The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-10-31
INsIDE yIEwIOF BRIGHAMY.


+ ~ tse
Mfs etenlsouse' LECTURES ON tho Reeuli.
ar 1nstltutlen ~ the Utah Saints.
Mrs. Stenhouse began her lecture
with brief sketch Of the origin of the
doctrine which gave rise to the poly.
gamic evil, aud its effects upon the
women of Utah and elsewhere. She
was in Switzerland at the time, and 1t
was her mission to break it to the sis 4
tiers there. She felt as X it was bring 4
ing blight upon every home, and
pointing . poignard at the breast Of
every woman in the land. She then
described the practical working Of the
system in Utah, and quoted from
Brigham Young himself, to prove the
deep, unutterable, and universal unhap
pincss caused BY Il. The tears and
murmnrs of the women are unheeded.
They were commanded to round up
their shoulders and bear the burden or
expect complete and lasting divorce.
Those who complied were promised
to rule as kings and queens in heaven
those who did not were to be damned.
The terrible maledictions of Young
meant something. They knew that he
would ruthlessly apply his doctrines
Of blood atonement, if necessary, and
many man and woman had, for their
opposition, been buried in qniet graves
where they should rest until the day
when they should meet their murder
er not as a judge but as q trembling
culprit. So little were women respect
ed in Utah, that one of the elders had
said, "We think no more of marrying
a wife than Of buying cow" But
there were no wives in Utah, they
were nothing but slaves. Mrs. Stem
house then gave anew and startling
statement Of the attitude and expecta-
tions Of the Mormons during the great
rebellion. They glorified in the car
mage and predicted that half of the
males would be killed, and that then
they would take the Gentle women as
their spoil. They applied q 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. sc only let us be
|7epfeach. Her picture 6f the plural
wives, their lonely. comfortless and
sometimes almost destitute condition,
was touching and constituted a strong
argument against the Infamous prac-
tice. Brigham Young was denounced
as stern implacable tyrant, and his
conduct toward his wife, Harriet Cook
cited as proof. This young high spir-
tied woman had aspired to the position
OF Snltana, having borne the Prophet
the first son under the new system,
but Young had steadily ignored her
pretensions. One day the child was
punished by her and stigmatized as q
bastard, the sting was not intended for
the boy but for his father, who was
within hearing. lie came forward and
said: aHarriet that is the last bastard
that you shall ever have" And for a
quarter ofa century she has been q
husbandless wife. Other instances Of
The fearful practice had its female sup
| porters. of whom Eliza Snow was chief
Sheshad recently published letter,
purporting TO come from country
woman, in which the degrading vice
| is praised as beneficial to the character
and temper of woman. Mrs. S. knew
Ia woman who went insane when her
husband took another to his home,
and when he died soon after, she ran
out OF her hovel and with curses and
maniaclc rawlings, threw stones
at his coffin. The Union
Pacific Railroad came, and then Young
gave womenthc suffrage, not that they
might eniancipate themselves, but be-
cause the ciphers should magnify hims
the only figure recognized of value.
The horrors of the Endowment House
were then exposed, and q story told of
| Orson Pratt. which for its perfect tell
| ing and the world of woe it reveals,
ought to be published verbatim as a
tract, and sown broadcast over the
| world wherever the disciples Of poly
gamy seek to make converts Deares'
Tribune.