| OCR Text |
Show Page 297 The mythical tales of "Destroying Angels" who murdered enemies of the Saints revived again, and the nation turned its already jaundiced eyes with new fury on the Mormon kingdom in the West. Although Charles Guiteau, the President's assailant, was later proved to have no connection whatever with Mormonism, the voice of the nation grew more and more strident in demanding the abolition of polygamy. 71 There would be no Fourth of July celebration that year, and, while the President of the United States lay slowly dying in the East, Orson Pratt sank from consciousness in the house on Third North and Third West. His wife Marian hovered around him, bathed his forehead, and watched. A week before his seventieth birthday, a bizarre glow filled the sky, a bright orange haze creeping like fire over the shuddering continent, and in the East it was dark at noon. Newspapers reported that the 72 Millerites and Adventists were donning their "ascension robes," for many trembled that the day so long predicted by prophets, numerologists, pyramidologists and crackpots was finally to break upon the world. The extraordinary clouds were probably volcanic dust, or some other stagnant atmospheric condition, and the heavens did not open after all. The nation was filled with fear, however, as the President slowly lapsed away, and, perhaps, Orson Pratt looked with anticipation at the newspapers, in his wakeful moments, and at the lurid sky from his window. Perhaps he wondered if he would not indeed see Christ descend in glory over the Wasatch before he closed his eyes for good. The day before his birthday he got out of bed and rode to the Sunday services in the Tabernacle. As the Tabernacle Choir sang "While of these Emblems," the Saints watched with amazement to see the ghostly apostle stand to the pulpit. Only hours before, the city despaired of him; and now he stood miraculously before them to deliver a message - his |
