CHAPTER XXXVI.
NAUVOO THE BEAUTIFUL—HEBER'S PREDICTION OVER THE FATED CITY—ELDER RIGDON'S ALARM—HEBER'S SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH EVIL SPIRITS—PARLEY P. PRATT ESCAPES FROM PRISON, FULFILLING HEBER'S PROPHECY.
The scene now changes to Commerce, afterwards named Nauvoo, the famous gathering place of the Saints in Illinois. Situated in a graceful bend on the east bank of the Mississippi, on an eminence commanding a noble view of the broad river and beyond, Nauvoo, even as the site of the lovely city it soon became, well merited its appellation of "the Beautiful."
It was forty miles above Quincy, in which hospitable town the exiled Saints had found a resting place and kindly welcome, after their expulsion from Missouri.
In this region the Saints had commenced gathering, and, having purchased lands, were now busily engaged building up the new stake of Zion. The Church had been purified by its baptism of fire, and much of its human dross "burnt and purged away." Most of its members that remained were of the pure gold, refined by suffering, and throughout the community a better feeling prevailed than ever before.
Heber's first visit to Commerce was on Sunday the 12th of May. On the 25th he again went up the river, with several others of the Twelve, and spent the day in council with Joseph and the brethren. While on the water, standing by the railing of the boat, gazing in admiration at the beautiful site of Nauvoo, Heber observed: "It is a very pretty place, but not a long abiding home for the Saints."
This remark was carried to the ears of Elder Rigdon and his family, who were comfortably quartered in a nice stone house built by Dr. Isaac Galland, from whom the Saints had purchased some of their lands. Heber's reputation as a prophet was by this time pretty well established in Israel, and Sidney, who had had about as much persecution as he could stand, and was in nowise hankering after a repetition of the Missouri scenes, was considerably alarmed at his words, dreading their prophetic potency. At the council, which was held at the house of the Prophet Joseph, Sidney remarked that he had some feelings against Elder Kimball, and then, referring to the prediction of the latter in relation to the city of the Saints, said, petulantly:
"I should suppose that Elder Kimball had passed through sufferings and privations and mobbings and drivings enough, to learn to prophesy good concerning Israel."
With a mixture of meekness and humor, Heber replied:
"President Rigdon, I'll prophesy good concerning you all the time—if you can get it."
The retort amused Joseph, who laughed heartily with the brethren, and
Elder Rigdon yielded the point.
Joseph now advised the Apostles, such as had not done so already, to move their families up to Commerce. Says Heber:
"I immediately went and moved my family up in a wagon, to a place belonging to Brother Bozier, about one mile from Commerce, where I pulled down an old stable, and laid up the logs at the back end of the Bozier house, putting a few shakes on to cover it; but it had no floor nor chinking; and in this condition I moved my family into it; whenever it rained, the water stood near ankle deep on the ground. There were some half dozen families in the Bozier house.
"One night I was awakened out of my sleep by my wife making a noise as if choking; I asked what was the matter; she replied that she had dreamt that a personage came and seized her by the throat and was choking her. I immediately lit a candle, and saw that her eyes were sunken and her nose pinched in, as if she was in the last stage of the cholera. I laid my hands upon her and rebuked that spirit in the name of Jesus and by the power of the holy Priesthood, and commanded it to depart. In a moment afterwards I heard some half a dozen children in different parts of the Bozier House crying as if in great distress; the cattle began to bellow and low; the horses neighed and whinnied; the dogs barked, and hogs squealed; the hens cackled, and the roosters crowed, and everything around was in great commotion. In a few minutes afterwards I was sent for to lay hands on Sister Bentley, formerly the wife of David W. Patten, who was seized in a similar manner to my wife. My wife continued quite feeble for several days from the shock.
"One day while visiting Joseph, he took me a walk by the river side, when he requested me to relate the occurrence at Brother Bozier's. After I had done so, I also told him of our vision of the evil spirits in England, on the opening of the Gospel to that people. He then gave me a relation of many contests that he had had with Satan, and his power that had been manifested from time to time since the commencement of bringing forth the Book of Mormon. I will relate one circumstance that took place at Far West, in a house that Joseph had purchased, which had been formerly occupied as a public house by some wicked people. A short time after he got into it, one of his children was taken very sick; he laid his hands upon the child, when it got better; as soon as he went out of doors, the child was taken sick again; he again laid his hands upon it, so that it again recovered. This occurred several times, when Joseph inquired of the Lord what it all meant; then he had an open vision, and saw the devil in person, who contended with Joseph, face to face, for some time. He said it was his house, it belonged to him, and Joseph had no right there. Then Joseph rebuked Satan in the name of the Lord, and he departed and touched the child no more.
"July 2nd, I went with Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney and others, over the river to Montrose; rode four miles and looked out the site of the town of Zarahemla. We dined at Brother Woodruff's. After dinner we all went to Brigham Young's, when Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith were blessed as two of the Twelve Apostles; and Theodore Turley was blessed as a Seventy. Brother Hyrum gave the Twelve some good advice on the nature of their mission; to practice prudence and humility in their preaching, and to strictly hold on to the authority of the Priesthood. Brother Joseph taught many glorious and important principles to benefit and bless them on their mission; teaching them to observe charity, wisdom, and a fellow feeling for each other, and love one towards another, in all things, and under all circumstances, unfolding keys of knowledge, to detect Satan, and preserve us in the favor of God."
Some time before Heber had written to Elder Parley P. Pratt, who was still in prison in Missouri, giving him the particulars of the conference at Far West, on the 26th of April, with the resolution of the Priesthood that the Twelve should have their shackles stricken off, and go forth preaching the Gospel to the world, leaving their families to be provided for, in their absence, by the Bishops. He added:
"The Presidency feel well towards you. They say you must come out of that place, and so I say; for I do not feel as though I can go to England until I take you by the hand. When this takes place my joy will be full. Be of good cheer, brother; a few days now, and you shall see the salvation of God; and I shall see you in other lands, publishing peace to the captives. My determination is to be a man of God, and to try to save souls from their sins, let others do as they may. I will try to keep my eye on the mark, that is, Christ, the Son of the living God, His grace assisting me. The Twelve have all left Quincy. Your brother Orson is about twenty-five miles from here. Whatever you do, do quickly!
"July 10th," continues the prophet Heber, "Elder Parley P. Pratt arrived from his imprisonment in Missouri. When I heard that he was in Quincy I went there and assisted him and Orson Pratt up to Commerce. His escape caused much rejoicing among the Saints. A few days afterwards he and I purchased five acres each, of woodland, from Hyrum Kimball. They lay adjoining each other, one mile from the river. He and I went to work to cut each a set of logs fourteen by sixteen feet in length, which we cut in one day. We then invited some of the old citizens, viz., Brother Bozier, D. H. Wells, Lewis Robison and others to come and assist us to put them up; as our people were mostly prostrate by sickness. We drew them and put them up the next day. I got a man to assist me to hew puncheon for the floor, and to make some shakes to cover the roof, which were similar to a shingle, or a stave for a barrel. I drew the rock and built a chimney, and just got to the ridge of the house, when I was taken down prostrate by the chills and fever. My wife was also laid prostrate. In the meantime Brother Orson Pratt moved his family into the little shanty with me."