Elder Belnap's Journal (cont.)

Nov. 13, [1880] We remained here until afternoon, then went over to Spring Creek [Tennessee]. We had obtained permission from the trustees of the meeting house to hold a meeting this night. However, when we reached the house just at dusk the doors were locked and the Parson had left three guards with guns to see that we did not hold meeting. We laughed and chatted with the guards a while and discovered another old school house that had been abandoned and the chinking and plastering all out. We enquired whom this belonged to. One of the guards, with his gun in his hand, said it belonged to his father. We enquired if it were possible to obtain this, as the people were then gathering for meeting, and he did not know. This young man’s name was Bart Weems. I prevailed upon him to go with me to his father’s place, about a quarter of a mile away, so he put his gun on his shoulder and we went to se his father, Walt Weems, and Bateman stayed and kept the crowd from leaving. Mrs. Weems granted us the house. We then
gathered a few brass lamps and went to the building against the protest of our friends who said we would surely be killed if we held meeting. Upon reaching the house we gathered up five rails and soon had some seats and a crowded house for our meeting. Altho it was cold and chilly, the people stayed with us. We came to this place through the invitation of Wesley Hunt, a blacksmith and a trustee of the new school house. Later, the other two trustees opposed him thru the persuasion of the minister. Returned to Weems for the night. Announced a meeting for the next day in the old house.