The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-01-11
DIVORCE.
A Divorce Wanted by Mrs. WOr-
then On Account OF
POlygdmY,

1
a complaint was fled in the clerk
Office of the Third District Court, yes
terday, by P. L. Williams, Esq, at
torney, being an action brought BY
Amanda N. Worlhen against John
Worthen, for divorce and alimony.
and an injunction restraining the de-
fendant from disposing of certain
property. The following abstract
from the complaint will show the
grounds on which the suit ia based:
The plaintiff above-named COM
plains OF the defendant, and alleges ::
That the said plaintiff and defendant
we're lawfully married TO each other
in the City of Burlington, State Of
Iowa, in the year 1848, land ever
since that time have been and are
now husband and wife; that the
plaintiff, in company with said de-
fendsnt, emigrated to Utah Terri
tory in the year 1852, where they
have ever since resided continuously
until the present time; that the
plaintiff and defendant are now, and
have been for more than twenty
years past, actual and bona tide resi-
dents of Salt Lake County, in said |
territory that ever since her said |
marriage the plaintiff has been con-
slant and faithful in her CoDjugal re-
lationF, and has acted towards defend
ant with etrict regard for sll the obi
cations imposed upon her as true
wife and viItuous woman; and
further alleges that she is the
mother of ten living children, the is
sue of her marriage to said defendant
That ever since they
came to Utah in the year 1852, the
plaintiff and defendant have been
members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-jsy Saints, COM
monty called the Mormon Church;
that in the year 1853, at Salt Lake
City, said defendant, in violation of
his marital obligations and duties to
the plaintiff, under the sanction OF
said church and in pursuance of a
pretended authority it assumed to ex-
3rcise, contracted and entered into,
what is known in the phraseology of
he members Of said church, ''ce!es-
isr' marriage, with woman named
Mary Ellen Midgley; that the mar
.iage so entered into By the said de- !
endaut and the ssid Mary Ellen
Midgley was polygsmous marriage:
hat ever since the marriage OF de- {
endant with the said Mary Ellen 6
didgley he has lived and cohabited !
With her. That the said defendant /
las committed repeated acts of adul-
cry with the said Mary Ellen Midg-
~, between the date last alore {
aid and the filing of this COM {
laint, at his various residences, 3
/ the Thirteenth, Twentieth and
welfth Wards OF said Salt Lake City,
nd other places unknown to the E
lainufi; thst ever since his said mar
age 10 her, the defendant has, up =
, the present time, lived and CO. I
abited with the said Mary Ellen l
idgley, ss his polygamous vile c
! open adultery, all of which was I
.ithout the consent, connivance or
REQUIREMENT of the plaintiff, and was
1ntrary to her will and wishes; that
e is now living with said Mary Ellen
Iidgley in open and notorious adul-
y in house now occupied by them
5 q residence in the Twelfth Ward u
said city; that defendant has had, p
Y said Mary Ellen Midgley, seven y
hiliren, as the issue of his said Il
dulterous cohabitation with her. Vi
Plaintiff further alleges that the Al
aid Mormon Church is not only a n
sligious association, but is also "
1cial body, a business organization n
nd political power with rigid rules h,
resembling the conduct and actions m
its members, and in al its phases q,
by an intense zeal and de- 4,
to achieve its ends, and 81
xecute it, purposes; and in the dis n
ipline and government of its mem y
ers it Is harsh, arbitrary q,
nd tyrannical. That the church n
especially strict aud imperi- .
Us in exacting of its ad- +.
erents an acceptance without quail F
cation of all its dogmas. Amongst ~
Their doctrines it is taught by said n
hurch that it is not only right, but +,
uty imposed by divinec ommsnd for h
ne male members thereof to have a
lurality Of wives at the came time, y
nd the acceptance c! this dogma of n
g faith, by every member. is required n
g OF the first importance, and It's n
election is denounced as apostscy. q
t is also declared and taught Il
nat apostacy from its faith Is o
ne of the most heinous crimes, and i
Il its influence and power are exerted r,
, make apostacy odious, and the Il
ondition OF the apostate intolersble. n
That in the year 1858, when the o.
efendant entered into the said biga- G,
lous marriage, and for several years a
lcceeding that date, the power of /,
nd church to compel obedience on
ne mart of its members was much
lore complete and absolute than it D
at the present time; that at the -
me the defendant entered into the g
sid bigamous marriage he was poor,
nd his only means Of supporting his
amily was by personal manual labor
8 a stone mason; that the plaintiff at
hat time had five living children. 4
he oldest Of which was then under s n
ears of age. and the youngest was n
n infant about 6 months old; that :.
be had then no means OF support for .
arself and children, save such as was ;,
rovided by her husband, and as bis
means were limited, he was unable TO
o more than supply her and them =
rom time to time, in small quaint 7