CHAPTER II.
ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND—APPOINTED TO THE GLASGOW CONFERENCE—MY EXPERIENCE THERE—RELEASED—START HOME—A STORM AT SEA—CASE OF MIRACULOUS HEALING—ARRIVAL IN THE VALLEY.
On the 21st of September I arrived in England, and was appointed by Apostle Orson Pratt, who presided over the mission, to travel among all the conferences of the mission with authority to transact any business with both officers and members as the Holy Spirit might dictate. In this way I labored about a year, in which time I was greatly blessed, and always endeavored, by the help of the Lord, to comfort and strengthen the Saints and to build them up in all the principles of our holy religion.
About the 1st of July, 1849, the presidency of the Glasgow conference was vacated and President Pratt appointed me to preside there. It was the largest conference but one in the British Isles. After going there I held a number of council meetings, and then traveled and preached from one branch to another. I did not meet with much violent opposition in my labors. There was not, as a general thing, so much cruelty manifested towards the Elders, as there had been in some parts of America. I will name one incident, however, which took place with me, while I was preaching and building up the Church in my district. At one time I gave out a notice that I would preach in a certain large town. The people said I should not preach in that place and if I attempted to do so, they would tar and feather me and give me a free ride out of their town on a rail. I was apprised of the threats they had made, and the brethren begged me not to go to fill the appointment; but I told them I had never failed to perform my duty in this respect yet, and I had faith that the Lord would help me through this difficulty. I therefore went, trusting in the Lord, and preached to the people in great plainness. They had all their preparations made, and intended to put their threats into execution as soon as the meeting closed. When I had finished they put out all the lights but one, which, I suppose, they had saved for their own use. As they began to leave the house I reached up and extinguished the other light, which left us all in the dark, so they could not tell one from another, and I passed out in the crowd and walked away in peace.
I was released from my mission in January, 1850. By the request of President Pratt I left Liverpool about two weeks sooner than I had intended, as he wished me to sail on a certain boat and take charge of a large box containing money and goods which were to be sent to the Presidency of the Church in Salt Lake.
Having been released to return home, I set sail from England with a company of Saints on the 10th of January, 1850. Jeter Clinton was appointed president of the company and I was appointed one of his counselors.
We sailed along quite comfortably until the twenty-sixth of the month when a terrible storm arose. About two o'clock in the afternoon the sea began to swell and show its power, and the vessel lay first on one side and then on the other. Water came in upon us on both sides of our ship. We lost our sails and yard-arms, and the chains in the rigging of the ship broke. In the evening, when everything looked most dismal, our president called together his counselors and all joined in prayer to the Lord to cause the winds to cease. Scarcely had the brethren ceased their supplications when there was a calm, so sudden in fact that the captain and the officers of the ship were greatly surprised, and they came and inquired of us how it was that we felt so happy and gay amid the great danger through which we had just passed. They could not realize that the Lord removed all fear from the hearts of his faithful Saints when they were endeavoring to do their duty.
On March 8, 1850, we arrived safely at New Orleans. We felt truly thankful that the Lord had preserved us from the dangers of the deep and brought us to the shores of America.
From the time of my arrival at New Orleans till the 1st of June, when I started west, I spent my time between that city and Council Bluffs, in preparing for my journey across the plains. I traveled with the camp in Captain Aaron Johnson's company.
There were a few cases of cholera in the camp as we journeyed along. I always assisted in nursing and administering to the sick. Many were healed by the laying on of hands. One case of miraculous healing I will mention: A Sister McGaw was taken with cholera in its most dreadful form. I administered to her in the morning and she seemed to be healed, but after a short time the suffering returned and was worse, if possible, than before. She said if Brother Burgess could lay hands on her again she would live, if not, she must die. I was at the time a mile behind the train, assisting some of the brethren through a bad place in the road; but the woman seemed so sure of her recovery if I could administer to her again, that they sent a horseman after me in all haste, who was to take charge of my team while I was gone. I rode to the camp as fast as possible and found her in extreme agony. She was so cramped that her head and heels nearly touched each other. As I entered her wagon I felt the power of God resting down upon me mightily. I laid my hands upon her head "in the name of Jesus Christ" and by the authority of the Holy Priesthood commanded the destroyer to leave her and the wagon instantly and trouble her no more. It did so forthwith, but as it retreated I heard it hiss like an adder. The woman was healed from that moment and went on her way rejoicing. Through the mercy of God I reached the valley in safety and found my family alive and well, as Brother Kimball had predicted when he gave me his parting blessing on the banks of the Elkhorn River.
After returning to the valley I was called upon to perform various duties all of which I endeavored to execute with faithfulness and diligence. In the Fall of 1862, I moved to the southern part of Utah, in compliance with a request of the Church authorities, to assist in the settlement of that part of the country. I located in Pine Valley where I erected a saw mill, and this, together with my farming operations, provided me with the necessaries of life.
[It was here that Brother Burgess departed this life on the 10th of February, 1883, after a long life of usefulness in which he ever sought to faithfully perform every duty placed upon him, thereby laying up treasures in eternity which he can henceforth enjoy.]