John Taylor: Missouri Exodus

Before John left Missouri with his family, he went to visit the Prophet in Liberty jail. Leonora made a basket of food for the prisoners. The jailer told John he couldn’t see the inmates. But John gave the guards an apple pie that Leonora sent to thank them for their care of the prisoners. John talked with the guards as they ate the pie. Soon the guards decided John could visit with the prisoners and give them the food Leonora had sent. The jailer opened the cell and let John in. The stink in the darkened room was almost unbearable. “The room was heavy with smoke; the tiny stove . . . had little draft. Beds were mounds of moldy straw on the floor; sanitary facilities consisted of a pitcher, basin, and reeking commode. Confined in this dank room, fourteen feet square, was the presidency of the restored church of Christ, Joseph, Hyrum and Sidney . . . [along with] Lyman Wight, Caleb Baldwin, and Alexander McRae.”15 The prisoners thanked John for the food; and John left, saddened, not knowing if he would ever see the Prophet again. With a heavy heart, filled with prayers for the Prophet, John took his family to Illinois. Heavenly Father used John’s leadership and speaking skills to further His work on the earth. John was obedient and faithful to the callings he was given, and he loved and defended the Prophet Joseph Smith. With faith, John became an apostle of the Lord