have torn that Federal functionary into shreds if the Prophet had not restrained them. When Brigham reiterated the situation and locality of the then recently deceased President Taylor, the Judge put in a demurrer, on which "brother Heber" kindly touched his Honour on the shoulder and assured him that he need not doubt the statement, for he would see him when he got there. Heber's witty endorsement of Brigham was anything but reassuring to the Judge.
It was on this occasion that Brigham immortalized the crooking of his little finger. "If," said he, "I had but crooked my little finger, he would have been used up; but I did not bend it. If I had, the sisters alone felt indignant enough to have chopped him in pieces."[1] Since that memorable day he had, not infrequently warned the troublesome of the danger of crooking that finger, and it was no idle threat when he said: "Apostates, or men who never made any profession of religion, had better be careful how they come here, lest I should bend my little finger."[2]
Judge Brocchus, failing to humble himself before "the servants of the Lord," thought that retirement from the Territory would be favoured by the Life Insurance Company, and he, accompanied by Chief Justice Brandebury and Secretary Harris, soon after bade a long farewell to Zion. Miss Eliza R. Snow's clever pen satirized the retreating Federals, in popular verse, and assured them and the world when they left the Saints that:
"They only of themselves bereft us."
This, however, was only poetic truth, for Secretary Harris, who was the custodian of the Territorial funds, retired with $24,000, which had been appropriated by Congress for the "per diem" and mileage of the legislature. This was a great annoyance to the Prophet-Governor, and he attempted to restrain the Secretary ; but Mr. Harris stuck to the treasure and returned it to the proper department of the Government. The Federal officers, on their arrival in the Eastern States, published a hastily written statement of the whole occurrence, and very indiscreetly used the expression that "Polygamy monopolized all the women, which made it very inconvenient
