Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-04-25
Mixing up of Families.

one man is quite common. Robert
Sharkey, a merchant of this city, mar
ried 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 in some strange manner
they all became convinced that polygamy
was wrong. One of the sisters started
east, but soon returned and endeavored
to make some arrangement for him to
put away the other two. There were
difficulties in the way, and Sharkey 5
trouble was so great on the subject that
his mind became disordered, and last
August he committed suicide by shoot
ing himself through the head. The
widowed sisters still live together, and
are determined opponents of polygamy.
Two of Brigham Youngs favorite 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 &suaIly agree better
than others. One family within my
knowledge consists Of two men and four
women, the mems first wives being sis
ters, and their second wives each a
sister of the othersman, all living in one
house. Or to state it mathematically,
A and B first marry sisters, then A
marries BIS sister and b AS sister
Here is no marriage of blood relations.
and yet it looks like terrible mixture
somewhere. The question arises for
lawyers 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, these mixtures are nothing
to what must take place in the next
generation, for without a chemical
analysis no heraldry Harvey could
ever succeed in finding the cOnsanguine-
Gus circulation, to say nothing of the
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 YOungs, and many of
them to all three. Among my acquain-
tances is a middle-aged lady living just
over the Jordan river, who was the
widow of an apostate who died in Cali
fornia, but is now the third wife of
Mormon. The brother of her first
husband, now living here is IS also an
apostate and 4 personal friend Of mine.
The lady has handsome daughter now
seventeen years old, the offspring of
her first husband and the nelce of my
friend.
The lady is kind hearted and hospi-
table and in company with my friend |
enjoy a visit at her house very much, as
long as we can avoid the subject Of
Mormonism. Lately this lady's husband
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
" if Brother Brigham says it is the will
of the Lord" The daughter, however,
assures her uncle that she will die be-
fore she will marry him, or any other
Mormon" For the sake of peace she
says nothing at home, but declares her
intention to run away rather than sub
NIT. The mother, like many others,
says she "would rather see her daugh-
ter in the coffin than married to a Gen
tile, for that would be her eternal ruin
for both worlds" Alb, however, are not
so Jealous on this subject, and there is
quite number Of Mormon women who
think that mistake has been made
somehow, that polygamy is not of the
Lord, that it is not true MOrmonism,
etc. Those who believe in it speak 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 pure priest
hood" One man, an apOstate, offered
to make affidavit to that statement, if
desired it.
Time would fail me to tell of the
cases of misery brought to my notice,
resulting 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 this is not and never can be
the case, need say to no one who has
the slightest knowledge of the female
heart That polygamy sanctifes the
affections or that it improves the physi-
cal standing of the races 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-
quently it should be one of healthiest
cities in the world. Exactly the reverse
is the fact. The death rate of all ages,
is little more than twice that of the
State of Oregon, and greater than that
of New York or New Orleans. When
we come to children the disparity is still
more frigb6uL By actual statistics it
is shown that the mortality among chill
dren is greater in Salt Lake City than
any other in America, except New
Orleans, and the death rate of Utah is
only exceeded by that of Louisiana.
The MOrmons have greatly exaggerated
the population of this place, which
really contains little less than 10000
souls, and in this small number the
sections report for October last, the
healthiest month in the year, gives the
interments at sixty, of which forty-four
were children. Last year was unusually
healthy, and yet the death rate exceeds
that Of any other State or Territory
west of the Mississippi, The Mormons