liberated through the blessings of God from his enemies
& prison and passed us not far distant from each
other without either party knowing it, they making their
way for their families in Illinois while we were making
our way to Far West into the hands ^midst^ of our enemies
so they arrived home to their families & friends before
our return. was a very interesting day to
me as well as others. In company with 5five others
of the Quorum of the Twelve we rode four miles
out of town to Mr Clevelands to visit Br Joseph
Smith & his family we arrived at his home & once more
had the happy privelege of taking Br Joseph by the hand
two years had rolled away since I had seen his face.
He greeted us with great joy as did Hyrum and Lyman Wight all of whom had escaped their imprisonment
to gether they had been confined in prison six months
and been under sentence of death three times, but yet
their lives were in the hands of God and He had
delivered them and they were now mingling with their
wives children & friends and out of the reach of the
mob and Joseph was frank open and familiar
in ◊◊◊d our rejoicing was great. No man
can comprehend feel, sens or understand the joy
or sensation that is created by such a meeting
liberated through the blessings of God from his enemies
& prison and passed us not far distant from each
other without either party knowing it, they making their
way for their families in Illinois while we were making
our way to Far West into the midst of our enemies
so they arrived home to their families & friends before
our return. was a very interesting day to
me as well as others. In company withfive others
of the Quorum of the Twelve we rode four miles
out of town to Mr Clevelands to visit Br Joseph
Smith & his family we arrived at his home & once more
had the happy privelege of taking Br Joseph by the hand
two years had rolled away since I had seen his face.
He greeted us with great joy as did Hyrum and
Lyman Wight all of whom had escaped their imprisonment
to gether they had been confined in prison six months
and been under sentence of death three times, but yet
their lives were in the hands of God and He had
delivered them and they were now mingling with their
wives children & friends and out of the reach of the
mob and Joseph was frank open and familiar
in ◊◊◊d our rejoicing was great. No man
can comprehend feel, sens or understand the joy
or sensation that is created by such a meeting
"Autobiography 1882 Leaves from My Journal Notes 1," p. 25, The Wilford Woodruff Papers, accessed October 11, 2024, https://wilfordwoodruffpapers.org/p/n74R