more He made as He had about $600 due & was out of business
mostly, & knew not whare to get the first dollar A company of
rich men stept forward & said that several of their Sons were going
to the gold diging were young & inexperienced & if Bablam would
go with them there they would pay his debts, support his family, fit him
out pay his fare there & back again, this offer was made by men
who kenew him as a business man & believed He had experience in
travelling &c He excepted the proposal & left suddenly having but
few days to get ready went on the 2nd Feb via Chagres & Pannama
on board of the Corsair. So Elder Barnes is the ownly man
left in the Boston Branch that has any thing more than enough
to pay his fare to the Bluffs, ownly 8 malle members left in the
Boston Branch, those who have means to pay their fare to St Louis
& the Bluffs are are expecting to go west as fast as they can. I have
not been to philadelphia but once Elder Appleby has charge
of that & other places in that region in my absence & I do not
know so well the situation of the means of the Saints in that
place as well as He does. I hope Elder Barnses will do everything
for you He said on Sunday that He owed $1500 which he had got
to pay soon but if He could settle his business calculated to
go the Bluffs in the spring & on to the valley I do not know
of but one man besides him in my field of labour
that has got money and that is Capt Joseph Russell of Merimachie, I had an interview with him soon after I arrived
in Boston. I presented the letters before him from Dr Richards
requesting him to advance means to pay those debts of the presidency
for those goods obtained at the Bluffs. Soon Elder Cordon came
as an Express with letters from Elder Hyde to him upon the
same subject. He said He had no money by him ownly enogh
to help him home to Merimichi but He would consider
the subject. He asked some council of me concerning going
west I advised Him to follow the council of the Epistle He
said He would do it. I got a letter from Him awhile
since saying that He had no oppurtunity yet to sell, that His property
was worth £5000 but what He could get for it He could not tell
but calculated to sell & go to the west this next summer He
said He should Have a settlement in His business once a year which
more He made as He had about $600 due & was out of business
mostly, & knew not whare to get the first dollar A company of
rich men stept forward & said that several of their Sons were going
to the gold diging were young & inexperienced & if Bablam would
go with them there they would pay his debts, support his family, fit him
out pay his fare there & back again, this offer was made by men
who knew him as a business man & believed He had experience in
travelling &c He excepted the proposal & left suddenly having but
few days to get ready went on the 2nd Feb via Chagres & Pannama
on board of the Corsair. So Elder Barnes is the ownly man
left in the Boston Branch that has any thing more than enough
to pay his fare to the Bluffs, ownly 8 male members left in the
Boston Branch, those who have means to pay their fare to St Louis
& the Bluffs are are expecting to go west as fast as they can. I have
not been to philadelphia but once Elder Appleby has charge
of that & other places in that region in my absence & I do not
know so well the situation of the means of the Saints in that
place as well as He does. I hope Elder Barnes will do everything
for you He said on Sunday that He owed $1500 which he had got
to pay soon but if He could settle his business calculated to
go the Bluffs in the spring & on to the valley I do not know
of but one man besides him in my field of labour
that has got money and that is Capt Joseph Russell of
Merimachie, I had an interview with him soon after I arrived
in Boston. I presented the letters before him from Dr Richards
requesting him to advance means to pay those debts of the presidency
for those goods obtained at the Bluffs. Soon Elder Cordon came
as an Express with letters from Elder Hyde to him upon the
same subject. He said He had no money by him ownly enogh
to help him home to Merimichi but He would consider
the subject. He asked some council of me concerning going
west I advised Him to follow the council of the Epistle He
said He would do it. I got a letter from Him awhile
since saying that He had no oppurtunity yet to sell, that His property
was worth £5000 but what He could get for it He could not tell
but calculated to sell & go to the west this next summer He
said He should Have a settlement in His business once a year which
"Letter to George Albert Smith and Ezra Taft Benson, 22 February 1849," p. 2, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed April 19, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/EG0m