Mormon History, Apr 17, 1843

-- Apr 17, 1843
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 17th I spent my time in the printing Office. (1)

[Joseph Smith Diary] April 17th, Monday /Green grass begins to be seen/. Walked out in the city with [William] Clayton. Called on Brother Taylor. Handed him the letter purporting to be from the Attorney Gen[eral] of the U[nited] State[s] and gave him instruction about it. Looked at several lots. Called at Samuel Bennets to make arrangements to leave that house above the old bur[y]ing ground. Returned home. Had conversation with Erastus Snow. Received 50 Gold Sovereigns of P[arley] P. Pratt for the Temple and Nauvoo House. 5 1/2 P.M. Called at the printing office. Returned home and listened to the reading of a synopsis of his sermon of last Sabbath. (2)

-- Apr 18, 1843
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 18th I met in Conference with the Twelve & President J Smith not being Presant the conferance adjourned untill next day. (1)

Nauvoo, Illinois. On the prairie, Joseph Smith talked with three Pottawattamie tribal chiefs concerning stolen horses and cattle. (3)

[Joseph Smith Diary] Tuesday April 18th 9 A.M. At home. Signed an appointment to John F. Cowan as his aid /decamp/ in the Nauvoo Legion. Conversed with Cowan &c. and went onto the prairie.
(Twelve [Apostles] met at President's office). Sold 130 acres of land to the English Brethren. Signed a transcript of his Docket Thomson M. vs Dixon [at] 3 P.M.
In the Evening had a talk with the delegation [blank] Indians who complained of having their cattle and horses &c. stolen and they were much troubled and wanted to know what they should do. They had borne their grievances patiently. (2)

-- Apr 19, 1843
[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 19th Met again in council with the Twelve. President J Smith met with us & counciled us to take a mission in the East to obtain means to build the Nauvoo house as we were appointed So to do by the Conference. The Following persons were named of the quorum of the Twelve to take the mission to hold Conferences & obtained means &c: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Hyde, Orson Pratt, Wm. Smith, W. Woodruff & G. A. Smith, & Also to have Elder Page Join us in the east. Also Elder R. Hedlock, S. James & Carnes were appointed to go to England & Addison Pratt & three others to go to the Sandwich Islands. (1)

Nauvoo, Illinois. Joseph Smith located a site in Nauvoo for a music hall. (3)

[Joseph Smith Diary] Wednesday, April 19th 1843 At the office at 9 o'clock waiting for the assembling of the Municipal Court in case of Dana Versus Brink or Brink vs Dana. Appealed case.
12 1/2 [P.M.] Mayor's Court opened. Original papers called for. Clerk [James] Sloan inquired of the execution [which] would issue from this court. "Sit down," said the Mayor, "and attend to your own business. If any thing is wanted I will tell you time enough."
Marr Esqu[ire] opened the case &c. Moved this case be dismissed for want of jurisdiction in the court below and read from pag[e] 400, Statutes [of] Ill[inois]. Case of Lat[e] not assumpsit. Mayor's court [has] no jurisdiction. Chittyes pleadings 88.138 what assumpsit in &c. Blackston[e] Com[mentary], vol[ume] 2d, pages 122, 157, 161, 163. Defendant' council read Liegh Nisi Prices 199, 550 Morgan. Brink's council stated their appeal was contrary to their council. After the court had decided that the Mayor had jurisdiction, but this court had not, dismissed. Mayor stated that a legal bond was not presented till after the 20 days had expired.
After adjournment, while conversing with Dr. Brink and Esqu[ire] Marr, Joseph said he had been called to thousands of cases in sickness and he had never failed of administering comfort. Where the patient had thrown themself unreservedly on him [he had never done harm] and the reason was he never prescribed any[thing] that would injure the patient [even] if it did him no good.
I have lost a father, brother, and child because in my anxiety I have depended more on the jud[g]ment of the other men than my own, while I have [myself] raised up others who were lower than they were. I will here remark (by the bye I will say that man who stands there (pointing to Levi Richards) is the best physician I have ever been acquainted with and I say it honestly) people will seldom die with disease provided we know it seasonably and treat it mildly, patiently, and perserveringly and do not use harsh means.
It is like the Irishman digging down the mountain, he does not put his shoulder to it to push it over but puts it in his wheel barrow and carries it away day after day and day after day and perseveres and the whole mountain is removed. So we should persevere in the case of simple remedies (and not push against the constitution of the patient) [and continue] day after day and the disease will be removed and the patient saved. It is better to save the life of a man than to raise one from the dead.
1 P.M. to dinner returned to the office soon after and had conversation with 3 gentlemen introduced by Geo[rge] A. Smith.
3 P.M. In the President's office [with] B[righam] Young, W[illia]m Smith, P[arley] P. Pratt, O[rson] Pratt, W[ilford] Woodruff, J[ohn] Taylor, Geo[rge] A. Smith, [and] W[illard] Richards.
Joseph said to the Twelve [Apostles] "go in the name of the Lord God and tell Woodworth to put the hands onto the Nauvoo House and begin the work and be patient till means can be provided. Call on the inhabitants of Nauvoo and get them to bring in their means, then go to Laharpe and serve them the same.
"Thus commence your career and never stand still till the Master appear[s], for it is necessary the house should be done. Out of the stock that is handed me, you shall have as you have need for the laborer is worthy of his hire.
"I hereby command the hands to go to work on the house trusting in the Lord. Tell Woodworth to put them on and he shall be backed up with it. You must get cash, property, lands, horses, cattle, flour, corn, wheat, &c. The grain can be ground at this mill. If you can get hands onto the house, it will give such an impetus to the work. It will never stop till it is completed.
"Let the Twelve [Apostles] keep together. You will do more good to keep together, not travel together, but meet in conference alternately from place to place and associate together and not be found more than 200 miles apart. Thus travel from Maine [to] here till they make a perfect highway for the Saints from here to Maine.
"It is better for you to be together for it is difficult for a man to have strength of lungs and health, to be instant in season and out of season, under all circumstances and you can assist each other and when you go and spend a day or two in a place you will find it as it is with Miller. They will gather together in great companies. If 12 men cannot build that House they are poor tools."
President Young asked if the Twelve [Apostles] should go to England? Said Joseph, "No, I don't want the Twelve to go to England this year. I have sent them to England and they have broke the ice /and done well/ and now I want to send some of the Elders and try them. I will not designate who. Lorenzo Snow may stay at home till he gets rested.
"The Twelve must travel to save their lives. I feel all the veins and stratus [strata] necessary for the Twelve to move in [are provided] to save their lives.
"You can never make any thing out of Benjamin Winchester if you take him out of the Channel he wants to be in.
"Send Samuel James to England, thus saith the Lord, also Reuben Hedlock. He's a heavenly Messenger wherever he goes. Need not be in a hurry, send these two and when you think of some one else send them.
"[Concerning] John Taylor, I believe you can do more good in the editorial department than preaching. He can write for thousands to read while he can preach to but few. We have no one else we can trust the paper with and hardly with you. You suffer the paper to come out with so many mistakes. Parley [Pratt] may stay at home and build his house.
"Bro[ther] Geo[rge] A. Smith. I don't know how I can help him to a living, but to go put on a long face and make them dol[e] over to him. If he will go his lungs will hold out. The Lord will give him a good pair of lungs yet.
"[Wilford] Woodruff can be spared from the printing office. If you both stay you will die. Orson Pratt I want him to go."
Bro[ther] Brigham asked if he should go? "Yes, go! I want John E. Page to be called away from Pittsburgh. Send a good Elder to take his place. Orson Hyde can go and travel.
"You will all go to Boston. I want Elder Richards to continue in the history at present. Perhap[s] he will have to travel some to save his life. The History is going out by little and little in the papers and cutting its way. So that when it is completed it will not raise a persecution against us.
"When Lyman Wight comes home I intend to send him right back [out] again. W[illia]m Smith is going east with his sick wife.
"I want you to cast up a highway for the saints from here to Maine. [Heber C.] Kimball will travel. Don't be scared about the Temple. Don't say any thing against it, but make all men know your mission is to build the Nauvoo House.
"It is not necessary that Joshua Grant should be ordained a High Priest. He is to[o] young. He is one of Zebedee Coltrin's children and has got into Zebedee's spirit and Jedediah also, and they clip 1/2 their words and I intend to heal them of it. If a High Priest comes along and goes to snub him, let him knock his teeth down his throat &c. &c.
"You shall make a monstrous wake as you go. Clayton, tell the temple committee to put hands on that house (Beyond corner from the brick store) to finish it right off. The Lord hath need of other houses as well as a temple.
"If I can sell $10,000 of property this spring. I will meet you at any conference in Maine, or any conference where you are and stay as long as it is wisdom. Take [blank] Zundell and [blank] Messer and tell them never to drink a drop of ale or wine /or any spirit/ only that which flows right out from the presence of God. Send them to Germany and when you meet with an Arab send him to Arabia, when you find an Italian send him to Italy and a French man to France, or an Indian that is suitable, send him among the Indians and this and that man send them to the different places where they belong. Send som[e]body to Central America to Spanish America and don't let a single corner of the earth go without a mission.
"Write to Oliver Cowdery and ask him if [he] has not eat[en] husks long enough. If he is not most ready to return and go up to Jerusalem, Orson Hyde hath need of him." (A letter was written and signed by the members of the Quorum present)
Joseph went home about 4 1/2 P.M. Voted that W[illard] Richards procure a good book for the records of the Twelve [Apostles].
Voted that O[rson] Hyde and W[illard] Richards take charge of the book and bring up the records. Ad[journed] [until] Monday next 1 P.M. (2)


Footnotes:
1 - Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993
2 - Faulring, Scott (ed.), An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith: Joseph Smith Diary, 1843
3 - BYU Studies Journal, volume 46, no. 4: A Chronology of the Life of Joseph Smith


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