ON TO KIRTLAND--MIRACULOUSLY SUPPLIED WITH MONEY--CONDITION OF AFFAIRS
AT THE OLD CHURCH HEADQUARTERS.
Having partly recovered from the effects of this narrow escape from
death, Heber and his fellow Apostle resumed their journey to Kirtland.
The record continues:
"October 23rd, Brother James Modisett took us in his father's carriage
twenty miles, to the house of Brother Addison Pratt. From thence we
were carried by Dr. Knight to Pleasant Garden, and put up with Brother
Jonathan Crosby. We found a few brethren who were well and in good
spirits. We remained there three days, preaching to the few brethren,
and those who wished to hear. Dr. Knight and some others gave us some
money to assist us on our mission.
"Oct. 25th, I received a letter from my wife, giving an account of her
sickness since I left; also of our children William and Helen.
"Oct. 26th, Brother Babbitt took us in his buggy twelve miles, to the
house of Brother Scott; they were very glad to see us, and we tarried
with them through the night.
"Oct. 27th, Brother Scott sent his little son John, who carried us to
Belleville, fifteen miles--several miles of the journey in a rain
storm, which obliged us to put up at an inn for the remainder of the
day and night. Brother Brigham was very sick and obliged to go to bed.
I sat up and waited upon him, and spent the evening with the landlord
and his lady, preaching to them; they received our testimony and were
very kind to us.
"The next morning we took stage, and started on our way towards
Kirtland. While in Pleasant Garden we obtained some money, so that
with the five dollars we had left when the brethren left us on the
18th it amounted to $13.50. When we got into the stage we did not
expect to ride many miles. We rode as far as Indianapolis, paid our
passage, and found we had sufficient means to carry us to Richmond,
Indiana.
"When we arrived at Richmond we found we had means to take us to
Dayton, to which place we proceeded and tarried over night, waiting
for another line of stages. We expected to stop here and preach until
we got means to pursue our journey. Brother Brigham went to his trunk
to get money to pay the bill, and found we had sufficient to pay our
passages to Columbus, to which place we took passage in the stage and
tarried over night. When he paid the bill he found he had sufficient
means to pay our passage to Worcester. We tarried till the after part
of the day and then took passage to Worcester. When we arrived there,
Brother Brigham went to his trunk again to get money to pay our bill,
and found sufficient to pay our passages to Cleveland. When we reached
a little town called Strongsville, about twenty miles from Cleveland,
towards evening, Brother Brigham had a strong impression to stop at a
tavern when we first came into the town; but the stage did not stop
there, so we went on. We arrived at Cleveland about 11 o'clock at
night, took lodgings, and remained till next morning.
"Nov. 3rd, being Sunday, in the morning we went to the Episcopalian
church. While returning to the hotel we met my father-in-law, and
learned that Elders Turley, Smith and Hedlock had just arrived in
Cleveland. Father Murray was as much astonished to see me alive as
though he had seen one risen from the dead. I don't think I ever saw a
man feel better than he did when I met him in the street. We walked
with him a short distance, and met the brethren who were in good
health, compared with what they had been, and in fine spirits. We
learned that they stopped at the tavern in Strongsville, where Brother
Brigham had such strong impressions to stop the night previous. They
had picked up Elder John Taylor, at Dayton, where he was left at a
tavern very sick with the ague and fever a few days before, by Father
Coltrin, who proceeded to Kirtland.
"Brothers Taylor and Hedlock got into the stage with us, which left
early in the afternoon; they rode as far as Willoughby. We proceeded
to Kirtland and arrived the same evening, thus fulfilling the
prediction made on my sick bed.
"Brother Brigham had one York shilling left, and on looking over our
expenses we found we had paid out over $87.00 out of the $13.50 we had
at Pleasant Garden, which is all the money we had to pay our passages
with. We had traveled over 400 miles by stage, for which we paid from
8 to 10 cents a mile, and had eaten three meals a day, for each of
which we were charged fifty cents, also fifty cents for our lodgings.
Brother Brigham often suspected that I put the money in his trunk, or
clothes; thinking that I had a purse of money which I had not
acquainted him with; but this was not so; the money could only have
been put in his trunk by some heavenly messenger, who thus
administered to our necessities daily as he knew we needed.
"I made my home at Dean Gould's at the house of Ira Bond. The family
were all very kind to me, and made me as comfortable as they could. I
remained with them most of the time I was in Kirtland, two days of
which I was sick with chills and fever.
"There was a division of sentiment among the brethren in Kirtland,
many of whom had lacked the energy to move to Missouri, while some
lacked the inclination. On Sunday, Elder Taylor preached in the Temple
in the forenoon and I preached in the afternoon. I compared the people
there to a parcel of old earthen pots that were cracked in burning,
for they were mostly apostates who were living there. Martin Harris,
Cyrus Smalling and others were much offended at what I said, and asked
me whom I referred to in my comparisons. 'No one in particular,' said
I, 'but to anyone whom the coat fits.' John Moreton and others
declared I should never preach in the house again. On the Sunday
following, Brother Brigham and Brother Taylor were the speakers.
"While we tarried, a council was held with Brothers Kellogg, Moreton
and others who took the lead in Kirtland. We proposed that some of the
Elders should remain there and preach for a few weeks. John Moreton
replied that they had had many talented preachers, and he considered
that men of such ordinary talents as were on this mission could do no
good in Kirtland. He thought probably Brother John Taylor _might_ do,
but he was not sure."