Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1872-11-09

Mrs. Stcnhouse recently delivered II
lecture at Denver, on the peculiar in
stituton of the Utah Saints. The Irib.
ple says Of it:
Mrs. Stenhouse began her lecture
with brief sketch Of the origin Of the
doctrine which gave rise to the polyg
annie evil, and its effect upon the wo-
men in 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 a
blight upon every home, and pointing
a poinard at the breast OF eyesy woman
in the land. She then described the
practical working of the system in
Utah, quoting fIom Brigham Young
himself to prove the deep, unutterable,
and universal unhapplness caused b.
it. The murmurs and tears of the
women were UNDECIDED. They were
commanded to round up their should
ers and bear the burden, or expect a
complete and lasting divorce. Those
who complied were promised rule as
kings and queens in heaven those who
did not were to be damned. The terri
bic maledictions Of Young meant some
thing. They knew that he would ruth
lessly apply his doctrine of blood atone
ment, If necessary, and many a man and
woman had for their opposition been
buried i'll quiet graves where they
would rest until the day when they
should meet their murderer, not as a
judge, but as a trembling culprit. SO
little were women respected in Utah
that elders had s,id ave think no
more of msrrYinga wife than of buying
a cow" But there were no wives in
Utah, they were nothing but slaves.
Mrs. Stenhouse then gave II new and
startling statement Of the attitude and
expectation of the Mormons during the
great rebellion. They gloried in the
the carnage, and predicted that the
males would be killed, except n very
small remnant, and that then they
would take the Gentle women as their
spoil. They applied u passage of Scrip
ture to that anticipated result, and be-
lleved 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, comfortless, and sometimes des-
titute condition, was touching, and con.
stitutcd q strong argument against the
infamous practice. brigham Young
was denounced as Il stern, implacable
tyrant, 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 system, but Young had stcadi-
ly ignored her pretensions. One day
the child was punished by her and stig-
matiAcd as Il bastard. The sting was
not intended for, the boy, but for his
father, who was within hearing. He
came forward and said, 90 Harriet, that
is the last bastard you shall ever have"
And for a quarter OF Il century she has
been husbandless wife. Other in
stances of similar character were mar,
rated. The fearful practice had its
female supporters, of whom Eliza Snow
WAS chief. She had recently published
4 letter purporting to come from a
woman, in which the degrading
vice is praised as beneficial to the tenn
Der and character of women. Mrs. S.
Knew of one wife who went insane
When her husband took another to his
lone, and when he died, soon after,
an out of her hovel and with curses
nd maniacal rawlings threw stones at
lis coffin. The Union Pacific railroad
anne, and then Young gave women the
uffrage, not that they might enamel
ate themselves, but because the
iphcrs should magnify him, the only ;
cure recognized of value. The hor- :
Al