Brigham's adopted sons. The Prophet himself is very fond of fruit, and
has carried its culture to a considerable degree of perfection. Large
numbers of apple, pear, peach, and apricot trees, have been set out, and
are producing every year. Grape culture also has not been neglected. It
is a custom here to present the President with a specimen of every new
variety of fruit and vegetable raised, and he receives very graciously
anything presented, from a barrel of brandy to an umbrella, and is sure
to think more of the donor, ever afterward.
Everything bears the mark of utility, and nothing is expended for show,
or merely to gratify taste. No expensive flower-garden or green-house is
to be seen, and this is perfectly characteristic of the Prophet, who is
thoroughly utilitarian in all his views and tendencies.
On the southwest corner, and fronting the temple block, stands the
tithing-store and office, and the Deseret printing-office. A description
of the tithing-office and store, with its concomitant system, is given
elsewhere. Back of the tithing-office, is a cattle-yard and barn, and
numerous other buildings connected with tithing operations. Also a long
row of buildings for various mechanical purposes: a carpenter's shop,
shoe-shop, etc., with a blacksmith's shop in the rear. A number of small
tenements are scattered over the premises, in which some of the
employees reside.
The next large building, east of the Deseret store and printing-office,
is the "Lion House," or Harem.
Further to the east, and connected with the Harem by a covered
passage-way, is Brigham's general business office. This is a large
room, with three desks on either side; those to the left on entering,
being appropriated to the clerks of "Brigham Young, Trustee in Trust for
the Church," and those to the right, used by the clerks of "B. Young &
Co." At the end opposite the door is a large platform railed off, and a
gallery runs round the upper wall. The bookcases are of the yellow box
elder-wood, highly polished. A business-like air pervades the room, and
all is neat and clean.
Still further east and connected by another passage-way, is the private
office of the "President." This is a plain, neat room, about twenty-five
feet square. A large writing-desk and money-safe, tables, sofas, and
chairs, and a "store" carpet, make up the furniture of the room. Back
of, and adjoining this, is the _sanctum sanctorum_; the Prophet's own
private bedroom. Few, even of the family, are permitted to enter this
room without special invitation. Here is the "veil," behind which the
Prophet receives his "revelations." Here he consults on his most private
and important matters. He usually occupies this room alone, and when he
desires the company of one of his wives, sends a message to that effect.
When he is sick, he designates one of them to attend upon him.
The next building to the eastward is the Bee-Hive House, so named from
models of bee-hives, on the top and in front of it. The honey-bee is the
Mormon symbol, as according to "Reformed Egyptian," _Deseret_ means "the
honey-bee." As yet, however, the term applies only by faith, to Utah, as
that industrious insect is almost an utter stranger to her borders.
The Bee-Hive House is a large, handsome adobe building, excellently
plastered on the outside, and dazzlingly white. It is a two-storied
tenement, and balconied from ground to roof. On the top is an
observatory, surmounted by a bee-hive. Its cost was about $65,000, and
it is the best edifice in the Territory.
Eastward still, and farther back from the road, stands the school-house,
a white building, with green blinds, and a cupola. Here the children of
the Prophet, about fifty in number, are educated. Though not an educated
man himself, nor a patron of learning, among the people he employs good
teachers, and takes considerable pains in the education of his children.
Farther to the right, upon an eminence, stands the "White House,"
occupied by Mrs. Young, the first wife, and her children. This is a very
lonesome-looking old house, just such a one as you might fancy to be
haunted. It was the first one built by Young, and glass being then very
expensive, the windows are few and small.
These, with other smaller buildings, make up the improvements on the
Prophet's Block, and constitute a small town of themselves.
THE HAREM.
The "Lion House" is a three-storied building. First, a basement, built
of stone; then the main building, of wood, with peaked gable, and
narrow-pointed Gothic windows, and steep roof. This house cost over
$30,000, and would have cost more, but for the economy of the owner. It
was completed, ready for the shingles, and the shingles were waiting. At
a meeting in the Tabernacle on Sunday, he announced that he had a
mission for all the carpenters, and asked if they would accept it. They
raised their hands, and were then coolly told to "shingle the Lion House
in the name of the Lord, and by the authority of the Holy Priesthood." A
large lion, carved in stone, is placed upon a pillared portico, in front
of this edifice, "resting, but watchful."
[Illustration: Plans of the Lion House.
BASEMENT STORY.
East.
+----+--+------+------+----+--------+--+----+-+---------------+
|No. | | |Pantry|No. |Weaving |--|No. | | General |
|19 | | |No. 18|17 | Room |--|15 | | Cellar |
| | | | | |No. 16 |28| | | No. 14 |
+----+--+------+------+----+--------+--+----+-+---------------+
| Main Hall. No. 25. |
N. | +---------+ +-----------+ | S.
| 27 ||||||||||| Basement. ||||||||||||| 26 |
+------+---------+-------+----+-+-----+---+-+-----------------+
| | No. | No. | No. | Dining |
| School Room | 21 | 22 | 23 | Room |
| No. 20 | | | | No. 24 |
+------------------------+------+-----+-----+-----------------+
West.
No. 14. General Cellar.
No. 15. Ash House.
No. 16. Weaving Room.
No. 17. Coachman's Room.
No. 18. Pantry.
No. 19. Back Hall.
No. 20. School Room.
No. 21. Wash Room.
No. 22. Kitchen.
No. 23. Dish Room.
No. 24. Dining Room.
No. 25. Main Hall.
No. 26. Stairs.
No. 27. Stairs.
No. 28. Hall.
PRINCIPAL STORY.
East.
+--+----+----+----+-+----+---------+-+----+-------+
| | A |No. |No. | |No. | No. 6 | |No. | 5 | Steps.
| +----+10 | 9 |C| 7 | +----+E+----+ | --
| | B | | | | | | D | | | | ----
+--+----+----+----+-+----+----+----+-+----+-------+---------+
| Main Hall. |Portico. |
N. | 11. +---------+ No. 13. +-----------+ 12. | | S.
+------+-----+------+----+----+----+------+-------+---------+
| | F |No. | | |
| No. 4 +---+--+ 3 | No. 2 | No. 1 |
| | G | | | |
+------------+---+-------+---------+--------------+
West.
No. 1. Parlor.
No. 2. Emeline's Room.
No. 3. Mrs. Cobb.
No. 4. Clara Chase.
No. 5. Lucy Decker's Rooms.
No. 6. Clara Decker.
No. 7. Lucy Bigelow.
No. 8. Doesn't appear on the plan.
No. 9. Emily Partridge.
No. 10. Aunt Fanny's Room.
No. 11. Stairs.
No. 12. Stairs.
No. 13. Main Hall.
A. Aunt Fanny's Bed Room.
B. Emily's Servant's Room.
C. Hall.
D. Clara Decker's Children.
E. Hall.
F. Emmeline's Children.
G. Clara Chase.
UPPER STORY.
East.
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
|No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |
|38 |37 |36 |35 |34 |33 |32 |31 |30 |29 |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+---------+
| Main Hall. | Upper | Lion.
N. | +---------+ No. 49. +-----------+ |Portico.| S.
+----+-+--+----+-+--+----+----+----+----+-+--+----+---------+
|No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |No. |
|48 |47 |46 |45 |44 |43 |42 |41 |40 |39 |
+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
West.
No. 29. Twiss.
No. 30. Unassigned.
No. 31. Hall leading to Portico.
No. 32. Mrs. Hampton.
No. 33. Harriet Cook.
No. 34. Mrs. Weston.
No. 35. Eliza Snow.
No. 36. Spare Room.
No. 37. Margaret Pierce.
No. 38. Hired Help.
No. 39. Harriet Barney.
No. 40. Eliza Burgess.
No. 41. Harriet Seeley.
No. 42. Charlotte Cobb.
No. 43. Zina D. Huntington.
No. 44. Martha Bowker.
No. 45. Spare Room.
No. 46. Unassigned.
No. 47. Ellen Rockwood.
No. 48. Susan Snively.
No. 49. Main Hall.]
The following is the inside plan of the Lion House:--
_Principal Story._--No. 1. Parlor. You enter the parlor from the left,
and find a long, narrow room, with a large window in front, and four on
the side, all heavily curtained. A beautiful Brussels carpet--design, a
large bouquet of flowers, a rose, surrounded with other flowers and
leaves, with a light ground--covers the floor. Two centre-tables, of
solid mahogany, are placed at equal distances from the ends of the
room. An elegant rose-wood piano sits at the lower end of the room.
Between the windows hangs a large mirror, under which is a melodeon. A
large sofa, upholstered with dark crimson velvet, occupies the opposite
side, and near this is a bureau, with silver candlesticks and other
ornaments. The chairs are painted to represent mahogany, and gilded. The
room is painted and gilded in the same manner. A large stove in the
corner, near the door, completes the furniture of the drawing-room of
the Harem.
The family meet in this room, every morning and evening, at the ringing
of the bell, to attend family prayers. The favorite wives, Emeline,
Lucy, and Clara Decker, receive their company in the parlor, while the
less favored ones entertain theirs in their rooms.
There are said to be underground passages from Brigham's houses to
Kimball's on the north, and Wells's on the south. Also apartments under
the Lion House, where he secretes his wealth and punishes his refractory
wives. I cannot vouch for the truth of this assertion, but give it as a
rumor. I am credibly informed, however, that all the carpenters and
masons who worked on the lower story of this building have disappeared.
The three favorite wives before named, receive and entertain the friends
of the Prophet, who visit at the Lion House. He very seldom introduces
here any outside the church. Gentile visitors are usually entertained at
the Bee-Hive.
No. 2 is Emeline's room, just back of the drawing-room. She formerly
occupied No. 4, but was removed to No. 2, because Brigham, in going to
her room, was obliged to pass several other rooms, thus creating remark
and jealousy among the other women. He therefore had a hall, No. 8,
prepared, leading from his office to No. 2, to which room he removed his
favorite wife. Here he formerly spent much of his time. She dressed his
artificial curls, petted and caressed him, and worshipped him
alternately as her God. The furniture in Emeline's room consists of a
three-ply carpet, mostly red, a high post bedstead, with white and red
curtains, sofa, table, chairs painted to resemble oak, a large square
mirror, oil-shades, wardrobe, and fireplace.
No. 3. Mrs. Cobb formerly occupied this room, but now resides in a neat
cottage outside the walls. A three-ply carpet, red and yellow, common
bedstead, standing in a recess, fall-leaf table, chairs painted oak,
oil-shades with white curtains, a small mirror, also a small closet and
a fireplace, constitute the furniture of this room. This was the home of
a woman who had lived in a comfortable and commodious house in Boston,
as its mistress and head, with a large and interesting family around
her. All this she left for the ridiculous delusion called Mormonism. To
what extremes will not religious fanaticism and mistaken zeal lead its
devotees!
No. 4 is a large, pleasant room, with bedroom attached. This was
occupied by Clara Chase and her children, before her death. She was once
a favorite with Brigham, which will account for her superior
accommodations. This room is furnished as follows: a carpet similar to
Emeline's, common bedstead placed in a recess, common table, nice large
gilt mirror, red and white curtains, wardrobe, and fireplace.
No. 5. This room, opposite the parlor, belongs to Lucy Decker, the first
wife in plurality, and is rather plainly furnished. Rag-carpet, common
bedstead, stand, mirror, oak chairs, wardrobe, small cupboard and a
fireplace, curtains of the prevailing colors red and white. A
sitting-room and two bedrooms are allowed Mrs. Lucy Decker, as she has a
number of children.
No. 6. In Clara Decker's room stands a beautifully carved bedstead,
arched overhead with heavy damask curtains, chairs like parlor, stand,
settee, Venetian blinds, and oil-shades. Brigham's portrait in oil, half
size, hangs on the wall, also a large mirror. A rag-carpet covers the
floor. A bedroom and recess are attached to this room, and from its
superior furniture it is easy to infer that its occupant is a woman fond
of show, as well as a favorite with the Prophet.
No. 7. Lucy Bigelow's room contains a common bedstead, three chairs, a
stand, wardrobe, carpet, mirror, and white curtains.
No. 8. Hall leading to Emeline's room.
No. 9. Emily Partridge, one of the "proxies," occupies this room. A
common carpet, calico curtains, a fall-leaf table, bedstead, and the
usual quota of chairs, make up the furniture of this woman's home.
Formerly a tin pail and tin wash-dish constituted the toilet set of most
of the wives, but since the Prophet has had so many fat government
contracts, and his purse has become plethoric with public money, and
from the continued inflow of tithing, he has indulged his "women folks"
with crockery ware. As Uncle Sam is rich, and a good easy-going soul,
why should he not furnish "Harems" for his "loyal and law-abiding
citizens?"
No. 10 is Aunt Fanny Murray's room. Her furniture consists of a red and
yellow carpet, home-made bedsteads, oak chairs, a fall-leaf table, and
oil-shades. A sitting-room and a small bedroom belong to Aunt Fanny. But
you ask, Who is Aunt Fanny? She was in her young days, Fanny Young, and
had a great awkward brother, called Brigham. She married a Mr. Murray,
to whom she was devotedly attached. She was a gentle, kind creature; and
when her husband died, she became dependent on her brother. She had long
been a believer in Mormonism, and was with the Mormons at Nauvoo. After
the death of her husband, she was, by the earnest persuasion of her
brother Brigham, induced to be sealed to another. She protested at the
time, and said it would break her heart. And in relating the story to a
young friend, years afterward,--"Bessie," said she, "my poor, poor heart
is breaking now;" and laying her hand on her heart, she wept aloud. Aunt
Fanny has gone to her rest. She has suffered want and privation, mental
anguish and bodily pain, for her religion. Who shall say that her dear
heavenly Father, whom she so blindly worshipped, will not reward her
with a crown of glory in His kingdom above, when she shall rejoin the
partner of her youth, free from the shackles of tyranny and
superstition?
Nos. 11 and 12 are staircases.
No. 13. Main Hall, extending the whole length of the building; it is
lighted from a large window at the further end.
This completes the principal story of the Lion House.
_The Basement Story._--No. 14. General cellar, where all kinds of
vegetables and provisions are stored.
No. 15. Ash-house.
No. 16. Weaving-room. The wives spin, color, and prepare the yarn, and a
man is kept employed in weaving. A large quantity of cloth is made at
the Harem every year. Brigham's motto is, "No drones in the hive."
No. 17 is the coachman's room.
No. 18. Pantry. Milk, pies, cake, bread, and cooked provisions, are kept
in this place.
No. 19. Back Hall.
No. 20 was formerly occupied as a school-room and dancing academy for
the Youngs.
No. 21. Wash-room.
No. 22. Kitchen.
No. 23. Dish-room.
No. 24. The Dining-room is about fifteen by forty feet. Two tables
extend its whole length, allowing only a passage-way at each end. A
third table extends two thirds of the length of the room. Also a
side-table, and chairs of different sizes, to accommodate the various
ages of the family group.
Each wife has her seat at the table, and her children sit with her. The
wives who have children are seated at the heads of the tables in the
order in which they came into the family,--they taking the preference
over those who have no children. This is the case in every
well-regulated Mormon family. Among Mormons, the title of mother
includes that of queen, and is consequently the highest distinction a
woman can attain. If a woman has no children, she is miserable, and her
position in society a very unpleasant one. She can only redeem herself
by urging her husband to take more wives. Many women do this, and
afterward labor incessantly for the new mistresses and their children.
Lucy Decker, the first "plurality" woman, presides at one of the long
tables. At the head of the short table, Brigham always presides, when he
takes his meals at the Harem. On his right sits Clara Decker, with her
children, and on the left, Emeline, with hers. This order is strictly
observed. This preference causes much unhappiness on the part of other
wives less favored.
No. 25. Main Hall.
Nos. 26 and 27 are staircases.
No. 28. Small side Hall.
_Third Story._--This floor is divided in the centre by a wide hall, and
ranged on either side are ten small rooms, of nearly uniform size, with
one door and window each. These rooms are about twelve by fifteen feet,
and are occupied principally by those of "the women" who have no
children. The windows are of the Gothic style.
No. 29 is occupied by "Twiss," and has a carpet, common bedstead, three
oak chairs, a little toilet-stand, small mirror, and plain white
curtains.
All these rooms are similarly furnished. All are neat and clean. Harriet
Cook, Ellen Rockwood, and Twiss, display more taste than the others in
the arrangement of their little cages.
In addition to these articles, Harriet Cook has mahogany chairs, instead
of oak, and a large cupboard, painted to represent mahogany. All the
rooms are furnished with stoves, except three, which have fireplaces.
No books, except the Book of Mormon, Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and
Mormon Hymn-Book, will be seen in any room except Eliza Snow's; she
being a woman of considerable literary taste, and withal a
writer,--having made a number of contributions to Mormon
literature,--her room is indicative of the same, being well supplied
with books and papers.
_What the Women do._
The internal arrangement of affairs at the Harem is very similar to that
of a young ladies' boarding-school. Each woman having her own room, her
affairs are all centred there. The culinary department is under the
control of such of the wives as Brigham from time to time appoints. She
is the stewardess, and carries the keys. A cook is employed,--generally
a man,--and several servants besides, who are all under the control of
the stewardess.
When the meals are prepared and ready, the bell rings, and each woman,
with her children, if she have any, files down to the dinner-table, and
is seated as before stated.
Each, on rising, has her children to attend to, and get ready for
breakfast; this over, she commences the business of the day, arranges
her rooms, and sits down to her sewing or other work, as the case may
be.
A sewing-machine is brought into requisition, and one of the number
appointed to use it. For the benefit of those who want a sewing-machine,
it may be well to state how this one was procured. One day a man from
St. Louis came to offer one for sale, stating that his price was ninety
dollars. Brigham bought it, promising to pay the man whenever he should
call. The man being poor, called in a few days. He did not get his pay.
He called again, a number of times, with the same result. One of the
wives became quite indignant, and said,--"If I was in his place, I never
would ask it from one so high in the priesthood. He had better give it
to him than to ask pay of him." The poor man never received his money,
and as soon as he could get the means, left the Territory. This is the
manner in which the Prophet becomes possessed of much of his property.
Most of the women spin and make their every-day clothing, doing their
own coloring. They are quite proud of the quantity of cloth manufactured
in their establishment every year. All work hard, and take but very
little out-of-door exercise. Parties and the theatre are the favorite
amusements. At the theatre, Brigham and one or two of the favored wives
sit together in "the King's box," but the remainder of the women and the
children sit in what is called "Brigham's corral." This is in the
parquette, about the centre of the area. The Prophet goes down once or
twice during the evening to the corral, and chats for a few moments with
one and another, but in a short time he can be seen beside his "dear
Amelia" again.
At the Mormon parties, much gayety prevails. Appearances are maintained,
somewhat, by paying more respectful deference to the first wives, on
such occasions. Gentiles, with whom the saints are on good terms, are
well received and kindly entertained at these parties, and all join in
giving themselves up to the influences of mirth and festivity. Dancing
is not only a favorite amusement, it is more; it is cultivated to such
an extent that it becomes a passion.
Brigham's women, though better clothed than formerly, still work very
hard. They are infatuated with their religion, and devoted to their
husband. If they cannot obtain his love, they content themselves with
his kindness, and endeavor to think themselves happy. As religion is
their only solace, they try to make it their only object. If it does not
elevate their minds, it deadens their susceptibilities, and as they are
not permitted to be _women_, they try to convince themselves that it is
God's will they should be _slaves_.
A music-master, a dancing-master, and a teacher of the ordinary branches
of an English education, are employed in the family school. Also a
teacher of French. His children have much better advantages than any
other in the Territory. Dancing and music are the leading
accomplishments, and everything else is made subordinate to these.
_Brigham at Home._
Much interest naturally attaches to the inner life of such a man as
Brigham Young. His time is much occupied. He rises early, calls the
whole family together; they sing a hymn; he prays fervently, and they
separate for the duties of the day. In past times, he ate at the Harem.
His fare is very simple, usually consisting of a bowl of milk, covered
with cream, and dry toast or bread.
His next duty used to be, to "see the women folks," to whom he was
friendly and kind, but no more. He is not Brigham the husband, but
Brigham the Prophet and Seer. The women fear and reverence him as their
God, watch his countenance as he gives them counsel, and look upon every
word he utters as the "key" to some great mystery. He pays much less
attention to them now than formerly, but is kind and considerate in his
conduct toward them.
This duty done, he next proceeds to his office, to receive his visitors,
and to transact any business that may be there awaiting his attention.
His counsel is sought upon all subjects, even in the minutest domestic
affairs of the people. So numerous are these applications for advice and
assistance, that many are turned away with a very brief answer, while
some are denied access entirely.
Theoretically, no one but he can "seal" or give plural wives in
marriage, and such at first was the practice. But in later years, this
power has been delegated to Kimball and others, and to the Bishops of
distant wards. The divorces of such can only come from him; and from
this source alone he derives a handsome revenue. He once said from the
pulpit to the people, that "the divorce money which he received through
their d--d foolery, furnished him with plenty of spending money."
No speculations are entered upon, no enterprises begun, without
consulting "Brother Brigham." This he encourages and commands. "If you
do not know what to do, in order to do right, come to me at any time,
and I will give you the word of the Lord on the subject."
This mode of directing the people, though laborious and perplexing, has
its advantages. Their secret thoughts and plans are thus laid open to
his view, and facts are sometimes brought to his knowledge very
important and essential to be known, having a direct bearing upon the
permanent maintenance of his rule and authority. The people, too, by
such frequent consultations, are led to believe that their prosperity,
happiness, and safety, are all dependent upon the favor and assistance
of their leader. If any one becomes contumacious and troublesome, he has
the earliest information of the fact, and soon devises means to be rid
of the annoyance.
It is a common expression among the people at Salt Lake, "When I obey
counsel, I am prospered in everything; when I neglect it, I prosper in
nothing."
Years ago, Brigham was kind and fatherly toward his followers. If he met
one of them in the street, he gave him a cordial greeting and a hearty
shake of the hand, with an inquiry concerning his family and prospects.
But of late, the Prophet, having become rich, has grown haughty and
proud, and as he rides along in his fine carriage, surrounded by his
courtiers and sycophants, the toiling, hard-handed brethren, who receive
no friendly recognition, sometimes shake their heads and mutter
sentiments strangely discordant with those generally expressed in
conversation.
The feeling of dissatisfaction at the distance placed by the Prophet
between himself and his followers, has grown, as that distance became
more perceptible, until it has become quite universal among the poorer
classes. The poverty-stricken saint, as he takes home upon his back or
his wheelbarrow a sack of flour, or piece of meat, obtained with
difficulty by his daily toil, beholds his Prophet, his spiritual guide,
clothed in fine raiment, seated in a splendid carriage, by his side a
courtesan, a so-called wife. He sees the smile and kind word, which
should be given to his suffering and down-trodden people, lavished upon
a harlot. He turns in disgust, and with a weary and troubled spirit,
seeks temporary rest in his own humble home. Here kind poverty has
protected him from the vices of his leaders, and he thanks God inwardly,
after all, that he has not yet abandoned the wife of his youth. To such,
the new preachers sent by the "Josephites," to bring the people back to
virtue, to loyalty, and to the original Mormon religion, appear as
angels from heaven, and hence the ready assent given to their teachings,
and the rapid defection from the established church.
CHAPTER XI.
THE WIVES OF BRIGHAM YOUNG.
Mary Ann Angell Young, the first wife.--Her Family.--Lucy
Decker Seely, the first wife in Plurality.--More of "My
Women": Clara Decker, Harriet Cook, Lucy Bigelow, Twiss,
Martha Bowker, Harriet Barney, Eliza Burgess, Ellen Rockwood,
Susan Snively, Jemima Angell, Margaret Alley, Margaret Pierce,
Mrs. Hampton, Mary Bigelow, Emeline Free, or the Light of the
Harem.--Proxy Women: Miss Eliza Roxy Snow, Zina D. Huntington,
Amelia Partridge, Mrs. Cobb, Mrs. Smith, Clara Chase, the
Maniac.--Amelia, the last love.--The Prophet in Love the
Thirtieth Time.
_Mrs. Mary Ann Angell Young._
This lady is the first living and legal wife of the Prophet. She is a
native of New York, and is a fine-looking, intelligent woman. She is
large, portly, and dignified. Her hair is well sprinkled with the frosts
of age; her clear, hazel eyes and melancholy countenance indicate a soul
where sorrow reigns supreme. She has been very much attached to her
husband, and his infidelity has made deep inroads upon her mind. Her
deep-seated melancholy often produces flights of insanity, which
increase with her declining years.
Bereft of her husband's society, she naturally clings to her children,
of whom she has five: Joseph, Brigham A., John, Alice, and Luna. They
all reside with her. She formerly occupied "the Bee-Hive House," but as
the number of her husband's wives increased, it became necessary that
additional accommodations should be furnished the "plural" portion of
the family. The first wife was obliged to vacate her residence for the
benefit of new comers. She was removed to a great barn-like house on the
hill. This building looks more like a penitentiary than anything else.
It was the first house built upon the premises, and, as before stated,
is very deficient in the number and size of its windows.
Mrs. Young seldom receives guests, and her husband himself scarcely ever
pays her a visit.
When I looked upon this poor, suffering woman, as she sat at church,
surrounded by her husband's mistresses, I seemed for the first time
fully to realize the true character of that "institution" which has
crushed the hearts of many noble women.
She is very kind to her children and dependents, and is much beloved by
them. She has not succeeded so well in gaining the affection of "the
wives." With them she is very unpopular, and by some of them she is
often mocked and upbraided. It is said, "one hates whom he has injured."
This may account for much of this feeling among the "plurals."
Joseph, or "Joe Young," as he is familiarly known in Utah, is a fast
young man. He has been on a "mission," travelled in Europe, smokes,
chews, gets drunk, swears, preaches the gospel, has three wives whom he
whips and otherwise shamefully abuses, and is a good Mormon, in full
fellowship in the church. While at a fashionable watering-place, at
Great Salt Lake, in the summer of 1863, he insulted a gentile lady. The
gentleman who accompanied her, being an officer, promptly knocked him
down, and this not seeming to be satisfactory, afterwards challenged
him. Joseph's friends interfered, and obtained a settlement of the
difficulty.
Brigham A. is more respectable. He has also been on a "mission." This is
equivalent to saying that he has been wild and reckless, as it is the
Mormon custom to send all who are unruly and hard to manage, or who have
committed crimes, on a mission. It is thought that by "bearing the pure
vessels of the Lord" to such poor wicked wretches as the gentiles, they
will perchance themselves become purified.
John, being the youngest, has not developed his tastes so fully. He
seems inclined to seek after the loaves and fishes of office. He was
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Council in the winter of 1863-64, and will
doubtless be one of its members when he is old enough, should his father
then reign in Utah.
Mrs. Alice Clawson is the oldest daughter. Rather amiable, with fair
hair, blue eyes, and of _petite_ stature. She is one of the performers
in her father's theatre. As an _artiste_ she is "flat, stale, and
unprofitable." But being Brigham's daughter, and good looking, she is
applauded to the echo. She is one of three wives of Hiram B. Clawson,
who is the Prophet's chief business agent and manager. Quick, shrewd,
and unscrupulous, he is a fit instrument with which to accomplish the
purposes of such a man.
In the year 1851, a Mr. Tobin came to Salt Lake with Capt. Stansbury.
While there, he met Miss Alice, fell in love with her, and they were
engaged to be married. Mr. T. had occasion to leave Salt Lake on
business, and did not return until 1856. He then renewed his engagement
with Alice, but afterward, for reasons satisfactory to himself, broke
it. This subjected him to the vengeance of her father, which never
slumbers. Tobin and his party were followed, attacked in the night, on
Santa Clara River, 370 miles south of Salt Lake City. Several of the
party were severely wounded. They lost six horses, and were compelled to
abandon their baggage, which was completely riddled by bullets. During
Tobin's absence, Alice had been engaged to another, who had been sent
off to the Sandwich Islands, by her watchful father. Hiram B. Clawson,
the confidential clerk of the President, next appeared as a candidate
for the young lady's hand. He had already one wife, but was anxious to
secure a second.
A little incident in their courtship, will illustrate the manner of
obtaining No. 2.
"Good-morning, sister _Clawson_," said a young friend whom she met in
walking.
"What do you wish me to understand?" said Alice.
"Nothing more than that your father gave his consent this morning, in
my presence, to your marriage with Hiram Clawson."
"There, Alice," said brother Clawson, who at this moment made his
appearance, "did I not tell you? You would not believe me."
"This matter begins to be serious," said Alice, "now that my father has
given me away to a man that has one wife already, and is courting
another beside me, both of them much handsomer than I am."
Hiram was nettled, for it was true that he was courting a third wife,
and of the three Alice was the least beautiful. She then proposed,
playfully, to elope with an old gentleman, a friend of the family. "I
would do so," she said, "before I would be given away like an old mule,
to a man who already has one wife, and is seeking for others."
Yet Alice, though doubtless giving expression at this time to the
sentiments of her heart, was afterward prevailed upon, and consented to
become No. 2 in the harem of Hiram B. Clawson. Hiram, having commenced
at a much earlier age than his father-in-law, may, if unchecked in his
career, yet rival him in the number of his wives and the extent and
magnificence of his "plural" establishment.
Luna Young is a _character_. She is very wilful and headstrong. She
always governed her sister Alice, and even her father could not control
this wayward child.
She is the fourth daughter, by the first wife, two having died. She has
light hair, blue eyes, and a fair complexion. She is very haughty and
beautiful. Slender as the gazelle, and free and joyous as a bird,
brooking no control, she was the light, and often the annoyance of her
father's house in her girlish days. She is now married, and very likely
will become amiable and docile, under Mormon discipline.
_Lucy Decker Seely._
This is the first wife in "plurality,"--or the second "woman."
Lucy Decker was married to Isaac Seely, and had two children. She
afterward became a Mormon, and went to Nauvoo to reside. Her husband,
Seely, was somewhat dissipated, but treated her well. She, however, saw
Brother Brigham, and loved him. He visited her, told her that Seely
could never give her an "exaltation" in the eternal world; that he,
being "high in the priesthood," could make her a queen, in the first
resurrection.
She yielded to these inducements and the promptings of her inclination,
left her husband, and was "sealed" to Brigham Young.
Lucy Decker has brown hair, dark eyes, small features, a fair skin, and
of short stature; but quite _en bon point_. She would strongly remind
you of a New-England housewife, "fat, fair, and forty." In common with
nearly all the inmates of the Harem, she is of very ordinary intellect,
and limited education.
Her first child, after marrying Young, was named Brigham Heber, and was
the first-born in Mormon polygamy. He is now a lad of about eighteen
years of age.
Lucy Decker is still one of the favorite wives. She lives in the
"Bee-Hive," and keeps a sort of boarding-house for the work-hands. She
has had eight children by Brigham, all of whom are living. A story is
told which illustrates well the disposition and character of these
polygamous children. "Brigham Heber" was in the habit of playing while
the family were at breakfast. One morning, after breakfast was over,
this boy, then only ten or twelve years of age, went into the kitchen,
and undertook to help himself to anything he could find. Mr. Smith, the
cook, would not permit it. Brigham Heber seized a fork, and with oaths
that would put a pirate to shame, swore he would stab the cook. Smith
caught him, wrenched the fork from his hand, and pushed him into the
hall. He and Oscar, son of Harriet Cook, swore they would kill Smith the
first time they should catch him out.
_More of "My Women."_
_Clara Decker_, sister of Lucy Decker, is a short, thick-set person,
very much like Lucy in appearance. She is much more intelligent and
agreeable than her sister, and in every way her superior.
She is also quite a favorite with the Prophet; has three or four
children, and is much attached to her "husband."
_Harriet Cook_ was early in plurality; having been sealed to Brigham, at
"Winter Quarters," on the Missouri River, while the Mormons were on
their way to Utah. This was five years before polygamy was publicly
proclaimed in Utah as a divine institution. Harriet is very tall, has
light hair, blue eyes, a fair complexion, and sharp nose. She is rather
slender, but has much power of endurance, and a look of determination.
When all is going on smoothly, she is as calm and serene as a May
morning; but let Brigham or any one else in the establishment cross her
path, and the blue eyes at once light up, and give evidence of a coming
storm. When irritated and aroused, she denounces the whole Mormon
religion, including polygamy, and says, "the whole thing is a humbug,
and may go to the devil for aught she cares." Brigham, though a stern
disciplinarian, makes good his escape, at such times, and the "women"
all keep at a respectful distance.
When she is in a religious mood, which is seldom the case, she says: "I
don't profess to know much, but there is one thing I _do_ understand,
and that is Mormonism. Whenever Brother Brigham (all the wives call him
Brother) goes behind the veil, I make him tell me what he sees and hears
there. I mean to know all about it." She is the "smartest" of all the
women. She has one son in plurality, named Oscar. He is a wild, ugly
boy, and curses his mother _ad libitum_. Brigham cares nothing for this
woman, and avoids her as much as possible.
_Lucy Bigelow_ is of middling stature, has dark brown hair, blue eyes,
aquiline nose, and a pretty mouth, and is very pleasant and affable. She
is very pretty and ladylike in the ball-room, but does not appear to so
good advantage in the nursery and kitchen. She is the one who was the
subject of a well-turned repartee at the anniversary ball in Salt Lake
City, on the 24th of July, 1863. Governor Harding, on that occasion,
having danced with several of the wives of "Governor" Young, became
somewhat enthusiastic and extravagant in his compliments. Among other
fine sayings, he remarked to one of the wives, upon leading her on to
the floor,--"The President has introduced several of his wives to me as
'Mrs. Young,' 'Mrs. Young,' 'Mrs. Young.' As well might the astronomer
point me to the stars of heaven, without giving me their names."
"Governor, I understand your compliment, and appreciate it. The name of
this particular star is Lucy."
She has but little influence over Brigham, and he seldom visits her.
_Twiss_ has sandy hair, inclined to curl, round features, blue eyes, low
forehead, complexion fair, face somewhat freckled. She is short and
stout. This woman makes a good servant, and is always ready to wait on
her lord and master. She prepares his linen, and is content. She has no
children.
_Martha Bowker_ is low in stature, with black hair and eyes. She is very
quiet. Is plain and sensible; neither showy nor interesting. Very neat
in dress, very ordinary in intellect and acquirements. She is of few
words, and rather quick-tempered. Very little influence over the
Prophet.
_Harriet Barney._--This lady is tall, slender, and graceful. She has
hazel eyes, light-brown hair, mild, sweet expression of countenance, and
is indeed a beautiful woman. Her character is as lovely as her face, and
the suffering and sorrowing always find a friend in her. She is patient
and forbearing, and would rather suffer wrong than do wrong. Her kind
and sympathetic nature, and excellent character, place her far above all
the other inmates of the Harem.
Believing in polygamy, she left her husband, and became one of the
plural wives of the President of the church in which she believed. She
loves, with all the intensity of her nature, him for whom she has
sacrificed everything. Of course, she deeply feels his neglect, but,
like a true woman, complains not. Having sacrificed her happiness upon
the altar of her faith, she continues to love, to endure, and to suffer.
She had three children by her first husband; none since.
_Eliza Burgess._--Her parents resided in Manchester England, and came to
Nauvoo in the early days of Mormonism. Soon after, they both died,
leaving Eliza an orphan. She was thrown upon the cold charities of the
world, and Brother Brigham, ever the friend of _youth_ and _beauty_,
_took_ her into his family. She served seven years, and then desired to
marry another. She applied to Young for his consent, but the Prophet had
other projects inconsistent in their nature with the proposed marriage.
"Eliza," he said, "you have been so long in the family, that I need you.
I wish to marry you myself. Will you not be my wife? Brother S. is a
very good man, but I can give you a greater exaltation. I can make you a
queen." This argument was conclusive, and Eliza gave up her lover, and
married Brigham Young.
In person Eliza is small, with large dark eyes, dark hair, and dark
complexion. She is quick-tempered, and is of the class--English
serving-girl. She is the only one of the Prophet's women who is not
American. She has several children.
_Ellen Rockwood_ is of medium size, slender, with light hair,
light-brown eyes, and fair complexion. She is the daughter of the warden
of the penitentiary, who is a "regular down-east Yankee." Ellen is
rather quiet, even-tempered, but quite narrow-minded. Her health is
poor, and she spends most of her time in embroidery and needle-work. She
has no children, and, per consequence, very little influence with her
husband. He calls upon her in her little room, about once in six months.
_Susan Snively._--A middle-aged woman, of medium size, dark hair, light
eyes, dark complexion, and expressionless face; the plainest of all the
women. She is good and kind in her nature, quiet and retiring. She spins
and colors yarn, and is a good housewife, of the type--New-England
farmer's wife. Having no children, she adds nothing to the kingdom and
glory of her husband, and is estimated accordingly.
_Jemima Angell_ is the sister of Mary Ann, the lawful wife. She is an
elderly lady, with dark hair, gray eyes, and pensive countenance. Of low
stature, but quite robust. Her first husband died out of the church, and
she is merely sealed to Young, for her exaltation in another state. She
lives in a little house by herself, and seldom receives a visit from her
spiritual husband.
_Margaret Alley._--Short and small; light hair and eyes, rather
lengthened features, but mild expression of countenance. Being much
neglected by her husband, she became very melancholy. She died in 1853,
leaving two children.
_Margaret Pierce._--Of medium height, light hair, and blue eyes, sharp
nose, and very variable in temper. She has several children, but not
much influence with her husband.
_Mrs. Hampton._--This woman is very tall, and noble in appearance, has
round features, large lustrous eyes, dark hair, and fair complexion. She
was early married to Mr. Hampton, by whom she had six children. They
removed to Nauvoo, where Hampton died. Mrs. Hampton was afterward sealed
to Young.
When the Mormons were driven from Nauvoo, Mrs. Hampton was, for some
reason, left behind. She then married a Mr. Cole, by whom she had one
daughter, named Vilate. When this child was about four years old, Cole
went to California. Young then sent for Mrs. Hampton to come and live
with him. She obeyed, and became, a second time, one of his plural
wives. During this time Cole wrote letters frequently, and sent her his
likeness.
About this time, Feramorz Little, one of Young's nephews, married Julia
Hampton, daughter of Mrs. H., and half sister to Vilate Cole. Mrs.
Hampton lived at the Harem about eight years, and superintended the
culinary department. Some misunderstanding having arisen between her and
the Prophet, he again cast her off. It is said that she was unwilling to
be sealed over the altar for eternity to Young, preferring her first
husband in the eternal world. Her son, Nephi Hampton, provided a house
for her at Ogden, a pleasant town forty miles north of Salt Lake, where
she now resides.
Vilate is now about fourteen years of age, beautiful and accomplished.
She and Brigham Heber, now about twenty years old, were engaged to be
married, but his father disapproved the match, and laid a plan to defeat
it. In the fall of 1863, Feramorz Little sent for Vilate to come down to
the city, and proposed to have her board with him and attend school. His
real object was to secure her for his fourth wife and at the same time
prevent her marrying the son of the President. During all this time the
girl frequently inquired, with much anxiety, about her father.
In 1863 Cole enlisted in the 2d Regiment of Infantry, Nevada Volunteers,
and came to Salt Lake City expressly for the purpose of finding his
daughter. After much inquiry he ascertained where his wife and child
were living, and wrote a letter to Vilate. The mother received the
letter, read it, and put it in the fire. Thus the matter rested, until
Vilate came to the city. One day she said to her sister Julia, (Mrs.
Little,) "Would it not be strange if my father was among the soldiers?"
Said Julia, "He is. Didn't you know it? Nephi told me all about it."
This gave her new courage, and thenceforth she made every effort to see
her father. For some time she was closely watched, and Cole, who had
found where she was, was denied admission to her; but the girl's
resolution remaining firm, Little, fearing she would leave him, finally
permitted an interview. The happy meeting of the father with his only
child, after an absence of eleven years, who shall describe? Cole still
remains in Utah, devoted to his daughter, whom he visits frequently, and
is not without hope of getting her away from her unfortunate
associations. The task is a delicate and difficult one, and in his
efforts to accomplish it, he has the sympathy of every father.
_Mary Bigelow._--I can give no description of this woman. She was sealed
to Young at "Winter Quarters," and came on with him to Utah. After a
time she left the Harem, and what became of her is unknown to me.
_Emeline Free, or the Light of the Harem._
----"O Nourmahal!
Thou loveliest, dearest of them all;
The one whose smile shone out alone
Amidst a world, the only one
Whose light, among so many lights,
Was like that star, on starry nights,
The seaman singles from the sky,
To steer his bark forever by!"
Emeline is tall and graceful; with mild, violet eyes, fair hair,
inclined to curl. She has long been the favorite of the Prophet,--the
light of his eyes, and the joy of his heart.
Mr. and Mrs. Free, her father and mother, were opposed to polygamy, and
Brigham went one day to convince them of their error. The beautiful
Emeline was the first he sought to win, and he argued and expounded the
new doctrine with wonderful zeal and fervor. At length the parents were
convinced. The Prophet of the Lord stepped up to Emeline, laid his
saintly hand upon her shoulder, and said, in fervid accents, "Emeline,
will you be my wife?" "Yes, sir," was the reply. This was their
courtship. She at once became the favorite, and many a heart grew sad
when she became an inmate of the Harem.
Brigham distinguished her in every way; gave her better rooms than the
rest, and servants to wait upon her. She grew to love him, and obtained
a powerful influence over him. There is no weapon so powerful as a
woman's tears. This Emeline believed, and often acted upon, to bring
back her truant lover, when she thought too much attention was paid to
others. Finally, so great became the jealousy of the other wives, that
the husband of these contending fair ones constructed a private hall
leading from his office to Emeline's room, that he might visit her
without observation or constraint. He devoted himself to her
exclusively, and she reigned supreme over the sisters. She received her
company in the grand saloon; she occupied the seat of honor at the
table, at the right hand of her husband. In short, she was the mistress
of the Harem.
At that time the most of the women did their own work, and stayed in
their own rooms, so that there was but little communication with each
other. She has eight children, but is still a young-looking woman.
But, alas! "the course of true love never did run smooth," and Emeline
was doomed to have a rival. When the Prophet "took" Amelia, his last
love, poor Emeline was heart-broken. She was taken very sick, and her
life was, for a long time, despaired of. From her "sisters" she received
no sympathy. The bitter cup which they had been obliged to drink, was
now commended to her own lips. From the confiding and happy wife, she
has become the rejected and suffering mistress, and must now drag out
the remainder of her days a faded, cast-off woman. And Amelia, the
present queen, what of her? She too, will soon take her place by the
side of Emeline and Mary Ann. Other and younger women will take the
place she now occupies, and in their turn be cast off, to suffer with
her.
"_Proxy Women._"
This is a very common term in Utah, and signifies that a woman is
married to one man for "time," and sealed to another for eternity. All
her children belong to the man to whom she is sealed, no matter which
may be their father, or whether the mother ever married the celestial
husband "in time." This is a refinement upon the Jewish doctrine, which
required a man to "raise up children to his dead brother."
Of this class of women Brigham Young has four, all of whom, while they
live with him for "time," are sealed to Joseph Smith for eternity, and
to Joseph must they be delivered over, with their children, in the first
resurrection.
"Miss" _Eliza Roxy Snow_ is of middling stature, dark hair, well
silvered with gray; dark eyes, noble intelligent countenance, and quiet
and dignified in manner. She is the most intellectual of the women.
Her literary taste and acquirements are good, and she has composed some
very creditable hymns for the church of which she is a conscientious and
devoted member. A volume of her poems has also been published, some of
which evince genius of a high order.
She is quite exclusive in her tastes, and associates but little with the
"women." She occupies a small room on the third floor of the Harem,
about twelve by fifteen feet in size. A neat carpet covers the floor; a
common bedstead occupies one corner. There are some oak chairs grained,
with crochet covers, white window-curtains and bed-spread, her "own
handiwork." Behind the door is a neat little wardrobe. On a shelf over
the window, stands a vase of artificial flowers. A stand, covered with
books, usually occupies the centre of the room, and these articles, with
a neat little stove, make up the furniture.
This is the _home_ of "the sweet singer of Israel." She has cast the
charm of her genius over the rude materials, and there is an air of
neatness, comfort, and refinement about her little sanctum which is not
apparent in any other portion of the house. Here she receives and
entertains her company. She occupies her time chiefly in writing, and in
needle-work. She is highly respected by the family, who call her "one
of the nobles of the earth." When tired of writing and study, she walks
out and visits her friends. If any one is sick in the house she looks
after the invalid, and shows every kindness and attention. She soothes
the afflicted, and cares for the infirm and aged. She and Zina D.
Huntington are the most lady-like and accomplished of the wives.
The following verses, written by Miss Eliza R. Snow, will show her style
as well as the religious fervor and fanaticism for which she is
remarkable.
[For the _Deseret News_.]
"_The Ladies of Utah to the Ladies of the United States Camp,
in a Crusade against the Mormons._
BY MISS E. R. SNOW.
Why are you in these mountains,
Exposed to frosts and snows?
Far from your sheltering houses,
From comfort and repose?
Has cruel persecution,
With unrelenting hand,
Thrust you from home and kindred,
And from your native land?
Have you been robbed and plundered,
Till you are penniless,
And then in destitution
Driven to the wilderness?
No, no; you've joined a crusade
Against the peace of those
Driven to these distant valleys
By cruel, murderous foes.
Amid the dreary desert,
Where hideous red men roam;
Where beasts of prey were howling,
We've made ourselves a home.
Can woman's heart be callous,
And made of flint and steel?
Perhaps you'll learn to pity,
When you are made to _feel_.
Should sickness prey upon you,
And children cry for bread,
With bitter self-reproaches
You'll rue the path you tread.
We love with purest feelings,
Our husbands, children, friends;
We've learned to prize the blessings
Which God in mercy sends.
We have the ancient order
To us by prophets given;
And here we have the pattern
As things exist in Heaven.
We'd fain from human suffering
Each barbéd arrow draw,
But yet self-preservation
Is God's and Nature's law.
The Scriptures are fulfilling,
The spoiler's being spoiled;
All Satan's foul devices
'Gainst Zion will be foiled.
_Great Salt Late City_, Oct. 13, 1857."
This is given not as a fair specimen of her poetry, for she has written
much better, but to illustrate how completely she was devoted to the
interests of her people at that exciting period of their history.
_Zina D. Huntington Jacobs_ is of large form, well proportioned, high
forehead, with light hair and eyes. She is of a melancholy temperament,
as is plainly indicated by the expression of her countenance. She has
three children, and has charge of the children of Clara Chase.
Zina has some literary ability, and sometimes writes poetry. She has a
special office in the family, which is to act as governess for all the
young ladies, accompanying them in their attendance to singing-schools
and other public places. Zina came to Utah with her husband, Dr. Jacobs.
Young became attached to her, sent the Doctor on a mission, and in his
absence appropriated to himself the wife and children. Dr. Jacobs is
still in California, and is an "apostate." Zina stands in great awe of
Brigham, who treats her with marked coldness and neglect.
_Amelia Partridge_ is rather tall, with a fine form, black hair, dark
eyes, dark complexion, sweet expression of countenance, and very mild
and amiable in disposition. She and her sister Eliza had been servants
in the family of Joseph Smith, in Nauvoo.
Amelia has four children, to whom she is devotedly attached. She is a
kind and gentle mother, patient and forgiving,--one of the excellent
ones of earth. She takes but little interest in family matters, outside
of the circle of her own children.
_Mrs. Augusta Cobb_ is a native of Massachusetts, and formerly resided
in Boston. She is a large, fine-looking person,--dark hair, gray eyes,
and clear complexion. She is very stylish in appearance, and of
dignified demeanor. She was converted to Mormonism at Boston, fifteen
years ago, left her husband and a very interesting family of children,
and with one little girl, Charlotte, came to Utah, and took up her
residence at the Harem, as a plural wife of Brigham Young.
She is high-spirited and imperious. She once returned to her family in
Boston, and remained two years, but was too deeply involved in the
meshes of Mormonism to be satisfied away from Zion, and again returned
to Salt Lake. She now lives in a neat little cottage near the Lion
House, and is supported by Young. Her son, James Cobb, after finishing
his course of study in the East, came to Salt Lake, and after some
years, through the influence of his mother, joined the church. Previous
to becoming a Mormon, he expressed much anxiety about his mother and
sister Charlotte,--now an interesting young lady,--and used many
arguments and entreaties to induce them to leave, but finally himself
yielded to the seductive influences which surrounded him.
Charlotte at one time enjoyed the proud title of "the belle of Salt
Lake." She has steadfastly opposed polygamy, and hence has remained
unmarried.
_Mrs. Smith_ is an elderly woman, who admired Brother Brigham very much,
and desired to be sealed to him, to insure her salvation. Young did not
reciprocate her sentiments toward him, but compromised the matter by
sealing her to Joseph Smith for eternity, and to himself for time. After
this ceremony had been performed, he committed her to the care of the
Bishop of the ward, directing him to support her.
There are many of this class of women in the Territory.
_Clara Chase, the Maniac._
This woman was of medium height, dark hair and eyes, rather sullen
expression of countenance, low forehead, and her features indicative of
deep-seated melancholy. When Young married her, he treated her with
marked consideration. He assigned to her an elegant apartment, in which
hung the only oil-painting of himself. She from the first distrusted the
principle of polygamy, and had many misgivings of conscience in regard
to her course in marrying the Prophet.
For a time she lived in this way, in a strait between two opinions. When
her husband treated her kindly, she tried to be happy, but when he was
cold and unfeeling toward her, she was driven well-nigh to desperation.
In the mean time she had four children, two of whom are now living. They
are bright and intelligent girls, fourteen and sixteen years of age.
As she approached her fourth confinement, her fits of remorse became
more frequent and more terrible. She reproached herself with having
committed the _unpardonable sin_. Her condition was truly pitiable.
During her sickness Brigham treated her with such coldness and neglect,
that she became actually insane, and raved incessantly.--"Oh, I have
committed the unpardonable sin! Oh, warn my poor children not to follow
my bad example. I am going to hell. Brigham has caused it. He has cursed
me, and I shall soon be there. Oh! do not any of you go into polygamy.
It will curse you, and damn your souls eternally." When her husband
appeared, she cursed him as the author of her destruction.
The "President" and his two "counsellors" "laid hands" on her, but all
of no avail. Dr. Sprague, the family physician, was sent for; but her
poor wrecked spirit would no longer abide where it had suffered so much,
and she died a raving maniac.
_Amelia, or the Last Love._
_Amelia Folsom_ is a native of Portsmouth, N. H. She is tall, and well
formed, with light hair and gray eyes, and regular features. She is
quite pale, owing to ill health. Has but little refinement of manner.
When at the theatre, sitting in the King's box, with her husband, the
observed of all observers, she may be seen eating apples, throwing the
skins about, chatting with Brigham, and occasionally levelling her glass
at some one in the assembly.
She plays and sings, but with indifferent skill and taste. She was, for
a long time, unwilling to marry the President, but he continued his suit
with a pertinacity worthy a better cause, and by repeated promises of
advancement made to herself and her parents, finally succeeded. For
several months he had urged his suit, during which time his carriage
might be seen, almost any day, standing at her father's door, for hours
at a time. He told her she was created expressly for himself, and could
marry no one else on pain of everlasting destruction. She plead,
protested, and wept, but he persevered, and at length, when all other
arguments failed, he told her he had received a special revelation from
Heaven on the subject. She had always believed in Mormonism, and had
been taught to have faith in revelation. "Amelia," he said, "you must be
my wife; God has revealed it to me. You cannot be saved by any one else.
If you will marry me, I will save you, and exalt you to be a queen in
the celestial world, but if you refuse, you will be destroyed, both soul
and body."
The poor girl believed this hellish impostor, and yielding to his
wishes, became his wife. For several months after her marriage, Amelia
was sad and dejected, but of late she has rallied, and now appears the
gayest of the gay. This marriage took place on the 29th day of January,
1863,--more than six months after the passage by Congress of the
anti-polygamy law,--and was public and notorious. Here was perpetrated
in one act, the double crime of destroying forever the happiness of a
young lady and setting before his people the example of an open
violation of a law of the land. Yet for both crimes he goes unpunished,
and continues to sit in his chair of state, clothed in authority and
power, not only the wonder, but the admiration, of thousands outside of
the Mormon Church!
Amelia is evidently living under constraint, and acting an assumed
character. She is playing the _rôle_ of a happy wife, with a breaking
heart. At the time of her marriage, her heart had been given to another,
to whom she should have been married. That she compromised her
character, in marrying Young under the circumstances, is a fact too
notorious to be concealed,--and this connection has brought more odium
upon polygamy than any the "President" ever formed.
Nevertheless, Amelia stands the recognized Queen of the Harem. She leads
the _ton_, and is the model woman for the saints. Thousands bow low as
she passes, and think themselves happy to receive her passing
recognition. She is now a queen, and is to be a goddess in the celestial
world. The new wife sometimes becomes restive and impatient, and treats
her liege lord rather shabbily. She is at times notional and imperious,
and somewhat coquettish,--to all of which her husband submits with good
grace for the present, and pets her as a child.
The Bee-Hive House, formerly occupied by Mrs. Young and her family, has
been vacated for Amelia. Servants are at her disposal, and her
establishment is extensive and imposing.
Brigham spends much of his time with his new wife, and often dines with
her. One evening a friend was taking tea with the newly-married couple.
Amelia behaved quite naughtily toward her lord. After tea was finished,
they remained at the table, eating nuts and confectioneries. Amelia
threw her shells through an open window, on the opposite side of the
room. Her husband said, "Amelia, don't do that; put your shells by your
plate." "I sha'n't do it," replied the fair one; "I'll throw them where
I please." Young was silent for a time, but became so annoyed that he
again said: "Amelia, I wish you wouldn't do that any more." "I don't
care," replied the spouse, pettishly, "I'll throw the shells where I
please, and I'll do as I please, and you may help yourself." And pulling
her guest by the dress, she said; "Come, let's go up-stairs, and let him
_grunt_ it out."
The theatre was dedicated by prayer and a grand ball. This was in the
winter of 1862-63. Brigham led off in the dance with Amelia, and all was
smiles and sunshine. On another occasion, he honored another one of "the
women" with his hand for the first cotillon. This so displeased Amelia,
that she refused to dance with him at all. He coaxed, she shrugged her
shoulders, and shook her head. It was only after much condescension and
solicitation on his part that she granted her forgiveness, and consented
to dance with him. This gay Lothario of sixty-three then led forth his
blushing mistress, and "all went merry as a marriage-bell."
Amelia has lovers still, for one of whom she entertains considerable
feeling. He was sent to "Dixie," or the Cotton District, in Southern
Utah, on a mission. He soon returned, however, to Salt Lake, and by his
presence in the city, causes the Prophet considerable anxiety.
Amelia is tyrannical, and rules the women of the Harem with a strong
hand. Poor Emeline is quite broken-hearted. Naturally very sensitive,
this blow prostrated her upon a bed of sickness, from which it was
feared she would never recover. But she lives to drag out a miserable
life,--neither wife nor mistress, but a castaway.
In fact all the women are miserable and unhappy. A common remark, in
reply to the usual salutation, is, "Oh, I've got the blues to-day."
_The Prophet in Love the Thirtieth Time._
Miss Selima Ursenback is a native of Geneva, Switzerland, and with her
parents and brother came to Utah in the fall of 1862. She is an
accomplished musician, and at once became a favorite with the Mormons.
Several concerts were given, at which she figured as _prima donna_, and
although she sang in French, the melody of her voice and the artistic
character of her music gained for her an established reputation.
Brigham heard, and was delighted. Her voice was music to his ravished
ear, and, for the thirtieth time, the little god let slip his arrow, and
launched it into the Prophet's heart.
Says a celebrated writer:--
"Now there are various ways of getting in love. A man falls in
love just as he falls down-stairs. It is an accident. But when
he runs in love, it is as when he runs in debt: it is done
knowingly, intentionally, and very often rashly and foolishly,
even if not ridiculously, miserably, and ruinously.
"The rarest and happiest marriages are between those who have
grown in love. Take the description of such a love in its rise
and progress, ye thousands and tens of thousands who have what
is called a taste for poetry. Take it in the sweet words of
one of the sweetest and tenderest of English poets, and then
say whether this is not the way that leads to happiness and
bliss.
"'Ah! I remember well (and how can I
But evermore remember well) when first
Our flame began; when scarce we knew what was
The flame we felt. When as we sat and sighed,
And looked upon each other, and conceived
Not what we ailed,--yet something we did ail;
And yet were well, and yet we were not well;
And what was our disease, we could not tell.
Then would we kiss, then sigh, then look; and thus,
In that first garden of our simpleness,
We spent our childhood. But when years began
To reap the fruit of knowledge, ah, how then
Would she with graver looks, with sweet, stern brow,
Check my presumption, and my forwardness;
Yet still would give me flowers, still would me show
What she would have me, yet not have me know.'
"Falling in love, and running in love, are, as everybody
knows, common enough, and yet less so than what I shall call
catching love. Where the love itself is imprudent, that is to
say, where there is some just, prudential cause or impediment
why the two parties should not be joined together in holy
matrimony, there is culpable imprudence in catching it,
because danger is always to be apprehended, which may have
been avoided."
It is plain to be seen, our Prophet did not walk into love,--he did not
run into it. He caught it, as a man catches the measles. It broke out,
and showed itself all over, in smiles, bows, and sweet honeyed tones. It
is also plain that he should not have caught it. Had he not the charming
Amelia, dear Emeline, sweet Lucy, pretty Twiss, his darling Lucy No. 2,
poetic Eliza, meek Zina, and his dear, dear Jemima, Martha, Ellen,
Susan, Hattie, etc., etc. How could any man, much less a prophet, wish
for more?
But he said to himself, "I have not a French lady in the family to teach
my daughters that charming language. I have no _prima donna_ to conduct
their musical education. Then my last love--my pretty, naughty,
bewitching Amelia--is so cross and fitful, she leads me such a crazy
life, she frets and scolds, and I cannot drown her voice, even with my
'sacred fiddle.' [He had frequently boasted that with his violin he
could put a stop to the scolding of any of his women.]
"Then my French lady is accomplished. She can receive my foreign guests.
She is so clever, that she can assist me in my business projects and
plans; and if she should prove unkind,--which God grant she may
not,--and if her sweet lips should scold, I should have a great
advantage,--_I could not understand her_. Then her name,--Selima! How
poetical. None of my wives have such a poetical name. With her in my
Harem, I could rival the Sultan himself. Yes, sweet, adored Selima, _you
shall be mine_. You shall be the high priestess of my affections, and
all my common women shall serve you."
The Prophet plead his suit, but Selima was like stone. He had a young
man in his employ who dared to love Selima. The rival lovers met face to
face. The Prophet was furious,--"She is not for you, sir, she is not for
you. Leave my service, and never dare to aspire to that young lady's
hand again."
Alas, that love so devoted, so pure and disinterested as Brigham's,
should fail to be rewarded by the object of its choice. But no sooner
had the poor singing-master, for such he was, left the Territory for
California, than another rival appeared in the field,--a California
volunteer,--a dangerous rival; one who would not fear to follow up any
advantage he might gain over his spiritual competitor.
To destroy the romance of the whole story, Selima, charming but
sensible Selima, becoming disgusted with the whole affair, soon after
left for Switzerland again, leaving her lovers to settle the matter
among themselves.
For once in his life, Brigham Young was foiled, and that by a woman.
CHAPTER XII.
POLYGAMY.
Condition of Woman among various Heathen Nations.--Influence
of Christianity.--Mormonism and Woman.--Brigham offers to set
the Women Free.--Arguments in Favor of Polygamy.--The Argument
against it.--Abraham and Sarah.--Appeal to Mormon Women.--
Their Unhappy Condition.--Evil Effects of the System.--
Illustrations.
Woman is looked upon and treated by all heathen nations as an inferior
being, created for the convenience and comfort of man.
"According to the ancient Rabbis, the rib which had been taken
from Adam, was laid down for a moment, and in that moment a
monkey came and stole it, and ran off with it, full speed. An
angel pursued, and though not in league with the monkey, he
could have been no good angel; for, overtaking him, he caught
him by the tail, brought it maliciously back instead of the
rib, and out of that tail was woman made. What became of the
rib with which the monkey got clear off 'was never to mortal
known.'
"The Hungarians think it infamous to be governed by a
woman,--and when the crown fell to a female, they called her
King Mary instead of Queen.
"Aristotle calls woman a monster, and Plato makes it a
question whether she ought not to be ranked among irrational
creatures.
"Mahomet, too, was not the only person who has supposed that
women have no souls. Among the Afghans, twelve young women
were given as compensation for the slaughter of one man. Six
for cutting off a hand, an ear, or a nose; three for breaking
a tooth, and one for a wound of the scalp. By the laws of the
Venetians, and of certain other Oriental people, the testimony
of two women was made equivalent to that of one man.
"According to the Brahmins, the widow who burns herself with
the body of her husband, will, in her next state, be born a
male; but the widow who refuses to make the self-sacrifice,
will never be anything better than a woman, let her be born
again as often as she may."
The Jew begins his public prayer with a thanksgiving to his Maker for
not having made him a woman. The Moors do not allow women to enter their
mosques or places of worship.
Mussulmen hold that there is a separate paradise for women, considering
them unworthy to occupy the same as the men, except such beautiful women
as are assigned to the male occupants as a reward for a virtuous and
religious life on earth. "Sit not in the midst of women," said the son
of Sirach, in his wisdom; "for from garments cometh a moth, and from
women wickedness."
"It is a bad thing," said Augustine, "to look upon a woman, a worse to
speak to her, and to touch her, worst of all." John Bunyan thanked God
that he had made him shy of the women. "The common salutation of women,
I abhor," said he, "their company alone, I cannot away with." "Look at
the very name woman," says another author, "it evidently means woe to
man, because by woman was woe brought into the world."
The Turk does not exclude woman from his heaven, but she is there only
to minister to his passions and wants. She bears to his lips the golden
goblet, filled with the nectar of the gods.
The Indian hunter believes his squaw, as well as his faithful dog, will
bear him company to those shadowy hunting-grounds beyond the dark river.
Among all these heathen and degraded nations, polygamy has prevailed.
Among them all, woman has been but the slave of the stronger sex. Her
feelings have been outraged, her spirit crushed, and her heart broken;
or, which is still worse, her nature has become imbruted and insensible
to all the finer feelings and nobler impulses of her sex.
But behold the day-star from on high, the lowly Jesus. He came to bring
deliverance to the captive, to let the oppressed go free. No longer is
woman to be degraded and despised. The holy covenant of marriage which
Moses, by reason of the hardness of their hearts, permitted the Jews to
break, was henceforth to be kept inviolate. "It hath been said,
whosoever shall put away _his wife_, let him give her a writing of
divorcement. But I say unto you, that whosoever shall put away _his
wife_, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit
adultery; and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced, committeth
adultery." And again,--"For this cause shall a man leave father and
mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and _they twain_ shall be one
flesh."
The position of woman, and her duties in life, are well defined in the
New Testament Scriptures. If married, she is to direct her household
affairs, raise up children, be subject unto her husband, and use all due
benevolence toward him; but his duties are equally well defined. He must
love his wife, even as Christ loved his church and gave himself for it;
and the fourth verse of the seventh chapter of Corinthians distinctly
states that the rights and duties of the marriage relation should be
reciprocal, granting no exclusive privilege to either. Is not this
reciprocity necessarily and entirely destroyed, when the husband brings
other wives into the family?
In the face of the direct and positive teachings of Jesus and his
Apostles, the "Latter-Day Saints" of Utah, or rather their leaders, have
instituted the heathenish and horrible practice of polygamy. And to add
to the blasphemy of the scheme, it is all done in the name of the Lord.
In this nineteenth century, they have reduced women to the heathen and
Jewish standard.
Foremost in the ranks of their oppressors stands Brigham Young.
Following in the footsteps of Mohammed, he declares that women have no
souls,--that they are not responsible beings, that they cannot save
themselves, nor be saved, except through man's intervention. To be
saved, a woman must be "sealed" to a good man,--he can save her; or, if
he does not, her sins will be upon his head. Under this system, woman
was created expressly for the glory of man; hence the more women and
children a man has, the more glory.
This doctrine is openly put forth in the most disgusting form.
Said Brigham, in a public discourse, Sept 20th, 1856,--
"It is the duty of every righteous man and woman to prepare
tabernacles for all the spirits they can; hence if my women
leave, I will go and search up others who will abide the
celestial law, and let all I now have go where they please."
And in accordance with the same view, he publicly proclaimed that after
a certain day which he named, all of his women who were dissatisfied
should be free to leave him. The following is his language:--
"Now for my proposition: it is more particularly for my
sisters, as it is frequently happening that women say that
they are unhappy. Men will say,--'My wife, though a most
excellent woman, has not seen a happy day since I took my
second wife.' 'No, not a happy day for a year,' says one; and
another has not seen a happy day for five years. It is said
that women are tied down and abused; that they are misused,
and have not the liberty that they ought to have; that many of
them are wading through a perfect flood of tears, because of
the conduct of some men, together with their own folly.
"I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say
is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here
to tell their sisters,--yes, all the women of this
community,--and then write it back to the States, and do as
you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to
the 6th day of October next (the day the semi-annual
Conference was to meet) for reflection, that you may determine
whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I
am going to set every woman at liberty, and say to them,'Now
go your way,--my women with the rest,--go your way.' And my
wives have got to do one of two things: either round up their
shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live
their religion, or they may leave, for I will not have them
about me. I will go into heaven alone, rather than have
scratching and fighting around me. I will set all at liberty.
'What, first wife too?' Yes, I will liberate you all. I know
what my women will say. They will say, 'You can have as many
women as you please, Brigham.' But I want to go somewhere, and
do something to get rid of the whiners."[219:A]
It does not appear that these unhappy women availed themselves of this
opportunity of getting rid of their misery, by being cast off upon the
world, in an Indian country, nearly a thousand miles from civilization.
It may seem very strange, that so many women are led into the snare of
polygamy. The most specious arguments are advanced, and inducements held
out, by the wicked and designing leaders of the Mormon Church, to blind
and deceive unsuspecting and simple-minded women. They are told that
"the laws of Christendom differ widely from those of the other three
fourths of the whole family of man;" that they are the laws and
practices of "a wicked and perverse generation," and differ also from
the doctrines taught in the Bible. It is a noticeable fact that the
Bible is only quoted on the subject of polygamy. On all other topics,
the books of Mormonism are used. These being, as already shown, adverse
to their favorite institution, resort is had to the Old Testament
Scriptures.
Abraham is constantly cited as the great exemplar and pattern. It is
urged that the family order observed by him is the order established
among celestial beings, in the celestial world. That God sanctioned the
practice, and is himself a polygamist.
That many virtuous and high-minded women should infinitely prefer to
unite their fortunes to _one_ good man, rather than to have each a
wicked husband who could bring her no exaltation in another world.
"Shall such virtuous and innocent females, though they may be poor, and
low in the scale of fortune's partial smiles,--shall they be denied the
right to choose the objects of their love? Must they, through the
operation of hideously contracted laws, be virtually doomed to resort to
infamous prostitution, entailing disease, infamy, and death upon
themselves and their offspring, or to marry an inferior grade of
corrupt, vicious men,--debauchees, gluttons, drunkards, and idlers,--or
remain in perpetual celibacy, and frustrate the designs of their
creation, and violate the first and foremost command of God,--to
multiply and replenish the earth?"
They are pointed to Jacob, also, who had several wives, and who was the
father of the twelve patriarchs, after whom all the tribes of Israel
were named. From one of these wives, Christ himself lineally descended.
Various other instances are cited from the Jewish
Scriptures,--especially the fact that the Lord gave unto David some of
the wives of Saul. "Hereby we learn that God himself gives many wives to
those who are faithful, _and takes them away from transgressors_." The
faith of Abraham was indorsed by Christ and his Apostles, and those who
have the same faith are called heirs of the promise. Hence an effort is
made to bring the New Testament also to the support of polygamy,
notwithstanding it is so plainly condemned in that volume. Indeed, it is
unblushingly asserted that not only the Apostles but Christ himself
practised polygamy! "The grand reason," said J. M. Grant, one of the
First Presidency, in a discourse delivered in the Tabernacle in Great
Salt Lake City, "why the gentiles and philosophers of that school
persecuted Jesus Christ, was because he had so many wives. There were
Elizabeth and Mary, and a host of others, who followed him."
To Abraham and Sarah was the promise made--"In thee and in thy seed,
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The sisters are called
upon to follow the example of Sarah, and to give plural wives to their
husbands, even as Sarah gave Hagar unto Abraham. "If you suffer with her
(Sarah) you shall reign with her. You shall be heirs of the same
promise, and crowned with glory in the celestial world."
By these specious arguments and falsehoods, are thousands lured on to
their destruction. Oh! could this volume reach the eye of all such,--as
it surely will of many,--to them I appeal to examine carefully the
foundation of the system to which they are committing themselves. To
them I respectfully and earnestly submit some considerations and facts
worthy of their serious attention, before they enter irretrievably upon
their own ruin.
Polygamy, or plurality, so called, is not only contrary to the laws of
our country, which we are all in duty bound to uphold and obey, but it
is adverse to the genius of our free institutions, and is, moreover,
contrary to the laws and instincts of our nature, and to the suggestions
of a sound reason.
In the first place, is polygamy reasonable or natural?
In pursuing this inquiry, the first fact that stares us in the face is
the equality in the numbers of the male and female sexes, in all
countries, and in all ages of the world. If polygamy were the natural
relation between the sexes, the number of females born into the world
would far exceed the number of males. So far from that being the case,
there is a larger number of males, and the excess about equal to the
greater loss of life, among males, by wars and accidents; thus leaving a
substantial equality in the numbers of those living.
The following figures will show the number of males and females in the
United States, at the close of each of the last five decades:--
Excess of Per cent.
Year. Males. Females. Males. of Excess.
1820 4,898,127 4,740,004 158,123 3.2
1830 6,529,696 6,336,324 193,372 3
1840 8,688,532 8,380,921 307,611 3.5
1850 11,837,661 11,354,215 483,446 4.1
1860 16,086,059 15,359,021 727,038 4.5
Thus it will be seen, that nature has made no provision for the practice
of polygamy in this country. On the contrary, there has continually been
an excess of the male population. This fact is owing, in part, to the
large excess of males in the immigration from foreign countries.
Let us pursue this subject a little farther. In 1851, the population of
Great Britain and Ireland was,--males, 13,537,052; females, 14,082,814.
Excess of females, 3 per cent. But emigration, and the heavy wars in
which that country had been engaged, had been draining off the male
population for many years previous.
In Prussia, in 1849, there were then living,--males, 8,162,805; females,
8,162,382.
The mortality of males is greater than that of females. To compensate
for this, more males are born.
In England, the excess of male births is 5 per cent.; in France and
Russia, 6 per cent.; in the United States, from 5 to 12 per cent.,
according to the locality.
If, now, we turn our attention to the Territory of Utah, we shall find a
similar state of facts. By reference to the United States Census of
1850, it will appear that there was, at that time, an excess of males in
every county in the Territory, amounting, in the aggregate, to 712; the
total number of males being 6,046, and of females, 5,334. The national
census of 1860 shows the following result: males, 20,255,--females,
20,018.
There has always been, in this Territory, as there is in every new
country, a scarcity of females. No person, therefore, could take more
than one wife, without, as a necessary consequence, compelling some
other person to live without any.
This subject is placed in a still stronger light, by reference to the
report of the Territorial Superintendent of Common Schools, dated
January 14, 1863, and published in the "Deseret News," Vol. XII. No. 31.
By that report it appears that the number of boys between the ages of
six and eighteen, is greater than the number of girls between four and
sixteen, in every county in the Territory but one. The total, so far as
the Superintendent had been able to obtain reports, is as follows:--
Number of boys between six and eighteen 3950
Number of girls between four and sixteen 3662
----
Showing an excess of boys, to the number of 288
The thanks of the public are due to Mr. Campbell, for bringing to light
facts having so important a bearing on this subject.
Thus it will be seen that in this Territory, as well as in all other
parts of the country, has nature failed to make any provision for the
practice of polygamy. On the contrary, ever true to herself, even now,
after polygamy has been practised over ten years, during which time it
has been openly encouraged, nature is reëstablishing her own laws, and
maintaining the substantial equality in the numbers of the sexes; thus
placing the seal of condemnation on this practice, and saying, in the
plainest language, "Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman
have her own husband."
In considering whether polygamy is reasonable or natural, other
arguments present themselves.
This practice tends necessarily to the degradation of woman. Instead of
being a companion of man, socially his equal, sympathizing with his
moral and intellectual nature, and sharing in all his pursuits and
enjoyments, she becomes, under this system, merely the minister to his
passions and physical comfort, or the servant to assist in the increase
of his worldly store.
It is impossible that several women should live on terms of such
intimacy with the same man, all at the same time on a social equality
with him and with each other. The idea of plurality necessitates that of
subordination and inferiority. Rules must be established and observed,
to insure even the appearance of harmony. But this necessary assumption
of superiority and power, on the part of the man, at once mars, if it
does not destroy, all the finer and holier of the marriage relations.
The husband loses respect for her who sits at his feet, rather than by
his side. A full and perfect communion of thought and feeling ceases to
exist. A sense of inferiority on the part of the wife blunts her pride
and ambition, and renders her careless of intellectual and moral
progress, and insensible to many of the highest and noblest duties of
her sex. She gradually conforms herself to her position, however hard it
may be at first to do so, and thus her place in the social scale is
lowered.
It need scarcely be asked whether this is an evil. Both reason and
history answer the question plainly in the affirmative. In all ages of
the world, the most enlightened and prosperous nations have been those
who sought to refine and elevate woman by the practice of monogamy, or
the one-wife system. Witness Egypt, Greece, and Rome, among the ancient
nations; and among the moderns, the United States, Great Britain,
France, and other European countries.
A reference to those nations will also illustrate and prove the remark
already made, that the practice of polygamy is adverse to free
institutions. In all countries where the most freedom has prevailed, has
monogamy existed,--a coincidence so remarkable as to authorize the
deduction that the relation of cause and effect exists between these
facts. The love of home is intimately associated with the love of
country and of liberty, and whatever tends to refine and purify the
former will inevitably exalt and strengthen the latter.
Again: polygamy tends to destroy the unity and sanctity of home, by
permitting a man to have families in different places at the same time.
"The supposition," says an eminent jurist, "that a man can have two
domicils, would lead to the absurdest consequences." Hence such an idea
has always been rejected in courts of justice. And yet this very thing
is attempted in Utah, where it is not uncommon to have different
families of wives and children located sometimes many miles apart.
Indeed, one of the Twelve Apostles has families scattered all along
between Salt Lake City and the southern boundary of the Territory,--a
distance of over three hundred miles.
Polygamy requires a law of descent peculiar to itself, and this law,
differing, as it necessarily must, from that in force in all the
surrounding States and Territories, leads to endless difficulty and
confusion in the titles to property.
The evils of polygamy are aggravated by the fact that the consent of the
first wife is not made necessary to the union of the husband with
subsequent ones. The prevailing doctrine on this subject is
authoritatively stated in the following words:--
"When a man who has a wife, teaches her the law of God, as
revealed to the ancient patriarchs, and as manifested by new
revelation, and she refuses to give her consent for him to
marry another according to that law, then it becomes necessary
for her to state before the President the reasons why she
withholds her consent; if her reasons are sufficient and
justifiable, and the husband is found in the fault, or in
transgression, then he is not permitted to take any step in
regard to obtaining another. But if the wife can show no good
reason why she refuses to comply with the law which was given
unto Sarah of old, then it is lawful for her husband, if
permitted by revelation through the Prophet, to be married to
others without her consent, and he will be justified, and she
will be condemned, because she did not give them unto him, as
Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, and as Rachel and Leah gave
Bilhah and Zilpah to their husband Jacob."[225:A]
In the case last supposed, in the foregoing extract, if the marriage
ceremony is performed in the usual manner, the first wife is obliged to
stand between her husband and the hated bride, and falsely admit that
she gives her consent, when asked if she "is willing to give this woman
to her husband to be his lawful and wedded wife, for time and for all
eternity."
The result of such a state of things is what might be expected.
Jealousies, strifes, and heart-burnings arise, resulting in most cases
in the breaking-up of the family, or the casting-off of the less
congenial elements.
It is useless to deny these results. The facts are too patent to admit
of any dispute. The alarming frequency, and I may say recklessness, with
which divorces are applied for and granted, is a fact familiar to all,
and can only be traced to the causes just stated, unless, indeed, we
should--as I am unwilling to do--impute it to the promptings of caprice
and passion. Having resided in the Territory nearly two years, it would
be impossible for me, unless I had, in the mean time, shut my eyes to
what was going on around me, to be ignorant of the state of things to
which I have briefly alluded.
It has been urged as an argument in favor of polygamy, that it tends to
lessen the evils of prostitution. Even if this were true, the argument
would have no validity, if at the same time that this evil is abated or
suppressed, others are introduced, more serious, lasting, and
wide-spread in their influence upon society, our country, and the world.
But it never has been clearly shown that polygamy has such an effect.
The argument is made by comparing the most favorable localities where
polygamy prevails with the most unfavorable monogamic districts; for
instance, with the large cities of the United States. But it remains to
be seen what condition any one of those cities would be in, with
polygamy in full blast; and until it be shown that its condition would
be improved, the argument remains of but little force.
Another argument in favor of polygamy, perhaps worthy of notice, is,
that it tends to a more rapid increase of population. Admitting the
object is a desirable one, it has not been shown that it can be attained
in that way. As has been remarked by an able writer, the question is,
not whether ten men would not have more children by forty women than by
ten; but whether the forty women would not have more children, each
woman having "her own husband."
Some other reasons have been given in justification of polygamy, which I
consider too absurd to require even a passing notice.
In a former chapter, the so-called Revelation on Celestial Marriage has
been given, and it was there shown that polygamy was an innovation upon
the Mormon religion.
I desire now to call the attention of the women of Utah to a few
observations on the nature of this pretended revelation, and the
circumstances under which it was given to the world.
1. It was, even if given as assumed, kept secret for nine years.
Polygamy was privately practised by the leaders of the church for
several years, during which time, according to Brigham's admission, it
was not "preached by the Elders," and was therefore studiously concealed
from new converts. Indeed, not only was it "not preached," but it was
strongly denounced during the same period.
On the first of February, 1844, the following notice appeared in the
"Times and Seasons," the church organ, published at Nauvoo.
"NOTICE.
"As we have lately been credibly informed, that an Elder of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, by the name
of Hiram Brown, has been preaching Polygamy, and other false
and corrupt doctrines, in the County of Lapeer, and State of
Michigan:
"This is to notify him and the church in general, that he has
been cut off from the church for his iniquity; and he is
further notified to appear at the Special Conference, on the
6th of April next, to make answer to these charges.
"JOSEPH SMITH,
"HYRUM SMITH,
"_Presidents of the Church_."[227:A]
This was seven months after the time when, according to Brigham Young
and his associates, the Revelation concerning Celestial Marriage had
been given to Smith. But here both Joseph and Hyrum Smith call polygamy
a "false and corrupt doctrine." Can any true follower of Smith, or
believer in his divine mission, believe for a moment, in the face of
this declaration, that Smith had received any revelation on the 12th of
July, 1843, sanctioning polygamy?
Again, six weeks later, Hyrum Smith wrote as follows:--
"NAUVOO, March 15, 1844.
"To the Brethren of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints, living on China Creek, in Hancock County, Greeting:
"Whereas, Brother Richard Hewett has called on me to-day, to
know my views concerning some doctrines that are preached in
your place, and states to me that some of your Elders say,
that a man _having a certain priesthood_, may have as many
wives as he pleases, and that doctrine is taught here; I say
unto you, that that man teaches _false doctrine_, for there is
no such doctrine taught here, neither is there any such thing
practised here; and any man that is found teaching privately
or publicly any such doctrine, is culpable, and will stand a
chance to be brought before the High Council, and lose his
license and membership also; therefore he had better beware
what he is about."[228:A]
Polygamy was condemned at the General Conferences of the European
churches, in England, during the year 1846, and subsequently.
In July, 1845, Parley P. Pratt, in the "Millennial Star," published at
Liverpool, had denounced the "Spiritual-Wife doctrine of J. C.
Bennett,"--which was one of the earliest manifestations of polygamy in
the church,--as a "doctrine of devils" and of "seducing spirits," using
this language: "It is but another name for whoredom, wicked and unlawful
connection, and every kind of confusion, corruption, and
abomination."[228:B]
In May, 1848, Orson Spencer, then editor of the "Star," used the
following language:--
"In all ages of the church truth has been turned into a
lie, and the grace of God converted into lasciviousness,
by men who have sought to make 'a gain' of godliness, and
feed their lusts on the credulity of the righteous and
unsuspicious. . . . Next to the long-hackneyed and bugaboo
whisperings of polygism, is another abomination that sometimes
shows its serpentine crests, which we shall call sexual
resurrectionism. . . . The doctrines of corrupt spirits are
always in close affinity with each other, whether they
consist in spiritual wife-ism, sexual resurrection, gross
lasciviousness, or the unavoidable separation of husbands and
wives, or the communism of property."[229:A]
In July, 1850, at a discussion held at Boulogne, France, John Taylor, a
well-known Mormon Apostle, when charged with the belief and practice of
this doctrine, said:--"We are accused here of polygamy, and actions the
most indelicate, obscene, and disgusting, such that none but a corrupt
and depraved heart could have contrived. These things are too outrageous
to admit of belief. Therefore, leaving the sisters of the 'White Veil,'
the 'Black Veil,' and all the other veils, with those gentlemen to
dispose of, together with their authors, as they think best, I shall
content myself by reading our views of chastity and marriage, from a
work published by us, containing some of the articles of our
faith."[229:B] He then read from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the
article on marriage, already quoted from.
Here we have the following facts:--
In 1830 the Mormon Church organized, and the Book of Mormon was
published, in which polygamy is strongly condemned.
In 1831, the same doctrine condemned, in a revelation to Joseph Smith,
which was afterward published in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants.
In July, 1843, the revelation in favor of polygamy, _said to have been
given_ to Joseph Smith.
In February, 1844, polygamy publicly denounced by Joseph and Hyrum
Smith.
In March, 1844, the same practice again denounced by Hyrum Smith.
In June, 1844, the death of Smith.
In 1845, the publication of the article on Marriage, in the Appendix to
the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, in which polygamy is called a
"crime," and is again strongly condemned and repudiated. The same year
the Spiritual-Wife doctrine of J. C. Bennett, denounced by P. P. Pratt,
in England.
In 1846, polygamy condemned at the Conferences of the European Mormon
churches in England.
In 1848, "polygism" and "sexual resurrectionism" severely denounced in
the "Millennial Star," published in Liverpool.
In 1850, polygamy denounced and repudiated by Apostle John Taylor, in
France.
And yet, in the face of all these facts, in 1852, we have the same
doctrine publicly given to the church, accompanied by the announcement,
that it had been believed and practised by the church for many years.
Now, it will not be pretended by any one, that polygamy was any part of
the Mormon religion previous to 1843.
Take, then, the period from 1843 to 1852. How was it during those nine
years? Which shall be taken as evidence of what was the teaching of the
Mormon religion, on that subject, during that time? The Book of Doctrine
and Covenants, the Notices published by Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the
declarations of Pratt and Spencer, the action of the churches in
England, and the assertions of Taylor in France, or the announcement
made in Great Salt Lake City in 1852? Are we not, at least, as much
authorized to take the former as the latter?
If the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, the writings of Joseph and Hyrum,
the continued and persistent declarations of the Mormon leaders, and the
action of the Mormon churches be taken, then polygamy was no part of
Mormonism up to 1852. And if not previous to that time, it was not
afterward, for Young did not pretend to give it at that time as a new
revelation, but rested the doctrine entirely on the revelation said to
have been given to Joseph in 1843.
2. A singular feature of this revelation is, that in it God is made
expressly to contradict what he is represented as having said in the
Book of Mormon.
According to the Book of Mormon, as already quoted, God said the
polygamy and concubinage of David and Solomon were abominable before
him. The following is the language: "Behold David and Solomon truly had
many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith
the Lord."
This was the testimony of the Almighty, as to the manner in which he
viewed the conduct of David and Solomon, up to July, 1843, when he is
represented in this revelation as indorsing those very acts which, in
the Book of Mormon, he had so strongly condemned.
3. Again: This revelation classes Isaac and Moses with Abraham, Jacob,
David, and Solomon, as polygamists; when in fact neither Isaac nor Moses
ever practised polygamy. How could the All-wise Being make such a
mistake?
4. The most remarkable circumstance connected with this revelation
remains to be considered,--It was in direct contradiction to the laws of
the land.
At that time, July 12, 1843, Smith resided at Nauvoo, Illinois, and was,
of course, together with all the other inhabitants of that city,
amenable to the laws of Illinois.
The following statute was then in force in that State, the same having
been passed February 12, 1833:--
"SEC. 121. Bigamy consists in the having of two wives or two
husbands at one and the same time, knowing that the former
husband or wife is still alive. If any person or persons
within this State, being married, or who shall hereafter
marry, do at any time marry any person or persons, the former
husband or wife being alive, the person so offending shall, on
conviction thereof, be punished by a fine not exceeding one
thousand dollars, and imprisonment in the penitentiary not
exceeding two years." [The remainder of this section relates
to evidence, and prescribes certain exemptions.]
"SEC. 122. If any man or woman, being unmarried, shall
knowingly marry the husband or wife of another, such man or
woman shall, on conviction, be fined not more than five
hundred dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year."[232:A]
In the face of this law, which was then in full force, the revelation to
Smith declares: "If any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse
another, and the first give her consent; and if he espouse the second
and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he
justified."[232:B] Thus justifying the violation of both sections of the
law. People may well hesitate, before believing in the authenticity of
such a revelation.
Here, again, God is made to contradict himself; for not only in the
Christian but in the Mormon Bible, He is represented as enjoining upon
His disciples to obey the laws and civil authorities. The Book of Mormon
abounds in such teachings. The Book of Doctrine and Covenants is to the
same effect:--
"We believe that every man should be honored in his station;
rulers and magistrates as such being placed for the protection
of the innocent and the punishment of the guilty; and that to
the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them
peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and
terror."[232:C]
Here, again, I may quote from Mr. Orson Pratt, whose writings have been
freely used, as of high authority in "the church."
"Would it be right for the Latter Day Saints to marry a
plurality of wives in any of the States or Territories, or
nations, where such practices are prohibited by the laws of
man? We answer, No; it would not be right; for we are
commanded to be subject to the powers that be."[233:A]
Since, then, it was not right to violate the laws of the land, then in
force in Illinois on this subject, how came God to give a revelation
sanctioning such a violation of the State law? And that too, without
making, in the revelation, the least allusion to the law which was to be
so grossly violated?
Again: Who was authorized to keep this revelation secret, no secrecy
being enjoined in the revelation itself?
But enough concerning this extraordinary document. It seems strange,
indeed, that any reasonable man or woman can look upon this so-called
revelation, announced under such suspicious circumstances, and involved
in so many contradictions, as a sufficient authority or excuse for the
establishment of a custom which would overturn our most cherished social
institutions, and throw us at once back thousands of years in
civilization.
The conclusion would not be changed if it were admitted that the
doctrine of celestial marriage is a part of the Mormon religion; for
that has nothing to do with polygamy. On the contrary, this doctrine is
expressly founded upon the relation between Adam and Eve before the
fall. The following is the language:--
"The first marriage we have on record is that of our first
parents. . . . Here was a marriage in which the Lord in person
officiated,--a marriage between two immortal beings. . . . He
joined them in one, as one flesh, to be indissolubly united,
while eternal ages should roll on, or God himself endure. . . .
Did death tear asunder husband and wife, divorce that which
God had joined together as 'one flesh,' immortal and eternal
in its nature? The atonement of Christ will repair the breach,
will restore the immortal Eve to the immortal Adam, will join
them again as one flesh, never more to be separated, and will
again let the lawful husband enjoy the society of his lawful
wife. . . .
"Therefore, if the children have been married for eternity, as
well as for time, by the authority of God, the same as their
first parents were, they will, with them, raise up, after the
resurrection, an endless posterity of immortal beings. . . .
But those who do not, in this life, enter into the eternal
covenant of marriage, after the pattern set by the first
immortal pair, can never obey the first great command."[234:A]
The foregoing extracts convey a very intelligible idea of this doctrine;
and from them it will be seen it is founded entirely upon the relation
between Adam and Eve. Those who would enjoy the blessings of celestial
marriage, must, "in this life, enter into the eternal covenant of
marriage, after the pattern set by the first immortal pair." What was
that pattern? Adam and Eve were monogamists. Adam lived with the wife of
his youth, and had no other, for nine hundred and thirty years, and
according to Pratt, he is to live with the same woman, in the same
capacity, throughout all the ages of eternity. Surely he must be very
astute who can discover in this "pattern" any sanction for polygamy.
I might enlarge, indefinitely, upon the arguments against polygamy. I
might go into the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and show that it had
been, in many ways, condemned by the Almighty. That not only had Adam
been limited to one wife at the creation, but when the world was
destroyed by a flood, one wife only to each man was taken into the
ark;--that God blessed Abraham's posterity through the issue of his
first and lawful wife, and in order to do that, worked a miracle upon
Sarah; thus sanctioning monogamy in the strongest manner possible. I
might refer to the warning of Malachi: "Take heed to your spirit, and
let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth." I might refer
to the fact that Lamech, the first polygamist, was a murderer; and that
the most prominent polygamists of old were men guilty of the most
heinous crimes. And turning from the Old Testament to the New, I might
quote the words of Paul,--"To avoid fornication, let every man have his
own wife, and let every woman have her own husband;" and the words of
Christ,--"From the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to
his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh."
But I choose to pass over all these things, and for my present purpose
rest the moral character of this practice upon the assertion, already
quoted from the Book of Mormon, that the polygamy and concubinage of
David and Solomon were abominable before God. No Mormon can gainsay this
testimony.
In conclusion, to review what has been said. I have endeavored to show
that polygamy is unreasonable, and contrary to the plain provisions and
teachings of Nature; that it tends to degrade woman, and to confuse and
break up the family relation, thus weakening the attachment to home and
country. Other evils consequent upon this system have been pointed out.
The arguments by which it is supported have been examined, and have been
shown to be weak or invalid.
A word further as to the case of Abraham and Sarah. Did God sanction the
polygamy of Abraham?
"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bare him no children; and she had a handmaid,
an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, 'Behold
now the Lord hath restrained me from bearing; I pray thee go in unto my
maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.'" From this it
appears that Sarah, and not God, was the author of Abraham's polygamy.
She had lost all hope of having children herself, and was willing to
adopt those of her handmaid. Hagar being her slave, she intended to own
her children. She soon, however, perceived her fatal error. Hagar wished
to assume the rights and privileges of a wife. This Sarah would not
listen to for a moment.
Hagar despised her mistress, and Sarah appealed to Abraham. Abraham
said, "Behold thy maid is in thy hand, do unto her as it pleaseth
thee." "And Sarah dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face."
Isaac was born. The son of Hagar was seen mocking, and Sarah desired
Abraham to cast him out. "And the thing was grievous in Abraham's sight,
because of his son. And God said unto Abraham, 'Let it not be grievous
in thy sight, because of the lad, and because of thy bond-woman; in all
that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; _for in Isaac
shall thy seed be called_.'"
Again: "God tempted Abraham, saying, 'Take now thy son, thine _only
son_, Isaac,'" &c. And again: "Thou hast not withheld thy son, _thine
only son_." For this reason God blessed Abraham, and said, "In blessing
I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the
stars of the heaven, or the sands on the sea-shore;" but, "in Isaac
shall thy seed be called."
God thus plainly and unequivocally condemned Abrahamic polygamy, refused
to recognize Ishmael as a legitimate son, and disinherited him. He
thence went forth, as a cast-out bastard, whose "hand was against every
man, and every man's hand against him."
Sisters in Israel! You are told that Sarah is the mother and pattern for
all women. She is held up as a bright example of conjugal loyalty and
faith for females--wives and mothers--of all ages. Follow, then, her
example. If through a mistaken faith and false doctrines, you have been
induced to give mistresses to your husbands, turn them from you; purify
your homes, as Sarah did, and the same God who blessed her will bless
you, and multiply your children.
Sisters in Israel! If you have been led astray by wicked and designing
men, and have been caught in their snares, arise, and by the help of the
Lord your God, break the bonds of wickedness, and go forth and purify
yourselves by fasting and prayer; and the God who blessed Hagar in the
wilderness will bless you, and show you a fountain, even the blood of
Christ, which will cleanse you from all sin.
May God guide and direct the afflicted women of Utah, and speedily
deliver them from their thraldom.
The practical working of polygamy is what might be expected from a
system the fundamental principles of which are in direct opposition to
the laws of God and man.
A few instances and illustrations will be given, from among a thousand
which might be adduced to show the unhappiness and misery it entails
upon all parties concerned, and especially upon those females who are so
unfortunate as to be drawn into it.
A Mr. Cushion was engaged to be married to Miss Susan McBride, when he
was taken sick and died. He had been a great favorite of Heber C.
Kimball, Second President of the Church, who desired he should be saved
and glorified in another world. But to that end, he must have a family.
Accordingly Heber visited Miss McBride, and urged her to marry the man
whom she had loved, _by proxy_; explaining to her that it was a
religious duty which she owed to her affianced husband. The poor girl,
puzzled and troubled, and desirous of being in the society of the loved
one, and contributing to his happiness in the next world, consented.
Heber then applied to Robert T. Burton, and induced him to marry the
girl. Burton is the Sheriff of Salt Lake County, and Collector of
Internal Revenue for the United States Government! He is a fit
instrument to carry out any scheme of the heads of the church, and
required but little inducement to undertake this one. The poor girl was
thus disposed of, by being sealed to Cushion for eternity, and to
Burton, as his third wife, for time. She was taken home, and domiciled
with the other two.
These worthy matrons were not pleased with the appearance of a new wife,
and claiming their rights as the only real wives, who had been sealed to
their husband both for time and eternity, resolved at once to make it
exceedingly uncomfortable for the new-comer. This they did effectually,
and Susan's life was a very unhappy one. But time passed on, and she
became the mother of several children.
Susan was not allowed equal privileges with the other two. She had but
one small room, in which she cooked, ate, slept, and spun, while the
other two had splendid chambers and parlors,--for Burton is wealthy.
When she complained to Burton, he said,--"Susan, you know I have only
married you for time, and you must not expect the same privileges which
I grant to my other wives, who are married for eternity, and who will
exalt and glorify me in the celestial kingdom. You ought to be thankful
for what you do receive, and not fret about my other wives."
The first wife takes control of Susan's children, in contradiction to
the entire theory of this complex and unnatural relationship, and the
mother is frequently obliged to see them severely punished, and suffer
in silence. One day the first wife's boys and one of Susan's were in the
barn, doing some mischief. The first wife went out and commanded the
boys to come away. Her own boys ran past unharmed, but when Susan's boy,
the youngest of the three, came out, she caught him, beat him, threw him
on the ground, and kicked him.
This is but one of many instances, where women are living in this way,
being married to one man for time, and sealed to another for eternity.
This narrative was given me by one who had lived in the family for
several months, and saw and heard what is herein stated.
A coarseness of feeling and sentiment, scarcely credible, is another
result of this state of society. Kimball one day met a Mr. Taussig, a
Prussian brother. "Brother Taussig," he said, "are you doing well?"
"Yes, sir," was the reply. "Then you do well for the church too," said
the Second President; "how many women have you?" "Two, sir." "That is
not enough; you must take a couple more. I'll send them to you. Do you
hear?" "Yes, sir." On the following evening, when the brother returned
home, he found two women sitting there. His first wife said: "Brother
Taussig," (all the women call their husbands "brother,") "these are the
sisters Pratt." They were two widows of Parley P. Pratt. One of the
_ladies_, Sarah, then said: "Brother Taussig, Brother Kimball told us to
call on you, and you know what for." "Yes, ladies," replied Brother
Taussig, "but it is a very hard task for me to marry two." The other
remarked, "Brother Kimball told us that you were doing a very good
business, and could support more women." Sarah then took up the
conversation: "Well, Brother Taussig, I want to get married, anyhow."
The good brother replied, "Well, ladies, I will see what I can do, and
let you know."
The next day, Brother Taussig visited the Bishop, and effected a
compromise. By marrying Sarah he was released from the other. After he
had lived awhile with the three wives, Sarah became dissatisfied, and
applied to Brother Brigham for a divorce. Brother Taussig was summoned
before the President, and made but feeble resistance to the application,
admitting that he could not properly maintain more than two wives. The
divorce was granted, and Brother Taussig was called upon by the clerk
for $10. For not having the money, he received a cursing from the clerk,
and Sarah was retained in the royal presence, with the assurance that it
was "no divorce," until the money was brought in. Brother Taussig went
on to the street, borrowed it, and brought it into the office,--and thus
ended this disgusting serio-comic conjugal farce.[239:A]
Other incidents are more serious in their nature. One of them, which
came to my knowledge, would be too horrible to relate, were not the
facts well authenticated.
An old man, a brewer by occupation, married a young girl, as a second
wife. The husband and the first wife abused her shamefully. Finally,
after a long course of ill-treatment, the husband descended to the level
of the brute. On one occasion, which was but a few days after her
confinement, exasperated by her refusal to yield to his wishes, he
dragged her out of bed by the hair, took her down cellar, and kept her
there several days and nights, upon bread and water, until her cries and
entreaties were overheard by persons in the Overland Stage-Office, which
was near by. The matter was investigated, and the poor and almost dying
woman released from the clutches of the fiend. She was taken violently
ill, and soon after lost her reason entirely.
No notice was taken of this transaction by the church authorities, and
the inhuman husband went unpunished.
Wife-whipping is by no means uncommon in Utah. Many names might be
mentioned of men of high standing in the church, who make no scruple of
using personal violence to keep their wives in due subordination. It is
a common saying, that a man who is good at managing cattle, will be able
to manage his women.
One would suppose that it would be very difficult to induce women to go
into "plurality" under such circumstances. On the contrary, so
infatuated are they with the religious view of the subject, that many of
them look upon it as a duty to be performed, and a cross to be borne, no
matter at what sacrifice.
One of the sisters, in conversation with me, expressed her views upon
polygamy as follows: "Oh, it is hard," she said, "very hard; but no
matter, we must bear it. It is a correct principle, and there is no
salvation without it. We had one, (meaning a plural wife,) but it was so
hard, both for my husband and myself, that we could not endure it, and
she left us at the end of seven months. She had been with us as a
servant, several months, and was a good girl; but as soon as she was
made a wife, she became insolent, and told me she had as good a right to
the house and things as I had, and you know," she said, "that didn't
suit very well. But," continued she, "I wish we had kept her, and I had
borne everything, _for we have got to have one_, and don't you think it
would be pleasanter to have one you had known, than a stranger?" I told
her I thought it would, if it had to be done, but I hoped my husband
would not take one. She said, "He'll have to do it, if you and he want
to be saved."