The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-04-14
SOCIAL LIFE IN UTAH.
The Effects OF PoIySnmy--Complica
Kinship-Frightful Death Knte.


Commercial writes as follows
Another evil beginning to show itself is the
mixing OF kindred blood. The marriage OF
cousins is too Common, and am told that sew
eral cases have occurred wore uuclo and niece
were married, but know personally OF no such
case.
There arc several cases of man marrying
both mother and daughter, and the marriage
OF two or throe sisters by one man ~ quite
common. Robert Sharkey. merchant OF this
CITY. married three sisters. one OF whom was
divorced from her first husband o mary him.
They all lived in one house. and quite happily.
1t is said, for sevrrLl years, when in some
strange manner they al became convinced
that pulygL'ny was wrong. One OF the sisters
started East. but soon returned and Idcavor-
ell to make some Arrangement Tor him To put
AWAY tho other TWO. There were difficulties in
the wav and Sharkey's trouble was 80 great on
The subject that his mind became dlsordcred,
aud last August he committed suicide by shoo :
ing himself through the head. Tho widowed
sisters still 1.-Two together, and nre determined
opponents Of polveamy. Two OF Brigham
Young's f4vcrtto wives, Clara Decker ald Lucy
Decker Scely, arc sisters. tho second having
been the widow OF DI. Isaac Seely, of Nluvoo,
illinois. The Mormon leaders advise man to
marry sisters whenever can be dono, as they
usually agree better han otheIs.' One family
within my knowledge consists of two men and
tour women, the mems first wives being
sisters and their second wives each o sistor OF
the other man, oil living IN one house. Or to
state it mathematically. a and B first marry
sisters, hen marries BIS sister and B AS SIS
Ter. Here Is no marriage OF blood relations,
ard vet it looks like terrible mixture some
where. The question arises tor lawyers sup
pose each OF the women to have children, what
akin are they respectively? And which OF them
could lawfully marry according to Lovltlcus and
Chancellor Keut2 II polygamy continues,
these mixtures are nothing to what must take
place III tho next generation, for without o
chemical analysis no - Heraldry Harvey" could
ever succeed IN finding the consanguineous
circulation, to say nothing OF the collateral.
.As it now is, it seems like bali the children
in tho city are related in some Way or another
to the Klmballs. the Pratts, or the Youngs. and
many of them to all three" Among my ac-
oualntances is middle-aged lady, living just
over the Jordan River, who WAS the wId,w or
an apostate who dled in California, but is now
The third wits Of o Norman. The brother OF
her first hu. band, now living here, is also an
apostate. and personal friend OF mine. The
lady has q handsome daughter, now seventeen
wears old, tho offspring OF her first husband and
tho niece of my friend.
tho lady is kind-heartcd and hospitable,
and, III company with my friend. enjoy visit
at her house very much, as long as we can
avoid tho subject OF Nornonlsm. Lately this
lady's husband has proposed III form for her
daughter to marry HIM, and can see that it is
Inc strongest trial the mothers faltn has had,
Int sucn is her devotion to tho doctrine that
she has given her consent, IF Br Jther Brig
nam SAWS 1t is the will of the Lord" The
daughter, however, assures her uncle that she
will die before sho will marry him or any
other Mormon" For the sake OF peace she
Saws nothing at home, but declares her 1nten-
t1cu 10 run away rather than submit. The
mother, like mauv others, says sho would ra-
thor see her daughter in the coffin than mar
RED to Gcntle for that would BIO her eternal
ruin for both worlds" All, however, are not
30 jealous On this subject and there is quite a
number of Mormon women WHO think that a
mistake has been made somehow, that poly
pamy is not OF the Lord, that 1t is not true
MUrmouism. &c. Those WHO believe i'll it
sneak of It as "a great cross, laid upon them
in tbis world tor their cxaltatton IN the next, "
This city already shows it's bad effect on the
offspring. The site is 440O feet above the level
of the sea, in q dry and bracing climate, equal.
ly free from cxtreme! OF neat ana cold, aho
Consequently 1t should be one OF the bealthlest
ci,,es IN the world. Exactly the reverse is the
fact. The death rate, OF all ages, is O little
more than twice that oil tho State OF Oregon,
nhd greater than that OF New York or New Or
loans. When wo come to children, the dis
uarily is still more frlghlfuI. BY actual statls-
tics it IS shown that the mortality among the
children Is greater in Salt Lake City than any
other IN America, except New Orleans, and the
death ratio Of Utah Is only exceeded BY that OF
Louisiana. Ihe MormoRs have greatly exae-
gcl'ated the population OF this place. which
really contains little less than $4,000 sonls.
M d In this small number tho seXtOn's report
for October last, tho healthiest month in
the wear, gives the lnterncnts at sixty,
OF Which forty .tour wero children. Llet year
was unusually healthy, and yet the death rate
exc cls That of any other state or T,rrItoly
west of the Mississippi. The 3lormons explain
,l,ls by SAVING that their people are generally
pour and exposed to hardships, but much OF
lint povcr.y Is directly traceabIo to their reli-
r,un Anothcr sad fact IS the general neglect
of medical care. Or rather general tendency
tu ruu 10 wild and absurd schemes OF Doctor
ing. They claim that laying on II hands and
,lIr PRAYER of faith" will heal the sick, and yet
no people within my knowledge are so gwen to
.riIunis sorianism," "steam doctorng," ''yarb
nIcdclnc,n and every other irregular mode OF
treating The sick. But n few day ago three
,oun: children died in the Seventeenth Ward,
Of st arct fever. In neither case was o physi-
cian called the bishop came and laid on
hands, With the holy amounting" aud an old
wOh.an treated Two OF them with mild pallia-
two such ns is used for sore throat.
If the pa tents 1--we, after such treatment it
IS q miracle; aud If they die, it is the will Of
the ord" Two-thirds OF the polysamists dc
nos aud cannot attchd properly to their CHI