next they called up the . the public property of the mormons, is managed by a sole trustee in trust,— chosen by the people & under heavy bonds for a faithful discha[r]ge of his duties,— this trustee is no less a personage than Jo. himself, the temple committee are 3 men under bond to the Trustee for a faithufl discharge of their duties.— some of the knowing ones, such as are always found among all sorts of peoples.— thought this committee had helped themselvs to a little better pay than they had given their hands who labored for them.— The committee <​, , & ,​> made an hon[or]able defence— but the the prophtss oldest brother— thought to make certanly sure by pleading their case over again,— & said he once was on a temple committee,— and as the committee present could not talk very well & he could he would tell then all about is, so— at it he went— & told them [2 words illegible] the complnts aginst the committee rem[i]nded him of the boy who saw somethig on a tree, & he ran to his daddy & told him he had seen an Eleph[a]nt on a tree, his daddy not believe him but, as the lad affirmed it was so— he went to see & beheld it was nothig but an owl,— & this was the substanc of the whole matter— but I thought the did not know so much as <​more &​> the[y] thought he did.— for instead of its being an owl I neither believed it an Elepht or an owl but only a scarecrow the thieves had hung up to keep off the owls, while they stole the chickens which roosted on the tree,— be that as it may the committe came off as pure as angels [p. [2]]