I am very tired
to night after a walk of eighteen
miles. I thought I would start a
letter to you to night and finish
it in the morning all being well.
Elder Denney and myself left Southhampton this morning and
walked to Ramsey and called at
the residence of a Mrs Stone on
Lord Mount Temple's estate but found
the lady had gone to visite some
friends. She has ben lately inves-
tigating the principles of truth, and
Bro D. informs me that she is quite
favorabely impressed, but what the
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final results will be time alone
can tell. Had we have seen Mrs Stone
so as to spend the afternoon at
her place we would have returned
to Southhampton to night, but as
things turned out we determined to
wend our way to this place and
arrived here at 8 oclock and proceded
to Bro Elkins. He has a wife and seven
children; they are one of those sort
of families that have one leg in
the church and one leg outside.
And I want to tell you here that
Bro Denney informed me on our
way here that they had never given
the Elders any thing to eat since he
has ben in the district, some fifteen
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months nor before that time that he knew of; well when we got
inside I was so tiered and hungry
having had no dinner and the
heavy road had given me a ravenous
appetite, that I just asked the Lord
to provide us with something to
eat, and it was soon made manif-
est that He had heard my simple
prayer for the good matron was
soon buisy prepareing us some
supper, and just as we had finished
our frugal meal, another sister came
in with a nice pc. of cake which
we ate for desert. This last named
sister who is a jenuine L.D.S. but
who is out at service and conseq-
uently has no place to invite the
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Elders to gave us two shillings
with which to procure some comf-
artable lodgings. We succeded in getting
them with a private family where we
are now comfortablely quarted. Bro D.
has retired and is now snooring
lustily, while I am clutching my pen-
holder with a determined effort to
deface this sheet of paper, and wait
for the candle, which is growing
beautifuly less, to give out so that
I may have a good excuse to retire
Of course I acknowledge the ha^n^d
of the Lord in providing for our wants
this night as he has done otn on several
other occasions. We passed through
some beautiful scenery to day on
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our way here. The green hills and
verdant meadows coverd with the
fir and yew trees and a variety of
evergreen shrubs together with the
ivy coverd cottages that one frequently
sees in passing through the rural
districts in the South of England, gives
every thing the appearance of Spring
rather than of Winter; and were it
not for the few varites of desciduous
trees which abound in this region
sutch as the oak, elm etc, it would
be difficult to define the seasons. Well I mus say good night. Feb 24 [18]85
I recieved your lettter written at the Temple on Jan 21 [18]85 all right and
was glad to hear from you, though
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sorry to know that you with others
had ben forced to flee from your
persecuters, leave your families and
seek that protection among the Red
Man that is denied you by the more
civilized race. It seems hard that our
fathers who went to Utah when it was
a desolate wilderness and by their
unceasing efforts redeemed the land from
its sterrility and made the desert blossom
as the rose are now involuntary
fugitives, not from justice but from
inquisitorial judges who would inc-
arcerate them in the penitentary just
as surly as they submitted to arrest. It
appears to me that suspicion no matter
how founded is sufficient cause for
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arrest, arrest is merely a proceding
precedent to conviction, conviction
is the penitentary, with treatment sutch
as is given to vile fellons murders and
cut-throats to be followed by forced
associations with these characters.
The procedings now being carried on in
the territories reminds me of the day
of Catholic ascendency in Spain, less
the torture, but it is my deliberate
belief that if it were possible even
torture would be resorted to. One
cannot contemplate sut^c^h unjust
procedings without the blood of indig-
nation rushing tumultously through
his veins and along and through
every fiber of his body and it enables
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one to look with fortitude upon the
dissolution that is sure to follow any any nation that allows sutch a
state of affairs to exist. I hope the
Lord will bless you and comfort your
heart on your present mission and
may you have much joy in your labors.
Bro Lund said he was going to change
me to London early in the Spring but
I am content to labor wherever I may
be called for preaching is preaching
and it dont make much difference what
part of the country it is in, but certainly I
am pleased to know that I shall have
an opportunity of becoming familiar with
the many feautres of interest in the great
city. Remember me kindly to Bros Teasdale
and Bleak. The old brother with whom
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we have ben stopping in S. ampton
has gone into the poorhouse, so
we have had to hire a little room
and get a bit of a bed together so as
to have a shelter when we go there. It
is not a very luxurous couch concisting
as it does of an old straw tick to lie on
and a few bits of. well they may have ben
blankets once, for a covering, still it
serves as a shelter. We have but two
places now where we can sleep without
paying for it, and we have to buy a
good deal of our food so it takes some
monney on a mission in England. A
penney piece looks about as big as a
wagon wheel, they are getting so scarce. I still weare the hat and shoes I
left home in but they are getting very
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shabby and I must get some new ones.
When I have paid for the clothing
that I require immediately there will
be but a few cappers left in my pocket
and I would like some means sent
me as soon as poosible. I have deprived
myself of nearly all pleasures and some
of the nescessaries of life, at times going
hungry rather than buy food, and
I always purchase the plainest, generaly
bread and butter. But I am quite cont-
ented to live this way if it is nescess-
ary that I should do so. It cost 12
shillings to go to London to the conf-
erences held there. I have said so much
that you might know about how
I am situated. Am feeling well in
spirits, but health not the best. Well I will
say good by Your affectionate Son
Asahel.