The following is a transcription of
“Zerah
Pulsipher statement, 1855 March 17” (CHL call no.: CR 100 396)
Page 1:
Zera Pulsiphers statement, made in the Historian's
Office G. S. L. City, March 17th 1855
* In the early part of 1838, while a large persecution
extended
over Kirtland against the Latter Day Saints, Joseph
Smith with the principal authorities of the Church, fled
from the place to save their lives, leaving a number of the
Presidents of the Seventies, viz Joseph Young, Zera
Pulsipher,
Henry Harriman, James Foster, [who] stayed behind with the
greatest share of the poorest members of the Church, We
got together in Counsel, having added three to our number
pro tem., in order to make up seven Presidents. We resolved,
if possible, to move all together to Missouri, yet were much
threatened by the mob against going out in a body, or even
two wagons at a time. The Counsel resolved to pray at
least two evenings each week in the attic story of the
Lord's
House. One night, after we had retired, the Methodist
Meeting House, standing near the Temple was burnt down, we
suppose, by the mob & next morning a brand which had
been
on fire was found in the Temple, having been thrown in at
the window, but had done no damage. The next day the
Mob circulated News that the Council of Seventies had burnt
down the Methodist Meeting House. The mob raged
exceedingly in consequence, but we attended to our own
business in prayer. Within a day or two Jacob Bump, who
was with the mob continually, said he knew it was not that
Council who had burnt the House. he also said he knew
who it was, and that the Council were not connected with
them or have any knowledge of the plot. This allayed
their feelings a little. We continued in prayer. One evening
while we were in the attic story of the Lord's House and
while
I think Joseph Young was at prayer, I saw a heavenly
Messenger, who appeared to be a very tall man dressed in
a white robe from head to foot. He cast his eyes on me
and on the rest of the Council and said, "Be ye and ye
shall have enough", and soon the way was opened
before us that we receive money and means for clothing
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Sec 21 To License,
tax & Regulate theatrical and other
Exhibitions,
shows & amusements
Sec 22 To tax
restrain, Prohibit & suppress, tippling
houses, Dram
shops, gaming Houses, Bawdy and
other
Disorderly Houses
Sec 23 To provide,
for the prevention & extinguishment of
fires; to
regulate the fixing of chimneys & the
flues
thereof and stovepipes & to organize &
Establish
fire Companies
Sec 24 To Regulate
the storage of Gun Powder, tar
Pitch &
Rosin, & other combustible Materials
Sec 25 To regulate
& order Parapet Walls & other partition fences.
To Wall in
the
City or any
part thereof, & [crossed out: other partition fences]
Sec 26 To establish
standard weights, measures & Reg-
ulate the
weights & measures to be used in
the City in
all cases not provided for by law
Sec 27 To Provide
for the inspecting & measuring of
Lumber &
other Building Materials & for the Mea-
surement of
all kinds of Mechanical Work
Sec 28 To Provide
for the inspection & weighing of hay, lime,
& Pit
coal & measuring of charcoal fire wood
or other
fuel to be sold or used within the city
Sec 29 To Provide
& Regulate the inspection of Tobac-
-co Beef,
Pork, flour, meal; also Beer, whiskey, &
Brandy &
all other spirituous or fermented
Liquors
Sec 30 To regulate
the weights quality & price
of bread
sold in the city
Page 3:
the poor and to prepare for our removal. James Foster,
and Jonathan Duncan also saw the angel at the same
time I did. Not many days after this, while I was at
work in the woods, with a number of workmen, about 9 oclock
in the morning on the 4th of March, I heard a great sound to
the
south of me of the rattling of wagons. I continued listening
for a minute or two till it came nearer to me, and it
appeared
to be in the air accompanied with the puffing of a
steamboat.
The sound came immediately over my head when I was at
work, and then continued towards the Kirtland Temple over
the thick
woods. I was afterwards informed that at the same time of
the
day, a number of persons near old Father Bosley's house saw
a steamboat in the air with old Father Beaman (who have
died a few months before) standing in the bow, waving his
hat, and singing. He had been president of the Elders and
anointed them at the time of the Endowment. The boat came
directly to the front of the Temple and then immediately
divided
in two, one half turned black and went to the north
and the other half turned white, and went to the west.
We continued our exertions as a counsel, and went out
of Kirtland the first part of July following, nearly six
hundred persons in company, with all our wagons and
cattle, as we agreed to do at first. At the time we went
out the mob seemed to be confounded, and in a day
or two got together and swore that they would follow and
destroy us. Jacob Bump, who was then a man of influence
with the mob, went among them at the same time, and
swore he knew we were honest men, and if they attempted
to follow us, he would destroy them, if he had it in his
power. We continued on our way to Missouri, and got
in Daviess county early in October following. X
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Sec 14 To establish
hospitals & make regulations for the
Governments
of the same; to make regulations
to secure
the Genl health of the Inhabitants to
declare what
shall be nuisances & to prevent
& remove
the same
Sec 15 To provide
the city with water to dig wells lay
pump logs
& pipes & Erect pumps in the streets for
the
Extinguishment of fires & the convenience of
the
inhabitants
Sec 16 to open,
alter, widen, & Extent & Establish
grade, pave,
or otherwise improve & Keep
repair
streets avenues lanes & alleys; & to
ablish Erect
& Keep in repair - aqueducts &
Bridges
Sec 17 To provide
for the lighting of the streets
Erecting
lamp posts & to Establish support
regulate
night watches; to Erect Market houses
Establish
markets & market places and provide
for the
Government & Regulation thereof
Sec 18 To provide
for Erecting all needful buildings for the
use of the
City, & for enclosing improving & Regula-
ting all
public grounds belonging to this city,
to regulate
and control the live trees & shrubbery
& the
Water courses & Water privileges in this city & so
far as may
be necessary the water courses leading
thereto in
the immediate vicinity thereof
Sec 19 To License,
tax & Regulate auctioneers merchants
Retailers,
Grocers, taverns, Ordinaries, Hawkers, Ped-
lars,
brokers, Pawnbrokers & money changers
Sec 20 To License
tax & Regulate hackney carriages, Wag-
ons carts,
& Drays, & fix the rates to be charged for
the carriage
of Persons & for the wagonage Cartage
&
drayage of Property; as also to License and regulate
Porters -
and fix the rates of Portage
