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Show Willard G. Smith - page 5 Willard G. Smith - page 4 where there was such a tree. my way in the dark." She gave rre a lighted torc..h with which to find Delia continu es, "When a girl of 18 years, I visited with my father at the horre of grandn other Amanda. On our last evening with her, she gathere d her childre n and grandc hildren about her and again related inciden ts connec ted with her wonder ful life. Once nore we heard the story of their combined sufferi ngs at Hauns Mill and the divine help and suppor t receive d during their awful experie nce. As a fitting climax , Grandn other Arranda said, "Alma., for the benefi t of these childre n, that it rray be a living testino ny of Co::l' s p<:Mer, will you let the_m see your hip?" I shall never forget the thrill of convic tion that ran like fire through my entire body as I gazed upon the hand-work of Co::l. A broad, thick strong ligarre nt or muscle had united the trunk of the body with the lirrb, a::mstituting a joint or the necess ary equiva lent for perfec t free use of the body." Since nost of his partici pation in the Hauns Mill :rrassacre is related in Arranda's story, I will cut across Willar d's record to tell soneth ing of his life as a boy. In early childho od in Granvi lle, Chio, and even in Kirtlan d, for the nost part he had enjoyed a good horre, loving parent s and family and friends ; again in Nauvoo with his step father Warren and nother , where a half-br other and two sisters were born. With the first Warren 's five childre n, making twelve childre n, there was love and harnony . Willar d and Arranda both record that the :rrany childre n got along rerrark ably well togeth er. Both Warrens were good provid ers, for blacksm ith work was a much needed service . Life began again to be good. But before his 18th birthda y all tranqu illity was shatter ed and replace d by violenc e and terror. Willar d's daught er, Albert a S. Porter , in her rrerroirs "M:>stly Al:xmt writes the followi ng: IIA nodern psycho logist would predic t a warped person ality if a child were subjec ted to such a background of violenc e, shootin g and terrori zed fleeing from establi shes hones, but my father grew up withou t any bittern ess and with a well balance d, sunny outlook on life. His boyhood rrenori es were nostly of fine nutting parties and fishing in the sUimErs and with sleddin g and other snow parties in the winter s. He owned a new sled one year, of which he was very prom and used on a neighb oring hill. He greatly admired a certain little girl and one day courag eously asked her to ride down the hill with him. She refused , and boy-lik e, he asked her why. She answered, "Because you have eyes like a sheep." He was comple tely crushed , and for years he conside red his large light-g rey eyes to be a serious drawback." In Nauvoo he really began to enjoy life. He learned to play the kettle His ever a nan loved anothe r nan, he loved to tell of the nany kindne sses told him that they were descend ed his family to call him Cousin drum and entered fully into the activi ties of this fast growing city. associ ates were very dear to him and if loved the Prophe t Joseph Smith. Ha..; he and consid eration he showed to him. He from the sane Smith line and instruc ted Willard . How proud it :rrade him. Delia Ree:ier writes further : "Fathe r's school was situate d near the Nauvoo Mansion and was taught by one of the Prophe t's sisters . Here he used to play with young Joseph Jr. and his brothe r David. His hone was quite distanc e from the school so father used to take his lunch. One tirre the a Prophe t, passing at noon, saw father eating . He stopped and said, "Willa rd, I don't want you to bring your lunch from hone anynore . You corre to my house every day and eat with my boys." Father often told our family of the Prophe t's love for boys, his intere st in their sports and activi ties, hcM he would freque ntly take off his coat and join them in a garre of ball. This, of course , rrade him alnost revered by the boys. Later, father worked on the Nauvoo tenple as stone cutter and glazie r, assisti ng in making the oxen on which rested the baptisr ral font and when it was conple ted he was one of the first to receive his blessin gs therein . Father could not talk of the :rrartyrdom of the Prophe t and his brothe r Hyrum withou t tears filling his eyes and chokin g his speech . When 17 years old he was enploye d at the livery stable where the team of horses was stabled which carried visitor s to and from Carthag e. 'Ihe regula r driver being ill, father was asked to drive the leaders of the very group whic..h killed the brothe rs. He had to sit and hear their vile, blasphe nous boastin gs of their intende d deed, and was unable to preven t the_:murders. 'lhere were no corrmunication lines to Nauvoo, and father stayed m Carthag e to see if he could help in sare way, but, of course , he could not. After the murder s, father rrarched with muffled drum at the head of those who brough t the bodies back to Nauvoo. Father 's grief was keen when he had to leave this beauti ful city and . all his pesses sions, since love of horre and family was strong with him. He left to drive a team for Beeson Lewis, and later transfe rred to Presid ent Young's conpany of Advanced Pionee rs. He was in this conpany when the call carre for 500 iren to form a carpany of infantr y for the Mexica n War. Presid ent Young stepped upon a wagon tongue , calling out, "Is there a drumre r boy presen t?" My father stepped fot:Ward and Presid ent Young said, "Alrig ht, Willar d, you drum for recrui ts." Father did this, thus becoming virtua lly the first volunt eer in this rrenora ble body of valian t iren, who :rrade the nost hazardo us, heroic :rrarch by infantr y recorde d in history . The trials of the M:>rnon Battali on have been recorde d in a genera l way by differe nt histori ans, but no one has adequa tely desc r~ their acute sufferi ngs on this unchar ted, perilou s rrarch over hot, burnin g sand, under scorch ing sun, with short rations and little water. Father told of one particu lar instanc e when after two days' rrarch without any water at all the last day, their tongue s were swollen out of their nouths and they were forced to rrarch along or be left on the waysid e. With rrany just sturrbl ing along, the Battali on carre to a "buffa lo wallow "--a deep depres sion where water had drained and here the buffalo had wallowed and their tracks were still full of dirty, stagna nt water. It contain ed insect life and all kinds of filth. However, it was wet, and hailed by the iren with deligh t. 'lhey spread their soiled handke rchiefs over these places and sucked noistu re through them. 'Ihey got enough to save their lives but not enough to satisfy them. However, father always said they were blessed to find so little, as he feared that if they had cone upon a stream they would likely have died from drinkin g too long and deeply in their dehydr ated state • • . • and not one nan suffere d from drinkin g the foul stuff. He said of this, "Co::l does work in myster ious ways." 'lhey also suffere d greatly from lack of food. One day father and his conpan ion saw a dead crrM under a desert bush. After they canped , the two left canp, retrace d their steps and althoug h even in their starvin g condit ion this was not consid ered a dloice norsel , it was cooked and enjoyed . |
