In another part of the district, at a noted watering place, I secured a town hall. As soon as meeting was opened, I was interrupted by an orthodox minister. He gave me credit for my sincerity but regretted that I had not turned my attention to the heathen, instead of coming there where he had preached so many years. He appealed to the congregation to testify that they all knew he was acquainted with every word in the Bible. I could see that trouble was imminent and my hypocritical opponent knew it, but was desirous of bringing it along in as respectable a manner as possible. I conversed with him for some time on Bible doctrine, and when we had finished the whole congregation had turned away from him and were listening to me with rapt attention. I here learned what simple things and persons the Lord could use to remove grave obstacles.
On two different occasions, when I was in imminent peril, my wife, who was dead, and her father, who died in 1846, appeared to me together and talked to me, and were as natural to me as in life.
The priests were for some time banded together in a secret organization. The first knowledge of which came to me at the place where I was knocked down, as already mentioned. They soon became, however, more bold, and during a visiting tour among the branches of my district I was warned while walking in the road, that something was wrong in Norwich. I went immediately to that place, and before I reached my rooms I was met by two brethren, who said, "There's a big anti-'Mormon' meeting at St. Andrew's hall."
I replied, "Very well, I will brush up and go to it." They and others whom I met plead with me not to go.
When I entered the hall I found it too densely packed for me to get a seat in the body of the house. On looking to the stand I counted seventeen of the prominent ministers of Norfolk and Suffolk comfortably seated. I said to myself, "I also am a minister and that is my place." I walked up and took a seat. There were two thousand people present at that meeting. At that time St. Andrew's hall ranked as the third finest hall in England.
The meeting commenced about half-past two, p.m., and it was about five o'clock when I entered. At half-past eight the chairman announced that if any member of the unfortunate "Mormon" Church was present, who had the hardihood and moral courage to attempt a defense after such an overwhelming exposure of their system as had been made that day to the citizens of Norwich, he would be allowed to speak. Of course all eyes had been on me and the invitation was a trap on the part of the ministers. They offered me no way of getting to the pulpit as I was behind five rows of seats each of which was packed with my opponents and not one offered to allow me to pass. I prayed, put my hands on the sides of the heads of the two ministers in front of me, made an opening and stepped over into their seat; this I did with the others until I reached the pulpit.
A great part of what I said I did not know at the time, nor have I known since, but near the close of my remarks I found myself with my back to the congregation and my face to the preachers. My last words to the latter were, "You are infidels, and it is you who make infidels, and by your precepts smother the hope of any realization of the gifts and blessings promised by Christ and His Apostles. I prophesy, moreover, to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that your labors of this day and night, shall be the cause of hundreds embracing the gospel I preach."
After I ceased to speak the chairman undertook to read from the Book of Mormon, but he shook so that it was impossible for him to read. Another man tried to speak, but he was affected in the same way and had to desist.
There was a stairway leading from where I stood down to the vestibule, and I hoped to reach it soon enough after the dismissal to make my escape; but when I got there it was full of human beings, who were, however, more like devils than men. They shouted, "Where is he? Tear him limb from limb; throw him over into the river," etc.
A tall man wearing a cloak could see me while the rest seemed blinded. He came up, covered me entirely with his cloak, slipped his arms under mine, drew me up to his bosom and whispered, "Be still and I will save you." He carried me out of the vestibule, the court yard, and nearly a block up the street, the mob crowding up against and around us the whole distance. My deliverer worked his way to the side of the street until he got to his own home when he struck the spring of a door in a stone wall, it flew open, he cast me in like a log of wood, and passed on with the crowd. In about three-quarters of an hour he came back with some of our people and I was liberated and guarded home. This man was what is generally called an infidel. The next day I presented him with the best bound set of our publications I could procure. I asked him why he saved my life, to which he replied that it was only because of a love of justice.