The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-09-07
5 MONROE. LOUISIANA. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER Z. Is
THE DEAD MORMON LEADER.

THE DEAD MORMON LEADER.
SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 1S.-Durine
the last six months Brigham Young
has been engaged with his apostles, ID
reorganizing the working, machinery
of the Mormon Church. 1t has seemed
to some that this was owing to the APP
prehension Of danger from the courts id
this Territory and from the next Com
gress. But Brigham has no such fears,
He2had reasons, some weeks ago, to
apprehend trouble, when Burton and
Clinton were arrested on the charge ol
murder, but since the former is out on
bail and tine letter is out Of the hands
Of the United States Marshal, he feels
perfectly at ease, as far rs concerns
them, and as for Congress, he has all
ways boasted that he could purchase
it at any time. For this reorganization
of the church there is another reason!
Brigham Young has the appearance
of being physically :sstrong man.; yet
the reverse is true. He comes of Il iongl
lived race, but he has frequently had
hard work to pull though attacks Of
sickness, and it is only with constant
nursing and mild doctoring that he has
been able to keep up. When Chief
Justice Mexican Was worrying him ,
the Marshal, with u warrant in; his
hand, was almost certain, to be met
with a doctors certificate that the por7
phet could not leave his room. This
being SO frequently the case, those .un1
acquainted with the, facts regarded the
statement of his illness as IL mere sub
:erfuge to keep out Of the, hands Of the
officers of Justice. But his inability to
leave his house was real, and as he in I
creases in age, he grows no better. II
is this consciousness of decreasing
vitality and the possibility of the re-
currence of trouble that has, prompted
the prophet to put the church, in order,
so that in case OF studded death or any
other unpleasant eYentuality, he may
have everything prepared for his sue
cessOrs, and may rest assured that there
will be no repetition of the dissensions
that almost killed it at the death of
Smith. 80. ..-f.,:,..,.-. ..,.'. - ...-....f
To those who have asked the ques-
tions, "Wiu Mormonism die with
Brigham Young?, Will there not he q
general break-up? Who will be his
successor ?' the prophet is now giving
answer. r.- t,.s. .-,..,.5 f.;i s-lH 80
More than a dozen years ago Brig
ham began to prepare for a proper dis.
his decease. He chose the most capa-
BILE man in his church for this kind of
business, Elder A. Milton Musser, an
orphan of some Pennsylvania Dutch
family, and he set him to work to
travel through the territory to obtain
legal deeds for every piece of property
he said was~~his. In the. two hundred
cities and settlements there is every.
where b. Y. brand. 1t is imprinted
on everything he coveted, from ye.,rl-
ing's rump to a forest of pines. Musser
was five years at the work and he
for his chief an enormous
quantity of property. The extent Of il
is incredible to those who do not know
the operations of the One-man power.
AS the whole machinery of election is
in his own hands, notaries publ: and
recorders did as they were told, and
asked no questions. In this way Brig
ham has provided for his legion OF
wives and children. Now he has be-
gun to provide for the church.
Brigham was once asked by a young
and Jealous apostle: stWho will be
your successor, Brother Brigham ?'
He answered: tsrhe Lord will mani
fest that in due time" Brigham was
not ready to unveil his mind ,and until
he is the very biggest of his crowd can
only guess ut his intentions. He set
out to found Il dynasty when he came
to these mountains and it looks now as
if he were going to carry out his pro-
gramme successfully. The people are
familiar with the thought,
and the obstacles that were in his way
a few years ago are, quickly vanishing.
About Il dozen years. ago he resolved
to make his three sons, Joseph A.,
Brigham, Jr., and John W., apostles.
He consulted no one, but one day
when his counsellor, and the second in
in the church, Heber Q.
came into his office, he said:
"Brother Heber, let us lay hands on
the boys" In the usual manner OF
Brigham and Heber laid
their hands on the heads of the three,
and in few minutes the sons of Brig,
ham were full-flegded apostles. Heber
was amazed at the business and the
part he had taken in it; but as no op-