t the he plains he further said the powers of the wicked would be exerted against me and the force of the elements would be combined to overthrow me as was the case with the companies which first left nauvoo 2 1 and asked can you be gody gods god and lead your brethren home to zion by means of hand carts in the commencement of the conversation in the dream I 1 looked upon the enterprise enter prize as great and perilous one that would perhaps cost the brethren their lives but when lie he had finished his spirit filled my whole system the spirit of the lord was upon me and I 1 said if I 1 am called upon to do this work in the name of israels god I 1 will do it lt and that was my anwer answer to him I 1 began to preach more and more the gathering of the saints and told them that ere long the loid would open up a way whereby thousands of the saints would be gathered home to enjoy the blessings of the kin kingdom dom dop of god with his people I 1 encouraged them to believe that with hand carts they could cross the plains and although 11 their means were limited it only needed a few pounds coupled with economy to enable them to thread their way to some point on the banks of the missouri where they could kill wild game and live on it as did lehi of old while they were preparing 01 their hand carts to cross tha the plains lains thE this is seemed to inspire the feeling feelings s of the people and they said let us go if we we have to carry our packs on our backs if it were not for those great waters that roll between us and the promised land how bow soon would we start and Kewith be with br brigham and those blessed saints in the mountains these are the feelings that fill the bosoms of the saints in that country bein being blessed from time to time with the company compa n of elder wheelock second counselor to prest rest F D richards the time had come forthe appointment of brethren for the ensuing year lr br wheelock asked me whether I 1 had any particular choice as to where I 1 would labs during the coming year I 1 told him that I 1 had none only that I 1 thought I 1 could do to more good where I 1 was acquainted but said 1 I tell br franklin to put me where he thinks I 1 can do the most good if it is to go ani and lead a company of hand carts across the plains let him tell ie me and I 1 am on hand for that at a meeting for making the appointments those words ca called lied forth some little comment and br franklin remarked that when I 1 left the country I 1 might lead some such enterprise enter prize soon after a letter came from prest preat bri brigham 11 young wishing the handcart hand cart enter enterprise prize to commence this season M my heart was in the kiter citer prize and I 1 shewey showed the saint saints that if it it was a hard journey they were wetie called upon to pass through and even should they lay down their bodies in the earth before they arrived in great salt lake cly cly it was better etter to do so keeping the commandment of god in gathering than to wear out their bodies in the old countries and so the saints in that country feel now concerning the prosperity of th first handcart expedition I 1 would like to have it understood what hat kind of people have been called forth this season to embark in this great undertaking A single explanation will show the difference between the people that this season beason came fortin and those that may emigrate another seabon season in the same way wax br franklin aa as instruct instructed pd to call upon the old soldiers the halt maimed weak and infirm and not upon those who were particularly and strong but upon the old soldiers thurcy volee V vie voice vic ic e those of 19 years standi stan dug tg in the church 1 thi this co counsel tinsel called forth all the old men and women the cripples and infirm those that had borne the burden of sus sustaining gainin the church f from the first in the old country with this kind of a company we came from emia emla england n to iowa lowa city pro probably bibly a distance f from ra t this is place of 1300 miles or unwar upwards is there was our first place of outfit ont out fit for the plains and thre there I 1 again received my mv appointment to lead the first company osband of hand carts across the plains again had llad the makin maving of our hand carts been directed by bv the wisdom wisdom of our president here or could the work there have been super ill lil tended intended by men of more experience with time to ba have re attended to seeing that the carts were made in the best proportions and of good 0 od substantial timber much labaron labor on plains plain might have been avoided in fact I 1 pr C silme sunne that one third the labor we have had could have been thus saved savel our hand band carts were of a poor description but they had bad to b i experimented u upon teen in and the experiment this season has been at onn one expense i at iowa city before the ilard carts catts were wen ready some of the brethren and sisters began begar to despair of ever accomplishing BO so long t journey and the inhabitants of the stir rounding surrounding country offered them great wages wa es telling that if they remained there a and nd served them then onet onel year that without doubt they could earn t good team abid an wagon and a cow cov or two am te then they could cross the plains with combar active ease this had its effect upon some at iowa city and there were svere a few who had h be consider considerably 11 persuaded to start from froc tha that place pace 11 i br spencer felt that he be especially lantei w those to go who ho had this season started from fron theold the old oid count country vry try to cross the p plains jain sand and enco ecco ir aged us to go on but I 1 have found since that t time e that those who were dissatisfied and wished to remain back were continually faltering and that it was of little use to say any thing to them to encourage them for when greater inducements as they thought were offered to them along the road in iowa a distance of miles through 0 sand hills and heavy roads several families left the company in order to get rich and come on another year but the saints who started from the old country with the kingdom 0 of god at heart wanted to come here and assist in building up that kingdom and bee see the glory of god and the prophets of the lord and receive instructions from their lips it was hard to induce them to step off the track and although the weather was boisterous a and nd uncomfortable and the roads beav heavy they felt willing to continue and when sickly and fatu fatigued ed and ready to faint by the way wax if asked whether they wanted to go bac hac back hack ca would say no let us go to the valley or go i on as far as we can master strength and as it had been represented to me in the dream as it had been predicted to me by the I 1 spirit of dri bri briham brigham ham bam the powers of the destroyer were strongly exercised against the faithful little band that was with me gathering to these valleys I 1 found that the adversary ad versay of souls was using his influence and doing his best with sickness weakness and fatigue fati gu breaking down the carts etc to discourage 0 the faithful and sink their spirits I 1 found that unless I 1 had power with god and with brigham bigham and could claim their faith and call to my aid their energies to enable me to encourage the spirits of that people they would sink and the expedition would fail fall but I 1 thank god that we had the blessing of the lord upon us and the spirits of the people were buoyed up to go along just about elou enough h every day and to commence the journey on tie tte the morrow nobody had any faith to give away to their neighbor there was no energy to spare but there was just sufficient to tl keep along in the journey the lord has been with usand from time to time tim ewhen when I 1 found sickness rather gaining upon the people I 1 called upon them to exercise faith in god and to claim the blessings promised to them by brigham and the servants i of the lord in the mountains and by br spencer at the place of outfit who promised them that if they were sick and would look to the lord and have faith in him and call upon the servants servant of the lord to administer to them although dying daving they should live although sick they be healed I 1 I 1 regret that there was a wagon in our company for I 1 realised realized reali reail sed that wagons had bad a tendency to destroy the faith of our brethren and sisters for if they were sick a little they felt that they could get into the wagons I 1 am persuaded that if there had bad been no wagons for such people there would have been none sick or weak but that their faith would have been strong in the name of the lord voice that istrup aistrup is true consequently I 1 have had to labor with he the people incessantly to keep faith in them to keep them away from the wagons by showing them that there was honor attached to pulling hand carts into the valley dy b by say saying ing I 1 have walked 1300 miles old and decre pid as I 1 am with these crooked legs of mine and there is honor lionor in that brethren and sisters far more than in having to be carried in a wagon to the valleys of the mountains and thus I 1 believe thit that I 1 have stimulated those that otherwise would have gone into the wagons I 1 can say in praise of this company that th they ey have been faithful before god have done what hat I 1 have required of them better than any company I 1 have ever traveled with I 1 have been ina company directed by prest brigham young buti never saw a company that were more willing to go go along peaceably without quarreling anac and contention nten tion and more ready in doing what they were called upon pon to do when we came to the laige lauge large streams that had llad to be crossed such as the platte it seemed almost to 3 much antich for human nature for men women and children to wade through a broad stream nearly two feet deep and some would tremble at it but the most as they were requested boldly entered and went through freely not caring for the poor ge gentile atile sneaks nho were watching watch ng them on the banks the brethren and sisters felt wonderfully teni der of the childr children non on the commencement of the journey asking what shall we dewith do with them and saying that they must get into the wagons I 1 said let them stick by the hand carts and pull orf off their heavy shoes so that they can go along light footed and the journey will be accomplished complis hed easily by them their feet will become tough toul b ati att arki the mothers who will take this his course will see the utility of it before teofil the 0 li aney is accomplished but some were so tender r of their children that they nearly killed them by keeping on their heavy stockings and shoes their feet became blistered and they were soon sion so crippled as not to be able to walk only with great pain and when they could not use their shoes any longer they had to take them off and then their little feet were tender and sore and altogether unfit to tread on tha the th pebbles an and d prickly pears scattered on the roads in tb ohp latter portion of our journey if they had been permitted to go barefooted at first their feet would have been hardened and inured to the journey and been better prepared for the rough roads roada in the mountains the remarks of prest youn young conc concerning our team having been a to us are arc verily true and I 1 believe his suggestions were at first to provide a few mule teams to travel in compans company with the hand carts for it hospital es aad and also aiso tp t carry so corae of the bag ig gage gae had the brethren in the states been able abie to have accomplished this I 1 believe that the companies of hand carts already arrived would have been in some ten or twelve days sooner some of the brethren |
