On the 28th of November, Elder Orson Hyde died at his home in Spring City, San Pete County, at the age of seventy-three. This left but one of the first quorum of the Twelve Apostles living; namely, Elder Orson Pratt. On the 30th Elder Woodruff attended the funeral. Proceedings of which are found in the Deseret News of Dec. 5th, 1878.
Closing his long description of the scenes of a remarkable dream which he gives in detail at this time, he uses the following words: "I saw a short distance from the Missouri River, where I stood, twelve men dressed in the robes of the Temple. They stood in a square near by and I was given to understand that they represented the twelve gates of the new Jerusalem. Their hands were uplifted while they were consecrating the ground; and later they laid the corner-stones of the house of God. I saw myriads of angels hovering over them, and above their heads there was a pillar-like cloud. I heard the most beautiful singing in the words: 'Now is established the Kingdom of our God and His Christ, and He shall reign forever and forever, and the Kingdom shall never be thrown down, for the Saints have overcome.' I saw people coming from the river and from distant places to help build the Temple. It seemed as though there were hosts of angels helping to bring material for the construction of that building. Some were in Temple robes, and the pillar-like cloud continued to hover over the spot.
"Later I found myself in the Ogden Tabernacle, where I was calling upon the people to listen to the beautiful strains of music there. I rolled over in my bed and heard the clock of the City Hall strike twelve." This was December 16, 1877.
CHAPTER 47.
EXPERIENCES IN ARIZONA, 1879.
In Arizona.—An Epistle to the World.—Birthday Celebrated in St. George.—Travels in Arizona.—Hunt with Pelone, the Apache Chief.—A Visit to the Zunies.—Travels with Lot Smith.—Dream.—Letters.
On New Year's Day, 1879, Elder Woodruff moved to his new brick home next door south of the Valley House. The old Valley House had been his first mountain home. On the third of the month, in company with Moses Thatcher, he started on a tour of the southern counties. One of the chief purposes of this tour was to organize local boards of trade. While they were at Nephi on the 6th, Elder Thatcher received word of his appointment to fill the vacancy in the Quorum occasioned by the death of Elder Orson Hyde. They reached St. George on the 20th of the month.
On February 7th Elder Woodruff found it necessary to go into exile because of the special effort at that time to prosecute those in Plural Marriage. "For the first time in my life I have had to flee from my enemies for the gospel's sake, or for any other cause. They are trying to arrest me for obeying the law of God in reference to Plural Marriage." To escape his pursuers he went to Arizona where he remained a couple of weeks, and then returned to St. George. While there in the Temple on Washington's birthday he wrote an epistle to the world, dated February 22nd, 1879, from which the following is taken: