BANCROFT 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 < 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
DAVID PATTEN KIMBALL, 1877. 
 
Life of David P. Kimball 
 
 and Other Sketches 
 
 By Solomon F. Kimball 
 
 Salt Lake City, Utah 
 
 The Deseret News 
 
 1918 
 
BANCROFT 
 LIBRARY 
 
 FOREWORD 
 
 With the facilities for food, transportation and 
 travel, and for education and classified occupations, 
 universally provided in our day, the generation 
 now living can little appreciate the inconveniences, 
 troubles, and even sufferings and hardships, that 
 were endured by the noble men and women who 
 conquered the West, and who, by their sacrifices, 
 provided for the temporal comforts we of today 
 enjoy. 
 
 These imperfect pages give us a glimpse of some 
 
 of the ups and downs in the life of one man who 
 
 was a typical pioneer frontiersman, and seek to 
 
 portray a scattered few of the thrilling incidents 
 
 -J of his strenuous career. 
 
 As with all the Latter-day Saints who took part 
 in the settlement of the west, faith in God and in 
 the restoration of the gospel, held him to his vig- 
 orous tasks, enabled him triumphantly to conquer 
 CZ obstacles, and was the underlying force of his 
 achievements. Unlike many other early settlers, 
 however, who were much older than he was, he rep- 
 resented the characteristics of the second genera- 
 tion type seemingly rough, in some respects and 
 ways, but having hearts and souls tuned to service, 
 love and helpfulness. 
 
 This sketch is fondly inscribed to his memory 
 
iv FOREWORD 
 
 by his loving sons, and his companion brother. 
 Other sketches herewith, are inserted to fill the 
 allotted space, and we trust will prove neither un- 
 interesting nor unprofitable to the reader. 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 Salt Lake City, March, 1918. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 Life of David P. Kimball 1 
 
 A Worthy Prophet 73 
 
 Ancestry of Heber C. Kimball 81 
 
 An Eventful Life 89 
 
 Spiritual-Mindedness 99 
 
 Results of Sabbath-Breaking 107 
 
 A Miraculous Escape 117 
 
 A Blessing in Disguise 121 
 
 Patriarchal Blessings 125 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 By His Brother, Solomon 
 
 After the mob had driven the Saints from their 
 Missouri homes, Heber C. Kimball and family re- 
 moved to a place called Commerce, afterwards 
 named Nauvoo, the famous gathering place of 
 God's people in Illinois. 
 
 With the logs of an old stable, he built a small 
 shack, and covered it as best he could with material 
 at hand. It had no floor nor chinking, but notwith- 
 standing he moved his family into it. On the night 
 of August 23, 1839, while a fearful storm was rag- 
 ing, his wife, Vilate, gave birth to her fourth son. 
 The water on the floor was ankle deep in places, 
 and the wind in all its fury blew sheets of water 
 over the bed of Sister Kimball, drenching her to 
 the skin. 
 
 While in this condition Sister Vilate, whose life 
 was almost exhausted, cried out in anguish, "He- 
 ber, unless you can secure for me a stimulant of 
 some kind, I will die before morning." Her lov- 
 ing husband, realizing the seriousness of her condi- 
 tion, lost no time in visiting the surrounding camps 
 in search of the desired medicine. But he was 
 compelled to return empty handed, soon after the 
 child was born. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 Not long after this affecting incident occurred, 
 Brother David W. Patten, president of the Council 
 of Twelve Apostles, was killed by a ruthless mob. 
 He was a man whom the women of "Mormondorrf 
 almost idolized; hence, Sister Vilate named her 
 newly-born son David Patten. As he grew, the 
 child showed traits of unusual intelligence, in view 
 of which she penned the following lines for the 
 benefit of her husband who was on his second mis- 
 sion to England : 
 
 LITTLE DAVID 
 
 Our darling little David P. 
 Is just as sweet as he can be ; 
 He surely is the finest lad 
 That you and I have ever had. 
 
 His eyes are black, his skin is fair, 
 His features good, and brown his hair ; 
 He's just as fat as butter, too, 
 We therefore think that he will do. 
 
 The martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and Patri- 
 arch Hyrum followed a few years after the expul- 
 sion of the Saints from Missouri. During the win- 
 ter of 1845-46, the people were once more driven 
 from their comfortable homes. In a wagon that 
 had been fitted out for the occasion little David, 
 who was now a lad of seven, in company with his 
 mother and the other children, crossed the Missis- 
 sippi river on the ice to join the Camp of Israel in 
 the western wilds. They suffered many privations 
 during the next few months. 
 
4 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 After traveling some five hundred miles over the 
 trackless plains of Iowa, they reached the western 
 banks of the Missouri river, where the body of the 
 Church remained for the winter and until their 
 leaders might select a home for them further west. 
 The newly-constructed town was called Winter 
 Quarters, and was afterwards named Florence, a 
 name it has retained until this day. 
 
 During the latter part of May, 1848, Heber C. 
 Kimball, at the head ^>f one hundred wagons, con- 
 taining his numerous family, relatives, friends, with 
 provisions enough to last a year, bade farewell to 
 his Winter Quarters home and continued on the 
 thousand-mile journey to the west. 
 
 Before starting, David's father presented him 
 with a beautiful little mare named Shab and a new 
 saddle, which pleased the boy very much. His 
 faithful little animal carried him safely from the 
 Missouri river to the Salt Lake Valley, where, in 
 company with his father's family, he arrived on the 
 22nd day of September, 1848. 
 
 During the next few years David's time was 
 spent in herding cows, attending school, running 
 errands and doing odd things in general. As soon 
 as he was old enough, his father entrusted him with 
 a team, and the remainder of his unmarried days 
 were spent in various kinds of work that kept him 
 constantly busy. 
 
 David P. Kimball, at the age of eighteen, had 
 developed into as fine a specimen of manhood as 
 could be found among the people. Being of a spir- 
 
t 
 
 I 
 
 i 
 
6 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 itual minded nature he possessed the gift of proph- 
 ecy to a remarkable extent, though not at all pre- 
 tentious over such matters. Having been born 
 while his grief-stricken parents were passing 
 through serious hardships, he naturally partook of 
 the spirit by which they were actuated and the 
 conditions by which they were surrounded. This 
 undoubtedly went far towards qualifying him for 
 the hard and trying mission he was destined to 
 fulfil. 
 
 He was a descendant of the Pilgrim fathers. His 
 grandsires stood shoulder to shoulder with the 
 brave patriots whose struggles made ours the most 
 glorious nation on earth. Taking these facts into 
 account, how could he be anything else than brave ! 
 He was naturally intelligent, honest, truthful, vir- 
 tuous, God-fearing and as tender-hearted as a child. 
 Of course, he was not as polished as the young- 
 men of this generation, for he had but little time to 
 attend school, or enjoy the comforts and tender 
 training of home. He was a good story-teller and 
 could thrill the listener in every nerve while relat- 
 ing his exciting experiences. He was cheerful un- 
 der the most trying circumstances, and complaints 
 were never heard from his lips. He was liberal to 
 a fault, and always ready to aid and comfort those 
 who needed help. His great faith, zeal, earnest- 
 ness and devotion to principle marked him as an 
 extraordinary man. 
 
 Probably no greater act of heroism was ever re- 
 corded in the annals of history than that performed 
 

 LIFE OF DAVID P. K1MBALL 7 
 
 by David P. Kimball and his twenty-seven asso- 
 ciates who, on the morning of October 7, 1856, 
 went from the City of the Great Salt Lake to the 
 relief of the fifteen hundred belated hand-cart emi- 
 grants who were caught in the early snows of a 
 severe winter, hundreds of miles from human hab- 
 itation, without food and without shelter. By their 
 indefatigable labor these brave mountain boys were 
 instruments in the hands of the Lord in saving thir- 
 teen hundred of that number. Had it not been for 
 their heroic efforts not enough emigrants would 
 have survived to tell the tale. The greatest heroes 
 of them all were the subject of this sketch, and his 
 bosom companions, George W. Grant and C. Allen 
 Huntington. 
 
 When the Martin handcart company came to the 
 first crossing of the Sweetwater, west of Devil's 
 Gate, they found the stream full of floating ice, 
 making it almost impossible to cross on account of 
 the strong current. The snow was eighteen inches 
 deep on the level, and the wind blew a perfect hur- 
 ricane. The stream which they were about to 
 cross was waist deep in places, and more than a 
 hundred feet wide by actual measurement. To 
 cross that mountain torrent under such conditions 
 seemed to them nothing short of suicide, for nearly 
 one-sixth of their number had already perished 
 from the effects of crossing North Platte, eighteen 
 days before. They believed that no earthly power 
 could bring them through that place alive, and 
 reasoned among themselves that if they had to die 
 
Upper Row C. Allen Huntington, Geo. W. Grant and 
 David P. Kimball, the three heroes who carried the 
 Martin company across the Sweetwater. 
 
 Second Row Ephraim K. Hanks and Charles F. Decker, 
 chiefs of western scouts, who crossed the plains from 
 Salt Lake City to the Missouri river more times than 
 any other men. Whenever the authorities of the 
 Church sent an important message to England during 
 the winter season, these men were always chosen to 
 make the hazardous journey. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 9 
 
 it was useless to add to their suffering by the per- 
 petration of such a rash act as crossing that treach- 
 erous stream. They had walked hundreds of miles 
 over an almost trackless plain, pulling carts as they 
 went, and after making such tremendous sacrifices 
 for the cause of truth, to lay down their lives in 
 such a dreadful manner was awful to contemplate. 
 They became alarmed and cried mightily unto the 
 Lord for help, but apparently received no answer. 
 All the warring elements of nature appeared to be 
 against them, and the spirit of death itself seemed 
 to be in the very air. 
 
 After these freezing, starving emigrants had 
 given up in despair, after all their hopes had van- 
 ; shed, after every apparent avenue of escape 
 seemed closed, David P. Kimball, George W. 
 Grant and C. Allen Huntington, members of the 
 relief party from Salt Lake City, came to the res- 
 cue, and to the astonishment of all who saw, car- 
 ried nearly every member of that ill-fated hand- 
 cart company across that icy stream. The strain 
 was so terrible, and the exposure so great that in 
 later years all of the boys died from the effects of 
 it. When President Brigham Young heard of this 
 heroic act, he wept like a child, and later declared 
 publicly "that act alone will insure David P. Kim- 
 ball, George W. Grant and C. Allen Huntington 
 an everlasting salvation in the Celestial Kingdom 
 of God, worlds without end." 
 
'42 
 
 , 
 
 <^> 
 
 II 
 
 
 ~ I 
 
 1C 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 11 
 
 These heroes went, on missions sent, 
 To rescue pilgrims that were late ; 
 
 With heavy loads, they "broke" the roads, 
 From Salt Lake down to Devil's Gate. 
 
 Met starving Saints, with travel faint, 
 Pulling hand-carts through the snow, 
 
 All through November and December ; 
 These were dreadful days of woe. 
 
 Through drifting snow, these boys would go 
 With freezing pilgrims on their backs, 
 
 Through rivers deep, through slush and sleet ; 
 And o'er the hills, they "broke" the tracks. 
 
 They climbed the heights, then sat up nights 
 Nursing the sick and burying dead ; 
 
 Their hearts would bleed when they would feed 
 Poor, helpless children without bread. 
 
 With dauntless will they fought on still, 
 Saving the lives of all they could ; 
 
 Though they could feel their strength of steel 
 Waning for want of needed food. 
 
 On the 13th of April, 1857, David P. Kimball 
 was married to Caroline M., the eldest daughter 
 of Thomas S. and Albina M. Williams. Caroline 
 was born April 24, 1843, in Nauvoo, 111., and with 
 her parents joined the famous "Mormon" Battalion 
 and arrived in Salt Lake Valley, July 29, 1847. She 
 and her husband spent their honey-moon on Ante- 
 lope Island, where a week or more was enjoyed in 
 horseback riding, visiting places of interest, and 
 in having a jolly good time. 
 
Caroline M., wife of David P. Kimball, 1877. 
 
LIFE OF DAVTD P. KTMBALL 13 
 
 After returning from their wedding trip they 
 took up their abode with David's mother where 
 they remained for a year or more. David contin- 
 ued to work for his father, teaming, farming, get- 
 ting out wood, hauling grists to and from the mill, 
 and taking a general interest in looking after his 
 father's affairs. While this work was going on, 
 his wife was busily engaged in the common duties 
 of the home, cooking, sewing, spinning and pre- 
 paring herself to take charge of her own home. 
 
 During the latter part of 1858, David looked 
 after his father's Grantsville ranch, which was no 
 small affair. Several hundred head of horses and 
 cattle that pastured on the nearby ranges were to 
 be looked after during the summer months, and 
 then driven onto the Kimball Island, fourteen miles 
 north, where they remained for the winter and un- 
 til they were returned to the ranch in the spring. 
 Every year two or three hundred tons of hay were 
 cut with scythes, cured and put up. It was stacked 
 and fed to oxen that had been engaged in hauling 
 freight across the western plains. 
 
 The Skull Valley Indians were quite trouble- 
 some in those days. On several occasions, while 
 David had charge of his father's ranch, Indians 
 stole large herds of stock. When the neighboring 
 ranchers learned of the depredations, they hur- 
 riedly .sought the trail of the red-skin thieves.and 
 followed them until the stolen animals 'were recov- 
 ered. On several occasions David took part in 
 expeditions of this kind, and was quite successful 
 in escaping the bullets of the red man. 
 
David P. Kimball, London, 1865. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KTMBALL 15 
 
 One bright morning during the month of May, 
 1863, the subject of this sketch, in company with 
 other elders, started on a mission to Great Britain. 
 After a two months' hard journey over the plains, 
 they reached the Missouri river, and several clays 
 later arrived in New York City. While there a 
 big, burly-looking fellow who learned they 
 were "Mormons" commenced to berate them in a 
 very insulting manner. David, who was not accus- 
 tomed to such treatment, gave him a good trounc- 
 ing, which he richly deserved. 
 
 Soon the elders were on board a first-class ves- 
 sel bound for Europe, and after a rough voyage of 
 several weeks they reached Liverpool, England. 
 In that country three years were spent in preach- 
 ing the gospel, baptizing converts, establishing 
 new branches of the Church, and performing a 
 work that brought joy and satisfaction to the 
 hearts of hundreds of people. 
 
 After being honorably released from his mission, 
 David, in company with his brothers, Charles and 
 Brigham, visited the Paris Exposition, where they 
 spent a number of days in viewing the sights. They 
 also visited other European cities of note, enjoy- 
 ing the educational advantages to their hearts con- 
 tent. Returning, they enjoyed a few days' rest in 
 England, when David and Charles boarded a home- 
 ward bound vessel and soon reached their native 
 land. 
 
 Then came the treat of their lives a visit to 
 their parents' old homes in the State of New York, 
 
16 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 where they were royally received by their relatives 
 and friends. They also visited Kirtland, Ohio; In- 
 dependence, Missouri, and Nauvoo, 111., the once 
 beautiful city of their birth. Following the old 
 "Mormon" trail through the State of Iowa, they 
 soon reached Winter Quarters, on the west bank 
 of the Missouri river, where they enjoyed a few 
 days' rest. Here they boarded one of Ben Halli- 
 day's overland stages, and after about a week's hard 
 driving they reached home in time to attend the 
 April, 1866, Conference. 
 
 Following a few weeks of needed rest, David 
 was called on another mission; this time to fight 
 Indians in what was known as the Black Hawk 
 war, but his father said: "No; Brother Brigham, I 
 will send my son Solomon in his place/' which he 
 did. This gave David time to provide for the wants 
 of his family, straighten out his business affairs, 
 and prepare for the next year's work in hauling 
 freight from the terminus of the Union Pacific Rail- 
 road to Salt Lake City. 
 
 About the first of May, 1867, David, at the head 
 of his small freight train, started on his eastern 
 journey, arriving at the terminus of the railroad 
 four weeks later. After nearly a month's wait, the 
 delayed goods, which he had contracted to haul 
 across the plains, arrived, and two months later 
 he reached home. His trip was successful, which 
 encouraged him to attempt another trip that year, 
 but the most experienced freighters in the country 
 told him that the season was so far spent that such 
 
M-j 
 
 
18 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 an undertaking would be hazardous in the extreme. 
 
 A Mr. White, who owned a freight train that 
 arrived from the east about the same time that 
 David's reached its destination, offered his outfit 
 to the latter for a reasonable sum. Without delay, 
 the bargain was closed. This transaction put David 
 in possession of fifteen first-class mule teams that 
 were in pretty good order. 
 
 The merchants of Salt Lake, as an inducement 
 for Mr. Kimball to make the trip, offered almost 
 double the usual price, provided he would deliver 
 the goods. He figured that the railroad would be 
 completed as far west as Cheyenne, by the time he 
 reached there, and that he could drive that five 
 hundred miles within a month; that it would re- 
 quire one week to load the wagons, and five weeks' 
 hard driving to reach home. The roads being in 
 splendid condition and the feed good, he decided 
 to make the trip. 
 
 Xear the last of August, David started on his 
 hazardous journey, counting that if all went well 
 with him he would be able to make the round trip 
 before snow-fall ; but if not, there was no telling 
 what would happen. He took plenty of grain along 
 for his animals, leaving portions at the various sta- 
 tions along the road. He made light drives dur- 
 ing the first few days, thus enabling him to get 
 everything in good working order. 
 
 When old time freighters were asked what they 
 thought of David's venturesome undertaking, they 
 generally scratched their heads, looked wise, but 
 

 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 19 
 
 said nothing. Other experienced westerners pre- 
 dicted all kinds of trouble for him. However, when 
 his faithful fifteen six-mule teams, loaded to the 
 guards, drove up to Walker Brothers' Salt Lake 
 store and commenced to unload the goods, there 
 was great astonishment among the doubters. 
 
 After a few weeks' rest, indefatigable David 
 hitched up his teams again, and bore off to Los 
 Angeles, California, after more merchandise. Ac- 
 cording to the "Deseret Evening News" of fifty 
 years ago, he passed through St. George, Utah, 
 near the first of January, and a little more than 
 three months later he returned to Salt Lake City 
 with another trainload of goods. By this time, 
 he had made profit enough to pay his debts, with 
 sufficient means left to purchase more mules and 
 wagons. He was now ready for anything that 
 might be required in that line of labor. 
 
 The year 1868 was known throughout this whole 
 Rocky Mountain region as the year of railway en- 
 terprise. The screech of the Union Pacific locomo- 
 tive was heard upon the plains, and the great road 
 was soon to penetrate the everlasting hills. Prom- 
 inent Utah men contracted to build about two hun- 
 dred miles of track, but were unable to proceed 
 until supplies could be brought from the terminus 
 afar in the plains of Wyoming. 
 
 The mountain streams during the spring breaks 
 became raging torrents. Toll roads, bridges, and 
 ferries were so numerous along the route that it 
 would have bankrupted the ordinary freighter to 
 
Charles S., son of Hebcr C. and Vilate M. Kimball. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 21 
 
 patronize all of them. Hence, David P. Kimball, 
 wide awake to the situation, began the journey 
 before winter was fairly over, and under the cap- 
 taincy of his Brother Charles they made their way 
 to the railroad terminus, then some five hundred 
 miles to the east of Salt Lake City. 
 
 While the teams were gone, David and his 
 brother Heber contracted with Joseph Nounnan, 
 the banker, to build about ten miles of railroad 
 track on the Bear River, a difficult piece of work 
 that would require much time and patience to com- 
 plete. 
 
 During the latter part of July the Kimball teams, 
 about twenty-five in number, all heavily loaded 
 with railroad supplies for Mr. Nounnan, arrived 
 at the latter's headquarters on Yellow Creek. A 
 few days later, about one hundred scraper teams 
 were piling up dirt in a fashion that caused even 
 experienced railroad men to look on in wonder and 
 amazement. It required about two months and a 
 half to finish the job which, when done, gave com- 
 plete satisfaction. 
 
 As soon as the Nounnan contract was completed, 
 the Kimball Brothers moved their outfit onto the 
 Brigham Young contract, at the head of Echo 
 Canyon, and, with about one hundred and fifty 
 plow and scraper teams, made good headway, not- 
 withstanding the roughness of the country. The 
 task was difficult, both for the boys and the teams, 
 of course, but the company paid enough more for 
 the work to make it worth while. 
 
22 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 Having finished this contract, they took another 
 job further down the canyon, which kept them 
 busy until late that fall. They then went to work 
 for the railroad company, who were paying exhor- 
 bitant prices for labor, since they were racing with 
 the Central Pacific Railroad Company for certain 
 advantages which would accrue to the company 
 which should first reach Ogden. 
 
 IThat winter sufficient hay could not be purchased 
 at any price, which compelled the boys to feed their 
 animals solely on shelled corn. As a result it was 
 no unusual thing mornings to find a half dozen 
 or more dead mules lying about camp. Crismon 
 Brothers alone lost about fifty head. 
 
 As soon as the railroad reached Ogden, early 
 in May, 1869, the occupation of the Utah freight- 
 ers was gone. Their outfits were sold to the high- 
 est bidders, and they invested their means in other 
 enterprises. David P. Kimball, who was in lowly 
 financial circumstances three years before that 
 time, through his energy and hard labor, had ac- 
 cumulated what was then considered a fortune, 
 which reached nearly the one hundred thousand 
 dollar mark. 
 
 Through force of untoward circumstances, the 
 Saints who had settled in the Bear Lake Valley, 
 in 1864, had become almost discouraged. The far- 
 sighted Brigham Young, comprehending the situ- 
 ation, decided upon a plan which he was confident 
 would bring good results. It was the choosing of 
 David P. Kimball to stand at the head of the set- 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 23 
 
 demerits in that part of the Church, and giving him 
 the privilege of selecting a hundred or more experi- 
 enced men to accompany him in the development 
 of the country. \Yhen the plan was matured and 
 David had selected the men, their names were 
 called at a public meeting, as was the custom in 
 those days, and they were sustained in the enter- 
 prise by the people. 
 
 On the 19th of July, 1869, President David P. 
 Kimball started on his Bear Lake journey to the 
 north. His outfit consisted of three six-mule teams 
 loaded with household goods, merchandise, ma- 
 chinery, and other necessaries, such as would be re- 
 quired in the building of a new country. He also 
 took along with him about fifty head of cattle, and 
 a like number of horses and mules. This action 
 caused considerable stir among the Saints of Zion, 
 resulting in a migration of numerous families who 
 had not been called to the mission, who also made 
 their homes in that section of the country. 
 
 As soon as Brother Kimball reached Paris, 
 Idaho, he purchased several valuable lot?, located 
 in the extreme north end of the settlement. He 
 lost no time in preparing for winter, which gener- 
 ally set in about the first of November. He soon 
 had his family comfortably housed in a four-roomed 
 building, and two months later his large and com- 
 modious barn, sheds and corrals were completed. 
 While this work was going on, his hired help cut 
 and stacked about three hundred tons of hay and 
 hauled sufficient wood to serve the needs of his 
 
24 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 family through the winter. This is part of the 
 work accomplished by him in the remarkably 
 short time of three months, to say nothing of the 
 duties that occupied the attention of his wide- 
 awake mind in other directions. 
 
 Before leaving Salt Lake City, he sent east for 
 a full set of brass band instruments, for among 
 the men he had selected for the Bear Lake mis- 
 sion there were several musicians. Neither did 
 he overlook the string band proposition, and a num- 
 ber of men who went with him were familiar with 
 that class of instruments. By the time winter 
 made its appearance, the Bear Lake settlements 
 were as a consequence blessed with music that 
 would have done credit to a much older country. 
 
 When spring came, President Kimball who, in 
 the meantime, had made himself acquainted with 
 the country's needs, went to work in earnest to 
 better the condition of the people over whom he 
 had come to preside. He united the Paris settlers 
 in the building of a sawmill near the head of Paris 
 canyon, and also a first-class grist mill several miles 
 below. He then invested a portion of his means in 
 building a tannery. He also furnished consider- 
 able means towards the stocking of the Paris Co-op 
 store, with a line of goods of which the people stood 
 sorely in need. Under his wise counsel, the people 
 built a five-pole fence from the north to the south 
 end of the valley, thus separating the stockrange 
 from most of the farming and meadow lands. He 
 purchased one of the best farms in the valley, and 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 25 
 
 placed in charge of it a first-class farmer who had 
 come with him. In other ways his means were 
 liberally invested, and soon the settlers through- 
 out that whole region of country began to feel the 
 benefits of the new blood that had been injected 
 into their financial veins. 
 
 We read in the Book of Mormon that "the Lord 
 gives men weaknesses that they may be humble," 
 and Brother David, like all big and broad-minded 
 men, had his faults. One of them was that as long 
 as he had money he gave his friends and associates 
 the benefit of it, even when it was against his own 
 interests to do so. Having given away to his bet- 
 ter judgment in relation to such matters, he soon 
 found himself in financial straits, which circum- 
 stance naturally went hard with a man of his dispo- 
 sition. Notes were becoming due, lawsuits pending, 
 and the beneficiaries who had helped to bring about 
 this condition of things were among the first to 
 desert him. As the saying goes, "Trouble never 
 comes single," and it was so with David. Things 
 continued to go from bad to worse until he became 
 thoroughly discouraged and decided to return to 
 his Salt Lake home. 
 
 Soon after President Brigham Young was made 
 acquainted with these facts, he went to Paris, Ida- 
 ho, and at a stake conference held the next day, the 
 Saints and the sinners who had gathered to hear 
 him were made to understand that the man whom 
 he had sent to preside over that valley had not been 
 sustained by the people as he should have been. 
 
26 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 \Yhen he drove into Paris from the north, he found 
 improvements made by Brother Kimball that 
 would be an honor and credit to any community, 
 but as he proceeded on his way through the town 
 he beheld the same old dirt-covered huts that were 
 built before he visited the place years ago. He said 
 that he had known Brother David from his infancy 
 up to the present time, and for many years had 
 looked upon him as one of the choice men of Zion. 
 That if the Saints of that valley had appreciated 
 his worth, and stood by him financially and other- 
 wise, this condition of things might never have oc- 
 curred. He stated also that for some time it had 
 been the unanimous sentiment of the First Pres- 
 idency that David should become a member of the 
 Council of Apostles, but through the spirit of 
 greed and opposition manifested by certain indi- 
 viduals towards him, he was sorry to say that these 
 plans had been frustrated. All things considered, he 
 would release Brother David P. Kimball from the 
 presidency of the Bear Lake mission, and he asked 
 that the blessings of the Lord attend him wherever 
 he might go. 
 
 Before President Young closed his remarks, 
 many people in the congregation were weeping. 
 It was certainly a day of regret and lamentation 
 for them, for they realized now that it would be a 
 long time before they were presided over by a man 
 who would make the sacrifices in their behalf that 
 Brother David P. Kimball had made. 
 
 As soon as David had disposed of his Bear Lake 
 
President Brigham Young. 
 
28 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 property and paid his debts, he and his family re- 
 turned to their Salt Lake home, where they were 
 royally received by their relatives and friends. 
 After some weeks spent in looking over the situa- 
 tion, Brother Kimball, with what means he had left, 
 purchased from his father's family the old Kimball 
 grist mill, on North Temple street, between State 
 and Main. This proved to be a valuable invest- 
 ment, and soon after the purchase enabled him to 
 move his family into a comfortable home. 
 
 However, managing a common old grist mill was 
 too tame a job for a man of David P. Kimball's 
 versatility and capacity. He therefore began to 
 search for pastures new. About this time there 
 was much discussion about the Salt River Valley, 
 in Arizona. It was held forth that the region of 
 country thereabout was one of great opportunity. 
 He therefore decided to dispose of his Salt Lake 
 property and make Arizona his future home. Be- 
 fore doing so he sought the counsel of President 
 Brigham Young upon the subject, and the pioneer 
 colonizer, without hesitation, advised him to go. 
 This plan having been decided upon, the great 
 "Mormon" leader, who had always been a friend 
 to David, called David to go as a missionary. 
 
 David sold his home and grist-mill to the high- 
 est bidder, and prepared for his Arizona mission. 
 He had been told that cattle were bringing fabulous 
 prices in the new country, so he decided to make 
 the journey with ox-teams. He bought three first- 
 class wagons and a traveling carriage, which he 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 29 
 
 had fitted up for the occasion. At Nephi, the then 
 terminus of the Utah Southern Railroad, he bought 
 ten yoke of the best oxen that could be found, also 
 about twenty head of cows. He then returned to 
 Salt Lake to get the balance of his outfit, which 
 was to be taken to Nephi on the cars. As soon as 
 President Young, who was the leading spirit in the 
 control of the railroad, learned this, he instructed 
 the superintendent to ship David's belongings, in- 
 cluding his family, to Nephi free of charge, which 
 was done. 
 
 Brother Kimball, with his family and splendid 
 outfit, was soon ready for the start south from 
 Nephi. On the eve of his departure, imagine Da- 
 vid's joy and satisfaction in beholding President 
 Brigham Young, who had made a special trip to 
 Nephi to see him off. It was the considerate 
 thoughtfulness of a magnanimous leader, which 
 David was not slow to recognize and appreciate. 
 
 After giving David some valuable instructions, 
 President Young placed his hands upon his head 
 and gave him a blessing, which fairly made the 
 Arizona missionary's nerves tingle. He then 
 blessed Sister Kimball and the children, and bade 
 them farewell. That was the last time that David 
 saw his dear friend President Brigham Young, who 
 passed to the other side a little more than a month 
 later. 
 
 Early on the morning of July 14, 1877, David P; 
 Kimball and family, accompanied by his brother 
 Solomon and Edward E. Jones and family, started 
 
30 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 on their eight-hundred-mile journey to the South. 
 They reached St. George about the middle of Au- 
 gust. They had learned by this time, through sad 
 experience, that they had made the mistake of 
 their lives in starting with cattle, but, of course, 
 it was now too late to change the situation. 
 
 The road for one hundred and sixty miles ahead 
 was very bad. Water and feed were also extremely 
 scarce. However, they worried along until they 
 
 Ediwird /:. Jones and wife, wlw accompanied David P. 
 Kinihall on his journey to Arizona, in 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 31 
 
 reached Pierce's Ferry, on the Colorado River, 
 about one hundred miles south of St. George. 
 Here they were compelled to remain a few days in 
 order to rest their animals. While at this place an 
 Indian, who had been sent from St. George by 
 Brother David H. Cannon, brought the "Deseret 
 News," containing an account of President 
 Young's death. This sad message, in connection 
 with the troublesome times they were passing 
 through, multiplied their sorrows. It was a great 
 shock to Brother Kimball, and he could not have 
 felt worse had it been his own father. 
 
 The quicksands along the river bank at this point 
 made it dangerous for the cattle when they came 
 to drink, and on several occasions they had to be 
 pulled out of the treacherous sand to save them 
 from being buried alive. It was also a bad place 
 for rattlesnakes, but fortunately none of the stock 
 were bitten by them. 
 
 As soon as the animals were sufficiently rested, 
 another start was made, this time on one of the 
 roughest roads over which ox teams ever traveled. 
 It was through what was called the "Grand South 
 Gulch of the Colorado River." Every foot of the 
 way, for twenty miles or more, lay over rough bed- 
 rock. By the time the teams emerged from the 
 head of that rocky gulch, the oxen were so foot- 
 sore they could scarcely walk. 
 
 Driving about ten miles further, they came to 
 Cane Springs, where they found plenty of feed and 
 water. Here thev remained for a month or more. 
 
32 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 until their worn and footsore animals were able to 
 continue on the way. Two miles south of the 
 spring lived a small band of Hualpai Indians, who 
 were terribly wrought up in their feelings when 
 they found, as they believed, that the white man 
 had taken possession of their rich grazing lands. 
 
 In a remarkably short time after the Kimballs 
 had settled in camp, the old chief, dressed in his 
 best, with a look that bespoke his feelings better 
 than words could express, came to interview them. 
 He began by haranguing the bystanders in regular 
 Indian fashion, at the same time swinging his arms 
 and pointing to the mountains, hills and plains. He 
 was able to make it known sufficiently and most 
 forcibly to all present that unless the company re- 
 moved and thus relieved the situation, some one 
 of the company would certainly lose his scalp. 
 
 As soon as the old fellow had completed his ad- 
 dress, Brother Kimball, who had no hair to spare, 
 led him to the table, where he spent an hour or 
 more in feasting upon the good things placed be- 
 fore him. Then came the pipe of peace, and soon 
 the old man was wending his way homeward as 
 one satisfied with everything his heart could de- 
 sire. 
 
 Before leaving Nephi, the sixteen yoke of oxen 
 that belonged to the Kimball party had been shod, 
 but the last two hundred miles of road had worn 
 the shoes out, and the result was that the feet of 
 the animals were so tender that they could scarcely 
 walk. It was more than a hundred miles to the 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 33 
 
 nearest blacksmith shop, and the first seventy miles 
 of that distance was over a barren desert. Supplies 
 were running short, winter was near at hand, and 
 things began to look serious for the Kimball party. 
 
 While facing this undesirable condition, a happy 
 thought passed through Brother Kimball's mind. 
 It was to send the old chief to Mineral Park after 
 shoes and nails. The distance by road was one 
 hundred and five miles, and there was but one place 
 along the route where water could be obtained. It 
 would be a hard trip on the old man, of course, but 
 if he was successful in carrying out the instructions 
 given him, it meant a good deal to the Kimball 
 party. If he failed, however, it would be difficult to 
 tell what would happen ! 
 
 After the subject had been discussed from va- 
 rious standpoints, the aged Hualpai was entrusted 
 with a full set of instructions to the Mineral Park 
 blacksmith, and he was given thirty dollars in cash 
 to pay for the nails and shoes. He was also fur- 
 nished with a can of water and enough hardtack 
 and jerked beef to last him until he returned. On 
 the day of his departure, and as soon as he had 
 eaten his breakfast and had his morning smoke, he 
 bade farewell to his palefaced brethren and started 
 on his two-hundred-and-ten-mile jaunt. 
 
 Before starting on his journey, the old chief, who 
 knew the country from A to Z, left the impression 
 that he would be back within ten days, provided he 
 had to wait no longer than three days for the black- 
 smith to complete his work. Some of the company 
 
34 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 censured Mr. Kfmball for placing so much confi- 
 dence in the old fellow, but David, who was a man 
 of discernment, knew that the chief would be true 
 to his trust, even if it cost him his life. 
 
 On the seventh day from the time he started on 
 his perilous journey, just before sundown, a dark 
 figure was seen by members of the Kimball camp, 
 working its way through the deep grass in the dis- 
 tance. It was thought by some of the company to 
 be a wild beast of some kind. At first, only little 
 attention was paid to it, but as it drew nearer, all 
 eyes were turned in that direction. It finally took 
 the form of a man, which caused a general sensa- 
 tion throughout the camp. Everybody by this time 
 was on the tiptoe of expectancy, and in a few mo- 
 ments their surprise was complete when the old 
 man came limping into camp with thirty pounds 
 of ox-shoes and nails lashed to his back. 
 
 It was difficult to believe that it was the same 
 man, for he had dwindled almost to skin and bones. 
 His belt, which contained seven holes, had been 
 drawn to the limit. He was so reduced in flesh 
 and strength that it required several days to restore 
 him to his normal condition. 
 
 The next day after his arrival the ox-shoeing 
 was begun in real earnest. It was no easy task, 
 for every ox had to be thrown and tied. After the 
 oxen were shod, their feet were so tender that it 
 required considerable turpentine which, luckily, the 
 camp possessed, to remove the soreness. Within a 
 week from the time the old man returned, the Kim- 
 ball party were ready for another start. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 35 
 
 On the second day of October, 1877, David P. 
 Kimball, at the head of his little company, con- 
 tinued on his way ; this time over a seventy-mile 
 desert marked only by a dim wagon trail. For the 
 next three days and nights man, woman, child and 
 animals were tested to the limit. It was a life and 
 death struggle for them all, and had it not been 
 for an Overruling Power, working in their behalf, 
 not one of them would have lived to tell the tale. 
 
 About eleven o'clock on the night of the 4th, 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 Lola and Effa, daughters of David P. Kimball, 1877. 
 
36 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 they struck a sandy wash and lost their way. The 
 children were crying for water, and humans as well 
 as animals were famishing. What to do under such 
 conditions was enough to drive the ordinary man 
 insane, but their wise leader, who on other occa- 
 sions had passed through similar experiences, was 
 not easily discouraged. Well versed in the wisdom 
 and instinct of animals, under such conditions, he 
 gave orders to the drivers to unyoke their cattle 
 and give them full liberty to go wherever they 
 wanted to. His past experience had taught him 
 that they would find water if it was anywhere to 
 be found. He also had two of the strongest men in 
 the company, his brother Solomon and Edward E. 
 Jones, mount horses and follow the thirsty and 
 tired animals in any direction which they might go. 
 
 These instructions were carried out to the letter, 
 and soon the famishing herd of horn stock, with 
 their heads lifted high, started in an easterly direc- 
 tion, as rapidly $ 'their tired limbs could carry 
 them. The men on horseback followed. . Every lit- 
 tle distance they passed animals of the herd that 
 had given out on the way, but the men continued 
 to follow the main herd until nearly daylight, when 
 suddenly they came to a beautiful spring of water. 
 The scene that followed can better be imagined 
 than described! Within two hours from the time 
 the strongest animals had reached the spring a 
 number of those left behind came staggering along. 
 Others had died. 
 
 After a few hours rest the men drove the cattle- 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. K1MBALL 37 
 
 back to camp, a distance of about ten miles, and 
 were overjoyed to learn that David had found the 
 Hackberry water, two miles away, which was the 
 means of saving the lives of the campers. The 
 water here was in a deep well, which doubtless 
 accounts for the animals not scenting it. If the 
 Kimball party had discovered the nearby water that 
 night it would have prevented the death of many of 
 their cattle, to say nothing of the trouble it caused 
 them in other directions. Water, in that part of 
 the country, is so scarce that one may travel from 
 fifty to sixty miles in almost any direction without 
 finding it, a fact which shows the danger lurking 
 in Arizona deserts to strangers traveling without 
 a guide. 
 
 The next morning Mr. Kimball's four horses 
 could not be found, and their disappearance caused 
 great alarm in camp, as the loss of these animals 
 under such trying circumstances was a very serious 
 matter. For nine days following, the men folks 
 scoured the country for thirty miles around, but 
 not a trace of them could be found. Finally the 
 Indians took up the hunt, and on the eleventh day 
 from the time the animals were lost, the Indians 
 found them on Table Mountain, where they had 
 been without water during that time. Their con- 
 dition when found was pitiable beyond description. 
 Two of them never recovered from the effects. 
 There was but one place where the horses could 
 climb to the top of that mountain. This they had 
 found, but after they reached the flat, they were 
 
38 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 unable to retrace their steps, other descents be- 
 ing too steep and rocky. Hence, also, the Kimball 
 party were unable to track them. 
 
 Hackberry was an old, deserted mining camp, 
 and a California company had just started it up 
 again. Mr. Kimball and companions here traded 
 what cattle they had left for horses and mules, and 
 remained there about two years in order to get an- 
 other outfit, so that they might continue on their 
 way. 
 
 All the supplies for this camp were brought up 
 the Colorado river on steamboats to Hardysville, 
 which is two miles south of Call's Landing, from 
 which place the "Mormons" of southern Utah at one 
 time obtained their supplies. Hackberry lies about 
 seventy-five miles northeast of. this place, and at 
 only three points along this route can water be 
 obtained. It was over this road that David hauled 
 freight for about two years, the Hackberry com- 
 pany allowing him three dollars per hundred. The 
 business paid very well, as the round trip could be 
 made in a little over a week. 
 
 By the middle of September, 1879, Mr. Kim- 
 ball had saved sufficient means to enable him to 
 continue on his journey. When he reached Pres- 
 cott, he contracted with the merchants of that 
 place to haul one hundred thousand feet of lumber 
 from a saw mill to the town. This occupied several 
 months of his time. While here, he made .the ac- 
 quaintance of a Mr. Bryan, who offered him three 
 dollars a hundred to haul a stampmill from Walnut 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 39 
 
 Grove into the Prescott Mountains. The tempta- 
 tion was so great, owing to the shortness of the 
 haul, that he accepted the offer. From the Grove 
 to the mine the distance was only eighteen miles. 
 
 After loading his teams with sufficient supplies to 
 last three months, he moved his outfit over to Wal- 
 nut Grove, where he went to work on his contract. 
 Few men had a wider experience in handling teams 
 than David, but he learned many new lessons along 
 these lines before his contract was completed. He 
 had three first-class six-horse teams, and his com- 
 panions, Solomon F. Kimball and Edward E. Jones, 
 each had one. Two tons of machinery was loaded 
 onto each wagon, and bright and early the follow- 
 ing morning the start was made. After a hard 
 day's drive they were highly delighted with the 
 fact that they had covered at least one-third of the 
 distance to the Tiger mine. That was making 
 money so fast that they could hardly sleep that 
 night for thinking about it ! 
 
 Another start was made the next morning, but 
 before they had gone far they came to a mountain 
 that was very nearly perpendicular. After Captain 
 Kimball had looked over the situation, he had ten 
 span of horses hitched to the first wagon, which 
 meant two hundred pounds to the horse, and then 
 the work began. Every man was at his post, some 
 blocking wheels, others whooping up the leaders, 
 and every driver in the lot yelling at the top of his 
 voice. The distance to the crest of the hill was 
 about a quarter cf a mile, and by dark the five 
 
40 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 wagons were landed on the summit. Two miles 
 were made that day. This was making money so 
 slowly that they could hardly sleep that night for 
 thinking about it! 
 
 The next morning they continued their journey, 
 this time over a much better road; two miles of it 
 being on down grade. Six miles were covered be- 
 fore dark, making thirteen miles which they had 
 traveled since they left home three days before. 
 That meant that five miles only lay between them 
 and the mine, but they little realized what was yet 
 ahead of them ! 
 
 On the fourth day they early came to a rocky 
 hill, called "Hell," even to look at which made 
 them perspire. It required every team in the out- 
 fit to haul a load to the top. It was so steep and 
 rocky that not more than half of the animals were 
 able to stand on their feet at the same time. Many 
 of the strongest chains were broken before that 
 day's work was over, and they had gone only two 
 miles. 
 
 After another hard day's drive over hills and 
 rocks, the Tiger mine was finally reached. It was 
 located on one of the topmost peaks of the Pres- 
 cott range of mountains, some eight or ten thou- 
 sand feet above sea level, and afforded a splendid 
 view of the Salt River and Gila Valleys to the 
 south. The altitude of the mountain from this 
 point to the valley below is not less than six or 
 seven thousand feet, and the descent is almost 
 perpendicular. The Kimball party unloaded their 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 41 
 
 wagons that night and the next day drove home 
 in less than seven hours. -The following day was 
 a Sunday, and they made it a day of rest in very 
 deed. After six days of hard work, even the jaded 
 animals showed their appreciation of the change as 
 they lay stretched out beneath the shady trees of a 
 walnut grove. After two months of strenuous work, 
 the Kimball-Bryan contract was completed to the 
 satisfaction of all concerned. Mr. Kimball then 
 moved his family and outfit to Kirkland Valley, 
 about twenty-five miles northwest, where he re- 
 mained until spring. 
 
 By the first of May, 1880, all arrangements had 
 been made by David to move his family to the Salt 
 River Valley, in order to fill the mission to which 
 he had been called three years before. However, 
 before starting on his one-hundred-and-fifty-mile 
 journey, he made a trip to Prescott after lumber 
 which was to be used in the construction of his 
 Arizona home. Three weeks later he reached 
 Mesa, then a small "Mormon" settlement eighteen 
 miles east of Phoenix. After looking over the coun- 
 try for several days, he purchased a tract of land 
 on the Salt River bottoms, three miles north of 
 Mesa, at a place called Jonesville, and commenced 
 to build a home. There were a number of fam- 
 ilies at the time living in this section of country 
 who were members of the "Mormon" Church, but 
 there seemed to be no organization among them. 
 They had neither meetings nor school, nor any 
 public place to hold them. 
 
Zula Pomcroy, ivife of Solomon F. Kimball, first school 
 teacher of Joncsvillc, 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 43 
 
 In less than a year from the time Brother Kim- 
 ball arrived, he purchased a piece of ground in the 
 central portion of the town and, with the help of 
 the people, built a meeting house that must have 
 cost him not less than one thousand dollars. From 
 that time on, Jonesville had religious services on 
 Sundays, and a first-class school during the week. 
 
 Much of David's time was spent in freighting 
 goods from the Maricopa railroad station to Pres- 
 cott, lumber being hauled on the return trip. 
 While making one of these jaunts during the month 
 of November, 1881, he was caught in a snowstorm 
 at Prescott, resulting in a severe cold which 
 brought on pneumonia and lung fever. In a letter 
 
 Helen Mar Whitney and her brother, Col. Hcber 
 P. Kimball 
 
44 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 to his sister Helen, under date of January 8, 1882, 
 he gives an account of a remarkable experience he 
 passed through while on his journey home. When 
 the writer returned from Arizona, in 1886, he came 
 in possession of this letter, and being conversant 
 with the facts it contained, sent it to President 
 John Taylor, that he might obtain his opinion in 
 relation to it. After reading the letter, President 
 Taylor returned it with instructions to have it pub- 
 lished, as it contained a true vision, and would 
 prove valuable among the Saints. Agreeable to 
 these instructions, received from President Tay- 
 lor, it was published in a little volume called "Help- 
 ful Visions," the fourteenth book of the Faith- 
 promoting Series, and afterwards published as an 
 appendix to the "Life of Heber C. Kimball." In 
 both cases it was edited by Bishop Orson F. Whit- 
 ney. It is given here just as it came from the pen 
 of Brother Kimball : 
 
 "On the 4th of November, I took a very severe 
 cold in a snowstorm at Prescott, being clad in light 
 clothing, which brought on pneumonia or* lung 
 fever. I resorted to Jamaica ginger and pepper tea 
 to obtain relief and keep up my strength till I could 
 reach home and receive proper care. On the 13th 
 I camped in a canyon ten miles west of Prescott, 
 my son Patten being with me. We had a team of 
 eight horses and two wagons. That night I suf- 
 fered more than death. The next night we camped 
 at Mr. Mclntyre's, about twenty miles farther on. 
 I stopped there two nights and one day, during 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 45 
 
 which time I to^k nothing to drink but pepper tea. 
 On the 16th we drove to Black's ranch, twenty- 
 eight miles nearer home, and were very comfort- 
 ably located in Mr. Black's house. 
 
 "About lip. m., I awoke and to my surprise saw 
 some six or eight men standing around my bed. I 
 had no dread of them, but felt that they were my 
 friends. At the same time I heard a voice which 
 seemed to come from an eight-square (octagon) 
 clock on the opposite side of the house. It com- 
 menced talking and blackguarding, which drew my 
 attention, when I was told to pay no attention to it. 
 At this point I heard the most beautiful singing I 
 ever listened to in all my life. These were the 
 words, repeated three times by a choir: 'God bless 
 Brother David Kimball.' I at once distinguished 
 among them the voice of my second wife, Julia 
 Merrill, who in life was a good singer. This, of 
 course, astonished me. Just then my father com- 
 menced talking to me, the voice seeming to come 
 from a long distance. He commenced by telling 
 me of his associations with President Young, the 
 Prophet Joseph, and others in the spirit world, 
 then enquired about his children, and seemed to 
 regret that his family were so scattered, and said 
 there would be a great reformation in his family 
 inside of two years. He also told me where I 
 should live, also yourself and others, and a great 
 many other things. I conversed freely with father, 
 and my words were repeated three times by as 
 many different persons, exactly as I spoke them, 
 
46 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 until they reached him, and then his words to me 
 were handed down in a like manner. 
 
 "After all this I gave way to doubt, thinking it 
 might be only a dream, and to convince myself that 
 I was awake, I got up and walked outdoors into the 
 open air. 
 
 "I returned, and still the spirit of doubt was upon 
 me. To test it further I asked my wife Julia to sing 
 me a verse of one of her old songs. At that, the 
 choir, which had continued singing, stopped and 
 she sang the song through, every word being dis- 
 tinct and beautiful. The name of the song was, 
 'Does He Ever Think of Me?' 
 
 "My eyes were now turned toward the south, and 
 there, as in a large parquette, I beheld hundreds, 
 even thousands, of friends and relatives. I was 
 then given the privilege of asking questions, and 
 did so. This lasted for some time, after which 
 the singing commenced again, directly above me. 
 I now wrapped myself in a pair of blankets and 
 went out-doors, determined to see the singers, but 
 could see nothing, though I could hear the voices 
 just the same. I returned to my couch and the 
 singing, which was all communicative and instruc- 
 tive, continued until the day dawned. All this time 
 the clock I have mentioned continued its cursing 
 and blackguarding. 
 
 "Mr. and Mrs. Black were up in due time and got 
 breakfast. I arose and made my toilet, plain as it 
 was, and took breakfast with my host and hostess. 
 When my boy got ready to start, I went to pay my 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 47 
 
 bill, and to my surprise heard a voice say or com- 
 municate : 'David Kimball has paid his bill.' When 
 I got into the wagon, my guards, or those who 
 were around my bed during the night, were still 
 with me. My father had told me that he and Pres- 
 ident Young and others would visit me the next 
 night. 
 
 4i \Ye drove on until about 11 a. m., when a host 
 of evil spirits made their appearance. They were 
 determined to destroy me, but I had power of mind 
 to pay no attention to them, and let them curse all 
 day without heeding them any more than possible. 
 Five times they made a rush en masse to come into 
 the wagon, the last one, where I was, but were kept 
 off by my friends (spiritual). About 2 p. m. I told 
 my boy to stop and we would water our horses. 
 We used for this purpose barrels that we had along 
 with us. After this I walked to the west side of 
 my wagons, and looking to the east, I saw and 
 heard the evil spirits floating in the air and chant- 
 ing curses upon Brigham Young. I saw two other 
 groups of the same kind, but did not hear them. 
 Then I looked to the south and the whole atmos- 
 phere was crowded with fallen spirits, or those 
 who had not obtained bodies. Others who tried 
 to torment me were spirits who had lived upon the 
 earth. Having seen so many and being compli- 
 mented by my guard for seeing so well, I became 
 a little timid and asked my spiritual friends if they 
 had any help. The answer was, 'Yes, plenty.' I 
 now told my boy to drive on he was entirely 
 
48 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 oblivious of all that was taking place with me 
 and soon after I was so exhausted that I fell into a 
 troubled sleep and must have slept quite a little 
 while. 
 
 "After I awoke I seemed to be left alone, and was 
 lying on my back, when, all at once, I saw an old 
 man and two young girls. This vision coming on 
 me suddenly, I was startled, and finding my guard 
 gone, I jumped out of the wagon and got up on 
 the spring seat beside my boy. But I could not get 
 away from them. I was told in a coarse, gruff 
 voice that the devil was going to kill me, and that 
 he would follow me night and day until he de- 
 stroyed me. I remembered the promise father had 
 made me the night before that he intended to visit 
 me the next evening and I nerved up and tried to 
 pay no attention to my persecutors, but I must con- 
 fess I was frightened. 
 
 "We arrived at Wickenburg just at sundown. 
 The old man and the girls were tormenting and 
 tantalizing me all the way, but never coming 
 very near me. We got supper and I took a room 
 at People's hotel and retired about 10 p. m. When 
 everything was quiet my spirit friends, eight in 
 number, returned and my tormentors were re- 
 quired to leave. Soon after, a glorious vision burst 
 upon me. There were thousands of the Saints 
 presented to me, many who had died at Nauvoo, 
 in Winter Quarters, on the plains, and in Utah. 
 
 "I saw Brother Pugmire and many others whom 
 I did not know were dead. When my mother 
 
Vilatc M. Kimball, mother of David P. Kimball, 1866. 
 
50 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 came to me it was so real and I was so everjoyed 
 that I exclaimed aloud. So powerful was this vision 
 that I asked President Young, who seemed to be 
 directing matters, three times to relieve me, or I 
 would faint. A great many others passed in regu- 
 lar order, and I recognized nearly all of them, and 
 was told the names of all I did not know. My 
 father sat in a chair with his legs crossed and his 
 hands clasped together, as we have often seen him. 
 Those who passed along had hidden him from my 
 view till then. 
 
 "This scene vanished, and I was then taken in 
 the vision into a vast building, which was built 
 on the plan of the Order of Zion. I entered through 
 a south door and found myself in a part of the 
 building which was unfinished, though a great 
 many workmen were bnsv upon it. My guide 
 showed me all through this half of the house, and 
 then took me through the other half, which was 
 finished. The richness, grandeur and beauty of it 
 defied description. There were many apartments 
 in the house, which was very spacious, and they 
 differed in size and the fineness of the workman- 
 ship, according to the merits on earth of those who 
 were to occupy them. I felt most at home in the 
 unfinished part, among the workmen. The upper 
 part of the house was filled with Saints, but I could 
 not see them, though some of them conversed with 
 me, my father and mother, Uncle Joseph Young 
 and others. 
 
 "My father told me many things, and I received 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 51 
 
 many reproofs for my wrong-doings. Yet he was 
 loth to have me leave, and seemed to feel very 
 badly when the time came for me to go. He told 
 me I could remain there if I chose to do so, but I 
 pleaded with him that I might stay with my family 
 long enough to make them comfortable, to repent 
 of my sins, and more fully prepare myself for the 
 change. Had it not been for this, I never should 
 have returned home, except as a corpse. Father 
 finally told me I could remain two years, and to 
 do all the good I could during that time, after 
 which he would come for me ; he mentioned four 
 others that he would come for also, though he did 
 not say it would be at the same time. 
 
 "On the 18th of November, about noon, we left 
 \Yickenburg (which is twenty-two miles from 
 Black's Ranch where we stopped the previous 
 night) on our journey home. I was exhausted from 
 what I had experienced, and could feel my mind 
 fast giving away, but I had confidence that I would 
 reach home alive. There were no elders to admin- 
 ister to me and no kind friends to look after my 
 wants except my son, who had all he could do in 
 looking after eight horses and two wagons. As 
 my mind wandered and grew weaker, I was 
 troubled and led by influences over which I had no 
 power, and my friends, the good spirits, had all 
 left me. 
 
 "We drove about twenty miles that afternoon, 
 camping about eight miles from water, on the Salt 
 River desert, which is about fifty miles across. Dur- 
 
52 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 ing the fore part of the night I heard the horses 
 running as though they were frightened. My son 
 was asleep, but I got up and put my overcoat 
 across my shoulders and went out where they were 
 and got them quieted down. I was about to re- 
 turn to the wagon, when that same old man with 
 gray whiskers, who had tormented me before, 
 stepped between me and the wagons. He had a 
 long knife in his hand. I was frightened and fled, 
 he pursuing me and telling me he was going to kill 
 me. What I passed through I cannot describe, 
 and no mortal tongue could tell. I wandered two 
 days and three nights in the Salt River desert, un- 
 dergoing the torments of the damned, most of the 
 time, which was beyond anything that mortal could 
 imagine. 
 
 "When my mind was restored, and the fever 
 which had raged within me had abated, I found 
 myself lying on a bleak hill-top, lost in the desert, 
 chilled, hungered, thirsty and feeble. I had scarce- 
 ly any clothing on, was barefooted, and my body 
 full of cactus from head to foot. My hands were a 
 perfect mat of thorns and briars. This, with the 
 knowledge that no one was near me, made me 
 realize the awful condition I was in. I could not 
 walk. I thought I would take my life, but had no 
 knife or anything to do it with. I tried to cut an 
 artery in my arm with a sharp rock I had picked up, 
 hoping I might bleed to death, but even this was 
 denied me. The wolves and ravens were hovering 
 around me, anxiously awaiting my death. I had a 
 
State Senator Quincy K. Kimball, third son of 
 David P. Kimball. 
 
54 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 long stick and I thought I would dig a deep hole 
 and cover myself up the best I could, so the wolves 
 would not devour my body until I could be found 
 by my friends. 
 
 "On the night of the 21st, I could see a fire about 
 twenty-five miles to the south, and felt satisfied 
 that it was my friends coming afer me. I knew the 
 country where I was ; I was about eight miles from 
 houses where I could have got plenty of water and 
 something to eat, but my strength was gone and 
 my feet were so sore I could not stand up. An- 
 other long and dreary day passed, but I could see 
 nothing but wolves and ravens and a barren desert 
 covered with cactus, and had about made up my 
 mind that the promise of two years' life, made by 
 my father, was not to be realized. While in this 
 terrible plight., and when I had just about given up 
 all hope, my father and mother appeared to me 
 and gave me a drink of water and comforted me, 
 telling me I would be found by my friends who 
 were out searching for me, and that I should live 
 two years longer as I had been promised. When 
 night came I saw another fire a few hundred yards 
 from me and could see my friends around it, but I 
 was so hoarse I could not make them hear. By 
 this time my body was almost lifeless and I could 
 hardly move, but my mind was in a perfect condi- 
 tion and I could realize everything that happened 
 around me. 
 
 "On the morning of the 23rd, at daylight, here 
 they came, about twenty in all, two of my own 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 55 
 
 sons, my nephew William, Bishop E. Pomeroy, 
 John Lewis, John Blackburn, Wiley Jones and 
 others, all friends and relatives from the Mesa, who 
 had tracked me between seventy-five and one hun- 
 dred miles. I shook hands with them, and they 
 were all overjoyed to see me alive, although in such 
 a pitiable plight. My own feelings I shall not un- 
 dertake to describe. I told them to be very careful 
 how they let me have water, at first. They rolled 
 me up in some blankets and put me on a buckboard 
 and appointed John Lewis to look after me as doc- 
 tor and nurse. After I had taken a few swallows 
 of water, I was almost frantic for more, but they 
 wisely refused to let me have it except in small 
 doses every half hour. 
 
 "I had about seventy-five miles to ride home. 
 We arrived at my place in Jones ville. on the after- 
 noon of the 24th of November, when my wife and 
 family took charge of me and I was tenderly and 
 carefully nourished. In a few days I was around 
 again. I told my experience to President McDon- 
 ald, Bishop Pomeroy, C. I. Robson and others, and 
 most of them believed me, but my word was 
 doubted by some. I told them I had just two years 
 to live, so they could tell whether it was a true 
 manifestation or not. 
 
 "No T , T , clear sister, you have a little of your 
 brother David's experience. I know these things 
 were shown to me for my own good, and it was 
 no dream but a glorious and awful reality. My 
 story is believed by my brethren who have respect 
 
56 
 
 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 for me. I will console myself with the knowledge 
 I have obtained. Let the world wag on, and let 
 hell and the devil keep up their warfare against 
 the Saints of God. I know for myself that "Mor- 
 
 Darid Patten, Jr., and Thos. S., sons of David P. Kimball 
 
 monism" is true. With God's help, while I live, I 
 shall strive to do good, and I will see you before 
 long and tell you all, as it never will be blotted 
 out of my memory. 
 
 "With kind regards, in which my wife and chil- 
 dren join, I remain, as ever, 
 
 "Your affectionate brother, 
 
 "David P. Kimball," 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 57 
 
 On the morning of November 19th, when Patten 
 arose and missed his father he thought probably 
 he had gone out to hunt for the horses, and felt no 
 uneasiness concerning him. He made a fire, pre- 
 pared breakfast and waited some time, but could 
 not see or hear him anywhere. The horses came 
 strolling into camp and were tied up, fed and wa- 
 tered. Patten then ate his meal and saddled a 
 horse and rode back towards Wickenburg, until he 
 came to a small place called Seymour on the Has- 
 sayampa but could learn nothing of his father's 
 whereabouts. He went back to the wagon and 
 hunted the* country close around camp but 
 found nothing but his father's overcoat, which 
 was a few hundred yards from the wagon. It 
 being an old camp-ground, it was impossible to 
 find his tracks. He finally came to the conclusion 
 that he had gone towards home, so he hitched up 
 his team and drove homeward until he came to Mr. 
 Calderwood's at Agua Fria (Cold Water). At this 
 place there was a well dug on the desert about 
 twenty miles from Salt River. Patten had traveled 
 about twenty-two miles before reaching this point, 
 but was disappointed in not hearing anything of his 
 father. He had traveled all night and Mr. Calder- 
 wood was up and around when he arrived. He 
 related his story to him and was advised by him to 
 leave his team there and take the best pair of 
 horses, and hitch them to his buckboard and go 
 on to the Mesa. Here he could get help to come 
 and hunt for the missing man. The distance was 
 
58 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 forty miles, which would take all the rest of the 
 day (the 20th). He acted on the advice, however, 
 and arrived at his destination at 9 p. m. The news 
 was circulated, and in less than two hours, twenty 
 of the best and most experienced men at Mesa and 
 Jonesville were on the road, taking Patten back 
 with them. They also took a wagon to carry water 
 and provisions, but most of them were on the best 
 of horses. They had sixty miles to ride, before 
 beginning the search, which was accomplished by 
 daylight next morning. After feeding their horses 
 and eating a lunch they held a consultation and 
 agreed to abide by the following fuls. If any one 
 of the party found his tracks he was to make a 
 smoke and this would call the others in that direc- 
 tion. They then started out in different directions. 
 They scoured the country until about noon, when 
 Sern Sornson and Charles Rogers found his tracks. 
 They supposed they were about twelve miles from 
 where he was lost, and about ten miles from Agua 
 Fria, close to the main road on the south side. 
 They soon gathered some brush and started a fire, 
 putting on plenty of green weeds, etc., to cause a 
 smoke, and soon attracted the attention of their 
 comrades. His tracks were followed. They wound 
 round and round, going in no particular direction. 
 Some places he would cross his tracks eight or ten 
 times in going one hundred yards, which made 
 it quite difficult to follow. 
 
 After spending a part of the afternoon trailing 
 him up, the tracks finally took a direct course lead- 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 59 
 
 ing to the north. By this time all the searching 
 party were together. 
 
 Another meeting was held and the plan adopted 
 was for eight horsemen, four on each side of his 
 tracks, to ride at a considerable distance apart, so 
 as to cut off the track if it turned to the right or 
 left, and two or three of the best trailers to keep on 
 the tracks, while the buckboard and wagon fol- 
 lowed up. These were out of sight most of the 
 time, as very good time was made by the trailers 
 after this plan was adopted. The ground was quite 
 soft, and those on the trail would gallop their 
 horses for miles, but darkness soon put an end to 
 their work for this day, a good thing for both men 
 and animals. 
 
 They had traveled upwards of one hundred miles 
 in about twenty hours. They were working men 
 and had plenty of strength to carry them through 
 under all circumstances. . They camped on the 
 highest ground that could be found close by, and 
 made a large fire which was kept up all night by 
 those on guard. 
 
 As soon as it was light enough to see the tracks, 
 every man was at his place moving as fast as he 
 could under the circumstances. 
 
 This was the morning of the 22nd. One great 
 drawback they met with that day was that when 
 they would come to a deep ravine where water had 
 run during rainy weather, the tracks would follow 
 up sometimes for miles and then continue in the 
 former direction. Places would frequently be 
 
60 
 
 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 found in the sand where the lost one had dug 
 down for water with his hands. Now and then 
 they would find a piece of his clothing and see 
 places where he had run into the fox-tail cactus, 
 cat's-claw and other thorny bushes. One place was 
 found where he had broken off the limb of a tree 
 for a walking stick. The party followed his tracks 
 all day without stopping, only as they were obliged 
 to, on account of losing the trail or from some 
 other cause. 
 
 Crosier and Heber Chase, sons of David P. Kimball. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 61 
 
 Darkness overtook them again, but nothing 
 could be heard or seen of the missing man. They 
 slept on his tracks, keeping up a fire all night as 
 before. His sons and others could not rest, and 
 followed his tracks after dark by striking matches 
 and putting them close to the ground to see if they 
 might possibly find him. Some thought they could 
 hear a sound, but it was so indistinct they could 
 not discern the direction from which it came. It 
 was indeed he who called, for they were then only 
 a few hundred yards from him, but he was too 
 hoarse to make them hear. On the morning of the 
 23rd at daylight his anxious friends were on his 
 tracks, and had gone but a short distance when 
 Charles Peterson saw him. He had a long staff in 
 his hand, and had raised up as high as he could get, 
 being on one knee and the other foot on the ground 
 and was stretching himself as far as he could and 
 looking eagerly for their arrival. The crowd made 
 a rush, and in a few seconds were with him, Bishop 
 E. Pomeroy being the first. He was in his right 
 mind and knew all present, and was glad to shake 
 them by the hand, calling each by name. He was 
 in good spirits and joked the boys frequently and 
 gave them instructions to be careful in giving him 
 water, etc. There was no water except in a canteen 
 that had been reserved for his especial use. The 
 company suffered themselves for want of water. 
 They had traveled upwards of one hundred and 
 fifty miles in less than forty-eight hours. 
 
 David had dug a deep hole with his stick and 
 
62 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 had used his hands to move the dirt. He said he 
 was digging his own grave. He was rolled in 
 blankets and put on the buckboard. All drove to 
 the nearest houses, seven or eight miles distant, 
 on the Hassayampa, where all refreshed themselves 
 with water and something to eat. Soon they were 
 on the road homeward. They drove to Mr. Cal- 
 derwood's, which was about thirty miles, and 
 stayed all night. He was very kind to all and told 
 them to help themselves to anything he had, such 
 as hay, grain and food. He acted the gentleman in 
 every respect. A large number of men had also 
 left Phoenix in search of David, among them the 
 U. S. marshal, and others. Men and Indians were 
 riding over the desert in every direction. Next 
 morning, the company drove to Jonesville, forty 
 miles distant, where they arrived about 3 p. m. 
 
 David was carried into his house where he was 
 surrounded by his loving wife and children. 
 
 When he recounted his experiences, he said that 
 one thing that kept him from choking to death for 
 want of water, was the clamp pebbles which he dug 
 from low ravines and held them in his mouth. The 
 Indians said that no human being could walk as 
 far as he did, go without water, and live four days 
 and five nights. The party that found him said he 
 must have walked at least seventy-five miles, some 
 said one hundred. 
 
 He testified that on the afternoon of the 22nd, 
 his father and mother came and gave him water 
 and told him that his friends would find him. His 
 
LIFK OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 63 
 
 clothing was all gone except his under garments, 
 which were badly torn. 
 
 Before leaving home on his trip to Prescott, 
 David had worked several days fixing up his books 
 and accounts, and burning up all useless papers, 
 after which he told his wife that he felt different 
 in starting on this trip from anything he had ever 
 felt before. He said .it seemed to him that he should 
 never return. He told her that if this proved to 
 be the case, he had fixed his business up in such 
 a shape that she would have no trouble, and would 
 know as much about it as himself. She frequently 
 spoke of these curious remarks, and felt consider- 
 ably worried. When the news came that he was 
 lost, all was plain to her, and she never expected 
 to see him come home alive. Nothing could com- 
 fort her and she watched night and day until he 
 was brought home. 
 
 David was never satisfied with his Jonesville 
 home, on account of certain conditions that sur- 
 rounded the place, and he therefore traded his farm 
 and improvements for a home on the Mesa. When 
 he had settled down in his new quarters, he con- 
 tracted with the government to furnish Fort Mc- 
 Dowell with eight hundred cords of wood, to be 
 delivered within a specified time. Instead of mak- 
 ing twelve or fifteen hundred dollars out of his 
 contract he gave his friends and relatives the full 
 benefit of it. 
 
 A number of the most influential citizens of Mesa 
 were closelv connected with Brother Kimball in 
 
Thomas S. Kimball, son of David P. Kimball, and his 
 wife, Fannie, 1890. 
 
LI1 E OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 65 
 
 business and religious affairs, when he was pres- 
 ident of the Bear Lake Stake of Zion, and they 
 knew his worth. In fact, he became so popular 
 with the people of that community that it caused 
 jealousy among other prominent members of the 
 Mesa ward. He was called afterwards to preside 
 over a small colony of Saints who had settled near 
 the headwaters of the San Pedro river. This call 
 was a great disappointment to David, in -many 
 ways ; but, without a murmur, he made the sac- 
 rifice. 
 
 He now disposed of his Salt River property, and 
 began his two-hundred-mile journey to the south- 
 east, to comply with this new call. Reaching his 
 destination, he lost no time in building a comfort- 
 able home, and sooi surrounded himself with other 
 improvements that were an honor to the commu- 
 nity in which he lived. With the help of the peo- 
 ple, he built a canal and soon St. David was or- 
 ganized into a ward. He was chosen bishop. He 
 later became a member of the county school board 
 of that district, a position he held as long as he 
 lived. 
 
 The new section of country, extending as far 
 north as the Gila Valley, soon came into prom- 
 inence, resulting in the organization of the St. 
 Joseph stake of Zion, with Christopher Layton pres- 
 ident and David P. Kimball, first counselor. But 
 the latter was not destined to hold that position 
 very long. His days on earth were fast drawing 
 to a close. It will be remembered that in writing 
 
Hebcr Chase, Quince K., and Thatcher Kimball, sons 
 of David P. Kimball, 1917. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 67 
 
 to his sister Helen, under date of Jan. 8, 1882, he 
 made this statement: "Father finally told me that 
 I could remain two years longer, after which he 
 would come for me, and also mentioned the names 
 of four others that he would come for. I will see 
 you before long, and tell you all, as it never will 
 be blotted out of my memory." 
 
 During the fall of 1883, David paid a visit to Salt 
 Lake City, to see his relatives and friends, to whom 
 he confirmed by his own lips all that his letter con- 
 tained, and told many other things relating to his 
 remarkable experience. He seemed a little reticent 
 to most of his friends, and talked but little of his 
 strange experience, feeling pained that so many 
 seemed to doubt his word, and being unwilling to 
 make himself obtrusive. When he bade his friends 
 farewell, there was something about him which 
 seemed to say that he was taking leave of them 
 for all time. His visit, no doubt, was made with 
 that object in view, for it was nearly two years 
 from the time he was lost on the desert. Soon after 
 he returned to St. David, almost the first news that 
 came from there was the tidings of his death. 
 
 A letter from his nephew, Charles S. Whitney, 
 who was then living with him, written home on 
 the 22nd of November, 1883, contained this: 
 
 "Uncle David died this morning at half-past six, 
 easily, and apparently without a bit of pain. Short- 
 ly before he died, he looked up and called, 'Father, 
 father!' All night long he had called for Uncle 
 Heber. You remember hearing him tell how 
 
Monument of David P. Kimball and his wife Caroline, 
 St. Daind, Arizona. 
 
LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 69 
 
 grandpa came to him when he was lost on the des- 
 ert, and how he pleaded for two more years and was 
 given that much longer to stay. Last Saturday, 
 the day he was so bad, was just two years from 
 the day he was lost, and today is just two years 
 from the day his father and mother came to him 
 and gave him a drink of water, and told him that 
 his friends would find him and he should live two 
 years longer. He knew that he was going to die, 
 and bade Aunt Caroline goodby, day before yester- 
 day." 
 
 During the last two years of his life David re- 
 vealed to three of his personal friends the names of 
 the four persons whom his father had told him in 
 vision that he should come for, at or near the time 
 when he would return for him. He exacted the 
 promise from these friends (who, it seems, had 
 some doubt regarding the divine nature of his 
 vision, which doubt he was anxious to dispel) that 
 they would not divulge the names of these indi- 
 viduals until after their death. The names, with 
 respective dates of decease, are as follows : 
 
 William H. Hooper, died December 30, 1882. 
 Horace K. Whitney, died November 22, 1884. 
 Heber P. Kimball, died February 8, 1885. 
 William Jennings, died January 15, 1886. 
 
 As will be seen, the longest interval given from 
 the death of David P. Kimball is two years, one 
 month and twenty-there days. William H. Hooper, 
 who was the first of the four to go, preceded David 
 
70 
 
 LIFE OF DAVID P. KIMBALL 
 
 by about eleven months, while Horace K. Whit- 
 ney, the second to depart, followed him one year 
 later to a day. 
 
 Viroqne, an Indian girl presented by Thomas S. Williams 
 to his daughter, Caroline M. Kimball, when 
 the child ivas eight years of age. - 
 
OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 A WORTHY PROPHET 
 
Heber C. Kimball, 1867. 
 
A Worthy Prophet 
 
 Heber Chase Kimball, prophet, pioneer, and col- 
 onizer, was born in 1801, at Sheldon, Franklin 
 County, Vermont. His fourth great grandfather, 
 Richard, was born in 1595, at Rattlesden, Suffolk 
 County, England, and came to America in 1634, 
 on the ship "Elizabeth." 
 
 President Kimball was not always understood 
 even by his nearest and dearest friends. The 
 greater the love he had for a man, the more severe 
 was the test he applied to that man. This he did 
 for a wise purpose, just as the Lord, through the 
 Prophet Joseph and President Brigham Young, 
 had tried him. He well understood this principle, 
 knowing that when a righteous man is chided it 
 makes him more humble ; while on the other hand, a 
 corrupt man becomes rebellious. 
 
 The enemies of this remarkable man, who find 
 fault with him for the blunt and forceful expres- 
 sions which he made, should read his history, and 
 then try to imagine what they would have done 
 under similar varying circumstances in which he 
 found himself. In the first place, in connection 
 with the Latter-day Saints in general, figuratively 
 speaking, he had been made a football for fifteen 
 years ; and for no other reason than that he and they 
 were worshiping Israel's God according to the 
 light revealed to them from the heavens, through 
 
74 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 their great Prophet and leader, Joseph Smith. To 
 cap the climax, the Saints, with starvation staring 
 them in the face, were driven fifteen hundred miles 
 from their comfortable homes, into a howling wild- 
 erness. Then, before Heber C. Kimball and other 
 mighty leaders had fairly established themselves in 
 this then barren region, their persecutors were 
 again snapping at their heels, with the hope and 
 determination of driving them into the Pacific 
 Ocean. 
 
 Heber C. Kimball was a man of character, deter- 
 mination, full of vim, a natural born financier who 
 could accumulate wealth where an ordinary man 
 might starve. He was God-fearing, as tender-hearted 
 as a child, and possessed the gift of healing to a re- 
 markable degree. His heart was filled with compas- 
 sion towards all men, and his soul was full of love. 
 He was ready at all times to give counsel to the 
 weakest child that came in his way, and thousands 
 of the older members of the Church remember him 
 with love and respect. He was a man of such great 
 discernment that it was almost impossible to de- 
 ceive him. He was an ardent lover of animals, and 
 had regard even for the lower species. 
 
 This is what President George Q. Cannon had 
 to say about him : "Heber Chase Kimball was 
 one of the greatest men of this age. There was a 
 certain nobility about his disposition that would 
 have made him conspicuous in any community. He 
 was a man of commanding presence, with eyes 
 so keen as to almost pierce one through, and be- 
 
A WORTHY PROPHET 75 
 
 fore which the guilty involuntarily quailed. He 
 was fearless and powerful in rebuking the wrong- 
 doer, but kind, benevolent and fatherly to the de- 
 serving*. He possessed such wonderful control over 
 the passions of men, combined with such wisdom 
 and diplomacy, that the Prophet Joseph Smith 
 called him "The peace maker." His great faith, 
 zeal, earnestness, devotion to principle, cheerful- 
 ness under the most trying circumstances, energy, 
 perseverance and honest simplicity marked him as 
 no ordinary man. He possessed great natural force 
 and strong will power, yet in his submission to the 
 Priesthood and obedience to the laws of God, he 
 set a pattern to the whole Church. No man, per- 
 haps, Joseph Smith excepted, who has belonged to 
 the Church in this generation, ever possessed the 
 gift of prophecy to a greater degree than Brother 
 Kimball." 
 
 Apostle Franklin D. Richards, in writing of Pres- 
 ident Kimball's missionary work in England, had 
 this to say : "The wonderful following and ingath- 
 ering of souls at the opening of the British Mission, 
 evidenced the purity and power of his apostleship 
 which was unexcelled since the awakening in Judea 
 by Jesus and John. According to Heber C. Kim- 
 ball's own estimation, he converted and baptized 
 into the 'Mormon' Church not less than three 
 thousand souls." 
 
 During the troublesome times at Kirtland, Ohio, 
 he stood so high in the estimation of the Prophet 
 Joseph that that mighty leader recorded in his jour- 
 
76 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 nal that Heber C. Kimball was one of the apostles 
 who had never raised his hand against him; and 
 President Brigham Young declared at his funeral, 
 that he was a man of as much integrity as any 
 man who ever lived upon the earth. 
 
 A number of the most prominent Kimballs of 
 the United States have publicly declared that He- 
 ber Chase Kimball is the greatest Kimball that 
 America has ever produced, and these eminent 
 non-"Mormons" have placed his history in some 
 of the most noted libraries in the United States and 
 Canada. 
 
 The subject of prayer was probably as well un- 
 derstood by him as by any other living man. When 
 in sore trouble he pleaded with the Lord like a 
 loving son with his earthly father, and never ceased 
 praying till he felt the Spirit of God burning in his 
 bosom. He often remarked that a prayer was 
 never heard under ordinary circumstances unless 
 such was the case. 
 
 Before family prayers he most always made a 
 few remarks upon religious topics, or read several 
 pages from some of the standard works of the 
 Church ; then, before he had prayed many minutes, 
 those who were present could not only feel the 
 Spirit of the Lord permeating their being, but at 
 times it seemed like the whole room was filled 
 with heavenly beings. On such occasions it was no 
 unusual occurrence to see his family and friends 
 with bowed heads, sobbing as if their hearts would 
 melt within them. 
 
A WORTHY PROPHET 77 
 
 The following fatherly advice given to his chil- 
 dren many years ago, shows still further the integ- 
 rity and nobility of character of this mighty man of 
 God: 
 
 "I desire to speak to my children this morning, 
 and while doing so I pray that I may be inspired 
 by the Holy Ghost. My soul has mourned for the 
 welfare of my children, and there is no parent on 
 earth who has more tender feelings for his chil- 
 dren than I have. When I behold the great things 
 of God and the glory that awaits the righteous, I 
 pray to the Lord to bless and save my children I 
 know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as revealed 
 to the Prophet Joseph Smith, is true, for God has 
 revealed it to me. Every man who rejects it will 
 be damned, and those who receive it will be saved. 
 Baptism is the sign of the resurrection, and it is the 
 password whereby we enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven. I want my children to observe these 
 things, for we have come into a dispensation where 
 we have got to open the door to receive all the 
 dispensations of old. iThe course I take in this life 
 will be handed down to future generations by my 
 children. I want the older ones to set an example 
 to the younger ones, and where there is hardness 
 of heart, put it away. Sin, when cultivated, brings 
 forth tyranny. If you give way to sin even a little, 
 it will conceive in your bosom and grow. Let these 
 things sink deep into your hearts, and if you will 
 do so, they will prove a blessing to you." 
 
ANCESTRY OF HEBER C. KIMBALL 
 
Hcber C. Kimball, in 1867. 
 
Ancestry of Heber C. Kimball 
 
 Soon after Heber C. Kimball joined the Church 
 of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his father's 
 family became so embittered towards him, on that 
 account, that he was unable to secure from them 
 anything that would lead to the discovery of his 
 ancestry, placing him in the humiliating position 
 of not even knowing the name of his grandfather. 
 He was so disturbed in his mind over this condi- 
 tion of things that he could hardly contain himself. 
 This was especially so after the Prophet Joseph 
 Smith's inspired address on vicarious work for the 
 dead had been given. 
 
 As soon as the Nauvoo Temple was completed 
 he officiated in that holy edifice for seven of his 
 deceased relatives, including his parents; but at 
 this point the work for his kindred dead ceased for 
 want of more names. 
 
 In 1853, he employed a genealogist by the name 
 of Kane to visit his relatives in the East for the 
 purpose of obtaining records that would enable him 
 to learn of his grandfather, and then to continue 
 the search along ancestral lines as far back as pos- 
 sible. 
 
 In the course of a year, Mr. Kane reported to 
 President Kimball that he was unable to get ac- 
 cess to his father's family Bible, in possession of 
 
82 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 his sister Eliza, consequently he received no aid 
 from that source. However, he had come into 
 possession of other material which, he claimed, 
 proved that the Kimball family were of Scotch de- 
 scent, and that their ancient name was Campbell 
 instead of Kimball. President Kimball, having im- 
 plicit confidence in Mr. Kane's genealogical abil- 
 ity, joyfully accepted his report, and the Scottish 
 idea of Campbell prevailed among the Kimball 
 family of Utah for more than forty years after- 
 wards, when this theory was proved untrue. 
 
 It is interesting to note how the minds of men 
 outside of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day 
 Saints are moved upon by unseen powers, and un- 
 wittingly made to assist those who are trying to 
 observe the commandment to seek after and do 
 work for the dead. In 1887 (nineteen years after 
 President Kimball's death) a glorious spirit seemed 
 to permeate the minds of the whole- family, stir- 
 ring them to action. That same year not less 
 than lour hundred of his descendants gathered at 
 Fuller's Hill Gardens, in Salt Lake City, and such 
 a time of rejoicing as was experienced on that 
 occasion is seldom witnessed. Those present were 
 inspired by unseen powers, and they partook of 
 t!ie prophet's declaration: 
 
 "Gliul tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness 
 fcr the living and the dead; glad tidings of great 
 joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the 
 feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things ; 
 and that say unto Zion, behold! thy God reigneth. 
 
ANCESTRY OF HEBER C. KIMBALL 83 
 
 As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of 
 God descend upon them." 
 
 Strange to say, the same year that the Kimball 
 family met at Fuller's Hill Gardens, Professor A. L. 
 Morrison, of Windom, New Hampshire, whose 
 mother was a Kimball, and Professor S. P. Shar- 
 pies of Boston, Mass., whose wife was a Kim- 
 ball, at about the same time and unknown to each 
 other, both commenced work on a genealogical 
 history of the Kimball family of America. Both 
 of these expert genealogists continued their la- 
 bors for seven years before they became acquainted 
 with each other. After that, they became co- 
 workers and co-editors for three more years, when 
 they had completed one of the most perfect gen- 
 ealogical works published up to that time in the 
 United States. It contains 1278 pages, and the 
 names of 17,000 of Heber C. Kimball's ancestors. 
 They made the remarkable discovery that all of 
 the Kimballs of America were descendants of two 
 brothers, Richard and Henry, who came from Rat- 
 tlesden, Suffolk County, England, to America, in 
 1634, on the ship "Elizabeth." They visited the 
 old Kimball homes in that part of England and 
 traced the family name back for 500 years. The 
 wealthy Kimballs of the United States furnished 
 the means to carry this enterprise through, 
 amounting to thousands of dollars. 
 
 Another remarkable coincident in connection 
 with this genealogical question was that just pre- 
 vious to the coming forth of the Sharpies-Morrison 
 
84 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 publication, several representative members of the 
 Kimball family of Utah were moved upon by the 
 spirit of the Lord to employ Brother B. F. Cum- 
 mings, of Salt Lake City, to ascertain, if possible, 
 some facts about Heber C. Kimball's grandfather. 
 After some time had been spent by Brother Cum- 
 mings in this direction, he made the following re- 
 port: 
 
 "I have discovered that James Kimball of Brad- 
 ford, Mass., is the grandfather of Heber C. Kim- 
 ball, and he was born at the above mentioned 
 place November 8th, 1736. He moved from there 
 to Hopkinton, New Hampshire, and while living 
 there, married a young lady whose given name was 
 Meribah. In 1796, with a family of eleven chil- 
 dren, he moved to Sheldon, Franklin County, Ver- 
 mont, where he lived the remainder of his days. 
 His children's names are Elizabeth, John, Rhoda, 
 Dorothy, Solomon, Betty, James, Moses, Stephen, 
 Cornelia and Jessie." 
 
 Brother Cummings made this important discov- 
 ery just in time to get these facts printed in their 
 proper place in the Sharpies-Morrison History, in- 
 cluding a full-page portrait of President Kimball 
 and a short sketch of his life. 
 
 Soon after this genealogical history was pub- 
 lished, Hon. G. F. Kimball, of Topeka, Kan., com- 
 menced the publication of "The Kimball Family 
 News," a monthly periodical of considerable impor- 
 tance. Each month Professors Morrison and Shar- 
 pies furnished for this journal long lists of names, 
 
ANCESTRY OF HEBER C. KIMBALL 85 
 
 which showed the number of President Kimball's 
 ancestors to be upwards of 20,QOO. All of these 
 that were eligible have been baptized for, and up- 
 wards of 1,000 males and nearly all of the females 
 have been endowed. 
 
 The ancestral line of the Heber C. branch of the 
 Kimball family runs as follows : Solomon was the 
 father of Heber, and was born in 1770. His wife's 
 name was Anna Spaulding. Solomon's father's 
 name was James, and he was born in 1736. His 
 wife's given name was Meribah. James' father's 
 name was Jeremiah, and he was born in 1707. His 
 wife's name was Elizabeth Head. Jeremiah's 
 father's name was David, and he was born in 1671. 
 He married Elizabeth Gage. David's father's 
 name was Benjamin, who was born in 1637. His 
 wife's name was Mary Hazelton. Benjamin's 
 father's name was Richard, the emigrant, who was 
 born at Rattlesden, Suffolk County, England, in 
 1595. His wife's name was Ursula Scott. 
 
 The spiritual-minded members of the Kimball 
 family of this intermountain region believe that 
 their illustrious father, Heber Chase Kimball, had 
 much to do with the coming forth of the genealogi- 
 cal history of the Kimball family of America, and 
 all rejoice in the following inspired expressions of 
 the Prophet Joseph: 
 
 "Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal 
 praise to the King Emmanuel who hath ordained 
 before the world was, that which would enable us 
 to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoner 
 shall go free." 
 
AN EVENTFUL LIFE 
 
Solomon F. Kimball and his two living sons, Heber 
 and Famham, 
 
An Eventful Life 
 
 Few old-time settlers of this intermountain re- 
 gion have had a more varied experience, along 
 certain lines, than has Brother Solomon F. Kim- 
 ball. When eight days old he received from Pres- 
 ident Brigham Young a blessing that fairly made 
 his little bones tremble. It closed with these 
 words: "Thou shalt not be a whit behind any of 
 thy father's house in blessings, but shall receive 
 them in due time, for thou shalt live and enjoy life, 
 and the angels shall have charge over thee, and 
 thou shalt have dominion over every foul spirit, 
 and over death itself, and possess great treasures 
 of wisdom and knowledge, and we seal you unto 
 your father and mother, and bless you with all the 
 blessings of the new and everlasting covenant in 
 the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." 
 
 Brother Kimball believes that this'blessing has 
 caused him much sorrow and trouble, as the evil 
 one, in every way possible, has sought his destruc- 
 tion, in order to prove that President Brigham 
 Young was a false prophet. To mention all the 
 dangers and narrow escapes from death through 
 which he has passed since that remarkable predic- 
 tion was made, would fill a volume. 
 
 Solomon is the seventh son of Heber C. and 
 Vilate M. Kimball, and was born at Winter Quar- 
 ters, Nebraska, February 2, 1847. The following 
 
90 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 lines were written by his mother several days after 
 his birth: 
 
 "The Lord has sent another son, 
 
 The seventh one that I have borne ; 
 
 His name it shall be Solomon, 
 
 As he was called the wisest man. 
 
 I pray the Lord to bless the lad 
 
 With wisdom more than Solomon had ; 
 
 That he may be the father of lives 
 
 But not the husband of so many wives, 
 
 For by them he was overthrown, 
 
 And lost his heirship to the crown ; 
 
 Through wisdom which he might have gained 
 
 Had that great gift with him remained. 
 
 I therefore ask the Lord again, 
 
 A kingdom let my son obtain ; 
 
 But never let his love for woman 
 
 Surpass the wisdom God hath given him." 
 
 While crossing the plains in 1848, "Solley," as 
 his mother called him, took a severe cold which 
 settled in one of his lower limbs, and made him a 
 cripple for life. When his parents reached the Salt 
 Lake Valley, he was so reduced in flesh and 
 strength that it was more than three years before 
 he was able to walk. He had a visionary turn of 
 mind ; and, even in his childhood days, was so sus- 
 ceptible to the invisible things around him that his 
 father called him his spiritual-minded boy. Many 
 times he astonished his little playmates by telling 
 them what they were thinking about. He was a 
 lover of animals, and in later years drove his fath- 
 er's carriage hundreds of miles while the latter, in 
 company with other Church officials, was making 
 
AN EVENTFUL LIFE 91 
 
 annual visits throughout the settlements of Zion. 
 
 When the Black Hawk war of 1866 broke out, 
 Brother Solomon was with the first company that 
 went to the rescue of the panic-stricken people of 
 Sanpete, Sevier, and Piute counties, who were be- 
 ing pillaged and plundered by a band of bloodthirsty 
 savages, under the able leadership of the notorious 
 renegade, Chief Black Hawk. 
 
 One year later, he was placed in charge of the 
 mathematical department of the University of Des- 
 eret, a position he held with honor and credit until 
 the spring of 1868. He then went to Laramie, Wy- 
 oming, after merchandise, and it was here that he 
 first learned of his father's death. Soon after reach- 
 ing home he went to work on the Union Pacific 
 Railroad, where he remained until that national 
 highway was completed. In 1869, he was sent on 
 a mission to the Bear Lake country, where three 
 years were spent in farming, freighting and rais- 
 ing stock. Most of his time, during the next five 
 years, was occupied in moving wild horses from 
 Antelope Island, and in carrying government mail 
 from Salt Lake City to the head of Big Cottonwood 
 canyon. 
 
 In 1877, Solomon was called on another mission, 
 this time to Arizona, where he led an active life 
 for nine years. On the 10th of February, 1881, he 
 was married to Miss Zula Pomeroy, the accom- 
 plished daughter of Francis M. and Matilda Pome- 
 roy, of Mesa. It was in Mesa that he first became 
 interested in religious matters, and among the 
 
92 
 
 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 Church offices held by him during the next five 
 years was ward clerk, secretary of Sunday School, 
 and one of the seven presidents of a Seventies quo- 
 rum. 
 
 On account of poor health, Brother Kimball was 
 released, in 1886, from his Arizona mission, and 
 returned to his Salt Lake home well qualified for 
 the work that Providence had marked out for him. 
 He had no more than reached Salt Lake when he 
 was moved upon by a heavenly influence to com- 
 mence the publication of his father's history. This 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 Solomon F. Kimball (1869) an d his wife Zula P. (1880). 
 
AN EVENTFUL LIFE 93 
 
 would cost at least $4,000 in cash, and where was 
 that amount to come from ! The Lord provided 
 the way. On the hill back of the old Kimball home- 
 stead were four lots that had been overlooked by 
 the family for years. Inspired by the Lord, Brother 
 Solomon was not long in discovering them. The 
 "boom" of 1900 came, and the lots were sold for 
 $4,550 cash. Under his management his father's his- 
 tory was written, and five thousand copies pub- 
 lished. Three years from that time he had dis- 
 posed of the entire edition at a profit of more than 
 $2,000. With part of the proceeds from the sale of 
 the lots, his father's private cemetery was improved 
 and beautified at a cost of $3,475. What cash re- 
 mained was invested in four life-size portraits of 
 President Kimball, which were presented to the 
 Logan, Manti, Salt Lake and St. George temples. 
 Before this work was completely accomplished, 
 our subject was sent for by President Wilford 
 Woodruff, who made Solomon heir to his father's 
 house. 
 
 Soon after this honor was conferred, upon him, 
 the Genealogical History of the Kimball Family 
 of America was published, giving the names of 
 17,000 of his father's ancestors. The temple work 
 was commenced at once; and within seven years 
 all of that number had been baptized for, and 5,500 
 of them endowed. 
 
 Brother Solomon has been at the head of every 
 important movement made by the Kimball family 
 since his father's death, except the work done by 
 
94 
 
 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 the administrators of the estate, and his labors have 
 been crowned with success in every particular. 
 
 On the first day of January, 1892, joy came to 
 the house of Brother Kimball, when his wife gave 
 birth to twins, and this happiness was followed by 
 grief nine days later when his beloved wife, Zula, 
 died. Those were days of sorrow for Brother Sol- 
 omon, as four of his children died within three years 
 from that time. Farnham, Heber and Helen still 
 survive their mother, and all have families and are 
 doing well. 
 
 During the fall of 1890, Solomon became a home 
 missionary in the Salt Lake Stake of Zion, a posi- 
 tion he held for more than eight years. He was 
 
 Meriba and Helen Kimball, daughters of Solomon 
 F. Kimball. 
 
AN EVENTFUL LIFE 
 
 95 
 
 one of the presidents of the Thirteenth Quorum of 
 Seventies at the time, but later was ordained a 
 High Priest. 
 
 During the spring of 1893, he was married to 
 Miss Caroline Fillerup, the oldest daughter of An- 
 drew P. and Caroline Fillerup, of Provo. She was 
 a graduate of the Brigham Young Academy, as 
 well as a first-class housekeeper, which was greatly 
 appreciated by Brother Kimball and his mother- 
 less children. 
 
 It was in 1906 that Brother Solomon first com- 
 menced to write, and since that time he has writ- 
 ten upwards of thirty articles for the "Improve- 
 ment Era," besides publishing his little book, 
 "Thrilling Experiences." 
 
 Solomon F. Kimball and wife, Caroline F. Kimball, 1890, 
 
SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS 
 
Caroline F. Kimball, unfc of Solomon F. Kimball, 1898. 
 
Spiritual-Mindedness 
 
 The Lord in his wisdom has so veiled the heav- 
 ens that any communication from the spirit world 
 is greatly appreciated when it comes from the right 
 source. Having had some experience in this mat- 
 ter, I will relate a few circumstances that have 
 taken place in my own life. 
 
 As near as I can remember, my first spiritual ex- 
 perience took place when I was about five years 
 old. One beautiful spring morning, under the guid- 
 ance of a heavenly influence, I was led to a shady 
 little nook near the mouth of City Creek Canyon. 
 My spiritual ears were then opened, and for an hour 
 or two I listened to the most beautiful music that 
 I had ever heard. After it ceased I returned home 
 and related to my parents what had occurred, and 
 after that they called me their spiritual-minded 
 boy. 
 
 A year or two later, during recovery from a 
 severe spell of sickness, I was royally entertained 
 by a spiritual personage who for several hours 
 filled my mind with clean but amusing stories that 
 kept me laughing the whole time. I had experi- 
 enced manifestations of this nature on other occa- 
 sions, but not to so great an extent. 
 
 As I grew older, I experienced various kinds of 
 manifestations that often caused me to wonder 
 
100 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 whence they came. For instance, as soon as 
 the first fruits of the season commenced to ripen, a 
 secret something made these things known unto 
 me, even indicating the exact places -where they 
 could be found. Consequently, myself and bosom 
 companions were the first to enjoy the early fruits 
 from my father's numerous orchards and gardens. 
 
 Many times I amused my little bed-fellows by 
 telling them what they dreamed about during the 
 night, since I nearly always dreamed the same 
 things that they did. I made this discovery while 
 sleeping with my brother Brigham, who was two 
 years older than I. 
 
 Whatever was happening about the neighbor- 
 hood in the way of socials, my spiritual friends 
 made it known to me, and I was generally present 
 on time to receive my share of the good things. 
 Sometimes it caused considerable merriment when 
 I dropped in among my friends just as they were 
 passing the refreshments around. 
 
 Another gift I possessed was the ability to read 
 my fellows' thoughts. Sometimes, when every- 
 thing was quiet, I could tell them what they were 
 thinking about. I will mention one case, as the 
 person is still living and often reminds me of it. I 
 was sleeping with George Judd, at my father's 
 Grantsville ranch. As we lay meditating for some 
 time, I said to him, "George, I can tell you what 
 you are thinking about." He said, "No; I don't 
 believe you can." I said, "You are thinking about 
 that Newfoundland dog that barked at us last eve- 
 
SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS 101 
 
 ning, as we were passing through Grantsville." He 
 said, "Yes; that is so; but how in the world did 
 you know?" 
 
 After I had grown to manhood these gifts 
 proved of great benefit to me in many respects. 
 They revealed the thoughts and intents of wicked 
 men's hearts, who were laying their plans to injure 
 or destroy me. Many times my life has been spared 
 by listening to the promptings of the spirit, even 
 in relation to poisonous reptiles. In 1884, when 
 a small company of us were on our way from Ari- 
 zona to St. George, Utah, while traveling up the 
 Grand Gulch, one dark night, the spirit suddenly 
 warned me of danger ahead ! The road was rough, 
 and our wagons were keeping up a terrible clatter- 
 ing. Brother C. I. Robinson and I were walking in 
 the road together just ahead of the teams. As 
 quick as thought I jerked him back. I then lit a 
 match, and there lay in the road a large rattle- 
 snake, all ready to spring at us ! 
 
 The most remarkable experiences that I ever 
 passed through, occurred during the nine years that 
 I lived in Arizona. The first event of importance 
 took place in October, 1877. After crossing a 
 seventy-five mile desert with ox teams, my spiritual 
 ears were opened, to my sorrow. From eleven 
 o'clock at night, until daylight the next morning, 
 while driving our jaded animals up a sandy wash 
 in search of water, I listened to a Satanic string 
 band that caused every fiber in my dejected body 
 to quiver. The deep, doleful, lonesome sound al- 
 
102 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 most drove me wild, while my swollen tongue was 
 protruding from my burning mouth. Every part 
 of that horrible dirge was perfectly played, inter- 
 preting, most excellently, the terrible ordeal 
 through which I was passing, causing my mind to 
 suffer more intensely than my body, if such a thing 
 were possible. Those dismal sounds rumble in my 
 ears to this day, causing me to shudder when I 
 think of it! 
 
 On the other hand, I have heard spiritual music 
 that was so far ahead of anything earthly that I 
 ever listened to that comparison cannot be made. 
 These angelic musicals were generally given after 
 passing through long sieges of hardships, disap- 
 pointments, and homesickness. Then, when every- 
 thing was going well with me, I could feel heav- 
 enly influences gathering around until I sometimes 
 felt as if I was floating in mid-air. I believe it was 
 my departed relatives and friends who, out of sym- 
 pathy, had come to bring me cheer. On such oc- 
 casions their presence was generally accompanied 
 by celestial music. 
 
 While life lasts, I will never forget one occasion 
 of this kind, that took place during the late spring 
 of 1878. After crossing a dreary desert waste, I 
 came into a beautiful valley, the surroundings of 
 which were most enchanting. The road for miles 
 ahead, was almost as level as a barn floor, and 
 weather conditions were simply perfect. There was 
 not a living soul within ten miles of where I was, 
 and it was so still that my animals started at the 
 
SPIRITUAL-MINDEDNESS 103 
 
 least sound. About 3 o'clock in the afternoon, I felt 
 the presence of my spiritual friends gathering 
 around, and soon after, some distance away, I heard 
 beautiful music. It was a heavenly orchestra play- 
 ing a grand march. The whole heavens seemed to 
 resound with sweet melodies, there being nothing 
 to mar the solemnity of the occasion until I drove 
 into camp for the night. Then the music ceased, 
 my spiritual friends departed, leaving everything 
 around me as silent as death. 
 
 I was then overcome with grief and left to my- 
 self to meditate upon where I was and where I 
 might have been, had I lived up to my privileges. 
 I fed and watered my animals, turned them out to 
 grass, and then crawled into bed, where I cried 
 myself to sleep. 
 
RESULTS OF SABBATH-BREAKING 
 
Results of Sabbath-Breaking 
 
 The Lord has made it known unto us that we are 
 conceived in sin; that when we begin to grow up, 
 sin conceiveth in our hearts and we taste the bitter 
 that we may know how to prize the sweet. 
 
 The worst sin conceived in my heart while I was 
 growing up was Sabbath-breaking. When I first 
 commenced to violate the fourth commandment, the 
 bitter was given to me in a mild form, such as slight 
 injuries, tumbling into creeks, tearing my clothing, 
 and getting a well-deserved spanking at times. 
 
 As I grew older the penalty became more severe, 
 such as being thrown from horses, kicked by-mules, 
 hooked by cows, bitten by dogs, and many other 
 experiences of a similar nature. While these bitter 
 pills were being administered to me, with clock- 
 work regularity, I was doing all in my power to 
 make myself believe that Sabbath-breaking had 
 nothing to do with it, but found it very difficult. 
 
 In 1869, a small company of us boys settled in 
 the Bear Lake country, and commenced to build 
 homes. This was the first time that we had every- 
 thing our own way, and a jollier lot of Sabbath- 
 breakers probably never lived. All days were the 
 same to us, and especially Sunday; for that was 
 the day of all other days that we turned ourselves 
 
108 
 
 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 loose in the full meaning of the word. It was Sun- 
 day when we reached our Bear Lake home. It was 
 Sunday when we took possession. It was Sunday 
 when we surveyed our land. It was Sunday when 
 we laid out our town. It was Sunday when my 
 
 Tom Williams and Jed and Hod Kimball. 
 
 brother David H. and I drove home from the 
 canyon so rapidly that I was thrown from my 
 wagon and nearly killed. We lightly laid it to 
 carelessness, but it was weeks before I was able to 
 go to work. 
 
 David and I each had a load of logs in the can- 
 yon ready to haul, and, as soon as I was well 
 enough we went after them. As I was loading my 
 wagon, my fingers were caught between two logs 
 
RESULTS OF SABBATH-BREAKING 109 
 
 and I was unable to extricate them. I yelled for 
 help, but received no answer. While suffering with 
 my three mashed fingers I was forcibly reminded 
 that it was just five weeks to a day since I was 
 thrown from my wagon, and now I was again in a 
 worse predicament than ever. As soon as David 
 had loaded his wagon, he came strolling up the 
 canyon to find me in this pitiable plight. He pried 
 my fingers loose, and I was soon on my way home 
 with the words, "Remember the Sabbath day to 
 keep it holy," everlastingly ringing in my ears. A 
 month passed before I could use my hand. 
 
 I was so far behind with my work, by this time, 
 that I hardly knew which way to turn. My barn 
 was up to the square, and I was very anxious to 
 get it under cover before winter; hence, I thought- 
 lessly went to work on it one Sunday morning. As 
 I was hewing a log above my head, my ax glanced 
 and came down on my right foot, cutting its way 
 through the main joint of my big toe. I feared I 
 might bleed to death, for there was not a doctor 
 within fifty miles of the place. I was disabled for 
 weeks, and it seemed to me a miracle that I lived. 
 
 For a long time after that I moved about with 
 considerable care on Sundays, for I was convinced 
 that the Lord was terribly in earnest when he 
 thundered the fourth commandment into the ears 
 of the children of Israel. These incidents worked a 
 reformation throughout the whole camp, but boy- 
 like we soon again forgot. 
 
 Two years later, Manasseh Williams and I went 
 
110 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 to Salt Lake City after supplies. We loaded our 
 wagon on Saturday night and started for home 
 Sunday morning. As I was driving over a bad 
 place, I lost my balance and fell to the ground. 
 Two wheels passed over my lower limbs, and I was 
 again disabled for a month. I never could quite 
 understand how it was that the evil one always 
 picked on me, unless it was on account of my par- 
 ents being so much opposed to Sabbath-breaking. 
 I finally became a close observer of the Sabbath 
 day, and, considering my restless disposition, my 
 conduct became quite praiseworthy. 
 
 I was born in the wilderness, while our people 
 were on their way to the west, and must have par- 
 taken of the pioneer spirit to a great extent. I 
 wanted to move all the time. The rougher the 
 surroundings the better I enjoyed them. I relished 
 boiled crow in the mountains better than boiled 
 beef at home. Civilization gave me the blues, and 
 attending to school was slow torture. With such 
 a disposition, it was difficult for me to live my re- 
 ligion. 
 
 The next Sunday, in company with several com- 
 panions, I visited Edington's brewery. While we 
 were having the time of our lives, a crazy man 
 entered the place, carefully scanned the crowd, 
 singled me out, of course, stepped within a few 
 feet of where I stood, drew from his belt a big gun, 
 and without batting an eye, banged away at my 
 breast. My left hand happened to be in front of 
 me when he shot. As quick as thought I threw it 
 
RESULTS OF SABBATH-BREAKING 111 
 
 up, and caught the ball in my hand, where it re- 
 mained for several hundred Sundays. 
 
 After thinking matters over, I came to the con- 
 clusion that carousing around beer gardens, on 
 Sundays was not keeping the Sabbath day holy, 
 so went home and read everything on "Mormon- 
 ism" in the house. It went so hard with me that 
 every friend I met wanted to know what in the 
 world was the matter, and were not slow in recom- 
 mending change of climate. The "Old Nick," who 
 had been camping on my tracks for years, undoubt- 
 edly said, "Yes, that is just what is needed to bring 
 him out of the kinks, and by the time I get through 
 with him he will be glad to get back to a place 
 where they keep the Sabbath day holy." 
 
 I soon found myself driving an ox team over 
 the worst road in Arizona, with blisters on my feet 
 as big as boiled beans. Here I remained for nine 
 years, passing through experiences that many times 
 made me wish I had been a better boy. This God- 
 forsaken country sure enough was the Sabbath- 
 breakers' paradise, for Sunday was never heard of. 
 For the first four years I was alone most of the 
 time, as far as the human family were, concerned, 
 otherwise I had company to spare. In my new 
 quarters lived nine different kinds of rattle-snakes 
 that were always looking for a row. Also millions 
 of ringed, streaked and striped lizards, ranging in 
 size from the tiny chameleon to the venomous 
 Gila monster. There were also interesting vari- 
 eties of spiders, centipedes, scorpions, horned-toads 
 
112 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 and tarantulas by the trillions. One could 
 scarcely move without infringing upon the rights 
 of something. I counted forty-four different kinds 
 of cactus in one day, and every last one of 
 them had a chip on its shoulder. Spanish bay- 
 onets, bristling "benyons," prickly pears, and 
 pointed "penders;" needle-necks, nail-kegs, cat's- 
 claws, thistle-foxtail, desert-thistle, and a thousand 
 other thorny things that kept me jumping. The 
 craggy peaks, the savage red man, the wild beasts, 
 the dreary wastes, the parched ground, the sandy 
 deserts, and a hundred other horrid things that 
 made me wince and wonder! I was on the ragged 
 edge of despair all the time. Chasing hostile In- 
 dians over Utah hills was a pleasure in comparison 
 to this life. My rampant spirit was subdued long 
 before my pardon came, and I was ready to serve 
 God and keep his commandments when it did come. 
 I was anxious to get home and take up my labors 
 on father's history, where I left off, as well as to 
 look after other important matters pertaining to 
 his affairs. These sacred duties weighed heavily 
 upon my mind, as I could begin to understand the 
 meaning of certain blessings conferred upon me by 
 the Prophet Brigham, when I was eight days old. 
 A change from the bitter to the sweet was at 
 hand, and I was ready for the change. Justice and 
 judgment were satisfied, and mercy claimed her 
 own. I was almost smothered with the spirit of 
 repentance, and began to cry mightily unto the 
 Lord for help. After I had exhausted all the en- 
 
RESULTS OF SABBATH-BREAKING 113 
 
 ergy that lay within my power, deliverance came. 
 I at once joined the Mesa ward, as directed by the 
 Spirit, and was soon following the narrow path that 
 leads to life eternal. After providing for my fam- 
 ily's wants I asked the Lord to give me an under- 
 standing of the gospel, little realizing the way in 
 which my prayer would be answered. 
 
 I soon felt my strength giving way, and for the 
 next four years I was unable to do more than six 
 months' work. I took hold of my religious studies 
 with a vim, and the way the scriptures were un- 
 folded to my mind was nothing short of marvel- 
 ous. I almost committed to memory the New Tes- 
 tament, the Doctrine and Covenants, the "Pearl 
 of Great Price," "Key to Theology" and the "Voice 
 of Warning." I read everything on church doc- 
 trine that I could obtain and received manifesta- 
 tions that were truly wonderful. I was so inter- 
 ested in my studies that I could hardly sleep nights. 
 After I had sufficiently humbled myself before the 
 Lord and stored my mind with useful knowledge, 
 I was allowed to return home. 
 
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE 
 
A Miraculous Escape 
 
 During the latter part of May, 1861, my father 
 sent me to Grantsville with a herd of cows. The 
 horse I rode was an overgrown, somewhat skittish 
 colt. For the first mile or two, I was unable to 
 get the cows started,, on account of the many side- 
 streets, so I persuaded a number of my little 
 brothers to give me a helping hand. They were 
 warmly dressed, and after walking some distance 
 asked me to carry their coats, which I did by plac- 
 ing them on the saddle in front of me. 
 
 As I was riding along in a careless manner, one 
 of the coats fell to the ground, frightening my 
 horse. He suddenly leered to one side and threw 
 rne off. As I fell, my left foot slipped through 
 the stirrup, and I was unable to extricate it. At 
 break-neck speed the animal started towards Ante- 
 lope Island, kicking at me with both feet at every 
 jump. He ran so fast that I hardly touched the 
 ground, and all I could feel was the sharp grease- 
 wood combing my hair as I whizzed by. 
 
 My thoughts were perfectly rational and, as my 
 life on many other occasions had been spared in a 
 miraculous manner, I wondered if the Lord would 
 do anything for me on this occasion. I had no time 
 to get frightened, but was becoming terribly nerv- 
 ous, as the colt's heels were cutting dangerously 
 close to me. The animal was strong enough to 
 
118 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 drag an ox, and the saddle would never give way 
 under the weight of a stripling lad like me. I 
 realized this, and had about given up all hopes of 
 escape when the horse kicked one of his hind feet 
 through the other stirrup, and threw himself to 
 the ground, at the same time breaking the stir- 
 rup strap. As quick as thought I wrenched my 
 foot from the other stirrup. I had no sooner done 
 so than the colt was on his feet again and going 
 faster than ever. 
 
 My little brothers came running to my assistance 
 and were astonished to find that I had received 
 scarcely a scratch. A couple of horsemen, passing 
 by, caught my fleeing steed, and in a short time I 
 was on my way again, praising the Lord for pre- 
 serving my life in such a miraculous manner. 
 
A BLESSING IN DISGUISE 
 
 L'BRARY 
 
Solomon F. Kimball. 
 
A Blessing in Disguise 
 
 During the fall and winter of 1889, I was trou- 
 bled with a tingling, itching sensation under my 
 left eye, but paid little attention to it, thinking it 
 would soon cease. It finally developed into a pain- 
 ful, deep-seated sore, the roots of which I could 
 plainly feel spreading over the left side of my face 
 in every direction. I finally became alarmed and 
 consulted an eminent cancer specialist, who hap- 
 pened to be spending a few days in our city. He 
 informed me that it was a cancer of the worst type, 
 and the result would be disastrous, unless it were 
 attended to at once. He gave me some ointment 
 to rub over it, and set the time when he would 
 remove it from my face. 
 
 The next day I was driving a nail into a hard 
 piece of wood. It flew out, and the point of it 
 struck me in the left eye, inflicting a painful wound. 
 Doctor W. T. Cannon happened to be present at 
 the time, and advised me to see an occulist, and 
 have it attended to, which I did. Doctor Ira Lyons 
 treated it every day for several weeks, and the 
 pain during that time was very severe. Each day 
 I saturated a piece of medicated cotton with con- 
 secrated oil and bound it over my afflicted eye. 
 This was the only substantial relief I could get. 
 However, my eye continued to get worse, and the 
 doctor finally decided to remove it, as it had com- 
 
122 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 menced to affect the sight of the other eye. He set 
 the time for the operation, Sunday, that being a 
 quiet day. 
 
 I belonged to what was then known as the "Pres- 
 ident Taylor Prayer Circle," which met in the His- 
 torian's office every Sunday morning. I went there 
 that day with feelings better imagined than de- 
 scribed, and related to the brethren of the circle 
 what was about to take place. Brother Joseph 
 Home was in charge, and there was a goodly at- 
 tendance. After Brother Hamilton G. Park of- 
 fered up an inspired prayer, Bishop Whitney 
 anointed me with consecrated oil. Then as many of 
 the brethren as could get around, placed their 
 hands upon my head, and Bishop Alexander McRae 
 gave me one of the most powerful blessings that 
 I ever received. In the name of the Lord he re- 
 buked the pain, and promised that my eye should 
 be healed from that very moment, and every one 
 present said, "Amen." iThe fervent prayers of 
 these righteous men prevailed, and my afflicted eye 
 was made whole. 
 
 With a light heart and cheerful countenance, I 
 went to Doctor Lyon's office. He examined my 
 eye, and with wonder exclaimed, "What in the 
 world has happened? Your eye is all right." I 
 had suffered such intense pain with it that I had al- 
 most forgotten about the cancer. The consecrated 
 oil had in the meantime killed it, root and branch, 
 not even leaving a scar. The next day I went to 
 see the cancer specialist, and when I explained mat- 
 
A BLESSING IN DISGUISE 
 
 123 
 
 ters to him, he was greatly surprised. He was so 
 pleased with my statement that he presented me 
 with a watch charm which I have kept to this day, 
 and shall always keep as a sacred remembrance of 
 that remarkable event. 
 
Patriarchal Blessings 
 
 BLESSING GIVEN TO HEBER C. KIMBALL 
 
 By Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Nauvoo, Illinois, 
 
 March 9, 1842 
 
 Brother Heber : I lay my hands upon your head 
 in the name and by the authority of Jesus Christ, 
 and bless you according to your calling, which is 
 spiritual, and according to your station and lineage 
 and magnanimity, honor and nobility of your blood, 
 as it hath descended in a true lineal descent from 
 your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by which 
 you are blessed with their faith, which is the faith 
 of faithful Abraham to believe and to endure all 
 things, with patience. The same has been a great 
 preservation to sustain you and to inspire your 
 heart unto obedience, to receive the promises which 
 were obtained, and the blessings which were to 
 come upon their children, the same to be placed 
 upon your head, which blessings hath swollen your 
 heart unto greatness and with gratitude in the pres- 
 ence of God. The same shall crown you with every 
 blessing spiritually and temporally; spiritually by 
 that Priesthood which is your right with all its qual- 
 ifying powers of which you have received a fore- 
 taste, but you shall be blessed with a fulness, and 
 shall be not one whit behind the chiefest. 
 
 As an apostle, you shall stand in the presence of 
 
126 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 God to judge the people, and as a Prophet you shall 
 attain to the honor of the three ; and shall prophesy, 
 and the power of God shall attend your labors, and 
 crown you with honor and great success, and bring 
 salvation to millions. Your heart shall be inspired 
 with inspiration, even the inspiration of the Al- 
 mighty, henceforth and forever; and for your evils 
 you shall be chastened and loved and cherished and 
 made an instrument to cherish and to love the in- 
 habitants of the earth; the works of your creation 
 that are like unto yourself, which are the works of 
 God's hands, standing forth with the power of sal- 
 vation, having attained the Holy Seal of promise as 
 one that is chosen and sealed unto eternal life. 
 
 For this are you called and chosen and sealed, 
 for the Hand of God is with you to prosper you, and 
 to save you and your house, even to the uttermost, 
 and to your father's house, for they shall bow at 
 the shrine of Jehovah when you shall lift your voice 
 and stretch out your arm in their midst, that re- 
 main, and the residue shall be redeemed ; for the 
 arm of Jehovah is extended, stretched out in mercy 
 to prosper you, firm as a decree, unalterable, and 
 none shall stay his hands. 
 
 Therefore, cheer up your heart, for the blessings 
 of salvation, spiritual and temporal, are yours. 
 You have a right to the anointing and the endow- 
 ment, and the testimony of the last days, as a 
 pruner of the vineyard, to seal up the law and bind 
 up the testimony, and to an inheritance in the 
 lineage of your fathers, which is in Ephraim, and 
 
PATRIARCHAL BLESSINGS 127 
 
 to possess the same in eternity, and to stand wait- 
 ing for your reward at the coming of the Son of 
 Man, for his reward shall be with him. These are 
 the blessings I seal upon your head, even so, Amen. 
 
 James Sloan, Clerk. 
 
 BLESSING GIVEN TO VILATE M. KIMBALL 
 
 By Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Nauvoo, Illinois, 
 March 9, 1842 
 
 Beloved Sister : I lay my hands upon your head 
 in the name of Jesus, and seal you unto eternal life 
 sealed here on earth and sealed in heaven, and 
 your name written in the Lamb's Book of Life 
 never to be blotted out. 
 
 The same is mentioned and manifested to com- 
 fort your heart, and to be a comfort unto you hence- 
 forth all your clays. It is even a promise according 
 to the mind of the Spirit, and the Spirit shall bear 
 record of the truth; the same is called the Second 
 Comforter, not his presence, but his promise. The 
 same is as immutable as an oath by Himself, be- 
 cause there is none greater, and there is no greater 
 promise nor no greater blessing that can be given, 
 and no greater riches, it being the riches of eter- 
 nity, which are the greatest riches of all riches. 
 
 These are your blessings ; and also you shall be 
 blessed with the communion of the Holy Spirit, 
 with a knowledge of the mysteries of God, and 
 fellowship with the Saints, and share in the glory, 
 the honor and every blessing touching your inherit- 
 
128 OTHER SKETCHES 
 
 ance and lineage with and in common with your 
 husband, receiving the mysteries of God through 
 the Key of Knowledge which is sealed upon his 
 head. 
 
 As to your temporal blessings, they shall be in 
 common with your husband, for you shall prosper 
 in all your avocations in life, and your name shall 
 be perpetuated in honor by your posterity unto the 
 latest generation; and you shall be blessed with 
 long life, even according to the desire which is in 
 your heart. You shall see much of the salvation of 
 God, and shall be crowned in the end together, in 
 the glorious resurrection of the just, at the sound of 
 the first trump, or at the coming of the Son of Man. 
 These blessings I seal upon your head, even so, 
 Amen. 
 
 James Sloan, Clerk. 
 

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