The depression after the first world war was felt very much in Utah, as well as all over the U.S.A. There was 20,000,000 in the U.S.A. and in Salt Lake City alone 12,000 out of work. That was before there was any government relief started up.

I was in Salt Lake City at the time and I could see that I would have to get out. I knew I could get a job in Canada herding sheep, so I started to walk 800 miles, but I expected to receive some help on the road. Whenever I started to walk any place on the road, I always asked the Lord for a ride to help me out, and I have never been disappointed. Whenever I started out from Salt Lake City nearly without any money, I have been lucky to get rides and when I ran out of money, I have been offered to buy me something to eat. Wherever I have gone out without any money, the Lord has surely and truly helped me out.

When I came to the Canadian line this time, I came walking, and that did not look good to the Canadian officers. They did not believe that I was a Canadian, so they turned me back to the States and told me that they could no nothing for me except put me in jail, and they did put me in jail and held me there for four months, expecting Canada to take me back, as I was a citizen of Canada. At first I was locked in with some thieves in a basement. I told the officer that place did not agree with me, I had rheumatics, so I was put in a better place. The officer said he would put me upstairs with good people, the boot-legers. So I got up there among that wicked set, but I enjoyed my time very much as I am a scripture student. I wrote a Ready Reference of the Standard Books of the Church. I spent the time and wrote different copies of the Ready References, and enjoyed my work very much.

I as held in the jail in the summer months, and when I as let out, it was in October and I was not prepared for cool weather, as I had left Salt Lake City with light clothes on. I asked the Lord for a pair of woolen socks before I was let out. They day I was released, the boss came with a good pair of woolen socks and said to take them for I would need them now.

I told the boy that we would make the trip but we would have a hard one to make it without any money. I said that we would likely have to go to Jail the first night in Heber City, and the second night in Duchane City Jail.

My son George and I had very good luck the first day on the road. We got to Duchane the first night, so we did not have to go to jail in Heber City the first night.

We went to the Stake clerk and showed the letter of introduction from the Utah State Commissioner, and told him that we were dead broke and had no money to pay for a place to stay over night, so I asked him if he could find us a place to stay or tell us where to find a place to stay. He did not know of any place, at last he showed us over to a man where he was located, to our surprise, it was the jailer. He opened the jail door and let us in beside a thief who had stolen a car. Of course there was a wall between us. So we went to jail in Duchane the first night.

In the morning the thief got his breakfast, but my son and I who had done nothing to go to jail for, only we had no money, he turned us out and gave us no breakfast.

Now that was a Mormon town. The next morning I had good luck again and found the Stake President. We were well treated by him, had all we could eat and a good bed to sleep in at night.

He took us around and showed us the land which we had come to see. He was a fine stake president. He gave us all the accommodation and information about the land business, and gave us a chance to inspect what we had come to find out. When we had got everything done, we got back to the city of Duchane, and went to the city marshall for a place to sleep as we were now ready to go back to Sale Lake City when the night was over. He opened the jail again and let us in for the last night in Duchane jail, and in the morning let us out with no breakfast.

I told George that we would now test the town out. We went over to one of the stores and I told them we had no money but we were hungry and needed something to eat. The first store we went to turned us out and we were mistreated with cruelty. He told us he did not want to feed tramps. At the next store we went to, I told my business and he treated us with kindness and gave us a loaf of bread and a piece of good cheese.

We then went to the outside of the town and found an old log. We sat down on that old log and divided the loaf and cheese, and asked the blessing on it. When we were through eating, we went in among some trees and had our prayers, and thanked God for His kindness to us and asked Him to bring us back to Salt Lake City in safety.

We now started walking again on the road, with faith that someone would come along and pick us up. As we waked along, cars passed us, some of them with empty seats, they just passed us like lightning. They wouldn’t stop. We walked in the hot summer day, at last a car came with a big load of skins. I stopped him and told him that we had been walking all day and had nothing to eat. He told us he was an Israelite, and he would take us right to Salt Lake City, he said when we got at the first stop, he would get us something to eat.

We arrived at that hotel about eleven o’clock at night, and some cars that had passed us on the road were there. Some of them teased the Jew for taking us up, and said that he sure would be saved for taking us up, and feeding us too. The Jew answered them, “Yes, these men have been walking all day without anything to eat and they have got to be taken care of, they have got to have something to eat and I will give it to them.”

The Jew took us into the restaurant and ordered the waiter to give us all we could eat, and he would pay for it. Next time that he came back, we were still hungry so we got our plates fill up and we ate it all. The good hearted Jew told him to give us more for we had to all we could eat, and we did.

About one o’clock we were ready to start and go with the Jew right to Salt Lake City. We got there at about half past two at night. We received a very good experience, thanks be to God.