Among the rest was a little old man, who began to boast that when a young man he was one of those who fired the first guns that drove the "Mormons" from Nauvoo. I cannot describe my feelings at this juncture. He said the "Mormons" fought bravely with their old wooden cannon, etc. I then asked why he and others committed such crimes—murdering men, women and children in cold blood. He replied, "Well, the people said that the 'Mormons' stole their cattle and horses." I asked him if he ever knew of any of those crimes having been proven against them. He said, "No, can't say that ever I did; but the real fact of the matter was, those 'Mormons' all voted the Democratic ticket, and if we had let them alone they would have carried the State." Our controversy lasted about an hour, when the bell rang for lunch.
The journal continues: After landing in Liverpool, I went directly to the Millennial Star office, where I was kindly received by President Budge, who appointed me to the Orkney Islands, Scotland, with permission to spend a few weeks in Glasgow, where I arrived on the sixth of July; went to the residence of my uncle, which gave him and his family a surprise, as they had no intimation of my coming. While I remained here in company with the president, Brother D. C. Dunbar, I visited most of the Saints in the Glasgow Conference, and obtained many items of interest pertaining to missionary labors, which proved very beneficial to me.
On the twenty-seventh of August, on my way to the islands, when I arrived at Perth, all was bustle and excitement; Her Majesty Queen Victoria and suite having arrived, en route to Balmoral Castle, a large crowd was awaiting anxiously to see them, and prompted by the same feeling, I located myself in a convenient place, where I remained about a half hour, although encumbered with a large valise in each hand, an overcoat and umbrella under my arms, when I had the gratification of beholding a live queen, a prince and princess, which of course was something to a young American.
After stopping over night at Inverness, I proceeded by train to Thurso, situated on the shore of the North Sea, three hundred and sixty miles from Glasgow; here I met Brother J. Finlayson, with whom I was to travel—found but one family of Saints, who, although poor, were very kind. We sailed from Scranton among the islands until we reached the Island of Pomona, and landed at the town of Kirkwell. Here we found the people superstitious and priest-ridden. So far as we could learn, our Elders had visited there but once, and that long ago, and then without success.
We engaged a room in a boarding-house, commenced distributing tracts, and all the stale stories about "Mormonism" were soon going the rounds; but we disabused the minds of the people of the malicious tales wherever we could gain access. After much solicitation and paying ten shillings, we succeeded in engaging a hall, and had an attendance of about two hundred and fifty persons, probably some of them prompted by curiosity, but we attributed our success in gaining an audience to our earnest prayers to our heavenly Father, so anxious were we to bear our testimonies of the Gospel, and I can truly say that never, either before or since, have I felt so great outpouring of the Holy Spirit as on this occasion, but this proved to be our only chance; so great was the opposition that a place for meeting could not be obtained for love or money. So much for the journal.
The most that could be accomplished in the way of missionary labors was in distributing tracts; for this purpose Elder McAllister managed to get a quantity published, and as he went from place to place, from island to island, where he could do no more in consequence of prejudice and bigotry, he scattered those printed testimonials. By permission he spent Christmas and New Year in Glasgow, attending conference, visiting the Saints, and assisting in baptisms and confirmations of new members. Labored in Dundee, and on the 1st of March received appointment to Newcastle-on-Tyne. Here he labored with much satisfaction, baptized several, and in visiting the scenes of boyhood in this his native place, he says: After the novelty had passed, although my father was in prosperous circumstances when he left for America and a home with the Saints of God, if ever I felt thankful to my heavenly Father for our deliverance from Babylon, I was ten times more so then, as I saw the wickedness, corruption and the temptations to which I should have been exposed by remaining in that country.
During his absence he visited London, where he spent several days pleasantly and profitably, and was released to return home with the company of Saints which embarked for New York on the 17th of May, 1882, and on his arrival home rejoiced to find his family in life and health; and yet he pronounces his mission abroad the most important period of his life.
On his return he resumed his former quiet occupation, and at the last general August election received the appointment of county recorder, and is now officiating in that capacity.