| Show M SOUTHERN missionary EX HICKORY WITHES AND A WARNING IN PLACE OF A congregation the utah journal publishes the following extract from a letter from elder bider JF W stratford who is laboring as a missionary in the state of georgia myself and companion started out some five or six weeks ago in search of a new field of labor and at the end of one days journey we had only traveled the distance of 12 miles after trying the of several of the citi dens zens we succeeded in aing lodgings with the family ot of john harkins Har kius where we were kindly treated this gentleman next morning gave us directions ions to the residence of a mr boyds who was one of the leading men in the town and also deacon ot the methodist church we called upon him and asked for the use age of the chapel to hold services in the sunday following balmon but on telling him that we were mormon elders it seemed to par paralyze ayze him almost as bad as a severe shock of earthquake would have done when he had recovered from the shaking u up he be had sustained he trembling and and excited went and consulted a dudish looking fellow who stood near by and to our great su surprise rp rise when he returned he emp emphatically batica ily declined the use of the c chapel hap e stating that the people in that section act on want any of the mormon influences in their midst we thanked him very kindly and traveled on about one oae mile further farther when we came to the conclusion that we were going contrary to our guide which is the holy spirit so we retraced our footsteps back tareo three miles and obtained a small log cabin to hold meetings in we went on our way rejoicing circulating our eur notice in reference to tb the meeting from pl placebo aceto place until night overtook us when we began to ask for a nights lodging after being refused at six or seven places we came across a company of campers who had compassion on us treating us as best they could the next day we traveled on giving out our appointment inquiring as we journ journeyed ged along for a nights lodging W when en the dark shades of night began to draw thick around us we called upon a mr ervin who took us in and very kindly treated us next morning we journeyed to the schoolhouse where we announced that meeting would be held at the appointed time we were at our post there had assembled a large congregation some of whom had traveled five and six miles to see and bear mormon elders as we were ware the first that had ever been in that section at the close of the meeting three different parties invited us to accompany them home we accepted the invitation of mr monroe robinson on who had bad refused to take us in a few nights before on monday morning we started back to our old field of labor in plainville Plain ville for the pui purpose se of procuring a supply of tracts ae we arrived there in the evening and were greeted by our friends we remained there three or four days after which we returned to our new field and gave out an appointment for meeting the sunday following friday night it began to snow and prospects appeared gloomy for the sunday meeting as the people here are somewhat sedred scared of snow we rem rein with owe our friends until sunday when we started through the snow for the place at which we intended to hold meeting As the snow was ankle deep and still snowing we did not expect many hearers bearers in this we were not disappointed for to ou our surprise when entering the house bouse we discovered that our congregation consisted of two hickory withes and a noricel read as follows take warning we as a band of citizens of this place having become tired of this business of mormon preb preachers chers tramping through our country have decided to stop stoe it therefore mormon preachers or lat ter day saints who want to get back tp utah with their scalps on pad dad better leave in three days this means busi 1 11 ness if these withes are not enough we can get more this notice was lying on the pulpit with the hickories across it but as there was no one present to use the latter they did no garm harm we took the warning for what it was worth and traveled on a mile and called on a methodist preacher who took care of us until the two feet of snow which fell that night had bad settled and tracks been broken thil through cough it |
