Another year had rolled round. The June days lingered with us still when
my brother Lewis came from Beaver Island to visit us. We had not seen
him since he left us at Charlevoix after he was wounded. The four years
had changed him from a boy to a man. He was now twenty-three years of
age. He had many things to tell us, he being one of the men chosen the
year before to help preserve law and order in the sending away of the
Mormons after the king was shot. He went to the island to help get the
people away on the steamboats that were sent to carry them from the
island.
As soon as Strang was shot a great number of the people left at once,
having means of their own to help themselves with. There were others who
had small means. Their homes were all they had. Strang had preached and
taught in the temple that no bullet could pierce his body, and strange
as it may seem, there were a large part of his people who believed it.
And now when they knew their king was killed, and killed by the bullet,
they were prostrate with sorrow; many of them completely incapable of
thinking or doing for themselves. My brother said it was a sad sight to
look upon when they came to the harbor to go on board the boats. Their
sorrow was great. They seemed like a people without a hope in the world.
Many wrung their hands and wept with sad moanings, saying, "Our king,
our king is dead." Women fainted and were carried on board; children
were crying. Even men were sobbing, and two or three attempted to throw
themselves from the dock into the water to end their misery. All were
allowed to take their household goods, yet many did not do so. Some only
took their clothing and bedding. Poor suffering people! No doubt they
were afraid of the Gentiles, thinking great harm would be done to them.
The feeling had become so bitter between them that in a great many cases
justice was not done where it should have been. These people now had no
desire to remain on the island now that their king was dead, even when
going meant leaving their comfortable homes and all they had in the wide
world. Those that worked the hardest suffered most. The building and
making of their homes and improving their farms had occupied all their
time and attention. They loved their king and their hearts were loyal to
him, seeing him only in his best moods, as he was always kind and
pleasant to them in his visits about the island. They knew nothing
about the workings of the inner circle or private temple teachings.