The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-10-15
DTTORCES IN UTfH.
Five Hundred md Four Marriages Dissolved
In Three Years.

of their best men has boon caught in u most
| nefarious business. ! mean that notorious
wholesale business Of granting divorces with
out show oflaw or justification. The charge
! has frequently been made against the Probate
| Court here, and ms frequently denied with
fierce indignation. 1t has always been easy to
obtnin decree OF divorce here IL the applicant
| had anything like n cause for separation 10
! plead but the whole sale business has sprung
! up within the last three years. Its commence
mcnt was due more TO accdcn than ~ intent:
but what WIS intended n, nrs, to be a friendly
accommodation rapidly grew into warfare
against the marital relations of the civilized
| world
The statute of divorce in operation in the
! Territory was framed BY the Mormon lcgsln-
tors to facilitate the separation Of believing
wife from an unbelicving husband or vice
versa. while they were still beyond tho jurisdic-
ton of our courts. The statute ~ itself is dis
! tinct enough in cnumcraing the causes on
| which tho mnn or woman might filc COM
plant and petition Tor DEGREES. But to its
/ proper and just provisions there was added this
crooked clause: II the Court is satisfied that
the person 80 applying is "A resident Of the Ter
ritory. or wishes to become one" Moreover.
the Judge was empowered TO grant n divorce
when. in his opinion. the welfare" OF the par
ties would be promoted by separation. The
| Mormon Legislature Of to-day would not
| dare 10 enact such a statute for divorce.
! nor would tho present Governor allow II
wv lecisIn,ers who wrre living here Win in isiiaii"n
| - thousand miles from everywhere -aud
| VINO never dreamed of their isolation b"ing
! 4 ~turhed by railroads and telegraph wires.
| Tint portion Of III" statute giving to an
apprnn al the services ~ the court
| solely ON affirmation thnt he or she ntend-
ed To become resident of the Territory is
| udetcn@ihlc. Brigham Young, A. Governor
| approved the statute--ot course. During the
thirty years that the Morrons have inhabited
| those valleys. many a woman in the state has
boon deluded into the belief that the desortion
! Of her husband was not only to be- the means OF
| her salvation. bat that in her Night To- Zion she
was prntc' ted by law. and. once here, she was
| safe Many n woman under such teachings
| and influences has abandoned her home and
! Carried on her children. allurcd 10y the glory
] that awaited her Il she became the wife in Zion
About twenty years ago. a wealthy harris
/ ter Of Chelt,nham; England. found one
abandoned his home. At first every EFFORT la
/ discover their whereabouts failed. At length be
learned that his wife had secretly Joined the Nor
mon church. IN agent .hncked hythe influence Of
the British and American unvernments arrived
here. aud ne children Of Mr. lolydog were re-
land. Polydor was rich and could 80 this hut
many "a home has been made desolate wher"
'ho husband had not the power 60 follow the
iu-itvs. So long ~ the wrong was confined
To- the Normons. there has been little said about
II hero; but. within the last few Years. the Jtah
divorces have been apprc lated aud eNieusiyely
used by G-nucs. ana for som" months back
the ordinations TINT have been nude and the
protesiations that have como 10y mail have 81
Increased "a number. that il became the plain
duty of the Grand Jury OF this county n invos-
iigatc into the alleged AlogIlity oi tue rrpfeed-
i1es ~ IN" Probate Court; hence this astound-
ing exposure.
frorl IL. first movement ~ tho Grand Jury
= ct p"--' -'a nf ~. r,'ori- Vi tI.r Probate,
Court. II WIS very evident that there vs. ~ofnr-
iuin- radically WRONG. Ih' JUGS" OF PROBATE.
quiet gentleman of over thrcc-s'ore years
and ten. who had always borne an irr"proneh-
an" r' pu'Hilon both as - zen AMI Official, wa,
@utd' Transformed. H. treuted the order II
tie United states District Count with contempt.
an. ,nld not permit ne rrend Jury itoeN-
mt $50 for every day thev should be Withheld.
Tn" examination show, that no less than jA
ItNtr -. hal ~. n srnAteI nv this ,n- court ~
l. $50 "ighy-iour divorces were granted;
seveny-seven wcr- granted in the following
1871, no less than 3i3 divorces were granted
have gone cnr"lu,y over H." list "t the
M y'"r "n l hna x mons ~ I tns nend. WIN
with 70: sober Mu-sae hu ..ris follows with IA:
P'ru-rlvtuia huf = E; New Jersey 4: Cnlfi1rnI9
nui lrlana with thor own grent facilities iOr
ira lhIu-. up hNu- NNld- are credited wIin only
nAi . resp. tV.y; Mune-.tt. Wet \lr-
gnla, herin 'kN 'pnnfMi'ut. peihw,re. aud
I NORTH Carolina llai on.y one each. The Pro-
hnf- judge OF thls small ,ruuniy. extended mis-
iuri~d ION over Cana IN. England. France. AMI
other European countries. The names VI some
parties ere conveniently entered upon flr
records Of the court. with the annotation, NO
nal not bren Interrupted in n = aceommodafin-
WlS. b" might have divorced thr whole world:
Is was puIy HpU' s'i0n % HpuliD Hilons md f,.-.
To- snow the utter r. sl-r-n .s with which
me Mormon courts har" treated the rights of
took one hundred c,se- In consecutive ori.r
from tne : cords. and fnund inst thirteen 'li-
80 rres had been granted on the -an" dny ihat
''t 'inI.Aihi was Ned; eight ". r. srgrf'l .Jr
/ day ait"r. nine ln mo days inter; altogether.
iotfy-,N werr granted in from three 70 tn dnv-
alter ne complaint was made, In large NUM-
her or these cases tue complaints and all ~.
nee ssary papers were. made ont hy the Jndsr
himself showing that Brother Elias WAS ready
10 "Hrn an extra dollar in any convenient way
Til. rus g.~- has boon very lucrative. the fees
ranging from $50 10 $3.50. Where the applicant
WIS s''rg wealthy. the fee was sometimes much
larger than the latter figure. Tn, examination
but j. believed thnt all tho probate courts have
dabhled in the same outrageous work Onc at
torn"y a. tprlnne il known Ia have made a
-i"nh s-.,upU IN very snort Time ron divorces
alone. The most disagreeahln Ihasc of this
whole afar is the fact that, while the courts
Mormon. the parties who have ben eiit.d most
by this crooked tram are Gentiles. or To np-
p!!Ttons Tor divorce. only 81 Wore represented
rs ATTORNEYS. George T. Webster obtained y
d'"reo-; George C. Bates. formerly United
stat. Attorney Tor the Territory. obtained 10;
Moses VI. Ban" the present United States r.
uhi : ln7 :; smith. Mormon and cousin oi
III. Iul sr, obtained ONT
thlng ~ a form u Jaw; but II Was only ia
til' 4AT IYrmon judges regard al ma'rl-
lr'n'al alliances outside Of their own
endowment ceremonies rs mere mockery
end Gentle narrag. certificate rs 30
mhen wasie paper brigham when in the
/ NM Zee Granted dlv'r"r~ only - plenSa the
whms OF ~ brothers and sisters. tut they
were IN reality Of 10 account, i tney persisted
in botherlng him. lac would make them pay $40
r eNry de rrr and NJ gave these toes 10
cory Of his simple document.
faG% dGn sm "a and . sa That Fl, S sc @
u - ff ID D. O. .I Ik