Rent a Farm—Sickness—Providential Recovery—Inspired to Preach—Removal to Nauvoo—Death of my Wife—Second Marriage—Premonition of Death—Warning from the Prophet—A Dream and its Fulfillment—A Prophecy and its Fulfillment—Evil Spirits Cast out of a Man—Joseph Smith's Trust in the Lord.
"SHOW US A SIGN."
BY B. F. JOHNSON
MY SISTER'S HIP BROKEN—NO HOPES OF EVER BEING ABLE TO WALK—OUR FAMILY EMBRACE THE GOSPEL—SCOFFERS DEMAND AS A SIGN THAT MY SISTER BE HEALED—ELDER BRACKINBURY'S DEATH—WARNED BY THE SPIRIT OF THE BODY-SNATCHERS' DESIGNS—CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF ROBBING THE GRAVE—MY BROTHER'S DEATH—MY SISTER HEALED—THE HEALING FAILS TO CONVINCE THE UNBELIEVERS.
About the year 1830, when I was twelve years of age, Nancy, my eldest sister, was thrown from a horse, and had her hip broken.
The bone was broken so near the socket that it could not be set, and physicians all agreed that it would be impossible for her ever again to walk upon that leg, or in any degree to recover its use, as ossification had taken place without a connection of the bones and they had slipped past each other, making the broken limb nearly an inch shorter than the other. She walked upon two crutches, and for years was not able to bring upon the broken limb weight sufficient to hurt the finger of a small child, if placed under her foot.
In the year 1831, my brothers Joel H. and David received the gospel in Amherst, Ohio, and in the fall of the same year my brother David brought to us the Book of Mormon, near Fredonia, State of New York.
Soon afterwards my brother Joel, with A. W. Babbitt—then only a boy, came also, and was followed by Elders Brackinbury and Durfee. Elder Brackinbury was an earnest and powerful preacher, and all the Elders seemed filled with the spirit of the Lord. Many received their testimony, and my mother and Lyman R. Shearman, a brother-in-law, were the first to be baptized.
Priest and people came out to oppose the work, and would scoffingly ask, "Why, if miracles can be performed, do you not heal Sister Nancy?" Many would also say: "If they would only heal Sister Nancy we would all believe!"