The New York herald., 1873-12-20


fluence with the countries of America. This
great Republic is short-sighted in these matters,
has wrapped itself up in its own selishness
and has abdicated the important role in
American affairs which power and geographi-
cal position had given. We might take
lesson from England, but it is to be feared
that national ambition and public spirit have
declined too much for that.
Who Il Brigham Young :-Where Did
He Como From s-And Did Ho Leave
. Wife In Englands
Who is Brigham Young? The answer from
Great Salt Lake comes booming through the
echoing defles of the Rocky Mountains that
he is President, High Priest and Prophet of
the Latter Day Saints, man of family-yea,
a man of many families-a venerable and
veritable patriarch of the old school of Israel,
''the lion Ct the tribe of Judah" the ''chief
among ten thousand and altogether lovely"
But next comes the protest of the Gentiles Of
Utah that he is an impostor, demagogue,
tyrant and gay deceiver, and that he has be-
come rich and powerful from the credulity Of
his followers. Then we have the testimony of
the dispassionate traveller that the Mormon
Prophet is remarkable man, of rare abilities as
leader colonizer, law-giver and ruler, and
one of the most successful men of the day as
farmer, merchant, railway builder and specu-
lator. But who is he in his lineage? and
where did he come from? are among the
astounding inquiries concerning him made in
o letter from England which we publish to-
day. The writer of the letter has an idea that
he has discovered at Stockton-o -on-Tees, county
of Durham, the first wife of the Mormon po-
tentate, and the chain of circumstantial ev-
dence upon which he hangs his case is very
curious and interesting.
The essential points of the story are that an
old woman in the county of Durham, England,
eighty-on years of age, of the name Of Brig
ham, thinks that Brigham Young is her hus
band, who deserted her and their children
ago. 1t appears that her husband Brigham
was the natural son Of man named Young
and woman named Brigham; that he was
adopted by man named Allen; that after
the young mans marriage he proved to be
anything but devoted husband and father;
cooper under the name Of William Brigham,
and that he left London and his wife and
children to join the Mormons in America.
This man would be now in the seventy-sixth
year of his age, and our inquiring correspond
ent evidently believes that President Brigham
Young, of the Latter Day Saints of Utah, is
the long-lost husband of the aforesaid Mrs.
Brigham.
We cannot undertake the task Of assisting
the interested parties in England in gathering
up the evidence required to establish the sup
posed claims of Mrs Brigham to the position
of the first wife of the great Brigham of Utah.
That famous English traveller, Richard F.
Burton, in his "City of the Saints" says of
the Mormon Prophet that he was born at
Whittingham, Vt, on the 1st of June, 1901,
and as Burton in this statement is relating a
conversation held with the Prophet himself
we conclude that he speaks by authority. We
had supposed, however, that Brigham Young
was native New Yorker. Still, between the
general description Of the person of Young as
given in our letter from England and that Of
Burton allowing for the interval of thirty
years-there is o resemblance, and upon one
point it is remarkable. Burton speaks of
slight droop in the lid of the left eye, (which
made me think he had suffered from paraly-
sis" and our English letter refers to the same
peculiarity. However, many distinguished
characters in all ages Of the world have been
claimed in different persons and by different
places.
Ten cities claimed the poet Homer, dead,
Through which the living Homer begged his bread.
From time to time some hopeful individual
has been set up as Louis XVII. 1t was
logically proved in an interesting book on the
subject, published in this city some years ago,
that in the Rev. Eleazer Williams, since de-
ceased we had the royal Bourbon amongst us.
Another claimant to the same honor now lives
in Germany. And there is the Tichborne
case, and there are many other cases. oil show
ing that it is easier to get up claim to name
or an estate than to establish it.
Nevertheless, as we expect some stringent
measures Of legislation from the present
session Of Congress against Mormon polyg-
amy, and for the protection of the
first wife in her pre-emption right to
her Norman husband, if the friends Of
Mrs. Brigham believe that they have good
case against Brigham Young they would,
perhaps, do well to prosecute it to decisive
settlement. Ann Eliza Webb Young, the sew
enteenth wife Of Brigham, now prosecuting o
suit for divorce and alimony, says that her
neglectful husband has only nineteen wives
at present, but that upon Amelia Falsom, No.