SURVIVORS OF MASSACRE.
Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us, and we had a
glorious day.
On May 6th, I met with the Seventies, and we ordained
sixty men into the quorums of Elders and Seventies. Brother
met with the Twelve, Bishops and Elders, at Bishop house; and there were a number with us who were
wounded at Haun's Mill. Among them was ,
who had been, in company with about twenty others, at the
mill, when a large armed mob fired among them with rifles
and other weapons, and shot down seventeen of the brethren,
and wounded more. Brother Laney fled from the scene, but
they poured a shower of lead after him, which pierced his
body through and through. He showed me eleven bullet
holes in his body. There were twenty-seven in his shirt, seven
in his pantaloons, and his coat was literally cut to pieces.
One ball entered one arm-pit and came out at the other.
Another entered his back and came out at the breast. A
ball passed through each hip, each leg and each arm. All
these shots were received while he was running for life, and,
strange as it may appear, though he had also one of his ribs
broken, he was able to outrun his enemies, and his life was
saved. We can only acknowledge this deliverance to be by
the power and mercy of God.
President was also among the number. He
also fled, and although the balls flew around him like hail, he
was not wounded. How mysterious are the ways of the Lord!
Before starting on our missions to , we were under
the necessity of settling our families. A place called , afterwards named , was selected as the place
at which our people should settle.
I left , in company with Brother
and our families on the 15th of May, and arrived in Com-
merce on the 18th. After an interview with Joseph we
crossed the river at , Iowa. President Brigham
Young and myself, with our families, occupied one room
about fourteen feet square. Finally Brother Young obtained
another room and moved into it by himself. Then Brother
and family moved into the same room with
myself and family.
