New York Oct 21st 1845
President Brigham Young & Council:-
Dear brethren, I received you’re <a> communication from a council of brethren, sanctioned by you, relative to the obtaining of six barreled pistols for self defence (while journeying in western wilds) I immediately took active measures to obtain them & the present prospect is good I think I shall obtain several hundred dollars for that purpose. The six inch barrel pistols can be obtained at retail for 12 dollars; the wholsale price is ten dollars but by agreeing to take some 30 or 40 they can be obtained at nine & one half dollars as soon as I have raised the most of the funds that can be raised, I shall make the purchase and now have between one and two hundred dollars tithing subject to your order; tithing comes in very slow since the exertions that were made for the canvass: The recent troubles in the West have put new life & zeal into the saints in the East, they are very anxious to assist all they can & to gether westward ho! I saw an article in a Cincinnati paper that Wm Smith had left Nauvoo & was writing an “expose” etc. I was rather inclined to believe it. You have no doubt received my letter from Peterboro, N.H. enclosing a very black suspicious letter from Wm to J. C. Little. Mumbling You will pardon me for intruding another enclosed in this from Wm <to Bro> David Rogers; this was also written by [page break] the same apostate spirit. In this, written from Galena, he has portrayed the corruptions of his heart.
Tell P. P. Pratt that Francis Bennett his wife’s half brother is now setting by the side of me in the prophet office his health has not been very good he sends his respects to his relatives & says that he wishes he was there with them he would like to hear from them very much.
The celebrated Robert Owen has been to visit me several times he calls almost every day. I have been endeavoring to persuade him to rent our houses and lands in Ill., and he has quite a notion of so doing, he will let me know more about it in a few days, he thinks of locating the Owenites at Nauvoo; he thinks same of visiting Nauvoo this fall. Farnham the Author of several works on Oregon, California, &c: has been to visit me a number of times. I have just this moment had an interview with him He starts in about one week for California and apparently feels very anxious to have us locate in that country & professes to be willing to render <us> any assistance in his power But I thought in my heart that we have had enough of Gentile assistance & that the time had nearly arrived for us to assist ourselves. I have just had a letter from Phil. I expected they would raise several hundred dollars [page break] for pistols but what was my surprise when I found that 30 dollars was the whole amount they had raised. Bro. Brannan has just returned from Boston. They had raised upward of one hundred dollars for pistols there. Bro. Little of Peterboro writes that he will use every exertion in N.H. to raise funds for that purpose. Bro. Brannan thinks it will be difficult to take his printing establishment and go to California unless he goes away dishonorably without paying debts. If he could sell he could pay his debts. He feels very anxious to go and is willing to do any thing he is counseled. He says that the church perhaps would consider it wisdom to buy his establishment & still keep up the paper.
Bro. Snow of Boston is very anxious to <can> turn home he has been pleading with me a long time to let him go. I should have complyed with his wishes if there had been any suitable person to leave in his room. I have not had an opportunity of visiting Phil. as yet. Perhaps you may consider it wisdom to send two faithful Elders to preside one in Phil. another in Boston. Bro. Snow’s pleading <to go home> are almost irrisistable, I believe that I will give <him> permission. I hope that it will meet with your approbation for I wish to do right. If Wm. Smith comes into the Eastern countries without your counsel I shall take a decided stand against him unless you counsel me to the contrary.
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Oct. 21st 1845
Orson Pratt
President Young & Council
concerning Wm. Smith and procuring pistols.
Copied in History Compulation. R L C.
Addressed to Heber C. Kimball
Nauvoo,
Hancock Co.,
Illinois
[Transcribed by Nora Fowers, Shannon Devenport, and Pat Bishop; Apr. 2010]
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