The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1859-09-14
Rirbmonh pispatrb.
MORNING. SEPT. IL, lss,
The Mormon Abomination.

The Mormon Abomination.
One OF the most graphic letters, detailing
the outrages by the Mormons in Utah, which
we have yet seen, appears in the Pniiadelphia
Christian Observer. 1t Is written from Camp
Floyd under date of July 9th:
The basest passions of the basest men hs sc
full scope of qualification in the name of re-
figion. In the name Of religion arson and
murder are committed. To save the souls of
men who have apostatized, their throats are
cut. If women refuse to become the second
fourth, or fortieth wife OF. some lustffl saint,
their throats, in many instances, have been
found cut in foul IN urder, and the report started
-"committed suicide for fear of the wrath of
God. All these and more are done in the
name OF the Lord, and by and with the advice
and consent OF the heads of the Church!
The Judge of this Judicialk District fthe lst,l }
informs me there are now over one hundred
and sixty murderers, many of them known
and acknowledged TO he such, running at
large, and in full communion with, and pro-
tected by, the Mormons--a large proportion OF
whom are Bishops and Elders, and other
church dignitaries. This is the district iE
which were committed the Mountain Mea-
dows murder. the Parishes, the Jones and
Forbes, and others.
The bones of the murdered of the Mountain
Meadows lay bleaching where the dead fell,
until the present May, when Judge Cradle
baugh, with a detachment OF soldiers, gathered
up and buried the bones of about one hundred
and twenty persons-ail but forty of these
were women and children-children whose
little skulls were not yet knit together,-whose
bleached and bleaching ribs are not a fingers
length,--we-e among the killed. A few skulls
were saved and are now in camp to be used ia
Washington city at the proper time. There is
also in camp sack full of long female hair,
sage bushes and rocks, amid the bleaching
bones, whittier the wind had blown and fast
ened it.
Eighty Mormons are known TO have been
personally engaged in this murder; and writs
have been issued for forty odd persons, s,-among
the writ is one for President Haight, Bishop
Fee and in fact or every Elder, Bishop and
Legislation in that Presidency, who has not
fled.
Over eighty thousand dollars worth of pro-
perty of this murdered train, has been re-
claimed ftom the Mormons, in the last few
months.
Twenty children of the train, too small to
testify were saved alive. Some weeks after
the murder, the largest girl of the saved chill
dren, was foully murdered, for saying to the
Mormon woman with whom she lived, you
have got on my mothers dress,' thus giving
evidence that she knew too much for their
purpose. The Mormons have denied all know
ledge OF this murder until lately, hitherto at
tachng all blame to the Indians. They can
no longer deny the fact of its being done by
the con mand of the Church; the testimony Is
too strong. While l write, a murderer Is in
this (Judge Eckel's) room, who has turned
States evidence, and stays in camp to pro-
tect his life, otherwise the MOrmons would
kill him.
This people have pretended prophets and
revelators, who pretend n revelation for any
emerger cy, commanding the preparation OF
any crime, that may be desired 10 accomplish
any end, in the name of God.
All their wives are taken in accordance with
pretended dreams. visions, or revelations
Should the woman object, she is asked to reflect
with care, and admonished to obey counsel.
This admonition, 10 obey counsel, Is ominous,
savoring of throats cut, pretending suicide
But, poverty here is so odistreSslnEiy great, ana
women who are not wives have so little lib
erty, together with the fact that many more
women than men are members OF this pretend
ed Church, that women hardly ever object TO
becoming the wives of any men who can in
any wise assist in their support, careless how
many wives the men may already have. And
herein is found the excuse fer polyga on the
part of the females though they may pretend
to receive the institution as from God. The
men profess to marry wives wholly as n rell
gious duty. claiming more wives as religious
light and knowledge increase.
/ cannot find how many wives Brigham
Young has-probably from forty to one hun
dred. The common statute laws acknowledge
only one wife, the others are all called spirit
uais by one of Jos. Smiths revelations the
records of which kind of wives are kept in the
church archives-that is, if any record is kept
OF such marriages. Hence The difficulty vi
obtaining correct Information upon this TO the
Mormons, delicate subject. But l suppose
Young has thirty-nine spirituals in his harem
at Salt Lake City. and one or more in every
town and settlement in the Territory, and
perhaps several in the States, and even i'll for
eign countries.
know several men who have married wo-
men years afler they Were dead and buried and
in some instances, women that the men had
never seen in life. Little dead girls OF a few
months or years old are often married to old
grey headed men as spirituals. This they do
to save the souls of the dead females from pur-
gatory, and to furnish fer them husbands for
eternity; alleging that women cannot get from
that place of fancy without mems assistance,
and must be married on earth or go compan-
ionless throughout eternity, rs in that world
they are neither married nor given in mar
riage.