Mr. Ball's Miraculous and Determined Access to the Meeting House
Published October 12, 2026 at 4:50 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In a town 30 miles from where Elders John Nicholson, Jr. and Elder Holbrook had previously served, a group of people had padlocked and chained the meeting house to prevent the missionaries from speaking. Mr. Ball, a hospitable gentleman who owned a part of the house, arrived, saw the situation, procured an ax, and chopped his way into the building to ensure the meeting could be held.
Fuller account of this event (the complete account as preserved in The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 56, No. 7, 12 February 1894, p. 107):
In a town some thirty miles from where Elders Nicholson and Holbrook had been laboring, the people had padlocked and chained the meeting house to prevent the Elders from speaking. Mr. Ball, a gentleman who owned a part of the house, came along, and seeing the situation, he procured an ax and chopped his way into the building, and the meeting was held.
In Their Own Words
“The Elders, on the following morning, proceeded to the place of appointment and found a number of people congregated outside of the building, the door of which was fastened with a log-chain and padlock. The missionaries awaited the arrival of Mr. Ball, who soon appeared. That gentleman took in the situation at a glance. Certain parties had evidently resolved to prevent the holding of the meeting and he was just as determined that it should be held. He procured an ax and chopped his way into the building. This accomplished he said to the Elders: Now, gentlemen, come in and preach to us. — Millennial Star 56:7”
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 12 February 1894 (Vol. 56, No. 7). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1894-02-12_56_7 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Complete account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 56, No. 7, 12 February 1894, p. 107 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1894-02-12_56_7
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