would rather fight for you than to fight you

We had meetings quite often on the American side of the river, that were generally well attended, and good order prevailed during the whole winter, with one exception.

We were informed one Saturday that there was a crowd of Irish Catholics that intended to rotten egg us the next day, Sunday, if we attempted to preach in Franklin. I told our informers that we expected to preach and hoped the Irishmen would change their minds.

There was an old acquaintance of mine, Tom Massey, who knew me in Santa Fe. Tom told these Irishmen that he did not know what religion had done for me, but unless it had done more than is common, they would not meet with much success, and advised them not to try it.

Massey was a saloon keeper and gambler, and was considered authority on all questions that had to be settled with the knife and pistol, and I think his advice had some effect.

However, next morning when meeting opened there was quite a large audience. About the time I commenced speaking the Irish gents came in, sat down near the door, and soon began groaning.

I walked down near them and told them that I was capable of making all the noise necessary, provided the audience wished to hear my noise, but if they preferred theirs to mine they could say so, and I would give them the floor.

Several in the audience called for me to go on and told the disturbers to keep quiet. They made no more disturbance. This gave me a good text and I explained plainly the gospel of repentance; referred a little to my experience in that country when a boy. I could talk plainly as there were persons present who had known me and knew that I was rather a hard case in a rough-and-tumble-go-as-you-please fight.

I told them our doctrine required us to forsake all of our evil ways and to be willing to bear all kinds of persecution meekly; that I had endeavored to school myself in these principles and hoped that I had succeeded; but that I was not quite certain yet; and that I hoped I would be spared the trial for a year or two longer before having to be thumped for my religious belief as I might not be prepared to take abuse with a submissive spirit.

I explaining Mormonism I said that the gospel did not debar a person from any pleasure he desired to enjoy. Brothers Pratt and Stewart followed and spoke on the first principles of the gospel.

After meeting was dismissed the leader of the disturbers met us at the door. He asked me to go and take a drink with him. I told him I did not drink liquor.

"Then you go back on your own words, do you?" he questioned.

I asked him what he meant. He said "While preaching you made the statement that your religion allowed you any pleasure you desired."

"Yes sir, but drinking whisky is no pleasure to me and I do not desire to drink any."

"Well, do you ever eat anything," he asked.

"Yes, we are all good eaters."

"Well then come with me to the hotel and I will pay for a good dinner for as many of you as will come."

Brother Pratt and some others went along. We had a good dinner and when we went to go our friends said, "If any body bothers you let me know and I will lick them for you. I like to fight but would rather fight for you boys than to fight you. Good bye."

To finish this,--some ten years after I was sitting at the dinner table at Pueblo, Colorado, I noticed a man looking across the table at me. I soon recognized him as my Irish friend.

I spoke and asked if he knew me. "Yes, I know you. How are you?" he asked, reaching across the table and shaking hands with me.

"Have you ever thought of me?" I enquired.

"Yes a thousand times."

I told him I had often thought of him, and with a few more words we parted. I feel an interest now in this man and would be glad to meet him again and know his name.

I can say that I have often observed, in the course of my experience, that every man, even the worst, has something good about him if properly treated.



Forty Years Among the Indians: A True Yet Thrilling Narrative of the Author's Experiences Among the Natives. By Daniel W. Jones. Juvenile Instructor, Salt Lake City, UT. 1890. Chapter XXXVIII.