JOHN T. EVANS' STATEMENT--A SICK AND HELPLESS WOMAN HEALED ON BEING
BAPTIZED--RELAPSE AND DEATH AFTER APOSTASY--SAINTS REQUIRED TO RENOUNCE
THEIR RELIGION OR LOSE THEIR SITUATIONS--CHOLERA EPIDEMIC--HEALED
ACCORDING TO FAITH--PRIVATE DISCUSSION WITH A MALIGNANT WHO TAKES
THE CHOLERA AND BEGS THE ELDERS TO CURE HIM--HEALED AND THEN
BAPTIZED-CURIOUS MANNER IN WHICH FOOD AND LODGING WERE PROVIDED.
Elder John T. Evans, now of Salt Lake City, spent about eight years
when a young man in preaching the gospel in his native country--Wales.
During about five years of this time he labored as a traveling Elder
in North Wales, one of the very hardest of missionary fields, where
he traveled and preached without purse or scrip. Much of the time he
labored alone, for, although many different Elders were sent at various
times by the president of the mission to assist him, they generally
became discouraged on account of the persecution and hardships they
were forced to endure and soon abandoned their labors.
The interesting incidents connected with his labors in that land which
Elder Evans can relate would fill a volume.
Upon one occasion he and four other Elders were sent to an iron
manufacturing district about seven miles from Neath to introduce the
gospel. Among their first converts were a man by the name of William
Howells and his family. This man on embracing the gospel received a
strong testimony of its divinity and was fearless in declaring it unto
others. He had a sister who had been so sick and helpless as to be
bed-ridden for three-and-a-half years. She was a member of the Baptist
church, but on hearing the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints explained
she soon became dissatisfied with her religion; and when her brother
testified to her that the gospel had been restored to the earth through
the Prophet Joseph Smith, with all its former gifts and blessings,
she declared her intention to be baptized. Her husband was bitterly
opposed to the gospel, but all the reason, ridicule and persuasion that
he could use failed to turn her from her purpose. She was resolute,
and so zealous withal that she made a special request to be baptized
on Sunday, between eleven and twelve o'clock, that the people of the
whole neighborhood might see the ceremony, and had word circulated to
that effect. It was a novel thing in that region to see Latter-day
Saints baptizing, and the result was, that about three thousand persons
assembled on the bank of the stream to witness it. She was carried from
the house to the stream, the distance of about half a mile in a chair,
and there Elder Evans, assisted by a man named David Matthews, carried
her into the water and baptized her.
She was rewarded for her faith by being entirely restored to health,
and that too, instantaneously, for she walked out of the water and to
her home.
This public manifestation of the power of God seemed to be the signal
for commencing a perfect storm of opposition against the Saints.
Through the influence of sectarian ministers with the proprietors
of the iron works a great pressure was brought to bear against the
Saints. It was claimed that they were Chartists, that is, members of
a political organization which had caused a great deal of trouble
throughout the kingdom a short time previously, and other lies equally
unreasonable were circulated about them to make them odious and
unpopular.
The five Elders who had been doing the preaching and baptizing, and who
were dependent upon their labor in the iron works for their living,
were informed by their employers that they must renounce the "heresy"
which they taught as religion, or lose their positions. They chose the
latter.
About two hundred of their converts were also employed in the iron
works. They were given one month's time to renounce their religion
or likewise lose their situations. All efforts to obtain employment
elsewhere without a recommendation from their last employers proved
unavailing, on account of the rumors against their characters, and
finally, when they were brought to the test, about half of them chose
to renounce their religion rather than lose their work. The others were
discharged and scattered to different parts in search of employment.
Many of them suffered severely for want of the necessaries of life,
and were only kept from starving by the collections taken up for their
benefit among the more fortunate Saints in other parts of the mission.
Among others who yielded to the pressure which the enemies of the
Saints brought to bear against them, was the sister who had been healed
on being baptized. Notwithstanding her former zeal and resolution, and
the miraculous power of God which she had experienced, she abandoned
the faith. She perhaps thought she had no further need of God's mercy,
but if so, the sequel proved how sadly she was mistaken, for she was
soon prostrated as before and lingered in that condition until she died.
In the summer of 1849 the cholera prevailed throughout Wales to an
alarming extent. The mortality was so great in some places that a
perfect panic ensued. The Elders, however, continued their labors,
undaunted by the disease, administering to the sick day and night,
and the faith of the Saints was so great that they almost invariably
recovered. A local Elder by the name of Thomas Jones, who was a man
of some property, and not obliged to work for his living, spent his
whole time while the disease prevailed in visiting among the sick. He
carried a bottle of consecrated oil about in his pocket to anoint them
with, and administered to all whom he found afflicted, and out of the
whole number only one died, and he was the only one who had taken the
medicine prescribed by a doctor. The town regulations required the sick
to have a doctor, but as a rule his medicine was thrown into the fire
instead of being taken by the patients who belonged to the Church.
One of the preachers who had violently opposed the Saints became
alarmed at the spread of the epidemic and attempted to flee and escape
from it, but it overtook him and after three days of terrible agony he
died.
Another preacher by the name of Jenkins, who had been an enemy to the
Saints, was stricken with the cholera and sent for Elder Evans to
administer to him. That he should do so will be considered all the more
remarkable when the history of their early acquaintance is known:
Elder Evans, while laboring in Pembrokeshire, obtained the use of the
town hall, in a place called Fishguard, to hold meeting in and lighted
it at his own expense. When the meeting had fairly commenced and he was
in the act of preaching to a rather large audience, the whole of the
lights in the room were extinguished simultaneously, according to a
preconcerted plan, and a rush was made by the rabble towards the end of
the room where the Elder stood. A tall man, who happened to be standing
near Elder Evans, immediately placed his hand on the latter's shoulder,
and said, "Young man, come out of here, or you will be hurt!" and
leading the way, proceeded with him around one side of the room and out
through the door, leaving the crowd rushing and jamming and shrieking
to get at the Elder, whom they still supposed to be at the farther end
of the hall.
The stranger took Elder Evans to a public house, saying that he
would like to have a talk with him, and on arriving there sent for
Mr. Jenkins, the Baptist preacher of the place, who had been at the
meeting, and probably engaged in urging the rabble on, to come there
and have a private discussion. He came, and his principal argument
consisted of abuse and the rehearsal of all the absurd stories which
he had ever heard about the Saints. Although an educated man he seemed
unable to cope with Elder Evans in the discussion of religion from a
Bible standpoint.
The friend who had delivered Brother Evans from the mob finally
interrupted them by exclaiming, "Mr. Jenkins, you are no match for this
young man in discussing from the Bible; you had better go to college
again!"
Mr. Jenkins seemed considerably chagrined at this, and gave it up.
The next time Elder Evans met this preacher it was some months later,
and, probably remembering the discussion, Mr. Jenkins then treated
him with some degree of respect. It was that very night that he was
stricken with the cholera, and knowing that Elder Evans was in the
village he sent his brother to beg of him to come and cure him. Brother
Evans, and a man named John Nicholas who was staying with him, got out
of bed and went to the sick man, and found him, doubled up with the
cholera and in great agony. The Elder informed him, in answer to his
appeal for relief, that the blessings of the gospel were not for men
of his class, who were determined to oppose the work of God, but for
the Saints. He said, "I will administer to you on one condition only,
and that is that you repent of your sins and covenant with the Lord to
forsake them and embrace the gospel if He spares your life."
"But," said the preacher, writhing with pain, "I have an appointment
out to preach for my own church."
"You must forego that," said Elder Evans, "and preach such doctrines no
more, or I will not administer to you."
The sick man agreed, and the brethren placed their hands upon his
head, rebuked the disease and prayed for his recovery, and he was
immediately healed. The next day he was baptized, and afterwards became
an efficient preacher of the true gospel, endured much persecution for
his religion in that country, emigrated to Utah with a handcart company
and finally apostatized when Johnson's army came here.
Brother Evans and a man named Thomas Harris were upon one occasion
called on to administer to a young girl who was so convulsed with the
cholera that she did not look like a human being, and so near dead
that she was black. A number of Saints were present at the time, whose
faith was centered on her recovery, and several unbelievers were also
there. The Elders administered to her, and while their hands were upon
her head all signs of the disease vanished, and she was immediately
restored to health.
A rather curious circumstance occurred while Elder Evans was laboring
in North Wales in company with Peter Davis. They were traveling as
usual without purse or scrip, and had been two days without food, when
they entered a village and applied at a store kept by a man named Jones
to try to sell a few tracts with which to procure some food.
On learning what kind of tracts they were, the store-keeper refused
to purchase, and they tramped on. The next place they entered was a
shoe-maker's shop, where they asked the privilege of warming themselves
by the fire, for they were almost frozen, it being extremely cold
weather and the month of February. Some of the shoe-makers became
interested in their conversation and one of them proffered to try and
find a place for them to stay over night. He returned, however, after a
while, to say that the Methodist preacher of that circuit was to occupy
the spare bed which he expected to procure for them. He, therefore,
recommended them to proceed some distance farther till they came to a
farm house, to which he directed them, where he had no doubt they could
get lodgings and food.
The Elders trudged along, but when they arrived at the farm house it
was evident that the family had retired for the night, for there was no
light to be seen. They noticed a barn, however, standing convenient to
the roadside, which seemed to offer shelter for them at least, and they
entered it and burrowed into a heap of straw they found there. They
lay in that position for some time, shivering with the cold and trying
in vain to go to sleep, when suddenly they heard some one outside call
out, "Hello! you men; come out here!" Their first thought was that some
one had detected them while in the act of seeking shelter in the barn
and informed the police, who were about to arrest them as vagrants.
They, therefore, remained as quiet as possible until the call had been
repeated several times, when they concluded they might as well answer,
whatever might be the consequences. As soon as they inquired what was
wanted, the person informed them that he would find a place for them to
stay if they would come out. Thinking some treachery might be meant,
they declined with thanks, and told him they could get along where they
were. He, however, urged them to go with him, saying he would take them
to a place where they could have a good supper and a comfortable bed
to sleep in. They accordingly came out and accompanied the stranger,
whom they had never seen before, back to the village and to the very
store where they had tried to sell the tracts. There they found a warm
welcome, a good supper and a comfortable bed. But now for the sequel:
A young girl who happened to be in the shoe-shop where they called
and who overheard the conversation, afterwards had occasion to call
at Jones' store, and repeated it to the proprietor's daughter. The
sympathy of the girls was aroused at the thoughts of the two young and
strange preachers seeking lodgings and food that cold night, and when
Miss Jones retired to bed she found it impossible to go to sleep. Her
teeth rattled and she shook and chilled all over although she was in
a comfortable bed and in a warm house. Nor could the family prevent
her from chilling although they did all they could to warm her. In the
midst of her shivering she kept bewailing the fate of the two young
preachers, whom she felt sure would suffer that cold night, and finally
she prevailed upon her brother to go in search of them and bring them
back to their house, that they might have some supper and a comfortable
bed to sleep in.
As soon as her brother had started on his errand of mercy the girl
ceased to chill and, in fact, got up, dressed herself and helped at
preparing supper for the brethren before they arrived. It was not
until the next morning that they learned the secret of the kindness
shown them and saw in what a curious manner the Lord had operated in
preserving them from possible death by freezing and providing them with
the food which they needed so badly.
It was quite a common thing in early days in the Welsh mission for the
power of the devil to be manifested in what were called the Saints'
meetings--that is, testimony or sacramental meetings. The evil one
seemed to be always on the alert to operate through some one, and the
power of the Priesthood invariably had to be exerted to banish the
evil influences from the meeting. Although not apparent at the time,
experience generally proved that the persons through whom the evil
one operated were not serving God as they should do--they were either
doubting the divinity of the principles which they had embraced or
they had broken the sacred covenants which they had made with the
Almighty and gone into transgression. Very frequently, after being
relieved of the evil spirits which possessed them such persons would,
in a spirit of penitence and humility, acknowledge their faults and
ask forgiveness, but occasionally persons would be found who were not
willing to do this, but continued in sin and were a source of trouble
and disturbance to the Saints whenever they happened to be present
at their meetings; and it sometimes occurred that the spirits which
possessed them were so stubborn and determined not to yield that the
brethren really found it difficult to cope with them.
In the latter part of the year 1848, the Elders laboring in the
Merthyr Tydvil branch had a great deal of trouble with two young women
of that branch who very frequently were possessed of evil spirits.
They were such a source of annoyance in the meetings that, on the
day of a general conference which was to be held about the close of
the year, they were cautioned, by Elder Dan Jones who then presided
there, against attending the meeting. To this, however, they paid no
attention, and when the meeting was opened, it was only too apparent
that they were there. In a short time the meeting was in such an
uproar, through the raving and shrieking of those girls, that the
speaker could not be heard. Some of the Elders were immediately sent to
cast the evil spirits out of them, but they failed to do so, and with
difficulty the girls were carried into an adjoining room.
When a presiding Elder has the spirit of his office upon him it is his
privilege to know the proper course to take in any emergency. It is his
privilege to enjoy communion with the Holy Spirit and have the Lord
dictate through him that which will be for the best good of the members
over whom he is set to preside. It is also his privilege to discern by
what spirit the people with whom he is brought in contact are actuated.
It would seem that Elder Dan Jones had the spirit of discernment on
that occasion and was inspired to take the wisest course in dealing
with the girls and the stubborn spirits by which they were possessed.
He was satisfied that they were wilfully sinful, or the spirit of God
would not be withdrawn from them and the devil suffered to exercise
such power over them. He therefore proposed that they be cut off from
the Church on account of their transgressions, and the Saints assembled
voted unanimously to that effect. No sooner had they done so than the
evil spirits left the girls and they became rational. When they were no
longer members of the Church, the devil had no further need to try to
annoy the Saints through them. The result was that the girls afterwards
saw what their sin had brought them to, repented of it and made public
acknowledgement before the Saints, after which they were re-baptized
and were no more troubled by evil spirits.