| Show THE LATE ELDER J A RICHARDS in the latter part of september it was reported that one of our members elder john A richards at one time a resident ot of utah was dead and as there were so many conflicting reports concerning his last moments under instructions from president andrew kimbail elder jas N haslam and myself visited that part of the country where he died in order to obtain the true facts As elder richards way may still be remembered by many friends in utah a short sketch of his career may be of ef interest he emigrated from england to the rocky mountains during the early years of settlement and at the april conference of 1855 was called with four other elders to labor among the indians inhabiting this territory on the way ju ato their destination they were jointed by four elders from st louis mo and all arrived in the territory in the fall of the same year the mission opened up encouragingly and in a short time a branch of the church was organized elder richards Richard sP wife having died in utah he subsequently married a cherokee lady named thus becoming a citizen of the nation the lady being a widow and owning a large plantation and about sixteen slaves convenient and permanent headquarters were established for the elders just prior to the assassination of parley P pratt near the line between arkansas and the cherokee nation elder richards was in his cona company pany when they parted apostle pratt returned on his way into the state to the place where he was murdered elder richards returned to his home therefore the latter was fully acquainted with all the details of apostle pratt prattis Is death which he often mentioned to all the elders of late years in the spring of 1859 the elders J then in the territory returned to their homes excepting john A richards whom they left alone in the field the war of the rebellion breaking out soon afterwards this coun country try shared its horrors the branch of the church was broken up and the members were scattered when peace was again restore dand the indians had returned to their country elder richards turned his attention to the cultivation of a farm and when elders dalton and hubbard were sent here to labor in 1877 they found brother richards a regular cherokee in his customs and ways he was re baptized but bu after tafter a short mission of those from utah they returned leaving him again alone elders elder s kimball and west next visited him in 1885 re baptized him and ordained him a seventy he did some missionary work with elder kimball but was occupied mostly on his farm the elders often endeavored to induce him to return to utah and there spend his remaining days with his daughter who resides in cache county but it was not until recently that he would entertain the idea he was then advancing adv advancing ancin g in years being upwards of 60 during the past summer he mingled with the indians in all their feasts festivities and political labors in this he probably exerted and exposed himself too much last spring he met with a serious accident his wagon overturned while crossing a stream inflicting upon him such injuries that he never fully recovered an abscess subsequently formed in the throat but he took little notice of it until two days before his death dw when its growth developed so rapidly that in twelve hours he became speechless and from that time gradually sank he died on september se and was buried th the e f following OT day among all his acquaintances quain whites and indians he was held in the highest esteem by the elders who have shared his hospitality he will not soon be forgotten FRANK M MANARD indian territory no vember 9 1889 r |
