The President spoke to me yesterday about going up to Bountiful to meet with the people there and investigate the case of Henry Tingey who was cut off by Bishop Call, his counselors and a few leading men. He telegraphed to see if Bro. Lorenzo Snow could be there and received a reply that he could The President thought that if he were able he would go along, but at night he said he said he scarcely thought that it would be safe for him to go in the condition of his health. He suggested my asking some of the brethren to go with me. At his instance I invited Bro Geo. Reynolds and my brother Angus. I afterwards called upon Bro’s Woodruff and Taylor and invited them to go.

Started this morning to Bountiful, my son Jno Q. accompanying. We were met at the station by Bro. Anson Call, and by him & Bro. J. B. Noble were carried to his house. We held meetings at 10 o’clock, Bro Lorenzo Snow and myself spoke. In the afternoon we met again with the people at 2. Elder Taylor spoke and then the minutes of the trial of Bro. Tingey and some correspondence were read by Bro. Geo. Reynolds. Elder Taylor requested me to state to the people that if agreeable to Bro. Call and to Bro. Tingey we would submit the case without further comment, as we thought to investigate every little detail would only take up a great deal of time without adding any benefit to the result. Bishop Call and Bro. Tingey both agreed to submit the case. Seventeen persons sustained the decision of the Bishop in cutting Bro. Tingey off, but the great majority of the people refused to acquiesce in the decision. Elder Taylor, myself and Bro. Snow then addressed the people showing where Bro Call had erred in having a case brought before him of this character, thereby laying himself open to the charge that he was seeking to gratify a personal pique against Bro. Tingey, there having been an old difficulty between them, and Bro. Tingey’s stubbornness and disrespect for the priesthood were also pointed out. I felt to warn the people to be on their guard against the influence of such an action as they had just taken, for the adversary was ready to instill a feeling in their hearts against the priesthood and to cause some to rejoice that the bishop’s decision had been reversed. Much valuable instruction was given, Bro Woodruff closed with a few remarks. After we had got through speaking, Bro Tingey asked the forgiveness of the brethren and sisters, he having been requested to do so, and Bro. Call, without any request desired to say that wherein he had offended any one or committed an error, he desired forgiveness. The people voted to forgive Bro. Tingey and also to uphold and sustain Bro Call in his position as Bishop. Bro. Call afterwards went down from the stand in the presence of the whole congregation and shook hands with Bro. Tingey. The act was so manly that I noticed many people moved to tears by it. The reconciliation seemed perfect and we all hoped that it may prove so. The meetings altogether were very satisfactory and we have reason to believe much good has been done. We returned home in the evening on the 8.20 train.

Monday, 18. Dictating articles to my son John Q. Spent remainder of the day with Prest B. Young. Captain Smith, a deputy U.S. marshal served papers on Prest. Young to-day in the Ann Eliza Webb case. The lawyers are very anxious to get some $12,000 out of him if possible, notwithstanding Chief Justice Lowe declared the whole proceeding illegal. Judge Boreman, who has been assigned to this district, is a miserable tool in the hands of this plotting ring, and will doubtless use his power to the fullest extent to rob the President, or if he fails to do that, to punish him by sending him to the penitentiary. I rather favored the idea in my feelings of the President avoiding the service, as I have a strong objection to his going to the penitentiary, and I hoped that if the service could [be] postponed for a while, Chief Justice White, who has been newly appointed might reach here and that we could get more justice from him than from Boreman. But the President was resolved to meet the issue and endure all the consequences, even if he should have to go to the penitentiary for some Time. He thought it the more manly course, but he was resolved that he should not pay one dollar to gratify these scoundrels.

Tuesday 19 – 1875 – Suffering from bowel complaint, which has troubled me considerably the past ten days. Spent the evening at Prest. Young’s office and at the City Council with him.

Went out to the penitentiary in company with Bishop John Sharp, for the purpose of seeing Bro. Dame and learning the condition of the penitentiary and what kind of a man the warden might be, so as to have a better idea of what to do in case Prest B. Young should be committed for contempt by Judge Boreman as in the case of Judge McKean to the penetentiary. We found Bro. Dame enjoying considerable liberty and feeling very well. Affairs at the penetentiary were somewhat better than we expected to find them. Dined with the Prest. To-day and in the evening attended a meeting of the presidents of seventies in the City Hall.

Repaired to the font at the Endowment House this morning at 8 o’clock for the purpose of baptizing the presidents of seventies, the presiding bishop, and some other bishops and authorities. We were led to speak to the elders with great plainness and especially about settling all their difficulties with their brethren and having the right feeling in their own hearts before they went into the water to be baptized. After I got through my remarks Bishop E. D. Woolley arose and said that I was digging in pretty deep, and that if my instructions were carried out, he could not go into the water, and he did not believe that many could. I replied that the object was to dig deep, and where there were wrongs existing to have them righted. A good many of the elders had questions to ask as to what to do in such and such cases, and we gave such counsel as the gospel warranted; but I was surprised to find men who were teachers and rulers in Israel so ignorant of the very simplest principles of the gospel. It is a principle as old as the gospel itself, that a man should not partake of the Lord’s Supper while he had feelings against other brethren; but here were elders coming forward to be baptized with feelings, some of them with bitter feelings against their brethren. We had considerable talk to and fro, but we were determined that not one should go into the water with our knowledge unless he went forward with the right spirit and right feeling. After Bro’s Taylor, Pratt and myself had expressed our feelings, a vote was taken as to whether our doctrine was not correct, and they all voted that it was, but a large number were prevented from going into the water. But even after this plain talk there were several whom I had to stop as I knew of there being feelings against them. The President had feelings against Bishop Kesler. Bro. Feramorz Little also I had feelings against for transactions wherein I thought he had not dealt fairly with the President, though he told me that it was his intention to settle the transaction just as the President wanted it to be. There were also feelings that Bro. Eldredge bore against him, which, however, Bro. Eldredge had not himself told him of. I officiated in baptizing [blank] when I called Bro. John D. T. McAllister to go into the water and baptize the remainder. There were in all [blank] baptized. In the afternoon I went down with Bro. Sheets to examine a ditch for the purpose of bringing water on my land on the Jordan, through the Church meadow. In the evening attended a meeting of Zion’s Saving Bank