William Budge's Imprisonment in Zurich
Published October 5, 2026 at 5:24 AM
Contributed by
Millennial Star Research
In 1854, while serving as a missionary in Zurich, Switzerland, William Budge was arrested, imprisoned, and eventually banished by authorities for his efforts in preaching. During his time in Zurich, he worked alongside Elder Myer, whose leadership saw the work thrive until local priests began to create significant trouble. After several examinations by police, Budge was ordered to leave the country. He was subsequently taken into custody and imprisoned for several days. He was joined in imprisonment by his friend, Elder Charles Roscoe Savage, who was serving as the President of the Lausanne Conference but was visiting Budge in Zurich at the time of their arrest. Both men were held at the public expense in different locations. Budge described his conditions during the first day as particularly harsh; he was placed in a small, nearly square cell that was so dark it took time to discern anything. Once he could see, he found the room to be foul-smelling, covered in filthy, rude drawings on the walls, and furnished only with a narrow, dirty bench. He remained standing in this cell for 12 hours a day, from seven in the morning until seven at night, without any food or drink. Following these initial days, Budge was moved to a second prison where he received slightly better treatment and was granted opportunities to share his faith with fellow prisoners, even as authorities remained determined to suppress his preaching.
In Their Own Words
“In the month of August, 1854, I was laboring in the city of Zurich, Switzerland, in company with Elder Myer. The work of the Lord was progressing, and several persons had been baptized. This success, however, excited the jealousy of the priests, who stirred up the authorities against us. We were arrested and taken before the police, and after several examinations, I was ordered to leave the country. I was subsequently taken into custody and imprisoned. Elder C. R. Savage, who was then President of the Lausanne Conference, was visiting me at the time, and he was also arrested and imprisoned. We were kept at the public expense, but in different places. The first day I was placed in a cell, so dark that it required some time to be able to discern anything, and when able to see, the place was so foul that, in disgust, I shut my eyes, that I might exclude from vision what I had tried to observe. The cell was very small and nearly square. On one side was a narrow bench, with a rug upon it so dirty one could not tell of what color it was originally, and rude marks and drawings were drawn upon the walls with filth, and the stench was almost insupportable. From seven o’clock in the morning until seven at night I remained upon my feet in that place, without food or drink. I was afterwards removed to another prison, where the treatment was somewhat better, and I had the opportunity of preaching the Gospel to some of my fellow-prisoners, and of bearing testimony to the truth of the work of God, which I had the satisfaction of knowing was not without effect.”
— William Budge, The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, Vol. 41, No. 20
Sources & References
The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star (Manchester, later Liverpool, England, May 1840–1970), 19 May 1879 (Vol. 41, No. 20). https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1879-05-19_41_20 (account extracted verbatim from the issue's Internet Archive OCR text; research confidence: high) Additional sources (periodical research): C. R. Savage photograph collection, Biographical Note, University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv64389 Full first-person account: The Latter-day Saints' Millennial Star, 19 May 1879, Vol. 41, No. 20, pp. 313-314 https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_the-latter-day-saints-millennial-star_1879-05-19_41_20
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