Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-07-01
Mormon Fanaticism....Lctters
from Il Mormon Woman to her
Parents in New JERSEY.


man in Salt Lake City, addressed to he
parents in New jersey, has been handed (,
the New York Times for publication.
was written on the eve of departure from
Salt Lake City for the Southern settle
ments, and is curiously descriptive of til,
writer's unbounded faith in Mornonism
and her natural regrets at leaving her home
GREAT SALT LAKE CRY,
| May, 1858.
My DEAR FATHER AND MornER:-l
feel that | must write you another lettel
before leave my home, as do not know
when or where may get another opportu
nifty of writing to You. 1 suppose you
have heard by this time, through your pa.
pers, that aoe are leaving Mis beautiful
ualiey to go we know not whittier.
When first my beloved husband announ.
ced to me that it was decided that we
should leave, felt pang at my heart
| looked out at my little flower garden, the
work of our own hands, and then around
me, inside of my little cottage, on the few
little comforts which we had accumulated
through hard labor, then sauntered into
the little room which l had prepared for
your reception this season. l must aban-
don them all, and the hope of meeting
father and mother and the rest of the fam
lily. And last, but not least, 1 looked up
on our little ones, and my grief knew no
bounds. In my rebellious heart I felt to
say, cannot expose my little ones to the
trials of n wandering life, and nh, horror !!
perhaps the scalping- knife of the Indians,
for we know that the soldiers are bribing
them. 1 fancy l can hear you both say,
"Is not Mormonism worth all these sacrifi-
ces, and even our lives?" Yes, my dear
father and mother, it is. But you know
how very fond ofhome / am, and my love
for my husband and children knows no
bounds; and felt that to see those dear
ones suffering again, as l did before we had
home, was more than my strength could
bear but this was the struggle of a few hours
only. When began to reflect upon my
conduct, l felt truly ashamed of my weak
ness. How often had !, in bearing my tes-
timony, said that l was willing to make
any sacrifice for the work of the Lord, and
and when he was going to put nc to the
test, should l turn like a coward and say,
81 cannot do it?" And then my rebellious
heart would turn again and say, "Is not it
your own house and lands did you not toll
hard enough to get its did YOU not sell all
your trinkets, clothing-cvery thing, in fact
that you possessed, to get the adobes to
build it? and why should you give it up
to band of robbers, or, in other terms to
President Buchanan's troops, which are the
samc?"
But still 1 struggled and conquered. /
then made up my mind that if had 10
die, it should be in tho path of duty; and
and when my husband returned in the
evening, I could talk calmly to him of prep
arations for our departure. next thought
that rs was now so strong, it was my du-
ty to 90 and see Ellen and James; but
what was my surprise, on reaching their
house, to find them all ready to start, and
when l asked Ellen if sho did not feel
little bad at leaving her home, for you
know that she had one of the most COM
forlable in the yalley,) she said, with a
smile, "These things are not ours; they
are the Lords, and if he requires me to leave
them, l am ready" am sure you will
think her most noble woman, as I do.
Where we are going, l
know not but this do know, that if it
were not for our own ultimate good, we
should not be permitted to leave these val
leys. N'--'af 1.'.stf 7f
Go where you will, you will see the St.'s
making cheerful preparations for their de-
parture, and word of comfort on their
lips for their neighbors; Notwithstanding
which, n keen observer might perceive a
tear glistening in the eye of some of the
stoutest among us. We have enough to
eat, and for that we are thankful. Our
clothing is nearly all WON out, and it is
not possible to buy any more here. If we
had needed the counsel of Brother Brigham
a little sooner, we should now have had an
abundance of clothing; but we arc like
children; we have to learn by experience.
l think sometimes that if you might enjoy
hearty laugh at my expense, but, fortu-
nately for me, l have no mirror, and there
fore my own appearance does not annoy
Inc much. still have in my possession
an article for daily wear, which once bere
the appelation of ga Dress" but SO trans
formed is it that it would be difficult for
a causual observer to decide which was the
original dress piece. My husband also
wears coat of many eolors. AS for buy
ing shoes or stockings they are quite out Of
the question. We should have been out of
this unpleasant state, if our enemies would
only have left US alone, for we all began to
see the necessity of manufacturing our own
goods. We have already made some very
good flannel here. We have twelve sheep
of our own, two cows, three horses, two of
which were working on the farm; the 9th
er was my own private property, made n
present to me by my husband. I
A postscript to this letter, dated at an
encampment thirty-five miles from Salt
Lake City, adds.
We are now thirty-fyo miles from the
city, and living under our tents. l have
nothing particular to add, save that my
little Joseph is sick, but 1 have faith that
he will get well. We do not trouble about
him, nor about ourselves; we will all get
through our trouble some day. 1t is good
to feel that the Lord is for us, though men |
be against us. l am ,esigend to my fate.
1t is all for the best. ~-I-
Your affcctionate daughter, CIR.
A PIE PREPARATIoN AND "LAsT" |