The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1879-06-19
FROM
The "Leader's Regular Installment
OF News From Mormon
Church Matters
correspondence or The Leader.
SALT LAKE CITY. Jun!

correspondence OF Inc Ltiuer.
SALT LAKE CITY, June IL, 70.
Emmel inc A. Young, daughter of
the late Brigham Young by his third
wife, Miss Free, has raised a rumpus
among the church authorities by bring
ing a suit in the United States district
court, against President Taylor and
other high dignitaries, for malversation
of the estate of said Brigham Young.
The will of the latter is now first pub
lished to the world, and forms n of
most interesting documents in the his
tory Of the Mormon church fraud ever
published.
1t appears by this paper that he has
remembered twenty-five of his wives
and thirty-eight children. This does
not include Ann Eliza, and probably
various other concubines, and their
children, but still it is enough for one
man, and the property devised would
probably reach the value of two millions
of dollars. This entire amount was
wrung out of the Mormon people by
Brigham during his residence in Salt
Lake, and when the subject of his
wealth was mentioned, he was in the
habit.of saying it was the Lords and
that it would be left to the church.
But his will never mentions the Lords
share, and the only way the Lord is
remembered is in the opening phrase:
.'In the name of the Lord, amen.''
After having disposed of the Lord, he
proceeds to divide up his various fami-
lies into nineteen classes, and deyises
his property to them by name.
Now, the church authorities did not
get the slice they expected in the will,
and 50 they proceeded to take out what
ever they could find and get their hands
on, and so successful have they been
that, according TO Emmeline's com
plant, they have diverted from the
heirs property and money amounting to
nearly twelve hundred thousand dol
lars. This, for n steal in the name OF
the Lord, is n pretty good job, and the
Lord, u would think, did not come
out 10 badly after all, provided the
church ''whacks up" properly. But
the church doesn't "whack up' much
with anybody except itself, and il
would Just as soon steal from its own
household rs anybody else, provided the
dupes do not %''squeal."
In this case, the church gouged q
little too deep, and brought n squeal.
The court, after hearing the complaint,
appointed two receivers for the estate,
with orders to take and hold, subject tc
the order of the court, all property
mentioned in the will, of whatever
name or nature. Now, in order to sat
isfy the cheated heirs, there will have
to be some tall disgorging done by the
church authorities, and the air will be
rank with the mephitic odors arising
from the contest. All of the loot de-
vised in the will was stolen, to begin
| with, and now it is u row to see who
shall get away with the most of it. II
the church desires that it he divided
equitably among the people of the ter
| ritory, from whom it vas obtained, il
wonld do an honest thing; but when il
comes up and boldly claims it in the
name of the Lord, it puts itself and the
Lord in the position of receivers OF
stolen goods.
About the only healthful sign visible
in the business is the fact that the heirs
have the courage to bring this suit
against the church authorities and in
spite of them; and it will also give one
more evidence, if it were needed, of the
fraudulent character of an organiza-
ton which permits property to be accu-
mulated in this way, and then tries to
steal it over again. RANGER.