The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-05-13

4
ME- :. te.
Well, Heaven knows / was renor Sc
full and that / wept for him and lad
meant to be a true wife to him and it
was long before 1 would listen to any
word of comfort But the heart will
have its way and my love and T had
both suffered SO; and could not al
WAYS be cruel to him and to myself
and to-day I am George Gillot's hap
py wife. -
THE BE2UTEEs OF PoLYGAAIY.
lIIkIN6 tPof FAMiLIEs- NOR
fatty AMONG cHILDREN-cURIoUs
REVELATIONS. '-t" '.se -1s 1
-sz7sszfs5
The Utah correspondent of the Gin
einnafi Commercial writes as follows
of social life among the Mormons
aThere are several cases of man
marrying both mother and daughter,
and the marriage of two or three sis
tiers by one man is quite common
Robert Sharkey, a merchant of this
city,, married three sisters, one of
whom was divorced from. her first
husband to marry him., They all lived
in one house, and quite happily, it is
said, for several years, when i'll some
strange manner they all became con-
yinced that polygamy was wrong
One of the sisters started cast, but
soon returned TO make some arrange
for him to put away the other two
There were difficulties in the way, and
Sharkeye's trouble on the subject was
so great that his mind became disor-
ordered, and last August he commit
ted suicide by shooting h i'm f
throughout the head. The widowed
sisters still live together, the most de-
termined opponents of polygamy.
Two of Brigham Young's favorite
wives-Clara Decker and Lucy Decker
Seeley, are sisters, the second having
been the widow of the DR.. Isaac See-
ley, of Navoo, III. The Mormon lead
ers advise a man to marry sisters when
it can be done, as they usually agree
better than others. One family within
my knowledge consists of two men
and four women, the mems first wives
being sisters, and their second wives
each sister of the other man, all liv-
ing in one house. Or, to state it math-
ematically, A and B first marry Sis
ters, then a marries BIS sister, and B
AS. sister. Here is no marriage OF
blood relations, and yet it looks like a
terrible mixture somewhere. The
question arises for lawyers: Suppose
each of the women to have children,
what akin are they respectively And
which of them could lawfully marry
according to Leviticus and Chancellor
Kent? -.-a
If polygamy continues, these mix
lures are nothing to what must take
place in the next generation, for with
out chemical analysis no .heraldry
Harvey could ever succeed in finding
the consanguipeoas circulation, to say
nothing of collateral. AS 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 Y oungs
and many of them to all three.
Among my acquaintances is mid
dle-aged lady, living just over the
Jordan river, who was the widow OF
an apostate, who died in California
but is now the third wife of a Nor.
mon. The brother of her first hus
band, now living here, is also an apos
tate and personal friend of mine
The lady has a handsome daughter
now seventeen years old, the offspring
of her first husband and the neice O
my friend. $50
The lady is kind-hearted and.hos
pitable, and in company with my
friend, 1 enjoy call at her home yer,
much, as long as we can avoid tht
subject of Mormonism. Lately thil
lady's husband has proposed in form
for her daughter to marry him, and
can see that it is the strongest trial tht
mothers faith has had, but such is hel
devotion to the doctrine. that she ha
given her consent, if Brother Brig
ham says it is the will of the Lord
The daughter, however, assures he
uncle that she will die before she will
marry him or any other Mormon. Fo
tile sake of peace, she says nothing a
home, but declares her intention II
run away rather than submit. Th,
mother, like many others, says sh
would rather see her daughter in he
coffin than married to a Gentle, 70
! that would be her eternal ruin 70
. both worlds All, however, are no
, SO jealous on this subject, and there i
quite a number of Mormon womel
who think that a mistake has beef
made somehow, that polygamy is no
of the Lord, that it is not true Nor
monism, etc. Those who believe in
tI
speak of it as "a great cross laid upol
| them in this world for their create
| exaltation in the next etc.
Many persons here have told m
that they often hear Brigham Youn
say, in public sermon, that the da
. would come when brothers woul
/ marry sisters, in order to raise up
pure priesthood. One man, an apos
E tate, offered to mako affidavit to tha
l statement, if desired it.
Time would fail me to tell of til
cases of misery brought to my motto,
< resulting from the neglect with whic
i the first wife is too often treated. TIL
t Mormons claim that an equal love
p shown to all the wives, and that til
women are well satisfied with this q
o lection. But that this is not and nevC