"Oct. 25th, I received a letter from my wife, giving an account of her sickness since I left; also of our children William and Helen.
"Oct. 26th, Brother Babbitt took us in his buggy twelve miles, to the house of Brother Scott; they were very glad to see us, and we tarried with them through the night.
"Oct. 27th, Brother Scott sent his little son John, who carried us to Belleville, fifteen miles—several miles of the journey in a rain storm, which obliged us to put up at an inn for the remainder of the day and night. Brother Brigham was very sick and obliged to go to bed. I sat up and waited upon him, and spent the evening with the landlord and his lady, preaching to them; they received our testimony and were very kind to us.
"The next morning we took stage, and started on our way towards Kirtland. While in Pleasant Garden we obtained some money, so that with the five dollars we had left when the brethren left us on the 18th it amounted to $13.50. When we got into the stage we did not expect to ride many miles. We rode as far as Indianapolis, paid our passage, and found we had sufficient means to carry us to Richmond, Indiana.
"When we arrived at Richmond we found we had means to take us to Dayton, to which place we proceeded and tarried over night, waiting for another line of stages. We expected to stop here and preach until we got means to pursue our journey. Brother Brigham went to his trunk to get money to pay the bill, and found we had sufficient to pay our passages to Columbus, to which place we took passage in the stage and tarried over night. When he paid the bill he found he had sufficient means to pay our passage to Worcester. We tarried till the after part of the day and then took passage to Worcester. When we arrived there, Brother Brigham went to his trunk again to get money to pay our bill, and found sufficient to pay our passages to Cleveland. When we reached a little town called Strongsville, about twenty miles from Cleveland, towards evening, Brother Brigham had a strong impression to stop at a tavern when we first came into the town; but the stage did not stop there, so we went on. We arrived at Cleveland about 11 o'clock at night, took lodgings, and remained till next morning.
"Nov. 3rd, being Sunday, in the morning we went to the Episcopalian church. While returning to the hotel we met my father-in-law, and learned that Elders Turley, Smith and Hedlock had just arrived in Cleveland. Father Murray was as much astonished to see me alive as though he had seen one risen from the dead. I don't think I ever saw a man feel better than he did when I met him in the street. We walked with him a short distance, and met the brethren who were in good health, compared with what they had been, and in fine spirits. We learned that they stopped at the tavern in Strongsville, where Brother Brigham had such strong impressions to stop the night previous. They had picked up Elder John Taylor, at Dayton, where he was left at a tavern very sick with the ague and fever a few days before, by Father Coltrin, who proceeded to Kirtland.
"Brothers Taylor and Hedlock got into the stage with us, which left early in the afternoon; they rode as far as Willoughby. We proceeded to Kirtland and arrived the same evening, thus fulfilling the prediction made on my sick bed.
"Brother Brigham had one York shilling left, and on looking over our expenses we found we had paid out over $87.00 out of the $13.50 we had at Pleasant Garden, which is all the money we had to pay our passages with. We had traveled over 400 miles by stage, for which we paid from 8 to 10 cents a mile, and had eaten three meals a day, for each of which we were charged fifty cents, also fifty cents for our lodgings. Brother Brigham often suspected that I put the money in his trunk, or clothes; thinking that I had a purse of money which I had not acquainted him with; but this was not so; the money could only have been put in his trunk by some heavenly messenger, who thus administered to our necessities daily as he knew we needed.
"I made my home at Dean Gould's at the house of Ira Bond. The family were all very kind to me, and made me as comfortable as they could. I remained with them most of the time I was in Kirtland, two days of which I was sick with chills and fever.
"There was a division of sentiment among the brethren in Kirtland, many of whom had lacked the energy to move to Missouri, while some lacked the inclination. On Sunday, Elder Taylor preached in the Temple in the forenoon and I preached in the afternoon. I compared the people there to a parcel of old earthen pots that were cracked in burning, for they were mostly apostates who were living there. Martin Harris, Cyrus Smalling and others were much offended at what I said, and asked me whom I referred to in my comparisons. 'No one in particular,' said I, 'but to anyone whom the coat fits.' John Moreton and others declared I should never preach in the house again. On the Sunday following, Brother Brigham and Brother Taylor were the speakers.