Part II: Pages 37-68

I saw Henry Coleman later and he told me he was going down into New Mexico to get his cattle.  I replied, "Well, I'll say goodbye to you then, for those people have your number and will kill you on sight.  I'd do the same if I had papers for Henry Coleman.  I'd shoot first and then read the papers.

"That's a pretty bad reputation, " he answered.  "That's what you are", I replied.

He went into New Mexico and his old friend John Cox, and six other men, all of them afraid of Coleman, found out he was at his ranch and went out to lay for him.  When he came along, all seven fired at him, but only one bullet hit him.  The bullet cut an artery in his leg.  He jerked his pistol and laid in the wash where he bled to death.  Finally, one man dared to look over to see why he didn't move and saw him lying there and shot him in the back of the neck.  Then they walked over to where he lay.  Later, the doctor said he was dead before the second shot hit him.  So ended the career of a bandit, murder and a thief.

In 1902, Apostle Teasdale and his wife came to visit us in Colonia Morelos, Sonora.  There was a terrible drought throughout all the land and the rivers had ceased running.  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.  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.  In the morning, I advised Brother Charles W. Lillywhite, who was Superintendent of the Sunday School, to arrange the children in two rows in front of the door of a building we had made to hold our service 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.

"1, the Lord your God, declareth unto you that your crops 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 serve me and keep my laws and statutes and be united.  This 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 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, " 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.

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1 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 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 the railroad station of El Paso, 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.  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 riding kicked him and broke 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 I 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 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.  Apostle Taylor made this statement in a priesthood meeting: He 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 other's 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 bulldog.  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 verify these people did not repent and these very conditions prophesied 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 to the offices, that I alone voted

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against Brother Macdonald.  After one of the conferences, Brother Teasdale called me in and tried to make me see the folly instructed the Bishop to investigate my 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 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 him, so immediately on being dismissed from the bishopric, they directed me to Apostle Teasdale's home.  I knocked at the door of his 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 affect upon you?"

I, with a spirit of bravado, said, "Should one 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. 11

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 the spirit of forgiveness has always remained with me even until this day.

Another incident in which Apostle Teasdale figured in my life: T 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.  " Within a block of Bishop Johnson's lot he had his arm in mine, then he stopped all at once and faced me and put his hands on my shoulders.  It was a beautiful moonlight 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

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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 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, we knelt down to pray.  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.  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 and his feet above the ankles were bare and part of his 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."

She knew what her opposition had been and her spirit had altogether changed and her ideas and desires in regard to that great and holy law, plural marriage, were also changed.  She said, "Now, I am not only willing, but anxious, and do not allow 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 of the Lord.  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 vain, but when he has the power and spirit of the Lord, everything is Success.

Some time later, I was asked to take my family and move to Morelos, Sonora.  I was up and over knocking at President Ivins' door.  I said, "Brother Ivins, I have come to tell you that regardless of what sacrifices financially it may cause 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.

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 said, "Your name has already gone up north.  Prepare yourself and make ready to move." So I began to get ready to move to Morelos.  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; the sealing being performed by Bessie's father, Alexander 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 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 went to Diaz and from there to 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. Huish.  I began to move my families over to the Colony Morelos.

But previous to this time, Brother Ivins had sent me to Colonia Oaxaca to try and arrange a settlement with Colonel Kosterlitzky and Parson G. W. 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.  Presidents 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 dawn to Oaxaca 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 land 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.  "

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."

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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 that he was responsible to the Colonel for the deal on the land.  Then with considerable emphasis to 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 cursings, Colonel Kosterlitzky arose and said to his men, "Vamanos!  Vamanos!"

I followed him to the door and he and Parson Williams went toward 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 dawn 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 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 touch any of this property or molest these people.  They came here under a private contract with Williams and have complied with their part of the 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, Pratt, Bishop Scott, I went to Magdalena, Sonora 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 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, we had selected the present site of Morelos.  On each one of these trips, I was very much inspired with the wisdom and sincerity and greatness of

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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 was a lot of men around.  I noticed one ma n ride up to another and he was cursing.  I could not hear 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 just said to me that if you had your just dues your head would be shot off."

He also told me that 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 some people were after me.  I had previously received a letter from an American from Montezuma, Sonora and one from a Mexican in Basarsca, Sonora stating that an outlaw and cattle thief by the name of Henry Ward was going to kill me and was supported by Colonel Kosterlitzky.

This man, Barker, who was running the store said, "Henry Ward is due here on the 17th.  This is the 14th and, I, as a friend, am telling you to be careful because he is a bad man and a killer and knows he will get protection from the Colonel.

We journeyed on to Colonia Oaxaca that night and the next morning early I got up and saddled my horse.

I said to President Ivins, "I believe that I shall return to Ojitos 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 any man three days and nights.  He never appeared.  I then went to Mr. Marker's store and wrote him a letter and left it at the store.  I stated that this country was too small for him and me 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 await 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 those boasts.  He said it was impossible for him to live in the U.S. and he had a family here.

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

He threw up his hands and said it was peace.  Two of his companions came up and 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 three other Americans.

Another incident: While at Morelos we got word one Sunday evening that three Americans had been murdered together with their dogs and thrown into the Bavispe River.  These men were hunters from the eastern United States.  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 tiger crossing on the Bavispe River, they were met by this bunch of outlaws and the three Americans and their guide, while swimming in the river, were murdered and their bodies left within the river.

The officers of the law got after these men.  Some men from the colonies with a posse had a fight with these outlaws on the side of the river on the early morning of Monday.  The posse killed one of the mules and wounded some of the horses.  They had taken these horses and mules from the Americans who had formed a posse at Morelos and followed them all the next day, but the outlaws went into the mountains in the Tiger Country.  These Mexicans continued the murdering and robbing and things were looking very bad, so I went to Hermosila, the capital of Sonora, and laid the matter before the Governor.  He suggested that we form a posse of our people and try and 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.  Our people came here 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 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 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

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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 persons, one of each group, drew and the group which drew the gain 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 murderers and bandits.

While I was in Morelos in 1903, 1 had the privilege of visiting the World's Fair in St. Louis in connection with Edward Eyring.  One of the outstanding features of our visit was where we reached New Orleans we saw on the billboards of the grand opera house "Brigham Young and the Danites".  We bought our tickets early to get a good seat and it was lucky that we did for the seats were at a premium.  It was one of the most damnable and outrageous plays that has ever been presented before the public.

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

We visited the wonderful fair and found a great many interesting matters.  We would go down to the fair grounds 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 Juárez and myself to 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, 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 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, 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 the Church."

"Maybe you are right.  We cannot always tell.  "

At this same conference, I had 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 and construction than 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.

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He said, "That is what I want to give.  My wife and daughters belong to one of those churches and they are continually be 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 appearing and following the customs in their dress of the ministers of the world, that we should change that custom 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 and you have given us an idea that I feel we shall follow.

Immediately after this conference, the elders going into the world to preach the Gospel were advised to wear the business suits instead of appearing as 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, 1902, while standing on a scaffold in connection with Patriarch Alexander Jameson, James Thompson and Edward Vanduven, 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.  Vandluven, seeing the condition, grabbed the wall and saved 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 my head, which he did.  The brethren carried me into the house and administered to me and I told them not to fear- -that notwithstanding my critical condition, I had a very 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 was broken, he feared that if he tried to adjust the joints under the

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these 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 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 fast 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, "0, Father!  Forgive me for murmuring and help me to realize and feel the spirit of repentance and relieve me of this suffering by letting thy 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 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 slid 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, what shall we do?"

I whispered to them to kneel down in a circle and each pray for my relief. They knelt down and in turn prayed for me and they arose and came forward. Brother Lillywhite anointed me with holy oil and Brother Jameson was mouth

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for 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 moment that we were humble, that no one could speak for a long time.  When I praised the Lord for his blessings that had come to me and rejoiced in the great manifestations of the spirit and power of them. I rose up from the chair, loosened the bandages from my head and proclaimed, " I am healed".

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 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 the conference over that rough road.  A miracle had been wrought and, as Doctor Keet wrote in the Scientific Medical American journal, 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 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.

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.  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.

I took three steps forward and the lightning struck the tree, peeling the bark down its side and my horse fell 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 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 morning I rode across the Bavispe River from 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

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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.

1 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 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 my advice and 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 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 censored the brethren whom he had had trouble with and under these conditions, the evil spirit of the adversary had taken hold of him because he had not forgiven his brothers their trespasses.

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

Mother Jameson and I had knelt down and prayed before we got there for power and blessing and spirit of the Lord to guide us in what to do.  With hat in my hand, I walked into the house and Brother Jameson was inside 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 Hunsaker and depart from that house.  And he came out and Brother id he heard the spirit as it left through the door.  Brother Hunsaker was weakened and fell back on his bed and tears came into his eyes, he confessed his failure to forgive his brothers.  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 having wrestled with him so long, that he had a hemorrhage and passed away in a couple of 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 and Rio Grande to a station, 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 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 had his lungs injured and was in a very dangerous condition.  Mr. Watson told me he had been 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.

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 Apostle Reed Smoot fighting the Senate for his right to his seat.  This Mr. Watson was a

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scholar and sort of an orator and as each of us read this account, he made the  statement.

Mister, 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 Anna Liza Webb Young, 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 had he left them in ignorance.  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 Church had been organized with prophets, apostles, etc.

He said that was very strange.  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 Saints, 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

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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, 1 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 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.

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 disfellowshipped.  Apostle Young arose and in the language of severity said, "I'm going to say something that may not be agree ­able 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 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 house 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 raw, 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 borne by Apostle Young.

He said, "Yes, Brother Brown.  But 1, too, had a manifestation and my cause will yet be vindicated and proclaimed from the housetops.  I was being persecuted by my brethren, so I went into my secret chamber and knelt down to pray in these words: "0, Lord!  Why is it that thou hast left me alone in this day of my

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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 to the Salt Lake Temple.  In Salt Lake City I met my wife, Jane, who was studying medicine and midwifery.  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 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 Patriarch Alexander Macdonald.

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.  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.

While living in 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

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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.

1, 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 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 Snow Flake, 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.

When the meeting was over, he took Patriarch Hatch by the arm and led him around to the back of the schoolhouse 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, and 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 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 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.  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 would not accept the secret orders.

About the year 1907, President Ivins and Brother Pratt came over to Morelos and asked me if I would like to be released from my position 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.  We began immediately to hold meetings to try and bring about harmony among the people in Dublán

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and we organized the Laguna Canal Company and began operations.  Just at this time, the W. C. Green R. R. people who had been constructing a grade running southeast from Casas Grandes into the Gandiana Valley broke up, leaving indebtedness to the Unions Mercantile of $20, 000 and to Willard Skousen of $10,000.

The Green Company 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 Company for the amount of money due the Union Mercantile Company.  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 Company 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.  The Mercantile Company got all of their money and considerable more out of the outfit.

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.  General Alaniz had gathered 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 stockyards 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 footless 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 ore 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

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from 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 an old friend, Abram Gonzalez, who was then acting as rebel governor of the State of Chihuahua as well as commander-in-chief of all the force in 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 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, 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 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 as a fighter they will surrender.

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I replied, "You might be very much mistaken, because these soldiers are not like ordinary Federal soldiers; they have been on the Yaqui 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 had myself between two large desert plants.

The Federal soldiers attacked General Blanco and his men before they knew the Federals were any where 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 Morelos to the Pitaciche Ranch to where my cattle interests were.  I gathered a bunch of beef cattle to take to Agua Prieta where I had 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 Nacosania where they got on the ore 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

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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 yard 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?"

"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 sergeant 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.

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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 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 forces, driving them back.  This battle lasted fifty-six hours.  Surrender was made to General Smutts of South Africa and General Garibaldi.  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 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."

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 Smoot, for a permit to export two hundred and fifty rifles and ten thousand rounds 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.

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The President of Mexico had issued an order to arrest and execute anyone that was found exporting arms and ammunition into Mexico other than those to be used by the rebel government.  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 $5,000.

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 to me and said, "They are on our trail.  It looks like we are going to jail.

When he told me, I told him to hideout 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 Steven 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 interrupted those arms.

For the moment, it looked as though I was headed straight for jail.  I got on the street and was undecided what to do; in fact, I was worried.  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.

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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.  "

Mr. 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?"

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

"It has this relation.  I am looking for this man, 0. 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 0. P. Brown!"

I said, "Yes, I am the fellow you have been looking for.  I pulled out this letter from the War Department 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 these 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 man 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.  He gave instructions to release the arms in Columbus and also to let me ship these arms from El Paso.

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 there 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

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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 an old stone 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 Hermosilo who was then acting as a Major in the forces of Salazar.  I advanced toward the building.

Hermosilo 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, "Hermosilo, companero, what are you doing with this man?"

He replied, "We are going to hold him here until Colonel Sylvester 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 these Mormons as well as the others where to 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.  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 Hermosilo.

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

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take her home and 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 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 raise 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, Mr. Alaniz came into Juárez with sixty-five men and took charge of the city, looting the banks and mercantile companies, taking whatever they desired, waiting for 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 troops were right upon them, committed suicide.  The government troops became demoralized and retired toward Torreon, but President Madero sent General Muerta 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

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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 Muerta by a special courier hired by Llorente that he might know the exact situation of the rebels.

By this time, General Muerta had his army equipped and started on his march northward driving the rebels before him.  Before he arrived at 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, five 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 Saninez, an old Federal general, to take charge of this expedition.  Alvaro Obregón was behind these forces with one hundred and fifty Yaqui 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 feared the after consequences of those who would come.  I was dispatched by Mr. Llorente to Morelos and I arranged with William Nelson who was sent over to Oaxaca and got the artillery up over the top of the Pulpit Canyon.

The forces came to Ojitos and instead of marching on to Casas Grandes, remained there sixteen days.  In the meantime, Salazar, Alaniz and Campo with the rebel forces had come over the Northwestern Railway to Maderia

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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 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 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 Cuchaninache which was about half way between Douglas and Morelos and as we came up on 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 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 rattlesnakes--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 rattlesnake was represented very vividly the picture of General Salazar and as we rode ' on top of the mesa, I said to 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, "Oh, I guess you are mistaken.  I have not had any impression in regard to this matter.

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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 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 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 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 I received another letter from my sister requesting my immediate presence in Thatcher; 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 that I was on the way.  On Sunday afternoon, while in Thatcher, I was privileged to speak in a 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 material help for at this time I knew the people would be having to leave because of Salazar and his red-flaggers.

After the meeting was over, I was asked to go and administer to one of our sisters who had previously lived at 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."

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Part III: Pages 69-91

Sources:

Provided to this website by Courtesy of Clyde Weiler Brown

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org