a? BBs = = = ee Beh Saree meta sv < E of : See alee | ee ee eee ee Ee ex SeRe ee =e reece ee BX 8695 ps5 W4 West, Franklin Lorenzo Richards, 1885-1966. | Life of Franklin p. Richard e 4 ie 2 rt wor = nest or Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2022 with funding from Princeton Theological Seminary Library sh | a | ttps://archive.org/details/lifeoffranklindroOOwest = FRANKLIN DEWEY RICHARDS JANE SNYDER RICHARDS LIFE OF FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL of the TWELVE APOSTLES CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS BY FRANKLIN L. WEST, Ph. D. DEAN OF THE FACULTY UTAH AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE DESERET NEWS PRESS SALT LAKE CITY Copyright, 1924, by FRANKLIN L. WEST All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America INTRODUCTORY The Rev. Orville Dewey, Unitarian divine, at the Sheffield (Mass.) centennial celebration, in June, 1876, declared that ‘‘they who do not remember and revere their ancestors who have done worthy deeds are not likely to leave a posterity that will be worthy of being remembered.’’ And he thus continued: ‘‘It is, there- fore, not only fit, but it concerns our own character and the character of our children, that we should do it; that we should take, and leave to our children, an im- pression which is good for us and for them. It is an advantage in aristocratic countries, that noble families who have acted a distinguished part, should in their permanence carry down the recollection and incite- ment of high, historic virtues. We have no aristocracy. All the more reason is there that we, the whole people, should take care of these treasures of the olden time; that we should take upon our hearts, and keep alive within them, the memory of our fathers’ virtues.”’ Franklin Dewey Richards was an Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than fifty years, and at the time of his death was president of the Apostles’ Quorum. He went upon five missions to the Eastern States, and upon four mis- sions to Europe, promulgating the tenets of his faith, and in the years 1850-52, 1854-56 and 1867-68 he pre- sided over the European Mission. As a frontiersman and an early settler in the Inter- mountain region, he crossed the plains between the 4 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Missouri River and Salt Lake Valley seven times before the advent of the railroad. In Nauvoo, Illinois, and in Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah, he built his home with his own hands. He was a brigadier-general in the Utah Militia, and for fourteen years probate judge of Weber Coun- ty. A member of the Utah Legislature, many times re-elected, he was also a regent of the University of Deseret (now University of Utah). He was the founder and first president of the Utah Genealogical Society, first president of the State Historical Society, edi- tor of the ‘‘Millennial Star,’’ founder and first edi- tor of the ‘‘Ogden Junction,’’ and General Historian of the Church. He was a wide reader, a deep thinker, and an able speaker and writer—a highly honored and much loved man. The author of this volume is a grandson of Frank- lin D. Richards. During fourteen years in Ogden their homes were adjacent—no fence intervening. The close family association produced enduring impres- sions. It was largely because of the writer’s love and admiration for the subject, that he undertook the pre- paration of his biography. Grandfather Richards had a clear, analytical mind, and possessed breadth of view, beauty of soul, and a most lovable nature. The desire to do him honor has made this labor of love an enjoy- able task, even though an arduous one. Most. thoughtful men recognize the value of bio- graphical study. The consideration of abstract ethies is less profitable than the study of concrete examples. The lite of this man exemplified so much that is worthy of emulation that the book cannot fail to engender FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS < noble thoughts and high resolves in the minds and hearts of its readers, especially the posterity of those for whom Franklin D. Richards gave his best. So intimately connected was his life with all the larger movements of the ‘*Mormon’’ community, that any record of his activities is a virtual contribution to the general history of the Church. The hope is cherished that the perusal of these pages will inspire faith in the great work to which he devoted his life and for which he endured and sacrificed so much. In the preparation of this volume I have had free ac- cess to and have quoted liberally from the very complete diaries kept by my grandfather, and have also drawn upon the published writings of men of prominence in the Church or in literary circles—such men as George q. Cannon, Orson F'. Whitney, Edward W. Tullidge, as well as upon the works of Hubert H. Bancroft, his- torian, and other sources of information, for facts, figures, and utterances illustrative of my theme. In this pleasing service my parents, Joseph A. and Jo- sephine Richards West, and my uncles, Frankhn §. and Charles C. Richards, have rendered invaluable assist- ance. It should be known, too, that Franklin S. Rich- ards was the initiator of the work. We were extremely fortunate in securing the aid of Apostle Orson F. Whitney, to whom we are deeply indebted for a careful revision of the manuscript prior to its publication. He has given to the work the full benefit of his excellent literary judgment, his thorough knowledge of the subject, and his well-known skill as a writer and critic of exceptional ability. FRANKLIN L. WEST. CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY CEPA: De heeh ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD Early Ancestors—Joseph, Phinehas, Levi and Willard Richards—Frank- lin as a School Boy—His Parents’ Religion—‘Mormon” Missionaries— BEC ESTONIA AT Cap aA DtiSsT) meno eee et diacetate gree ate Wea eee Leta S Ste ly feigy ty OlevledMaleo digi THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS How “Mormonism” Originated—Church Officers—Tenets and Teachings —Doctrinal Standards—Membership Requirements—Missionary and Fi- nancial Systems—Vital Statistics—Early Moves of the Church......... CEPA EE Raga Of IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS The Spirit of Gathering—Franklin’s Journey Westward—A Powerful Manifestation—Mobs and Their Outrages—The Haun’s Mill Massacre— George Spencer Richards a Victim—Causes of Persecution—Arrival at Far West—Goes to Quincy, Illinois—First Sight of the Prophet—Or- dained a Seventy at Nauvoo—Called on a Mission..................45- GHAR EER ei THE PROBLEM OF MISSIONS Numerical Strength and Geographical Distribution of the World’s Religions—Why “Mormonism’s’” Message is Sent Forth—Proselyting Methods Compared—Labors of Franklin D. Richards—Nine Missions Seen OUCEE UT Sec Ore CLIP Naan ee uett ae hes ey Law ge erate 2 Woy cules os GEAR TE Ray MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES In Northern Indiana—Organizes a Branch at La Porte—Thirty Public Lectures—Returns to Nauvoo—Again at La Porte—The Snyder Family —Labors in Ohio—Corner Stones of Temple Laid—Attends Other Page 13 2h 38 § FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Page Churches—Defeats an Infidel in Public Argument—Interviews Professor Curtis, the Renowned Thomsonian—Ordained a High Priest—Visits the Kirtland Temple—In New York State and in Canada.................. 43 GHA PR aver LIFE IN NAUVOO Marriage with Jane Snyder—Her Miraculous Healing and Conversion— Building a Home—The Prophet Kidnapped—Rescue and Return—First Child Born—Franklin ‘Welcomes His Father to Nauvoo—Starts for England—Mission Postponed—The Prophet’s Mantle upon President Young—In Michigan for fhe Nauvoo Temple—Assistant Church Historian —Plural Marriage—Elizabeth McFate Richards—Work on the Temple— Final’ ‘Ordinances | 720) 0 ee a ee 49 CHAP ERG VELe THE EXODUS Nauvoo in 1846—Expulsion of the Saints from I[llinois—The Mormon Battalion—Death of Joseph W. Richards—Franklin Sends His Family West—His First Foreign Mission—Hardships and Sorrows of the Exodus—Jane Richards’ Patient Endurance—Death of Isaac, Wealthy and Elizabeth—At Liverpool—A Missionary’s Solicitude for His Absent AMY panther tee ae at al tee ee ela er eae oly ea okt Rte een ote eee 60 CHAPTER seViilt IN THE BRITISH MISSION How that Field was Opened—The Richards Family in Missionary Work —Franklin’s First Sea Voyage—[In Charge of the Scottish Branches— Counselor to President Orson Spencer—Famine in Britain—Dreams of His Call to the Apostleship—Conducts the First Company of British Saints Bound for the Rocky Mountains—The Ocean Journey—Quelling the Tempest—Kind Acts of Officers on Board—A Prosperous Voyage 73 CE ASP VEGI eel: CROSSING THE GREAT PLAINS At Winter Quarters—Preparing to Start West—Emigrations of 1847 and 1848—Mode of Travel—Camp Government—Experience with Indians— Arrival in Salt Lakes Valley). of. vicm. . eee ee ee nee 89 CEAP TEE RI BX IN SALT LAKE VALLEY Another Home Built—Birth of Franklin Snyder Richards—Food Scarcity —Crickets and Gulls—Call to the Apostleship—Another Foreign Mission —Josephine Richards West—Plural Wives and Their Children—Primi- FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS tive Mail Service—Pony Express and Electric Telegraph—Reception and Assimilation of _Immigrants—Apostolic Home Duties.................. Cl AT Rac] SECOND MISSION ABROAD Apostles Sent to Various Countries—Franklin D. Richards to England— Incidents En Route—Arrival at Liverpool—Succeeds O'rson Pratt as President of the British Muission—Typical ‘Star’? Editorials—Work Vigorously Prosecuted—The Perpetual Emigration Fund—Franklin’s Brother Samuel Succeeds. Him—Return’to Utah: 2.06. koe ee CTU Ey ead AGAIN IN EUROPE President of the Church in the British Isles and, Adjacent Countries— Letter of Appointment—Samuel W. Richards and the House of Commons Committee on Emigrant Ships—Changes in Emigration Route and Mis- sion Headquarters—An Ethnological Basis—Karl G. Maeser’s Conver- sion—Letter from President Jedediah M. Grant—Emigrational Statistics —The British Mission at its Zenith—Stalwart Helpers—Tullidge’s Poem me ONTCGlattOn Fr OTes ONCem MOLel viii i)s es ia cc sek ete a eue wlepaibien a wibiore tase Gi rahe Ch MILITARY SERVICE The Nauvoo Legion in Illinois and in Utah—Brigadier-General Franklin D. Richards—The Echo Canyon Campaign—Mission of Colonel Samuel W. Richards—Colonel Kane and Mediation—The Move South—Peace Restored—Commander of Weber-Box Elder Military District—Member of Territorial Military Board—Militia Forbidden to Train—The Legion BO STVCC atree atE Mire Me hci Cae eR OR ive y oGAVnGa EOL ade Ue Ree cet aG, ats CAC Ey be REGEN: LAST FOREIGN MISSION The Work in Britain—Franklin D. Richards Again in the Field—Tour of the British and Continental Conferences—The Paris Exposition—In- terview with John Bright—Succeeds Brigham Young, Jr., as Mission President—Brings a Steamship Company to Terms—Among Swiss and German Saints—Revives the British Mission—Commendation from the Head of the Church—Returns to Utah—President Young’s- Warm Meeetinc MOOG MOCONCTATIIIATION Oey intense teeter only Sana at ew rM ew uGce Chin ai eof PD EFI ES |) AY! HOME INDUSTRIES AND CO-OPERATION The Problem of Community Self-Support—Agriculture and Manufacture Encouraged—Why Mining Was Banned—The Deseret Iron Company— 9 Page 97 112 124 139 152 10 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Page Failures and Successes in Local Enterprises—Co-operative Irrigation, Production and Distribution—Z. C. M. I—Franklin D. Richards’ Part in sthe Great (Movement (0225 os ots c'he die «nis plea ete wise a 160 CHAPTER XVI HOME LIFE IN OGDEN Apostles Presiding in the Stakes—Franklin D. Richards Sent to Ogden— Probate Judge of Weber County—Home and Hospitality—Arrival of the Railroad Celebrated—Judge Richards’ Speech of Welcome—Laying of the Last Rail—The Utah Central Road—Stakes Reorganized and Apostles Relieved—Judge Richards Continues to Reside in Ogden— Death of His Son Lorenzo—The Apostle’s Seventieth Anniversary...... 167 GHAR DER Sanyal EDITOR AND EXPOUNDER Founder and Editor of the “Ogden Junction”’—Organizes and Fosters Young People’s Associations—A Lover of Books, Lectures and Learning —The Compendium—A University Regent—Dissertations on Doctrine... 178 CHAP TBR VsL UL LEGISLATIVE AND JUDICIAL The State of Deseret and Territory of Utah—Franklin D. Richards in the Legislature—The Judiciary—The Utah Commission—The Hoar Amend- ment—The Kimball-Richards Case—Holding the Fort for the Rights of the People—An Untarnished, Record 2.2.2 vee eee 188 WEL RATA Ra eae DURING THE CRUSADE Proceedings Under the Edmunds Law—President Taylor Predicts a “Storm”—The Church’s Attitude—First Presidency and Others in Exile —Franklin D. Richards the “Visible Head of the Church’’—Anti-Poly- gamy Legislation—The Church Disincorporated and its Property Escheated—A Great Legal Battle—Franklin S. and Charles C. Richards to the Fore—Defeats and Victories—The Snow and Bassett Cases— Idaho’s Test Oath Law—The Manifesto—Administrative Labors—Timely Instructions) eo i.i.cd halah oe choles Dae bobo aaa alte ea re ee 197 CHA PLE Re axa A PILGRIMAGE TO SACRED PLACES Burial Place of Mormon Battalion Boys, Pueblo, Colorado—Jackson County, Missouri—Carthage Jail—Nauvoo—Former Homes of Franklin D. and Willard Richards—Other Points of Interest in the City of Joseph FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS —Part of Book of Mormon Manuscript Procured—At Richmond, Mis- sire David WV itmmerssnek CStITTIOTIY othe Pheer oure ies te aie che och eens Cyne) GE AT DW Rie xo | GENEALOGICAL AND TEMPLE WORK Temples and Their Purpose—Salvation for the Dead—Genealogical Re- search—The Richards, Dewey, Comstock and Snyder Genealogies— Franklin’s Vicarious Labors—Records Obtained for Others—The Utah Genealogical Society—Divine Manifestations in BGS er eral of the DRE, BBO EEN Vig eate GRE Ay INR A ota igh GD a earl eA a Ha A a CHABPGER XXTI LAST YEARS OF HIS LIFE Franklin D. Richards Church Historian—Bancroft’s History of Utah— President of the State Historical Society—President of the Twelve Apostles—Utah Pioneer Jubilee—The Tithing Reform Movement— Illness and Death—Funeral and Interment—Eulogies by George Q. Cannon, Edward W. Tullidge, and Orson F .Whitney—The Author’s ME DILCMLOREL ISS GEODGSI£E Lee ne aie ae re REL MS due ane kL sain ies I APPENDIX LATER LIFE AND OBSEQUIES OF JANE SNYDER RICHARDS eoeornr eevee eee WIVES AND CHILDREN OF FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS eoreeoeerece ee eres 11 Page ai7 237 ef LD eng 7] ae } et mn nt if . | fa, ie 1 A ib Deere $he0h i) a Wy © alia Ae Pann Geek. CHAPTER I ANCESTRY AND BOYHOOD Early Ancestors—Joseph, Phinehas, Levi and ‘Willard Richards—Frank- lin as a School Boy—His Parents’ Religion—“Mormon” Missionaries— Conversion and Baptism. Before the time of the Norman Conquest, the Richards name was known in Scandinavia, Germany, France and Spain, with its terminations varied accord- ing to national usage. It is probable that the ancestors of Franklin Dewey Richards came to the British Isles at approximately the time of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who defeated Harold, the last of the Saxon kings of England, and obtained control of that country (A. D. 1066). The name is repeatedly associated with nobility and landed titles of the British Isles. Books of her- aldry give no less than seventeen distinct coats of arms by the name of Richards. Franklin’s progenitors are next to be found in New England, for he was of that sturdy Puritan stock which came to this country in quest of religious and political liberty. His earliest American ancestor, Richard Richards, settled at Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1633—only thirteen years after the landing of the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower. The fam- ily continued to live in New England until its members became identified with the acne Saints and moved westward. The maiden name of Franklin D. Richerds: mother 14 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS was Wealthy Dewey. It is interesting to note that her lineage also passed along the Saxon line from the Con- tinent to England at the time of the expedition of the Norman Conqueror; that the same sort of princely line, with numerous coats of arms associated, continued in England; and that her ancestor, Thomas Dewey, a dis- senter, emigrated from Sandwich, Kent, England, to Dorchester, Massachusetts, about 1630. Descendants of this staunch Puritan settler include professional men of high standing—scholars, statesmen, judges, divines, and high ranking officers of the army and navy. Thus it is seen that Franklin D. Richards on both sides of his family is of English extraction, and that he came from courageous, liberty-loving forebears, who boldly struck out from the Old World in search of new and broader fields of activity, where freedom of conscience might be enjoyed. Many people can trace their lineage to nobility if they go back far enough. It is claimed that a child inherits about half of his qualities from his parents, about one quarter from his grandparents, and the other quarter from his earlier ancestors; the more remote the forefather, the less likelihood that the child will re- -semble him significantly. It is fitting, therefore, that we look more carefully and fully to his immediate progenitors. Franklin D. Richards’ grandfather, Joseph Rich- ards, was a farmer of moderate means. He had been a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and took part in the battles of Crown Point, Cowpens, and Bennington. His wife was Rhoda Howe, whose youngest sister was the mother of President Brigham Young. They were FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 15 blessed with nine children. Three of them, Phinehas (Franklin’s father), Levi and Willard, became promi- nent among the Latter-day Saints and in the settlement of the West. They are the heads of the Richards fam- ily of Utah. All three were medical doctors, and were cousins to Brigham Young. Phinehas was a sergeant-major on the colonel’s staff of the Massachusetts militia, a high councilor in the Salt Lake Stake, and chaplain, representative and senator in the provisional government of the State of Deseret (now Utah). Levi, for five years, was in the presidency of the European Mission. He was surgeon-general of the Nauvoo Legion, and physician to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. In the Prophet’s journal under date of April 19, 1843, is found this entry: ‘‘I will say that that man (Levi Richards) is the best physician I have ever been acquainted with.’’ Willard was in Carthage Jail with Joseph and Hy- rum Smith and John Taylor, at the time the Prophet and the Patriarch were slain. He had been private sec- retary to the Prophet, and was his close, personal friend. During his eventful lifetime he held many posi- tions of honor and trust. One of the earliest editors of the ‘‘ Millennial Star,’’ editor of the ‘‘Times and Sea- sons,’’ founder, editor and proprietor of the *‘ Deseret News,”’ he was also postmaster of Salt Lake City, secre- tary of the State of Deseret, president of the council of the Utah Legislature, an Apostle, Church Historian, and second counselor to President Brigham Young in the First Presidency of the Church. From these three pioneers of Utah the Richards 16 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS family has grown to large numbers. The descendants are genuine, sensible, hard-working, thrifty, God-fear- ing men and women. Among them are to be found artists, musicians, editors, lawyers, doctors, college professors, merchants, bankers, farmers, bishops, presi- dents and apostles. Phinehas Richards married Wealthy Dewey— already mentioned. Franklin D. was the fourth of their nine children, and was born at Richmond, Berk- shire County, Massachusetts, April 2, 1821. A glimpse of the home land of the Richards family will be of interest. Berkshire County is situated in the extreme western part of Massachusetts, bordering up- on the states of Vermont, New York, and Connecticut. Pittsfield (population 41,763 in 1920) is the county seat, and is located near the center of the county. Ten miles southwest of Pittsfield, in the Taconic moun- tains and only a short distance from the state line of New York, lies the beautiful little town of Richmond, Franklin’s birthplace. The Housatonic and Hoosae rivers, the first flow- ing south, and the latter north between the Taconic and the Hoosae ranges, drain the region of the Berkshire hills. The scenery in the valleys of these two rivers is exceedingly picturesque, the Berkshire hills being noted for their beauty. The Taconic and Hoosae ranges cross the state from north to south, the former in the extreme west where Richmond is located, the latter on the east of Berkshire County. The entire county is cut up with hills and valleys ranging in elevation from fifteen hundred to thirty-five FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 17 hundred feet. These were heavily wooded, stocked with game, and rather wild and primitive. Franklin was an industrious boy, spending his time when not in school, either as a worker on the farm, or in helping his father at his trade of carpenter. In order to lighten the burden of his parents, who had a large family, the boy decided at the tender age of ten years to attempt to support himself. With this object in view, he walked ten miles to a neighboring town, where he sought and obtained employment. The next five years were spent by him at various places in Berk- shire County, the greater part of the time in Pittsfield. During two of these years he worked for his uncles Willard and Levi, who were engaged in making lumber. Although educational opportunities were meagre at that time, he received a common school training, and also attended the Lenox Academy during one term, working mornings, evenings and Saturdays for his board. Early in life he formed those studious habits that characterize his entire career. He is reputed to have read all the books contained in the local Sunday School library. It was customary with him (as it was with Lincoln in his boyhood) to read by fire-light. Speaking of this period, he says that he committed whole chapters of scripture to memory. Observing his fondness for study, certain good women of the community collected funds for the main- tenance of a scholarship in one of the New England colleges, and offered it to him. He says of this incident: ‘‘T took time to consider the matter. My parents did not constrain me to accept or reject the offer. The necessities of the family helped me to make up my 2 18 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS mind to deny myself the benefits of a college education, and led me to choose the filial duty of aiding to support my father’s family, who were young in years and needed more than his personal efforts could supply by his work as carpenter and painter.’’ This was a real sacrifice, for Franklin possessed an insatiable desire for learning. His parents and grandparents were members of the Congregational Church, and the boy frequently at- tended prayer meetings with them. On one occasion, after the Reverend Mr. Shepard had delivered a very interesting and powerful discourse, his mother said to him: ‘‘How glad mother would be if her little son should grow up to become such a good shepherd!”’ In the summer of 1836 Elders Brigham and Joseph Young arrived at Richmond, from Ohio. They were, at one time, members of the Methodist Church, but were now ‘‘Mormon’’ missionaries, having embraced the faith about four years previously. Brigham was one of the ''welve Apostles, and his brother Joseph was president of the Seventies. Delighted with the ‘‘new religion,’’ they had journeyed to Massachusetts in the hope that their relatives would also accept it. That hope was realized. ‘‘Not only did this visit of these Elders change our line of thought, but the entire base and line of operations of all the future of our lives,”’ says Franklin in his journal. His father and mother and his uncles Levi and Willard soon joined the Church, as did other members of the family. But this boy of fifteen years took further time to consider. He listened respectfully to what the missionaries had to say, and commenced reading the FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 19 Book of Mormon. To use his own words, he was ‘‘rather cautious in receiving the new ideas.’’ After two years of careful reading and investiga- tion he became converted, and was baptized by his father, Phinehas Richards, in the waters of Mill Creek, in his native town, June 3, 1838. The following day he was confirmed a member of the Church. CHAPTER II THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS How “Mormonism” Originated—Church Officers—Tenets and Teachings —Doctrinal Standards—Membership Requirements—Missionary and Finan- cial Systems—Vital Statistics—Early Moves of the Church. Almost the entire life of Franklin D. Richards was devoted to the promulgation of the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints, and to labors of a kindred character having in view the development and upbuilding of the Church. A proper appreciation of him and his life’s work cannot be had without some understanding of the principles he advocated, the cause he so dearly loved, and the wonderful organization in which he was a prominent figure. For this reason a brief dissertation on the Church and its basic doctrines is here given. ‘‘Mormonism’’ is not a new religion. ‘There is nothing new to it except its name and its place in his- tory. It proclaims itself the Everlasting Gospel, re- stored to earth at the opening of a new dispensation, the last and greatest of a succession of such events, reaching from the days of Adam down to the present— the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times. The term ‘‘Mormon Church’’ is a misnomer—hence the use of quotation marks by ‘‘Mormon’’ writers when using it. Strictly speaking, there is no ‘‘Mormon”’ Church. The proper title is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was so named by the Savior himself, through revelation to its founder and first president, Joseph FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS Zi Smith, the Prophet. Its members are styled ‘‘Mor- mons’’ for their belief in the Book of Mormon, one of the sacred books of the Church. The name ‘‘Latter- day Saints’”’ derives its significance from the fact that there were former-day saints—the followers of Jesus Christ in the meridian of time. From the Church then established, there was a general falling away after the passing of the Apostles, and this necessitated a restora- tion of the Gospel and the Priesthood and a re-estab- lishment of the Church of Christ in modern times. Joseph Smith as a boy of fourteen years, while engaged in prayer, received a heavenly vision of the Father and the Son. This manifestation revealed the fact that God is in the form of man, a fact plainly indi- cated in the Bible, but ignored or denied by many Christian teachers of today. It was shown to the Prophet that the supreme creative and controlling power, constituting the government of the universe, is in three glorified beings—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost—all in human form; the Father and the Son being personages of tabernacle, having bodies as tangible as man’s, while the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. Proceeding from these Three, who constitute the Godhead, is an essence or influence called the Spirit of the Lord, possessed in some degree by all men, but more especially and more fully by the Saints as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Supreme Being is the Father of the human race, deeply interested in the wel- fare of all his children, who heed but approach Him reverently and in faith, in order to receive blessings at his hands. His Son, Jesus Christ, set the example of a perfect life, taught the principles upon which depend 22 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS all real happiness and progress in this world and in the world to come, and gave his life to make those prin- ciples effectual unto man’s salvation. The Holy Ghost bears witness of the Father and the Son and confirms the faith of those who enlist to serve Heaven. Its mission is to enlighten the mind and enlarge the soul of the honest seeker after truth. On the 15th of May, 1829, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery went into the woods to pray, and while they were calling on the Lord, a messenger from heaven (John the Baptist) descended 1n a cloud of light, laid his hands upon them and ordained them, saying: “Upon you, my fellow-servants, in the name of Mes- siah, I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the re- mission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer, again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.’’ In due time the priesthood of Melchisedek was conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, through the ministration of the Apostles Peter, James, and John. Joseph was commanded to ordain Oliver an Hilder, and Oliver was then to ordain Joseph an Elder, which they did April 6, 1880, when the Church was organized. 7 Church membership is dependent upon faith in God, repentance from sin, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift (giving) of the Holy Ghost. There can be no valid performance of any ordinance of the Gospel without divine authority in the person so officiating. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 23 Continued right living is essential to permanent mem- bership and unceasing progress in the Church of Christ. The officers of the Church, with accompanying duties and responsibilities, are the same as they were in the days of the Savior. Among these officers are apostles, high priests, seventies, elders, priests, teach- ers, and deacons, terms quite familiar to readers of the New Testament. The President of the Church receives revelation for the guidance of the Church; but every member of it may have inspiration from heaven for his or her own personal behoof. The sacred books of the Church—its standards of doctrine—are the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price; the last named a compilation of precious truths selected and brought together from various sources. In it are the Writings of Moses and the Book of Abraham, the former re- vealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith by the Spirit of Revelation, the latter translated by him from Egyptian papyrus. It also contains the Prophet’s account of his early visions and experiences. ‘The Doctrine and Cove- nants embodies the revelations given to him for the establishment of the Church and the instruction of its members. The Holy Bible is accepted literally by the Latter-day Saints as the word of God, except for the errors that have crept into it through faulty translation. The Book of Mormon is an an- cient record translated from gold plates that came into the possession of Joseph Smith, who, by means of the Urim and Thummim, rendered the record into English. An angel named Moroni, who had 24 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS visited Joseph on four different occasions, directed him to the place where the plates and the Urim and Thummim were found. Three years were occupied in their translation. Therein an account is given of the peoples who occupied the continents of North and South America from the time of the Tower of Babel to about 420 A. D., giving not only their political and economic history, but more particularly their religious experiences. To one of these peoples—the nation of the Nephites, a branch of the House of Israel that came from Jerusalem about 600 B. C., and of which the American Indians are a degenerate remnant—the Sav- ior appeared after his resurrection and organized his Church among them. The Book of Mormon, contain- ing the Gospel of Christ, as delivered by Him to the Nephites, tells how He prophesied concerning the build- ing of Zion, the New Jerusalem, which is to stand upon the North American continent; also the rebuilding of the old Jerusalem, and the gathering of Israel in the last days, preparatory to the second coming of the Lord and the consummation of all things pertaining to this planet—God’s footstool. The Church is maintained by the free will offerings of its members, each contributing a tithe, or one-tenth of his or her annual increase, for the carrying on of the Lord’s work. ‘Kast offerings and donations for the support of the poor and for other worthy causes, are also a feature of the ‘‘Mormon’’ financial system. The tithes and offerings are not collected during divine service, but are given or sent to the bishops, who man- age the temporal affairs of the Church. Its member- ship has grown to approximately one half million, FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 25 mostly resident in the Stakes of Zion, now (1924) num- bering ninety, and located in Utah and other parts of the western country. Many members of the Church spend from two to three years, and some of them longer periods, in the mission field, entirely at their own expense. About two thousand missionaries are kept in the field, and missions have been established in most of the civilized countries of the globe. In Utah the birth rate is higher, the death rate lower, marriages more numerous, and divorces fewer, according to population, than in the United States at large. Educationally, Utah stands eighth among the forty-eight states of the Union, and seventy-five per cent of the ‘‘Mormon”’ families residing within the State own their own homes. But this is anticipative. Let us now return to earlier times. Within a year after the organization of the Church at Fayette, Seneca County, New York, it moved its headquarters to Kirtland, Ohio; and subsequently to Har West, Missouri. Jackson County, in that state, had been designated by revelation as the central gath- ering place of Latter-day Israel, and in 1831 a ‘‘ Mor- mon’’ colony settled there and commenced to ‘‘build up Zion.’’ ‘Two years later they were mobbed and driven from the county. In 1838 the Church made a general move into Missouri—not to Jackson County, however, but to the new county of Caldwell, where the Saints founded the City of Far West. It was just at this juncture that Franklin D. Rich- ards came into the Church. Its membership was then 26 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS about five thousand, and new converts were rapidly be- ing made through the earnest labors of faithful and de- voted missionaries. Both in Ohio and Missouri the Saints suffered persecution, and the troubles in the latter state were at their height about the time of Franklin’s baptism. Having traced thus far the story of his life, we will now follow the footsteps of this zealous disciple of the Master, on his westward journey to mingle his lot with that of the Lord’s persecuted people. CHAPTER IT IN MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS The Spirit of Gathering—Franklin’s Journey Westward—A Powerful Manifestation—Mobs and Their Outrages—The Haun’s Mill Massacre— George Spencer Richards a Victim—Causes of Persecution—Arrival at Far West—Goes to Quincy, Illinois—First Sight of the Prophet—Ordained a Seventy at Nauvoo—Called on a Mission. Converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints generally develop a strong desire to gather around their leaders and live with those of the same religious faith. Franklin’s uncles, Levi and Willard, and his younger brother, George Spencer Richards, had gone to join the main body of the Saints. He determined to do likewise. Accordingly, four months after his bap- tism, on October 22, 1838, he and his cousin, Edward D. Pierson, left Richmond, Massachusetts, with Far West, Missouri, as their destination. That journey of thirteen hundred miles, before there was a railroad in those parts, was quite an under- taking for the two boys. Franklin was but seventeen years of age at the time. The population of the United States then num- bered only sixteen millions, distributed in the general shape of a triangle, with its base along the Atlantic seaboard, and the apex in Missouri. There were less than five thousand people in the state of Iowa. Chicago was about the size of Brigham City, and St. Louis the size of Ogden, having five thousand and thirty-five thousand inhabitants, respectively. Ohio and Illinois were for the most part a wilder- 28 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS ness, and Western Missouri was on the frontier of civilization; the lands beyond being held by the In- dians under Mexican or British rule. Between Lake Erie and the Mississippi River there were a few settle- ments, but they were recent, small and crude. In national history, this period is known as the Period of Westward Expansion. Whether slavery should be extended as new territory became settled, was the burning issue. Through compromise, Missouri had been admitted as a slave state. Van Buren, Har- rison, and Polk were the Presidents in succession from 1837 to 1849. Means of travel and communication were of such a primitive character that it was difficult to keep in touch with events. Railroads were not in general use, and the telegraph was a thing of the future. People traveled in wagons, on horseback, or more luxuriously by stage coach or canal boat. On the great rivers steam- boats plied to and fro. Mails were slow and generally delayed; newspapers uncommon, and as a rule issued weekly or monthly. While Franklin D. Richards was traveling to Mis- souri, the mob troubles in that state were speeding to a tragic culmination. He wrote thus in his diary: ‘‘On the way I crossed the Alleghany Mountains in Pennsylvania. We pursued our journey tardily on account of low water in the Ohio River, until we reached St. Louis. Here we received first news of the persecution which was now raging furiously against our people in Missouri. We stored our baggage and proceeded on foot, having a distance of two hundred and seventy-five miles yet to go. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 29 ‘*Tt was our lot to stay with two men who had been ‘out in the war.’ One of them drew a large belt pistol and said he would shoot a ‘Mormon’ or the friend of a ‘Mormon,’ as soon as he avowed himself such. This was the general spirit of the mob. ‘*At Columbia, the county seat of Boone County, we stayed overnight with a Major Wall, who had just returned from a campaign against the ‘Mormons.’ He entertained us with the most atrocious falsehoods, and with accounts of the barbarous crimes committed by him and his command while out on that campaign. Cousin Pierson was too foot-sore to proceed farther, so I went on without him. ‘The day after, while traveling on the prairie, I received my first manifestation of divine power, the inspiration of the Holy Ghost ministering unto me a fuller understanding of the principles of the Gospel, and a more perfect knowledge of the heavenly work I had espoused. It divested me of all doubt, and filled me with an unshaken confidence in the things of God. It so established me in the faith that I have never from that time doubted for a moment the things revealed to me, or the things divinely promised to be fulfilled in this dispensation.”’ The weary tramp at an end, on December 8, 1838, he arrived at Far West; there to learn of a terrible deed which, on October 30, less than six weeks before, had robbed him of his brother George, who with others had been massacred by a mob of ruffians, about two hun- dred and forty in number, at Haun’s Mill, near Far West. Seventeen men and boys, out of a httle com- pany of thirty or forty Saints encamped there, had been 30 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS murdered and their bodies thrown into a well. From the survivors Franklin learned the particulars of this atrocity. An aged man, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, attempting to escape, was overtaken, his gun snatched from him, and he literally hacked to pieces with an old corn cutter. A mere lad, the only survivor of a score of men and boys who had taken refuge in an old blacksmith shop, begged for his life. In reply, one of the mob placed the muzzle of his gun at the boy’s head and literally blew it to atoms. They then plund- ered the dead bodies, before disposing of them as described. Young George Richards, Grandfather’s youngest brother, only fifteen years of age, had exhibited the faith and courage characteristic of the stock from which he sprang, by leaving home as the pioneer of his father’s family, and traveling that great distance to east his lot with the unpopular ‘‘Mormons,”’ to brave the hardships of frontier service and lay down his life for the cause he loved so dearly. The history of the Latter-day Saints records a long series of severe persecutions. Beginning in the state of New York, they continued with increasing violence in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. Houses were unroofed or burned, property destroyed, settlements left desolate, families scattered and compelled to flee for safety. Through these unlawful depredations the people were stripped of the accumulations of years of toil. Some were forced at the point of the bayonet to deed away their property. Their leaders were har- assed and annoyed with law-suits, and imprisoned on trumped-up charges that had no foundation in fact. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 31 On several occasions men were tarred and feathered, and others slain outright. On June 27, 1844, two of the noblest men that ever lived, men whose lives were devoted to the service of humanity, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, the Patriarch, were murdered by a mob at Carthage, Illinois. To men and women now living in this great coun- try, whose Constitution guarantees religious liberty, and in this modern age of Christian enlightenment, such appalling facts seem incredible. We will pause, therefore, in our narrative long enough to briefly ex- plain the causes of such persecution. The earliest ‘‘Mormon”’ converts came largely from New England, and the Missourians were slave- holders. Naturally the social customs of the two classes differed, and they clashed in their views on the ques- tion of slavery. The older settlers were fearful lest the immigrants from the North would ultimately out- number them, and Missouri thereby be changed from a slave to a free state. This would mean that they might lose their slaves, which were very profitable to them. It aroused the same feeling of resentment that would have been produced by people coming among them who, they feared, might steal their personal property. Through efficient missionary work the Church was erowing rapidly. Wherever the ‘‘Mormons’’ settled, towns and villages sprang up as by magic. Political demagogues feared that they would rule that part of the country. And the fear was well grounded. It would have been but a short time before the new- comers would have out-numbered the older settlers. Morally, socially, and industrially, they were superior 32 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS to most of their neighbors, and because of this they were envied, feared and hated. Their motives were grossly misinterpreted. ‘The revelation indicating Jackson County, Missouri, as their central gathering place, and the town of Inde- pendence as the site for the New Jerusalem, the spot where a holy temple would be reared, unto which the Savior would come, was construed by the Missourians to mean that the ‘‘Mormons”’ claimed Jackson County by divine inheritance, and intended to conquer it in like manner as Joshua conquered the land of Canaan. Tt was asserted that their plan was to unite with the Indians across the border and drive the ‘*Gentiles’”’ from the land. And this, though the Saints abhorred bloodshed and violence, and had honestly purchased from the Government or from private owners every foot of ground that they occupied. Goaded by bitter taunts and hateful actions, some of the new settlers may have been indiscreet and in- temperate in their language. It was claimed that at times they were arrogant and annoying in speech and manner. Such characters are found in every community, but are seldom, if ever, in the majority. H. H. Bancroft, a non-‘‘ Mormon’’ historian, says: ‘‘The Mormons in Missouri and Illinois were as a class a more moral, honest, temperate, hard-working, self-denying, and thrifty people than the Gentiles by whom they were surrounded.’’ (Bancroft’s History of Utah, page 164.) The ‘‘Gentiles’’ charged that the ‘‘Mormons’’ stood united in almost all matters, and that their com- pact organization gave them a strength disproportion- ate to their numbers. They held the balance of power FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 33 and could throw their vote to the Whigs or to the Dem- ocrats, just as they chose, thus deciding the issue at the polls. Following each election, therefore, a torrent of abuse was poured out upon them by the leaders of the defeated party. The candidacy of Joseph Smith for the Presidency of the United States, also contrib- uted to the general feeling of ill-will. Religious rancor, too, was never wanting. It played a most prominent part in the tragic drama. Christian ministers recognized in the ‘* Mormon’’ preachers pow- erful rivals. Their flocks were being decimated through conversions to the faith of the Saints, and this affected their pride and means of livelihood. Many of them not only became jealous and revengeful, but were the actual instigators and leaders of mobs in some of the most cruel persecutions. There have always been found, on the frontiers of civilization, not only the strong, progressive, law-abid- ing pioneer, but also the adventurer, the fugitive from justice, and those who commit crimes for a livelihood. Governor Ford in his History of Illinois (page 246) says of this period: ‘‘Then again the northern part of the state was not destitute of its organized bands of rogues engaged in murders, robberies, horse-stealing, and in making and passing counterfeit money.’’ Presi- dent John Taylor adds: ‘‘'Their influence was so great as to control important state and county offices.’’ Colo- nel Thomas L. Kane, a disinterested observer and a na- tional figure, not a ‘‘Mormon,”’ referred to the border ruffians of Ohio and Missouri as the ‘‘vile seum which our own society, like the great ocean, washes up on its frontiers.’’ He spoke of the pleasure he experienced 34 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS when in 1846 he came to the ‘‘ Mormon”’ camps at Coun- cil Bluffs, ‘‘associating again with persons who were almost all of Hastern-American origin—persons of re- fined habit and decent language.”’ It is to the credit of our people that they an- tagonize these unsavory elements. As might be ex- pected, however, a number of adventurers were drawn in the net with other converts. Some of these shady characters had ulterior and sinister motives in joining the ranks of the Saints. Shifty and intelligent, they sought and obtained prominent positions in the Church and had the confidence of its leaders. When their un- worthiness was discovered they were promptly ex- communicated. The extent of their bitterness and hatred is indescribable. One of these treacherous men, a Colonel Hinkle, betrayed the Prophet and his friends into the hands of the Missouri mob. John C. Bennett and other apostates in Illinois also became very active in the persecution of their former associates. In addition to these specific and temporal reasons for the mobbings and drivings of the Saints, the follow- ing general cause may be cited: Their religion was radically different from the religious views of their neighbors, who were in the main church-going people, members of Christian congregations. It is human na- ture to be conservative—to stand in the way of change and advancement. The great scientists, with few ex- ceptions, have been opposed and persecuted. Galileo and Bruno are typical examples. Opposition and mar- tyrdom were the common lot of the prophets of old, the Apostles of the Savior, and many of the early saints. The Redeemer of the world, man’s greatest FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 35 friend and benefactor, was crucified between two crim- inals, and He told his disciples that if they followed in his footsteps they must expect trials and persecu- tion. The Latter-day Saints were patient to the extreme in bearing their hardships and sufferings, and their steadfastness through all is the strongest evidence of their sincerity and devotion to the Master’s cause. When Franklin D. Richards arrived at Far West the persecuted people were moving out of the state, heading towards Quincy, Illinois. He, of course, joined them. He met two of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, and his uncles Levi and Willard Richards, and from them received counsel to assist him in his future course. He walked most of the way to Quincy, and worked at various kinds of manual labor, such as cutting tim- ber and driving team. His parents had furnished him money for the journey to the West, and he was anxious to repay them as soon as possible. He sought, there- fore, every opportunity for employment and was very conservative and conscientious in his expenditures. In his journal he said: ‘*When my parents think that I have done my duty to them, I shall be ready to do my duty to God, in warning my fellowmen of the judg- ments and sorrows to come; this is my desire and prayer.”’ He wrote home concerning one of his brothers: ‘Tell Samuel to do his duty and be constant in prayer, and he shall have a witness that the work is true. This is a day to try men’s faith, and if they cannot stand it, what will they do when sorrow comes?”’ Still speak- ing of his brother, he said: ‘‘If he gets a thousand miles 36 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS from home, he will find that the religion of the Church will comfort him in many a lonesome hour. [I find it so.’’ To that brother he thus expressed himself: ‘‘Yes, Brother Samuel, my faith was tried to a degree and somewhat shaken, but I took to constant prayer and soon my doubt all fled.’”’ His conscientious nature is shown in the following extract from one of his letters to his parents: ‘‘T consider it my duty to account to you for the manner in which I have spent my time, knowing that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all. On January 1, 1839, T contracted to labor for a Mr. Hill, who lived on a hill six miles north of St. Louis, on Cahokia Creek. The Saints were moving out of Missouri and concentrating, as a temporary refuge, at and about Quincy, Illinois, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, about one hundred and forty miles north of St. Louis, and one hundred and eighty miles southwest of Chicago.. In the spring I moved there and hired out to Mr. Brown, a deacon of the Baptist Church, and worked with him until I had to discontinue because of sickness. While sick I boarded part of the time with Brother Curtis, and part of the time kept bachelor’s house with Uncle Levi.”’ At a conference held at Quincy in May, 1839, Frank- lin first saw the Prophet Joseph Smith. Soon after this, the Prophet purchased for the Church tracts of land at Commerce, some fifty miles up the river. There hved Daniel H. Wells, who was not then connected with the Church, in which he afterwards rose to great prom- mence. ‘There were but four or five homes at Com- FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 37 merce, and three of these were log structures. Origin- ally a damp, unhealthy spot, it became, through drain- age and by the blessing of the Lord, sweet and whole- some. Situated in a bend of the Mississippi River, the location was beautiful, and the name was changed to Nauvoo, which means ‘‘The Beautiful.’’ The village or hamlet grew rapidly, as the result of the gathering of new converts from the Hast and the flocking in of the persecuted people from Missouri. After the death of its founder, Nauvoo was renamed the City of Joseph, but it did not long bear that title, as the Saints, two years later, were compelled to abandon the place and flee into the wilderness. Franklin D. Richards attended the Church con- ference at Nauvoo, in April, 1840, and on the ninth day of that month he was ordained a Seventy by President Joseph Young, assisted by Elder Albert P. Rockwood. At the same time he was called on a mission to North- ern Indiana. Returning to Quincy to close up his busi- ness, he there preached, on the 21st of June, his first sermon. Having adjusted his affairs, he returned to Nauvoo, spent the 4th of July in that city, and then de- parted for his field of labor. This marked the beginning of a long period of splendid missionary service. CHAPTER IV THE PROBLEM OF MISSIONS Numerical Strength and Geographical Distribution of the World's Religions—Why ‘“Mormonism’s” Message is Sent Forth—Proselyting Meth- ods Compared—Labors of Franklin D. Richards—Nine Missions Without Purse or Scrip. Mankind is ‘‘incurably religious,’’? and probably always has been. Some form of religion exists among practically all peoples. The following table, compiled in 1920, gives an estimate of the relative strength of the religions of the world and the territory occupied by each: Name of Religion Members in Millions Lands Where Most (Round Numbers) Of Them Reside Christians 550 Europe, North and South America Followers of Buddha 400 South and Eastern Asia Brahmanical Hindoos 200 India Followers of Confucius 100 China Mohammedans 200 Northern Africa and Southern Asia Pagans, not otherwise enumerated 250 Total 1,700 There are many sects of large membership in each of the above mentioned units. The development of all these religions excepting the Christian, has been arrested, and even this is mak- ing headway in a faltering, hesitating manner. Not so the Latter-day Saints or ‘‘ Mormons,’’ who, since they are followers of Christ and believers in the Bible, are entitled to be classed as Christians. In their views and practices they resemble the Protestants more than they do the Catholics. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 39 The argument has been advanced that inasmuch as every nation or people has developed a religion of its own, adapted to the degree of intelligence and state of morality manifested by each, that it is therefore the best for that people, and that the churches should de- vote their time and efforts to their own flocks, and not dissipate their energies in striving to convert one an- other. In this connection, a passage found in Acts 10: 34, 35, is sometimes quoted: ‘‘T’hen Peter opened his mouth and said: ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. But in every nation he that feareth Him and worketh righteousness is accepted with Him.’’ This was said, however, because Cornelius and his kinsmen, who were ‘‘Gentiles,’’ had manifested their willingness to receive the Gospel, and were worthy to receive it. The following passage from the Book of Mormon, is more germane to the argument: ‘‘For behold, the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach his word, yea, in wis- dom, all that He seeth fit that they should have; there- fore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true.’’ (Alma, 29:8.) These sacred sayings were not intended to con- trovert, nor are they at all in opposition to, the great command of the Savior to his Apostles, to preach the Gospel to every creature, in order that the world may be warned of impending judgments and that scattered Israel may be gathered in from their long dispersion —which is one great reason for the preaching of the Gospel in latter days. There is some truth, mixed with error, in all 40 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS religions. But it would be unreasonable to infer that they are all equally good or equally beneficial, any more than all works of literature, art, music, etc., are of equal value, or that all forms of government are equally effective in promoting man’s welfare. All the people of the earth are children of our Heavenly Fath- er, and He blesses and enlightens them by his Spirit, according to their capacity to receive, be it large or small, and just as fast as they place themselves in a position to be so blessed and enlightened. Truth in large measure was given by Jesus the Master. Only a few, however, were able to understand and appreciate his message, and most of his contemporaries rejected it altogether. The fundamental principles of the Gospel of Christ find application among all men, but all have not the capacity to receive the truth in its fulness. Hence, Alma’s declaration, above quoted. He longed to teach all nations, but his ministry was limited to the people immediately around him. Unlike the Apostles in a later generation, he had not been sent into ‘‘all the world’’ to preach the Gospel ‘‘to every creature.”’ When the proper time came, such preachers were sent forth upon both hemispheres. Just as Jesus in ancient days sent his Apostles to every nation, kindred, ton- gue and people, so He has given the same direction to his Apostles in modern times. Missions, therefore, are being established by the Latter-day Saints in all parts of the world. The work instituted by the Prophet Joseph will grow until it extends to all peoples. The Prophet Daniel foresaw this in the career of ‘‘the stone cut out without hands,’’ FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 41 which smote the ‘‘great image’’ and expanded and in- creased until it ‘‘filled the whole earth.’’ (Daniel 2: 31-45.) As fast as people develop to a point where they can appreciate and be benefited by the gift of the Holy Ghost, the Gospel message will reach them. All men will not receive the fulness of the Truth, but all must be warned of the judgments that impend over the wicked who reject it and persecute its believers and advocates. Israel must be gathered, Zion established, and the way prepared for the glorious coming of Him before whom, ultimately, ‘‘every knee shall bow and every tongue confess.”’ The so-called ‘‘ Mormon’’ Church is not only very different from the other churches in its doctrines and organization; it also varies from them in its method of making converts. The Mohammedans, throughout their extended proselyting crusade, and the Christians in their missionary work in Northern Europe and in Mexico, used violence—even the sword. They were ac- companied and supported by armies. Even in this day Catholic and Protestant missionaries receive financial remuneration for their service. Contrast with these methods those of the humble Elders of Israel, who give their time and means to the work of God, out of love for Him and their fellow- men. ‘They receive no financial remuneration, and yet, with but half a million members to draw upon, the Church keeps about two thousand missionaries constantly in the field. At present ‘‘Mormon’’ par- ents usually pay the expenses of their sons and daugh- ters while on missions; but in earlier days this was not 42 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS done. The Elders sent out into the world traveled literally without purse or scrip, according to the ex- ample set by the Savior and his ancient Apostles. Franklin D, Richards was no exception. Between the years 1840 and 1845 he went upon five missions— two to Indiana, and one each to Ohio, New York and Michigan. Between 1846 and 1868 he filled four mis- sions to Europe. In all, nine missions without purse or scrip. He had such a gentlemanly address, such a courteous manner, such a kind heart, and carried so much comfort and sunshine with him, that he was a welcome guest in the homes of the people to whom he delivered his priceless message. In return, he was very expressive of his gratitude for their hospitality, and always left his blessing with them. Of him and those like him, it may well be said— and, indeed, was said virtually in days of old: ‘‘Bless- ed are they who turn many unto righteousness, for they shall shine as the stars—yea, even as the sun— forever and ever!’’ CHAPTER V | MISSIONS IN THE UNITED STATES In Northern Indiana—Organizes a Branch at La Porte—Thirty Public Lectures—Returns to Nauvoo—Again at La Porte—The Snyder Family— Labors in Ohio—Corner Stones of Temple Laid—Attends Other Churches— Defeats an Infidel in Public Argument—Interviews Professor Curtis, the Renowned Thomsonian—Ordained a High Priest—Visits the Kirtland Tem- ple—In New York State and in Canada. Franklin D. Richards started upon his first mis- sion July 13, 1840. His ministerial activities centered about the town of La Porte, in the extreme northern part of Indiana. In this locality the people were largely Campbellites or reformed Baptists. Their beliefs were quite similar in some respects to those of the Latter- day Saints, both churches standing for the literal in- terpretation of the Scriptures; and since the ‘‘ Mor- mon’’ faith can be readily substantiated by the Bible the field was a promising one for the young missionary. He states in his journal that his purpose was to preach the truth, convert people to the faith, and en- deavor to build up branches of the Church, and he further says: ‘‘I traveled on foot with my valise, a book or two, and a change of underclothing, seeking opportunities by the way to preach the Gospel. I went without any means to pay my expenses, and asked the people for a chance to state my sentiments and views. I did not meet with many rebuffs, probably because of my youth, and from many received very kindly consideration. ‘““T went out on my mission with the utmost diffi- dence. I told the Lord in my prayers that if He would make me instrumental in convincing three good, hon- 44 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS est souls, who would accept the truth and obey it unto salvation, I would be satisfied with His goodness and with the prosperity of my efforts. I started out in July, and came back the next spring. I was the means of converting and baptizing eight persons.’’ He or- ganized a branch at La Porte, and fervently prayed for its members: ‘‘O Lord, grant that they may en- dure to the end, that they may be saved!”’ _ While on this mission he performed a marriage ceremony and preached his first funeral sermon. At Twelve Mile Grove he was instrumental in healing a Sister Leavitt’s daughter, who was near unto death. His time was mostly occupied in preaching, baptizing, confirming, and in comforting and counseling the Saints who had not yet ‘‘gathered’’ to the bosom of the Church. In his journal he wrote: ‘‘I delivered thirty public lectures that caused much excitement. Judges, doc- tors, and preachers invited me to their homes and made me more than welcome, while He in whom I trust be- stowed upon me the portion requisite to combat error, defend truth, and allay the prejudice of many minds.”’ He expressed the great pleasure it gave him to re- ceive letters from home. Of one such letter from his parents he said: ‘‘It was a soul-cheering epistle, like a pool of living water in a dreary land.’’ Concerning that mission, which lasted seven or eight months, he had this to say: ‘‘I felt justified, my testimony being sealed by signs following in a conspic- uous manner, although it was given in much weak- ness.’’ He felt the force of the sacred words, ‘Blessed are they who tremble under Thy power, for they shall FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 45 utter words of praise,’ and added: ‘‘How shall I praise Thee aright, O God, for thy excellent great- ness? I pray Thee to bless my labors to the benefit of those on whom they were bestowed, and accept them at the hands of thy unworthy servant. And if I shall return, let me come in the strength of thy Spirit, I ask it in the name of thy Son.”’ In the early part of 1841 he returned to Nauvoo, did some preaching in that vicinity, and attended the Spring Conference of the Church. At this conference he was appointed to return and labor again in In- diana. Before his departure he witnessed the impres- sive ceremony connected with the laying of the corner stones of the Nauvoo Temple. His description of it follows: ‘‘On the sixth of April, 1841, the Legion paraded, and the multitude formed a procession and surrounded the Temple Lot, where they listened to an oration from Elder Rigdon, at the close of which the corner stones of the Lord’s House were put in their several places. They were laid in the presence of about ten thousand persons, including the Legion, which made a very fine appearance. ‘The ceremonies of the day, as well as the beautiful weather, all conspired to make the hearts of true believers leap with joy, and rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. The blessings of that week of sitting under the inspired instructions of a Prophet of God, will not soon be forgotten. Oh that I could thoroughly appre- ciate the blessings I enjoy.’’ His second mission lasted but six months, during which time his health was very poor. The parents and family of his missionary companion, Robert Snyder— 46 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS a thoughtful youth of much spiritual power—were very kind to him while he was bedfast at their home. Upon partially recovering, he accompanied them to Llinois. The date of his return to Nauvoo was the 12th of October. After five weeks of recuperation, he went on his third mission, starting November 18th, for Cincinnati, Ohio. His missionary companion this time was Phin- eas Young. They went by boat down the Mississippi River to St. Louis, and up the Ohio to Cincinnati, touch- ing at numerous points along the route. Passing down the Mississippi, the boat ran across a sand-bar, which delayed them several hours, but after united and vigor- ous exertions by officers, crew and engines, they ‘‘weighed the last anchor’’ and ‘‘got under way rejoic- Ings; Elder Richards took every opportunity to inform himself regarding the beliefs of other churches, so that he might meet their arguments more effectively. On Christmas morning he attended the service of the Cath- olic church. Commenting thereon, he was led to say: ‘‘How mournful to those who possess the true testi- mony of Jesus, to see their fellow mortals given up to such idolatry, while the rays of the Light of Heaven are proffered to them.’’ ‘On the 30th of April,’’ says he, ‘‘I attended the Synagogue of the Jews, and truly it awakened the most sacred sympathies of my bosom to see the sons of Jacob in exile; a noble race suffering Jehovah’s wrath for the sins of their fathers, and yet so positive of the verity of Moses’ Law as to maintain the most rigid adherence to it that their situation would allow. Their FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 47 mode of worship seemed quite crude, yet calculated to impress the mind with awe of Jacob’s God, and lead one to think of the days of their prosperity.”’ In a public argument with an infidel ‘‘on the points of materialism and the immortality of the soul,’’ he presented his case so effectively that the company hooted his antagonist for being defeated in discussion by a boy of twenty-one. He was warmly received by the best people where he labored. He waited upon Professor Curtis, the renowned ‘‘homsonian, at his lecture room, and re- ceived a polite introduction to the students in his class. After the lecture he accompanied the professor to his office, where they had a friendly interview upon the subject of his errand. He sold a copy of the ‘‘ Voice of Warning”’ to the Professor, and lent him the Book of Mormon. ‘The Professor presented his visitor with a copy of his lectures. Reviewing this mission Grandfather says: ‘‘It has been one of much care and burden of mind, that I might perform my labors to the satisfaction of my heavenly Master; and I can say in spirit and in truth, ‘What more could I have done to my vineyard?’ And yet it seems to be very sterile and loath to bear fruit. But we left about fifty-six Saints.’’ Leaving Ohio, he returned to Nauvoo, arriving there June 24, 1842. In December of that year he married, taking for a life companion, Miss Jane Snyder, concerning whom more will be said in the succeeding chapter, the present one being mainly devoted to the young Elder’s early missionary experiences. 48 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS On May 17, 1844, he was ordained a High Priest, under the hands of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kim- ball, and Willard Richards—the future First Presi- dency—and four days later set off on his fourth mis- sion, with England as his ultimate destination. The plan was to do considerable preaching along the way. Three of the Apostles, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kim- ball, and Lyman Wight, with a few other brethren, traveled eastward at the same time. Says Franklin: ‘‘T cannot do justice to the feelings of my heart, in ac- knowledgment of the tender mercies of the Lord in casting my lot in company with these brethren of the Twelve, on my way to perform this important mis- sion.’’ He visited Ohio with President Young, and was shown by him through the Kirtland Temple, after which they both addressed a meeting in the sacred house. His health again failed, but the Apostles (Kim- ball and Young) administered to him, and he soon recovered. On his way to the Atlantic seaboard, where he expected to embark for Liverpool, he preached, bap- tized and held conferences in different places, endear- ing himself to those among whom he labored, insomuch that some of the Saints wept when he left their homes. From Ohio he pushed on into New York State, going by way of Niagara Falls. He also visited the home of the Snyders in Canada. And now our narrative must return to Nauvoo, in order to preserve the sequence of events, the mention of which at this point would be premature. CHAPTER VI LIFE IN NAUVOO Marriage with Jane Snyder—Her Miraculous Healing and Conversion— Building a Home—The Prophet Kidnapped—Rescue and Return—First Child Born—Franklin Welcomes His Father to Nauvoo—Starts for Eng- land—Mission Postponed—The Prophet’s Mantle Upon President Young— In Michigan for the Nauvoo Temple—Assistant Church Historian—Plural Marriage—Elizabeth McFate Richards—Work on the Temple—Final Ordi- Nances. In the preceding chapter it was related that while on his second mission to Indiana, ‘Franklin D. Richards had as a traveling companion, Robert Snyder, and that during a spell of illness he was kindly cared for and nursed back to health at the Snyder parental home in La Porte. There he met Robert’s younger sister Jane, for whom he formed a tender attachment. The Snyder family, with two exceptions, had joined the Church while in Canada, and had reached La Porte on their way to Nauvoo, when they were counseled by the Church leaders to remain in Indiana for a time, because of unsettled conditions resulting from the persecutions in Missouri. ‘T'wo years later they removed to Illinois, settling on Job Creek, near La Harpe, in Hancock County. Elder Richards accompanied them, and thence- forth was a frequent visitor at La Harpe, where he enjoyed the society of those who had once fostered him in the hour of sickness and distress. ‘‘These visits,’’ said he, ‘‘resulted in obtaining the consent of those concerned to my changing from single to matri- monial life. November 5th, I called at their residence, 4 50 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS and before I left arranged the preliminaries for the celebration of our wedding.’’ He and Jane Snyder were married December 18, 1842, Elder Samuel Snyder, brother to the bride and president of the Job Creek Branch, performing the ceremony at their father’s home. This was before the Nauvoo Temple was completed. They were afterwards sealed in the House of the Lord. Jane Snyder was born January 31, 1823, in Pa- melia, Jefferson County, New York. She was the daughter of Isaac Snyder and his wife, Lovisa Com- stock. Her father was a prosperous farmer and stock- raiser who, though exemplary in life, was not a mem- ber of any church until he joined the Latter-day Saints. Her mother was a devout Methodist. Jane was one of the younger of eleven children. The entire family except Jane and her brother Jesse, had embraced the Gospel in Canada. Jane’s conversion was quite unusual. It occurred at La Porte in January, 1840, when she was seventeen years of age. Always practical, firm-willed and inde- pendent, she did not see at first the need for her to be baptized. Of course, she did not consider herself per- fect, but felt that there was no real offense that called for her repentance. During the winter of 1839-40 she had a very serious illness, nearly resulting in her death. She was paralyzed and lost the power of speech, but through the prayers and administrations of members of her family, she regained the use of her vocal organs. While lying ill and speechless, the thought came to her, like a flash from the other world, ‘The great Redeemer was baptized—am I better than FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 51 He?”’ From that moment she was filled with an ir- repressible desire for baptism. But it was winter, and her parents wished her to wait until spring, the ice on Lake La Porte being two feet thick. So persistent were her entreaties, however, that it was decided to have it done without delay, al- though she was still confined to her bed. The idea of immersing a sick woman in the icy waters of the lake was horrifying to the people, and a big crowd gathered to prevent the ceremony, but proceedings went on just the same. A large square hole was cut in the ice, Robert Snyder let himself down into the opening, and his brother George assisted Jane into the water. With- out a tremor she was then and there, ‘‘buried with Christ by baptism.”’ Immediately upon coming out of the water she bore testimony to the truth of ‘‘Mormonism.’’ She then said in a loud, firm voice, ‘‘I want to say to all you people who have come out to see me baptized, that I do it of my own free will and choice, and if you inter- fere with the man who has baptized me, God will interfere with you.’’ Elder Snyder was not molested. His sister, instead of being injured, was miraculously healed by the sacred ordinance. For more than ten years Franklin had not possessed what might be called a home. At the age of ten he had left the parental roof to find employment, and since then, owing to his travels and removals from place to place, he had had no permanent abode. His senti- ments on getting married can therefore be readily understood: ‘‘I felt that it was the beginning of a 52 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS new stage in the journey of my life; that I had entered upon a new phase of experience. Hitherto, for four years, I had been like a bubble upon the mighty ocean, tossed to and fro, having no permanent abiding place. This new relationship, which I had formed with her, my faithful companion and partner, was the source of true happiness and solid comfort. I no longer felt myself a stranger, doubting whether I was welcome or in someone’s way, but in a goodly degree realized the blessings of a home, also of a bosom companion to share all my joys and sorrows and afford me an asy- lum from the turmoils without. Enjoying a home, I felt an unspeakable pleasure, which was rendered su- perlative by the fact that I was living in the midst of the Saints in Nauvoo. In fact, I felt more like a man— like a son of God.”’ Two days after the wedding the young couple moved to Nauvoo, and began housekeeping im a part of Brother Philo T. Farnsworth’s home. On his return from Indiana Franklin had purchased, for the sum of twenty-five dollars, a lot in the eastern part of Nauvoo, known as the Warrington Addition. It was Lot 4 of Block 35, situated on the south side of Young Street. Half of this lot he traded for two thou- sand brick. Kencing the remaining portion, he put in a garden, and broke ground for the cellar of his new home. He also engaged in cutting grass on the prairie. One day the Patriarch Hyrum Smith gave him a ride out to his work, and having observed that his health was poor, put his hands on his head and blessed him that his condition might improve. The blessing was realized. He succeeded in ‘‘curing’’ sixteen tons of FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 53 hay, part of which he exchanged for rock for his cellar, and also exchanged a cow for lumber. His journal contains the following item, also of record in Church history, but none the less interesting as here told by an eye witness of the incident described: ‘On Friday, June 23, 1848, while the Prophet Jo- seph was on a visit to his wife’s sister, Mrs. Wasson, at Rock River, Sheriff Reynolds of Missouri and Con- stable Wilson of Illinois arrested him and tried forcibly to take him to Missouri; but they were thwarted in their plans. When the news reached Nauvoo, about one hun- dred and seventy-five men, under Generals Hand and Rich set off to the rescue. Great excitement prevailed. On Friday, the 30th, about 10 a. m. a messenger arrived with the word that Joseph was between Nauvoo and the Big Mound, whereupon the Nauvoo brass band, Broth- er Hyrum, Sister Emma, and many other citizens, went out to meet him, myself among the number. We met Brother Joseph and his escort, consisting of about fifty mounted men, a four-horse stage and a baggage wagon, and I noted the deep gloom that overspread his counte- nance. His unshaven face was covered with dust, which arose in such clouds as to almost, at times, hide him from view. ‘The citizens received the company on double column with ‘‘front face,’’ and fell in at the rear. The crowd became very large as it passed down Young Street, and cheered vociferously. The scene was sublime and heart-melting, so general was the expression of sympathy and good feeling for the man of God. The procession accompanied him to his dwell- ing, where he dismissed them with a promise to speak 54 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS at four o’clock from the stand. This called forth the people of Nauvoo en masse.”’ The Prophet addressed them at the appointed time, giving the particulars of his unlawful arrest and de- tention. He was still a prisoner in the hands of Rey- nolds and Wilson, and they were under arrest by the sheriff of Lee County, Iowa, charged with false im- prisonment and threats of violence. Habeas corpus pro- ceedings delivered the Prophet from his captors, and the would-be kidnappers, also released, retired crest- fallen. On the 2nd of November, 1843, a babe was born to Franklin and Jane Richards—their first child. She was a bright and beautiful girl, and was named Wealthy Lovisa, after both her grandmothers. On November 19th, Franklin’s father arrived at Nauvoo, accompanied by his family. Needless to say, it was a happy reunion, for they had been separated for five years. Father and son united in completing a home into which both families moved; the attic serving as a work-shop. The house was hearing completion when the young husband was told by President Young to prepare for a mission to England, and to start as soon as his house was finished. Obedient to counsel, in the spring of 1844 he de- parted upon his mission—the one referred to in the previous chapter. He felt keenly the separation from his loved ones. On June 1st he wrote: ‘‘Spent the afternoon writing a letter to my beloved wife.’’ On another occasion: ‘‘Dreamed of seeing my beloved Jane, in good spirits, well and happy, pleasing and witty, as I have seen her so many times.’’ At this period FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 55 he composed a number of short poems, most of them dealing with his home life. Here is one of them: O God, extend thine arms of love Around the partner of my heart, Since Thou hast spoken from above And called me with my all to part. This mission was shortened most unexpectedly. He had all but reached the Atlantic seaboard, where he expected to embark for England, and was preach- ing in the state of New York on July 27th, when he received word from Nauvoo of the martyrdom of the Prophet and the Patriarch. The dreadful news was just one month old, the tragedy having occurred on the 27th of June. All members of the High Priesthood, particu- larly those having families at or near Nauvoo, were instructed to return immediately to headquarters. Thus was postponed the projected foreign mission. The jour- ney back was by water to Detroit, and by land through Indiana and Illinois. Elder Richards reached Nauvoo on the 2nd of October. He had traveled while away four thousand three hundred and fifty miles, had preached thirty-five times, and baptized thirteen con- verts. Those were trying times at Nauvoo. The beloved Prophet had passed beyond, and for a short season there was some uncertainty as to who should be his successor. ‘The mobs, unpunished for the crimes they had committed, were emboldened to continue their depredations, and the Saints were on the point of again being driven from their homes. Fifty of the brethren, all High Priests, were sent into the neigh- boring states to explain the situation at Nauvoo, and 56 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS to urge members of the Church to send in tithing, donations and supplies, to succor those in need and to help finish the Temple then in course of erection. The workmen had been urged to hasten it to completion, so that certain ordinances might. be performed there be- fore the people were driven out. All the Saints were counseled to gather at Nauvoo. While her husband was away, Jane Richards at- tended the special conference held August 8, 1844, where President Brigham Young stood transfigured before the congregation, as related in Church history. Grandmother was an eye-witness to that marvelous manifestation. Sitting in the congregation with her infant child in her arms, she had bent over to pick up a small plaything, dropped by her little daughter, when President Young uttered the first words of his address. His voice was that of the Prophet. On hearing it she was so startled that. she let fall the article she had just taken from the floor, and looking up beheld the form and features of the martyred seer. It was the Lord’s way of pointing out the Prophet’s true successor. Elder Sidney Rigdon had been Joseph’s first counselor, but had lost the spirit of the work and the confidence of his president and the people. He was residing in Pennsylvania, but upon hearing of the death of Joseph and Hyrum, returned to Nauvoo to present his claim to the leadership. This he did at that special conference, speaking at length and endeavoring to convince the Saints that he was the right man to be the guardian of the Church. He failed to so impress them. This was at the morning session. In the afternoon the people again assembled, the quorums of the Priest- FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 57 hood were arranged in their proper order, and Brigham Young, President of the Twelve Apostles, arose to ad- dress them. Then occurred the remarkable incident described. It remains but to say that Brigham Young and his brethren of the Twelve were unanimously sus- tained by the people as the rightful Presidency of the Church. Elder Richards’ next mission was largely of a tem- poral character. He was sent into the state of Mich- igan to gather means for the Nauvoo Temple. On January 12, 1845, he rode away on a horse furnished by Jesse Snyder, and for several weeks braved the cold of a very severe winter, riding almost constantly. By the 3rd of April, the date of his return to Nauvoo, he had traveled over a thousand miles. His errand was quite successful. He obtained a wagon, some cattle and sheep valued at one hundred and seventy-five dollars, and three hundred dollars in cash—no small sum consider- ing the high purchasing power of a dollar at that time. This was his last mission in the United States. After his return home he was called by his uncle Willard Richards, the Church Historian, to assist him in his office. He began this labor August 1, 1845. His work consisted in copying Church history into Book C of the large Church record. Owing to the fact that the Nauvoo Temple was not completed at the time of their marriage, the ceremony uniting Franklin and Jane Richards as husband and wife was not performed there, but at the home of the bride’s father, as before stated. Now that the Temple was hearing completion, marriages could be solemnized 58 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS within its sacred precincts, and they were sealed by Apostle Heber C. Kimball, January 23, 1846. Hight days later, in accordance with the ‘‘Revela- tion on the Eternity of the Marriage Covenant, in- cluding Plurality of Wives’’—a revelation accepted by Franklin and his wife as divine—he married Miss Elizabeth McFate, a very sweet and lovable young lady. Of this event he says: ‘‘ Brother James McFate presented me his daughter Elizabeth, and Jane gave her to me at the altar; the ordinance was then passed upon us by President Brigham Young.”’ Elizabeth was born in Mahoning, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, October 28, 1829. She had an amiable and noble nature and quickly endeared herself to the family of which she now became a member. The carpenter work on the Temple needed every available skilled hand, and Franklin toiled daily and late into the night, through the spring of 1846, as car- penter, joiner and painter, in the lower main court of the edifice, until the structure was completed and dedi- cated. When he received payment for this work, he returned half of it to the Church. He participated in the dedication of the Temple and assisted in the ordi- nance work. Every evening at sunset he attended prayer circle in Room One. On February 8, 1846, he took part in the last ordinances performed in that sacred place. Grandmother Richards also spent considerable time working in the Temple. She had become well ac- quainted with the Prophet, and was a member of the Relief Society organized by him in Nauvoo. FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 59 During those crucial times Grandfather frequently entered prayers such as these in his journal: ‘‘T pray Thee, O God the Eternal Father, to en- able me to see thy love, and may I never distrust or reproach thy holy cause. May I enjoy a large portion of thy goodness while here in the flesh, and be ad- mitted to the blessing of thy glory.’’ ‘*Heavenly Father, I pray that all the afflictions of thy people may serve to purify them and make them mete for thy presence.’’ ‘‘Do Thou, O God, open unto us a door of deliver- ance, that salvation may come to us, in the glory of thy exalted name.”’ CHAPTER VII THE EXODUS Where now shall fancy’s roving pinion rest? ’Mid barren regions of the boundless West, Where silvery streams through silent valleys flow From mountains crested with eternal snow; Where reigns no creed a rival creed to bind, Where exiled faith a resting place shall find, Where builds the eagle on the beetling height, And wings o’er freedom’s hills unfearing flight. —Whitney. Nauvoo in 1846—Expulsion of the Saints from Illinois—The Mormon Battalion—Death of Joseph W. Richards—Franklin Sends his Family West— His First Foreign Mission—Hardships and Sorrows of the Exodus—Jane Richards’ Patient Endurance—Death of Isaac, Wealthy and Elizabeth—At Liverpool—A Missionary’s Solicitude for His Absent Family. Nauvoo was founded in 1839. The city was chart- ered, a beautiful temple built, hundreds of happy homes created, and the ‘‘ Nauvoo Legion”’ organized as a pro- tection for the Saints against the violence of mobs. Among those who voted for the Nauvoo charter, when the bill for it was pending in the Uhnois legislature was Abraham Lincoln, a representative from Springfield in that state. Franklin D. Richards saw the town grow until it became the foremost city of Illinois, Chicago not excepted, with a population of approximately twenty thousand. As in New York, Ohio and Missouri, and for large- ly the same reasons, persecution arose in and around Nauvoo, increasing and intensifying until it culminated in the murder of the Prophet and the Patriarch and the expulsion of the Saints from Illinois. Where now could they go? Driven from city to city and from state to state, where could they find a haven of peace, a place of refuge? Every state in the FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 61 Union was appealed to, but only one of them—Arkan- sas—answered by a respectful and sympathetic epistle from its governor, the petition of the homeless and per- secuted ‘‘Mormons.’’ ‘‘Go to Oregon,’’ some said; and others recommended California or an island of the sea, as a home for the outcast community. But Joseph Smith, the mouthpiece of God, had prophesied, two years before his death, that the Saints ‘‘would be driven to the Rocky Mountains”’ and would there ‘‘be- come a mighty people.’’ To the Rocky Mountains, therefore, they wended their way. The Exodus began early in 1846. Snow was on the ground, the Mississippi was frozen over, and some of the wagons crossed the river on the ice. Later the ereeks were high and the roads soft and miry. The Church leaders held a council on Sugar creek, Iowa, and organized the people into companies, making rules for their guidance and appointing officers to direct them. Between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers temporary settlements were formed and crops put in to be reaped by those who followed the first companies. One of these prairie settlements was Garden Grove, one hundred and forty-five miles from Nauvoo, and an- other, Mount Pisgah, twenty-seven miles farther west. The head wagon train, under President Brigham Young, reached the Missouri River about the middle of June. The original plan was to leave the main body of the Saints at that point, and while the remnants were collecting there and at the encampments in the rear, to have a picked number of men push forward that season and explore the western country for a place of perma- 62 FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS nent settlement. This plan was interrupted by the call of the government for five hundred ‘‘Mormon’’ volun- teers, to assist in the war against Mexico, then in progress. In answer to this call the required number of men promptly enlisted, and were equipped at Fort Leavenworth for the long and wearisome tramp to the Pacific coast. The Mormon Battalion, as it is known, made its way over trackless plains, deserts and moun- tains, via Santa Fe, New Mexico, to San Diego, Califor- nia, a distance of two thousand miles. It was said by the Battalion’s commander, Colonel Philip St. George Cooke, of the regular army, to be the greatest infantry march on record. Joseph W. Richards, Franklin’s younger brother, had enlisted as a musician. The march was so stren- uous that at Santa Fe, one hundred and forty-three of the volunteers were invalided and sent to Pueblo for the winter. Joseph, only seventeen years of age, was one of this number. At that outpost, on November 19, 1846, he passed away, without again seeing his relatives. The following eloquent tribute to the memory of the young soldier is taken from Tullidge’s Quarterly Magazine: ‘‘James Ferguson, himself sergeant-major of the Battalion, in a lecture delivered before an assembly of Elders, including the Presidency of the European Mission, in Liverpool, England, November 7, 1855, speaks thus of Brother Joseph William Richards’ en- listment, travels, virtues, and the patriotism of his aged and feeble mother: FRANKLIN D. RICHARDS 63 ‘* “But few knew the sacrifice it cost. There was one scene that was particularly touching. An aged mother to whom the call of the government and the wish of the President were made known came forward, She had five sons—one was murdered and now lay buried deep and unavenged in the tragic well in Mis- souri. Two were in a foreign land, preaching the faith for which their brother’s blood was shed; one was still too young to administer, but needed care and comfort; the other was a young man, the sentinel and protector of her tottering steps. Even in her aged heart, with- ered and broken as it was, the love of country burned deep and strong. She yielded up her son and never saw him more. J knew him well. We marched side by side. He had been worn down by the bitterness and exposure of many persecutions. But Joseph Richards was noble, generous and brave, and never complained.’ ‘* “Sister Celia Hunt, who often took him nourish- ment and said comforting words to him, giving him the last food he ever ate, a few hours before his death, speaks of him as among the most noble young men she ever knew. He never complained of his lot.’ ”’ C. C. Roe, another comrade in the Battalion, writing to Joseph’s brother Franklin, says: ‘¢