Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1869-10-15
MOrn0ndOm.
ANNA DICKINSON VISITS MORMON HA-
REm-INTERvIEws A BIGAMIsT AND


ANNA DICKINSON VISITS A MORMON HA-
REm-INTERvIEws A BIGAMIsr AND
SEVERAL OF HIS WIVES. fl
In Salt Lake City went to the house
of Mormon elder. l was told before
hand he had two wives, and that they
had both lived together some fifteen
years, and were perfectly happy and con-
tented-they lived together in their house
and were perfectly contented with their
lot, and would not change it if they could
I was not man. / did not delievc
word of it, and so l went to see for my
self. went into their house, and it was
magnificent one. In San Francisco
it would be fine house, and there IN
Salt Lake it was splendid one. Mag
nficient furniture, fine rooms, fine gar
dens, and numerous servants. l and my
friends sat down in the parlor and in
came one of this mans wives. She was
q fine, good-looking, healthy, English
woman, who could not speak ten words
ofgrammatical English to save her life.
talked freely to her there was no hlnd-
rance to that. l asked her how long she
had been married. Seventeen years"
married here ?" "No." "Married in
England ?" "No." " Where were you
married, then % In st. Joseph" Her
husband began to fidget, and sent her out
to get piece of gold, or quartz, or sofne-
thing of that kind. understood it all.
She came back, and couldn't find it, of
course. / knew that. | tried to COM
mence where we had broken off, and her
husband Immediately wanted something
on ton of the house. When she got back
again, / tried to commence again where
we had left off, and he broke in, Miss
Dickinson came to eat Strawberries and
cream; now, Maria, 60 off and see if
they are ready" / understood it all.
Yes, every word of it. By and by in
came another sad-looking but handsome
woman. / looked at her; said at once,
MADAM, you are the second wife," and
SO it turned out. She, also, was an Eng
lish woman, and the two of them the
handsomest women I saw in Salt Lake.
But she appeared sad and worn. There
was no Joyous happiness of married
life F" about her.
There was piano in the room, and in
came the little girl of the house, and at
once the father said something about
music, and was evidently proud of his
daughters capabilities in that line. So
l asked her to play, and she did, and
made horrid din, and, under cover of
the noise and din had my conversation
with the wife. She had not understood
their doctrines. / asked her: :" Did you
know when you married your husband
that he could, if he would, marry anoth-
er woman ?" "NoY Did he not tell
YOU so at the time?" "No. he did not.
Our missionaries and preachers when
they go out never preach that So
you knew nothing of it I" Nothing
at all" " But when you came here and
saw it was so, were you not greatly dis
appointed and chagrined ?" No, | was
not; was sure my husband would new
er marry again. "But he did" said /.
eyes" she answered, and sad, har-
rowed look came over her countenance
eyes, only year later he married
again" "And do you like that ? do
you like him to have more wives than
one +" Oh; yes, / do / wish he had
six or seven"
/ saw through it all in minute. ]
understood the state of that woman's
mind at once. But was not surprised
looked blank and went back on the
old tack. commenced and questioned
her about her English life, and paint
ed the picture of the little cottage al
home, and the courtship, and at last the
marriage to the one whole-souled, homes
husband and how they would live to
gether, and how she would wait at the
door of their home and watch for hi
coming in the evening; and asked he
if she could not be happy there. Ant
she put her handsome hand to her face
: and bowed her head and cried, +" Oh, m,
God couldn't 1 !" And then it wa
plain, it was easy to see, how that woman
really thought and felt.