The Mormons

Here we heard of the Mormons being lawless in Missouri and so full of witchcraft that they could get your money in spite of your lock and key. The tales were so big about what they could do we thought them supernatural beings, so we felt a little doubtful about it. About this time I went to Quincy to enter land. Being too late in the evening to do business in the land office that night, I stopped over night six miles short of Quincy where there were several families of Mormons had just come from the expulsion of the Mormons out of Missouri. I thought if they stayed there all night they would have my money before morning, just as sure as shooting, so I made up my mind to put my money in my bosom and lay awake all night and if they did undertake to get it I would fight like a wild cat, but no one came.
On my way back I stopped over night with Captain James Brown, who had joined the Mormons. Here I left nothing unturned as regards to information about Mormonism. Both of us being baptized and old acquaintances he told me he would be there soon with a Mormon preacher. I went home, and the time being set for meeting I had everything ready when they came, it being a mile and a half from my place to where the meeting was held. Some trembled with fear while others were anxious to hear. Some were very shy and wouldn’t come a-nigh, and as much caucusing was done as ought to be done at a Presidential election.
Now the first Mormon meeting was going to be held in the vicinity of Versailles, Brown County, Ill., where I then lived. I went to the meeting on foot, that I might have no incumbrance, intended to stick to the turf as long as meeting lasted both night and day which would give me ample time to show their cloven foot, which I thought I was perfectly able to do. I felt like the milk maid bragging in my mind what a victory I was going to gain over those poor deluded Mormons; not was I any less disappointed than the milk maid was when she let fall her pail of milk and with it all her imaginary happiness. For Jacob Houtz who was the Preacher had not got half through his sermon before I saw that I used the Scripture like yarn that had never been knit into a stocking at all. I need not try to describe the emotion of my mind while at that meeting. Finally when I went home my wife was very anxious to hear about the meeting. I paused, hardly knew what to say, but to cut matters short I replied, “Sally, if the Scriptures are right the Mormons are right; and if the Scriptures are right we are wrong.” This of course threw us into an awkward position and she was very much opposed to Mormonism from reports.
The Mormons held meetings very frequently in the vicinity afterwards and I was very much in favor of their doctrines and attended their meetings very much against my wife’s feelings. She would try to reason me out of it and would shed tears over it which touched my tender spot, so I told her one day, “Cheer up and not cry,” and we would fix up and go to Kentucky where her father lived and see all her folks and get away from Mormonism. It did not take long to get ready, the distance being about six hundred miles by water. We took our two youngest children and started on the steamboat, and arrived at her father’s a few days before a two-day Baptist meeting. We were all Baptists by profession. Two of their biggest preachers were there who lived about thirty miles off.
After meeting I tackled the largest preacher with a Scripture. I took the side of Mormonism and the preacher denied the Scripture before the whole congregation. I turned to the Scripture and read it. He was so badly beaten he took sick and had to quit, he having an appointment on Monday seven miles on his way home, he did not know that he would be able to fill it. I told him I would go with him to his appointment, and I had medicine with me and did all I could to help him out. I listened to him trying to preach but he appeared very different from a smart preacher. Having finished our visit to my wife’s father we returned to Indiana where my people lived, where I had lived in that vicinity for twenty-four years before I moved to Illinois. Here I converted every one of my relatives to Mormonism.
My older brother Athe Meeks was a preacher in the order of the United Brethren, and had the reputation of whipping out every sectarian preacher that would meet him on an argument.
After hearing the principles of Mormonism explained as well as I knew how, my brother John said he would go ten miles to hear us argue, for he said he was convinced that I was right and would be the first man ever found that could beat him on Scripture; he being a United Brethren and John a Baptist; and when we met he would hear me first; and when I was through he would not argue but acknowledged. According to Scripture I had the truth and from that time forth, while I stayed, and for some time after I left, his whole influence was in favor of Mormonism. But, poor man; after a length of time he was overcome by the evil one and fought the work until he died which was not very long. And Brother John did the same way. My Mother and brother-in-law Thomas Carter, with a large family, obeyed the gospel. So did my brother Charles with a large family and all gathered to Nauvoo.