VISIT MY WIFE'S FOLKS—GO FISHING IN THE SEA. hold another meeting; but I felt anxious to continue my journey, and on the 20th of July I parted with my father, step-mother and sister, and took stage for Hartford with my wife. On my arrival at Hartford, not having money to pay the fare of both of us, I paid my wife's fare to Rowley, Mass., where there was a branch of the Church, presided ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL CHAPTER VI. DESCRIPTION OF VINAL HAVEN—POPULATION AND PURSUIT OF THE PEOPLE—GREAT VARIETY OF FISH—THE IN- TRODUCTION OF THE GOSPEL. THE town of Vinal Haven includes both North and South Fox Islands, in lat. 44° north, and long. 69° 10' east. The population numbered, at the time of my visit, about 1,800. The inhabitants were intelligent and industrious, and hospitable to strangers. They got most of their wealth and living by fishing. The town fitted out over one hundred ...

MY ARRIVAL AT VINAL HAVEN. them for the market. They supply the market with great quantities of cod, mackerel and boxed herring. Upon this island there were two stores, three tide saw mills, six school houses and a small branch of the Methodist church, presided over by a priest. What timber there is upon this island, such as pine, fir, spruce, hemlock and birch, and the whortleberries, rasp- berries and gooseberries, mostly grow out of the cracks of the rocks. Great quantities ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. a deacon came to the door, when I asked him to go and tell the minister in the pulpit that there were two servants of God at the door, who had a message to deliver to that people and wished the privilege of delivering it. He sent for us to come to the pulpit, so we walked through the congregation with our valises under our arms, and took a seat by the side of the minister, who was about to speak as we came to ...

BEGIN TO BAPTIZE THE PEOPLE. I had much liberty in speaking, and informed the people that the Lord had raised up a prophet and organized His Church as in the days of Christ and the ancient apostles, with prophets, apostles and the gifts as anciently, and that He had brought forth the Book of Mormon. At the close of my remarks Elder Hale bore testimony. I gave liberty for anyone to speak that might wish to. As no one responded, I announced that we would hold ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL tember, and these were the first baptisms performed by proper authority upon any of the islands of the sea (to my know- ledge) in this dispensation. Before we left Kirtland some of the leading apostates there had tried to discourage Brother Hale about going upon his mission, telling him he would never baptize any one, and he had better remain at home. When Captain Eames offered himself for baptism, I told Brother Hale to go and baptize him, and prove ...

GREAT EXCITEMENT UPON BOTH ISLANDS. The excitement became great upon both Fox Islands islands, and on Sunday, the 17th of September, I met a large assembly from both Islands, and took the same subject that Mr. Douglass had dwelt upon in his remarks against the Book of Mormon and our principles. I spoke two-and-a-half hours, and answered every objection against the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith or our prin- ciples. I had good attention, and the people seemed satisfied ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. search out the blood of Ephraim, the honest and meek of the earth, and gather them from those islands, rocks, holes and caves of the earth unto Zion. We prayed, and rejoiced together. The Spirit of God rested upon us; we spoke of Christ and the ancient prophets and apostles in Jerusalem; of Nephi, Alma, Mormon and Moroni in America; Joseph, Hyrum,

PART WITH BROTHER HALE, MY COMPANION. We walked from Thomaston to Bath, a distance of forty-six miles, in one day, and at the latter place attended a Baptist convention. I also preached there to a large congregation in the evening, and the people gave good attention and wished to learn more about our doctrines. On the following day we walked thirty-six miles to Portland, and the next day to Scarboro. Here I again met with ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. called the Isle of Holt. We arrived at noon, and I preached to the people at night in their school-house, and had an attentive audience. I spent the night with John Turner, Esq., who purchased a copy of the Book of Mormon. On the following day we returned to Fox Islands, and as St. Paul once had to row hard to make the land in a storm, we had to row hard to make ...

ATTEMPTS MADE TO DISTURB MY MEETINGS. society of Mrs. Woodruff, my companion. I had been declar- ing the word of the Lord through the islands many days, the Spirit of God was working among the people, prejudice was giving way, and the power of God was manifest by signs fol- lowing those who believed. I spent this New Year's Day visiting the Saints and their neighbors, and met a congregation at Captain Chas. Brown’s, where I spoke to them for a while, and at the ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. I had ample evidence of the fact that lying spirits had gone out into the world, for three persons whom I had baptized had been visited by Mr. Douglass, who told them that I denied the Bible and could not be depended upon; and they yielded to his insinuations until the devil took possession of them, and they were in a disaffected condition, and sent for me. When I met them they were in great affliction, but when I ...

A LIGHT WITNESSED IN THE HEAVENS. house, and I got one of my ears frozen on the way; but not- withstanding the severity of the weather, we had quite a large and attentive audience. We also spent the next two days with the people there and held meetings. On the evening of the 21st of February, as we came out of the school-house, a light appeared in the north-eastern hori- zon, and spread to the west and soon rolled over our heads. It had the appearance of fire, blood and smoke, and at ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. of despair, believing that he had committed the unpardonable sin. However, I told him what the unpardonable sin was, and that he had not committed it; but that it was a trick of the devil to make him think so, in order to torment him. He then acknowledged that he went down to the wharf a few evenings before, with the intention of drowning himself, but when he looked into the cold, dark water he desisted and returned home, and had ...

ADVENTURE IN THE SURF. On the afternoon of the 22nd of March, Brother Sterrett and I, accompanied by our wives, went several hundred yards from shore to a sand bar (it being low tide), to dig clams. The ground near the shore was much lower than the bar we were on, and while we were all busy digging clams and talk- ing "Mormonism," the dashing of the waves of the incoming tide against the shore suddenly made us conscious that we had fifty yards of water between us ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. The passage of scripture came to his mind that there would be no sign given "but the sign of the prophet Jonas[Matthew 12:39]," and while this thought was in his mind a large fish arose to the top of the water, a distance from him in the sea, and suddenly sank out of sight. He much desired to see it again, and soon it arose to the top of the water, accompanied by another fish of about the same ...

A CONFERENCE HELD. been a prominent Elder in the Church, and had labored with me as a missionary, had apostatized and been cut off from the Church. Learning that I was building up branches of the Church upon the island, he and other apostates conspired to block up my way by writing lies to the people and stirring up a spirit of mobocracy upon the islands. They succeeded in exerting a strong influence with the wicked, but I knew they could not hinder the work of ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. CHAPTER XV. RETURN TO SCARBORO—JOURNEY SOUTH—VISIT TO A. P. ROCKWOOD IN PRISON—INCIDENT OF PRISON LIFE— JOURNEY TO CONNECTICUT—BAPTIZE MY FATHER'S HOUSEHOLD. ON the 28th of April we left the island in an open sail-boat and made our way to Owl's Head, and then walked twenty miles. The following day we walked forty miles and suffered some with weary limbs and blistered feet, but we felt that it was ...

ARRIVE IN NEW YORK—MEET WITH THE SAINTS THERE. and Evening and Morning Star as his companions, which he read daily. We conversed together for three hours in this solitary abode. He informed me of many things which had trans- pired while he was confined there as a prisoner. Among other things, he mentioned that the jail had taken fire a few days previous to my visit. He said it looked a little like a dark hour. The fire was roaring over his head, while ...

LEAVES FROM MY JOURNAL. roamed in my boyhood with my father, stepmother, brothers and half-sister. On my arrival at my father's home I had the happy privilege of once more taking my parents and sister by the hand, also my uncle, Ozem Woodruff, who was among the number I had baptized the year before. After spending an hour in conversation, we sat down around our father's table and supped together and were refreshed. Then we bowed upon our knees ...