that he had authority and keys over any one else; that he was to help to fight a bloody battle with the sword, etc. "It was for this ordaining men to unheard of offices in an illegal manner, and the proceedings at their secret meetings, that the fellowship of the Twelve was withdrawn from Elder Rigdon." Elder Pratt said he demanded Elder Rigdon's license, but he refused to give it up, saying:

"I shall now take the liberty to publish to the world all the secret works of this Church, and stir up the world against you, and I know the result, both on you and The Church and myself. I have sat and laughed in my sleeve at the proceedings of the Twelve this evening, for they have been fulfilling in this last act the vision I had at Pittsburg. I knew you would withdraw fellowship from me; I knew you would oppose me in all my movements. It was all shown to me in the vision before I left Pittsburg."

Elder Pratt said:

"Last Sunday, Elder Rigdon said we were a blessed people. Now he says he has known ever since before he left Pittsburg that this same blessed people would cut him off before he left them. Only think of the idea, after blessing the congregation as he did last Sabbath, two days after, he says, "This people have not been led by the Lord for a long time, and I have known it.'"

Elder Pratt further said that the things revealed to Sidney Rigdon, touching great battles to be fought somewhere, the secret meetings, the ordination of officers, and the government of the Church, was a revelation of falsehood and delusion, calculated to lead the people astray, and result in open apostasy, and was designed to bring destruction on the Church, unless there was speedy repentance.

Elder Amasa Lyman corroborated the testimony given. He asked,

"Where has this individual been for these years past? Has he been laboring to support and uphold the man whom God has appointed to bring forth this work? Has he been endeavoring for the last four or five years to build up the principles taught and laid down by the man of God?" This man who has been asleep all the while, when he was not too sick to sleep and smoke his pipe and take his drink, corresponds with John C. Bennett and other

mean, corrupt men. This is the character of the man on whom shines the light of revelation; this is the man who says the Twelve have gone astray and this Church is not led by the Lord. This man is made generalissimo of all the armies of the Gentiles, I suppose; this is the man who is to fight those wonderful battles till the blood of the slain flows as high as the horses' bridles in the brook Kedron.

"For the last four or five years we have never heard of Sidney's getting a revelation, but, as soon as Brother Joseph is out of the way, he manufactures one to allure the people and destroy them. Now, after he has given his testimony to the world, after finding fault with God because he happened to get into jail in Missouri, and because he was poor, yet this is the man that can get such wonderful revelations. Now this is the man who has got the keys of the conquest, the keys of David! keys which the Twelve never heard were to be given to man; who had in a manner cursed God to his face. It may be pleaded that Sidney Rigdon may be mistaken. If he should, it is not the first time he has been mistaken in his revelations."

Elder W. W. Phelps spoke, relating chiefly to Elder Marks' connection with Sidney Rigdon.

Elder W. Marks said when he gave out the appointment to choose a guardian, at Elder Rigdon's request, he (Marks) did not understand the object of the meeting.

Elder O. Hyde said that a short time before the difficulty, President Joseph Smith, in one of their councils, told them he had given them all the keys and ordinances which had been committed to him.

There was a call for the question from many parts of the congregation, whereupon President B. Young submitted the case to Bishop Whitney and the High Council.

Bishop Whitney gave the privilege to the High Council to offer remarks, but no one spoke. Bishop Whitney then said:

"I was well acquainted with Elder Rigdon a number of years before he came into the Church. I never had any confidence in Brother Rigdon as a revelator, and why? Because I have so repeatedly heard Brother Joseph rebuke him for speaking, in the name of the Lord, what was not so. He was always either in the bottom of

the cellar or up in the garret window. At the time his license was taken away in Kirtland, he was more sanguine than he is now. The people were excited very much at that time. Brother Joseph was away, and when he returned and learned what Sidney had been doing, he took him into council, told him to give up his license to the Bishop and divest himself of all the authority he could, for, said he (Joseph), "The less authority you have, the better it will be for you.' It has been repeatedly the case, when he has been speaking to the Church, that Joseph has rebuked him for it.

"I feel that Brother Rigdon came here with a bad spirit, and has delivered a revelation. If such things as are contained in his revelation have been revealed to him, it is from a source with which we want nothing to do. When he first came here, I thought he was deceived, but since last Tuesday evening, I have been convinced that he is dishonest. He made many evasive replies to the interrogatories of the Twelve, and I think his calculation is to scatter this people, because his theory comes in opposition to President Joseph Smith's revelations. It has been proved that he prophesied that we should not build this temple. I believe he is an evil designing man. He is dishonest, and he has lied to carry out his theory. He preached one thing one day, and the contrary another. I feel to sustain the Twelve in withdrawing their fellowship, and I think the High Council and the Church ought to sustain the decision of the Twelve."

Bishop Whitney called upon the High Council to manifest if they were satisfied with his decision. The vote was unanimous in the affirmative.

Elder O. Hyde said he was not satisfied with the.motion. It was not explicit enough.

Elder W. W. Phelps moved "That Elder Sidney Rigdon be cut off from the Church and delivered over to the buffetings of Satan until he repents."

Bishop Whitney presented the motion to the High Council, and the vote was unanimous in the affirmative.

Elder W. W. Phelps then offered the same motion to the Church. The vote was unanimous, except a few of Elder Rigdon's party.

President B. Young requested those who were for Sidney Rigdon to manifest it, and they numbered about ten.

President Young "arose and delivered Sidney Rigdon over to the buffetings of Satan, in the name of the Lord.. And all the people said, Amen."

Several others were cut off, and a vote was taken to suspend or disfellowship all who voted to follow Sidney Rigdon, or advocate his doctrines.

THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM.

When marshalled on the nightly plain,
The glittering host bestud the sky;
One star alone, of all the train,

Can fix the sinner's wandering eye.
Hark! hark! to God the chorus breaks,
From every host, from every gem;
But one alone the Savior speaks,
It is the Star of Bethlehem.

Once on the raging seas I rode,

The storm was loud-the night was dark;
The ocean yawned-and rudely blowed

The wind that tossed my foundering bark.

Deep horror then my vitals froze,

Death struck, I ceased the tide to stem;
When suddenly a star arose,

It was the Star of Bethlehem.

It was my guide, my light, my all,

It bade my dark forebodings cease,

And through the storm and danger's thrall,
It lead me to the port of peace.

Now safely moored-my perils o'er,
I'll sing, first in night's diadem,
Forever and for evermore,

The Star-the Star of Bethlehem.
HENRY KIRKE WHITE.

SHIZ-THE HEADLESS.

BY ELDER GEORGE REYNOLDS, AUTHOR OF "THE STORY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON," "CHRONOLOGICAL CHART OF NEPHITE AND

LAMANITE HISTORY," ETC.

Those who are fond of finding fault with the Book of Mormon, and they are many, are disposed to ridicule some of the incidents therein given, connected with the death of Shiz, the rival of Coriantumr for the supreme rulership of the Jaredite race during the last days of that degenerate people. The war, which at its commencement found the Jaredites a nation many million strong, was carried on with such relentless ferocity, that, at its close, the two contending monarchs, Shiz and Coriantumr, alone remained. Then followed the death of Shiz. The story of his last moments is thus told by Moroni, in his abridgment of the writings of the Prophet Ether:

And it came to pass that when they had all fallen by the sword, save it were Coriantumr and Shiz, behold Shiz had fainted with loss of blood.

And it came to pass that when Coriantumr had leaned upon his sword, that he rested a little, he smote off the head of Shiz.

And it came to pass that after he had smote off the head of Shiz, that Shiz raised upon his hands and fell; and after he had struggled for breath he died.

There is nothing so wonderfully strange about this, that it should excite contempt or even ridicule. Recorded instances are numerous of men who were suddenly decapitated, showing signs of vitality and will power as did Shiz, for several seconds after their heads were cut off. This is more especially the case when they