in his disputes with General Johnston, resulted in a strong effort, in July, 1859, on the part of the anti-"Mormons," to have him removed, but it ended in the general Government sustaining the action of the Governor, who was permitted to continue in office till the close of his term. Governor Cumming, however, left Salt Lake City, with his wife, in May, 1861, about two months prior to the expiration of his term of office. It was intended that some public demonstration should be shown in his honor, but he left so quietly that none knew of it until it was announced in the Deseret News of May 22. Secretary Francis H. Wootton officiated in his stead for a brief period, but soon after the breaking out of the civil war, resigned, and was succeeded by Secretary Frank Fuller, an appointee of President Lincoln, who acted as governor until the arrival, in December, of John W. Dawson, the third Governor of Utah. Governor Cumming's conduct was approved by the Legislature, and through the just and impartial administration of the affairs of his office, he had won the hearts of the people. Bancroft says: "He had entered that city amid a forced display of welcome, but he left it with the sincere regrets of a people whose hearts he had won by kind treatment. His administration was wise and able, and he was admirably fitted for the duties of his difficult and trying position." In a message to the Legislative Assembly, November 12, 1860, Governor Cumming, in recommending the establishment of free schools, has this to say, of early education in Utah: "I have witnessed with pleasure the evidences of increasing interest in the subject of education. In this city and throughout the territory, many large and spacious schoolhouses have been built, and the sight of hundreds of children who daily attend them is very cheering. The past year has also witnessed the establishment by President Young of a college for the instruction of youths in the higher branches of education." WALTER MURRAY GIBSON. A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND ADVENTURES, IN TWO CHAPTERS. BY ANDREW JENSON, ASSISTANT HISTORIAN OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS. CHAPTER II. Under date November 16, 1861, Mr. Gibson writes from Palawai to a Brother C. Wing, in Honolulu, as follows: This will be handed to you by Brother Kailihune, the bishop of this place, who is one of our best saints. I have commissioned him to go to Honolulu, and, along with you, to buy a good whale-boat for the use of the Church. All our boats are mere wrecks, and I do not consider it safe for any white man unless he can swim like a Kanaka to go in one again. About the same time, Mr. Gibson wrote a most singular document addressed "To all the Saints of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints on the Island of Oahu," of which the following is an abstract and translation: Fellow believers, greeting and great love to you: I, Walter Murray Gibson, your elder brother and leader, the one appointed to be chief priest, and preacher also, to you on the islands of the great ocean by the hands of the prophet of God in Zion, in accordance with the direction of the Spirit of God, and the office of high priest of Melchizedek, do now send unto you a few words regarding our works and services. I am rejoiced at being informed by the brethren, Enoch and Kou, that your love to the Church of God has waxed strong. Your joy and your faith will help you, O ye fellow believers of Hawaii, in building the glorious temple of God in these islands of the sea, prepare now your offerings for this work, and at the end, you shall obtain high places and the office of very high priest. me. * * Our beloved brother J. W. H. Kou who is the president of the twelve (presidena umikumamahia) in the Church, and in our love and confidence, he it is who shall with his own lips tell you many new things from My heart is with the red-skinned children of Abraham, I am a child of the ocean and of God. It was his servant, the prophet, who chose me to abide with you constantly. I am not a stranger. I am preparing to erect a new pillar for the Church, then we, the saints in Hawaii, shall be united in one, one beautiful branch. Like Moses shall I lead you; like Joshua shall I fight for you; and like Jesus, if God wills it, I will die for you. Listen to the words of our brother J. W. H. Kou; he has obtained a good report, and is an apostle of the Church and of God. I am soon to go unto you to tell you again of my love to you and to the Spirit of God which is one. * This document was signed "Walter Murray Gibson, Chief President of the Islands of the Sea, and of the Hawaiian Islands, for the Church of Latter-day Saints. Mr. Gibson proceeded to re-organize The Church on the Hawaiian Islands according to his own schemes; he ordained twelve apostles and charged them $150 each for the office conferred; for the offices of high priest, seventies, elders, etc., he charged in proportion. He also installed an arch-bishop and many minor bishops. With money thus obtained, and other means received by contributions from the natives, he purchased one-half of the island of Lanai, where he gathered a large number of the Saints from the different branches on the other islands. And it seems that he did all this for his own aggrandizement; true it is that he endeavored to write a new page of Church history and attach to "Mormonism" an addenda not in the program of salvation. The following may serve as a sample of the certificates that Mr. Gibson issued to those whom he selected to fill prominent positions under him: To all men to whom this letter may come: This certifies that Kailihune is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and is beloved and a true convert, and by this it is certified that he has been chosen to the high office of Archbishop of the Church in the Hawaiian Islands, and has authority to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and to perform all the duties of the office to which he has been chosen. Therefore, I give our brother in love and truth this certificate of election to each one in his several callings; and that you may offer your prayers with righteousness and gladness in the kingdom of Christ. Written and sealed at Wailuku, island of Maui, of the Hawaiian Islands, October 10, 1862, in behalf of the Church. Walter M. Gibson, Chief President, According to the statement of the late Alma L. Smith, the Saints on the island of Maui were in a very low and sunken condition during the Gibson regime; no meetings were held on the islands, and no family prayers attended to, because Gibson had not only not instructed but actually forbidden them to hold meetings, preach the Gospel, read the scriptures, or attend to family prayers. He told them that there had been enough of these spiritual works; it was now time to dispense with them, and go to work physically. This they had complied with, all except the physical portion. "Almost everything they had," writes Elder Smith, "in the shape of property, such as horses, oxen, sheep, goats, hogs, fowls, houses, lands, farming utensils, etc., he had prevailed upon them to turn over to him in behalf of The Church, promising them to buy a tract of land for the Saints upon these islands to gather into. This land he bought with the means collected from the Saints, had it deeded over to him, in his own name, and unto his heirs and assigns, and not, as he had promised them, in behalf of The Church. They even by his order sold their meetinghouses, so that when Elder Smith commenced to visit them, they had no place to meet in. One good meetinghouse, 25x40 feet, was sold for the paltry sum of $2, so as to send the money to him. In ordaining the different officers of The Church, he would ordain a man to all the lesser offices before ordaining him to the office of an elder, seventy or one of the twelve, and make him pay for a separate certificate for each ordination." In corroboration of the foregoing statement of Elder Alma L. Smith, I found recorded in The Shepherd of Lanai that besides money, Mr. Gibson received from the Saints in Hawaii contributions in the shape of horses, goats, sheep, donkeys, turkeys, fowls, chairs, plates, knives, forks, etc., amounting to several thousand dollars. Here is a sample statement of a native who contributed toward buying the Palawai property. I, Kaniniu, the widow of Kailihune, deceased, we two give to W. M. Gibson, 800 goats, 2 horses, 3 turkeys, $50 in cash, $5 for the certificate as elected Bishop, $1 for my own certificate, all of these things have been given to buy the land of Palawai, Lanai. Kaniniu, X, (her mark.) Mr. Gibson also succeeded in surrounding his own person and residence with such a halo or sacredness, in the minds of the natives, that they always entered his house on their hands and knees. This was the old customary way in which the natives had been in the habit of paying their respects to their kings, and the custom was revived by Mr. Gibson, in order to increase his personal prestige. An amusing incident happened when the elders from Utah visited Lanai, in 1864. President Joseph F. Smith and Alma L. Smith took a ride around the valley of Palawai, accompanied by Mr. Gibson's daughter, as guide. About half a mile from Mr. Gibson's residence, they came to a large rock, the top of which was several feet above the ground. Mr. Gibson had a chamber cut in this rock in which he had deposited a Book of Mormon and other things, and called it the corner stone of a great temple which would be erected there. A frame work of poles had been constructed, in a circular form, around this rock, and this was covered with brush. Mr. Gibson, by appealing to the pagan superstitions of the natives, made them believe that this spot was sacred, and that if any person touched it he would be struck dead. A story was told of how a hen had fallen dead when it alighted upon the booth. The daughter of Mr. Gibson protested against the elders entering the place, remarking that by disabusing the natives, it would injure the influence of her father among them, but nevertheless, the brethren |