| 212 doctrines, and from which we had withdrawn; we simply disfellowshiped all those different leaders, and went it our selves, until the sons of Joseph Smith or one of them should accept the leadership of the church. We declared that we would not follow any of these would-be leaders any further; we just declared ourselves freed from them, that is all. The fact is, we just simply withdrew from them; that is all there is to it."-Plaintiff's Abstract, p. 396.
Of events following this conference Elder Briggs writes:-
"From this conference the elders returned to their homes and fields of labor with a deeper sense of responsibility and a more determined purpose to hold up the standard of Christ, raised anew by the Spirit's power, which manifested, from time to time, that we should organize, in preparation for the reëstablishment of the quorums and First Presidency of the Church, according to the pattern in the Book of Covenants. But how this was to be brought about, no one presumed to know. Brethren David Powell and John Harrington took a mission south, and on their way visited Lee County, Illinois, where they met with several of the saints that had been associated with William Smith; but now stood aloof, or sympathized with the work they were laboring to build up. Among these was William W. Blair, who had been baptized the previous autumn, and who now stood aloof. The brethren held some meetings, and bore their testimony, and the immediate fruit was the baptizing E. C. Briggs, who had never been identified with the church, or any of its factions.
"It will be proper here to record a testimony given concerning him on the eighteenth day of the preceding November, at the time the communication already referred to was received. He was at that time living with his brother, S. H. Briggs, in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, and had for some time been sick; and word had been received a few days previous that he was given up to die, with a request for his mother to come immediately if she would see him alive. The Spirit said, 'Thy brother Edmund shall not die, but shall live and come into the church, and shall stand with you in this work.' And subsequent intelligence showed
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