We excommunicated from the Church thirty-one persons, who had apostatized and become its enemies.
The "Mission of the Twelve" was sung, and we then repaired to the south-east corner of the temple ground, and, with the assistance of Elder Alpheus Cutler, the master workman of the building committee, laid the south-east chief corner stone of the temple, according to revelation.
There were present of the Twelve Apostles: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page and John Taylor, who proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff and Geo. A. Smith, to the apostleship, and as members of the quorum of the Twelve, in the places of those who had fallen, as they had been called by revelation.
Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer, who had just been liberated from Richmond prison, were also ordained to the office of Seventies. The Twelve then offered up vocal prayer in the following order: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, after which we sang "Adam-ondi-Ahman."
The Twelve then took their leave of, and gave the parting hand to, the following Saints, agreeable to revelation: A. Butler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer, Wm. Burton, Stephen Markham, Shadrach Roundy, Wm. O. Clark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard Howard, Mary Ann Peck, Artimesia Granger, Martha Peck, Sarah Granger, Theodore Turley, Hiram Clark, and Daniel Shearer.
Bidding good-by to the small remnant of the Saints who remained on the temple ground to see us fulfill the revelation and commandments of God, we turned our backs on Far West and Missouri, and returned to Illinois. We had accomplished the mission without a dog moving his tongue at us, or any man saying, "Why do you do so?"
We crossed the Mississippi river on the steam ferry, entered Quincy on the 2nd of May, and all had the joy of reaching our families once more in peace and safety.
There was an incident connected with our journey that is worthy of record. While we were on our way to fulfill the revelation, Joseph, the Prophet, and his companions in chains had been liberated, through the blessings of God, from their enemies and prison, and they passed us. We were not far distant from each other, but neither party knew it. They were making their way to their families in Illinois, while we were traveling to Far West into the midst of our enemies. So they came home to their families and friends before our return.
May the 3rd was a very interesting day to me, as well as to others. In company with five others of the quorum of the Twelve, I rode four miles out of town to Mr. Cleveland's, to visit Brother Joseph Smith and his family.
Once more I had the happy privilege of taking Brother Joseph by the hand. Two years had rolled away since I had seen his face. He greeted us with great joy, as did Hyrum Smith and Lyman Wight, all of whom had escaped from their imprisonment together. They had been confined in prison six months, and had been under sentence of death three times; yet their lives were in the hands of God, and He had delivered them, and they were now mingling with their wives, children and friends, and out of the reach of the mob. Joseph was frank, open and familiar as usual, and our rejoicing was great.