| 270 passed to the place of interment, upon the premises of her oldest son, near by, where with solemn hymn and fervent prayer the remains were left to their long repose.
The assembly was large; almost every one knew Mrs. Bidamon, some intimately and for many years; some but for a few months, but it is safe to say that the respect, esteem, and love with which she was regarded by all, is but a just tribute to the sterling virtues of the woman, wife, and mother, whom the community so soberly, so sadly, and so tenderly laid away to rest, on that beautiful May day, by the side of the Father of Waters, the mighty Mississippi.
Mrs. Bidamon was a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and her funeral services were conducted by elders and members of that body of believers, and the sermon was indicative of their hopes in the millennium yet to come.
At the close of the sermon, Elder Lake paid a touching tribute of love and respect to Mrs. Bidamon, in a few words expressive of her faith and hope, stated to him a few days before her death. Taken as a whole the funeral was remarkably impressive and tenderly sad.-Nauvoo Independent.
The following indicates the character of the opposition against her life and attitude, together with the defense made by her eldest son, President Joseph Smith:
The Utah Deseret News, for May 21, 1879, in noticing the death of the wife of the Martyr, as announced in the Carthage Republican, of Hancock County, Illinois, adds to the notice as follows:
"To the old members of this church the deceased was well known, as a lady of more than ordinary intelligence and force of character. Her opposition to the doctrine of plural marriage, which, however, she at first embraced, led to her departure from the faith of the gospel as revealed through her martyred husband. She chose to remain at Nauvoo when the Saints left for the West, and in consequence lost the honor and glory that might have crowned her brow as the 'elect lady.'
"She was the mother of four children, all the sons of the Prophet Joseph, viz.: Joseph, now leader of the sect that commonly bears his name, Frederick (deceased), Alexander, and David. It was mainly through her influence that they were led into the by-path wherein they have gone astray. She has now gone behind the vail to await the great day of accounts. There is no feeling of bitterness in the hearts of the Saints toward Sister Emma, but only of pity and sorrow for the course she pursued. May her remains rest in peace."
Mrs. Emma Smith Bidamon, "Sister Emma," has been a singular rock of offense to Brigham Young and to his followers. Her straightforward opposition from which she never swerved, was at its beginning perilous, and afterwards, was evidently more provocative of anger than of pity in those whom she opposed. So far as Sister Emma's having first embraced
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