The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1869-05-28
THE BEAUTIES OF POLYGAMY.
MIXING UP OF FAMILIES.
Fearful Mortality Among Children-Curious
Revelations, &C., &c.

| Fearful Mortality Among Children-Curious
Revelations, &C., &c.
The Utah correspondent of the Gin
cinnati Commercial writes:
There are several cases of a man mar
rying bot'l mother and daughter, and
the marriage Of two or three sisters by
one man is quite common. Robert
Sharkey, a merchant of this city, mar
ried three sisters, one of whom was di-
voreed from her first husband to marry
him. They all lived in one house aud
quite happily, it is said, for several
years, when in some strange manner
they all became convinced that poly
gamy was wrong. One of the sisters
started East, but SOON returned and en-
deavored to make some arrangement
for him to put away the other two.
There were difficulties in the way, and
Sharkey's trouble was SO great on the
subject that his mind became disorder
ed, and last August he committed sui
eide by shooting himself through the
head. The widowed sisters still live
together, and are determined oppo-
nents of polygamy. Two of Brigham
Young's favorte wives, Clara Decker
and Lucy Decker Seely, are sisters, the
second having been the widow of Dr..
Isaac Seely. Of Nauvoo, Illinois.
The Mormon leaders advise man to
marry sisters whenever it can be done,
as they usually agree better than 9TH
ers. One family within my knowledge
consists of two men and four women,
the mems first wives being sisters, and
| their second wives each "a sister OF the
al in NJ
to state it mathematically A and B
first marry sisters, then a marries BIS
sister and b A's sister. Here is no
marriage of blood relations, and yet it
looks like q terrible mixture some
where, The question arises for law
yers; suppose each of the women to
have children, what akin are they re-
spectively? And which OF them could
lawfully marry according to Leviticus
and Chancellor Kent? If polygamy
continues, thesesmixtures are nothing
to what must take place in the next
generation, for without chemical an
alysis no "heraldry Harvey could eyer
succeed in holding the consalguineous
circulation, to say nothing of the COLA
teral. 'sAs it now is, it seems like half
| the children in the city are related in
some way or another to the Kimballs,
the Pratts or the Youngs, and many of
them to all three" Among my ac-
qualntances is middle-aged lady liv-
ing Just over the Jordan river, who was
the widow of an apostate who died in
California, but is now the third wife of
Mormon. The brother of her FIRST
husband, now living here, is also an
apostate and personal friend Of mine.
The lady has handsome daughter now
seventeen years old, the offspring of
her first husband and the niece OF my
| friend.
The lady is kind-hearted and hospi-
| table, and in company with my friend
[ enjoy visit at her house very much,
| rs long as we can avoid the subject of
| Mormonism. Lately this lady's hus-
band has proposed in form for her
| daughter to marry him, and l can see
| that it is the strongest trial the mothers
| faith has had, but such is her devotion
! to the doctrine that she has given her
consent sit Brother Brigham says it is
the will of the Lord" The daughter,
I however, assures her uncle that she
.swill die before she will marry him, or
any other Mormon" For the sake of
peace she says nothing at home, but de-
clares her intention to run away rather
| than submit. The mother, like many
| others, says she ''would rather see her
daughter in the coffin than married to
q Gentle, for that would be her eternal
| ruin for both worlds" All, however,
are not so Jealous on this subject, and
there is quite Il number of Mormon wo-
men who think that q mistake has been
made somewhere, that polygamy is not
| of the Lord, that it is not true Mormon
hn1s
| of it as ga great cross, laid upon them
in this world for their eXaltation in the
| next" etc.
Many persons here have told me that
they often heard Brigham Young say,
| in public sermon, that "the day would
come when brothers would marry their
sisters, in order to raise up a pure
| priesthood. One man, an apostate,
offered to make affidavit to that state
ment, if desired it.
| Time would fail me to tell of the cases
of misery brought 30 my notice, result
| ing from the neglect with which the
first wife is too often treated. The
| Mormons claim that an equal love is
shown to all the wives, and that the
women are satisfied with this affection.
But that tins is not and never can be
the case, need say to no one who has
the slightest knowledge of the female
heart. That polygamy sanctifies the
affections or that it improves the physi-
cal standing OF the race is the widest
notion that ever entered the brain of a
fanatic.
This city already shows its bad effect
on the offspring. The site is 400 feet
above the level of the sea, in dry and
bracing climate, equally free from ex-
tremes of heat and cold, and conse-
duently it should be one of the healthi-
est cities in the world. Exactly the re-
verse is the fact. The death rate of all
ages, is little more than twice that ol
the State of Oregon, and greater than
that of New York or New Orleans
When we come to children the dlspari-
tY is still more irightful. By actual