The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-09-21
Polygamy in Utab---some Inter-
esting Facts.

field (Mass.) Republican, from Utah:
The marrying of two or more sisters is
very common; one young Mormon mer-
chant in Salt Lake City has three sisters
for his three wives. There are several
cases of men marrying both mother
(widow) and her daughter or daughters;
taking the 'old woman for the sake of
getting the young ones; but having chill
drcn by all. Please to cipher out for
yourselves how this mixes things More
disgusting associations are known-cven
to the marrying of halfsistcr by one
Mormon. Consider, too, how these chill
dren of one father and many mothers
the latter often blood relations like
ly to become crossed again in now mar
riaScs, in second Or third, if not the first
generation under the operation of this
polyganous practice; and it is safe to pre-
dict that few generations of such social
practices will breed physical, moral and
mental debasement of the people most
frightful to contemplate. Already, in
deed, arc such indications apparent, fore
shadowing the sure and terrible realiza-
ton.
Brigham Young's wives are. number
less; at least no one seems to know how
many he has; and he has himself con-
tossed to forgctfulncss in the matter. The
probability is, he has from sixteen to
twenty genuine or complete wives, and
about as many moro women sealed to him
for heavenly association and glory. The
latter are mostly pious old ladies,
eager for high seats in the. Mormon
heaven, and knowing no surer way to get
there than to get tackled on to Brig hams
angelic procession. Some of these seal
ed wives of his are the earthly wives of
other men; but lacking faith in their hus-
bands heavenly glory, seek to make a
sure thing of it for the future by the grace
of gracious Brigham. Down East, you
know, many husband calculates on
stealing into heaven under the pious pet
ticoats of his better wife; here the thing
is reversed, and. women go to heaven be-
cause their husbands take them along.
The Mormon religion is an excellent in
sttution for maintaining masculine au-
thority in the family; and the greatness
of true Mormon is measured, indeed, by
the number of wives he can keep in sweet
and loving and especially o5edicnt subju-
cation. Such man can have as many
wives as he wants. But President Young
objects to multiplying wives for men who
have not this rare domestic gift So
there is no chance fon you and me, my
dear Jones, becoming successful Mormons-
In many cases, the Mormon wives not
only support themselves and their chill
dren, but help support their husbands.
Thus Il clerk, or man with similar limited
income; who has yielded to the faseina-
tions and desires of three or four women,
and mArricd them all, makes his home
with No l, perhaps, and the rest
live apart, each by herself, taking in sew
ing or washing, or engaging in other en-
ployment, to keep up her establishment
and be no charge to her husband. He
comes around, once in q while, to make
her visit, and then she sets out an extra
table and spends. all her accumulated
earnings to make him as. comfortable and
herself as charming as possible, so that
her fraction of the dear. sainted man may
be multiplied as much as possible. So
the fellow, if he is lazy and has turned
his pioty to the good account of getting
smart wives, may really board around
continually, and live in clover, at no per:
sonal expense but his own clothing. Is
not. this q divine institution, indeed?
Brigham Young's younger children, as
seen in his school, to which we were adj
mitted, look sprightly and bright and
handsome and some Of his grown up
daughters arc comely and clever; but his
older sons give no marked sign of their
fathers smartness. The oldest, Brigham,
Jr., is mainly distinguished for his size
and strength-hc weighs: two to three
hundred pounds, and is muscular in pro-
portion. He has now taken one of his
wives and gone to England with her on
business for the church. The next son,
John, is poor and puny-looking fellow
with several wives and an inordinate love
for whisky. Brighams dynasty will die
with himself.
There is no more love lost between the