The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1872-10-31
INSIDE VIEW or gRIGHAMy.
Mrs Stenhouse Lectures on the Peculiar
situation OF the Utah Saints.

which gave rise to the polygamlc evil, and
its effects upon the women Of Utah and
elsewhere. She was in Switzerland at the
tine, aud il was her mission 10 break it to
the sisters there. She felt as il she was
bringing blight upon every home, and
pointing poniart at the breast of every
woman 10 the land. She then described
tue praclicsl working Of the system IN
Utah. quoting from Brigham Young him
self 10 prove the deep. unuttcrable and
universal unhappiness caused by IT, The
uurmurs and tears Of the women are no.
needed. They we're commanded to round
up their shoulders aud bear the burden, or
expect complete aud lasting divorce. =
Those who complied were promised rule
as kings and queens in heaven; those who
did not we're 10 be damned The terrible
maladications Of Young meant something.
They knew that he would ru,hlcssy apply
bis doctrines Of blood atoBements il ne.
ccssary, and many man and woman bad
for their opposition been buried IN qale!
graves where they would rest until the
day when they should meet their mur'
derer, not as judge, but as trembling
culprit. So little we're women respected
10 Utah that elders had said, I'VE think
no more Of marrying wife than of buy
ing o cow" But there we're no wives in
Utah. they were nothing but slaves.
Mrs Stenhouse then gave anew and
startling statcmcn.of the attitude ard ex,
pectation Of the Mormons during the great
rebellion. They g|ored in lhe courage
and predicted that the males would be
killed, excepta very small remnant, and
then they would take the Gentle woman
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, etc, only let us be called by thy
name to take away our reproach.
Her picture Of the plural wives, their
lonely. comtortless and sometimes destitute
condition. was touching, aud constituted
a strong argument against the infamous
practice.
Brigham Young was denounced as a
stern, implicablc tyraut, and bis conduct
toward bis wife, Harriet Cook, cited as
proof This young, high spirited woman
aspired to the position Of Sultana, as bav-
lug borne the prophet the first son under
The new system. but Young bad steadily
ignored her pretensions. One day the
child was punished BY her, aud stigmatis-
ed as a bastard. The sting was not iuten.
dcd for the boy, but for bis father, who
was in hearing. He came forward and
said, Harriet, that is the last bastard
you shall ever have" And for a quarter
Of century she has been husbaudless
wife. Other instances Of similar char
acter were narrated.
The fearful practice had its female sup
portcrs, Of whom Eliza Snow was chief
She had recently published q letter pur
porting to come from coun'rywoman, III
which the degrading vice is praised as
beneficial to the temper and character Of
woman. Mrs. Stenhouse knew Of one
wife who went insane when her husband
took another to his home, and when he
died soon after, she ran out Of her bowel,
aud with curses aud naniacal rawlings
threw stones at his cofiu.
The Uuion Pacific Railroad came and
Young gave woman the suffrage, not that
they might cmancipate themselves. but
because the ciphers should magnify him,
the only figure recognized Of value The
horrors Of the edowment house were then
exposed, and a story told of Orson Pratt.
which, from its perfect telling. and the
world Of woe it reveals, ough. to be pub
iished rerbatim as a tract, and sown
broadcast over the world wherever the
apostles Of polygamy seek to make con-
ser,s. -Dener Kansas Tribune.
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