Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-08-14
a Good Look at WOrmOndom
Through the Lorgnette of Mrs.
Eliza webb Young.

In the account which we print this
morning of an interview with Mrs. Eliza
Webb Young, the seventeenth wife of
the pillar of Mormondom, will interest
all who either have entered, or are about
to enter, or are anxious to get out of the
married state. The description which
the interviewer gives is not compliment
tary to polygamy, as it exists in Utah,
and is emphatically unfavOrable to
Brigham Young. The lady from whom
the facts are CLEANED speaks with an
energy evidently inspired by suffering.
At the early age of twenty-five, when
Brigham Young first met her, she had
already been married and divorced, and,
needless of several suitors who were
anxious to claim her hand, led a retired
life with her father and mother in Lit
tie Cottonwood. Here she was sought
by that venerable Brighter of female
youth and innocence, Brigham Young
If we are to receive Mrs. Eliza's account
without questioning, he was inspired
more by vanity than any other passion,
and sought her hand because it pleases
his amour pr0pre to display to the world
a succession of new, young wives. Ex-
uding at once that unctuOus palaver and
| amorous magnetism for which those
women who have come under his in
huence claim that he is renowned he
enticed her ear with ''good counsel, Z" and
persuaded her that when she married
again she should marry, not for love, but
for the sake of having some one at hand
who could give her sound advice. We
confess that this is way of looking
at the subject which would never have
occurred to us. A woman sometimes
marries a man on account of his beauty,
but on account of his capacity to lecture,
never
Having proceeded thus far, Brigham
next endeavored to prove to his victim
that he was that wise man upon whom
it was prudent for her to fix her affec-
tions. He then introduced other induce
ments, in the shape of the offer of a
house and one thousand dollars per year
pocket money. He reminded her that
his only object was not the qualification
of a selfish passion, but the salvation of
her poor, perishing soul, and her eleva-
ton to queenhood. Meanwhile he got
the better of her brother in business
negotiations, and got the whole of poor
ELIAS family SO under his thumb that
(still following the line of the lady's ac-
COUNT she resolved to sacrifice herself
and become his wife, in order to save her
brother from his Vaccinations, and
please her parents. The upshot was that
they were married, the triumphant bride
groom presenting her with three dress
patterns and a fifty dollar note as a we'd
ding gift.
A few months after the marriage the
programme was changed. Brigham not
only left off visiting her, but even sent
her and her mother to superintend one
of his farms. Here he left them in al
most total neglect, SO that Mrs. Eliza
counted herself happy when she could
get five pounds of sugar, quarter of
pound of tea, and few candles-beauti
full ful6lment, these, of the ante-nuptial
promise OF pocket money to the tune of
one thousand dollars year. Finally she
took to keeping boarders, and amid all
the troubles of one of the most irving
vocations on earth, during which ali she
obtained from her husband was two
calico dresses, she was attacked with
pleurisy. Resolving to appeal to the
humanity of Brigham, since all appeals
to other feelings seemed likely to be
wasted, she managed to reach his office,
and made known her wretchedness and
needs. Instead of ordering her medical
attendance, and supplying her with
every comfort an invalid in her condition
could demand, he directed his commits
sary to give her "two bits worth of
fresh meat, and sent her on her way.
This time her sense of outrage was stung