START UPON A MISSION UNDER DISTRESSING CIRCUMSTANCES--INCIDENTS OF THE
JOURNEY--A DRUNKEN DOCTOR GIVES ME A TABLE-SPOONFUL OF MORPHINE--MY
LIFE SAVED THROUGH THE PRAYER OF FAITH--BRETHREN LEAVE ME TO PROCEED TO
KIRTLAND--THEIR FEAR THAT I WOULD DIE--I PREDICT THAT I WOULD RECOVER
AND REACH KIRTLAND BEFORE THEM.
On the 4th of August, the Saints met to partake of the sacrament, and
received an exhortation from the Prophet, impressing upon them the
necessity of being righteous and clean of heart before the Lord, and
commanding the Twelve to go forth without purse or scrip; according to
the revelations of Jesus Christ.
My son David Patten was born during the night of the 23d in the log
cabin which I had put up at the end of the Bozier house, and during the
night we had a heavy thunder storm, but the hand of the Lord was over
us.
As soon as my wife was able, I moved my family into the log house that
I had built. Being without a house, Brother Orson Pratt moved his
family in with mine.
On the 4th of September, President Brigham Young left his home at
Montrose to start upon his mission to England. He was so sick that
he was unable to go to the river, a distance of thirty rods, without
assistance. After he had crossed the river, he rode behind Israel
Barlow on his horse to my house, where he continued sick until the
18th. He left his wife sick with a babe only ten days old, and all his
other children were sick and unable to wait upon one another. Not one
of them was able to go to the well for a pail of water, and they were
without a single change of clothes, for the mob in Missouri had taken
nearly all he had.
On the 17th, Sister Mary Ann Young got a boy to carry her up in his
wagon to my house, that she might nurse and comfort Brother Brigham to
the hour of starting.
On the 18th, Charles Hubbard sent a boy with a wagon and span of horses
to my house to start us on our journey. Our trunks were put into the
wagon by some of the brethren who had come to bid us farewell.
I went to my bed and shook hands with my wife, who was then shaking
with the ague, and had two of our children lying sick by her side. I
embraced her and my children, and bade them farewell. The only child
well was little Heber Parley, and it was with difficulty that he could
carry a couple of quarts of water at a time, to assist in quenching
their thirst.
With some difficulty we got into the wagon and started down the hill
about ten rods. It seemed to me as though my very inmost parts would
melt within me at the thought of leaving my family in such a condition,
as it were almost in the arms of death. I felt as though I could
scarcely endure it. I said to the teamster "hold up!" then turning to
Brother Brigham I added, "This is pretty tough, but let's rise, and
give them a cheer." We arose, and swinging our hats three times over
our heads, we cried, "Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah for Israel!"
My wife, hearing the noise, arose from her bed and came to the door to
see what was up. She had a smile on her face. She and Sister Young then
cried out to us, "Good bye; God bless you!" We returned the compliment,
and were pleased to see that they were so cheerful. We then told the
driver to go ahead.
After this I felt a spirit of joy and gratitude at having the
satisfaction of seeing my wife standing upon her feet, instead of
leaving her in bed, knowing well that I should not see her again for
two or three years.
We were without purse or scrip, and were carried across the prairie,
about fourteen miles, to a shanty near the railway, where Brother O. M.
Duell lived.
On arriving there, we were unable to carry our small trunks into the
house, and Sister Duell, seeing our feeble condition, assisted the boy
to carry them in. We were very much fatigued, and as soon as we got
into the house Sister Duell made us a cup of tea; which revived us,
and prepared a bed for us on a one-legged bedstead in a corner of the
house, having two poles running from the house logs to the leg.
In the course of the night our bedstead broke through, and we found
ourselves on the floor, between the poles and the side of the house.
The following day Brother Duell took us in his wagon to Lima, about
twelve miles, when he left us. He gave each of us a dollar to assist us
on our journey. Brother Bidwell then carried us in his wagon to John A.
Mikesell's, near Quincy, about twenty miles.
The fatigue of this day's journey was too much for our feeble health;
we were prostrated, and obliged to tarry a few days in Quincy to
recruit.
The brethren preached a few times in a meeting house close to the
Congregational church. The members of the latter church were in
the habit of commencing their meetings at different hours from the
brethren, but they took a notion to disturb us, by ringing their bell
furiously after we had commenced our meetings. At one time Elder John
E. Page preached so loud as to drown the noise of the bell, and this
brought some hundreds, who otherwise would not have come, to meeting.
I was prostrate with the chills and fever, and stayed most of the time
at the house of Sisters Laura and Abigail Pitkin, who bestowed every
kindness upon me they possibly could. Dr. Orlando Hovey, and Sister
Staley and her daughter were also very kind in administering to me in
my feeble condition.
We left Quincy September 25th, feeling much better. My sorrow was great
to see so many of our brethren there sick and dying, in consequence of
being driven and exposed to hunger and cold.
Brother Lyman Wight took us in a one-horse wagon to Brother Charles C.
Rich's, at Burton; where we stayed through the night. Brother Wight
predicted many good things, and left this blessing with us, when he
bade us farewell.
The following day while Brother Rich was taking us to Brother Wilbur's,
the chills came on me again, and I suffered much pain and fatigue.
On the 27th, Brother Wilbur took us in a buggy about twenty-five miles
to the house of James Allred, in Pittsfield, and the following day
Father Allred conveyed us to the place where Brother Harlow Redfield
lived, where we preached to a small branch of the Church on Sunday, the
29th.
On the 30th, Brother Rodgers carried Brother Brigham to Brother
Decker's, and me to the house of Mr. Roswell Murray, my father-in-law.
They were living within a few rods of each other, near Winchester, in
Scott County.
Here we also found a few brethren in the Church, who had been smitten
and robbed of their property in Missouri, but were once more in
comfortable circumstances and rejoicing in the Lord.
On the 1st of October, we were conveyed to Lorenzo D. Young's, where we
remained and recruited our strength until the 4th, when he conveyed us
to Jacksonville.
On the 5th, a sister in the Church hired a horse and buggy to take us
to Springfield, a distance of thirty-five miles, and Brother Babcock
drove for us. There we were kindly received by brethren, and nursed.
Brother Brigham being confined to his bed by sickness, Brother Libeus
T. Coon, who was practicing medicine, waited upon him. Here we found
Brothers G. A. Smith, T. Turley and R. Hedlock.
I went from house to house strengthening and comforting the brethren,
and teaching them the things of the kingdom. I was so far recovered
that I preached on the Sabbath, which caused a great feeling of love
towards us. The Saints got a two horse wagon and harness for us, for
which they paid fifty-five dollars, and also collected thirty-five
dollars in money for the company. Judge Adams, of the supreme court,
took me to his house. I stayed with him three nights and the greater
part of three days, and he gave me five dollars when I left.
While we remained at Springfield, the sisters fitted up a bed in the
wagon for Brother Brigham to ride on, as he was unable to sit up.
On the 11th of October, I resumed my journey, in company with Brothers
Young, Turley, Smith and Hedlock.
We traveled eight miles and put up at the house of Father Draper.
When we went into the house, Brother George A. Smith, while stooping
down to warm at the fire, dropped a small flask bottle, containing
tonic bitters, out of his pocket on the hearth, and broke it. At this
occurrence, Father Draper was very much astonished, and said, "You are
a pretty set of Apostles, to be carrying a bottle of whisky with you!"
We explained to him that the bottle contained some bitters which the
brethren at Springfield had prepared for Brother George A., because of
his sickness. This appeased his righteous soul, so that he consented to
allow us to stay through the night.
On the following day, we pursued our journey towards Terre Haute, most
of the brethren being very sick. Owing to the bad roads, I walked most
of the way. At might I slept in a wagon and caught cold. The next
morning I had to go till twelve o'clock before I had anything to eat,
and then it was transparent pork and corn dodger. My health again began
to fail. The wagon broke down twice and the chills came on me about two
in the afternoon and held me till night, then the fever held me all
night. I had the chills and fever three days, and lost my appetite. The
third chill was so severe that it seemed as though I could not live
till night.
We arrived at Terre Haute about dusk on the 17th. Brother Young and I
put up at Dr. Modisett's, and the other brethren and Father Murray,
my father-in-law, who had accompanied us on a visit to his friends in
the east, stayed at Milton Stowe's, who lived in one of the doctor's
houses. In the evening the doctor went to see them, as they were quite
ill, and Brother Stowe was very poor. The doctor expressed great
sympathy for them when he returned to his house, * * seeing them in ill
health and lying on a straw bed on the floor. He shed many tears at
thoughts of the brethren going under such suffering circumstances upon
such a long mission; but he did not have quite sympathy enough to buy
them a chicken to make them some broth, or even give them a shilling,
although he was worth four or five hundred thousand dollars. He said
his taxes amounted to over four hundred dollars a year.
In the evening I became very ill. The doctor said he could give me
something that would do me good and relieve me of my distress, and I
would probably get a nap; but the old man was so drunk that he did
not know what he did, and he gave me a table-spoonfull of morphine.
His wife saw him pour it out; but dared not say a word, although she
believed it would kill me.
In a few minutes after I took it, I straightened up in my chair,
complaining of feeling very strangely, and as though I wanted to lie
down. On my attempting to go to the bed, I reeled and fell to the
floor. There was hardly a breath of life in my body. Brother Brigham
rolled me over on my back, put a pillow under my head and inquired of
the doctor what he had given me, and then learned that he had given me
morphine. I lay there for a long time; when I came to, Brother Brigham
was attending to me with a fatherly care, and manifesting much anxiety
in my behalf. I remarked, "Don't be scared; for I shan't die."
In a short time after, he got me on the bed, and nursed me through
the night. I commenced vomiting and continued doing so most of the
night. He changed my under-clothes five times, and washed me each
time previous to changing, as I was covered with a cold sweat. It was
through the closest attention of Brother Young and the family that my
life was preserved through the night. I was scarcely able to speak so
as to be understood.
In the morning, Brothers Smith, Turley, Hedlock and Father Murray came
to see us, and the brethren laid their hands upon me and prayed for
me. When they left they wept like children. Father Murray felt very
sorrowful. Said he, "We shall never see Heber again; he will die."
I looked up at them and said, "Never mind, brethren; go ahead, for
Brother Brigham and I will reach Kirtland before you will." Brother
Brigham gave them all the money we had except five dollars, and told
them to take good care of the team and make all possible speed to
Kirtland. They started the same day. In about an hour after their
departure I arose from my bed.