I hope you
will excuse me for the free-
dom I take, in sending
to you these few lines.
I have long thought of wri-
ting to you and gave it up
again, but now I conclude-
d to write to you and tell yo-
u the circumstances I am in
@ present.
Myself together with the wh-
ole family are well in hea-
lth and also in feeling, for
which I feel grateful to the
Lord. I have labored energe-
tic for a long time, in order
to get my family in such
a shape, that I could feel
Page 2
justified in my mind, in lea-
ving the elder portion of them
with a home, and then take
the young and helpless and
emigrate with them to Cana
da and just about as I was
ready and in such a shape
that I could go, the enemy
came and arrested me and
also my younger wife and
one of my daughters of the
older family, i.e. she was
taken as a witness, and bro-
ught us before the Commissio-
ner @ Logan under the char-
ge of Unlawful Cohabitation
but under the examination
Comm. Goodwin raised my
bonds to $1500 and my wife
under $500 bonds, and brought
a charge of Adultry against
me. I was surprized when
Page 3
this occurred as our youngest
child is now nearly fifteen mo-
nths old, consequently the bi-
rth of the child is not the ca-
use of this charge against me
It must be some other plan
on which they are calculating
to work; hence I thought of
asking you for a favor, if it
would be possible for you to
render it. If I had plenty of
means I would take a trip
to Ogden or Salt Lake City
and see Bro. F. S. Richards
for I can see it will be nec-
essary for me to do all I can
to defend myself. Although
I am not afraid of the Pen-
itentiary; would feel grateful
to my Heavenly Father that
I am worthy to be called to
suffer for the Gospel's sake
Page 4
yet I would like to doo all
I could to be free again and
work for my family, and fulfill my
^mission.^ Now, dear brother, will you do
me the favor of writing a line
or two to Bro. F. S. Richards
and ask him to do for me wh-
at he can; it may have a tend-
ency of a favor towards me of
his side. If I knew his addres
s I would write to him, but I
will wait a little while now, ho-
ping that you will be so kind
and not take offence at my
freedom. Your kindness to-
wards me in the past time
has caused me to ask you
for this favor, hoping that thes-
e lines will find you, well
in health, that you may yet
have many years to lead the
work of the Lord onward, inand
Page 5
spread the gospel among the
human family, for I am sa-
tisfied in my own mind that
this persecution, which is now
upon the Latter-Day Saints w-
ill have a tendency to bear
a stong testimony to the mind
of many an honest and noble
soul among the human fam-
ily, although I also fairly be-
leive that the time is hasten-
ing when great destruction
will sweep the face of the Earth
I do sincerely hope to the lord
that I may be able to be true
and faithful to the testimony
which He has trusted to me
that I may be found among
those, who will be willing and
ready to bear the burden ne-
cessary to bring forth this tes-
timony, that I shall not fail
to obtain the blessing for
which I left my Native Land
my freinds and relatives, for
I know that this knowledge
came from my Heavenly
Father, that the power of
man could not bring it to me
there fore I feel the respon-
sibility of these great blessings
which the Lord has bestowed
upon me, and upon this peop
le with whom I am identified
I will close my remarks, pr-
aying that you may feel ble-
ssed both in soul and body
in your advanced years
is the wishes of your humble
brother in the Gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Hans J. Peterson
[upside-down text]
Hans J. Peterson 6 Sept [18]88.
[end of upside-down text]