Arkansas intelligencer., 1858-05-28
How the Women Suffer in Utah.
Correspondent Of the ~ Y. Times.
Leayenworth CITY, h T., April 20, '5S.

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which the means of subsistence for even an
ordinary family are very difficult TO be obtain
ed. Besides his general acquaintance with
the system, Mr. l.. refers especially to the
cases of hundred families or more with
which he was acquainted, some in which ma
ny wives of one man lived in the same house,
and other cases where each wife had little
place to herself aud family. jealousy and
contention among the women Is the rule ra-
ther than exception and female happiness Is
out Of the question in any house occupied by
two or more mistresses. The children Of po-
lygalnists are many Of them weakly, poor and
miserable. No provision whatever is made
for their education, and not few are seen
upon the streets half naked and starved
Surveyor General Burr has made the same
remark from actual observation. In 1855
aud 1856 the women suffered greatly. Be-
ing obliged TO shift for themselves, many of
them had to rely for subsistence upon roots
which they dug from the earth.
The subjection of women to the debasing
and disgusting practices of Mormonism, has
been reduced TO s. stem. The process is
directed from the beginning to the destruc-
ton of their delcacy and subyersion OF their
free agency, 50 that they may become the
merest slaves. They are told always that the
more wives a man has, the higher he and
they are exalted in the kingdom and the
greater will be their reward. by arguments
like these addressed to their religious super
stiton and faDatcisrn, aided in stubborn cases,
by few screws of the relentless vice of pow
erty, hunger and hopelessness, the instructive
shield of woman's decacy falls at last, and
she Is fitted for the sacrifice. They often re-
bel. but find at last 1t is useless TO resist
They frequently attempt to run away. But
whittier can they 90. Heoer &. kimballs
runaway wives are very frequently advertised
from the pulpit in the Tabernacle, and the
people warned not TO giye them shelter
or food. Subdued at last by starvation and
frantic with despair, sooner or later they are
compelled to re turn, humble themselves at
the feet Of their eXuitant lords, becoming now
more sIavishy obsdient and serye than be-
fore. All human affections and sympathies
are repelled among them. Each woman is
herself SO occupied with her own sad story,
that she has no sympathy for the others, or
none at least TO spare. They know that there
is no escape for them but in death, and that
avenue Is not unlrequently sought by suici-
dial hand.
Let US look into the house Of Elder Orson
Pratt, one of the twelve. You remember
that lie started for Utah in 1854, from New
\ lork, whore he had been publishing Nor
mon paper called 'IHe Seer" Mr.. Loba
crossed the plains at the same time. Pratt
had with hiln an interesting young ladv. his
sixth wife, whom he had found at the east
The kindest sttentoGs were bestowed upon
her during the journey and the Elder assur-
ed her Of a comfortable and happy home with
himself upCa her arrival in the valley. They
drove up ut last before the door at pratt's
house, which Is rather fine mansion; but
she was greatly disappointed upon learning
that she could not even haye the privilege Of
entering the house of the man 10 whom she
had been legally united in marriage. She
was shown to q small log house, with only
one room, one hundred yards distant for her
future home. Before leaving the mansion
she begged glass of water, but even this
she could not obtain from Mrs Pratt, senior.
Arrived at the log house, she found it occu-
pied already by four Mrs. Pratts, with thir-
teen children, all occupying the single room.
The poor girl died soon after with broken
heart.
Some time after this Mr. Lola visited both
these houses, IN which rs high Priest, he was
always welcome. IN the mansion he found
the first Mrs. Pratt comfortably established,
and surrounded by luIuries with her two sons,
eighteen and twenty years of age, stretched
out lazily upon the sofa. In the miserable
singh room Of the log horse lie found the
four remaining Mrs. Fratts, poor, squalid, sick
and wretched, with their thirteen little chill
dren. They told him that Pratt furnished
them with the house, but no means of sub.
sistence. They themselves fenced in the lot,
dug the soil and cultivated it, One of them.
mlliner and dressmaker, sometimes obtain
ed "A little corn meal in exchange for her work,
and thus they lived. They apo!ogized for
not offering Mr.. Lobs something to eat, but
declared that they had had no bread them
selves for several days. Orson Pratt stands
highest in the Mormon church at Salt Lake,
next to Brigham and his counseilors.
Iola"feers.-We learn by letter from