After remaining several days in Schaffhausen without any apparent results, I went to Weingarten and called on a Brother Bonnelli, of whom I had heard, and was received by the family with great kindness. This brother took my passport to the village authority, and was surprised when that dignitary questioned him closely and declared that I was a "Mormon." He was angry with Brother Bonnelli for entertaining me, but eventually sent a permit allowing me to lodge at their house and retained my passport.
I visited and conversed with Saints and strangers for several days in Weingarten when quite unexpectedly I was summoned before the Stadthalter, where I received my passport and a notice to leave the canton of Thurgau in two days. The Stadthalter's instructions contained no reason therefore, but he informed me it was because I was a "Mormon." It was the settled policy of the cantons to drive the Elders out of the country, and the decision of the federal government as given in my case, when expelled from Zurich, sustained them. The papers published every movement made by the authorities, and all strangers being obliged to deposit their passports at the nearest office that they might be permitted to stay where they desired to settle or lodge for the time, it was impossible to remain long undiscovered. To lodge in any house without the legal permit, providing the family were willing, subjected them to fine or imprisonment, and this was not desirable. I fully considered the circumstances and probabilities in the spirit of prayer and supplication to my Heavenly Father that He might guide and preserve me in my efforts to remain in Switzerland until His servants were satisfied with the efforts made to sustain the Church and warn the people. It was true that President Tyler had left the responsibility with me as to what I ought to do, but I was not yet quite satisfied, and finally determined to return to a small village on the Lake of Zurich, where a faithful family of Saints resided and where I might live unknown for a season, except to the family, in whom I had great confidence. How to get there was the question to be solved. On receiving my passport, when asked where I was going as was usual, I replied to St. Gall, such being my intention at the time, and the endorsement was made accordingly, but on reflection it was almost certain that my intention would be known in St. Gall before I could get there myself. To go to Kussnacht (the village on the lake), which was almost in an opposite direction to St. Gall, would probably be fatal to my liberty if my passport should be examined. My first movement from Weingarten towards my place of refuge would also bring me into the canton of Zurich, from which I had been twice expelled; but if I could spend one night on the journey safely, I had strong hopes of making the trip without detection.
On the afternoon of the 14th of February I left Brother Bonnelli's house with regret, as we were doing good and the prospect was encouraging. It rained all day and was very muddy under foot. I therefore concluded to remain for the night at a small town named Elgg. It was evening. I walked into a respectable looking hotel and arranged for supper and lodging. The people were obliging, but to save trouble I concluded not to use any more German than a few words, such as any traveler is supposed to pick up in a few days. After drying my clothes a little, as they were wet through with rain, I sat down to supper. Men were coming and going during the evening as is usual in such places on the continent of Europe. They come to chat with their neighbors, read the papers, smoke and drink beer. I noticed a man sitting at the table opposite me. He had been there some time, although we had not spoken to each other. The man at length said to the waiter—of course in German—"You have a stranger here."
"Yes," the waiter replied, "an Englishman, but he cannot speak German."
That was satisfactory to me as I went on with my supper, but directly after, the man looking over to me, said (in German), "You are an Englishman, I believe?"
"Ein Englaender," I replied, wishing to break off the conversation, when, to my astonishment, he addressed me in pretty good English. After asking several questions which led to an agreeable conversation, he informed me that he was the chief authority of the village, and then requested to look at my passport, which I at once handed him, but as I at the moment complimented him on the ease and fluency with which he spoke English (which seemed to gratify him), he probably did not notice that, according to the last endorsement which was written upon the document, I should have been on my way to St. Gall. My friend returned the passport good-naturedly, signifying his approval and stating that my staying at the hotel for the night was all right.
I was up early the next morning and had breakfast, but it rained so heavily that I was detained an hour or two at the inn. On this day's journey I passed through Winterthur and reached Zurich, as I intended, just as it became dark, and passed through to Kussnacht, distance during the day twenty-seven miles, but the walking was heavy as the roads were bad, and the snow was in many places over eighteen inches deep. The kind reception which I met with from Brother and Sister Elleker and family filled me with gratitude to God and to them, and I had need of their attention as I was completely worn out. I remained with this most excellent family until the eighth day of March, in the strictest seclusion, except when visited by a brother occasionally, from Zurich. The family were silk-ribbon weavers and had necessarily occasional callers. My apartment was up-stairs, but it was lonesome, and as there were no arrangements for warming the rooms, I went below to the sitting room as often as I could with safety. In doing this I had some narrow escapes from being seen, as to return to my room it was necessary to pass through a passage-way in view of the front door. It is a very difficult thing for a person to keep hid in a country like this, for a stranger is readily observed, and had the neighbors' suspicions been once awakened, my hours of liberty would have been few, and my protectors brought into serious trouble. As is common in many houses in Switzerland, Brother Elleker's sitting room was warmed by an oven projecting out from the wall, the mouth of the furnace being in another apartment. The projection was probably not less than five by four feet, and in height reached from the floor to within eighteen inches or two feet of the ceiling. This is covered on the sides and end with enameled pottery ware. The heat from the inside makes this oven a very desirable place to lean against in cold weather. In addition to other uses the people dry chicory on the top of the oven, which is flat, before grinding it to use instead of coffee. At Brother Elleker's, one side of the oven was near the wall of the house, leaving room for a number of narrow steps leading to the top. These steps were a favorite resting-place for me, as by going up a step or two I could not be seen, unless a visitor came well round into the room; if one did or was likely to do so, I got on top of the oven where I was entirely hid, as a curtain covered the space between the top of the oven and the ceiling. A neighbor woman came in one day whose movements were suspicious and I got on the top, but it happened that the top was entirely covered with small pieces of chicory, quite dry and, of course, very hard. There being no time to consider comfort, I was quickly, hands and knees, on the ragged edges of the dried root, and, to my consternation, from under the curtain I saw the woman deliberately plant herself against the side of the oven. You may imagine my condition, as the heat was oppressive and the chicory to my feelings got every moment harder. Sister Elleker did her best to get rid of her neighbor, without telling her to go, and when she succeeded I came down the steps without the least approach to hilarity in my disposition.
Shortly after arriving at Brother Elleker's I was in communication with a few of the leading brethren in Zurich, and one at a time would occasionally come and see me, the distance being only five or six miles, and I availed myself of every opportunity to instruct them in their duties. I also kept President Tyler acquainted occasionally with my whereabouts and condition.
On March 8th I received a telegram from President Tyler, desiring me to come to him at Geneva, which I at once prepared to do. I had become somewhat uneasy, as the visits of the brethren, although made with great caution, were being noticed by the neighbors, and I was satisfied I could not at present forward the cause to any great extent, not enough to justify the constant risk to myself and others. I and other Elders had been in all the Protestant German cantons, but two or three which we were not warranted in visiting, as they were strongly prejudiced and only in name removed from the bigotry and bitterness of Catholicism, and we had been expelled from, or prohibited from teaching in all we had visited; and during the last three months I had been summoned before the police authorities in different places no less than thirteen times.
I bade my kind friends an affectionate farewell and blessed them for their kindness and consideration which they had manifested towards me, and in a few days was united with my brethren in Geneva again.