| 690 receiving revelation out of a hollow tree, polygamy, and oh! a host of like stories, came up before the vision of my mind. I will leave the reader to imagine my feelings, for I thought I had made the mistake of my life. And the idea of my living with a woman that I then thought had been taught to believe polygamy was virtuous! But what could I do and what must I do, were the questions for me to decide. Had I had money I could have soon decided. I would have taken my wife and gone to California or some other part of the earth where no one would have known the facts in the case, and you may be assured there would have been one woman who would keep her mouth shut. But I was so blessed poor that I could not settle the question that way. Then it came to my mind to go myself to California; and I thought if it came to my folks that I had done such an act as that, then I would tell them how I had deceived myself; for I could not say that my wife had deceived me, for religion had never been mentioned by either of us. But our oldest child Oracy was an infant babe; and I could not get my heart hard enough to leave mother and child, so I remained. What next was I to do? I got the idea, go to work and investigate the matter and expose it, and show to the neighbors and friends that I would have nothing to do with such foolishness.
So I commenced the task and continued for about six months, when the truth whipped me and I yielded like a little man. On the 13th of December, 1860, I, with nine others, was baptized by Elder John Shippy, near Etna, Scotland County, Missouri. A branch was organized that evening after we were confirmed. I was ordained to the office of deacon, and was chosen clerk of the branch.
We did not remain there long. In March of 1861 we moved to String Prairie, Iowa, and united with the String Prairie Branch.
June 12, 1863, I was ordained to the office of elder, and the conference at which I was ordained appointed me president of the branch in the city of Keokuk. On the third Sunday of June I went to take charge of the branch. I made my first effort to speak; and when the meeting was opened
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