The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-02-22
RafrihutiOn.


In the spring of 1853, Elder Perley T..
Pratt, of the Mormon community, Sc
duced from her home the wife of Mr.. II. H.
Mclean, q merchant of San Francisco, to
make her his seventh wife. On her flight
the deserted husband sent his two chill
dren, a very interesting boy and girl, to
his father-in law, in New Orleans. Some
time afterward the mother left Salt
Lake, got her children, and started back
to Utah with them. On discovering this
the doubly injured father started in
pursuit. He came to New York, heard
of Pratt there, and tracked him from
New York to st. Louis. There he lost
him. Then he left New Orleans, where
he heard that his wife and children were
then going through Texas to Salt Lake,
so off he went to Texas. In his search for
the missing ones, he had learned that his
wife had assumed the name of Mrs. =. p.
Parker, and while travelling through
Texas he contrived to intercept some let
tiers which he found bearing this super
scription. On breaking the seal he saw
they were written in cipher. He sue
ceeded in finding the key to the cipher,
however, and discovered that the letters
were from Pratt, and contained request
that the caravan with which Mrs. Mclean
and her children were travelling should
90 to the neighborhoOd of Fort Gibson,
in the Cherokee Nation. Confused and
dispirited, Mr.. Mclean returned to New
Orleans, whence he started for Fort Glib
son, assuming the name of johnson. He
made known his secret to the officers OF
the fort only. Here his vigilant and
energetic pursuit of the fugitives was
soon rewarded. He captured not only
his wife and children, but the scoundrel
who, in the name of religion. had en-
ticed them from their home. The United
States Marshal took them before Com
missioner John B. Ogden for trial. The
case awoke intense excitement at the
time, and the populace clamored for
vengeance on the wretch who had deliber-
ately plotted and planned the ruin of a
prosperous and happy family. The cipher
letters were produced, in Court, and Mr..
Mclean told such pathetic story of his
wrongs that Pratt only escaped lynching
by being concealed in the Jail. Even
the complainant himself became so en-
ragged that In the very Court to which he
had come for justice he clutched his
pistol to shoot Pratt then and there.
And no wonder, for he was told the law
was powerless to punish Pratt. Early
next morning the Mormon Elder was
dismissed and left the place secretly, but
Mclean watched and pursued him, over
took him on his road, and killed him in
his tracks.
With his children Mclean returned to
New Orleans, and the wife, having mean
while become raving maniac, was sent
to an insane asylum.
1t was this event, combined with the
appreheDded appointment of new ter
ritorial officers by the Government, that
led to the horrible massacre OF emigrants
at Mountain Meadow soon after-slight
motives for such terrible crime.
The College of Cardinals, when full,
consists of seventy members. There are
at present fourteen vacancies. There
are three orders of Cardinals Bishops,
Princes, and Deacons. The six Cardinal
Bishops are those whose dioceses are the
six suburban sees" there are fifty
Cardinal priests, whose titles are taken
from churches in Rome, of which they
are appointed superiors; and fourteen
Cardinals deacons, who are appointed to
churches called deaconries."