| Show MOB VIOLENCE IN TEXAS As perhaps some of your readers would like to hear something more from the lone star state I 1 take great pleasure in submitting a few items from this part the work of the lord is progressing nicely here considering that texas has been opened up such a short while there are three sunday schools organized in the state two in southern texas and one in north texas at this place there are at present no elders laboring in north texas but we hope that in the near future texas will be organized into two conferences as this part of the field seems to be ripening for harvest and there is a great demand for elders we have a good sunday school at lane though the saints are very scattered some of us living from four fou r to six miles apart yet we have a good average attendance we are not having any severe persecution to contend with at present there are seven of us in the family counting a married sister father mother two sisters and a little brother and myself who have obeyed the gospel and a baby girl over two years old who can make a nice prayer and thanks very nicely for the food it might prove interesting for to na narrate r some of the strange circumstances connected with our becom becoming ing members of the mormon church we first heard the gospel near honey grove in fannin county tex texas S in december 1895 1896 and here I 1 desire to say that there was a mistake in sister thompsons Thomp sons letter from austin it ws w in 1896 that she obeyed the gospel she said she did not know who made the mistake herself or the news we were what is known as christian scientists bafo before re we heard the t true rue goo goshet va especially mother and myself and and as their doctrine was founded by one oje a woman who claims to have received revelations and to have been divinely inspired to write a book called science and health and as she truly did do many great works such as healing the sick and so forth the elders found it difficult to convince us of the precious truths of the gospel in iii fact it was not they who convinced us but the many and strong proofs they hey brought forth we had also had many strong proofs in favor of christian science for we our family had been often healed and we had healed others mother was a good healer she never failed to cure anyone however low who left off medicine entirely and dismissed their physician when one of us became illde never thought of summoning a physician or taking any the patient really desired and that of course coarse was very seldom distance made no difference in giving as we termed it a treatment though when it is convenient some healers prefer laying hands on the patient some heal through faith in the lord but the majority of healers heal by will power while we knew there was a great deal of truth in christian science we had become very much dissatisfied and were earnestly searching for the truth when the lord directed his servants to our very door we believed the bible to be true but like the greater number of people we did not think it meant what it said theft therefore fore we gave it aur our own interpretation and I 1 fear we did not believe in a true and living god as the latter day saints do but in a god without body or parts and I 1 can that no one can worship such an imaginary god with as great faith and assurance as one does the only true and living god whose image man is I 1 am sure that I 1 was in a very dangerous condition concerning my religious views but thanks be to god the prayers of his humble servants viz elders M 0 miner and J E D were answered in my behalf I 1 had not the faith in a personal god to pray for myself and altogether I 1 was in a most miserable state of mind my sister mattie was the first to accept the gospel and on christmas day 1895 she was baptized by M 0 miner and on christmas eve 1896 he performed the ceremony that made her the wife of mr william E roberts they being as far as I 1 can learn the first couple married in texas by amor mon elder he continued to preach and baptize in our community persecution growing stronger all the while until eight souls were brought into the fold one young man coming twenty miler miles to he baptized the people became enraged it was just horrid to hear the many false and scandalous ous reports that were being circulated about the ly the elders one missionary baptist minister gave a public lecture against the church of jesus christ of latter day saints I 1 was present also elders miner and hess he took for his text book k as well gs as I 1 remember mormonism unveiled some papers he had gathered together for the occasion it was quite evident to and honest person that his every word and action on that occasion was inspired by him who rebelled against the savior and the whole plan of salvation his face and eyes fairly gleamed with rage elder miner replied to him that night at our home for he could not obtain the church to preach in the said minister was very severe on polygamy in his lecture and elder M found it a very delicate task to defend that principle which however he did in a very humble way he proved the ministers mistakes so very plainly that the people had to either accept his humble testimony or rebel against the cause of truth and they chose the latter course on sunday night following april ath we were visited by a mob of twenty five or thirty masked and well armed men who took president A C dalley and elder S H wells who were visiting among the saints and elders there and elders miner minar and hess off and beat them with ropes making them promise to leave the county or they would be hanged they accordingly bade us all farewell the following day but on april elders miner and hess returned from hunt county to get their summer clothes and so forth which the they y had been obliged to leave they were not well and found a number of the saints ill III and as we thought there would be no mob that night and we needed their assistance very much and they needed rest they were persuaded to remain with us that night but about 11 a mob came in very earnest we knew they were blood thirsty just as soon as they spoke and we hastily blew out the lights in all the rooms had the elders quickly concealed in a loft and all were armed for protection then father took his shotgun and opened the hall door where they all stood as it they were perfectly dumbfounded and we women went out on the gallery but father kept his post in the door they laughed at our demanding them to leave and swearing in a most moat indecent form they or ordered derell us to send the elders out to them but when fa ther told them in awful tones that they would not come out to them and that none of them should enter the house that he did not want to hurt any one but was going to defend his house and that the first man s who attempted to enter would be killed they knew he was in earnest he was very quiet and cool finally after much pleading on our part and seeing v they were defeated in their wicked purpose for which they will one day be thankful for as they shed no innocent blood they may obtain forgiveness they consented to go after obtaining a promise that the elders would go away to return to that community no more they started away and stopped a few yards from the house and emp tied their guns at the house then ret loaded and emptied them again M it sounded very much like our re cent hailstorks hailstorms hail hall storms but fortunately no I 1 j one was hurt though some of us hax haags gs a very narrow escape there were several of the saints there and it if one person had been killed there woul df have been a regular massacre very 11 likely father had never obeyed tle gospel at that time one of the most prominent dise diseases esef among the texas saints is the utah or y emigrant fever they all desire toi bof emigrate to some place where there to a stake of zion we had an attack of this fever and were about to deml grate but through the administering fc of the kind and wise counsel of tae is elders we obtained temporary relief our testimony is that the gospel ta 1 I as taught by the utah mormon elders is true and we are thankful andrej and rejoice oloe A in the happy privilege we have had ra of hearing and obeying the same wea we have a regular fast meeting every sunday and many and strong are the testimonies given on such occasions t your paper is a very welcome 2 4 tor in our home e LINNIE gregry GREGORY leonard county T tex A aar 20 1897 AY |
