Smyrna times., 1869-04-21
Brigham YOung's Harem.

A few steps up Main Street from our hotel,
turn to the right, and we see the prophets
harem. The grounds occupied by Brigham are
inclosed by high wall, laid in cement. An
eagle with spreading wings, clutching beehive
In his talOns, is mounted above the gateway
emblematic Of Brigham and the church. The
grounds are we'll laid out, and there is an abund
ance of apple, pear, and peach trees Grape
vines climb the walls, and hang on trelIis
work.
At the south west corner of the grounds, is
the tlthIng Office, where the tenth part of all
that is produced in the territory, passes into
Brigham hands. In rear of the tithing Office
are extensive sheds where the saints find shelter
while paying their tithing. Here also are sew
eral small buildings, where Brigham servants
llve-those employed about the premises. A
few steps east Of the tthing office, is a three
stOrled building, standing end to the road,
large enough and long enough for factory
boarding house. 1t has a steep shingled roof,
with ten gabled windows on each side. On the
balcony over the door is a crouching lion.
This is the haTem. A covered passage leads
from the ground floor to another building east,
in which is the general business office of Brig
ham Young, and from which telegraph wires
run to every hamlet in the territory. Another
passage leads to the private Office of Brigham,
back of which is his private bedroom, where
his cOncubines wait upon him-Amelia to-day,
Emeline to. morrow, Lucy the day after.
Brigham's lawfully welded wife was Mary
Ann Angela native Of New YOrk-the moth
er of five children-JOseph, or Joe" as he is
called at Salt Lake, Brigham A., John, Alice,
and Luna. She married the prophet while he
was young man, before he was prophet,
and with him accepted the revelations of Jos
Smith. She lives in a large stone building in
the rear of the harem. Brigham does not of
ten visit her now. The number of his concu-
hines is not known to the Gentle world. One
report makes the number seventy, another
| gives only thirty. 1t is probable that the lar
ger number includes those who are sealed to
| Brigham for eternity and not for time.
His first concubine is Lucy Decker. She is
the lawful wife of Issac Seeley, mother of two
! children but Brigham could make her queen
in heaven, and so, bidding good-by to Isaac,
she became first cOncubine, and has added eight
children to the prophets household.
Her younger sister, Clara Decker, also as
pired to be heavenly queen, and became his
second concubine, and is the mother of four
children.
Miss Twiss has sandy hair, round features,
blue eyes, low forehead, freckled face-but as
she has no children, is not of much account
in the eyes Of the prophet. She looks after
his clothes, sews buttons on his shirts, and acts
the part of housewife.
Emeline Free, as described by Mrs. Waite
wife Of one of the United State Judges of the
Territory, is the "lght of the harem," tall
graceful mild violet eyes, fair hair inclined to
curl. She was lively young lady, and Brig
hamfell in love with her. Her father and moth
er were opposed to polygamy, but Emeine haC
ambitious projects, accepted his proposal anC
became the favOrite of the harem. The favo
| shown her brought on a row. The other con
] Ia1b ba m al
that the prophet had private passage con
structed from his bedroom to Emellne's room
so that his visits to her and hers to him coulC
be made without observation. She has cOntrl
buted greatly to his glory in the future work
by presenting him with eight children in this
, Mrs. Augusta Cobb was formerly Boston
ian, became converted to Mormonism eighteel
years ago, left her home, and accepted
position in the harem.
Mrs. Smith, devout Mormon, wished to b.
sealed to Brigham for eternity, but the proph
) ct did not care to make her heavenly queen
> He sealed her to Joseph Smith for eternity
and to himself for time.
, One "pOor unfortunate" Clara Chase, be
come a maniac, and has gone to where tn
!. wicked cease from troubling.
o. Ameline Folsom, q native of Portsmouth, n
). H., is the mistress of the harem. She enter
ed it on the 29th of January, 1863 She
about nineteen, and the prophet sixty-thret
$ She has things pretty much her own way
i private box at the theatre carriage of her OWL
I silks, satins, apiano, parlOr elegantly furnished
!. Ifthe prophet sights her, she pays him in h
/ own coin.
= Such is an outline of this sanity househol
h thirty women or more and seventy or eight
e children. Unless human nature is vastly dif
!. erent in Utah from what it is in other place
there must be many family jars. The ou
n ward appearance is of a peaceable and order
i community, but if there is a fraction of trut
le in common report, it is One of the saddle
u communities in the world.-CdrIeton, IN Il
pr Boston Journal
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