AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF. 123
sations created by such a meeting, ex-
cept those who have been in tribulation
for the gospel's sake.
After spending the day together, we
returned to our families at night.
On the day following, May 4th, we
met in conference at , the Prophet
presiding, which caused great joy
and rejoicing to all the Saints.
On Sunday, May 5th, Joseph Smith
addressed the assembly, followed by
and the Twelve Apostles.
The 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
Joseph met with the Twelve, bishops and
elders, at house; and
there were a number with us who were
wounded at . Among them
was , who had been, in com-
pany 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
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 acklnowledge this deliverance
to be by the 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 myster-
ious 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 Quincy, in company with
Brother and our families
on the 15th of May, and arrived in
Commerce on the 18th. After an inter-
view with Joseph we crossed the river at
. 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 him-
self. Then Brother and
family moved into the same room with
myself and family.
While I was living in this cabin in the
old barracks, we experienced a day of
with the Prophet Joseph.
It was a very sickly time and Joseph had
given up his home in Commerce to the
sick, and had a tent pitched in his door-
yard and was living in that himself.
The large number of Saints who had
been driven out of , were flock-
ing into Commerce; but had homes
to go into, and were living in wagons,
in tents, and on the ground. Many,
therefore, were sick through the ex-
posure they were subjected to. Bro-
ther Joseph had waited on the sick,
until he was worn out and nearly sick
himself.
On the morning of the 22nd of July,
1839, he arose reflecting upon the sit-
uation of the Saints of God in their
persecutions and afflictions, and he
called upon the Lord in prayer, and the
power of God rested upon him mightily,
and as Jesus healed all the sick around
Him in His day, to Joseph, the Prophet
of God, healed all around on this occa-
sion. He healed all in his house and
door-yard, then, in company with Sidney
Rigdon and several of the Twelve, he
went through among the sick lying on
the bank of the river, and he com-
manded them in a loud voice, in the
name of Jesus Christ, to come up and
be made whole; and they were all healed.
When he healed all that were sick on
the east side of the river, they crossed
the in a ferry-boat to
the east side, to Montrose, where we
were. The first house they went into
was President Brigham Young's. He
was sick on his bed at the time. The
Prophet went into his house and healed
him, and they all came out together.
As they were passing by my door, Brother
Joseph said: "Brother Woodruff, fol-
low me." These were the only words
