I [Orson Pratt Brown] labored in the Mutual and Sunday School and did everything that I could to make myself worthy of service among my fellows and in the Gospel. 

In March 1887 Apostle Moses Thatcher returned from the colonies in Mexico and told how the conditions financially were so distressing with the people in Mexico, and asked for volunteers of young men who were willing to serve and labor and build roads and dig ditches and become members of the colonies in Mexico. 

There were as I remember, about twelve or fifteen young men who volunteered to come to these colonies, along with them, myself.  When I asked Apostle Thatcher how soon he wanted us to leave he laid his hand on my shoulder. 

"Just as soon as you can arrange your affairs," he said. "Get ready and go; and I promise you in the name of Israel's God that his blessing and spirit and protection will be with you and that this will be the greatest blessing that could ever come to you to have volunteered this service for it is a service in the work of the Lord." And he sent me on the way rejoicing. 

I began to dispose of what little I had and came to Sulphur Springs Valley where my mother [Phebe Abbott Brown Fife] was. She desired to come with me and together we journeyed to the colonies, arriving there on the thirtieth day of May, 1887. 

Just before getting into the little colony of Juárez [Mexico] our wagon broke down and in the work of reloading and moving, the malaria fever came back on me; I having had it once before. I was in bed for about three weeks, nigh unto death. 

I remember especially this incident: My mother had gone from our little tent and sent Brother [Alexander Finlay] Macdonald to come and administer to me. He brought a man who was a doctor by the name of Metz. I remember after they had administered to me they stepped outside of the door  

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of the tent. Brother Macdonald said to his companion, "What do you think about this case?" Metz said, "Poor woman! She is going to be left alone very soon." On hearing these words, I rose from my bed and called Brother Macdonald to come in and Metz followed. "I will live yet to perform the work that has been promised me I should; I will see this man buried and live many years." Brother Macdonald clasped my hand and said he felt also that I was going to live.  

As soon as I was well enough I got up and went to see Apostle Teasdale and he told me to go to Brother George Seavey who was Bishop of the ward. I went to him. I asked him what he wanted me to do.  

"Can you make adobes?" he asked.  

I immediately went and laid out an adobe yard and began making adobes. Although my health wasn't the best I continued making adobes into the rest of the year, making the adobes for the first school house.  This was the beginning of my work and service in Colonia Juárez [Mexico].  

On refreshing my memory I desire to refer to an incident that happened in the fall of 1885.  Our dancing parties that were being held throughout the St. Joseph Stake [Arizona] were opened to all the public and in consequence of this there were coming into our dances the worst kind of characters, some of them being drunk and having their own way to a great extent.  At a Stake priesthood meeting held in Safford [Arizona] this question of allowing everyone into our dances was discussed and a decision was made that they would bar all of those who were not members of the church.  After this meeting the Stake presidency, President [Christopher] Layton, Martineau and Johnson, called Brother Arvel Allen  

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and myself into a private counsel and asked us if we would take charge of the dances that were being given at Safford.  

There were no school houses either at the Layton Ward or Thatcher [Arizona], and all of the people in these two wards came to the parties at Safford and Brother Allen and I asked for specific instructions. President Layton came to see us.  

After a consultation between Brother Allen and myself, we decided that there might be serious trouble and we sent to those parties prepared for any emergency.  

The first party given after these instructions was a very large one, filling the hall and after we began dancing two men came in and sate down close to the door.  We knew them to be murderers and outlaws; one by the name of Frank Morris who had just been released from the penitentiary for killing a man; the another a man by the name of Alkalide Dick who boasted of three notches on his gun for three men he had killed.  

We were dancing the Scotch Reel at the time the incident I am going to relate happened and Brother Allen said I had better go down by those fellows and he would look after the dance. I went down close to where they were and listened to what they had to say.  While everybody was dancing and enjoying themselves, Alkalide Dick said to his companion: "Now is the time to shoot out the lights."  

As he started to rise I brought them to a halt by poking a six shooter in their faces and told them the first lights to go out would be theirs and for them to beat it. They went out of the door and I followed close against them, my pistol in my hand.  When they had crossed the street they let out a yell and began shooting but I returned the fire and  

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they beat it, so we had no more trouble with those bandits and outlaws.

Another incident in Colonia Juárez [Mexico]: After I had been making adobes and serving as counselor in the Mutual Improvement Association in Colonia Juárez, in the month of November I was married to Mattie D. Romney, daughter of Miles Park Romney [and Caroline Lambourne Romney] and together with my mother [Phebe] we passed an enjoyable winter.  In the spring of 1888 the Mexicans began stealing the horses and cattle from the Colonists and Apostle Teasdale who was president of the Mexican Mission, together with his counselors, asked me after a priesthood meeting at which these matters were discussed, to look after the horses and cattle on the range and protect them from the thieves and I accepted the request.  The stealing soon ceased.  

Later on, I took the church sheep herd on shares.  These sheep had been brought from Arizona to save them from being confiscated and while I was looking after these sheep and cattle and interests in general of the people, we were having a round-up on the Tinaja Wash, north of Colonia Juárez.  Five Americans came into where we had our round up and said they had been trailing some thieves that might be Indians, from the San Pedro ranch over to this point.  We immediately turned the cattle loose that we had rounded up and took the trail and as we were riding down the wash I picked up a torn piece of a shirt and smelled of it.  

"It is Apache Indians," I said.  

As we rode a little further on the trail I picked up some rawhide horseshoes that Indians had made and I told them there was no question about it being Apache Indians.  

We followed them nearly to the San Diego ranch where the Indians had crossed the river at the Bocillo, just below the ranch, and gone into  

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the mountains east and south of San Diego.  I came back and reported to the colonies that they were Apache Indians and that the ranchers should be called in, especially those in the mountains, for protection.  I remember when I told that I could tell they were Apaches by the smell that Brother Romney especially laughed at me.  

At this time I was getting ready to go to Chihuahua [Mexico] with several loads of wool we had sheared from the sheep that I had in charge. Before going I again told Apostle Teasdale and the brethren that the people in the mountains should be called in.  They formed a posse under the direction of Brother Helaman Pratt.  We were informed that the Indians had just passed by a little ranch that was occupied by Charles Whipple at some springs southwest of the colonies. We followed their trail and found they had gone into the mountains, then returned to the colony and reported there was nothing further to be done.

I went to Chihuahua with the wool with a number of wagons and on my return trip I met Brother Henry Martineau going to Gallego after merchandise and told me of the killing of the Thompson family.  On my return home I proposed that we form a posse of men and try to run down the Indians but I could get no support.  

A few weeks later, three Americans came into Juárez; one by the name of Quigley with his two companions and as I had known him in Ogden City [Utah] when he was a boy I talked to him.

"You are going into very dangerous country where there are a lot of Apache Indians." I warned him.  

He and his companions said, "Do you see these guns, six-shoots and ammunition?  What do you think we have them for?"  

I said, "You might have them with the intention of using them but you might not get the chance."  

About eight or ten days later he and his two companions came straggling  

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into Juárez one by one and reported they had been attacked by Indians in Apache Valley at the head of the Hole country and that the Indians had taken everything they owned except the guns that they were carrying.  They related this incident:

As they went into Apache Valley they saw an Indian standing watching them then he immediately disappeared. For their safety they climbed up onto the mountain to the north and there on the rim of the mountain they made their camp and guarded it all night.  One stood guard in the early morning while the other two ate breakfast, and after eating, instead of continuing their guard, they stood around the fire discussing what they were going to do when all oat once three Indians sprang up from behind their own barricade and fire on the.  They ran, no two of them staying together, leaving everything in the hands of the Indians except the guns they were carrying.  It took them about three days to get to Juárez.  

A little later after this happened there was an Indian raid on [Colonia] Pacheco where they had driven off some of the stock and Apostle Teasdale and his counselors asked me to go to [Colonia] Pacheco and organize a posse and go out and see what I could do.  On arriving at Pacheco with a letter for Bishop Smith, as he had asked previously for instructions as to what to do, we formed a posse consisting of Bishop Smith, John T. Whetten, Sam Jarvis, George Naegle, and Robert Beecroft and left Pacheo going to the west to the country described by Quigley and his party.  We found where they had made their camp and one of their burros and the trail of the Indians they had seen were going down over the canyon into the Hole country.  We camped there and during the night it began storming and when we got on top of the mountain there was five or six inches of snow and it was impossible to follow the trail any farther so we stared back for Pacheco.  The snow was falling and the fog was  

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so heavy that we could not see any land marks and did not know which way we were going as we had no compass.  

I remember Sam Jarvis saying, "I can lead you to Pacheco blindfolded." We told him to take the trail and we would follow.  After traveling for about an hour we had made a complete circle and come back upon our own trail.  There we decided to camp till the next morning when we returned to Pacheco then I went to Juárez.  

I had taken a severe cold and when I got home I had to go to bed and remain there for a couple of weeks and while not yet able to get out and ride, David Hawkins came to me one morning and said he had sighted a bunch of Mexicans on the Tinaje Wash that morning driving a bunch of horses and among them some of the colony horses.  I immediately asked him to go and call Brigham Stowell and David Stevens and to get me a horse from Brother Taylor.  

They saddled the horse for me and we took a couple of blankets apiece and started out hunting these Mexicans.  The trail led us into the Tapasites where we found their camp and some of the horses but no men.  We stayed there that night and guarded the camp and as the trail of part of the horses went up the canyon, next morning we went up the canyon to see what we could find and on returning we saw the Mexicans, seven of them in their camp saddling horses and as we rode toward them they began to run.  

One of them shouted, "There comes Brown. He will kill the whole bunch of us."  

We captured three of them, four of them getting away. We brought them down to Colonia Juárez.  The man who had this band of thieves in charge was Tiofelo Hermosilo.  On arriving at Colonia Juárez we decided to guard them there that night, taking them to Casas Grandes the next morning but on our way to Juárez we met a Mexican who rode to Casas  

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Grandes and told them of our having captured these men.  We put a guard over these Mexicans in a little lumber butcher shop that belonged to Brother Harper on the corner of his lot where his house now stands.  During the night, I having gone home to bed, not being well, James Skousen, one of the guards, came and said several men had been there armed, demanding the prisoners and he could hear men coming over the dugway.  I told him to return and tell the boys to get ready and protect the prisoners and not let them go.  

I got dressed and went down to where the prisoners were as soon as I could, carrying my rifle in my hand.  As I neared the men in the middle of the street a man by the name of Colonel Omobono Reyes was shouting that if Brown, the one who was responsible for this, would only present himself they would hang him and take the prisoners.  He had about thirty men with him and take the town.  When I had listened to his boast as I could, he not recognizing me because of the dark, I threw my rifle down on him and told him who I was and said if he did not shut up I would shoot the top of this head off, and silence reigned.  

Then two men came from Casas Grandes and Brother Eyring being the Comisario of Juárez, said they had an order for the prisoners from the presidente at Casas Grandes who was then Manuel Hernandez.  We turned the prisoners over to them and the next morning we went to Casas Grandes and found they had accused us of capturing them while in their camp eating breakfast and that the horses of hours we had found among theirs had only been drinking with their horses and they had not stolen them.  We all had to go to jail, Brothers Stowell, Stevens, Hawkins, and myself.  We remained there until Brother Helaman Pratt and Miles Romney went to Ciudad Juárez and got an order for our release, we having been there eighteen days.  We then had to begin a fight for our recognition.  I went to Ciudad Juárez and accused the Judge of using his office to

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protect thieves and the Judge lost his office and we began to get some protection from courts and officers of the law. 

In the meantime there had been a new election and a new Presidente of Casas Granded was elected and there was a notice put up that any one desiring to hunt any straying animals on lands belonging to the colonies would need to come and get permission and advised the Presidente that anyone of his people found riding the range without permission would be severely dealt with. 

But a short time later I was going from Casas Grandes by Ojo de Molino northwest of Casas Grandes on the Tinaja and just after passing over the Divide about at the springs, I saw four men coming driving a bunch of horses.  From the distance I recognized that some of the horses were those belonging to the colonies.  These men recognized me and as they were all armed they separated leaving the horses to surround me.  I got off my horse and threw my gun down on them and motioned them to beat it and hollered to them that if they came any nearer there would be serious trouble.  They took fright and went as fast as their horses could go to the north and I went on up to the bunch of horses and cut out those belonging to the colonies and drove them home.  The next day I went down to Casas Grandes and had these men summoned before the Presidente and there again I advised them that if a like condition occurred I would leave their bones bleaching on the prairie for the coyotes. They took me at my work and we were not bothered for a good many years.

Another incident:  (of the Tomoche raid of which I desire to give a short history.)

The Tomoche Indians, mixed with some Mexicans, lived in a little town in western Chihuahua [Mexico], by the name of Tomoche. There had some two or three years before been a girl who claimed to have visitations and spiritual instructions.  The messenger visiting her, she claimed, had told her 

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that the Catholic priests were not suppose to sell the sacrament nor charge people for sermons pertaining to the Church, and that they had no connection with the Church of the Master.  That they were all wrong. 

And these people in the surrounding towns and countries of the mountains, believing what they had heard of her, visited her at her home in a little mountain village by the name of Cabora in northeastern Sinaloa; among them, the president of Tomoche, Cruz Chavez with several of the people of Tomoche.  They returned home very much impressed with the things they had heard and seen at Cabora in regard to the manifestations claimed to have been given to Santa Teresa. 

When the priest of Guerrero came down to visit them in Tomoche and was holding services in the church, the people, instead of going to these services, went to the house of the Presidente Cruz Chavez.  He had erected an altar in his parlor where they were having the services.  This infuriated very much the priest of Guerrero and had went to the house of Cruz Chavez and started to tear down the altar and destroy the images that had been erected there.  Cruz Chavez in return, entered and drove the priest out of his house and told him to leave his house and the town also.  The priest immediately went to Guerrero and informed his brother that was Jefe Politico of the fact that he had been driven out of this town and abused.  The Jefe sent an escort of seventy-five men to Tomoche with instructions to arrest all of the men and bring them to Guerrero.  Cruz Chavez and his men anticipated this happening, and had made preparations for their reception and sent our a messenger to meet the escort and tell them not to come into Tomoche because there would be blood shed  

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The men, instead of heeding Chavez's announcement, started on into the town.  Chavez and his men met them with a battle cry of liberty and in defense of their lives and homes they killed about thirty of the men coming down to capture them.  The balance of the men returned to Guerrero and reported the conditions.  The government then sent three hundred soldiers to Tomoche to subdue the Tomoches.  In a like manner, Cruz Chavez and his men, scattering in bunches of five men hid in the bushes around the villages and as the men advanced they shot down their officers first then played havoc with the soldiers, killing over one hundred at the first battle.  Cruz Chavez and his men only numbered thirty-seven.  Then the government sent five hundred soldiers and the same thing occurred.  They killed the officers first then the soldiers that happened to linger.  The conditions seemed to be terrible.  Then the [Mexican] Federal government told fifteen hundred soldiers to go in and capture them, dead or alive.  The General in command formed an attacking party, sending five hundred soldiers around to the west to come down the canyon, thus have the town completely surrounded.  The men from the west that were coming down the canyon were the first to come near the village.  The Tomoches shot down their officers and disarmed the soldiers and drove them into the church.  When the General on top of the mountain demanded that they surrender he was shot and killed instantly by a Tomoche.  The battle had raged for some hours when the Federal army fired some shots into the church from a canon, supposing that the Tomoches had taken refuge in the church.  The roof of the church was of lumber and immediately began to burn and the soldiers locked in that church were cremated. 

The Tomoches escaped to the mountains through the entrance left in the west where there soldiers had come down. The army followed 

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them into the mountains and the death rate to the soldiers was terrible.  It was estimated that before these Tomoche left the country that they had caused two thousand soldiers to lose their lives during their campaign of two years.  The remainder of these Tomoche Indians then went to the United States and were there for a couple of years, then decided to return to their homes and families.  They came by appointment to the border at Palomas [Arizona] and in the early morning assaulted the customs house and guards, wounding some of the guards, capturing the customs house and giving the customs administrator a receipt for the money and other things they had taken and came on their way south, having taken six horses and saddles from the customs guards.  They went close to Colonia Diaz and stole out of a pasture four horses belonging to W.D. Johnson.  Bishop [William Derby] Johnson immediately sent a runner to Juárez advising us what had happened.  At Juárez we had previously organized a home guard or militia with Brother Miles Romney as Major in command and myself [Orson] as Captain of the cavalry. 

On receiving this information we began to make preparations. Runners came in from Ramos advising of the fact that these Tomoches had passed by Ramos coming towards Juárez and they had taken four mules from a wagon belonging to the San Pedro Ranch, which was loaded with provisions.  They had carried all the provisions they could on the mules. 

I got Brother Amos Cox and started to go up north of the colony when we met Brother Carl Nielson who said he wanted to go with us.  We went up the east side of the river to the north of the colony.  At the first crossing we met Brother Seavey who said there were three suspicious looking characters up at the Seavey farm about four miles 

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north of the colony and that in talking to Luanne Baker who spoke Spanish fluently, they had asked many questions in regard to the store in the colony and as to whether the people in the colonies were well armed. 

I dispatched Neilson up the river to get the brethren together and try and capture these three men.  I sent Seavey down to advice Brother Romney of the situation and for him to send me some men; and that I was satisfied these Tomoches were on the Tinaja.  To determine their exact location I went with Cox and as we were scouting along the south rim of the Tinaja Wash three men raised u behind the rocks, threw their rifles down on us and demanded that we surrender.  Cox and I jerked our guns down on them in return and demanded that they surrender, and there we were for some moments.  The man in charge of their party and the man who had his gun on Cox lowered their guns but there was an Indian who never lowered his gun at all and asked the question if we were going to surrender. 

When I accused them of being bandits and thieves the man in charge spoke up.

"No, we are not. We have another mission." 

When I asked him what his mission was he said they were going back to their homes and families.  I said I knew that they were Tomoches and had stolen horses from Colonia Diaz and they did not deny it. I warned them not to steal anything from these colonies for if they did I would follow them even into the sea.  Finally I asked them where their companions were and they said close by.  Just then I saw one of their men going out from their camp for water with a bucket, being about five hundred yards from where we were, down over the hill.  This Indian who had never lowered his gun said to the man in charge, "Why not send our other companion down to the camp to tell the others 

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to come up here?" 

And at that the man turned around to go.  I told him to stop or I would put a bullet through him even though they put two through me, as I was in command there. 

The man in charge said, "You let us go to our camp and we will let you go to yours," 

We agreed but the Indian never lowered his gun until I suggested that if he did not he would be shot and anyway he would have to because they were going to their camp, so he did. 

As we turned toward the colony the chief said, "There are three of our men gone down there and we recommend that nothing happens to them." As Brother Cox and I rode we came to where we had met Brother Seavey that morning and saw him coming again.  He advised that three men had come down the river and talked with Sister Baker. Brother Nielson had met and followed them. When they had seen they were being watched they went onto the mesa east of the colony with Nielsen in pursuit.  I then sent Cox down to tell Brother Romney to send me some men as I felt these men were going to come into the colony. But instead he had already sent some men to the hills.  On my way to this point I met Brother David Johnson coming with some horses and he said he had seen Nielson following three men riding fast towards the north, and fearful for his safety I thought the only thing to do was to follow him but looking down towards the colonies I saw some men coming and waited for them.. They were Carlton, Judd, Taylor, Stowell, and Dory Cox.  We followed along up the ridge to the north and saw Nielson riding back and forth in front of these three men who were four hundred yards to the north of him who were asking him to come over where they were.  And still farther to the north we saw a bunch of twenty-five Tomoches coming up out of the Tinaja Wash onto the mesa.  These men wanted to 

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have a parley and it was agreed that one of them who was the second in command of the Tomoches should come out of the bunch and meet me and a have a parley.  He let down his gun and I mine and we walked within fifty yards of each other. 

He said they wanted to come through the colony and go on south and I advised him they would not be permitted to; they would have to go out around the colony.  He said if we would not allow them to come by permission they might come any way.  I advised him that we had plenty of men well armed and we would clean them out if they did, and I marked the way they should go.  He went over to the main body and had a parley and we moved on up and followed along where I had left Brother Stowell and two of the men and had taken Brother Stowell and E.L. Taylor down the canyon and on the ridge there were six men horseback coming to attack us and as I looked down over the ridge I saw ten men coming afoot.  They had almost surrounded us and for a moment it appeared the only thing to do was run.

We started to run down the ridge when the thought came to me that they could roll rocks down and kill us and I hollered for my companions to come back, they being ahead of me.  We all stopped and I had them walk back and forth as if we had a lot of men.  Our enemies stopped went the way we motioned them to go.  We followed them the rest of that day and by night had their camp located.  It was west of the colony on the top of the mountain to the west of the Macdonald Spring.  I had previously sent word to Casas Grandes of the presence of the Tomoches by a Mexican who was working for me and when we got to the colony the commanding officers in Casas Grandes had sent twenty-five soldiers, twenty-five citizen volunteers and ten gendarmes and we had a counsel.  They said they were anxious to capture these fellows dead or alive and I marked out a plan by which we could surround them.  They said to 

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wait until the morning and then we had another council and they asked me to take the trail and find out which way they were going and when I found out to advise them and they would immediately come and destroy the whole bunch.  So at daylight I left with E.L. Taylor, Jerome Judd, Peter C. Wood, Carl Nielson, Amos Cox, and Brigham Stowell.  We went to the top of the mountain about at Macdonald Spring and found that their trail led us to the south.  We followed it until we came to a canyon leading down into the stairs country.  Instead of following their trail across the canyon and up the high ground we went right up the canyon but when we neared the pass we saw a horse with a saddle on and a man immediately stepped out and shot his fun as a signal. 

I said to Brother Taylor, "You know the trail, Take it."  As we ran by them they opened up fire on us and when we got down the ridge to a point of defense I told the brothers to stop and we would return the fire.  We did so and about twenty minutes kept it up but saw they had the advantage of the ground and decided we had to get away because bullets would soon be coming where we were.  We went down the ridge and sure enough the bullets began falling around us.  One hit a rock which Brother Wood was behind and lead sprinkled into his thin hair.  I had already sent Brother Nielson to advise the people of Juárez and the soldiers that we had found the Tomoches and to come on.  We took a position about five hundred yards from the Tomoches and remained there for two or three hours waiting for the Federal soldiers to come and take part and capture the Tomoches but instead of that they seemed to be afraid.  The only ones coming were the gendarmes and the brethren decided I should go out and talk with the men while they held a fortified position near the Alameda ranch as the Indians had come through the Tomoche pass and through the low ground. 

I could tell these gendarmes were nervous and wanted to return to Juárez.  When I got to Juárez Nielson recognized me and said, "Here is

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the Captain."  He came to meet me with Brother Carlton.  They were the guides for the gendarmes.  We held a parley and the lieutenant in command of the gendarmes said he had instructions to tell us to come on into town.  So we rode into Juárez and reported to Major Romney and he immediately took us up to where Brother Teasdale was. 

Everyone in the colony were anxious because Brother Nielson had reported that the Tomoches had us surrounded and probably had killed us all by this time.  Brother Teasdale looked upon us and blessed us that wherein we had protected our home town the Lord would bless us and be with us and we would have power, but the enemies would not have power of destroy us. 

We later had a parley with the Mexican officials, and instead of being anxious to follow Tomoches, they were the most fearful lot of men I ever saw, to be under arms.  They said those Indians had a charmed life and bullets would not harm the; that one Tomoche could whip a hundred other men.  As soon as dark come they all disappeared towards Casas Grandes.  Some of the brethren were alarmed, fearing the Tomoches would attack the colony during the night.  I replied that with six men we had whipped them the day before and that there was no fear of their attacking for they too were afraid for their lives. 

The next morning a small body of men went with us out to the Alameda ranch and up into Tomoche pass where we found that they had killed three beef and only taken a small part of the meat with them, having left in a hurry after the fight.  We followed their trail and found they had gone to the west of San Diego and later saw they had gone to a little Mexican village known as Rusio south of San Diego and continued their way south into the mountains.

 I knew that I would always us know the Indian who had never lowered his gun.  I had arrested a couple of men in Colonia Juárez for drinking and 

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carousing and had handcuffed them and left them under guard with a man by the name of Pablo Soso at the store while I went home to get my horse and dinner preparatory to taking them to Casas Grandes. When I returned I saw the two men sitting under a tree with a man under another tree with my pistol in his hand and I looked at him and knew him to be this Tomoche Indian who was one of the party who held Amos Cox and I up on the mountain. As I shook hands with him I recognized him and he recognized me but said he had never seen me before.  He was no other than Juan Soso, the man who had to be killed in Juárez later when they arrested him for stealing.  He was a man of exceptional nerve and courage and became a bandit and was very bitter in his feelings towards the Mormons before he died. 

A short time later John Soso came to the colony I employed him and one day while he was on the top of the mountain finishing up a piece of road I had given him to do, going up the mountains to the saw mill, he in confidence told me this: He said we were the only outfit that had opposed them as strongly as we had; that he wondered why they could not kill us.  They had fired about three hundred shots at us and had not hurt any of us.  He said that in the fight at Tomoche Pass we had killed two of their men and wounded three others.  This makes it evident that we were protected by the power of the Lord or we undoubtedly would have been destroyed by these men who had caused the deaths of so many. 

A few months after, they passed through the country. Apostle Teasdale and his counselors, Alexander Macdonald and Henry Eyring, after having understood the reasons of the uprising of these Tomoches they directed a communication to [Mexican] President [Porfirio] Diaz citing forth the reasons of this uprising and asked that these men might be given another chance and

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that they might be forgiven for their past deeds. This was taken into consideration by the President and his cabinet and these Tomoches were given a reprieve, that they might be forgiven for their past deeds.  Thence Pres. Teasdale was called on a mission to Europe, to assist Pres. Daniel H. Wells, and afterwards to succeed him in the presidency of the European Mission.

My first trip to Sonora: As I have previously stated, on my trip to the mountains after the Apache Indians I had become sick and had had an examination by two doctors who said I had Bright's disease and my health was very poor.  President Joseph C. Bentley had gone to El Paso and Mexico City and on his return in a conversation with Max Weber the manager of Ketelsen and Degetau's Banking and Mercantile Institution, arranged to get me to purchase cattle. Brother Guy Taylor and myself started to Sonora and on our way, over the Ojitos, Chihuahua we met an old French doctor who looked at me and said:

"Young man, you are in a very bad condition but you are going to the country where you can get a medicine that will cure you if you will take it as a medicine and not a beverage." 

This was Mescal de Cabeza.  Just previous to my leaving home I called upon Apostle Teasdale and while talking with him I told him of my anticipatory trip and my bad condition of health.  He immediately stood upon his feet and laid his hands upon my head and gave me a blessing in which he said I would find on this trip to Sonora the medicine that would restore my health; and also that I would encounter people who would oppose the principles of the Gospel. 

"I hereby set you apart and give you a mission to preach the truth of the Gospel in this foreign tongue, and I make you the promise that there shall not be any one who shall rise up against theses sacred principles that shall have power either to confound you in your language or their own for yo will have the gift of tongues.  You will be able to confuse and bring to naught those who oppose you." 

And sure enough on this trip when I was staying at the little town 

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of Guachinaro, Sonora, Mexico, there was living at the house I was staying at a Catholic priest.  I remained there some eight days awaiting returns from a messenger that had been sent to the pueblos south and west to find about some cattle.  I had had a number of conversations with this priest and one Sunday morning he had made an appointment with some of his people of the little town and while we were at breakfast in the large sala of the house the people began to come in and they filled the parlor.  The priest with a Bible in his hand and his other books stood up and began to speak, referring to me and my religion.  The notes that he had taken had been taken during his conversations with me.  He ridiculed and asked me a number of questions in the presence of these people. 

One of the most potent questions was: "The idea of this man professing to be a follower of the Master when the church that he is a member of was only organized some sixty years ago while our church has come down during the ages from the Master Apostle Peter." 

I asked him some questions and said if he would confine himself to the Bible I would be glad to discuss this matter with him and before I knew it I was standing on my feet and preaching the simple principles of the Gospel of the Master in the language of those people and the power of testimony and the spirit of the Gospel came to me with such power that the Father of the village, Sr. Leonardo Doriella arose.  He said, "Stop! This man is teaching us the pure principles of the Gospel of the Master.  We as Catholics are sinning against all of our traditions in listening to a new religion, even if it is the truth." 

He went on to say, "My good friend, what you have said is true but I Am sorry that we cannot accept it because we are Catholics." 

The Catholic priest was confused and confounded and from that time on, during the remainder of my stay he made himself absent from my presence; 

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thus bringing to pass the promises that were given me through the prophet Apostle Teasdale; also I found the medicine that restored my health and became strong and healthy again, thus proving the efficacy of the promises of the servants of the Lord under the inspiration of the spirit of the Lord. 

In 1892 Apostle Teasdale and his wife came to visit us in Colonia Morelos, Sonora, Mexico.  There was a terrible drought throughout the land and the rivers had ceased running, and to the north and east the San Bernardino River and the Big Bavispe River had no water running in them. The people had planted wheat and barley and it never had had any water on it and it looked very discouraging and the people were desirous of cutting their grain for feed when Brother Teasdale and his wife came and we explained the conditions to him and in the morning I advised Brother Charles W. Lillywhite who was superintendent of the Sunday School, to arrange the children in to rows in front of the door of a building we had made to hold our services in.  I advised them to begin singing the favorite hymn of Brother Teasdale, "In Our Lovely Deseret."  We all went in and took our seats except Brother Teasdale and as he stood up there before the Sunday School had opened, he spoke as I have never heard mortal man speak. 

"I, the Lord your God, declareth unto you that your crips will mature and you will have plenty for your own use and to spare for your neighbors.  This is the beginning of the times of the changing of the seasons and you will have the early and late rains if you will be a land of plenty unto you.  But if you cease your obedience to my laws and statutes this will not be a land of Zion unto you.  Thus sayeth the Lord, your God. Amen." 

The crops did mature, and as the Lord had promised we had plenty for ourselves and sold a great many tons of flour and barley to the neighboring 

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mining camps of El Tigre and others at a good price.  But we did not get a drop of rain on those crops and some of the brethren despaired. 

"Bishop [Brown]," they said to me, "we think we had better cut our grain for feed, as there is no water and not a chance in a hundred that we will get any grain." 

I replied, "The Lord has promised it unconditionally and He never fails when He makes a promise." 

Later the people became disunited because the devil sent a man among us who sowed the seeds of discontent.  This man had been a Latter-day Saint [Mormon] and had apostatized. His name was George Noble.  Peace ceased to reign in that colony. On a trip to Salt Lake City to Conference while I was conversing with Brother Helaman Pratt in a railroad station of El Paso [Texas], this man, Noble, heard me talking. He was lying in the baggage room on a stretcher with his leg broken.  He asked that I go in and see him and Brother Pratt and I went in and he confessed his guilt and said that he had taken what means he could from the people and was leaving for his home in Utah when the horse he was driving had kicked him and broken his leg.  He asked me my forgiveness for what he had done.  Brother Pratt and I administered to him and he went with us on the same train to Salt Lake City.  Brother Pratt and I administered two or three times to him on the trip and saw he had something to eat.  But he only lived four or five days after arriving in Salt Lake City and being in the hospital. 

A prophecy and fulfillment by Apostle John Taylor: In the year 1898 Apostle John W. Taylor, A.W. Ivins, Brother Helaman Pratt and myself went to Colonia Oaxaca, Sonora, Mexico to try and settle some land difficulties between the brethren living there.  After holding two or three meetings we saw it was impossible to bring those people together and Apostle 

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Taylor made this statement in a priesthood meeting:  He had had a pair of bull pups that he was very fond of.  He bought a piece of venison and gave each pup a piece. They both took hold of their meat and looked at each other and began growling.  They dropped their meat, jumped at each others throats and began chewing each other and a strange dog came along and got their meat. 

"You people remind me of these bull pups. We came here to feed you on venison but you prefer bull dog.  Now I say unto you that unless you repent of your sins and become united this land will become desolate and unfit for Latter-day Saints to live in, and this very house that we are holding this service in will be used as a ranch house and a place for strangers to camp.  I say this through the authority of the holy priesthood I hold, and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

And verily these people did not repent and these very conditions prophesized by Brother Taylor came to pass.  

One more wonderful experience in which Apostle Teasdale again manifested the spirit of prophecy:  The people of Colonia Juárez had become very much disunited and because of a gross misunderstanding in regard to an action of President Alexander Macdonald the majority of the brethren got up a petition and sent it to Salt Lake City to have Brother Macdonald released from his office. I was one of the signers of this petition and manifested more zeal than wisdom and more audacity than humility and I remember at conference when the brethren were being sustained in their offices that I alone voted against Brother Macdonald.  After one of the conferences Brother Teasdale instructed the Bishop to investigate my case and try and make me see the folly of my presumptuous attitude. 

So one day in accordance with these instructions I was called before Bishop Seavey and his counselors, but to no avail.  My blindness and 

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stubbornness was such that they gave me no light in the matter.  Brother Teasdale had advised them that if they could not reconcile me to my wrongs to send me to hi, so immediately on being dismissed from the bishopric they directed me to Apostle Teasdale's home.  I knocked at the door of Brother Teasdale's office.  He got up and opened the door and told me to come in. 

He said to me, "My boy, did the brethren have the right effect upon you?"  I with a spirit of bravado said, "Should on man forgive another when he does not repent?" 

Brother Teasdale looked at me and it appeared that his eyes were consuming my very soul for all of the bravado in me left and I bowed my head and tears filled my eyes. 

When I could get courage I said to him, "Brother Teasdale, I know my duty now."

He asked what my duty was.

I replied, "It doesn't matter what other people do, it is my duty to forgive them. And if I do not the Lord will not forgive me." 

Brother Teasdale said, "As with Peter of old, flesh and blood has not revealed this to thee but our Father which is in Heaven.  I have been praying that you might have an understanding and see the light."  As I rose up he came forward and placed his hands on me and blessed me and that spirit of forgiveness has always remained with me even until this day. 

Another incident in which Brother Teasdale figured in my life:  I was very anxious and prayed to the Lord for a blessing to come to me as I was desirous to enter into the law of plural marriage and the door seemed to have been closed and I could not get any answer to my prayers.  While I was in the company of Apostle Teasdale in Colonia Diaz he said, "My boy, I want you to come and take a walk with me." 

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As we walked around the block of Bishop Johnson's lot he had his arm in mine. But he stopped all at once and faced me and put his hands on my shoulders.  It was a beautiful moonlit night and there with the power of the priesthood he blessed me and made me a promise.  He said I should have the privilege of entering into the sacred, holy law and to be humble and listen to the whisperings of the Holy spirit and those blessings would be given to me. 

I had found very much opposition with my wife, Mattie.  She had repeatedly said that if I ever married another wife she would either commit suicide or would never live with me another day.  I was converted to the law and tried to explain and convert her but all to no avail.  She was obdurate in her desires and sentiments.  But one day in the afternoon while I was in Colonia Diaz on business the promptings of the spirit of the Lord came to me and told me to go out into the brush and pray.  I got on my horse and rode out into the mesquite brush north of the colony and there kneeled down and in a few words poured out my heart's desire.  I asked the Lord that if it was His will that I enter into this high and holy law that he should convert by His spirit my wife because I loved her and wanted her to enjoy the same blessings that I would enjoy in this matter.  That if it wasn't His will that it would be made known to me by the lack of her conversion. 

On my return to Juárez my wife met me with the baby in her arms and with a sentiment that had been unknown in our home for many months.  As we knelt down to prayers that evening she said to me, "Just after a minute I have something to tell you." 

She said, "Night before last I had a vision in which I found myself standing in the doorway and just inside of the door was a pulpit and on this pulpit was the largest book that I ever saw and standing beside it was a man dressed in a temple robe, his arms nearly to the elbow 

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and his feet above the ankles were bare, and part of is bosom; he had a white beard.  He pointed his finger at me and told me not to oppose my husband in doing what is right or my name would not be written in that book.  I knew that it was the Book of Life." 

Mattie said, "Now I am not only willing but anxious, and do not allow an opportunity to pass without entering into this principle." 

Some months later she wrote a letter to a young lady that I had spoken to her about and told her that she would be glad to accept her into her home and our family; a wonderful change brought about by the power and spirit of the Lord, and in succeeding years she never opposed me in that high and holy principle; another evidence that the futile efforts of man without the spirit of the Lord are in vain, but when he has the power and spirit of the Lord everything is success. 

While living in Juárez I had gone into business with E.L. Taylor in the purchasing and disposing of cattle and while we were in this business six years we got along very good.  I should like to pay Brother Taylor a compliment, in that we never had a cross word or any disagreement in our whole career of six years of business.  I found him upright and honorable in his business dealings and I learned to love him very much.  While on one of his trips to Deming, New Mexico, I had been called to El Paso, Texas by a telegram from the banking house of Ketelsen and Degetau.  I had expected to return home in two or three days.  On reaching El Paso he wired to me and said, "Come here immediately. There is trouble." 

When I got there I found he had information that there had been some raids on the cattle belonging to Colonia Diaz by robbers and thieves, 

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and as he was on his way to Salt Lake City to Conference, he asked me to stay and tend to it.  Instead of returning home I began a vigorous attack upon these outlaws and with the aid of the officers of the law, both Federal and county, we arranged and brought things to order and put fourteen men in jail inside of thirty days; then organized what we called the International Stock Growers Protective Association.  They made me the executive officer, and Mr. Ted Houghton and I followed stolen cattle form the colonies into northern New Mexico and eastern Kansas. 

Before going east I had received permission from the governor of the state [of Chihuahua], Miguel Ahumada, to act vigorously on the frontier of the state of Chihuahua.  On getting this evidence we prosecuted a number of people who had been stealing and some we had placed in jail, among them five Americans at Ciudad Juárez. 

Just then Brother Teasdale came out to Deming, New Mexico and that was the last trip he made from the colonies as he went on to Salt Lake City and never returned.  Again, as I went into his room and shook hands with him, he shook hands with me and asked what I was doing. I told him. He said, "That is right."  And he placed his hands on my head and gave me a blessing and set me apart especially to protect the interests of the brethren in Mexico.  He made me a promise in which he said that all those who rose up against me, their arms and material they used would be turned and made useless and through the power of the Lord my life would be spared and protected against any of those class of men, and verily it was so. 

A bunch of outlaws, six in number, went down to Ciudad Juárez headed by a man by the name of Cox and arranged to get out one of the prisoners by the name of Henry Coleman Headspeth. One of these men was riding a horse and the others were carrying arms.  They were going to pull the 

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prisoner out over the wall and let him get away on the horse.  This prisoner had received a sentence of ten years for cattle stealing.  They threw the rope over the wall. Coleman tied it around him and it was tied around the horse on the outside.  The horse started to pull and Coleman was half way up the wall but the horse fell down backwards and let the prisoner drop.  This gave the alarm and the soldiers and police had a running fight with these bandits until they crossed the Rio Grande into Mexico. 

In the meantime I had come down home to look after some stolen horses and mules taken from our Alameda ranch.  With an Indian I followed the trail of these thieves, they having a large stallion, seven mares with five mule colts and two horse colts, off into the San Joaquin canyon.  Just about four o'clock in the afternoon the wind was blowing very severely and we saw the horses and directly we saw a smoke emitting form a little side canyon and the Indian and myself crawled along and we looked up and there we saw a small cave and these men were cooking a calf they had stolen for their supper.  We held them up, disarmed them and guarded them during the night and brought them to Casas Grandes the next day and they were sentenced to six years in the penitentiary.  A little later these men who came down to Ciudad Juárez to liberate the prisoner drove a band of Brother Gruell's sheep across the border into Mexico and declared war on the Mormons.  Brother Gruell sent a messenger to me to see what could be done.  I rode on horseback to Colonia Diaz and there was a spring wagon and horse that had to be taken to Palomas.  I drove it and when I arrived there a Jew who had just returned from Deming saw me.  He said, "You had better not go to Deming or those fellows will kill you just as sure as your name is Brown.  They have the whole country in their power." 

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They had declared war on the Mormons, and me especially and were going around the streets as if they were the officers of the law.  I confess I did not know just what to do but just then a boy carrying the mail drove up and my mind was made up to go with him.  So I disguised myself as well as I could and got on the mail coach. 

We rode into Deming.  I felt that my duty was the first thing to perform and felt that I would get the protection of my Heavenly Father in doing my duty. I went to a hotel and secured a room then went down to a store of a man by the name of Bullock, who was my friend and he was surprised to see me. He told me they would sure get me if I remained.  He said it was a public affair that if I ever returned to Deming they would kill me.  I asked him to go see the sheriff whose name was Pink Peters and who had assisted me previously in running down and putting in jail some of these outlaws.  Peters came up to my room.  He said, "Brown, there is no use; they will kill you as sure as the world if you remain here.  I will arrange for you to go out in the night on the freight train to El Paso.  Do not come downstairs at all.  I don't want to be seen in your company because they will kill both of us.  See, I have even taken off my gun." 

I told him all right. That I would decide what to do.  He said he would send a messenger to see whether I decided to go out on the freight train.  After he left I kneeled down in the room and prayed.  I said, "I am here on Thy service and for the protection of the interests of Thy people.  If it is Thy will I should run away and hide put fear in my heart.  If it is Thy will that I should stay here and meet these enemies, make me to have the courage of a lion that I may not fear to meet them.  Help me in this labor that I have come out to perform." 

As I stood upon my feet I felt that with the courage that came to me 

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I could whip a whole regiment of that class of outlaws and people.  I walked down into the street and noticed on the corner a man who had bought from others, stolen animals belonging to me.  While I was talking to him the man who headed the gang of bad men, John Cox, came out a saloon door and started to walk across the street. This man I was talking to, Jack Gibbons, said, "There is John Cox now.  He will kill you on sight." 

I said to Gibbons, "You wait here and watch.  Something is going to happen now." 

I had on an old corduroy vest and I cocked my pistol and put it inside my vest and started for this man.  When we got to the middle of the street I had no other thought than that this man would fight.  When he turned around I advanced towards him and when within about eight feet of him I stopped.  I said, "Is your name John Cox?" 

He said it was.  I said, "Well, my name is Orson Brown, Mormon Brown; and as you said you were going to bury him if he ever came around here I thought I'd like to be present at the funeral. Get your gun, you coyote!  We'll see who is going to be buried first!" 

He threw up his hands and started to walk backwards and I told him he did not need to run as I could run as fast as he could.  I took him to a nearby store and took off his gun and told him to never wear it again. I said I had come here to make a cleaning of his kind.  

In the store I met three or four of my friends who had just happened to come in and were trying to decide what they were going to do about these outlaws.  There bandits began to quiet down and after remaining there about three weeks to finish up business affairs in relation to Gruell's  

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sheep, I returned home; another evidence of the promises of the servants of the Lord being fulfilled when we are humble and obedient and subject ourselves to the will of the Lord. 

On my return home I found there had been a new organization in the stake with Brother Anthony W. Ivins as Stake President and Henry Eyring and Helaman Pratt as his counselors.  I was called into counsel by these brethren and asked if I would accept the calling of a High Counselor in the Juárez Stake and was set apart and ordained.  My association with these brethren, both in the council and in visiting the stake and wards was always a joy and satisfaction as well as an inspiration to me.  I had the privilege of becoming very intimate with these brethren and found them to be of the highest type of manhood and sincere and devoted Latter-day Saints. 

Two years previous to this, when I was in El Paso, Texas I was met in my room in the hotel by a man by the name of Captain John Hert and his associate who was afterwards editor of the El Paso Times, by the name of [may have been J.O. Chase]. They came with a proposition to make me.  They said that they had an idea and desired to invade the west coast of Mexico and take the two states of Sonora and Sinaloa and form a new republic. They explained the richness and desirability of these two states as both a mining and agricultural and horticultural center and said their object in seeing me was to find out what the attitude of the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was towards this kind of an invasion and asked if the church would not be interested and put up part of the finances to finance this expedition; that in return they would allow the Mormons to go in and live their religion together with the principle of polygamy and turn over the civil government to them while they would have in hand the military forces.  They felt sure that within a short 

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 space of time they could get recognition from the U.S. and other foreign governments.  After they laid before me their plans and expectations I spoke. 

"In the first place the church to which I belong is not interested in any such program and in the second place I am a Mexican citizen and if you made any invasion into Mexico, with all my power and force I would resist you or any such invasion." 

They went away from my room considerably crestfallen, and their project, not receiving encouragement, fell down. 

In the month of November, 1900 I made a trip to Kansas City on business and while there I went down to Independence and was on the temple block on the Sabbath day, strolling around when I felt the spirit of prayer and I kneeled down under a large oak tree just west of the church building belonging to the Josephites and there poured out my soul to the Lord.  While in the attitude of prayer a very strong impression came to me that I was going to be called on a mission and I rose up and pondered and thought and wondered what that mission was going to be.  I returned home to Juárez and told this to my wives, for in the meantime the Lord had opened up the way and I had married another wife.  We had before this time arranged plans for doing some more building.  I said, "We will suspend that for the present for I know that I am going to be called on a mission, just what or where it will be I do not know."   

In the early part of 1901 as we came out of a high counsel meeting, President Ivins put his arm into mine and walked over to my gate with me. 

When we got there he said, "Orson, every time I think of Colonia Morelos I think of you and I cannot think of it only with you in my mind.  I know that it will break you all up financially for you told 

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me of your plans for building but I feel that there is where the Lord wants you to labor." 

I said, "If there is where the Lord wants me to labor there is where I will go; I am no better than you or any other servant of the Lord that I should not make any sacrifice."  And we both shed tears together and he went over to his home. 

I did not sleep much during the night, thinking of the matter and early at daylight I was up and over knocking at President Ivins' door; he, having awakened early, let me in. 

I said, "Brother Ivins, I have come to tell you that regardless of what sacrifices, financially, it may cause to me, I have come to say to you that I want to go and be where the Lord wants me and where his servants see fit to call me."

And we both shed tears of joy again together.  He said, " Your name has already gone up north. Prepare yourself and make ready to move."  So I began to get ready to move to Colonia Morelos, Sonora, Mexico.  Again my wife Mattie was impressed.  She said to me, "Orson, I think you ought to take another wife."  I asked who it should be.  "I heard you speak very complimentary of Bessie Macdonald.  I believe she would be glad to join our family."  

So before going to Sonora I spoke to her about the matter and also to her father.  My wife, Mattie took Bessie by the hand and gave her to me, and sealing being performed by Bessie's father, Alexander Finlay Macdonald. Another blessing came to me for in her I found one of the most noble souls I have ever known; a wonderful counselor, splendid mother and a worker in the church.  She brought peace and harmony into my home. 

A few days later in connection with Brother Ivins and Helaman Pratt I

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 went to Colonia Diaz and from there to Colonia Morelos and was presented to the people and ordained Bishop.  One of my counselors was the most faithful man I have ever known, Patriarch Alexander Jameson.  The other was elder L. S. [Lorenzo Snow] Huish.  I began to move my families over to the Colonia Morelos.  But previous to this time Brother Ivins had sent me to Colonia Oaxaca to try to arrange a settlement with Colonel [Emilio] Kosterlitzky and Parson G. H. Williams.  A runner had come over from Oaxaca stating that Parson Williams had made the announcement that the Colonel was coming with his men and they were going to confiscate all of the interests of the people because they had not made their payments on the land.  President Ivins and Pratt were not able to go.  On arriving at Oaxaca the next day the Colonel with about twenty men including the Presidente and judge of Bavispe, Sonora came down to Morelos and the brethren were all called together to the little school house and the Colonel arose.  He said, "You people have not paid your payments on these lands and we are going to confiscate all of your personal property, together with your improvements and unless these payments are made within ten days time you can walk out of here." 

And Parson Williams, in a very rabid and excited manner, abused the people and told them that because they had failed it had made him fail in payments.  I then asked the Colonel what his legal status was and who had given him such executive power to confiscate this property without having given them opportunity to appear in their own defense.  He said, "The judge has the document and is going to execute judgment."  The people were very much excited but I said to the Colonel, "Let the judge read the document and let us see what it contains."  I told the judge, "Please read that document that you have." 

The judge arose and read the document and when he got through I found that it was an embargo on the property of Parson Williams only, and 

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that he was responsible to the Colonel for the deed on the land.  Then with considerable emphasis t counteract the audacity of their plans I spoke.  I said to the Colonel, "Apply the confiscation where it belongs but in the name of justice I defy you or Williams or this court who have brought here your plans, to place their hands on any part of this people's property." 

Then I turned to the people and said, "Brethren, rest on your arms; I am here to help you defend your interests against these imposters who have come to take from you that which is yours."  With cursing, Colonel Emilio Kosterlitzky arose and said to his men, "Vamanos! Vamanos!" 

And I followed him to the door and he and Parson Williams went towards the Parson's home and I turned to the brethren and told them to be calm. I said, "The devils are whipped at their own game.  I am going down and prod the lions in their own den." 

Some of the brethren were fearful for my safety but I said there was no danger for they were whipped and so I walked down where Parson Williams and the Colonel were with their men who were cursing because their plans had failed.  As I walked into the house the Parson turned and ran out of the back door.  The Colonel said, "You have raised H---."   I said, "Yes, that is the way it is.  You had H--- in your necks and a desire to raise H--- and I have raised that H--- and put it on your own heads.  Don't you dare to touch any of this property or molest these people.  They came here under a private contract and it is up to him to make good with them.  You have no right to expel them from their lands or homes." 

Later, in connection with Brothers Ivins and Helaman Pratt and Bishop 

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Scott, I went to Magdalena, Sonora, Mexico, where President Ivins received titles to the Oaxaca lands, showing that right will prevail when you have the spirit of the Lord with you. 

Previous to the settling of Colonia Morelos I had made two trips into Sonora with Brothers Ivins, Pratt, and party hunting for a place to colonize some of the brethren who were coming from the north and on the last one of these trips I was very much inspired with the wisdom and sincerity and greatness of Brothers Ivins and Pratt and on a third trip that I was making with them, when we arrived at Ojitos we drove up and there were a lot of men around.  I noticed one man ride up to another and he was cursing.  I could not hear just what he said but as he rode off the other man, Charles MacDowell, came up to me.  He said, "Mr. Brown, do you see that fellow going off? I think you know who he is; he just said to me that if you had you just dues your head would be shot off."  He also told me this fellow had said I was going to get mine and for me to look out.  I walked into the store and Brother Ivins followed closely as a guard.  In the store a man by the name of Barker said to look out because people were after me.  I had previously received a letter from an American from Montezuma, Sonora and one from a Mexican in Basaraca, Sonora, stating that an outlaw and cattle thief by the name of Henry Ward was going to kill and was supported by Colonel [Emilio] Kosterlitzky.  This man Barker who was running the store said, "Henry Ward is due here on the 17^th; this is the 14^th, and I as a friend am telling you to be careful because he is a bad man and killer and knows he will get protection from the Colonel."

 

Emilio Kosterlitzky and the Rurales

We journeyed on to Colonia Oaxaca that night and the next morning 

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early I got up and saddled my horse.  I said to President Ivins, "I believe that I shall return to Ojiots and get this famous outlaw, Henry Ward.  I don't like the idea of those kind of fellows following me around and making threats." 

Brother Ivins put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Orson, I will excuse you from the rest of this trip as I feel you are doing the right thing; but don't let him get you!  If anyone bites the dust, let it be him." 

And with this injunction and his blessing I got on my horse and returned to Ojitos and laid for my man three days and nights.  He never appeared.  I then went to Mr. Barker's store and wrote him a letter and left it at the store.  I stated that this country was too small for me and him together.  I said I knew of his threats and that if I did not get a satisfactory answer in ten days of the date that this country would not be big enough for us unless one of us was under the sod; that I was going to Juárez where I would wait his answer.

On the fourth day after leaving Ojitos a messenger came with a letter from Ward pleading with all that was in him that I let him stay in the country; that he had made those threats because an enemy of both of us had tried to get him to do some dirty work and while he was drunk he had made these boast.  He said it was impossible for him to live in the U.S. and he had a family here. 

I made my calculations and met him near the stock pens at the Tres Alamos, or Dublán stock yards.  I went up to him and said, "Is it peace or war?"

He threw up his hands and said it was peace.  Two of his companions came up and we talked the matter over and he was always very friendly afterwards.  He was murdered about twenty-five miles south of Morelos, together with his wife by a band of outlaws who had previously murdered 

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three other Americans. 

Another incident: While at Colonia Morelos we got word on Sunday evening that three Americans had been murdered together with their dogs and thrown into the Bavispe River.  Three men were hunters from the eastern U.S.; they had come down to Douglas, Arizona where they were outfitted, bringing with them their hunting dogs with a view of hunting Mexican tigers. On arriving near the Tigre crossing on the Bavispe River they were met by this bunch of outlaws and the three Americans and their Mexican guide, while swimming in the river were murdered together with all their dogs and their bodies left within the river.  The officers of the law got after these men, and some men from the colonies with a posse had a fight with these outlaws on the side of the river in the early morning of Monday.  The posse killed one of the mules and wounded two of the horses.  They had taken these horses and mules from the Americans.  We formed a posse at Colonia Morelos and followed them all the next day but they escaped into the mountains in the Tigre country.  These Mexicans continued their deprivations, one of them being the killing of Henry Ward and his wife, and stealing and robbing and things were looking very bad so I went to Hermosilio, the capital of Sonora, and laid the matter before the Governor.  He suggested that I form a posse of our people and try to exterminate them.  But I said, "No, that would not do.  Notwithstanding that we are Mexican citizens, we are one race and they another and this would raise the question of race and our people came her on a mission of peace and good example rather than to run down and exterminate outlaws."  I suggested a plan to the Governor; that he send a man of his confidence among these men and find out just who they were, where they were and what they were doing. 

He said, "Mr. Brown, I have not a man of that kind.  Can you furnish 

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one?"  I said, "Yes, I can." 

I wrote to a man in whom I had every confidence and he came and met me at the ranch in Colonia Morelos. I gave him instructions and started him out on his mission.  He went out and down the river among those outlaws and mixed with them, drank with them, gambled with them, and even participated in their movements a little.  He found out their plans, who they were, and where they were located and brought me back the names of twenty-two men. One of them lived in Morelos.  I sent this list to the Governor with the suggestion that his men meet me on a date that I set, at a point between Morelos and Fronteres.  We met these men and outlined a program as to the method of procedure.  They went down this river dividing into two groups, capturing sixteen of the men.  When they had them all together they divided them into two groups and put a bean and a grain of corn in a hat.  Two blindfolded person, one of each group, drew and the group which drew the grain of corn had the chance of going and joining the army of Sonora which they were compelled to do; but the group getting the bean were sentenced to be shot and hung.  Later one of the men that was captured made the statement that only three out of eight escaped meaning that out of the sixteen the fatal number of thirteen lost their lives, cleaning up that section of the country from murders and bandits. 

While I was in Colonia Morelos in 1903 I had the privilege of visiting the World's Fair at St. Louis, Missouri in connection with Edward Eyring; one of the outstanding features of our visit was when we reached New Orleans we saw on the billboards of the Grand Opera House, "Brigham Young and the Danites."  We bought tickets early to get a good seat and it was lucky that we did for the seats were at a premium.  This was one of the most damnable and outrageous plays that has ever been presented before 

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a public. I remarked to Brother Eyring, "I believe that if we should get up and denounce these lies and assert who we are these people would hang us to the rafters of this theatre." 

We visited the wonderful fair and found a great many interesting matters. We would go down to the fairground in the morning and take notes of the places visited and things that we wanted to remember and after three weeks of very interesting and educational matter we returned home; Brother Eyring to Colonia Juárez and myself to Colonia Morelos. 

After my return home I had the most wonderful experience of my life.  I had a vision in which I was standing at the south of the town of Morelos and as I looked to the southwest, down the canyon where the river runs I saw the most terrible black clouds, and thunder and lightning that I have ever witnessed.  It appeared that the storm was coming with such rapidity that it was going to consume the people who were all collected in back of me and as the clouds rolled and came towards us we all started to run to our homes.  All at once the clouds stopped and opened up and out of a bright cloud walked a man whose hair hung in ringlets around his shoulders.  He had a slight beard.  He walked down in front of where I was standing.  He was standing in a semi-circle of twelve little girls all dressed in white.  I could see that this personage had on a temple robe; his hands and feet were bare and he was in a reclining position.  I knew it was Jesus, the Son of God.  I knelt down before him. 

I said, "O! Father, in the name of Thy Son, forgive me, for I know that I am a sinner and know I am not worthy of this wonderful presentation."  Then the Master spoke, "Unless you can become as these little children you cannot come where I am and enter into My Father's kingdom.

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And the vision passed and the impression that came to me was that it meant for the people, and me especially, to be humble and prayerful and clean in thought and action that we might have a share of the kingdom of our Father. 

Previous to my going to Colonia Morelos I had a wonderful impression.  At this time Joseph F. Smith was president of the church; John Henry Smith was one of his counselors.  President John Smith and Heber J. Grant were guests at our house and while we were discussing matters pertaining to the colonies and the church I had a very strong impression come to me that Heber J. Grant would be the next President.  I spoke about this matter to Brother Ivins.  He said, "That could hardly be possible, Brother Brown, because there are four brethren that have the seniority of Brother Grant and besides from natural conditions it would be hard because Brother Grant's health is very bad and he might be the first one of the five to go."  I said, "He will be the next President of this Church."  "Maybe you are right. We cannot always tell." 

At this same conference I had a wonderful impression:  Just previous, having come down from Kansas City, I had met on the train a Lord from England and a sporting man from New York being taken by Colonel Hunt, then a sheriff in New Mexico to the Black Range in New Mexico on a hunting trip.  While discussing with them many problems the Lord from England said to me:  "Mr. Brown, why do you call this gentleman that has just been introduced a Colonel? Do you know what regiment in the army he belongs to?" 

Then the thought came to me which I gave him, "We may have captains and colonels in industry and I think it more appropriate because they are of greater value and service to the country for its development 

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and construction then Captains and Colonels in the army who are educated for the destruction of material and mankind."  He said, "That is a wonderful idea and I am very glad for the information."  I had been introduced to these men by Colonel Hunt as a Mormon elder.  This New York man said, "Present company excepted, I desire to express my sentiments and give my reasons why I could not belong to any church."  He said the reason he said present company excepted was because we did not have on that long frock with the collar turned the wrong way and that pious long face and hypocritical look that accompanies hypocrites. 

I said, "I beg your pardon, but an explanation is due."  He said, " That is what I want to give. My wife and daughters belong to one of those churches and they are continually being hounded by those D----- hypocrites. The long tailed hypocrites!  I would not trust my wife or daughters alone with one of them for five minutes.  The experience of me and my family is the experience of one thousand other honorable families and businessmen. The contrast between them and you I compliment you for and that you are not wearing the same apparel and have not the same look on your face."   

This so impressed me that when I was asked to speak in the conference in Colonia Juárez I related the circumstance and made the suggestion that it seemed to me, being at this time our elders were aping and following the customs in their dress of the ministers of the world, that we should change that custom of aping the ministers of false doctrine and wear plain business suits so that we could be distinguished and preach the plain truths of the Gospel of the Master; and that in the days of Jesus the apostles had gone around in the same plain  clothes of  the people. 

John Henry Smith said, "My boy, I am president of the missionary work 

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and you have given us an idea that I feel we shall follow."  And immediately after this conference the elders going into the world to preach the Gospel were advised to wear the business suits instead of aping the ministers of the world in their method and manners of clothing; showing that even the authorities of the church are open to suggestions for the betterment of the work of the Lord from others who are humble. 

On the third day of July 1903 while standing on a scaffold in connection with Patriarch Alexander Jameson, James Thompson, and Edward Vanluven, we were pulling up green cottonwood logs for the rafters of an adobe building for the supporting of a dirt roof on a granary we were constructing to hold the tithing of the people.  The scaffold gave way, precipitating Brothers Jameson, Thompson and myself to the ground.  Vanluven, seeing the condition, grabbed the wall and save himself from injury.  Brothers Jameson and Thompson were slightly injured.  The distance of the fall was fourteen feet and I fell and my head struck the ground and one of these logs weighing about five hundred pounds struck me on the hips; my neck was broken, also my right shoulder and elbow and this log crushed my skull.  While I was under this log the impression strongly came to me that I would not die from these injuries and a Mexican by the name of Pablo Soso who was tying the ropes to these logs to be drawn up, removed the log from my body.  He straightened up my body and put me on one of the logs.  I was conscious of the conditions and asked him to raise up my head, which he did.  The brethren carried me into the house and administered to me and I told them not to fear, that not withstanding my critical condition I had had a strong impression that I would not die from these injuries.  They immediately went for Doctor Keet who came four days later and on examining my neck and skull and arm and shoulder said that while my neck 

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was broken he feared that if he tried to adjust the joints under the present conditions that it might cause my death.  So I remained thus with two joints out in my neck even up until the present time.  My shoulder and elbow were adjusted and my skull seemed to only have been cracked.  While I was suffering in these conditions I found in my right arm the severest pain that I had ever experienced and it continued for twenty-four hours until I was left without any physical strength because of the intense suffering.  It seemed that I could get no relief and that my life was quickly ebbing away and in my agony I cried out to the Lord and asked him to relieve this suffering or to take me to Himself.  And in that instant there came to me a voice.  It said, "My son, if you cannot suffer the things your father suffered, you cannot come where I am.  You must suffer without murmuring." 

I knew that this voice was the voice of my earthly father James Brown, and that he was standing by my side.  And with this knowledge of my father being at my side and pleading for me and sympathizing with me, tears came into my eyes.  I said, "O, father! Forgive me for murmuring and help me to realize and feel the spirit of repentance and relieve me of this suffering by letting they blessing come to me.  And for this knowledge and testimony and the understanding that my earthly father is here with me, I would be willing that my body should be torn to pieces or any other suffering that Thou seest fit to come to me."  Immediately I was relieved of all of that suffering and pain and a blessing came to me that is impossible to express in words for the spirit of the Lord was there and blessed me to the extent that I could not express myself further. 

About three days later I had another experience: the left side of my body was paralyzed; I had no feeling in my left side and no sight in 

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my left eye. I was bolstered up in a large high-backed rocking chair and my head was tied to its back. By some means or other, I must have slipped down and gone to sleep, and my head fell forward and I became unconscious for the first time during all of this period of suffering.  The brother attending me immediately grabbed my head and drew it back up and tied it again and when I became conscious I was so weak that it took several hours for me to be able to speak.  It seemed that my life was ebbing away and after some twelve or fifteen hours in this distressing weakened condition my wife, Bessie came to me. She said, "Orson, shall I send for the elders?" I told her yes and she sent for Patriarch Jameson, Charles Lillywhite, and George Bunker.  It was in the very early morning just at daylight and as they came in Brother Jameson spoke.  He said, "Orson, what shall we do?" 

I whispered to him to kneel down in a circle and each pray for my relief; and they knelt down and in turn prayed for me and they arose and came forward and Brother Lillywhite anointed me with holy oil and Brother Jameson was mouth in the confirmation and before they had taken their hands off my head I felt life come into my left side which had been paralyzed and dead; strength came to me and I was healed and the power of the Lord was so great in that room, though humble, that no one could speak for a long time.  When I recovered I praised the Lord for his blessings that had come to me and we all rejoiced in the great manifestations of the spirit and power of the Lord as I rose up from the chair, loosened the bandages from my head and spoke, "I am healed!" 

I immediately asked for nourishment and I later asked for more nourishment and in the evening of that day took a cane and walked four blocks and did not feel a particle of pain in any part of my body and  

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from that time my strength rapidly grew until I was able in three weeks time to get into a buggy and come to Juárez to conference over that rough road.  A miracle had been wrought and, as Doctor Keet wrote in the Scientific American Medical Journal, that my case was one in a million that I should live under those conditions. 

And after that conference the spirit of the Lord came to me and in confirmation of the blessings that came to my wives, Mattie and Bessie, before I returned to Colonia Morelos the way was opened up and the Lord saw fit to give me another wife and I took her back with me.  This was Eliza Skousen [married to Orson on September 2, 1902 at Colonia Juárez]. 

Another incident: The next year I was riding out on the range looking after some cattle and horses when a thunderstorm came up and I was on my way home.  This was on the Caballero Wash, and I was in my shirtsleeves, as it was the month of July.  I rode over under a large walnut tree and got down off my horse.  As I stood with the bridle of the horse in my hand a voice came to me.  It said, "Get out from under that tree or you will be killed as Bishop Scott was killed." 

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I took three steps forward and the lightning struck the tree, peeling the bark down its side and my horse feel to its knees and I was full of electricity.  I knelt down and thanked the Lord for the preservation of my life and for His voice which had come to me in a warning.  The year before in the same month Bishop Scott had left Colonia Oaxaca and come up the canal with his shovel to look after the water and the next morning his dead body and horse were found.  He had the bridle reins in his hands and the big tree was shattered; another manifestation of the power of the Lord when we will heed his warnings. 

Another incident of a warning of the Lord to his people:  One mornings I rode across the Bavispe River from Colonia Morelos on my horse and rode up to where Brother Charles Lillywhite and Horace Lillywhite were building two small brick houses.  They had the walls about four feet high.  Just as plain as the sun shining in the heavens I had a vision. I saw that whole section of the country being flooded with water and I saw that even the rock foundations of those two houses had been washed away by the flood.  I said, "Do not continue to construct those houses because they will be washed away until there will not be one rock left to show where they have been built.  Your families will be in danger and it will only be a miracle if their lives are saved." 

Then I rode across the river to the low lands where my second counselor, Brother L.S. Huish was constructing an adobe house for his wife Ana.  I said, "Do not build this house for there is a flood coming.  I just saw it in a vision and it will wash away this house and your wife and family will only escape through the mercy of the Lord.  But these brethren continued in constructing their houses.  In public meetings three different times I took occasion to especially relate this vision I had had and warned the brethren not to build on the low lands.  There were a number of the brethren who took advise and  

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ceased their construction.  This was in the fall of the year.  The next February the unusual thing happened.  It rained for three days and nights without ceasing and the flood came down and washed away most of Colonia Oaxaca.  It washed away those two little brick houses.  The husbands were not at home but the girls and their father were there.  He happened to feel the water around his feet in the night and they barely escaped with their lives, going onto the high grounds.  Brother Huish's family only escaped by getting on the backs of horses and the horses had to swim to safety.  This shows that if we will listen to the manifestations of the spirit it will always give us warning. 

Another very powerful testimony that came to me while I was in Colonia Morelos was the casting out of the devil in Brother Hunsaker.  Brother Hunsaker had been afflicted with typhoid fever.  I came home one night from a trip and my wife said to me, "Brother Hunsaker is very bad off and in despair of his life.  He is afflicted with a devil.

In the early morning Brother Jameson and I went to Brother Hunsaker's home where there were two men waiting on him because he had driven his family from home. Brother Hunsaker, it will be remembered, was a man who had been on a mission and was a faithful Latter-day Saint and had entered into the higher law of plural marriage but had become somewhat discontented and had quarreled and even fought with one of his neighbors and had not been able to get the spirit of repentance.  In his affliction he had failed to be humble but rather censured the brethren whom he had trouble with and under these conditions the evil spirit of the adversary had taken hold of hi because he had not forgiven his brothers their trespasses. 

As we knocked at the door the evil spirit said, "Here comes that old Bishop Brown." with an oath, even before the door was opened.  When the door opened, with the vilest kind of language he said, "I am here to stay.  You have come to drive me out but I will not be driven out." 

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Brother Jameson and I had knelt down and prayed before we got there, for the power and blessing and spirit of the Lord to guide us in what to do.  With my hat in my hand I walked into the house and Brother Jameson was inside of the door.  In the name of Jesus Christ and by the virtue of the Melchizedek priesthood which I held I rebuked that devil and commanded him to come out of Brother Hunsaker and depart from that house.  And he came out and Brother Jameson said he heard the spirit as it left through the door.  Brother Hunsaker naturally was weakened and fell back on his bed and tears came into his eyes and he confessed his failure to forgive his brothers and we administered to him and the blessings of the spirit of the Father came to him and comforted his soul.  But he was in such a weakened condition, the adversary have wrestled with him so long, that he had a hemorrhage and passed away in a couple days but he had repented and the blessings of the Father went with him to the other side. 

A very interesting experience I had as I was returning from Denver, Colorado where I had been to buy some mining machinery:  I was returning on the railroad on the Denver & Rio Grande to a to a station in Dalhart, Texas.  When I arrived at the station the conductor advised me I could catch the next train if I would hurry but it was about three hundred yards from one station to the other.  As I got off the train I started running over to the other depot of the Rock Island.  I saw the headlight of the train nearing the station.  I had my valise and my overcoat and as I ran along and started to cross the track, just in front of the engine, I tripped and fell on the track.  I got what they call the "solar plexus blow".  The bells had rung and whistles blown but the engineer saw me and reversed the engine and stopped within three feet of me.  He and the fireman jumped out and lifted me up and took me around where I was put on the train.  They put me to bed and by the next morning I was restored to myself. 

While on this train I became acquainted with a gentleman by the name of Watson who was on his 

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way from his home in Chicago to Tucson, Arizona, to see his son who had been a tuberculosis patient.  He had fought forest fires in the mountains near Tucson and had his lungs injured and was in a very dangerous condition.  Mr. Watson told me he had be ambassador to one of the smaller European countries, and if I remember correctly, it was Belgium; he was a member of the Christian church and had a family.
 

This cartoon shows Reed Smoot secure in his U.S. Senate seat after a four year fight, 1903-1907, to be allowed to be seated in the Senate, printed in the Washington Star, reprinted in the Literary Digest on March 2, 1907, page 323

When the train stopped at a station and they brought on some newspapers that had been printed during the night. They had an account of [future Apostle] Reed Smoot fighting the Senate for his right to his seat.  Mr. Watson was a scholar and sort of an orator and as each of us read this account he made me a statement.  "Mr. Brown, do you know the greatest and worst cancer the United States has in her?  It is her worst point in a social, political, and religious way; It is the Mormon people; they ought to be exterminated.  Do you know them?  I heard one of their members give six lectures in Chicago, the famous Ann Eliza Webb Dee Young Denning, and they were very interesting but the most damnable things were said that I have ever heard. "He asked what I knew about the Mormons. I said I had been privileged to mingle among them. I told him I had always found them honest and upright. I did not desire to tell who I was just then and told him I also was a Christian." So we began a discussion of the principles of the Gospel of the Master.

The people around us became interested and listened and I explained the gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith. But Mr. Watson said there was one thing he had never been able to understand and that was why the Lord had revealed himself to the people on the other continent but not on this continent and there must undoubtedly have been people on this continent and why he had left them in ignorance of the Gospel. I explained that there had been a record found hidden in a hill and it was written in gold plates and had been translated to our language. It bore witness to these people having been visited by Christ and the

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Church had been organized with prophets, Apostles etc. He said that was very strange. That he had never heard of it. I said, "Mr. Watson, you know we get into a rut and will not listen to those things that would be most beneficial to us." He asked if I could get him one of these books. I told him yes. A lady had been listening and clapping her hands and thought this the most wonderful explanation of the principles she had ever heard. She asked what church I belonged to. I told her I was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint, commonly called Mormons.

Mr. Watson was very astonished and told me I had said some marvelous things. I told him that these were the principles of the Gospel as revealed through Joseph Smith and that this book was the Book of Mormon. They asked me about polygamy. I explained to them and quoted scripture and told them that only the finest of people could enter into the law of plural marriage. I said it had been revealed through the Prophet and I was a product of this high and holy law. And that I had also entered into this principle.

Mr. Watson embraced me and said he had never had such light come to him and was very thankful for it. I corresponded with Mr. Watson for eight months and looked up the elders in Chicago. Mr. Watson was just going to be baptized when I received a letter from his son saying his father had just passed away. Thus proving the power of the Lord in breaking down false information.

In the year of 1893 I had the glorious privilege, together with my wife Mattie, to go to the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple in company with my very good friend, Joseph S. Cardon and his wife, Rhoda. We went together from Juárez by wagon to Deming and from there on to Salt Lake City and Logan where we had the privilege of going through the Logan Temple and receiving our washings and anointings and were sealed by Apostle Merrill who was then presiding over the Logan Temple.

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We then returned to Salt Lake where we had the privilege of going to the dedicatory service of the Temple there; it was one of the most wonderful manifestations I have ever witnessed. While the choir and congregation were singing. "The Spirit of God Like a Fire is Burning," they were joined in this most wonderful hymn by a heavenly host whose description of their singing is beyond words. This gave me a wonderful testimony.

On returning home to Mexico I had the privilege of bringing with me my mother who has always been a wonderful inspiration to me; her faith and testimony was always a great blessing to me.

I have just remembered what a wonderful manifestation of the Spirit of the Lord came from Apostle Brigham Young, Jr. He was visiting the colonies and while at a conference in Juárez he was present with Brothers Moses Thatcher, Aaron Farr, his brother-in-law, and a man by the name of Hinds, the three having been disciplined by the church authorities and Moses Thatcher having been disfellowshipped.

Apostle Young arose and in the language of severity said, "I'm going to say something that may not be agreeable to some who are here. I give them an opportunity to get up and leave if they don’t want to hear what I'm going to say." He stopped speaking for a moment and there was a terrible spell of anxiety came over the congregation but when he continued speaking, instead of that harshness in his voice, it was mellow with the Spirit of the Lord which came to him and he bore testimony after testimony of the manifestations of the Spirit of the Lord.

I had invited Brothers Thatcher, Farr and Hinds to my home for dinner. We sat down to dinner.

I said to Brother Thatcher, "There seems to be something very wrong. It seems that the meeting was not quite complete. At all other meetings you have been sitting on the front row but today I noticed that you had a back seat, together with these companions, Farr and Hinds. We had a wonderful spiritual feast, did we not? Some wonderful testimonies were

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borne by Apostle Young."

He said " Yes, Brother Brown. But I too, had a manifestation and my cause will yet be vindicated and proclaimed from the house-tops. I was being persecuted by my brethren so I went into my secret chamber and knelt down to pray in these words: ‘O, Lord! Why is it that thou hast left me alone in this day of my trouble and tribulations.’ Then the voice of the master came to me and said, 'O, Moses! My servant, why is it that you rest your strength upon the arm of flesh.' After that manifestation how could I accept the advice and counsel of my persecutors and the Presidency of the Church."

I said, "Why Brother Thatcher, I can't understand why you place that kind of an interpretation upon the word that came to you when in truth you are resting upon the arm of your own flesh and taking your own counsel and advice and the advice of the enemies of the work of God instead of those that could help you."

He went pallid and made no remark. It was a wonderful testimony to me that he had committed some great sin and was being blinded by the master hand of Satan and being guided by that power.

Another incident: I had the privilege of taking my wife Bessie and her two children [Else and Marguerite] to the Salt Lake Temple. In Salt Lake City I met my wife Jane who was studying medicine and mid-wifery. We went through the Salt Lake Temple where we received our washings and anointings and the two little girls of Bessie's were sealed to me and after these wonderful ceremonies were performed, Apostle Teasdale, together with President Winder, took us through the Temple and explained all of its magnificence and pictures and the wonders, of that wonderful building. It was a glorious privilege and opportunity and as we were leaving Brother Winder pronounced a wonderful blessing upon us.

Then a little later I went to President Joseph F. Smith and in his private office I presented the records of sealing that were performed by [Bessie's father] Patriarch Alexander Macdonald. [See "Solemn Covenant by B. Carmon Hardy, pages 317] 

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He looked them over and said, "Brother Brown, all of this work that Brother Macdonald performed was duly authorized by me and I want you to take these records back to Mexico with you and keep them until a later date as we do not know under the present conditions what search may be made by our enemies for records of these kinds; and when the time comes, bring them back and have them deposited with the Church recorder."

At the breaking of the Revolution I had those records deposited and took them from their place for fear they might be destroyed and on the return of Apostle Ivins from El Paso during that period after our people had been driven out of Mexico, I gave them to him to be taken to Salt Lake City to be deposited as I had been instructed by Joseph F. Smith.

Another incident: While living in Colonia Morelos, I remember that the seeds of discontent had been planted among the members of the colony, as reported in another incident, and I was very much concerned in regard to the matter. I wondered just how much of the responsibility and fault were mine. I continually prayed to the Lord to know whether or not my labors were acceptable to him and for inspiration that I might be able to be in harmony with his Spirit and be worthy of the place I had been called to occupy as a bishop. It worried me that I could not even have the peace of mind one should. I thus prayed and sought the Lord for more than a year without getting any satisfaction, for my prayers.

I, at this time, had just been to a conference in Juárez and in returning brought Patriarch, James Skousen, with me. When I awoke in the early morning I remembered that the Patriarch was leaving this morning for Douglas, Arizona. I remembered what Apostle Wilford Woodruff had said to me. He said he was in a like condition as myself, and wanted to know from the Lord something relating to his private life and he had asked continually without any results but when he was preaching from the stand in Snowflake, Arizona he was looking down on the congregation and saw a man by the name of Hatch who was a Patriarch and the Spirit of the Lord came to him, and told him to ask this Patriarch and he would receive his answer. 

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When the meeting was over he took Patriarch Hatch by the arm and led him around to the back of the school house and told him he wanted a blessing. Brother Hatch laid his hands on his head and instead of giving him a patriarchal blessing gave him the answer to his prayers. Thus proving in truth that the patriarchs are the prophets of the Lord unto his people.

This morning when I was remembering this I retired to the barn and there knelt down before the Lord and asked him to reveal his will and answer my prayers through his servant, the patriarch. I returned to the call for breakfast and Brother Skousen was sitting at my left. I got through breakfast a little before he did. As I raised to go he put his hand over and detained me and said he had something to tell me and the Lord had a blessing for me.

I told my wife Bessie to bring paper and pencil and Brother Skousen rose and laid his hands on my head and began to speak in the name of the Lord and said:

"I, the Lord, have seen thy labors and thy strugglings before me and I say unto thee for thy comfort and blessing that thy labors have been acceptable and thy sins are forgiven. I bless you with health and strength and the spirit of humility. As long as you are prayerful and keep my commandments my Spirit and blessing will be with you."

I bear testimony to the fact that just as long as I did my part that His blessing and Spirit were with me; but when I ceased to do his will that Spirit left me and I was left alone to wander in darkness and doubt. But at no time did I ever doubt the promises of the Lord.

I remember another incident: While I was in Bisbee on business I visited the little ward that was presided over by Bishop John Warren, an old time friend of mine, and after the services in the evening, the bishop and his two counselors said they wanted to talk with me.

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Among other things they said was, "We are continually being asked to join these secret fraternities. What do you know about the instructions of the authorities of the church in regard to this matter?"

I told them my understanding was you should not join these societies; that there was enough in our church to take care of all of the matters of the Latter-day Saints. But as these people were under rather peculiar circumstances I promised to wait and think it over.

On returning to my room in the hotel that night I asked the Lord in regard to this matter and I had a wonderful dream which I related to the brethren as follows. I dreamed that I had joined one of the secret societies and I had died and over my temple burial clothes I had the Masonic emblems; the robe and apron and other emblems that make up the burial clothes of the Masonic order. I thought I went up to a great gate in a wall that surrounded a large city and there met the gatekeeper and I thought he was dressed in temple robes.

He looked at me and said, "Who are you? What are you doing and where are you from?" I told him all and that I had come to get entrance into that large city. "Did you come to get in this city with those clothes on?"

"Yes, but I have my temple clothes under these."

"You cannot come here with those clothes on; there is only one thing to do. That is to return to where you came from, repent of this condition and those strange things you have been doing and take off those clothes, then come back with those clothes on that belong to the house of the Lord."

I awoke with the feeling that as far as I was concerned I would never participate in any secret orders. I told them the dream at breakfast and they said they were mighty glad the information had come to them; that they could not accept the secret orders.

About the year 1907, President Ivins and Brother Pratt came over to Colonia Morelos and asked me if I would like to be released from my position

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as bishop in that ward as they needed me over in Dublán to help bring together the contentious elements that were existing there and to help construct the canal to the reservoir. I replied that I would like to go anywhere the authorities wished me to go. So, in accordance with this, they released me as Bishop and advised me to arrange my business affairs and to go to Dublán as soon as possible. There I was called to be a member of the high counsel and assistant superintendent of the stake Sunday School with Bishop Jesse N. Smith and Lorenzo Payne, his first assistant; and we began immediately to hold meetings to try and bring about harmony among the people in Dublán and we organized the Laguna Canal Co. and began operations. Just at this time the W.C. Green Railroad people who had been constructing a grade running south east from Casas Grandes into the Galeana Valley, broke up, leaving indebtedness to the Unions Mercantile of $20,000 and to Willard Skousen, of $10,000.

The Green Co. had quite a large grading outfit including mules, plows, freznos and harnesses and other material which they had been using in an independent grading camp of their own. I went out to El Paso and there found the real status of their interests which proved to be hardly more than ten percent of what they were supposed to be. I immediately reported to Brother Bowman this condition for he was intending to take notes from the Green Co. for the amount of money due the Union Mercantile Co. I suggested to him that they take this grading outfit instead. They had already attached this outfit but were about to release it and take notes instead of the outfit.

I went up to Juárez and met President Ivins who was president of the Union Mercantile Co. and laid the matter before him and he came down and had a consultation with Mr. Bowman, the manager, and Willard Skousen who owned part of the company and they accepted my recommendation and the Mercantile Co. got all of their money and considerable more out of the outfit.

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The Madero Revolution, November 20, 1910: There were a great many rumors coming from the south of what the rebel movement was doing down there and around Casas Grandes Generals Salazar and Alaniz had gather together sixty or seventy men and they were riding around this section of the country independent of the Madero revolution.

We were called upon by the Jefe Politico, Mr. Mesillas, to go out scouting to the northeast around the San Pedro mines as a rumor had come in that Salazar and his bunch were in that vicinity. Leon Pratt, Ammon Tenney, Ira Pratt, and Nathan Tenney and myself went. At the stock yards north of the colony we got in a freight car and were taken by the train to Summit station and there scouted around that section of the country up to San Pedro and along the foot hills of the Escondido mountains but before we came to these mountains we found that what had been reported to be rebels were only work animals that were being used to freight oar from the Leon Mines to the San Pedro Mines. We came home and reported the matter to the Jefe Politico and shortly afterwards at a stake priesthood meeting held in Juárez it was decided that from then on we would try and remain neutral as far as taking up arms against either side was concerned. But at the same time we resolved we would defend our own interests against any intrusions.

At this time a check was made on our arms and ammunition we had in store and it was found that most of our arms were of small caliber and power and that if we came in contact with any of these rebel bands, they could attack us from a long distance and we would not have anything to defend ourselves with. It was decided that we ask the Church for means to procure arms and ammunition to put us on an equal with anyone. I was dispatched to El Paso with this object in view but found it was impossible to get these arms for the purpose for which we needed them. I was made general agent and delegated to get these arms as soon as possible.

While in El Paso I met my old friend, Abram Gonzalez, who was then acting as rebel governor of the state of Chihuahua as well as commander-

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in-chief of all of the forces of this state. In my conference with him I advised him we desired to remain neutral and it pleased him very much.

He said, "I have been very much worried about you people and your position in the country and feared that the Federals might force you into taking up arms against us and some of our bands of men and bandits might take advantage of the situation and bring on complications."

He took me and introduced me to Francisco I. Madero and together they wrote letters to be sent to all of the colonies to be handed to any rebel officers that might come around the colonies advising them in every way to respect the lives and property and interests of the colonies. There was no communication between El Paso and the colonies at this time because a band of rebels had torn up the Railroad track in several places and burned some bridges. I took these communications and also a letter to General Jose de la Luz Blanca who had come from the state of Chihuahua to the Tigre mining camp on his way to Agua Prieta.

I sent the colonies communications to Brother Junius Romney by my son Clyde Brown and I went myself, to meet General Jose who was then at the mining camp known as Pillares de Terras. This communication advised him to go to Ciudad Juárez with his troops as soon as possible.

He said, "I will go to Ciudad Juárez when I have cleaned up Agua Prieta and got money to take care of my needs." So I went with him close to Agua Prieta and from his camp showed him the town and the most advantageous way to capture it. He said, "Why, I am a military man. The idea of you, a civilian, giving me instructions."

I said all right and took the communication from him to the military chief in Agua Prieta. This town was ordered to surrender to save bloodshed but if they would not, the town would be attacked in the morning.

Blanco said, "When they see my army of 350 men and learn of my reputation

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as a fighter they will surrender."

I replied, "You might be very much mistaken, because these soldiers are not like ordinary Federal soldiers; they have been on the Yaki River fighting Indians for five years and know how to handle their guns."

During the night Agua Prieta received reinforcements and they started out to meet General Blanco's army. I had started with a communication from Hernandez to the Madero representative in Douglas, going around the west side of Agua Prieta and up the arroyo and when about five miles from Agua Prieta I spied General Blanco coming with his troops. I was just going to advise him about the reinforcements when I saw him coming on a white charger at the head of a column of men. Over at the north the Federal troops were approaching. I hid myself between two large desert plants.

The Federal soldiers attacked General Blanco and his men before they knew the Federals were anywhere near them and the General and all of his men fled leaving a nephew of Governor Abram Gonzalez, with sixteen Tahuamara Indians who were all on foot to guard their retreat.

These Indians, in their skirmish, killed six Federal officers; one captain, two sergeants and three corporals; they lost four of their own men and two were wounded but they had held the Federals off until General Blanco and his men had made good their escape.

The next morning I went around the west side of Agua Prieta and came to Douglas and saw Governor Hernandez of Zacatecas. He cried like a child because of Blanco's foolishness. The next morning at daylight I left and went into Blanco's camp with a letter from Hernandez advising him to immediately go to Ciudad Juárez.

On arriving at Blanco's camp I gave him the communication and told him the Federal troops were then on their way from Agua Prieta to his camp and were going to attack him again. They immediately saddled their horses and left camp, going to Ciudad Juárez, a very disappointed bunch of men. I returned to Colonia Morelos to the Pitaciche ranch to where my cattle

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interests were. I gathered a bunch of beef cattle to take to Agua Prieta where I had made a sale to a man by the name of Manuel Hernandez who lived at Agua Prieta.

We started with the cattle and as we drove the cattle into the stock pens to the east of Agua Prieta, about a mile and a half long the International Line we heard the rattle of musketry and saw they were fighting at Agua Prieta. General Rojas and a number of other men had come out of the mountain country coming up the Nacosaria where they got on the oar train and came up on the regular schedule and they fired from the train cars when the train arrived and drove the Federal soldiers, together with the customs guards, across the International border and took Agua Prieta.

While they were in this fight, the International line along the American side was lined with Americans, Mexicans and Chinamen and all kinds of people who were watching the battle. Manuel Hernandez and I rode down to the American Custom house and we could see rebels going into the back of his yards toward his house. He said, "O God! What will happen to my family."

I asked permission to cross the line. The American captain with a few soldiers said, "You cannot go over there. They are fighting and you might get killed."

At this I put spurs to my horse and crossed the line and rode to the house of Manuel Hernandez where I found the family frightened to death. I took charge of the situation and put five soldiers in front and five in back of the house with instructions not to let anyone pass; and I rode back into town. Twenty-five soldiers with a sergeant would be left at the military quarters to guard the retreat of the Federals who were crossing the line at that time. I met a commander of the forces who was General Madina; he had been sent down by Mr. Madero to take charge of the situation around Agua Prieta. I said, "What are you going to do with that little bunch of Federals."

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"If they will surrender they will come to no harm but if they don't we will kill them." I rode over to the cuartel and asked them to surrender. The little sergeant said, "It is better to die like men than dogs, because if we go into the rebels hands they will execute us."

I said I did not believe they would and began arguing with them and they agreed to surrender their arms. I agreed to take them over to the U.S. side. I crossed over alone first, and got two sergeants and two American soldiers and came back and we were just ready to escort these men across when some women came and said they had some of the soldiers in another place but we could not wait so we escorted these twenty two men over to the American side.

I immediately returned and found four more men who had taken off their soldier equipment and were only in their underwear and a rebel captain had them standing up against the wall to execute them. The firing squad was ready. I shouted at him and told him to stop and release these men. He said, "By what authority?" I said, "By the authority of Madero."

He believed me and gave the permission and I escorted the soldiers to the American side.

The Federals got reinforcements the next night from Canonea and retook Agua Prieta, holding it for a long time. I returned to El Paso and found that General Blanco had arrived, increasing the rebel forces to a considerable number.

One morning while the Madero scouts were scouting near Ciudad Juárez, the rebels opened fire and they in return, returned the fire and that brought the rebel forces into play and they began running toward Ciudad Juárez and the battle was on without anyone having given orders. Then General Orozco gave orders to cut the water out of the canal and they came streaming along the river front and from there attacked the Federal

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forces, driving them back. This battle lasted fifty-six hours. Surrender was made to General Smutts of South Africa, and General Garibalde. General Orozco, supposed to be in command of those forces, had been in hiding up until the time of the surrender.

This battle of Ciudad Juárez was the key that opened the way for General Madero to take charge of Mexico.

I returned to the colonies after the battle at Ciudad Juárez and found that the Jefe Politico, Mesillas, had died. There was an alarm that Casas Grandes was about to be attacked by the rebels. Mesillas had climbed a ladder on to the top of the Municipal building and had seen a big herd of cattle coming towards the town, which he took to be rebels. He became badly frightened, being hardly able to come down the ladder. He took sick and died and they sent Mr. Anastachio Mapola from Chihuahua to take his place. On hearing that I was here, Mapola immediately sent for me. I went up and he immediately demanded from me, one hundred armed men from Colonia Juárez and Dublán to protect Casas Grandes against any attack that might be made by the rebels. I advised him of the fact that we had decided to remain neutral as far as possible in the question of the Revolution.

He said, "If you people will not furnish me these men, when this revolution is over, I will see that the law, called the 33rd of Expulsion, is applied to you people."  I replied that when this revolution was over, then we would see. I told him we would absolutely refuse to take up arms for either side.

Shortly after this he was driven from Casas Grandes and was taken to Chihuahua as a prisoner by General Villa's men and was executed.

On my return to El Paso from the colonies, I had received the money to purchase some arms and ammunition for the colonies. Previously I had asked the United States government in Washington, through Senator Reed Smoot, for a permit to export two-hundred-fifty rifles and ten thousand rounds

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of ammunition to be used by the colonies in defense of their homes. In a meeting, as already stated, of the general priesthood it was decided we would stand our ground and protect our interests. Most of the arms we had were of small caliber and would not suffice to defend ourselves against the long-range guns, and for that reason we purchased these long range rifles and ammunition.

The President of Mexico had issued an order to arrest and execute any one that was found exporting arms and ammunition into Mexico other than those to be used by the rebel government; and there was a law in the United States to the effect that anyone found exporting arms and ammunition into Mexico without a permit from the War Department in the United States would be given from one to five years in the penitentiary and fined $5000.

I purchased a part of these arms and ammunition and loaded them on the train and shipped them in the name of T.G. Ernest, which was the alibi of Brother E. G. Taylor. He went down to a little station west of Columbus where the arms were scheduled to arrive and just as the train got there a sergeant with two soldiers rode up on their motorcycles, coming from Columbus having received instructions that there was a shipment of arms on that train. When the sergeant saw Brother Taylor, he said, "Is your name T.G. Ernest?" He said, "My name is Guy Taylor."

I had prepared a letter to the effect that Brother Taylor's mission and business in Mexico was looking after stolen horses, giving brands and colors of horses so in case he might get caught he could use this alibi. The sergeant immediately asked if he had anything on him to show who he was, and he pulled out this letter. The sergeant took it and read it. The sergeant sent the arms and ammunition on the next train back to Columbus.

Brother Taylor came and met me and said, "They are on our trail; it looks like we are going to jail."

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When he told me, I told him to hide out and we would see what could be done. I immediately went up to the telegraph office and wired Senator Smoot in regard to the matter and received information back that he could not see there was anything that he could do to keep me out of the penitentiary; that I should not have shipped those arms without a special permit and that I was subject to the law. I then went up and saw General Stever who was our devoted friend. He was in command of Fort Bliss.

He said, "Mr. Brown, I cannot see there is a thing I can do for you. If you had advised me of this matter my men at Columbus never would have intercepted those arms."

For the moment it looked as though I was headed straight for jail. I got on the street car and was undecided what to do; in fact, I was worried, but I uttered a silent prayer to the Lord to inspire me to do the right thing and I immediately became calm and before I reached my room I felt as calm as a summer day. I went to my room and came out and the mail carrier had just come into the hotel and there was a letter from the War Department in Washington granting me the permit to export these arms and ammunition.

I immediately went down to the Federal court, as I had found there was an indictment against me, to see the prosecuting attorney. While I was sitting there he was examining some witnesses in another case and a man by the name of Sam Brown was being questioned.  The attorney looked at him and said, "Are you the Brown who is interested in exporting arms to Mexico."

Sam Brown said that he was not. The attorney went on with his examination. I sat there about two hours until the court was dismissed for lunch, then I walked over to the attorney.

I said, "How are you, Mr. Oliver?" He said, "Fine. How are you?"

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I said, "I am curious to know what relation this examination you were giving to Mr. Brown has to this case here."

"It has this relation: That I am looking for this man, O.P. Brown and men are out seeking him for attempting to smuggle arms into Mexico."

I looked him in the eyes, "Why, don’t you know me?"

"Yes! By Jolly! You are O.P. Brown."

I said, "Yes, I am the fellow you have been looking for." I pulled out this letter from the War Department in. Washington and said, "Now, there is a crisis on and these arms are being held in Columbus and if I am thwarted in getting them into Mexico I will feel like holding you responsible. I have purchased some more arms here in El Paso and I want you to give me a release for those down there and a release for these here, also."

He said, "Why did you ship those arms down there without this permit."

I said I wanted to get part of them down there first so they wouldn't be so bulky and likely to be suspected. But it seems the Mexican government had had a secret service men in the freight and express who had watched the shipments and had discovered this one.

"Come to my office and we will fix this out," said Mr. Oliver.

We went up and he checked the indictment against me off, and gave instructions to release the arms in Columbus and also to let me ship these arms from El Paso. These arms were received by Brother Taylor, Ira Pratt, Oscar Bluth and some others.

Just previous to this I had heard that Salazar, Alaniz and Emilio Campo were about to rebel against the Madero government. General Jose de La Luz Blanco was then quartered with about three hundred and fifty men in old Casas Grandes; I had come to find out the facts in the matter and while investigating in Nueva Casas Grandes I was held up by a Major and a Captain and a Sergeant who said they had information to the effect that I was a Madero spy. With drawn pistols they tried to force me behind

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an old store house that was just south of the station house where they said they were going to execute me. When we got to the center of the road between the station and the old Ketelsen and Degetau store, I stopped and told them to shoot. I pulled out my book and pencil and took the description of these men, then put away my book and pencil and told them I was going to go back to the Ketelsen building; if they wanted to shoot, go ahead. They punched me with their pistols. The one responsible for this, and he was present at this time, was Teofilo Hermosillo who was then acting as a Major in the forces of Salazar. I advanced towards the building.

Hermosillo said to the others, "Look out! He is a bad man."

They stepped to one side and let me go by but followed me with their pistols in their hands. That morning I had felt an impression to take my pistol out of my scabbard and put it around at my back in my belt and when they saw I had no pistol in sight they thought I was unarmed. I leaned against the wall of the building and it looked like a matter of life and death. I was reaching for my pistol to open up on these three fellows that were there when a man by the name of Reyes Portillo came in sight. He said, "Hermosillo, companero, what are you doing with this man?"

He replied, "We are going to hold him here until Colonel Sylvestre Quevedo comes and then are going to hang him to the tallest tree at the crossing of the Casas Grandes River. He is a spy and is here in the interests of the Madero government. We are going to show this Mormons as well as the others where he will head in." Portillo said, "He is the best friend I have."

Then Portillo told him an incident: While I was driving some work mules along the lane coming from Casas Grandes to Nueva Casas Grandes I met Portillo and his hired man in the road. The hired man had hit Portillo's work mare on the head with a shovel and killed her because she was balky.

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Portillo did not have another mare or horse to harvest his crops and was in need so I let him have one of the mules and said he did not need to pay for it until he got ready.

"I have never paid a cent for that mule and he has never asked me for any money and it has now been two years." "Will you respond for him," asked Hermosillo.

Portillo said he would. My wife was at David Spilsbury's place and I asked the privilege of taking her home for she was not well. They told me I could take her home if I would return in one hour. I replied I would return in one or two hours.

I immediately went and took my wife, Mattie, home and got my rifle and belt of cartridges and waited for them to come until after dark but they did not come. I got on my horse and started for Juárez. It seemed they had been watching my movements and a bunch were at the crossing of the river but instead of crossing there I went down farther. I heard these men and saw them; there appeared to be about fifteen. I went on to Juárez and stayed in the home of Brother Guy C. Wilson for two or three nights. Then I was taken to Pearson and got on the train somewhat disguised. Some of these rebels got on the train at Pearson, Nueva Casas Grandes and San Pedro, looking for me but I arrived at El Paso.

I found out on investigation that Salazar, Alaniz and Campo had made a combination with Pascual Orozco to rise up against the Madero government. Three days after I had left they gave General Jose Blanco an opportunity to leave or they would kill him. He also came to El Paso. A few days later General Pascual Orozco came to Ciudad Juárez and took all of his troops to Chihuahua, leaving the road open for Salazar and his followers to come into Ciudad Juárez and capture it, which they did without any resistance whatever. In fact, Mrs. Alaniz came into Juárez with sixty-five men and took charge of the city, looting the banks

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and mercantile companies, taking whatever they desired, waiting the arrival of Salazar and Campo.

Two or three weeks later Salazar, Campo and Alaniz, with their forces in Chihuahua joined with Orozco's forces and they commenced their march south, driving the government troops before them. It must be remembered that Orozco had opposed the remaining in Chihuahua of any Federal forces of the old Federal government, and Madero, the president, had taken the troops out. And when they were marching south (Salazar, Orozco, and their followers), they were met, just south of the city of Jiménez, by forces coming from Torreon and Mexico City.

In the fighting south of Jiménez, the rebel forces sent an engine loaded with dynamite in among the government trains and it exploded and killed many men of the government troops.

At one time, General Salazar, thinking the rebel troops were right upon them, committed suicide. The government troops became demoralized and retired towards Torreon but President Madero sent General Nuerta with reinforcements to stop the oncoming of the rebels.

In the meantime, Mr. Llorente, the consul general in El Paso for the Madero government, had sent three men to the south in the rebel camp to try and get information as to their guns and amount of artillery and war equipment; but he asked if I could get a trusty man to go down and get this information. I found a man who took his wife and went into the rebels camps on pretense of looking after a sick brother. In this way he got the desired information and also a topographical map of surrounding country they were holding. On his return I went over the ground with him and we made a map of the hills and mountains and this map was sent to General Nuerta by a special courier hired by Llorente that he might know the exact situation of the rebels.

By this time, General Nuerta had his army equipped and started on his march northward driving the rebels before him. Before he arrived at

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Chihuahua, I went to Mr. Llorente and Alberto Madero, who was then acting as advisor to his nephew, the president, and I told them of my fears of the rebels coming northward and disturbing the colonies. I made the suggestion that there be organized in the state of Sonora a force of government troops, sufficiently large to come into the Casas Grande section and repel any invasions that were sure to be made by the rebels when they came north. They accepted my recommendation favorably and sent it to President Madero in Mexico City.

He in turn dispatched immediately, General Garibaldi, an Italian general, who had taken part in the battle at Ciudad Juárez. He sent him to take charge of this affair. I was asked by Mr. Llorente to purchase arms and saddles and make arrangements for the purchase of horses for this expedition, which I did.

I accompanied General Garibaldi to Douglas, Arizona and Agua Prieta to help out in the organization. I bought five-hundred rifles, fifty-thousand rounds of ammunition and arranged for the purchase of five-hundred cavalry horses and five-hundred saddles for this expedition while it was being organized at Agua Prieta, as a concentration point.

A man by the name of Juan Dosal, who had been General Villa’s chief of staff, began to make trouble about having General Garibaldi take charge of this expedition and the troops that were organized refused to go with Garibaldi because of the fact that he was a foreigner. They demanded another commander to take charge of the forces. This somewhat delayed the expedition in its leaving of Agua Prieta. So Madero sent General Sanjinez, an old Federa1 general, to take charge of this expedition. Alvaro Obregón was behind these forces with one-hundred and fifty Yaki Indians.

In the meantime I had returned to El Paso and these men and equipment had started from Agua Prieta and had got as far as Oaxaca, Sonora, and having some artillery with them, they were unable to move it over the mountains. The people in Morelos were loath to help them because they

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feared the after consequences of those who would come. I was dispatched by Mr. Llorente to Morelos and I arranged with William Nelson who sent over to Oaxaca and got the artillery up over the top of the Pulpit Canyon.

The forces came to Ojitos instead of marching on to Casas Grandes and remained there sixteen days and in the meantime Salazar, Alaniz, and Campo with the rebel forces had come over the Northwestern Railway to Madeira and Pearson and Casas Grandes. At Madeira, Salazar made a very strong anti-American, anti-foreigners speech. He demanded that all of the Americans at Madeira leave on penalty of extermination. He also made the Americans in Pearson leave for the U.S. Then he came into the colonies and they abused many of the families and homes. He demanded arms and treated them so that they could not stand it much longer.

Leaving a part of his men in Casas Grandes, he marched out towards Ojitos to meet the forces that were coming from Sonora and as they neared Ojitos they had what is known as "The Battle of Ojitos". The government forces drove the rebels back, but instead of following up their victory they remained at Ojitos overtime and then returned to Sonora.

In the meantime conditions in the colonies had become such that the people were forced to flee.

Previous to the people going out of Mexico I had the following dream: I dreamed that my son, Ray Brown, and I had come down from Douglas, Arizona, going towards Morelos; that we were both riding horses and had a pack horse carrying the bedding and other things. We arrived at a ranch known as Cuchavirache which was about half way between Douglas and Morelos and as we came upon a mesa by the ranch house I heard the clanking of spurs and sabers and men riding down under the mesa.

One of the men said, "We will have to hurry to catch those fellows

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before they get to the colony."

I said to my son, Ray, "We had better take the upper road instead of going down the river."

As we rode along up the side of the steep hill, climbing up onto the upper mesa, my saddle cinch became loose and I got off my horse and while I was cinching my saddle I was surrounded by a number of black rattle-snakes; one of them especially large. He jumped at me and bit me on the left arm. After a fierce battle I was able to shake them off and I got on my horse and we rode along up the ridge. In the face and eyes of this large rattle snake was represented very vividly the picture of General Salazar and as we rode on top of the upper mesa I said to my son Ray who was ahead of me, leading the pack horse: "Take the left hand road and we will go around and back into the United States and these rebels will not get us for I know these rebels under Salazar are going to attack our people and they will have to come out of Mexico."

This dream so impressed me that on Monday morning I went to President Ivins who was in El Paso and I told him Salazar and his rebels were going to drive the people out of Mexico and I related to him my dream and the impression that I had received.

He said, "O, I guess you are mistaken. I have not had any impression in regard to this matter."

At this same time I wrote a letter to the President Junius Romney to this effect:

I feel impressed to say to you that Salazar and his rebels are going to demand the arms and ammunition of the colonists and will then drive them out into the United States. It seems to me the best policy to follow would be to deliver them the old arms and old ammunition and keep the new guns and ammunition that I have sent for your protection. I feel sure that the people are going to be driven out of their homes. I have received communications from Senator Smoot stating that he had just

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visited the Secretary of State and the President in regard to our critical condition and that if we did anything that might bring on international complications in Mexico, the American government would not give us assistance or protection.

This seems to me that our policy as to defending our interests and protecting our homes makes the conditions unendurable and we will not be able to do so."

The following day I received a letter from my sister, Cynthia Layton, in Thatcher. It said my mother was very sick and desired very much to see me; that she felt she might die at any time. I showed this letter to Brother Ivins.

He said, "I think you had better not go just now."

Then on Friday morning's mail I received another letter from my sister, requesting my immediate presence in Thatcher, Arizona; that my mother was much worse. I showed this letter to Brother Ivins and asked him what I should do.

He said, "Well, I think you had better go."

I said to him, "Brother Ivins, things in the colonies are in a terrible condition and I don't feel like deserting my post but if you say go, I will go and if anything happens while I am gone, you can wire me. At any rate, I will be back here next Monday morning.

I arrived at Thatcher Saturday at noon and found that my mother's condition was somewhat improved. She had received a wire I was on the way. On a Sunday afternoon while I was in Thatcher I was privileged to speak in meeting. While addressing the assembly I briefly related the critical conditions of the Saints in Mexico and asked the people of that community for their faith and prayers for the preservation of the lives and property of the people in Mexico and I was inspired to say that not only did we need their faith and prayers but also their materiel help, for at this

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time I knew the people would be having to leave because of Salazar and his red-flaggers.

After meeting was over I was asked to go and administer to one of our sisters who had previously lived at Colonia Morelos. On my return from that sister’s home I met President Kimball with a telegram from President Ivins.

It read: "Conditions serious return immediately."

When asked by President Kimball what I thought it meant, I said, "It means that our people have been attacked and are being driven out of Mexico by those bandits."

I returned home on Monday, finding that a train of our people who had been driven out had arrived at El Paso. I immediately took steps to find places of refuge for them and make them as comfortable as possible. It was one of the most heart-rending scenes I have ever witnessed in my life to see those women and children who had been driven from their homes and most having left behind their husbands and sons and their anxiety for their safety was a terrible scene. They continued coming out until all of the women and children from all of the colonies arrived in the United States.

Then I went to Douglas where I met the people coming from Colonia Oaxaca and Colonia Morelos; these had come bringing their teams and wagons. Then on going to Hatchita, New Mexico I met Brother Junius Romney and the brethren from the Chihuahua colony who came later. The reception of the colonists in El Paso, Hatchita and Douglas by the people who resided there was certainly wonderful. They seemed to try to outdo one another in their kindness and appreciation of our situation. This made the cross that the people were bearing, much lighter than it otherwise would have been.

We took the matter of transportation up for it had been deemed advisable and wise that our people be scattered among their relatives and friends in the United States. The railroad companies showed a wonderful spirit

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of help and gave us a wonderful rate of one cent per mile.

Through Senator Reed Smoot and the U.S. government, a relief fund was passed and all of the colonists were given rations and provisions, which proved a great blessing. This fund was not only for the Mormons but for all Americans who had been forced to flee from Mexico.

Previous to these existing conditions, the conditions around Colonia Diaz had become almost unbearable. One of our brethren had found a Mexican’s horses in his wheat and his fence torn down so he drove the horses over to his Mexican neighbor and asked him to take care of them. The Mexican raised his shovel and beat his brother to death.

A little later, this same man that killed his brother together with his friend went and robbed the store of a great quantity of merchandise. An alarm had been given and the brethren tried to intercept the thieves but the thieves opened fire on them. The brethren returned the fire and killed one of them but the other escaped to Asencion and said the Mormons were going to come and exterminate them.

This word was sent by a courier to Ciudad Juárez and General Orozco, the father of Pascual Orozco, was in command of the rebel troops at Ciudad Juárez and he immediately organized an expedition and began training his men and horses to go to Gusman and from there to Diaz to disarm and drive out the Mormon colonists.

I had also received a communication from Bishop Ernest Romney in Colonia Diaz stating the facts in the case that these robbers had broken into the back of the Union Mercantile store and while escaping with the merchandise one of the brethren had tried to stop them and they had returned the fire. The brethren immediately sent a courier to Columbus with the information to me.

My man that was getting information for me at Ciudad Juárez at about the same time that I received the communication from Brother Romney, advised me of the movement and the intent of General Orozco. I immediately

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looked up Professor Colonel Hernandez, who was the representative in El Paso of the Orozco rebel forces and advised him of the fact.

He said, "Our troops are going to go to Colonia Diaz and disarm those Mormons and expel them from the country."

I had previously arranged for ten machine guns and fifty thousand rounds of ammunition. I had organized a band of frontier men along the border for an emergency of this kind and I advised Hernandez that if those troops left for Gusman that we would head them off before they got to Colonia Diaz and the consequences of their actions would be made a matter of history, for at all hazards and costs I would protect those people in Colonia Diaz.

He immediately became alarmed and said, "For God's sake don’t bring on international complications. Come and go with me and see General Orozco at Ciudad Juárez."

I said, "You know that General Orozco and all of the rebel officers have orders to shoot me at any time that I am caught on the Mexican side because of the information that I got and gave in regard to their rebelling against the Madero government."

But he said, "I will guarantee that everything will be all right. Please come with me to see General Orozco that we might avoid a crisis."

I immediately communicated with General Stever in command at Fort Bliss and he advised me to go over there at this time and he phoned General Orozco that if anything happened to me while over there that he, personally, would be responsible and his forces would be attacked. I went over there and met General Orozco and his officers.

I said to them, "If you people want international complication, send your men over to Colonia Diaz. My men are ready to move at a moments notice and to stop any movement on your part to disarm those Mormons and drive them from the country and unless you immediately detrain your men and equipment and horses my men will have word in two hours."

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The general said they did not want international complications and he gave orders to his chief of staff, Demetrio Ponce, to immediately have the horses and all detrained and taken from the cars and said he would leave the matter as I had suggested, to the courts of the land to decide in regard to the settling of the matter in Colonia Diaz. I returned to the American side communicating with General Stever and others in regard to this and also Mr. Llorente, the consul general in El Paso. I told them of the satisfactory arrangement.

The man's name that I had forgotten was Mr. Harvey, who was killed in Colonia Diaz and left a very large family of very small children.

Another matter that comes to my mind is that while on my trip to Casas Grandes I got the inside of the plot of the uprising of Orozco, Salazar, and that combination against the Madero Government. General Orozco and his father had gone to Mexico City and demanded from the Madero government $100,000 pesos each for their services up to that date in the Revolution and both President Madero and Abram Gonzalez protested against this large amount but offered to give Pascual Orozco and his father $25,000 pesos each as a gift but not as payment for their services.

The Orozcoes refused and said if they would not pay it there were others that would and they went away without receiving any money. Pascual Orozco and his officers had been banqueted by General Terazzas and ex-ambassador Enrique Creel who were the representatives of the old Scientific Party of Mexico and had entered into the plot of rising up against the Madero government and were using Orozco and the rebel forces of Madero against Madero government, making great promises.

I had advised the Mexican consul general in El Paso and had written to President Madero and Abram Gonzalez advising them of this plot and said if they did not do something immediately that this would be one of the blackest spots in Mexico's history. In reply to my letter President Madero said:

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"We will look after this matter immediately."

I received a telegram from my friend, Abram Gonzalez who was secretary of the Interior in the Cabinet of President Madero and learned that he would be in El Paso in three days. He came and we held a consultation in which he stated he had $350,000 (pesos) to pay to the widows and orphans and the men who had served in the cause of the Madero government in the state of Chihuahua.

I said to him, "You are too late. The Revolution is now a bona fide fact."

He said, "Is it possible that Orozco is a traitor?" I said, "Yes, he is a traitor of the darkest kind."

He said, "Well, I think I shall go to Chihuahua." I told him, "It will cost your life if you go to Chihuahua."

But he went and had to remain in hiding there and later it cost him his life.

It will be remembered that General Huerta and his forces were driving the rebel forces of Orozco and Salazar to the north, before the exodus of our people and that Salazar and his forces came over the northwestern Railroad from Chihuahua to Cases Grandes and Pascual Orozco went over the national road to Ciudad Juárez. And at this time Huerta arrived at Chihuahua with his forces. They were banqueted by the Terrazas Creel Scientific Faction and although there wasn't anything that came to light of the plot that was formed until later, General Huerta and his forces followed Orozco and his forces to the north; Orozco burning the ties and putting the railroad track out of commission; Huerta's forces following, their fires in sight of each other, without attacking each other.

The fact came out later that this Scientific Faction of Traitors in Chihuahua had advised Huerta not to destroy the Orozco forces because it would be a matter of time before they could bring about a council between Orozco and his party and Huerta and his party. Orozco and his forces divided, some going towards Ojinaga and some towards Casas Grandes.

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Huerta and his forces arrived at Juárez with all of his artillery and began to prepare for their new plot against the Madero government. They bought cavalry horses and I was on a deal with Huerta to sell him six hundred artillery horses. At this time, he was acquiring ammunition and arms and artillery horses and making his preparations. The Chief of Staff who was a fine looking officer of French extraction, was turned over to me by General Huerta to make the negotiations for artillery horses with.

I had arranged the purchase of the horses pending the coming of the money from Mexico City. It was delayed and General Huerta and his officers were very anxious and had received indirect information that there was a counter plot being formed by one of the men in the secret service but the details were lacking. I asked the Chief of Staff why they waited on Panchito Madero to do things; why didn't Huerta take matters in his hands and do things as they had been done once in Mexico. He said, "That is just what we are going to do."

He revealed to me the whole plot in which Huerta was to return to Mexico City and release Reyes who was then in the penitentiary in Mexico City and was to take charge of some of the forces. General Feliz Diaz was to rise up in Vera Cruz and together these were to march on the Capital and capture President Madero and his officers and slay them and take over the government. (At the time he revealed this plot to me he was drinking wine and dining with me in El Paso.)

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About twelve o'clock that night I went to the home of the lady who had been doing my stenographic work and told her to get up and do me some work and I wrote a history of the contemplated plot and sent a copy to Apostle Reed Smoot in Washington and gave a copy to Abram Gonzalez and one to the consul general in El Paso. The copy to Gonzalez was sent by a special courier by Loredo to Chihuahua and Gonzalez in turn sent a copy to President Madero.

General Pescera, who was with Madero when he received the communication, said that Madero gasped and said it would not be true. Pescera told him that he believed these things to be true. He said that Mr. Brown had given them the lowdown on the Orozco affair and the same source was responsible for these elements. But President Madero wired to Huerta to come to Mexico City and there they had a consultation and Madero bared the information I had sent to him but of course Huerta repudiated it all. But Huerta was only biding his time and an opportunity to carry out this plot. This plot was eventually carried out to the disgrace and chagrin of the whole country and to the shame and disgrace of the Ambassador to Mexico, Mr. Henry Lane Wilson, who was a party of this plot. When discovered by his own government he was disgraced, discharged and called home.

As had been contemplated this Terrazas Creel combination in Chihuahua got in communication with Orozco and Salazar and the rebels and they entered into an agreement and joined the Huerta forces. During this time General Villa was mobilizing his forces in the mountain districts of Chihuahua and Durango and while the Orozco forces were in Ciudad Juárez he made an attack upon the town at daylight in the morning and took the city. In the morning as the men and officers were being brought in, among them Colonel Enrique Portillo and some sixty other officers, Villa

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with his officers had their headquarters in the Mexican Customs house in Ciudad Juárez. He ordered these prisoners immediately to be executed. Bishop Arwell Pierce, Mr. Tod McClamey, and I went over to Ciudad Juárez to the cuartel and we witnessed the execution of Enrique Portillo and his three companions. The others were taken out to the cemetery and lined up and executed and all buried in a large pit that was dug for the purpose of their burial.

The Orozco forces that came from Chihuahua and attacked the Villa forces in Juárez were driven off with considerable loss. Villa then went into the northwestern mountain country with his men and General Feliz Terrazas, one of the Orozco Generals, with three trains of men went to where he was to attack him.

He was then at San Andres, about sixty miles west of Chihuahua. Villa allowed the trains to come up the canyon from Santa Isabel then blew up the bridges behind them. At this time his forces attacked them in the canyon from the hills and out of 3000 men that went to attack him only 1300 returned to Chihuahua. The trains were loaded with provisions and equipment which Villa took into the mountains and buried for future operations.

In a stone corral, Villa stood up one thousand prisoners, in rows of five, one behind the other and with their own guns shot them down to see how many men a Mauser bullet could go through and as the men fell they were treated with a "tiro de gracia", (bullet through the head).

Villa then began to get stronger and with his forces went to Chihuahua and drove the rebels out. He also went to Jiménez and Santa Rosalia. By this time the Torvino brothers had been sent by Huerta to take command of the forces in the state of Chihuahua. One was to be the Governor and the other to be in command of the military forces. Villa attacked these from the south and east and after twenty-four hours

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of battle drove them from Chihuahua to the north. They went to Ciudad Juárez and Villa followed, attacking them on the way and their officers and a great number of their men passed over the border into the United States. Then Villa took Torreon after ten days of battle in which he showed wonderful military genius. He followed them south and at Zacatecas drove them before him, killing ten or fifteen thousand rebels there.

It was then that General Carranza who had taken charge of the Madero forces, sent for Villa to return to Chihuahua and take charge of the military forces in the north. Carranza feared that Villa, with his strength and popularity, might try to thwart Carranza's plans. Carranza was recognized as the rebel president in Mexico but Villa refused to accept this arrangement and said he was going to drive the Huerta forces out into the sea.

An arrangement was made; the Carranza officers decided to hold a conference at Aguas Calientes and that there should also be present the Zapatistas and the Obregón and Calles forces and in fact, all of the revolutionary forces. At this time the Obregón and Calles forces were coming from the west driving the Huerta forces before them, and in many instances destroying them. They went into Mexico city and took charge of the city, driving the Huerta forces out and then a conference was held at Aguas Calientes. Zapatista was named to the disappointment of the Carranza forces. Obregón refused to acknowledge this nomination and the Villa and Zapatista forces concentrated and made a drive on Mexico City and drove out the Carranza forces.

Obregón retreated to Vera Cruz and later was strengthened in his forces and came up to Mexico City, driving out the Villistas and Zapatistas to the north, and following them and at Salaya the largest battle of the Revolution was fought; it lasted three days in which the Obregón 

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forces cut the Villa forces all to pieces. Villa fled to the north making small resistance until he came into Torreon and Chihuahua.

He left General Fidel Avilo at Chihuahua City and General Ornellos at Ciudad Juárez and General Villa with about 1500 men came to Casas Grandes and Dublán and there made preparations to invade Sonora. While at Colonia Dublán he had an explosion of dynamite in the tithing grounds killing about fifty of his soldiers. He then made his way westward through the Pulpit canyon in front of Agua Prieta where he had found out that reinforcements had been allowed to go through to the United States, coming from Nogales, Sonora, to reinforce General

Calles who was in command of the forces at Agua Prieta. Villa made an attempted bombardment on Agua Prieta but as he was shooting down hill, the artillery, instead of hitting Agua Prieta, passed over and did no damage whatever.

Villa then went around to the south to Canonea and down the Southern Pacific Rail road to Magdalena and just south of here he met the forces of Obregón that had been sent from Mexico City around by Guadalajara to intercept him. They gave him battle with a complete rout and his men went up through the Yaki country, being cut to pieces by the Yaki Indians, and arrived back into the mountains with less than half of the men he had started from Dublán with.

When Villa arrived at Madero he found that all of his forces in the state of Chihuahua had surrendered to the Carranza government. This enraged him very much and he began making preparations to invade the United States. He traveled down through the mountain country and the Hop Valley, near Pacheco. There was an American family consisting of the man and wife and a little two-year-old boy. They lived here. The Chief of Staff shot the man and gave the boy to a Mexican woman and forced the woman to accompany him on their way to the United States Border. On their road they hanged and shot three Americans whose names I have 

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forgotten just now. At the attack of Columbus, Cervantes released this woman he had forced to live with and accompany him.

Villa and his men burned a part of Columbus but in their anxiety and greed to loot they overlooked the main object of their raid and the small American troop of soldiers came into play and drove them out with big losses to the Villa forces. His forces came on down through the country and arrived at Corralitos. They hanged the two Palanka brothers with two of their sons. They then came up the country, leaving Dublán to the west and going out by the lakes and up through Galliana and El Valle. At this time the American Expedition was organized under General Pershing, which followed the trail and captured and executed a number of Villa's men but failed to capture the main object of their crossing the border, which was the capture of Villa. While they were encamped with military headquarters at Dublán orders came from the Carranza government not to let the Americans proceed farther into the interior but to keep them in the north. They also sent word that they had placed troops to the south and east to prevent the Americans from going there.

General Pershing was anxious and sent two scouting parties to the east and they encountered the Carranza forces at Carrazal where the captain in charge of the scouting parties was killed and also a lieutenant and sixteen colored soldiers [Buffalo Soldiers under the command of "Black Jack" Pershing]. The Federal forces of Carranza captured thirty-five colored soldiers, and the chief scout of the expedition, Lem Spilsbury, was taken to Chihuahua City.

When the Punitive Expedition was organized I took service in the secret service Department under General Bell, who was in command of the American forces at El Paso. I was instructed by him to go over and meet the colored soldiers that had been taken prisoner, as well as Lem Spilsbury, which I did. I also received the horses, ammunition, rifles, 

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and pistols that were delivered by the Carranza forces.

At Ciudad Juárez, previous to these happenings, my wife, Jane Galbraith Brown, and her family were going from Morelos to Douglas, Arizona, and the mules became frightened and the wagon was overturned, killing my son, Galbraith Brown, who was eight years old. They took him back and buried him at Colonia Morelos [next to Bessie Macdonald Brown, Orson's third wife who had died October 23. 1904].

After the exodus of our people, Salazar, Campo, and Alaniz followed General Sanjinez who had retreated to Sonora with his troops and between Agua Prieta and Fronteres, General Obregón, who was then only a colonel, with 250 Yaki Indians, gave Salazar battle and gave them such a threshing that they retreated towards Chihuahua City. And between Fronteres and Colonia Morelos, Obregón again attacked the Salazar forces and cut them to pieces. They retreated by way of El Tigre mining camp where they robbed it of bullion, merchandise and provisions. They loaded the bullion on their burros and had started on their way toward Bavispe when a rumor came that Obregón and his men were close behind them and they abandoned their loot and made their way out by Carretas. A number of their burros were found dead with the bullion tied to them.

While I was in the employ of the United States government under General Bell, there had been a number of very disagreeable circumstances that had come up between the Carranza government and the U.S. government. It seems that Carranza did everything he could to drive the American troops out of Mexico. The United States had many conferences through their ambassador in Mexico City but without satisfaction; so they demanded a conference to see if something might be brought about. An agreement was made between General Scott, of the American army, and Obregón, Secretary of War and Marines of Mexico. Conference was held at Ciudad Juárez and El Paso to try and bring about some arrangement that would be amicable to both parties.

In the meantime the United States government had concentrated 65,000 

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soldiers of all arms at and near El Paso for the purpose, if needs be, to invade Mexico. Her navy, also, had been concentrated at convenient points for the same purpose.

General Bell called me in consultation with General Scott and Scott told me that unless there was an amicable agreement brought about at this conference that the U.S. forces of all arms would invade Mexico within twenty days and he asked me to convey this information to Obregón. In compliance with instructions I went to Obregón and told him I feared terrible consequences unless there was an agreement made. He and General Scott had already had one conference before I was given this information. He said, "We don't propose to have Uncle Sam for a stepfather."

I said, "You will not only have him for a stepfather, but also as a stepmother if there is no agreement made."

They had another conference without any satisfaction and then I was instructed to go back again and this time General Calles had come and was present at this conference. For an hour and a half I set forth the conditions that were existing and had existed and what would exist and I begged them to listen to what I had to say.

"You and I will not suffer personally so much, but the women and children and the poor people of Mexico will suffer because of this invasion which is inevitable unless an agreement is made for this matter in the Paso del Norte hotel this afternoon between you and General Scott. Obregón, I have always looked on you as a patriot and pride and vanity should vanish from this proposition and you and the others should have patriotism and come to this agreement to keep the U.S. troops from invading Mexico."  He said, "What is patriotism?"

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 I said, "A man has patriotism when he will give everything for the benefit of his country; even his life."  He said, "There are few of that kind of patriots in the world."

I said, "No, there have been and always will be lots of that kind of patriots; men who would even sacrifice their lives for their country; I believe you to be of that class.

He said, "There was only one good man in the world and that was Christ and he was sacrificed because he was good and I don't want to be sacrificed."

I said, "The cause you have espoused means you will finally lose your life for it and now you have an opportunity. Your country and people are being sacrificed."

He turned pale, and so did General Calles and Mr. Amador, at my words and prophecy.

Obregón said, "Mr. Brown I believe every word you have said and am going to do the best I can for the salvation of my people and country."

They went into conference at four o'clock that evening at the Paso del Norte hotel in El Paso and at four o'clock the next morning they had signed a tentative agreement with a stipulation that said agreement must be sanctioned by the Congress and President of United States and the Government of Mexico and the President must sign it also; averting a great crisis. The United States President Woodrow Wilson and Congress signed the agreement but General Carranza and the Mexican Congress never did approve of this agreement.

Then was the World War between Germany, France, Great Britain and other European countries and before other matters of serious nature had appeared in Mexico, the United States had entered into the World War. Obregón and his party split with Carranza and followed and killed his troops and Obregón came into power as President of the Republic.

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Then followed General Calles as President; then there was another political upheaval. Obregón was being feted and was at a big feast and was assassinated, giving his life for the cause he had espoused.

When the United States declared war against Germany there was a rumor that General Calles was organizing forces with Germany in the state of Sonora near Hermosillo, to invade the United States. I was asked by General Bell to go to Sonora and make an investigation of these rumors. When I arrived at Nogales I learned that they would not allow any Americans into or over the border. I met a man who was the master mechanic of the Southern Pacific and who was from Tucson, Arizona. I had my Mexican citizenship papers with me and expected to go over the border the next morning.

This man said, to me, "A man stole my daughter three or four days ago and has gone to Sonora with her. I just got a letter from her and she wants to return."

He implored me very sincerely to try and find her and return her to him. My citizenship papers were accepted at the Mexican Emigration Office and I was allowed to proceed to Hermosillo where I stayed two or three days and found there was no truth as to the rumors about President Calles. I proceeded to Winoyas, Sonora, Mexico, and there also found there was no truth to the rumors.

I had a photo of this girl, the daughter of the mechanic; her mother was of Mexican extraction. On going around the plaza here in the evening I saw this girl. She was a very beautiful blond of about seventeen years of age. She was sitting on a seat with a Mexican woman. I walked up to her and showed her the photo and she was pleased and said the man who had taken her was expected home that night and that he was a very dangerous man and she was afraid he might kill her. I invited her to the hotel and gave her a room and the next morning

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 at seven o’clock we left for Nogales. I had wired her father and he met us and took the girl home to Tucson.

This incident is one of those in which we do good and evil presents itself.  For the matter of this girl was the most fatal step of all of my experiences in life. This matter so worked on my mind that I found myself in a condition of not being worthy of fellowship with my brethren and sisters and therefore wrote a letter to the Bishop Arwell Pierce, of El Paso, which was forwarded to President Ivins and then to the Stake High Council of the El Paso Ward, St. Joseph Stake, in which I made confession of misdeeds and I was disfellowshipped from the church [May 7, 1922].

I later had family troubles and my three wives [Mattie, Jane, and Eliza] all got divorces from me [c. 1914] and I was alone. [Five years later I met and] I then married [March 18, 1919] a young lady by the name of Angela Gabaldón, of Mexican extraction and moved to Ciudad Juárez to live and while there I took a position with the War Finance Corporation of the United States, to protect their cattle interests in the Santa Clara Valley, Chihuahua. I ran down three cattle thieves and put them in jail; among them one American. I located forty-two head of cattle.

While in this work a Mexican at Las Lamentos mining camp I got information of a band of bandits and murderers who were in that vicinity. Mr. Muller, the superintendent, asked me to get them. So I resigned my position and wired to General Caravello and told him the situation and told him to send me twenty-five soldiers. We scattered and found the camps where they had been and they became alarmed and scattered.

Previous to this, the train had been attacked near Caudelaria Chihuahua, on the Mexican Central Line by a bunch of bandits who had killed the one American paymaster together with five railroad men and three Mexican Section men. They murdered these men in cold blood and robbed the train. This had happened a year and a half previous to my taking service here and within three weeks after my taking service we

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captured two of these bandits who were executed by the Federal government and found the location of a lot of others.

Superintendent Muller took pneumonia and died and his successor refused to pay any more expenses.

Caravello had received instructions from Calles to follow and execute all of  these men that could be located.

On March 26, 1925 I was again admitted into the Church. I was baptized by Bishop Arwell Pierce and confirmed by my very true and good friend, Brother Thomas Kimball of Thatcher, Arizona, at El Paso, Texas.  In 1927 I moved to Colonia Dublán, beginning again my appreciation and sense of the blessings of the Gospel. I was employed in El Paso in the winters of 1929 and 1930 and on the first of March I received a letter from my son Miles Brown, asking me to come to the Centennial celebration [of the Church, April 6, 1830] in Salt Lake City. He sent me fifty dollars and said he had told the other boys to do the same and was sure they would; and I had the glorious privilege of accompanying Brothers Keeler, Pierce, to Salt Lake City to the Centennial.

While I was there I met President Ivins and he took me into the office and said he had been instructed by President Grant to confer upon me my former blessings. He laid his hands on my head and gave me all of my blessings and resealed my wives to me, and also my children.

This was one of the happiest days of all my life. I returned home to Dublán. Shortly afterwards I had a most wonderful manifestation.

I dreamed that I was on a beautiful hill that sloped down towards the east. I had heard that the Master was coming and I was gazing into the heavens watching for him to come. Then I walked down the slope where there was a road and by the side of the road stood a man and kneeling at the feet of this man was a Mexican.

As I neared, the man who was standing said, "Who are you looking for?" 

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I said, "I am looking for the Master."

He said, "You, like many others, are looking where He is not."

Then He passed on along the road with the Mexican and I followed them until I came to the bank of a beautiful river and there my wife and her baby joined me and as she came near me she had the baby in her arms but she dropped it and it slipped into the river. I jumped into the river, which was crystal clear, and brought the baby unhurt. As I looked across the stream I saw on the other side a wonderful space of green grass surrounded by trees. It was one of the most beautiful spots I have ever imagined. I saw my mother coming down the slope.

I said, "Don't you know me, mother?"  "Of course I do, son," she said.

I said, "Look at this beautiful baby." "Yes, she is most beautiful."

I asked her if I could come across to where she was but she said I could not for I was not yet prepared, and to wait until I was prepared then I could come and join her.

Then I said, "Why mother, you do not seem to be lame any more." My mother had been a rheumatic invalid all the last years of her life.

She said, "No, son. I have my resurrected body and am free from all pain. Her countenance was lighted up and it was most beautiful and she looked like when I could first remember her."

Then she disappeared and I marveled at this wonderful manifestation and knew that I must surely be more prepared.

Just going back a little: While at Salt Lake City [April 1930] I had the privilege of meeting my wives Mattie and Eliza and had a thorough understanding with them as to the future. I also met my dear sister, Abbie [Cynthia Abigail Fife Layton], at Los Angeles. And I saw some of my children at San Francisco and at other parts and in Arizona.

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 About two weeks before I had been called to preside over the [Dublán] Mexican Branch, I had an interesting dream wherein I saw myself laboring among the Mexican people, having been called to a position of responsibility. When I related this to my wife Angela she said, "Where and when do you think you will be called?"

I said, " I do not know but I want to be prepared and be in a spirit of humility. I want to go wherever they call me."

When I heard the voices of Brothers [Abner Eldredge] Keeler and Abegg outside my door late in the night, I knew that I was going to be called to labor among the natives.

I am thankful now to say, that while my labors have not been altogether satisfactory, I am enjoying this labor and I want to leave my testimony to all of those who read this that there is only one way and that is to be humble and prayerful; for the beginning of my downfall was in the neglect of the paying of my tithes and my lack of devotion to the Lord.

There is only one way, and that is in service and humility, to retain the Spirit of the Lord.

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[October 23, 1904] The death of my wife, Bessie Macdonald, at Colonia Morelos, was one of the severest blows in all my life, for she was one of God's noble women and a wonderful counselor and companion; God bless her memory.

President Junius Romney and myself began to look for some place for our refugees to get homes and we visited the Pacos Valley in Texas, also Carlsbad, New Mexico and found what looked like suitable locations. We went to Salt Lake City and laid the matter before President Ivins (then Apostle), and he sent us to the First Presidency and treated us most kindly and gave the following advice:

"We feel that it will be better for the Mexican Saints to scatter among the settlements of the Latter Day Saints than for them to locate all together."

Then the refugees began to scatter.

Then Brother Joseph C. Bentley came out from a trip to the Colonies in Mexico. He said, "Brother Orson, I am going to see the First Presidency of the Church and try and get permission for those who desire to have the privilege to return to their homes in the Colonies."

I said I thought it very foolish at that time and opposed the move as entailing too much danger. But he said he felt impressed to make the effort and he went to Salt Lake City and the brethren of the First Presidency gave their consent and their blessing, but not their advice, to return to Mexico.

Brother Bentley was right and I was wrong, as matters have since proved; and here and now I want to pay the following tribute to Brother Joseph C. Bentley: He is one of the truest friends, most humble and God-fearing, and has by his life proved to be one of the most courageous, (I mean moral

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courage) of all the men I ever had the privilege of being acquainted with and associating myself with. When duty has called there was no thought of danger and the consequence to his personal safety.

My experiences with Señor Villa, first after the Villa forces had driven the Huerta forces from the State of Chihuahua and the Terrazas and Creele Contingent had left Mexico and come to El Paso: I got information that there had been organized an English Syndicate to take over all the Terrazas and Creele land and cattle holdings in Mexico and that Senator A. B. Fall was the Terrazas and Creele attorney arranging this deal because all the revolutionary factions in Mexico were respecting English subjects and their property rights.

I immediately went to Señor Rodolfo Fierro in Ciudad Juárez for a permit to go to Chihuahua City to advise General Villa, who was acting Governor and Commander of the Carranza forces in the state of Chihuahua. There were no trains running at this time between Ciudad Juárez and Chihuahua. He said to me, "Come over tonight at eight o'clock and I will take you on a special train."

So I went over and we arrived in Chihuahua at 4:00 A.M. next morning and went immediately to Señor Villa's headquarters. I related the information and that morning he issued a decree confiscating for the Government in the name of the Government all the properties of the Terrazas and Creele holdings, lands, cattle and all properties owned or controlled by them.

He did this by the authority he had as Governor of the state and had the state Congress in a special session approve the act, thus thwarting the plans of the Terrazas and Creele traitors.

Another experience: I later took service under Señor Villa as Inspector of Cattle. Crossing from Mexico to the U.S. one morning, I received word that a man by the name of Juan Terrazas had arrived at Palomas with twelve men and twelve-hundred cattle, and that these cattle

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 belonged to about twenty people; principally to the Guermo Arutia Estate, from the Fresnel Ranch near Gusman.

I was reporting this matter to Señor Benavidis, commander of the military forces at C. Juárez at military headquarters, when, as was his custom, without previous announcement, in came Señor Villa, having come from Chihuahua and Señor Benavidis said to me:

"Tell Señor Villa what you have just told me."

So I reported to Señor Villa and without hesitating he said to execute the men, confiscate the cattle, and bring them here, and then began giving other orders.

They had a leased wire from Ciudad Juárez through El Paso to Columbus and Palomas. The operator took the message and started to send it when I spoke up.

I said to General Villa, "My, Señor! I don't think you should send those instructions to execute those men. They are only men being employed to bring those cattle to the border and as far as I have knowledge are not enemies of our cause and besides it is sure to have a bad effect with our friends, the Americans, on the American side."

He straightened up his head and thought for a moment and said, "Change the order. Release the men, confiscate the cattle and bring them here."

This was done and the men came with the cattle and were allowed to pay export duty on the cattle, thus saving the lives of twelve innocent men.

Another incident: Lem Spilsbury had purchased from one of the Carranza or Villa colonels about one hundred-fifty head of yearling heifers, supposed to be from the Babicura Ranch and had taken them to the U.S. Later David Spilsbury and Byron Macdonald had purchased about four-hundred-fifty head of cattle in the pueblos of Cruces and Namaquipas and brought them out to Juárez.

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 I had gone over them and signed their release and when they came to pay the export duty the Fiscal Agent said these cattle were confiscated. He showed me a telegram from Señor Villa.

I said, "That is strange. These cattle are O.K. What is the matter?" He said he didn't know and just then in pops Señor Villa and when I asked for an explanation he told me this:  "They are confiscated. That’s all."

The next morning I went over and met Señor Villa. I said, " Señor, Mr. Spilsbury and Mr. Macdonald desire to see you and make any explanation you may desire."

He railed out, "These cattle are confiscated! If those men come over here I will have them both shot! That’s that!"  I protested and said, "To me this is an act of banditry to take these cattle from these men in this manner, not giving them a chance to defend themselves."

So I went to Señor Benavidis and told him and he said: "Mr. Brown, be careful. The Señor is in a bad mood."

I went to El Paso and next morning I went over again and as I knocked on his door he opened it but never took his hand off the door knob but put his right hand on his pistol. He looked at me in the meanest way possible.  He said, "You called me a bandit yesterday, you ______---______--!! I know who you are!"

I looked him straight in the eye. I prepared for an emergency, as I knew there was one. I figured on grabbing his pistol if he tried to pull it from the scabbard.

I said, "General, I still think you are not treating these men fair." Things looked and felt mighty bad but I just looked him straight in

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the eyes and when the crisis seemed to be consummating a knock came at the door. He opened it a little and two Americans were standing there.  He said, "Get out!"

And I got out and was very glad for the privilege. I immediately went to Señor Benavidis, commander of the Post.

On entering he exclaimed, "Did you not get my message I sent you last night?" I said I had not.

Then he said, " Señor Villa was very much infuriated with you for what you said to him yesterday. He said if you ever came over here again he would kill you; that he never let any man talk to him as you had and live."

I told him what had happened and he was very much surprised. He said, "You just have a charmed life," He told me I had better stay away from there.

About a week later I received word from Edmund Richardson that Villa’s men had held him and other men from the Colony of Diaz with their cattle at Palomas. I went to Villa. When he saw me coming he turned his back on me, but I went around in front of him and gave him my message and he said,:  "I will give my decision to General Benavidis. Go to him and don’t you come to me anymore!"

He was angry. I never had occasion to go to him any more, for which I was glad for he was a most disagreeable man to deal with.

In regard to the Macdonald claim, Spilsbury cattle: When the Villa Fiscal Agent crossed them into the U.S. I helped Spilsbury and Macdonald claim them and get their money out of them. I later found the reason for confiscation was that Mr. Hayes of the Babicura Ranch had told the

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Villa Fiscal Agent that this bunch of cattle were those from Babicura that Lem Spilsbury had bought; a mistake all together.

Another incident: While I was working for General Bell and representing him in Ciudad Juárez, one morning while I was making the rounds of the jail as my custom, a man called to me. It was Joseph Williams from Colonia Dublán. I talked with him, then went to see Señor Francisco Gonzalez, commander of the Carranza forces at Ciudad. Juárez.

He said, "This man and two others, Mexicans, had a bunch of stolen cattle and I am going to have them executed tomorrow morning."

I protested and went and told General Bell. He wired to Columbus; an airplane went to Colonia Dublán and returned to Columbus with word from General Pershing regarding the incident. I took this word from General Bell to General Gonzalez.

"You, Señor Gonzalez, will be held personally responsible for the safety and life of Joseph Williams."

Gonzalez railed out, "If you Damn Americans think you are going to give me orders on this side of the border you ______ are badly mistaken!!"

Then I said, "Don’t you dare execute this man for if you do General Pershing and his forces will hunt you as they are now hunting Villa."

He turned pale and I went to El Paso and General Bell called Andres Garcia, the Mexican Consul and told him that if Williams was not protected he would cross the border.

Garcia went to Juárez and counseled with General Gonzalez. He accused me of threatening him and we had some lively words in General Gonzalez’s office but saved the life of Joseph Williams.

August 20, 1932. In conclusion I want to make the following declaration: That the preservation of my life in the many instances and incidents has not been because of my personal bravery but because of my being willing to serve others in a humble way and thereby depending upon the 

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Lord for his strength and protection, which was promised me by his servants in whose words I have implicit faith.

I hereby give my testimony that if we are faithful in the service of the Lord He will protect and bless us in every way that will be for out good. We are useful in this life only according to the service we render others; the privilege to serve is the greatest blessing that ever came into the life of man and it depends on the kind of service we give, the amount of good we get out of it and the blessings we reap.

For the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the most sacred trust ever handed down to man from the God of our fathers and we who have had the privileges of its blessings should see to its preservation in all its virtues, inspiration, vigor and strength.