The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1872-11-21
Inside View of MOrmoniSm.

The Denver, Colorado, Tribune of Octo-
lecture with brief sketch of the origin
of the doctrine which gave rise to the
polygamic evil, and its effects upon the
women of Utah and elsewhere She was
in Switzerland at the time, and it was her
mission to break it to the sisters there
She felt as if she was bringing blight
upon every home aud pointing poignard
at the breast of every woman in the land
She then described the practical working
of the system in Utah, quoting from Brig
ham Young himself to prove the deep,
unutterable and universal unhappiuess
caused by it. The murmurs and tears of
the women were unheeded. They were
commanded to round up their shoulders
and bear the burden, or expect COM
plete and lasting divorce Those who
complied were promised rule as kings
and queens in heaven those who did not
were to be damned The terrible male
dictions of Young meant something. =
They knew that he would not ruthiessly
apply his doctrine of blood atonement, if
necessary, and many man and woman
had for their opposition been buried in
quiet graves where they would rest until
the day when they should meet their mur
derer, not as judge, but as q trembling
culprit. So little were woman respected
in Utah that elders had said ave think
no more Of marrying a wife than of buy
ing a cow" But there were no wives in
Utah ; they were nothing but slaves =
Mrs. Steuhouse then gave new and
startling statement of the attitude and ex-
pectation of the Mormons during the
great rebellion. They gloried in the car
mage, and predicted that the males would
be killed, except very small remnant,
and that then they would take the Gen,
tile women as their spoil. They applied
passage Of Scripture to that anticipated
result, and believed that seven women
would lay hold of one man and say we
will eat our own bread, &c, only let US
be called by thy name to take away our
reproach. Her picture of the plural
wives, their lonely, comfortless, and some
times destitute condition, was touching
and constituted strong argument against
the infamous practice. Brigham Young
was denounced as stern, implacable ty-
rant, and his conduct toward his wife,
Harriet Cook, cited as proof This young,
high spirited woman had aspired to the
position of Sultana, as having borne the
Prophet the first son under the new sys
tenn, but Young had steadily ignored her
pretensions. One day the child was pun
ished by her and stigmatized as bas
tard. The sting was not intended for the
boy, but for his father, who was within
hearing. lie came forward and said,
Harriet, that is the last bastard you shall
ever have" And for a quarter of cen.
tury she has been husbandless wife
Other instances of a similar character
were narrated. The fearful practice had
its female supporters, ofwhom Eliza Snow
was chief. She had recently published a
letter purporting to come from a country
women, in which the degrading vice is
praised as beneficial to the temper AM
character of women. Mrs S. knew Of
one wife who went insane when her hus-
band took another to his home, and when
he died, soon after, she ran out of her
hovel and with curses and manical raw
ings threw stones at his coffin. The Union
Pacific Railroad came, and then Young
gave women the suffrage, not that they
might emancipate themselves, but be-
cnuse the ciphers should magnify him,
the only figures recognized of value =
The horrors of the Endowment House
were then exposed, and story told OF
Orson Pratt, which, for its perfect telling
and the world af woe it reveals, ought to
be published verbatim as "A tract, and
sown broadcast over the world wherever
the disciples of polvgamy seek to make
converts.