 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
It's that time of year when we wistfully waved goodbye to the last of our peaches - it was time so I made Dad one last peach cobbler to enjoy over the weekend.
 |
 |
 |
Newly converted to the restored gospel, Laura Clark Phelps and her husband, Morris, gathered with the Saints to Jackson County, Missouri, in March 1832. There, in a borrowed tent, Laura gave birth to their third child, a daughter that family lore claims was the first Mormon girl to be born in Independence. The Phelps family was soon driven with the rest of the Saints from Jackson County into Clay County, and finally to Far West, Missouri.
As persecution against the Saints escalated, confrontations with mobbers became increasingly harsh. Laura’s daughter Mary Ann recalled: “they [the mobbers] would even come into her yard and shoot the chickens and kill the pigs. Mother had her house full of women and children, in the meantime, who had been driven from their homes by the enemy. These women wanted Mother to go into the woods to escape the mob, but she told them ‘No,” that if she had to die, she would die in her own home, so they decided to stay with her.”
During those dark and threatening times in 1838, Laura’s husband, Morris, was arrested and thrown into the Richmond Jail with Parley P. Pratt and four others while Joseph and Hyrum Smith and five others were taken to Liberty Jail.
After Governor Lilburn W. Boggs issued the infamous extermination order, Laura packed up her children and what few possessions she could and left Missouri. With her husband still in jail, she drove a wagon from Far West, Missouri, across the Mississippi River to Quincy and then Commerce, Illinois, and then back across the Mississippi to Montrose, Iowa, where her family settled in an abandoned building that had been used to stable horses.
Despite the distance, Laura was determined to return to Missouri to see her husband and attend his trial. Her brother, John Wesley Clark, joined her for the 150-mile journey on horseback. They arrived in Columbia, Boone County, Missouri, where Morris, Parley P. Pratt, and another man named King Follett had been transferred. Laura found that Orson Pratt, brother of Parley, had also come to attend the court proceedings. They yearned for the freedom of their family members, and the Lord had a plan for their liberation. Parley recorded that before Orson and Laura arrived, “The Lord had shown me in a vision of the night the manner and means of escape [from jail]. Mrs. Phelps had the same things shown to her in a vision previous to her arrival.”
The daring escape attempt required great courage and resolve. The plan was for Laura to arrange boarding for a few weeks with the family of the jail keeper, who occupied part of the building that held the prison. This served the double purpose of lowering the jail keeper’s guard and making Laura’s horse available (along with her brother John’s horse and Orson Pratt’s horse) for the three prisoners to make their escape.
The breakout was carefully planned. The prisoners were to await the opening of their upstairs cell door by the jailer. Parley P. Pratt recounted the strategy:
“Mr. Follett was to give the door a sudden pull and fling it wide open the moment the key was turned. Mr. Phelps, being well skilled in wrestling, was to press out foremost, and come in contact with the jailer; I was to follow in the center, and Mr. Follett, who held the door, was to bring up the rear, while sister Phelps was to pray.”
Laura’s daughter related the adventure:
“Mother said she sat in back on the bed in the kitchen, and pretty soon she could hear steps and a rumbling noise, heard the jailer call out, and she said his wife rushed upstairs to where he was (she weighed about two hundred pounds). The jailer had Father clinched, but Father jumped down two pairs of stairs, six steps each, and with the jailer’s wife hanging on to one of his arms. He would get rid of her when he jumped, but she would clinch him again when she reached him. . . Mother said. . . she thought she could pray if she could do nothing else. She thought she was whispering a prayer, but they said she hollered just as loud as her voice would let her, and she said, ‘Oh! Thou God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, deliver Thy Servant.’ Father said he felt as strong as a giant when he heard those words; he just pushed the jailer and his wife off as if they were babies and cleared himself.”
Meanwhile, Orson and Laura’s brother John held the horses at the agreed-upon meeting point. Morris and Parley were able to get away, but King Follett was captured on Laura’s horse, which was strong evidence of her participation in the plot. As news of the escape spread, Laura faced alone the wrath of a mob who gathered around the prison.
It is remarkable that Laura chose to remain at the scene, her own life at risk. According to Parley: “They threatened her with instant death, and finally turned her out of doors in the dusk of the evening. . . Being a stranger and without money, friends, or acquaintances in the place, she knew not where to go or what to do. She finally sat down in the open air in the midst of the mob, by whom she was assailed, cursed, insulted, threatened, and abused in the most unfeeling manner for some time.”
A little boy who witnessed the scene heard the jailer threaten to “put [Laura] out of the way” if she were not gone by dark. The boy ran home and returned with his parents, who were appalled at the cruelty directed at Laura. The Richardson family took pity on her and gave her refuge in their home.
Laura’s daughter Mary Ann recorded, “Mother stayed with these good people ten days; never heard a word as to whether father was dead or alive, but mother was a woman with lots of faith and courage.”
Laura was eventually able to reunite with her family in Iowa, and she and her husband later settled in a small town close to Nauvoo.
I love that it was the strength of her prayer that her husband pointed out as the motivating force behind the escape. I have come to realize over the last few weeks that my prayers have been heard and answered. Sometimes, we can pray forever and wonder where the answers are or if they are coming. In speaking with Angella this week, she mentioned that she had also recently felt the same way - that she has recognized the many blessings that have come her way over the last few months. It is a great comfort to know that we can always turn to Heavenly Father and be assured that He knows what we hold in our hearts. 
🌞 Finally, we are sad this week to say goodbye to two good people who have been wonderful examples of living Christ-like lives.
- Morgan Dubiel, a good friend to Kim and Chris and their family, had been their Bishop and, most recently, their Stake President. We always loved visiting Chicago and getting a "pep" talk from Morgan. His testimony of the gospel was always on display. He passed away last week, and we will miss seeing him on our trips to Park Ridge.
- Adam just told me this afternoon that a young sister, Candace Fieber, in their ward was in an automobile accident this week after dropping their oldest daughter off at college in Utah. I didn't know Candace very well, but when Cory's mom was so ill and in the hospital, Candace called me several times to ask what she could do for the family. She more than magnified her calling as a ministering sister. I feel so sad for her young family, but know they will be surrounded in love by their ward family.
🌞 Life can present us with so many unexpected bumps and turns along our paths. No one is exempt! The important thing to remember is that we have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, who will ALWAYS be there for us - to bless us with his love, comfort, forgiveness, and answers to our prayers.
