The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-06-14
a MORMON WIFE AND MOTHER
PIC7 URES HER DEGRADATION

The New York Herald, in letter from
Salt Lake City, under date of the 10th,
gives 1.-The pathetic narrative of Mrs. Or
son Pratt, the first and lawful wife of the
ablest, most eloquent, most fanatical and
unfortunate of the twelve apostles of the
Mormon Church, who is best known in
the East as the champion who overthrow
Brother Newman, of Washington, in an
argument on polygamy at the Tabernacle
here several years ago."
The following is in regard to Mrs,
Pratt's revolt from polygamy, and affords
some idea of that bestial tenet:
AS Mrs. Pratt paused in the silence near
midnight, | regarded her with keen in
terest. She had been for forty years a
profesed Norman along with her hus-
band, during which time she gave birth
to several sons, the eldest of whom is
now thirty nine years old. Her own age
is sixty, and besides the burden of these
years she bears a load of affliclion and
terrible memories compared with which
the worst sorrows of women, not in her
singular condition, seem unendurable.
Many years before her arrival here her
faith was shattered and her heart almost
broken by the behavior of her husband,
who having devoted to the service of
Joseph Smith. and Brigham Young tai.
ents which might in some useful vocation
have enabled him to rear and educate a
happy and united family, at last entered
into polygamous intercourse with other
women. r... .......-u
IL don't wish to wrongfully accuse my
husband said Mrs, Pratt, although we
have been hopelessly separated for ten
years. l believed, when he decided to
enter upon the practice ofpolygamy, that
he did so not from any violence of indi
vldual passion, but from sheer fanaticism.
He told me that he believed it was his
duty to take other women besides myself
to wife, and at first he said that this would
make no differencein his affection for me-
which would continue pure and single as
it had ever been. But think of the hor-
rOr of such an announcement. He took
wife after wife until they numbered FIVE,
and for a long time they we're kept away
from me and l was spared from inter
course with them. By and by he told me
that he intended to put these five women
on an exact equality with me; that he
should spend week with one, a week
viii another, and so on, and that should
have the sixth week Then patience for
sock me. l told him plainly that would
not endure it. ! said "If you take five
weeks with your other woman you can
take the sixth with them also"
1t was a crisis. 1t brought out all that
was bad in my husbands nature, He
said to me ietcely, "Ifyou don't choose
to live with me don't know that l am
obliged to support you. You have my
permission to go to hell. Stick to it or to
starvation .mCa haa s7uirs.ss 4..
Il doubt,p Mrs. Pratt weAt on to say,
whether any tongue could describe the
sufieriDgs l endured for fifteen years.
was witness to the change in my hus-
bands manner and disposition which all
ways accompanies polygamy as practised
in Utah. 0fcourse noman who oconsent-
ed to break his VOW TO his first wife could
either be or SEEM to her to be the hus-
band that he was before. Here was my
husband, for example, gray headed. TAX
ingto his bed young girls in Inockery1 Of
marriage. Of course there could be no
Joy for him in sucL an intercourse except