The inhabitants of Geauga County, Ohio, in which Kirtland was situated, began now to partake of a persecuting and mobocratic spirit, and threatened the Saints resident there with similar afflictions to those which had been visited upon their brethren in Missouri. The Prophet knew of the hate that was hanging around him, but he calmly viewed the situation, and in writing to Bishop Partridge at Clay County, Missouri, under date of December 5th, 1833, he said:
The inhabitants of this county threaten our destruction, and we know not how soon they may be permitted to follow the examples of the Missourians; but our trust is in God, and we are determined, by His grace assisting us, to maintain the cause and hold out faithful unto the end, that we may be crowned with crowns of celestial glory, and enter into the rest that is prepared for the children of God.
On the 16th day of December, 1833, the Lord revealed to Joseph the divine purpose concerning the Saints in Missouri, saying,
I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions;
Yet I will own them, and they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels.
Therefore, they must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham, who was commanded to offer up his only son;
For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified.
* * * * *
And they that have been scattered shall be gathered;
And all they who have mourned shall be comforted;
And all they who have given their lives for my name shall be crowned.
Therefore, let your hearts be comforted concerning Zion; for all flesh is in mine hands; be still and know that I am God.
Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered;
They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion.
And immediately after the revelation was received the Prophet sent William Pratt and David W. Patten, as messengers to the scattered Saints of Missouri to give them words of comfort and instruction.
Early in the month of December, 1833, Bishop Newel K. Whitney and Oliver Cowdery had brought to Kirtland a new printing press, and on the 18th day of the month a printing office in Kirtland was dedicated to the Lord and His purposes, and Oliver Cowdery began the publication of the Evening and Morning Star, which had been cast out of Missouri. On the day that Joseph dedicated the printing establishment to the service of the Lord, his father, Joseph Smith, Senior, was ordained to be the Patriarch to the whole Church. On that day Joseph wrote:
And blessed is my father, for the hand of the Lord will be over him, for he shall see the afflictions of his children pass away; and when his head is fully ripe, he shall behold himself as an olive, whose branches are bowed down with much fruit; he shall also possess a mansion on high.
In view of all that has since occurred, it is a remarkable fact, that the Prophet recorded in his journal of the 31st of December, 1833, the fact that "Wilford Woodruff was baptized at Richland, Oswego County, New York, by Zera Pulsipher." And this was before the Prophet and the future Apostle and President had ever met in the flesh. This is not the only mention of Wilford Woodruff in Joseph's dairy prior to their meeting. In one place the Prophet notices that Wilford had been ordained a teacher. It was the 25th day of April, 1834, when Wilford Woodruff visited the Prophet at Kirtland, and from that time on until Joseph's death they were intimately associated. It was clear that Joseph felt the staunch worthiness of his young brother, and in relying on him the Prophet was leaning upon no weak or broken reed, for Wilford Woodruff had been and had ever shown the fidelity of a Saint and the integrity and power of an Apostle of Jesus Christ. He was one of the most faithful of all the men who were gathered near to the Prophet's person to share his trials and his confidences. Wilford Woodruff never made any attempt to cultivate showy qualities, and yet he was always marked among his fellows; his characteristic humility and unswerving honesty being sufficient to attract the attention of all who had known him. His is another of the names to be recorded with that of Joseph, and it is worthy to stand side by side with the names of Brigham Young and John Taylor, for he was as loyal to them as he and they were to Joseph, the first Prophet of this dispensation.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE JACKSON COUNTY PERSECUTIONS—APPEAL TO GOVERNOR DUNKLIN—HIS TIMID REPLY—HEARTLESS DRIVINGS—A BRUTAL MURDER—BOGGS ALLOWS THE MOB TO ORGANIZE AS A MILITIA—PITCHER PLACED IN COMMAND—CERTAIN MEN TAKEN IN CUSTODY BY THE MOB—SETTLEMENT IN CLAY COUNTY—COURT OF INQUIRY.