The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-03-09
A SALT LAKE ELOPEMENT.
The Way n Mormon Girl A1isied her Rela.
tives and Fooled her suitor.

More than three years ago, Charles r..
Hopkins met and fell in love with Miss
Alice s. Young, the eldest daughter of
Brigham Young, Jr. The attachment
became mutual, and the young gentle
man waited upon his lady love for sev-
eral months, but against the will and
consent of her parents. The game grew
hotter in fact, it became evident to the
young lady's dad that the lovers were in
earnest, and that if something were not
done, and that, too, suddenly, he would
have a wedding in his family. The
young gentleman was therefore forbid
den the house by the irate father, who
laid such an injunction upon the suitor
TO stay away that it was positively I'M
safe for him to disobey the mandate of
the Lords anointed. Every means was
then employed to prevent the young
lady from seeing her lover. She was
taken with the dignitaries of the priest
hood on missions from place to place,
with the intention of diverting her
mind, and, if possible, to ALLEVIATE her
affection for her lover; at least, to bring
her in contact with other young Nor
mons, some of whom it was hoped she
might learn to smile upon. Finally,
Mormon, nevertheless an intelligent
young man, scarcely of her own age,
addressed himself to her good graces,
and to all human appearances became
the favored. lover. His love was genu-
inc, and, it is said, at times became over
powering. He waited upon her most
devotedly until almost the very hour
that she danced away with the other
fellow, and for the past two years Briggy
has looked upon him rs the savior of his
daughter, encouraging him in his suit.
In short, it became generally to be re-
garded as fact that Miss Alice and her
new lover were engaged to be married,
and it is not improbable that he, as
well as the parents, were happy in such
belief. She would go to balls and
places of amusement with him, and by
Encouragement would there meet Hop
kins, but with such adroitness were
these meetings conducted, that her most
intimate friends even did not dream of
the matrimonial conspiracy in progress.
Other and clandestine meetings we're
had from time to time, and an epistolary
correspondence maintained without de-
lection between her aud her old fame.
The day was set, and the marriage was
to take place Immediately after the
elopement, which was to be made next
month. One day last week she sent
word to Mr.. Hopkins that her father
was about to send her to st. George,
where she would be compelled to stay,
she knew not how long, and without the
shadow of hope for an escape. Ac-
cordingly it was arranged for her on
Saturday night to flee from the harem,
be welded, and go home with her lover.
A mutual friend had been taken into the
plot, and to him was left the conduct of
affairs. The young man who was to aid
in the escape, accompanied by Mr. Hop
kins, drove to the residence of the young
lady, the white House on the hill,
but found all the gates of the great stone
wall securely locked, and the girl no.
where to be seen. On the following day
it was ascertained that the prophet was
holding q secret conclave in his school
house, within the same inclosure that
Alice lived, and the gates had therefore
been closed to exclude intruders. Fur
thermore, the young man who had been
wasting his affection on the girl for the
last two years had dropped in to spend
the evening. Plans were again adjusted,
and to be executed On Monday night.
She was to smuggle her clothing out of
the house and place it under designated
tree in the yard, where the young men
were to go at six o'clock, P. NJ. and take
it away, and two hours later go for the
young lady herself. At the appointed
hour they went with light vehicle to
the front sate of the prince, and, while
one held the horses, the other proceeded
70 in thn rlb o1 IN
the meanwhile keeping his pistol in
hand, we'll knowing that to be found in
vading the premises of the prophet
would bring upon him serious and per-
haps desperate fight. This part of the
work was done with no disturbance; bu
shortly afterward Brigham, Jr., mis-
trusted something was wrong, and Miss
Alice fled in search of her lover, pur
sued by her father. Making her way
| down Main street, she met Charles near
the ruins of the First National bank,
when she told him they had been dis
covered, and that her father had been
| pursuing her.
He directed her to remain there while
| he called q hack to take them to the
minister, but before he returned she
heard her father coming down the
street, putting and blowing like por-
poise in distress. She crossed the street
in front of the Demijohn saloon, and
when her father had gone by she return
ed; but no sooner had she got back than
Brigham, Jr., turned and was coming
toward her, when she lodged behind q
pile of adobes in the street, where she
remained concealed until he had pa sed
out of sight. She was much excited.
for it was a narrow escape, and she de-
termined not to remain there any long
or. Accordingly she again hurried
across the street, ran through the alley
near the billiard hall, and going across
lots to South Second street, made hel
way to the residence of her lover in the
Sixth ward.
When Charley returned to where ht
had left her, of course he was wild witt
excitement, for he naturally enough
thought that she had been captured an(
carried back to the harem. A numbel
OF friends were called and stationed OF
all the corners to watch for her, Will,
he with one companion drove to hi
home, where she by this time had ar
rived. The three together now proceed
ed to the residence of the Rev. Mr.
Welch, who married the lovers and sen
them home with his blessing.
| First the young lady's brother put il
an appearance, and desired private in
terview with his brother-in-law. 1t wa
granted, but no harm came of it. III
then appealed to his sister to go hom
with him, but when answered that sh
was already at home, he left the hous