The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-08-22
.woxo THE MORMONs.
what. Colonel John l.. Thomas Saw
and Heard In Utah.
A visit 90 Brigham YonnG's Wives-scenes
and Incidents OF Note In Long and in-
tcrcsting Journey Across the Continent
Some GcntiIcs and Their Friends.
IRaltImorr Americana

county. ana ieaQing Gentlie, as all nom
Mormons are called. Before | proceed to
give your readers any impressions of Salt
Lake. | desire few words rs TO Ogden,
which is beautifully located. being almost
surrounded by the Wasatch range Of
mountains, which are so high that the tops
OF some OF their highest peaks are now
covered with snow. IL is OF course
n Mormon city, but am told the
Geniiles are adding TO their numbers
every year. The trains to the East
and West meet here. As the Union Pa
cific ends here and Central Pacific here
commences, all passengers and baggage are
here transferred going West or East, and
there is consequently great deal OF eX-
citcmout and great amount OF confusion,
which think can aud ought TO be avoided.
You cannot purchase a Pullman-car ticket
any further than Ogden going West OF
coming East, and the result is that on the
arrival Of the trains every man Is on the
rush TO the ticket-oilicc for a sleeper.
Everybody wants lower berth, and every
body cannot get one. The pushing and
hauling is tremendous, and two policemen
(MOr!Gons) stand around to keep you in
line and preserve order. You are lucky,
under the circumstances, if YOU get what
you want.
y StnlltliidU uN lllNlNllb III OHucu
after Hon. William s. Hooper, and on our
road to salt Lake he took seat beside us.
He turned out to be an official on the road.
We asked him il he was Mormon; he
said he was. We asked him how many
wives he had; he said only one. We in
Quired il he did not think one was enough;
he replied that depended % circum-
stances that he could only stppor, one
wife. but he thought he had the right to
possess as many as he desired, il he was
able 10 support them. He did not seem
inclined to talk much about the institution
OF which he was member, but was quite
yolubc i'm giving Us information rs 10 the
value OF the farms and the growing great
ness Of Utah. He said all the farms had
passed were worth from $50 to $3.50 per
acre, and that some OF them could not be
bought: that the MormOns were content
cd and virtuous and happy, and that he |
bad been living among them for nineteen |
Years, and has not come across dishonest !
one. Just before we reached Salt Lake |
City We witnessed a most beautiful sunset /
The waters OF the lake were bathcd in |
crimson and gold, and the skies were so
bright and gorgeous i'm their coloring as ,
almost 10 impress us with the belief that |
we were about to enter the true Zion and |
heavenly Jerusalem. The snow on the |
peaks Of the Wasatch gistened like dia-
monds, and seemed like jewels SET in a
heavenly diadem.
TIE N0RSOEs' EARTHLY zION.
! did not wonder that the MOrmonS
looked upon this as an earthly Zion. did
not wonder 1T its effect on the minds of the
ignorant and superstitOus emigrant who
after weeks and months OF toll and labor
for fhn tiref tilna on this MT I
valley. 1t was worth all its cost to see ii,
and. like Il spectacular plly, we were sorry
when the sun had set and the curtain OF
night had been drawn.
Towards the close OF the day we drew
near 10 salt Lake City. II dawned upon
us like a revelation. 1t was like turning
over The leaves Of an album, and Of gazing
first AZ one beautiful picture and then an
other still more beautiful, and at last to
one-at the end OF the boOk-that embodied ;
in it al of the beauty and the glory of the
West. Sloping down from the high VIZ ;
satch range, which encirclcs it on one side,
lies the City Of Zion Of the Mormon faith,
with Great Salt lake at its feet; and to
the west the no less majestic Oquiroh
mountains. The river Jordan runs through
il, and empties its waters into the lake, and
is there lost forever. We enter the city on
IT. UblAItlu lliHil, t1il q Nltlt Nv tilut.
lined with fine, ncat-l0Oking dwellings, and
bordered on either side with shade-trees.
The depot, however. j. an ordinary build
ing, and does not impress lis very decidedly.
We take 4 Street-car drawn by mule, and
by paving fifty cents we have ours elves and
baggage transported TO the hotel. Arrived
at the hotel, we inquired after Hon. Will
liam II. Hooper, who was the Mormon
delegate when was in Congress, and we
are told that he lives in the country, but
we can telephone him at his residence.
We sound the call, and Brother Hooper
put in an appearance; and when he hear,
our voice and is convinced it was | who
was talking to him, he could not have been
more astounded had the spirit Of Brigham
Young suddenly appeared.
AN EQUALIZATION OF WIVES.
He wanted to know what we were doing
in Salt Lake, and we told him we had come
out to lind how many wives each man had,
and 10 make an equitable distribution /
among sUCh a. had none. He seemed to .
enjoy the joke, and said he would put i'm /
an appearance the next day at O'Clock to ]
show lis the Mormon elephant We wanted /
TO see The whole elephant, and had travelled /
many mile for that purpose, and now we /
thought to ourself we shall see the whole |
Mormon Church, including its men, women, |
and children; ana when we slept that night /
we dreamed we saw Joe Smith and Brigham |
Young on the steamboat :. j. Pentz, going |
down to Holly Grove on picnic, and that /
when they arrived there they found the .
grove was too small to accommodate their
families; and that after awhile the Sarma- ]
tlan came along and took Amelia and her |
children of, and carried them to Sharp's /
Island; and many other dreams like unto
this one. When | Weakened up the next
morning found il was bright and hot. MY |
friend Hooper was on time, and glad to see
me once more. lie is an old Mary lander,
having been born i'm Dorchester county.
He has lived here for thirty years, and is
one Of the richest men in the territory.
He has been twice elected TO the
United States Senate, and is Seventy-two
years old. He Is waiting for the time to
come TO he sworn IN rs senator: but if he
lives TO see Utah admitted as State. with
tne Mormon attachment, he will outliye
Methilselah. and will own the whole 81
Ctah Territory. He is Mormon in belief
Dut not IN practice. He has one wife. and
says ne VIII never take another unless his
present wife dies. Some wears aoo Rro-
Their Brigham told him il was his duty 70
take couple Of additional seals. but he do
elined; and yet be defends and nnholds
MoilnohIsm. lie has family of grown
uaughters. One OF them. he tells me. will
oe carried or sealed, next Tuesday to
ONE OF BRIGHAM YoUNG's SONS.
Tie is very clever gentleman. kind Of
heart, thorough businessman. and from
MS immense wealth, exercises n weiobtv
influence in the Church and outsido % :; /