The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1881-12-21

thrown from his position OH the car
and crushed by the wheels of the
tender. His legs were severed from his
body above the knees. In this condi-
ton lie was taken to Beaver Dam and
medical aid summoned, but before it
arrived death relieved him of his suf-
( ferings. His name was John Allen,
and | am informed that he was from
Colesburg, on the l.. X y. railroad. He
left mother and sister, who were
dependent on him for support.
Mr.. Charles Woodruff, station agent
and operator at this place, left recently
/ for Louisville. The office is at present
occupied 10y Mr.. Sutherland, Of Eliza
/ bethtown.
/ Married, on the sth inst at the resi-
dence of the brides father, near Para
disc, Mr.. VIM. Moore, of this place, to
Miss Adelia Taylor. We extend to
them the customary wishes for future
felicity, aud hope that it may contain
all the joys which their minds at pres
ent doubtless depict. They came at
once to McHenry, where they purpose
making their future home.
Mr.. Hite, station agent at Hamilton,
returned yesterday from Bowling Green
with his bride, whom lie enthroned
queen of his domestic establishment.
He occupies the house formerly occu-
pied by Mr.. Sam Stahl.
Quit for want of space. FELIN.
The Government and the MormOns.
( In the last ten years efforts have been
made at nearly every session of Con-
gress to provide such regulations for the
administration of law in that Territory
as to enable effective steps to he taken
for the punishment of pOlygamy, and
particularly with view to the preven-
ton or encouragement Of further pOlyg-
amous marriages. But very little sue
cess has attended such efforts. For
one cause or another, acts that would
have gone far toward the accomplish
ment of this end have been repeatedly
defeated, and the difficulty in procuring
convictions for polygamy under exist
| ing laws has been found almost insup-
cradle. This difficulty lies mainly in
two points 81 legal procedure. The first
is in tie nature Of the constitution OF
juries. On the theory prevalent in the
United States, jury must be unani-
nous in order to convict. II, therefore,
single Mormon be a member of a jury
in given case, it is impossible to obtain
a verdict, for he believes, or processes to
believe, that polygamy is a divine
institution, and that they who practice
it are rendering obedience to God, and
so he thinks, or Processes to think, that
prosecutions for that Oflense are the
most wicked tyranny, and he will not
find a verdict of guilty under any cir
cumstances. And il has been found,
too, naturally enough, that the process
of challenging for bias is generally in
effectual in such cases. But If in some
rare instances it has been found posi-
BILE to obtain an impartial jury in the
only correct sense-that is, Il jury who,
as responsible members Of the cOmmun-
ity, believe in the necessity of the exc
cution of its laws, and who are willing
to find verdicts accordingly upon fair
pr0of-a second difficulty has at once
presented itself in the inability Of the
prosecution to prove the fact Of polyga-
nous practice, although every Mormon
privately and publicly out Of court adj
mits its existence and defends 1t. This
difficulty Of proof grows out of the rule
of the law Of procedure, which 1t has
been insisted required record or other
direct evidence Of the two or more mar
riages. The Supreme Court has lately
held, however, that proof Of the admis-
siOns, etc, of the accused can be given
in evidence, which may make convic-
tions possible. These marriages, it
seems, are made by the Mormons, lat
terly, at least, in secret; and however
august may be the ceremonial, and
however numerous the witnesses, the
event takes place with closed doors and
under the most stringent obligations of
secrecy, so that when a Mormon WIT
ness is called to prove the fact, he has
no scruple usually in denying any
knowledge OF it.
Under such circumstances the insti-
tuition continues to flourish, and the pro-
portion Of polygamous marriages is
probably now considerably greater than
it was fifteen years since. The Mormon
population of Utah in 1866 is estimated
to have been about 10000. In that pop
ulation the proportion Of "plural mar
riages" is believed, from certain testi-
mony taken in that year by II commit
tee of Congress, to have been not less
than one-third of the whole number of
married males. 9.
From the evidence taken by this
committee, and from the whole course
of events in that Territory since the
passage of the act of 1862 denouncing
polygamy as a crime, there is strong
reason to believe that the institution
has been more and more promoted by
the Mormon leaders, and has become
almost cardinal test of Mormon faith.
The present population of Utah pur-
ports, by the census returns Of 1880, to
he l43, O63, more than $1,000 of which