Elder Kimball's Stories About His Health

Among the trials of serving a mission is the health issues sometimes accompanying living in a climate and eating the food to which you are not accustomed. Elder Jonathon Golden Kimball was particularly ill during his first mission to the Southern States. When B. H. Roberts returned to Chattanooga as acting Mission President, he found Elder Kimball in such dire ill health, that he relieved him from his secretarial duties and sent him to Shady Grove to recuperate. It was while he was there that the Cane Creek Massacre occurred. Because of his proximity, Elder Kimball was able to aid in getting Elder Thompson and Elder Jones to safety. But this was not his first run in with illness.

[I can't speak for the accuracy of these stories. They were reported by Brother Kimball, as a sort of late first hand recollection. And for the most part they are completely unverifyable. Regardless, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Right?]

Earlier in his mission, back in Chattanooga, Elder Kimball contracted malaria. It was while he was ill that he ran into a physician on the street, who noted his condition and said "Young man, I don't know who you are, but if you don't do something for yourself, you will die." Elder Kimball responded "Well, I won't die, as I am a Mormon --- you can't kill them"

When President Morgan came to relieve Elder Roberts, he noted that Elder Kimball was very ill. President Morgan said to to him "Brother Kimball, you better go home. The mission is very hard-run for money. It will cost us twenty-four dollars to send you home alive, but it will cost us three hundred dollars to send you home dead"