[Column 1]
us to the meeting-house, where we met a
large congregation, none of whom knew
who we were, or anything about our
profession, except the minister.
Elder Hale and I went to the stand,
and I arose with peculiar feelings and
addressed the congregation for one hour,
taking for my text Galatians i. 8–9.
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 any one to speak
that might wish to. As no one re-
sponded, I announced that we would
hold meetings the next four evenings at
the school-houses, beginning at No. I.
During the first thirteen days of our
sojourn upon the island we preached
seventeen discourses, being invited by
the people to tarry with them. I left a
copy of the Doctrine and Covenants
with Mr. Newton for his perusal.
He read it, and the Spirit of God
bore testimony to him of its truth. He
pondered over it for days, and he walked
his room until midnight trying to decide
whether to receive or reject it. He and
his family attended about a dozen of my
first meetings, and then he made up his
mind, contrary to the dictation of the
Spirit ol God to him, to reject the testi-
mony and come out against me. How-
ever, we commenced baptizing his flock.
The first two we baptized were a sea
captain, by the name of Justin Eames,
and his wife. Brother Jonathan H.
Hale went down into the sea and bap-
tized them on the , and
these were the first baptisms performed
by proper authority upon any of the
islands of the sea (to my knowledge) in
this dispensation.
Before we left Kirtland some of the
leading apostates there had tried to dis-
courage Brother Hale about going on his
[Column 2]
mission, telling him he would never bap-
tize 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 those
men false prophets, and he did so.
On the following Sabbath I baptized
his brother, Ebenezer Eames, another
sea captain, and a young lady.
Mr. Newton, the Baptist minister, now
commenced a war against us, and sent to
the South Island for a Mr. Douglas, a Methodist minister (with whom he had
been at variance for years) to come over
and help him put down "Mormonism."
Mr. Douglas came over, and they got
as many people together as they could
and held a conference. He railed against Joseph, the prophet, and the Book of
Mormon, and, taking that book in his
hand, with out-stretched arm, declared
that he feared none of the judgments of
God that would come upon him for re-
jecting it as the word of God, (I never
heard what his sentiments upon this sub-
ject were at the end of his term of
fourteen years' imprisonment in the Thomaston Penitentiary, for an outrage
upon his daughter, the judgment of
which was given upon the testimony of
his wife and daughter.)
I was present and heard Mr. Douglass'
speech upon this occasion, and took
minutes of the same. When he closed I
arose and informed the people that I
would meet with them next Sunday
in the meeting-house, and answer Mr.
Douglass, and wished him, as well as the
people to be present.
I informed the people that Mr. Doug-
lass had made many false statements
against Joseph Smith and the Latter-day
Saints, with whom he had no acquain-
tance, and he had misquoted much Scrip-
ture, all of which I could correct.
We continued to baptize the people on
the North Island until we baptized every
person who owned an interest in the
Baptist meeting-house. I then followed
Mr. Douglass home to the South Island,
and preached the gospel to and baptized
nearly all the members of his church.
The excitement became great on both
islands, and on Sunday, the , I met a large assembly from
both islands, and took the same subject
that Mr. Douglass had dwelt upon in his
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF.
Column 1
us to the meeting-house, where we met a
large congregation, none of whom knew
who we were, or anything about our
profession, except the minister.
Elder Hale and I went to the stand,
and I arose with peculiar feelings and
addressed the congregation for one hour,
taking for my text Galatians i. 8–9.
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 any one to speak
that might wish to. As no one responded, I announced that we would
hold meetings the next four evenings at
the school-houses, beginning at No. I.
During the first thirteen days of our
sojourn upon the island we preached
seventeen discourses, being invited by
the people to tarry with them. I left a
copy of the Doctrine and Covenants
with Mr. Newton for his perusal.
He read it, and the Spirit of God
bore testimony to him of its truth. He
pondered over it for days, and he walked
his room until midnight trying to decide
whether to receive or reject it. He and
his family attended about a dozen of my
first meetings, and then he made up his
mind, contrary to the dictation of the
Spirit ol God to him, to reject the testimony and come out against me. However, we commenced baptizing his flock.
The first two we baptized were a sea
captain, by the name of Justin Eames,
and his wife. Brother Jonathan H.
Hale went down into the sea and baptized them on the , and
these were the first baptisms performed
by proper authority upon any of the
islands of the sea (to my knowledge) in
this dispensation.
Before we left Kirtland some of the
leading apostates there had tried to discourage Brother Hale about going on his
Column 2
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 those
men false prophets, and he did so.
On the following Sabbath I baptized
his brother, Ebenezer Eames, another
sea captain, and a young lady.
Mr. Newton, the Baptist minister, now
commenced a war against us, and sent to
the South Island for a Mr. Douglas, a
Methodist minister (with whom he had
been at variance for years) to come over
and help him put down "Mormonism."
Mr. Douglas came over, and they got
as many people together as they could
and held a conference. He railed against
Joseph, the prophet, and the Book of
Mormon, and, taking that book in his
hand, with out-stretched arm, declared
that he feared none of the judgments of
God that would come upon him for rejecting it as the word of God, (I never
heard what his sentiments upon this subject were at the end of his term of
fourteen years' imprisonment in the
Thomaston Penitentiary, for an outrage
upon his daughter, the judgment of
which was given upon the testimony of
his wife and daughter.)
I was present and heard Mr. Douglass'
speech upon this occasion, and took
minutes of the same. When he closed I
arose and informed the people that I
would meet with them next Sunday
in the meeting-house, and answer Mr.
Douglass, and wished him, as well as the
people to be present.
I informed the people that Mr. Douglass had made many false statements
against Joseph Smith and the Latter-day
Saints, with whom he had no acquaintance, and he had misquoted much Scripture, all of which I could correct.
We continued to baptize the people on
the North Island until we baptized every
person who owned an interest in the
Baptist meeting-house. I then followed
Mr. Douglass home to the South Island,
and preached the gospel to and baptized
nearly all the members of his church.
The excitement became great on both
islands, and on Sunday, the , I met a large assembly from
both islands, and took the same subject
that Mr. Douglass had dwelt upon in his
