Amos R. Cook's Preservation During Mob Violence in Ipswich

During a period of severe persecution in Ipswich, where the branch had been established for ten years, a mob of two or three hundred men broke into the meeting place and destroyed the furniture. For several weeks, thousands of people participated in disturbances, and elders were repeatedly mobbed and injured. Amos R. Cook and the elders fasted and prayed, and he testifies that a divine protecting hand preserved them throughout these trials, enabling them to hold their ground.

In a follow-up letter dated February 3, 1913, Cook provided additional context regarding the specific extent of the damage, which included a destroyed harmonium, broken gas globes, and damaged chairs. Cook also reported that the branch took legal action by swearing out formal complaints against five of the mob's ringleaders. Additionally, Cook identified the other five elders who were present during the disturbance: Albertus Willardson, Byron Mendenhall, Willard Bennion, John L. Nelson, and James D. Thorne.