Show SUDDEN meath DEATH OF elden ELDER r ezna EZRA T tj ONE OF or THE TWELVE gir ill ArOST APOSTLES lus LES t AT about 8 last evening while the telegram from elder john sharp now in boston relative i to the settlement of we the 17 P K R B R indebtedness was being talked over in president youngs office and all rejoicing over the news another telegram was handed banded to president young from elder franklin D richards dated ogden which ab abi abl i raptly changed tiie the current of th the thoughts and cast deep sadness and gloom over the entire circle circie the dispatch read as follows I 1 ogden 3 Z president B youn young 7 brother ezra T benson arrived here today to toda day da y and ana about 7 pm p m while doctoring his sick horse he dropped down suddenly and to all appearance dead if you will please keep the office open ti a short time I 1 will inform you of resuscitation if possible 11 it was hoped that resuscitation would be found possible for no one was prepared p a to hear of the death of a man so healthy and active and so 1 likely to live to a very old bid age as elder benson enon but not many minutes had elapsed before another dispatch from elder richards richardk conveyed the startling intelligence that elder eider benson was neam DEAD and that the mournful tidings had been telegraphed to bis bishop hopA maughan langhan of logan to break the sad news mews to the family of elder elde benson a and nd also to td obtain directions respecting the disposal of the corpse an le event ent more amore unexpected than this could not havo have occurred had pun pur community 1 been told that th atone offe ofie of the thie twelve apostles had died without the name of the deceased being mentioned and they had been asked to say who it was they would probably have mentioned ezra T benson among the last he was s so hale and vigorous and full fuli of energy that his prospects for life seemed excel escel lent bro benson henson was associated with I 1 bros lorin farn farr and chauncey wi west in a large contract forthe for the grading of the central pacific railroad rall Eail road the obligations which rested upon him connected with this work in consequence of not being belvi able to obtain a settlement with the 0 P E R E R have caused h him im considerable anxiety his visit to ogden 90 deik delk was ims doubtless connected with this business we telegraphed this morning td to Bishop 0 NY west of ogden to obtain from him all the particulars of this sad occurrence and received from him hirthe the following dispatch 1 X sept ath brother brothen benson accompanied by brother ft any ant lo 10 logan an on thu thursday raday late inthe in the afternoon lgon and came to wellsville and stopped for tild the night an friday morning ning he left and came on toJ tod Brigham city olt Cit yand yana nd dined at bro lorenzo Ii orenzo snows in the afternoon he came to ogden but before getting there one of his fils horses was taken with colic lle lie ile he arrived at president F farr arr A s at about six in the evening andias andaas and was assisted to unhitch his team which was put in bro barrs farrs barn tho the sick horse hors 0 appeared to bo be very much distressed he bled bied it himself and after doing all he could for it he lifted a little boy on it to walk balkit it around for exercise he then left the barn with brother crockett and father ephraim turner to goto go to brother farras farrs house and band while on h his I 1 way he fell 1 on his right side his ui head to the As he hd belche fell feil he struer struck bro turner ont on the tho heleg leg arrer after foiling he turned on his back and breathed about lour loun times when v pulsation ceased this thi s was at 7 k p m jeide jelde judge e aaron F earr farr was waa imme immediately diat on the tho ground Er round and with ditl others applied many restoratives restora tives but they all proved grove aspi una unal j availing vai ling his body was then conveyed w t president farrs barrs house properly laid out and put in a coffin in which it ms as forwarded to his family at lugari lugan leaving here at a quarter past one am a suitable guard accompanying I 1 bro crockett said gaid that on the tho way to ogden he seemed to enjoy lifo as well weli as ee he ever did and talked encouraging ly of hi his s future prospects at the time of bro ben nen soda arrival at president farrs barrs presidents and ana F arr arc and myself were attend iga picnic pic nic party of the relief relie deiches ae les ies 0 of f weber county ara ata grove about abou ia mile from president parrs I 1 am yours truly W VEST WEST ezra taft benson was bo born rn on t th h e ind ond of february 1811 in mendon mendor worcester county massachusetts he B as ras the first son of ol john and chic chloe enson lenson his father was a farmer farhner and an a very industrious man a quality which his son inherited and ezra T r ived lived with him helping him on mhd tl farm arm until he wab was sixteen years old he E bon ben then hon went to live with his hh sister and ar her hen ler ier husband who were keeping a hotel hot in n the centre of the town of Ux udbridge uxbridge bridge he ae remained with them three years his H grandfather benson was also a farmer farms and imd while engaged at work in the tha nie fie he hd fell and iud suddenly denly died it is re i inh nar ta kable able t that h at th the e grandfather and ai the tho grandson should both die so bud sud su leuly lenly I 1 and under such similar circuit in st stances ances at the death ot of his grandfather by 1 the request of his grandmother he wen we an and took charge of the farm when twenty years old he marrie marri almelia Pl melfa melia a the daughter of jonathan H aud and lueina lucina andrus of northbridge North bridge brid worcester co massachusetts in it ba b moved from the farm and bought pu bis his brother in law the hotel keeper keep and kept the house about two years in this business he made considerable con money which he invested in hiring a cotton mill and commencing in company co with his cifes brother the manufacture of cotton in the town of holland mass blass through a combination of causes caus over which he hal no control he los ios 1 money in this business and retired from fr it and took a hotel in the same town tow tov he was also appointed postmaster post mast though he made money in this bubl busl bj ness he could not be content he had hac a desire to visit the west in the spring of 1837 he and his family staf started ted while wh in philadelphia he made the acquaint ance of a gentleman who spoke dis d ragingly cou about the Westan 1 d I bersu ed him to go to the town of salem and a be he would as assist him to go into busine business he ile remained in this place one year ye and though thona his neighbors offered to render him aby auy assistance h he might mig need to establish himself in business lle lie still yearned for the west and he started in that direction he touched touch at bt st louis obtained a small stock 0 goods and then went up the illin river not knowing where he should shou land laud but while on the river he mad ma the acquaintance of a man who proved brov to be his fathers cousin he ife was fly jivis 1 ng at griggsville Griggs ville illinois and at that th town he concluded to stop atop but he did d not ot remain long iong there he moved to Lexing toni in the same state staw andalft wards yards to the mouth of the little blue bin where he and a man by thenamae the name of isaae isaac hill laid out oui a town and called I 1 pike here he built himself dwelling house and a warehouse but the plate place was sickly and he be was still restless in conversation with the t writer of this brief sketch in relation to these days he said be he felt that the fjord ile lie was pr preparing him for the future which awaited him and he afterwards could cou understand why he could not feel con co tented in the tho various places which he visited and where so 0 far as worldly world prospects were concerned he had eve opportunity of doing well he heard of 01 quincy illnois and he wai was led to go there in search of a home hom hon aphis was early in 1839 at quiney quincy hh met gith with the latter day saints w ho had just been driven out of missouri aby 1 nob mob violence he heard they were a ver ve peculiar people yet in listening to t preaching of their elders eiders El deis and in co vers atton atlon with themselves lle lie found foul shem verr very agreeable ree rde he boarded dur dt winter with a family of latter latt lay dayl saints and formed a high opinion kopini of ahem I 1 in 1 I te the spring of 1810 isio h he e se cirod urd two acres aeres of land in the tow town fe encode n d it and built a house upon it duan during r a this time he still associated with wi the he Z latter atter day saints and his sy lymp m pa thies were much moved movia towards them thai ind and held conversations with them the about their thir principles A debate w as ifill in quiney quincy between the latter day d saints taints and dr neison kelson who was appos opp eq d to them at which the kroph jophe joseph doseph was present erom prom this debate deba he ie became convinced that the latter latt lay day saints were believers in and ers of the truths of the bible bibie though pleased leased ceased that the saints had come c victorious notorious he had no idea at that time tin tic that hat he would ever become one himself yet ef their principles were the chief topie topic top of if conversation with hImsel faud fand family cami aud ud nei net neighbors ebors and he and his wife atte atten deil led the their thein ir meetings his wife was wag the tl findt to avow her belief in the doctrines and ind when the word went out that they thi 1 g were e believers in what was monism aiom a strong strong effort was made to 3 him to join a sectarian church el iet ers 3 orson hyde and john E page visited 1 quincy about this time having started ted led on the mission to jerusalem to which ieh ich they had been appointed their preaching aching seemed to have the effect to remove love iove whatever doubts there were res ining and himself and wife were baptized by the president of the quincy quiney 1 I branch brauch uch in u the fall he went to the conference 4 nauvoo and was ordained an elder eider jei JEl deri after er his return quincy was visited by president hyrum smith who or dalbed nedham him a high priest and appold a ted him to be second counsellor to ther president resident of the stake which ho he had organized anizel there about the fairst f april 1841 he moved to nau kau I 1 3 he bought a lot fenced andl andi and proved improved it and built a log house upon on it on the first of junel 12 he started on a mission to the eastern stern stated where he remained un til the fall of 1843 he returned and remained until the first of may 1844 when len ien he be again started east in company with gith th elder john pack when th the flews flows ws of the death of bf joseph joceph the pro phet let iet reached them the mth ay returned that lat fall he was ca ballota llOta be bes bea a member of the high C council huncl ancl and iri in december Decem ben ban of that year was again sent bent east on a as masslon mis sjon slon he presided over the bos borton boston n conference inference until the beginning of may when len ion he was counselled counseller coun selled to gather up hil all 1 the saints who could go and movel move them em out to nauvoo this was in 1 1845 5 the ie remainder remaina 0 of r 1 that summer and I 1 fall fail ill ril he wor worked ird lyd 0 on n the tem tom temple tempie and at night frequently stood guard to keep off the mob he e moved oved out of nauvoo with witt hig his fam i ily lly r in the first company he was ap intel a counsellor ulis utis ellor to father william ant nt ington at mount pisgah while t this thir is place he received a letter from resi rest es ident ent young informing him of his appointment to the quorum of ot the delvein in the estead th stead of john E page H he moved oved up to the main camp at C coun cil ell bluffs where he was ordained to the apostleship Apostles postles hip bip he shortly aftel afterwards ivarda was a sent east on oti a mission from which returned nov 27 1846 the next spring ring he accompanied president boian young to n as orthof the pioneers to this va valley vailey livy llvy an defter after d their arrival here hero he was ent reint baek back ck to meet the companies which were coming ning ming on 1 to inform thern them that d a place settlement had been found after 4 he it the companies he returned vall vali alie ille yand J d then started back to winter y ehte qua barters ers with lt the pioneers another ess ets I 1 assion east eart ast had to bei ie performed and he left nert eft the fhe camp about the last day of 1847 7 and wis was absent several months U ion his return he was ws appointed to preside i side in n county towa Towa loWa being ng associated with presidents orson eydi r and geo goo A smith in 1849 in company abany with president smith he moved ved to the valley he was wag danger dauger siy sly rich sick on n the road abidia and was wag notes acted to elvei live but the camp fasted and prayed ayed and he be recovered in 1851 he lie left fc the valley on a mission to tamla nie county to fo gather up lip the saints ints and returned in august 1852 2 in 1856 he was appointed a massion to europe and ancl with elder elden den der orson pratt presided over the britch ibish mission until enfil the fall of 1857 1957 when len he returned home I 1 in n 1860 he was appointed to preside in cache valley vailey illey at which point he has continued to reside ever since besides perform in these missions elder benson has tilted ed many important positions at ilona tiona he was a member of the legislature gi stature slature of the provisional state of desert seret previous to tho the organization of the he territory was a member bembe of the 3 territorial house bt Re presenta tives ea for several sessions and for the past it ten years has been elected to the territorial council every term y This chis brief epitome of his labors labour gives an idea of the energy activity and 16 iri austry stry of the man whose loss we this thin day 7 deplore he never hesitated w when hen work rk was to be performed and never sutured an opportunity of travel travella traveling ln with th eres president ident young IM lit visiting t the e settlements to escape him he has had no lingering sickness and though the suddenness of his departure will doubt less 3 be a severe shock to his family and we ads it issach a departure as we wo do not fc think he would have shrunk from contemplating item plating it would have suited his nature betito better fo have known that he would uld die in the harness than to linger through ough of inaction and decre ude elders SIders Brigham young jr and joseph F smith have gone to logan to be present eisent at I 1 the funeral obsequies which are appointed for I 1 pm tomorrow to morrow They ey will probably be accompanied by elder elden ier ler lorenzo snow from brigham city y 1 we deeply sympathize with the be 1 re aved family of the lamented deceased 1 i the loss is theira of his happiness there is no doubt A man so faithful and true will receive a glorious reward he bas has fought the good fight he has finished his course he has kept the faith and there is laid up for him a crown of righteousness which the lorg lord the righteous judge shall give him in the day of reward elder bensons family have thesyl the sympathies and prayers of a great people eo in their behalf and the Lord whom the beloved departed served will most assuredly em comfort fort console and help tb them I 1 in n the tiie midst of this their deep affliction fg lct lei tio n |