| Show THE PREGNANT PAST scents scenes locations and circumstances connected with former times independence DENCE jackson co MO moi j september 11 IM editor deseret news last evening we were taken in 10 a conveyance ve yance by our oar friend elder george P frisby of the Hedrick Redrick tte ite church to our oar appointment in their tbell meeting house bouse oo an the temple lot our journey was over rolling land with fields and forests intermingled forming a picture i c worthy of zions bolderson bor derson welch which we truly were farms were pointed out to us hundreds of acres ot ol beautiful laud land the homes of the saints more toan halt a century ago where BOW only old chimney rams rains mark the places this was on the big blue river and thence east to independence on our way col pitchers last abiding place was ewas pointed miles west of independence on the westport and independence road where the colonel had resided tor for 50 years on a beautiful p plantation lan tation which bently passed away irem from him As no has already been stated he died a most miserable death which was confirmed to us by a second parly we also had bad another case pointed out thata another and active citizen mitizi en a noted surveyor who was engaged in driving out the mor mons a mr A E hickman Hick mau known as CAPTAIN HICKMAN possessions His were pointed out and his wealth boasted of as that of a possessor po 1 sessor I of broad ft elds but said our inform informant he died in ia that little cabin out on the hill in 1882 la in the midst of grief and poverty 91 one more word about mr mason who was ment mentioned ionel in our last mo he said to a neighbor they asked me about these men alluding to the mob bibro and I 1 old did not want to lie so told them the these men it they were d d pas had one good trait them wre a redeeming deeming quality they were democrats I 1 have no education cant read a word only went to school three weeks not got nine lickings bickings lic kings and quit 11 this is a sample of many who drove the I 1 mormons cormons Mor mons out of missouri after an interesting drive we arrived jost in time to find the house crow crowded oed and by the time in meeting was open opened joany ay wee crowded around outside une unable ble to get admittance one hour and forty or ty minutes was occupied by elders black jenson and tk evenson S even soa excellent attention evin evinced beed that or labors were not in vain the second chapter of isaiah and a passage from Zachari aa formed a foundation for our remarks we showed that fat we had kept on building up zion and gath gathering tIng and had bad no seed need of reorganizing gan izing 3 X and that the such as la 1 tes die out and disappear we predicted the same imme thing hing regarding all those who depart from the true and only gospel we s spent 11 the night at thy the pacific hotel apt kept by J D 1 barnhart and a gileot partner J an old time latter day saint of kirtland ohio who joined the Re reorganization orgin iza tion or josephites joseph Josep bites ites 11 and soon abon after not being satia tied with their authority tho rity left alem anem and joined the Hedric kites and lastly has joined the he was one of last lait nights attendants and said that our meeting had bad the good old ring of the gospel bell of fifty years ago and that many others of those present thought the same we found miny many who were not satis fled with the various achis matic organizations but bu wished to be followers of joseph smith the original prophet seer beer and revelator Bev elator and organizer of the church of jesus christ which is the ODIL church I 1 t that hat has carried out the goo goel I 1 plan as laid down by joseph at the time of the martyrdom of the Prophet the people were being gathered and we rebuilding a temple baptizing tor for the drad dead etc which work aney have kept up th various factions which have separated themselves from the true gospel tree the writer heard the prophet say on OB a stand at ai the east end and of the nauvoo temple that the time was coming when there would be many dissensions from the churco church but 41 said he 1 I now see the time which I 1 have long desired to seo see let me go where I 1 way may the gospel tree is ia planted never to be rooted up for there are tho those pre cresp seit it who are pro pared to carry on the gopf 1 whatever may become of me 11 he alto said I 1 will give you a key by which you arsay never be deceived it you will observe these facts where the true C burce 14 I 1 there will always be beanan ama rity of 0 the tbt saints and aad abd matory mat ory of the church also to WK WE IN BI hat there are many ansay wa w 11 wll eventually discover their mistake and return to the fold after judgments and scourges urges shall pass through the land we f tel sorrowful for many wh who 0 appear t to 0 be wavering and not fully satisfied with their faith and standing for iu in our communications with many members of 0 schismatic factions some seemed to possess a desire to be saints and be saved we asked the Hedrick Hedric itea kites if they had any twelve apostles or seventies quorums qu and also put the same came question tf tb the Whit merites both replied no there are not enough members yetto yet to f ully fully organize there are only about NO members in each party and those are scattered the country we suggested that a few of those small factions join together until they become of sufficient strength th to fully organize real estate has boomed in ia the vicinity of kansas city and independence to the estimated value of from if 1000 to per acre and several new towns nave been laid out on the dummy line between I 1 those hose places but bul only to make an effort towards a boom both town and boom have died on en the hands of speculators and are awaiting an exposition car or something else to boom ker her up oain again the temple lot is ia still in dispute between the josephites and red ric kites but the latter have possession and andt their beir meeting house bouse is within the enclosure they have paid up all taxes and h have ave the best deeds obtainable tai nible we saw an abstract of title costing coating over 50 which showed a clear title to not only the mall portion of the real temple mock block now under fence but to 03 63 acres of the actual temple plot it II passed stra straight igat to the hands of bishop edward par pa r from that title it has passed into ever so many brands bands and shows a broken of title jim as many forms and other propel properties ties 60 to that we had accomplished sufficient to satisfy our desires in this waste place and center baake of zion we again repaired to the center of the TEMPLE BLOCK and in the midst of the shade trees and blue grass which is mowed by the Hedric kites occasionally we numbly y bowed ourselves before the lord and thanked him for his favors and mercy in opening our way so very favorably to te bear our testimony test emony emoDy in those meetings already mentioned and for the history of past events with which we had been furnished we asked him to remember this lind of zion in his own due time also to remember persecuted zion and to preserve reserve us to see a Holy Heuse aurit built on this consecrated spot in this generation as has been predicted we took the chicago santa fe california railroad from kansas city and sped on our way on OB the south side of the missouri Biver River 41 42 2 miles through timber land mostly of the sturdy oak hickory elm and black walnut with wagon loaft loads of walnuts on the heavily laden trees many of the old time cabins built of logs still remain on the poorly tilled fields which were very prolific with weeds much of the tall nut scattered corn was wonderfully wonderful lv clustered with very muc i i like hop fields on enquiry we learne learn e i 1 they were morning glory vines passius the old ferry where our exiled saing crossed the missouri river into clay county we stepped out on to toe platform to take a view of the long to be remembered old ferry the train parsed on to sibley where we crossed the muddy missouri river on a first class bridge and a lengthy trestle into ray county and viewed the extensive teri give bottom land farms and fields and were soon at L Is lington junction five miles from richmond we left the train at 1130 a m having left kansas city at 9 am there being no train until 0 6 p in tor for richmond we concluded to walk that distance and were delighted with our ramble through the woods the country is ia not so hilly billy or quite so abrupt as at kansas city and vicinity but more gradual in ia its rolling plains WE ARRIVED AT RICHMOND without accident and succeeded in ing lodgings in a comfortable sit nation feeling to not bob forget elder E Steven sons old home of short durs duration in ia the then village of 1835 some ot of the scenes that tie he beheld in his bid boyhood days were so indelibly impressed that thai they recurred to his bis memory as fresh as it witnessed only yesterday two of them we will mention one citizen a hotel keeper of t that hat day was about to make a sale dale of one of his bis slaves to a buyer from new orleans A price being fixed upon aud and the abe mother hearing abe the same stepped around and said raid now coussa you knows dat child is yours so as well e as mine aud you promis we you sell him 11 atter after she had bad pleaded some time tae the sale was abandoned the other incident was a 9 tight on OD court leouie square which resulted in a dirk knife jash gash in the arm of one of too combatants Blet Bl eiding ding and wearing swearing be offered to bet oneff one of his best negroes neg he could whip his opponent in any way proposed A better we trust cow inhabit this city in this beautiful country of which you will soon eoon hear bear more EDWARD EDARD STEVENSON ANDREW 31 J S BLACK |
