National Republican., 1882-07-01


md used to take the New York papers, and / read
hose papo's with great interest. They took the
iey York Tri5ue, l think, and HdTpcrs Weekly
lnd that KIND oil papers. They had quite n large
ioIary, in which spent great part of my tmo
READING THE BIBLE,
history, and the newspapers. had very littlo TO
10 with women all the time that was there
in me 10 hold ms there. They used to
,ritcise me a great deal, aud that kept mo out of
fellowship with the spirit of John II. Noyes, who
VAS the central power aud genius OF the COM
nunty. He ruled the community soul. body, and
mind and every man, woman, and child in II with
! rod OF iron. No one pretended 70 doubt his
iutnorlty IN social, business or spiritual things
He had absolute control in every respect and no
Is despot ofthe worst character. He has not n
particle Of sentiment or feeling for any one. He
used TO move up and down the community like
young god and no one to say him nay. AFTER
had livod there four or FIVE years IN a horrible
that would leave. felt that was in he'll, and
that If ever got into another one would have q
little respite any way.
THE CENTRAL IDEA OF THE COMMUNITY
is that It is the Kingdom of God that there is but
one God, and that John II. Noyes was his prophet
and that If you submitted to Noycs you would go
70 heaven, and II you resisted him you would be
Dan damned nc This idea was preached in season and
published in all their publications. This idea
produced terrible spiritual suction so that If n
person actually became infatunted with the idea
that It was the Kingdom of God aud that Noyes
was his prophet, 1t made 1t almost Irresistible to
get away from that suction. 1t was this horrible
ianaticism that kept the Community together so
long us IL existed.
Tho Oneida Community Was Conceived
by John H. Noyes to crafty his amatveness. He
had repeatedly said that If it had not been for his
have existed. This is strictly and literally true.
All his profeSscd philosophical and scriptural au-
thority for his socialism is based on the idea of
gratifying his amativeness. About fifty years ago
Noyes got u good denl of theological truth. lie
was student and liccntate of the Theological
Seminary at New Haven. lie Is man OF fine in-
tellcct; he has one of the finest heads on him ever
saw. He Is large man-about six feet high. He was
born in Vermont, and he Is a relative of ox-Presi-
dent Hayes aud of ex- Minister Noyes of France.
II he had stuck to his theology and let women
alone he might have done great deal of good
and had au honorable reputation aud name, but
eS he Ssg gS ms now o
of God on earth and the central idea of that was
to annihilate the marriage institution and TO sub
property in woman on the same basis as property
in man. His idea was that in the Kingdom of
God all property and
ALL WOMEN ARE IN COMMON;
community of property and community of women
was his constant thought, and the Oneida Com
mupity Is the practical exponent ofthat idea, do.
ing away with private property, doing away with
wives, and having u common feast. His theory OF
sexual intercourse was this: He claimed that iu
the Kingdom of God they neither marry nor are
given i'll marriage, and he placed sexual inter-
coufse on the same basis as embracing or kissing.
Under this fanaticism and ridiculous notion he
pacificd his conscience so that he used 10 take
young girls, IL and IA years old and upwards,
pose), and he used to forco them to cohabit with
MIN. And there was no one in tho community to
say him nay. His will was absolute law, and It
made fearful despotism of the very worst kind.
There was not a decent looking woman in the
Oneida community; they were mostly farmers
daughters from Vermont and Massachusetts and
belonged to that kind of society. All the girls
that were born in the community were forced to
cohapit with Noyes at such an early period that it
dwarfed them. Tho result was that most OF the
Oneida women were small and thin and homely,
In April, 1865, l left the community and went to
New York with the intention of starting a reli-
gious paper to be called The Ncw York Daily Thco
crh. There was 5000 due TO me from the com
munity. Horace Greeley started the Tribune on a
thousand dollars, and had vague idea thai
perhaps could start my paper in the same way
NOTHING EVER CAME OF 1T.
When left the community they gave me 800 o.
tho 5000 they owed me, and an outfit. When
reached New York went to the Christian Asso
ney, the secretary of the Young Mems Christian
Association. got board in New York, and tried
to find something to do. Within week or two
act like other people. / lived in Hoboken from
April, 1865, until August, 1865. / then became
convinced that it would be useless for me to star
paper, so l gave that idea up entirely wa
in great distress of mind and perplexity. die
not know what to do. was out of business, ou
OF money. and out of friends, and was under {
terrible pressure 70 go back to the community.
could not shake the idea off. wrote to the com
munity and they agreed to take me back " or
and they agreed that / should 90 to work there
remained there from August 1865, until Novem.
Der following, and then
WENT BACK TO THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY
after having been away since April. / stayed
there just one year from November, 1865, until No
vember, 1866. l did the work allotted to me Just q
any aboring man would and just as the rest of th'
community did. Along in the summer made VI
my mind that | would leave for good and | did SO
wrote to my brother in law, George Scoville
ESQ.,, lawyer in Chicago, and told him that hat
resolved to leave. He thereupon promptly sent mt
So kept this money in my pockets some thre'
weeks, besitating whether would go or stay, feel
ing that If 1 went
IsHoULD CERTAINLY BE DAMNED.
mind that would go anyway If was damned
sure, and made my arrangements to leave.
was working IN the tIap-shoP at that time. hat
instead of going TO the house, just walked dow
To the Oneida depot and hired horse and buggy
althe livery stable. got my trunk out from mi
and the man drove me to the depot, where Pre- re-
mained until o'clock in the morning, and then
took the train for New York.
These are the exact facts III reference to m,
leaving the Community both on the first time H. G.
in April, 1863 and the second time Il, e.. in No
vember, 1900, and the pretense that they expelled
After arrived in New York, in November, 1866
went to the Christian Association and recalled
New York and in Brooklyn all that winter.
lived there from November, 1866, until August
1877. During that timo
JOINED MIR. BEECHER's CHURCH,
and attended his services regularly. In 1867 re
ccyed letter from my brother in law in Chicag
lMr. Scoville) inviting me to go there. They ha,
heard, In some way, that | had left the Com
munity. went out to Chicago, and was ther
several months, and then returned to New York
think about the LIST of December, 1867. ] too
board In Brooklyn again, and was there until thu
following spring-that was the spring OF 1866
During this time had some means that hn
saved over from the Community money, but / wa
out of office some of the time. / had no trade an
no profession and no friends, and got along tn
best way could under the circumstances III tn
spring of 1868 decided to go back to Chicago an
study law
He Becomes u Lawyer and MnrrIes.
was admitted to practice in 1868 at Chicago b
Charles IL. Reed, who was district attorney at thu
time. He simply asked me a few questions u
general, about The law, and he gave me my certiti
supreme court of that State. / remained in Chi
cago until 1871 and practiced law. l did well.
was industrious, had no bad habits. and was YER
active in getting business. used to scour aroun
| lively tor it,. was married in July, 1869, to
young lady 10 years OF age, that met at th
Young Mems Christian Association in Chicago
She was a thin and delicate lady, with yer
pleasant face, pretty eyes, and quite pretty. Sh
was librarian of the association. l used to 6
| there great deal, and became acquainted wit
her in that way. She was poor girl, and had n
| money aud no relatives that could help her. Sh
had been unfortunate i'll Philadelphia about
| year before met her.
a scoUNDREL HAD sEDUCED HER,
| by pretending that he was greatly in love wit
| her and that he was a single man. She was en-
gagged us telegraph operator at that time in Phil
adelphia. The man who seduced her belonged
| a very high toned family in Philadelphia. He wa
| the brother in-law of the superintendent of tn
| telegraph company and was in the habit of hang
| ing around the office when he met her. Little b
| liule she camo uuder his influence and he iinall
| seduccd her. She had child and had grei
deal OF trouble aboutit. The child was strong an
| healthy and was born in the country near Pnill
| dephia. As soon us she discovered her conditio
she went TO prominent lawyer in Philadelphi
| aud told him the facts. He commenced n su
against this scoundrel and succeeded in gettir
about 81, 600 out Of his family Most of this none
| was kept by the lawyer so she saiu. lie, howeYe
! treated her well and took her into his own fami
| aud Sue was well provided for during her contint