| Show REPORT OF ELDERS ORSON PRATT AND JOSEPH F SMITH NEW YORK CITY september 17 1878 1578 president john jonn taylor and council of the twelve dear brethren we desire to make the following hastily written report of our mission to the eastern states which we would have made from time to time as we along but for the hurry and inconvenience Teni veni ence ordail of dail daliy dally travel As you yon are aware we left home on the morning ef of september ad in la company with elder W 0 staines and seven or eight missionaries en route for europe and the states stater we parted from these brethren at council bluffs excepting elder thomas B S higham who accompanied compa nied us by the council bluffis 8 st joseph and kansas city railway to kansas city and from thence to independence by the missouri pacific railway where we parted from him he continuing on to st louis and the southern states we arrived at independence on the morning of friday sept three days from home we put up at the merchants hotel the only one we saw in the place after breakfast we visited the temple lot about three fourths of a mile west of the court house or the centre of the town for description of which see letter of james A little dated november and published in NEWS of nov 1877 in 1831 1931 or about 47 years ago when elder 0 spratt pratt prath visited the ground it was covered with trees but now there is not a tn tre e noreeen a stump standing except on the portions surrounding the immediate temple site which are re occupied by dwellings and aud ud orchards the ground at the time of our visit was exceedingly dry and dusty the season having been a very dry ome one some years yeara ago mr air william eaton purchased a hOrLie homestead stead just south of the temple site and on a portion of tho the original temple grounds as purchased by bishop edward partridge partridges which is said mid to have been 53 acres for this thib homestead mr eaton baton paid 18 in eluding a neat frame cottage then built on the ground mr eaton aiso also purchased one two lots covering the temple site fbi for which he paid these lots we were wore informed he had deeded to the bishop or trustee in ln of the reorganized church subsequently we learned froma frota mr john beott scott of piano plano a member the reorganized church tha the held bold the tax titles thea thes lats we called 0 on n mr air eaton of independence dependence depend once onee whom we found I 1 IH lra ill feeble feebie ble blo health he informed t that this his present wife wa was waa s the wido of john E Z pago she was well acquainted quain ted formerly with elder pratt and many others about whom she inquired she treated us kindly brought us grapes of their own ra laing which she remarked were grown in zion and although the after aate the vintage was done were of very excellent iy lynnd ay and flavor wo wd learned from mr and bira birs eaton bato 11 that there were bome some 6 70 4 6 tamil famil i miles le a gathered in and ancl around inde independence ril rid who are waiting walting the aed ged redemption ulpin of zion etc ete these were lil lii 11 members ot of le the salle saile re glia orga nihed church commonly known as the tha josephites I 1 IL land i douthe in the vicinity of waa V ty low being worth from M SK 15 5 or 30 per acre and more a the town bome some what ess iss varying according to the improvements etc ina 1112 ink 4 diun number ign of inhabitants sin in in dependence a ua e was waa estimated at tit about and land in fT ackson county at about or of choul were in ja kansas city ain aln ainne alone no the farms wherever hereter he rever reven we passed had the appearance of being almost deserted wh being p neglected and over grown 4 altu t rank bank weeds among among which the corn and other craps crops seemed jeftro lert left to struggle against great odds for fon their existence the farm houses 83 if proper to dignify them b by y that hat name were almost universally am small 11 old and dilapidated pro bentin evidences of unthrift rift and decay the result of ice co in a id d near the small towns and occasionally on farms a better class of houses may be seen at independence we met with wm E Mc Me Lellin one of the tho first council of the twelve he seemed very much pleased to bee see us anil urge urged a yr u us 1 ro 0 prolong our visit he pointed out to us the spot on which stood the fine two story brick printing office which was demolished by the mob in the thel summer of I 1 1833 also the d dwellings ellings several of families of the followers of young joseph and of a family named humphreys who still claimed to belong to the church of jesus christ of latter day saints we called on brother humphreys at his shop and found him pleased to meet with us ue mr Ic Lellin related many circumstances cum curn stances relative to the early persecutions in jackson county referring to some of the mob a among mong others ipe he mentioned Sam owe owens ns p killed by mexicans said col pitcher was still living in independence that he was an exception to the rest of the mob being naturally a good hearted man but was apt ing under orders ordera at the time of the persecutions mcclellin Mc Lellin himself was very eccel trio rio opinionated and he plainly evinced winced that his spirituality died and ind his hia growth ceased at the time of if his apostasy apo stacy in 1836 while be ho claimed to hold to hla hia faith in the book of mormon and its ita inspired alred aired P translation by the prophet je joseph ph with the pertinacity of absolute knowledge he denounced in toto all ail the revelations in the doctrine and covenants and the idea of the restoration of the priesthood of or of the aaron to man but believes in the apostleship which he be thinks comprises everything although he bad no faith in the ordination of the first twelve with one breath ho be would extol and reverence the memory of the prophet and with the next fling at him some so me slanderous accusation in the most spiteful manner as ii if mentally writhing under so some bome mereal real leal or fancied wrongs R his Is conte pt for sidney rigdon was unfeigned whom he accused of introducing his own sectarian notions into the church and of lea leading ling joseph and the church astray he to cling to us with unusual relish and it was with unmistakable regret that he parted from ua us at the station as we got on orl board the cars for richmond coming to lexington Le by narrow guage railway wo to crossed the mis biver river by ferry and took broad guage railway from this thia point to rich riehmond richmond anond leht 9 at richmond we put up at the shaw house before the cyclone a three story brick building but has baa restored bince since the tempest only two stories now kept by mr warren ewing bon eon in lu law jaw to the original prop proprietor eletor mr 8 shaw once a io Ut utah huah ali all no now W d dead eid on saturday morning sept ath we met Mr jDavid whitmer the last re remaining one at of the three wit pesse td the book of mormon he is a good sized man P 73 yearb yeara of age last january and well preserved eie be efe was born boril jan 7 he is close shaven his hia hair perfectly white and rather thib thia lie he has a large largo head hend and add a very pleasant manly countenance that one would read readily I 1 ly percel perceive ve to bo be an index to lo K f conscientious honest heart he emed seemed wonderfully pleased as well as surprised at seeing elder orson pratt baid sad had ho would not have known knowin him he had grown so at fat f and betout hei he remembered him as a dir fer bashful timid boy after few moments conversation he deex ex cus edl afine himself elf eif saying he would return again to see bee us this meeting was wa inthe in the barroom bar room ot of the hote hotel when he hb balled called again he was in company with col childs a middle aged man mau and a resident ot 0 the place by invitation we ac companied compa nied them to mr mt Whit mers merb office where we wera were introduced to jimr mr mr navid david J whitmer eldest son of david mr geo cleo schweich Seh welch grandson of the old gentleman gentle mao mr john rohn ibon of jacob Whitmer whitmen coi Col james jamea W black blacks of richmond and several others A couple coupie of hours were very pleasantly bypassed passed in conversation principally on utah matters when we parted for dinner agreeing to meet ar air whitmer again at his big office at pm agreeable to appointment we met mr whitmer and his friends at his office but as the place was too public for private teco conversation ti kersat lon ton and as it seemed impossible to obtain a private personal interview with david whitmer by himself hims hime elf elt we invited him and such of his friends as he baw proper to fetch along to our room in the hotel mr whitmer apologized for not inviting us te to his house houseas as it was waa wash day dav fand ho worn 0 w with the a extra labor exposi exposure ro ac ac consequent upon rebuilding since tiie tile cyclone he accepted our invitation to our room and brought with him james B R B vancleave a nixie fine looking intelligent young newspaper man of chicago who is paying his addresses to t 0 miss josephine schweich granddaughter grand daughter of david whitmer george schweich soh Seh welch grandson john C whitmer son ort ofT of acob jacob WW warner and another person whose name we did not learn in the pr presence of these the following in substance as noticed in brother joseph F smiths journal is the account of the interview elder 0 pratt to D whitmer can you tell toll the date of the bestowal of the tho apostleship upon josep joseph h b by y petery peter james and john D W I 1 do not know joseph never told me I 1 can only tell tall you what I 1 know knows for I 1 will not testify to anything I 1 do df not know J F S tod IV did oliver cowdery die here herein in richmond D W yes be lived here I 1 think about one year before his death he died in my fathers fathera house right here in january 1849 phineas young was here at the elder 0 P do you remember what ti time you saw the plates D wa W jt it was in june 1829 tho the iatter latter part of the month and the eight witnesses saw them I 1 thinks think the next day or the day after ie one ons or two days after i joseph es snowed showed them the plates him himself relf but th eangel showed us the three witnesses the plates aa as jl i suppose to fulfill fulfil the words of the book itself martin maitin harris was not with us at he obtained a view of them afterwards afterward ev the same esme day joseph oliver and myself were together when I 1 saw them we wo not only saw the plates of the book of mormon the brass bra plates the plates platea of the book 0 lf f ether the plates containing the records of the wickedness and ana secret of the people of the world down to the time of their being en graved and many other plates the fact is it was just as though joseph oliver and I 1 were bitt sitt luL apt here on a log when we were overshadowed by a light it was not like the jig light t of the sun tol flor like that of a fir tir nire fire but more glorious and beautiful it extended away round us I 1 cannot tell 1611 how far but in hi the midst of this light about as far off aa as be he sits site pointing to john C whitmer sitting bitting ting ling a few feet from him there appeared as it were a table with many records or platea plates upon it besides the plates of the book of mormon also the sword of labau laban the directors i e the ball which lehi had and the interpreters I 1 saw baw them just as lis plain aa as I 1 bee eee this bed striking the bed beside him with his bis band and I 1 heard beard the voice of the lord as distine aly aa as I 1 ever heard any thing in my life declaring that the records of the plates of t the he book of mormon were translated by the gift and power of god elder eider 0 P did you see the angel at this timi time D W yes he stood before us up our testimony as recorded in the book of mormon is strictly and absolutely sol moi true just juet as at ib it is there written before I 1 knew joseph I 1 had heard about him and the tho from persons who declared they knew he had them and swore thy would get them from him where oliver cowdery went to pennsylva jiahe promised to write me what he should learn about these matters which he did he wrote me that joseph had told him his secret thoughts and all he had meditated about going to see him which hu no man on earth knew as he supposed but himself and eo iio he stopped to write for joseph soon after this joseph sent for me ifie D W to come to ti harmony armony to get dimand him nim and oliver and bring them to 10 my fathers house I 1 did not know what to do I 1 was vas pressed with my work I 1 had some edme 20 acres to plow so I 1 concluded I 1 would finish plowing and then wen go I 1 goi up one morning to go to work as usual and on going to the field found between 6 5 and 7 acres of my ground had been plowed during the night I 1 dont know who did it but it was d done one ono j just mt as I 1 aou would I 1 d have d done on e it and the plow was left standing in the furrow this enabled me to start sooner when 1 I 1 arrived at harmony joseph and oliver were coming to ward me and met mit me some distance from the house oliver oiiver toia tola me that joseph had informed hinr him Jb nag jag av x had stopped the first night how I 1 read the sign at the tavern ern erd where I 1 stopped the next night etc and that I 1 would be there that day before dinner and this was why they them had come came out to meet me all of which v was vas exactly aa joeph joseph jo eph bad had told oliver at which iwas I 1 was grea greatly astonished when I 1 was returning to with joseph jpseph and aud oliver all of us riding jn the wagon oliver and I 1 on an wooden spring seat and jo seph behind us while traveling along in a clear open place avery a very pleasant nice looking old man suddenly appeared by the side sido of our out wagon who saluted ns us with good morn morning tig it ll als is very warms warm at the same time m e wiping ping his face or forehead with his hand we returned the balut salutation ution and by a sign from joseph I 1 invited him to ride tide il it he was going our way but he said very pleasantly NO noi 11 am going to cumorah cut Cit morah 1 this name nume nassome was something new to me I 1 did not know what cumorah meant mean t at him and at each oiher other and as I 1 looked bound inquiringly enquiringly ly of joseph ehe the old oid man instantly disappeared so that I 1 did not see him again J P F 3 4 did you notice his ap D W I 1 should think I 1 did he was I 1 should thinks think about 5 or br 9 inches tall and heavy set about such a man as james Jamea van Vau Vancleave cleave there but heavier hi bla hia s face was as large he was dressed in a suit euit of brown woolen clothes his hair and beard were white like brother prates pratts but his beard was not BO so heavy I 1 also remember that he had on his bis back a hiort of knapsack with something in shaped like a book it was the messenger who had bad the plates who had bad taken them from joseph just prior to our starting from harmony soon after our arri arrival val vai home I 1 saw something which led me to the belief belier that the were placed or conee concealed aled in my fathers fathered brn I 1 frankly asked joseph if my supposition was right and aud nu lie told we uie it was sometime this thit my mother was going to milk the cows when she was waa met out near the yard by the same old man judging by her description of him hiru who eaid taid to her you have havo been very faithful and diligent iu in 3 our labors but you are because of the increate of your toil in it is proper therefore that you vou hould should receive a witness that your faith maybe may benea lenea thereupon fi he 0 aso showed e d hr her the plates my father nud and mother had a large family of their own |
