A Prophecy Fulfilled
There was a great
determination by the mob to prevent the Twelve from returning to Far West for
the meeting Joseph had said they should have at the Far West Temple Site on 26
April. The brethren were equally determined that they would fulfill every
statement made by Joseph. Elders Clark and Turley joined Alpheus Cutler,
Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff,
John E. Page, and Daniel hearer as they made their way to Far West. Stephen
Markham also returned to Far West. Minutes of the meeting indicate that those
gathered at the Far West Temple Site were “the Twelve, High Priests, Elders,
and priests, on the 26 day of April, 1839” (History of the Church 3:336).
This was a representation from every priesthood quorum.
Like the apostles of
old, these modern day apostles stood in great danger, yet they did not hesitate
to proceed with the business before them. They sang a hymn, “Adam-ondi Ahman,”
and offered a prayer. They ordained two new apostles, Wilford Woodruff and
George A. Smith, who had previously been issued the call by the First
Presidency; they also ordained several men to the office of Seventy. Their next
important act was to finish laying the fourth cornerstone; Brigham Young, Heber
C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, and John Taylor, placed the stone n its
position, after which the conference adjourned, and they all dispersed to safer
ground.
Before leaving the
state, Elders Turley, Page, and Woodruff could not resist stopping by an old
friend’s house to say good-bye. Perhaps they hoped word would get around that
the Twelve had fulfilled the prophecy that they would dedicate the site and
take leave of their friends on the foundation of the Lord’s House, as they set
out for the islands of the sea.
Within a few months,
several of the brethren would embark upon their missions, but the first order
of business for the Saints was to find another place to gather. (Gracia M.
Jones, Emma and Joseph: Their Divine Mission [American Fork, Utah:
Covenant Communications, Inc., 1999], 203-4)