Early Scenes in Church History

CHAPTER IV

JOHN T. EVANS' STATEMENT – A SICK AND HELPLESS WOMAN HEALED ON BEING BAPTIZED – RELAPSE AND DEATH AFTER APOSTASY – SAINTS REQUIRED TO RENOUNCE THEIR RELIGION OR LOSE THEIR SITUATIONS – CHOLERA EPIDEMIC – HEALED ACCORDING TO FAITH – PRIVATE DISCUSSION WITH A MALIGNANT WHO TAKES THE CHOLERA AND BEGS THE ELDERS TO CURE HIM – HEALED AND THEN BAPTIZED-CURIOUS MANNER IN WHICH FOOD AND LODGING WERE PROVIDED.

Elder John T. Evans, now of Salt Lake City, spent about eight years when a young man in preaching the gospel in his native country – Wales. During about five years of this time he labored as a traveling Elder in North Wales, one of the very hardest of missionary fields, where he traveled and preached without purse or scrip. Much of the time he labored alone, for, although many different Elders were sent at various times by the president of the mission to assist him, they generally became discouraged on account of the persecution and hardships they were forced to endure and soon abandoned their labors.

The interesting incidents connected with his labors in that land which Elder Evans can relate would fill a volume.

Upon one occasion he and four other Elders were sent to an iron manufacturing district about seven miles from Neath to introduce the gospel. Among their first converts were a man by the name of William Howells and his family. This man on embracing the gospel received a strong testimony of its divinity and was fearless in declaring it unto others. He had a sister who had been so sick and helpless as to be bed-ridden for three-and-a-half years. She was a member of the Baptist church, but on hearing the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints explained she soon became dissatisfied with her religion; and when her brother testified to her that the gospel had been restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith, with all its former gifts and blessings, she declared her intention to be baptized. Her husband was bitterly opposed to the gospel, but all the reason, ridicule and persuasion that he could use failed to turn her from her purpose. She was resolute, and so zealous withal that she made a special request to be baptized on Sunday, between eleven and twelve o'clock, that the people of the whole neighborhood might see the ceremony, and had word circulated to that effect. It was a novel thing in that region to see Latter-day Saints baptizing, and the result was, that about three thousand persons assembled on the bank of the stream to witness it. She was carried from the house to the stream, the distance of about half a mile in a chair, and there Elder Evans, assisted by a man named David Matthews, carried her into the water and baptized her.

She was rewarded for her faith by being entirely restored to health, and that too, instantaneously, for she walked out of the water and to her home.

This public manifestation of the power of God seemed to be the signal for commencing a perfect storm of opposition against the Saints. Through the influence of sectarian ministers with the proprietors of the iron works a great pressure was brought to bear against the Saints. It was claimed that they were Chartists, that is, members of a political organization which had caused a great deal of trouble throughout the kingdom a short time previously, and other lies equally unreasonable were circulated about them to make them odious and unpopular.

The five Elders who had been doing the preaching and baptizing, and who were dependent upon their labor in the iron works for their living, were informed by their employers that they must renounce the "heresy" which they taught as religion, or lose their positions. They chose the latter.

About two hundred of their converts were also employed in the iron works. They were given one month's time to renounce their religion or likewise lose their situations. All efforts to obtain employment elsewhere without a recommendation from their last employers proved unavailing, on account of the rumors against their characters, and finally, when they were brought to the test, about half of them chose to renounce their religion rather than lose their work. The others were discharged and scattered to different parts in search of employment. Many of them suffered severely for want of the necessaries of life, and were only kept from starving by the collections taken up for their benefit among the more fortunate Saints in other parts of the mission.

Among others who yielded to the pressure which the enemies of the Saints brought to bear against them, was the sister who had been healed on being baptized. Notwithstanding her former zeal and resolution, and the miraculous power of God which she had experienced, she abandoned the faith. She perhaps thought she had no further need of God's mercy, but if so, the sequel proved how sadly she was mistaken, for she was soon prostrated as before and lingered in that condition until she died.

In the summer of 1849 the cholera prevailed throughout Wales to an alarming extent. The mortality was so great in some places that a perfect panic ensued. The Elders, however, continued their labors, undaunted by the disease, administering to the sick day and night, and the faith of the Saints was so great that they almost invariably recovered. A local Elder by the name of Thomas Jones, who was a man of some property, and not obliged to work for his living, spent his whole time while the disease prevailed in visiting among the sick. He carried a bottle of consecrated oil about in his pocket to anoint them with, and administered to all whom he found afflicted, and out of the whole number only one died, and he was the only one who had taken the medicine prescribed by a doctor. The town regulations required the sick to have a doctor, but as a rule his medicine was thrown into the fire instead of being taken by the patients who belonged to the Church.

One of the preachers who had violently opposed the Saints became alarmed at the spread of the epidemic and attempted to flee and escape from it, but it overtook him and after three days of terrible agony he died.

Another preacher by the name of Jenkins, who had been an enemy to the Saints, was stricken with the cholera and sent for Elder Evans to administer to him. That he should do so will be considered all the more remarkable when the history of their early acquaintance is known:

Elder Evans, while laboring in Pembrokeshire, obtained the use of the town hall, in a place called Fishguard, to hold meeting in and lighted it at his own expense. When the meeting had fairly commenced and he was in the act of preaching to a rather large audience, the whole of the lights in the room were extinguished simultaneously, according to a preconcerted plan, and a rush was made by the rabble towards the end of the room where the Elder stood. A tall man, who happened to be standing near Elder Evans, immediately placed his hand on the latter's shoulder, and said, "Young man, come out of here, or you will be hurt!" and leading the way, proceeded with him around one side of the room and out through the door, leaving the crowd rushing and jamming and shrieking to get at the Elder, whom they still supposed to be at the farther end of the hall.

The stranger took Elder Evans to a public house, saying that he would like to have a talk with him, and on arriving there sent for Mr. Jenkins, the Baptist preacher of the place, who had been at the meeting, and probably engaged in urging the rabble on, to come there and have a private discussion. He came, and his principal argument consisted of abuse and the rehearsal of all the absurd stories which he had ever heard about the Saints. Although an educated man he seemed unable to cope with Elder Evans in the discussion of religion from a Bible standpoint.

The friend who had delivered Brother Evans from the mob finally interrupted them by exclaiming, "Mr. Jenkins, you are no match for this young man in discussing from the Bible; you had better go to college again!"

Mr. Jenkins seemed considerably chagrined at this, and gave it up.

The next time Elder Evans met this preacher it was some months later, and, probably remembering the discussion, Mr. Jenkins then treated him with some degree of respect. It was that very night that he was stricken with the cholera, and knowing that Elder Evans was in the village he sent his brother to beg of him to come and cure him. Brother Evans, and a man named John Nicholas who was staying with him, got out of bed and went to the sick man, and found him, doubled up with the cholera and in great agony. The Elder informed him, in answer to his appeal for relief, that the blessings of the gospel were not for men of his class, who were determined to oppose the work of God, but for the Saints. He said, "I will administer to you on one condition only, and that is that you repent of your sins and covenant with the Lord to forsake them and embrace the gospel if He spares your life."

"But," said the preacher, writhing with pain, "I have an appointment out to preach for my own church."

"You must forego that," said Elder Evans, "and preach such doctrines no more, or I will not administer to you."

The sick man agreed, and the brethren placed their hands upon his head, rebuked the disease and prayed for his recovery, and he was immediately healed. The next day he was baptized, and afterwards became an efficient preacher of the true gospel, endured much persecution for his religion in that country, emigrated to Utah with a handcart company and finally apostatized when Johnson's army came here.

Brother Evans and a man named Thomas Harris were upon one occasion called on to administer to a young girl who was so convulsed with the cholera that she did not look like a human being, and so near dead that she was black. A number of Saints were present at the time, whose faith was centered on her recovery, and several unbelievers were also there. The Elders administered to her, and while their hands were upon her head all signs of the disease vanished, and she was immediately restored to health.

A rather curious circumstance occurred while Elder Evans was laboring in North Wales in company with Peter Davis. They were traveling as usual without purse or scrip, and had been two days without food, when they entered a village and applied at a store kept by a man named Jones to try to sell a few tracts with which to procure some food.

On learning what kind of tracts they were, the store-keeper refused to purchase, and they tramped on. The next place they entered was a shoe-maker's shop, where they asked the privilege of warming themselves by the fire, for they were almost frozen, it being extremely cold weather and the month of February. Some of the shoe-makers became interested in their conversation and one of them proffered to try and find a place for them to stay over night. He returned, however, after a while, to say that the Methodist preacher of that circuit was to occupy the spare bed which he expected to procure for them. He, therefore, recommended them to proceed some distance farther till they came to a farm house, to which he directed them, where he had no doubt they could get lodgings and food.

The Elders trudged along, but when they arrived at the farm house it was evident that the family had retired for the night, for there was no light to be seen. They noticed a barn, however, standing convenient to the roadside, which seemed to offer shelter for them at least, and they entered it and burrowed into a heap of straw they found there. They lay in that position for some time, shivering with the cold and trying in vain to go to sleep, when suddenly they heard some one outside call out, "Hello! you men; come out here!" Their first thought was that some one had detected them while in the act of seeking shelter in the barn and informed the police, who were about to arrest them as vagrants. They, therefore, remained as quiet as possible until the call had been repeated several times, when they concluded they might as well answer, whatever might be the consequences. As soon as they inquired what was wanted, the person informed them that he would find a place for them to stay if they would come out. Thinking some treachery might be meant, they declined with thanks, and told him they could get along where they were. He, however, urged them to go with him, saying he would take them to a place where they could have a good supper and a comfortable bed to sleep in. They accordingly came out and accompanied the stranger, whom they had never seen before, back to the village and to the very store where they had tried to sell the tracts. There they found a warm welcome, a good supper and a comfortable bed. But now for the sequel:

A young girl who happened to be in the shoe-shop where they called and who overheard the conversation, afterwards had occasion to call at Jones' store, and repeated it to the proprietor's daughter. The sympathy of the girls was aroused at the thoughts of the two young and strange preachers seeking lodgings and food that cold night, and when Miss Jones retired to bed she found it impossible to go to sleep. Her teeth rattled and she shook and chilled all over although she was in a comfortable bed and in a warm house. Nor could the family prevent her from chilling although they did all they could to warm her. In the midst of her shivering she kept bewailing the fate of the two young preachers, whom she felt sure would suffer that cold night, and finally she prevailed upon her brother to go in search of them and bring them back to their house, that they might have some supper and a comfortable bed to sleep in.

As soon as her brother had started on his errand of mercy the girl ceased to chill and, in fact, got up, dressed herself and helped at preparing supper for the brethren before they arrived. It was not until the next morning that they learned the secret of the kindness shown them and saw in what a curious manner the Lord had operated in preserving them from possible death by freezing and providing them with the food which they needed so badly.

It was quite a common thing in early days in the Welsh mission for the power of the devil to be manifested in what were called the Saints' meetings – that is, testimony or sacramental meetings. The evil one seemed to be always on the alert to operate through some one, and the power of the Priesthood invariably had to be exerted to banish the evil influences from the meeting. Although not apparent at the time, experience generally proved that the persons through whom the evil one operated were not serving God as they should do – they were either doubting the divinity of the principles which they had embraced or they had broken the sacred covenants which they had made with the Almighty and gone into transgression. Very frequently, after being relieved of the evil spirits which possessed them such persons would, in a spirit of penitence and humility, acknowledge their faults and ask forgiveness, but occasionally persons would be found who were not willing to do this, but continued in sin and were a source of trouble and disturbance to the Saints whenever they happened to be present at their meetings; and it sometimes occurred that the spirits which possessed them were so stubborn and determined not to yield that the brethren really found it difficult to cope with them.