Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-11-21
ROMANO OF AN ACTOR.
How He Became a Mormon, and Subse.
quently a Comedian In Our
Boarding House."

lObEDO, november lO.-IeOnaru.
Growers combination, playing Our
Boarding House" closed a successful
engagement last evening at Wheeler's
Opera House. 1t is not generally
known that MI, w. j. Cogswell, play
ing the part of Colonel NJ. 7. Eleva-
tor" the visionary grain operator, has
a very remarkable history. The story,
fully written, would be we'll up to the
average of remarkable experiences of
actors.
Cogswell was a New Yorker who
found himself at the beginning of the
war for the Union in the frame of mind
of the average Northern young man,
gushing with patriotic ardor. He ac-
cordingIy enlisted in the One Hundred
and Sixty-third N. Y. regiment. He
served during the war, and at its close
drifted to the West. A sister lived at
Denver, Colorado, the wife of a labor
ing man. About 1870a Mormon bishop
came to Denver disseminating the
peculiar doctrines of his sect, and
meeting Mr.. Cogswelps sister be-
came enamOred of her, and she
seemed to return his passion.
By the peculiar methods known to
the Church the bishop had a
divorce declared, and took the sister
to share his bosom, already divided
among a half-dozen spouses. The
party migrated to Los Angeles, Cali
fornia, when in a trance it was revealed
to the sister, who was a Spiritualist,
of which faith Mr.. Cogswell himself
seems to be, that she should conduct
the party to the Mormon kingdom at
Salt Lake City. The party, which
embraced several other persons be-
sides himself, sister and the bishop,
set out and actually made the journey
on foot over the mountains, unguided,
unprotected and unarmed, not having
so much as a pistol in the party. They
landed safe in a Salt Lake City hotel.
This was in the next year, 1871. The
journey was regarded as so miraculous
that Brigham Young, to whom all the
particulars were related, visited the
party personally, pronouhcing it a
special work Of God, and he at once
baptized them all into the Mormon
faith, making Mr.. Cogswell an elder in
the church. The baptism was the
first performed by the president per-
sonally in fourteen years. 1t was also
the last. There were present at the
ceremony the then Senator Cooper,
George Buchanan and Hiram Gloss,
noted Mormons.
For two years Cogswell enjoyed the
eldership with all that the name i'm
plies, until he discovered the secret
%antagonism Of the Mormon govern
ment against the United States. This
was too much for his patriotism, and
he decided to get out ofthe thraldom.
even at the loss Of his wives, of which
he had his due proportion. But before
his plans for escape were matured they
were discovered, and he was arrested
and thrown into prison, II was about
the time of his release, received BY
loud but false promises on his part Il
remain in the faith, that Senator
Blaine's committee visited Salt Lake
City, and a condition ofhis release wa
that he should aid In hoodwinking thu
committee, This was done, Mr.. Cogs
well says, by managing that the visitors
should not see a Gentle while in The
Mormon capital, Committees ofMor
mons met the committee on the rail
! road and accompanied them to Sal
Lake, where a railroad track had BEEF
constructed from the railway proper t,
= the very gates of the Tabernacle, wher,
. arriving, the church potables received
b them and saw that they were not lef
; unguapded by Mormons for n mo
ment while in the city. Hence tn
f tameness Of the report Of the "phme,
Y Knights committee,
Cogswell left his eldership, with al
its appuFtenanees, soon after, and en-
4 tered the lecture field, with but ordi
r nary success, finally turning up as
{ comedian In Growers Combination.