JUDGMENT UPON OPPOSERS—TWO MEN KILLED BY THEIR HORSES—HORRIBLE DEATH OF ANOTHER—EIGHT PREACHERS GO DOWN AFTER OPPOSING ELDER EVANS—A MAN SAVED FROM BLEEDING TO DEATH BY THE PRAYER OF FAITH—A SISTER HEALED—WOMAN CURED OF A BLOODY ISSUE ON BEING BAPTIZED—ESCAPE THE FURY OF A MOB BY THE SPIRIT'S WARNING—A WARNING THROUGH THE GIFT OF TONGUES.

In numbers of instances in Brother John T. Evans' experience he had evidence of the judgments of the Almighty being visited upon those who opposed him.

On one occasion he and another Elder visited a village in Montgomeryshire, North Wales, to try to effect an opening. They failed to obtain a house to hold meeting in, but nevertheless they announced to the inhabitants that they would be back there one week from that time to preach to them. There seemed to be a strong spirit of opposition to them there, and on their again visiting the place and attempting to preach in the street opposite a public house, two men emerged from the rear of the tavern leading a couple of fractious and high-spirited horses. They immediately commenced manoeuvering the animals in the midst of the crowd who had gathered to listen to the preaching. It was evidently a preconcerted plan to break up the meeting, and it succeeded, for the people scattered and the Elders were forced to retire, and as they did so they were followed by a crowd of roughs who pelted them with stones till they had got clear of the village. Within two weeks from that time one of the men who had helped to break up the meeting by leading his horse into the crowd was kicked by the same animal and died from the effects of it, and the other man was thrown from his horse and killed. The people of that region regarded the summary death of these two men as a judgment sent upon them for opposing the Elders, and they therefore treated them with more respect afterwards.

Another case occurred in Elder Evans' native place, where he was sent by Captain Dan Jones to introduce the gospel. An old shoemaker who had known and been friendly to him from his childhood, on hearing him preach came out and denounced the doctrine he taught as heretical and "Mormonism" as a delusion. He was so bitter that he even followed Brother Evans from place to place and railed against him almost like a madman. He had not pursued this course very long when he was stricken down with a peculiar kind of sickness which none of the doctors who saw him understood anything about, although numbers of them visited him. One of his arms was paralyzed and he had such a raging fever that he felt as if it was consuming him. He begged of his friends to throw cold water on him to keep him from burning up, and the doctors, not knowing what else to do for his relief, advised that it be done. Accordingly those who were waiting upon him continued dashing cold water upon him while he remained alive, and he died raving and cursing "Mormonism" and every person connected with it.

While preaching in that same region Elder Evans was sent for by a very wealthy and influential man named Nathaniel Rowlands, who wished him to come and preach at his house. He had once heard Elder Abel Evans, preach and became somewhat interested in the doctrines he taught, and wanted to learn more of them. After preaching at his house he went to a village about a mile distant to fill an appointment. At this village a literary gathering or eisteddfod was being held, composed of the best educated men of the region, who were in the habit of meeting to compare their literary and musical compositions and compete for prizes. This association comprized quite a number of ministers of various denominations, and they, knowing that Elder Evans was going to preach in the village on the same evening upon which they were to hold their meeting, decided to go and oppose him publicly and expose his doctrines to the ridicule of his congregation. They, therefore, sent one of their number to Elder Evans' meeting to detain him until their meeting was over.

This man came, and at the close of Elder Evans' sermon he began asking him questions, and thus detained him until a late hour, and the congregation, knowing the character of the inquisitor, stayed to see the end of the controversy. Finally, eight other preachers from the eisteddfod came and announced to the Elder their intention. Elder Evans was greatly surprised to see such an array of talent unitedly opposed to him, but he did not feel to shrink from the contest, for he knew he had the truth on his side. In the outset some of the more independent persons in the audience stated that if the fallacy of the young man's doctrines was to be exposed, he should first be allowed to state briefly what his doctrines were. The preachers assented to this and Elder Evans explained, one after another, the first principles of the gospel, in as plain a manner as possible, and they in turn sought to controvert and ridicule them. When he got to the subject of baptism a division occurred among the preachers, some of them being Baptists and others holding baptism as non-essential. They soon got to denouncing each other as vehemently as they had the young Elder just before, and when they almost got to blows the audience interfered and the meeting was broken up, leaving a far more favorable feeling towards Elder Evans than had before existed.

When the news of this reached Mr. Rowlands he was very indignant, and he immediately wrote to each of the preachers, denouncing his action in interfering with the young Elder, whom he had known from childhood as honest and conscientious, and every way deserving of respect. The result was, the preachers lost caste from that very time and sunk into oblivion, despised by all who knew them.

While Elder Evans was laboring in Pembrokeshire a man by the name of Thomas Evans broke a blood vessel and bled inwardly, the blood also issuing from his nose and mouth profusely. Doctors were called in and tried in vain to stop the hemorrhage. Brother Evans and another Elder on learning of the man's condition went to see him. He had then grown so weak that he was scarcely able to speak, but he made known that he desired them to administer to him. They complied with his request, and on taking their hands from his head it was noticed that the bleeding had stopped, and the man recovered from that time, although it was some time before he regained his strength, as he had lost so much blood.

Near the same time and in the same region a sister in the Church, named Morgan, was taken very sick. Her friends did all they could for her, but she continued growing worse. When she had grown so bad that the persons waiting upon her expected her to die almost hourly, she fell asleep and dreamed that Elder Evans came and laid his hands upon her and she recovered immediately. On relating the dream to her friends, they tried to find out where Brother Evans was, and sent to different parts of the country in search of him, without finding him, however; but during the day Elder Evans happened to call at the house where the sick woman was. She saw him as he passed the window before he entered the door and she declared afterwards that the sight of him caused her pain to vanish, and when he laid his hands upon her head she was healed instantly, and arose and ate her supper.

One of the most remarkable cases of healing that ever occurred in Brother Evans' experience was that of a woman who had been afflicted with a bloody issue for thirty years, and who had been given up by the doctors as incurable. On hearing the gospel she believed, and requested baptism. Notwithstanding the protests of her friends, who all declared that if she went into the water it would kill her, she determined to do so, and Elder Evans baptized her. From that very time she was cured of her affliction and was no more troubled by it.

In illustration of the providential way in which the Elders are sometimes preserved when their enemies seek to destroy them, Brother Evans relates the following: In a village in Pembrokeshire in which he had often preached, a man by the name of Thomas, who had listened to his testimony and was a believer but had not made up his mind to be baptized, was taken sick with the cholera. When the disease had got such a hold upon him that he felt that he must die, he became very anxious to be baptized, and sent for his brother, who was an Elder in the Church, and demanded baptism at his hands. He expressed no hopes of living, he fully expected to die, and to gratify him his brother baptized him. The man died soon afterwards as he had expected to, but at the coroner's inquest which was held over the body, on the fact being known that he was baptized, a great uproar was raised. His brother was arrested, charged with murder, and the Elders who had labored in that region were threatened with the vengeance of the populace if they ever returned. John Thomas was in time tried for his brother's murder, and acquitted, the evidence being clear that he died from cholera and not from being baptized. Soon afterwards Elder John Morris, who was president of the Pembrokeshire conference, and Brother Evans, who was his counselor, called at the village and put up as usual at the house of an old gentleman named Noat, who was a member of the Church. Before retiring for the night they felt impressed to leave that house, and go to another and stay. It was fortunate that they did so, for, if they had failed to act upon the warning of the Spirit, they would probably have forfeited their lives as a consequence. In the night a mob broke open the doors of Noat's house and searched for the Elders, whom they supposed to be there. Failing to find them, they dragged old Brother Noat from his house and abused him most shamefully, because he would not inform them where the Elders were. The Elders, on hearing of the outrage the next morning, went to the house; but were seen by some of the mob, and had to flee for their lives, being stoned out of the place.

As an example of the manner in which the gifts of tongues and the interpretation of the same were enjoyed by the Saints in the Welsh mission in an early day, Brother Evans relates the following: It was customary at that time for the Saints in emigrating from Wales to sail from Swansea to Liverpool. A couple or three days after a company had started in this way, many of them having gone from Aberdare, a "Saints' meeting" was being held in the latter place, when a young man was led to speak in tongues. On the interpretation being given by another person present, it was stated that the company of Saints who had sailed for Liverpool were in danger of being wrecked, and were praying very earnestly for their deliverance, and wishing that their friends at home would also pray for them. The man who presided over the meeting supposed from the length of time which had elapsed after the company had sailed that they must have reached Liverpool before that time. He therefore preferred to act upon his own judgment to accepting the Spirit's warning, and dismissed the meeting without offering a prayer for the safety of their friends. A few days afterwards news reached Aberdare that the company had been all but lost on the voyage, and at the time that their friends were holding their meeting they were in the greatest peril.