Show A VOICE FROM PROM PRISON C J KEMPE IMPRISONED IN DETROIT BY THE CRUEL DECREE OF AN ARIZONA ARI- ARI ARIZONA ARI ARIZONA ZONA JUDGE FOR FOB HAVING MARRIED TWO WIVES WREN WHEN THERE WAS NO LAW AGAINST IT EXPRESSES HIS RIS FEELINGS AND BEARS HIS 1118 TESTIMONY TESTIMONY TESTIMONY MONY OP OF CORRECTION N Detroit Michigan June 28 1885 Elder George C a Lambert Deseret New News Office Salt badt Lake City Dear Your Brother Brother Your valuable letter has been truly by me and my brethren here in prison J A fr friend nd in need is a 8 friend indeed and i it iUs ts js almost worth the sacrifice a aad ad suffering g we weare weare are passing through here to learn we have so many true and noble friends For my part language fails me to ex- ex express express ex express press my GRATITUDE for the kindness of my brethren and sisters in administering to the wants of my suffering family and by kind letters and periodicals and even tern tem tern tern- temporary means to alleviate the hardships of prison life and no less do my brethren breth breth- brethren brethren ren and I here feel truly to the many who have been so kind to have come here in this way the place to visit us and who are laborin laboring faith faith- fully faithfully for our deliverance fr from m the cruel inJustice glorious we are suffering in this glori- glori glori ous land of liberty I When first I came here it almost made me despair to think of thel the ex- ex expense expense ex expense pense of the court and he consequenCES consequences ces S to my poor innocent children whom I had to leave after havin having struggled by day and night almost in- in incessantly Incessantly In Incessantly for fol three years in St Johns and through failure of crop lost all ali alland and then had to leave part of my family in a new place among strangers in a house ahouse only half finished and entirely unfit for winter use with the fourth years year's crop mostly frozen Who could under such circumstances feel well And then to Q be hauled out of bed at 12 o'clock at night and drag dragged ed U miles awa away and next without a shadow of justice to be condemned for a crime of which I was entirely innocent was rather hard to bear When the court record positively showed that the woman I was accused of of Having laving mar ui r- r ried married in 1882 had been my wife for 20 years And after all this I was like a Russian tra traitor tor sent about miles from my home to spend a life of years amon among convicts and yet y t had it not been for fOI the fear of my family suf- suf suf-f suf ferring erring it would be but hut a joy to suffer forum forthe the Gospel of Christ Chris for truly our religion is well worth all that human bein beings s can endure And now when I realize that through the great kindness of my my true friends my family is provided pro- pro provided vided for I can only rejoice and give thanks to God and though we cannot here as our brethren do at Yuma par par- par take partake of the Sacrament and mutually edify j-edify effy one another yet in our hearts we can rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer for tor the Gospels Gospel's sake How well do I remember 28 years ago when as a boy I was surrounded by the luxury o of this world is 1 was young r hopeful y proud y J with a feeling feeling- fe of as independence independence as if the whole world was my own ana amI yet ret thoroughly mis- mis miserable miserable erable and disgusted with all aU ot of my associates again and again asking my- my my I myself self the QUESTION 4 is the there fib flo longer any such reli religion ion as t of the Old Testament Is chas- chas chastity dead d d and buried and has heaven heaved been ahat shat against us have bave the angels departed and God hid Himself forever Is re- re f Y y f oJ j jf f Cu more mote oi oie e than than a a tt md trade dd for for hypocrites to earn cam money by I 1 read tile the Bible and heard the ministers and felt like th the hungry roan man dreaming he was eating but on waking finding his stomach empty I was a Christian In name but received none of the blessings promised a true disciple of n all at once on one Wed Wed- W Wednesday Wednesday d- d evening an unseen an-unseen unseen m messenger called me to follow him and took m me meto meto to the the the-Bouse house of Brother Ti now of and gave ave me we a testimony that ca can call never be erased from my me- me memory memory me memory mory for or when oa on the following Sun Sun- Sunday San day day I by invitation went to Mr house I found fo nd everything correct and when afterwards I was baptized I re rived received the promised blessing which I could not have re- re re received elved Bad had the administrators not had bad from God shorty after I was ws called to tie tae ministry I had bad no 00 need to say I believe the Mormons have a better religion than anyone else because there was no comparison I had received the Gospel of Jesus Christ by REVELATION TION FROM 1 REA HEAVEN VEi and was called of God to bring the themes mes message age that to my tellow fellow men and from that day to this I am conscious that never never in my life have I missed one opportunity to do my duty in this respect and though in my native country and In InN N I have baptized pe people by the hundred not one has bas ever complained that I made blade a promise that was not fulfilled Yet my promises were em- em emI emphatic emphatic em emphatic I and positive that it if they would repent from all sin and earnestly seek God they should know for tor themselves that what the world called Mormon Mormon ism ism was the work of God that thai their sick should be healed and that ll dl the blessings of the Gospel should them Though young and inexperienced ine p ri- ri and childish as I then was yet I never rested At times I had ten meet meet- meetings meet lags ings in a week and yet felt a desire to todo todo todo do more and why Because GOD WAS WITH ME When I laid my hands upon the sick they were healed even blind blind were made to see and persons apparently on their deathbed and after having been given iven up by physicians AS Incurable joyful would leave their beds healthy and joy joy- joy ful when I 1 took my hands off their heads Now I ask was that the power of man Was that the power of a false religion Then by what power and and authority did Paul do such things And wl who o among the Saints have not experienced similar things I f do do not write this to boast beast for God bein being my witness I feel now entirely unworthy of all the blessings l I have thus fruS enjoyed but 1 I desire to 10 make ONE MORE MOKE APPEAL AL to my Scandinavian friends yea Jea to all who are whiling to once more listen to toa toa a voice from prison Is there more more- than one God Is there more than one Gospel Is there more than one Priesthood If echo answers answer No let me ask Is there anything to be gained in heaven earth or hell hen by retreating Have we one iota of a principle revealed re- re revealed re revealed from heaven that we can dds dis- dispense dis dispense pense with I J say No No my brethren and sisters God must be obeyed at all hazards if we would gain ain salvation and while we do so we have nothing to fear God is at the helm and though the ship p crea creates creaks and shivers in every joint the devils will only laugh if we are fools enough to jump into the water anc drown I thank God for fr this persecution thou though h I think 1 ft el it as hard liard as any any- anyone anyone any anyone one for though try ny heart is buoyant I Iam Iam Iam am LOSING JOSING STRENGTH and have no idea that I could survive three years imprisonment in this place Our strength is not in numbers but butin butin butin in integrity honesty chastity virtue and integ integ- inte integrity rity The God Cod of Israel srael is not getting old and and thon though h our enemies ene- ene enemies mies number billions lIe He is to LII J-LII O J t- t liA IS equal W the emergency ncy and imprison imprison- imprisonment imprisonment imprisonment ment or oven even ven death compared with eternal l life e Where Whore outside of this Church tail can can b be found such men as Preside John Taylor Geo Q Can Can- Cannon Cannon Cannon non Jos Joseph h F Smith W Woodruff and thousands of of our breth breth- brethren brethren brethren ren who for honesty nobility of character and iii integrity eg rity have no su- su superiors su superiors believe livin living H H I do net believe be- be believe be lieve the Gospel he because ause of any any man or set of men I believe because I know for myself Of Af rf its truth troth J I I believe too that those who shew show the white feather and Prove the lauth which God has reposed in lu them ho however ever high hig-h the position they way may occupy Py will go o down don and I would not fear feat to prophesy that tbt tn t such will be the fate of anyone that takes that course coarse Wen Well my etter is i already too long and yet I hive have net written the one one- one pint t of what I would like Uke to tosa sa say I received aletter a letter day to-day but not one word of hope as to tc my release My ab heart is full of GRATITUDE to my wy brethren for fot their their kindness kindness ss and ao I thank Bishop JI J PR P R Johi fudge ud of ot of Provo Prove and nd B Bishop Bisp tl op DK D K Udall of 01 St Johll Johns Bose 08 wore ors have been un- un unceasing un unceasing ceasing bh for III 0 as and Our pur families and if I get the privilege to leave this place lace alive ali I J f shall all the kind letters otters I have hye received With kind k nd regards to all the Saints I remain your four Brother in the th Gospel CHRISTOPHER I |