16 Talbot St. Leek
Staffordshire
Sept 13 [18]84 England
Dear Father
Your kind and welcome
letter dates Aug 26th was recieved by
me yeasterday on my arrival here
I have ben greatly shocked to hear of
the massacre of the Elders in Tennesee
It seems hard that innocent law
abiding citizens should be shot down
in cold blood by a ruthless mob for
no greater offense than declaring the
acceptable day of the Lord. If a Mormon
has the daring presumption to go
about minding his own business
why he ought to be shot for doing
so seems to be the verdict in the
South. We find men in our travels
who are possessed of the same veno-
mous spirit and would not hes-
itate at treating us with violence
only that they are affraid of the law
which is vindicated in this country
far better than in America. Here the
poor man gets the bennifit of the law-
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[upside-down text] se. Am glad to heare that the wheat crop was
tilence continues which no doubt they will.
are and all enquiring friends. Love from your son Asahel. [end of upside-down text]
as well as the rich. At Ecles a few
nights ago we were holding a meeting
when bro Allen finished speaking the
crowd—which had ben warming up
at the rate of about one degree pr
minute—was just about at boiling
point; they said I must not occupy
over 30 minutes, but as they were not
running the meeting I determined to
speak as long as the Spirit prompted
me to, however at the expiration of
half an hour the one big burly fellow
with a club in his hand and an exager-
ated hat on his head who had boiled
over the rim of the rabble pot enterd the
ring in which I was standing and walk
up to my side, thinking perhaps that his
very appearance would strike terror to
my heart and cause me to flee but I
did not feel the least bit like running
on the contrary I felt quite at home so
I just turned the battery on him and
shouted into his ear, he stood it for
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[upside-down text] Well I shall have to draw my letter to a clo
good, it will all be needed if the wars and pes
give kind regards to the bretheren in the st [end of upside-down text]
a few minutes, when he must have
come to the conclusion that I was
not going to scare so without farther
ado he walked out of the ring, and I
felt that "God and one man was a big
majority." As he was leaving I heard
him say "that's true doctrin" After I had
finished one man had the glaring im-
pudence to exclaim that our doctrines
were not far enough advanced for this
enlightened age. After argueing for some
time we left them to pour forth their
venemous spleen on ea other. Father we Utah boys have no idea how densely
ignorand^t^ the world is until they get out
amongst them. We had a striking example
of their enlightenment(?) the other night it Chesterton; after meeting four men followed
us up a narrow st where we stoped and
held an argument with them on the essen-
tiality of baptism in which we whiped
them shamefuly. They then said let us all
get down on our knees and prey, we told
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them we had dismissed our meeting, but
if they wanted to they were at libirty to do &
so without more ado they went down on
their knees in the middle of the st, and th[en]
we had a fair sample of an old Methodist
ranter meeting; they preyed both long and loud
so loud in fact that people flocked from all
directions to ascertain the cause of all this
braying, while the chamber windows were
thrown open on either side of the st for a
considerable distance and the people in
night-caps and dishabille made their appearance
being greatly incensed at having their peace
disturbed at this unseemly hour vis 11 oclock.
No 1 finished and no. two commeced and
continued his jeremiade so long that I beg
to think if he did not soon stop the crowd
would start to singing we wont go home till
morning. Amen came at last and we thought
all was over, but to our dismay he started in
on the Lords prayer, so we left him, he may
be there yet for all that I know; he was the last
we saw of him. Owing to the shortness of
the days and the inclement state of the we-
ather we dont hold many openair meetings now
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Bro Holt. Briggs & I are going over to Oldham
to day to hold meeting in the openair,
we keep preaching away but it does
not seem to result in much good. It
may be like bread cast upon the water
which will come forth at some future
day. I saw old dad Worthingtons Widow
& daughter the other day; he used to live
next to Wagstaff in Johnsons old place
just mention it to mother shee will
remember him: the old lady say she
has just recieved inteligence of his
death about one month ago; she does
not know that he married again and
I dident till her for it would only make
her feel bad; It seems he was the only
one in the church of his family & this
accounts for his leaving his family here
Bro Briggs showed me around yeasterd-
ay throught the markets & buisines part of town, the fish market was the greatest
sight I ever saw in my life. Bought
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a great big haddock for thrippense, it
was enoug for both of our suppers
This Week is Whitsuntide a regular
galla day for the english people. I am
going to Bell Vue gardens during the week, these are reckoned the finest in E england, there will be a grand display
of fireworks in the evening, among other
the bombardment of Alexandria. The fenian
tried yeasterday to blow up the Scotland
yards also St James Square in London
several people were injured, no clue
to the perpetraters of the daring act
Father I am thankfull for the kind
advice you gave me in your letter
and I will try and profit by it for
I realise that it is true. Well good
by, with respects to all enquiring
relatives and friends. Your affectionate
Son