St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-07-31
Recent Stories Of Mormonism.

home and rear their children. A hap
pier old couple could not have been
found in Utah until last week. Both
being near their earthly race, the fond
old wife had long ago given mp worry
or apprehension concerning her hus-
bands loyalty. In his old age, how
ever, the wiles of the priests caught
him. 1t was represented to him that
the hard lot he had experienced
through life was due to Gods dis
pleasures because he had not followed
the teachings of the prophets, and that
if he hoped for better things in the
world to come he must quickly take
another wife to his home. The old
fellow tried to communicate his deter
minatiOn to his aged partner, but
lacked the courage, and finally con-
cluded to surprise her. He went
through the Endowment house with a
youthful woman, and, presenting him
self ut his lOwly home, informed his
first wife of what he had done. The
old lady was staggered by the blow,
but, restraining her feelings, told the
newly welded pair that she would
soon be out of their way. Langton
and his bride went off on visit, and
on their return on street car Mrs.
Langtom No l, in abject despair, threw
herself under the wheels of the vehicle.
The driver CHANGED to have control of
the brake, and stopped the car before
the old lady was crushed. Her clothing
was torn from her, however, and she
was seriously injured internally.
A decidedly different result was
reached in the case of Israel Pinkham
and wife, another old couple, who
moved from Maine many years ago to
this territory. They passed through
Salt Lake the other day on their way
to their old home, and the old lady
made no secret of the cause of their
retdrn. TO the reporter for a gentle
newspaper she said: "My husband and
| have lived together these 43 years,
and though we fined the MormOns 20
years ago nothing was ever said about
pOlygamy until this spring. Then
some sneaking priests came around
and got the old man worked up with
the idea that he must have one or two
more wives. Not much, Israel Pink
ham, says | we've travelled together
this fur, and no Mormon will separate
us now. We've got two sons and Il
darter back East, who shan't have
anybody pOking fun at them and
there's the two little boys what we
buried back in Maine, who wont have
no occasion to pint their fingers at us
when we cross over to the other shore.
This thing has gone just as fur as it's
going to- Israel Pinkham, we're going
back to Maine,' says |, 'and whether
we've got one year or 10 years to live,
we'll end this here pilgrimage decent,
us we begun it, Amt that what
told you ?" said she, addressing the
old man, who had been Il silent listener.
He smiled in Il faint way, and nodded
assent ''We're going back to Maine,'
continued the old lady, poorer than
when we came out here, but wiser and
no wuss, so far as | know. Therell
be no more Mormon in this family"
George Walker had two wives and
married third, a woman much hand
sOmer than either of the others. The
first one died in few weeks and the
second went insane and WAS sent home
| to her parents. Wife No. 3, who thus
became the only wife, led IL very con-
tented life for while, but she is now
filled with rage and grief because heI
husband has married another woman,
and is maintaining her in good style in
another part of the city.
Young ClawsOn, Il son of one of the
leading saints, has just married his
| third wife in two years. He is not yet
%, but promises to rival Brigham
Young in the number of his spouses il
he lives us long. He is rich, and his
father takes pride in pointing to him
rs an example for all of the youth III
Zion to follow. One odd feature OF
young ClawsOn's operations i'll the
matrimonial line is said to he the fact
that while the second wife knows OF
| the existence of the first, and the third
| is aware that she has two predecessors,
the first does not know there is a
second or Il third, and the second is
| ignorant that there is one later than
herself. Some time or other it is con
fidently expected that the young man
will have to make series of eXpla-
nations.
The strenuous efforts which the
leaders in the church are making tC
stimulate pOlygamy, and the necessity
| which exists for keeping plural mar
riages secret, have induced many %
the faithful to keep the fact of theil
later marriages from their previOu.
wives. Knowledge of this state Ot
affairs has driven many Mormon wives
who are suspicious of their husband,
to the verge of distraction, and not ;
few of them have adopted extraordi-
nary measures to discover whether
their apprehensiOns are well founded
or not. Nothing makes the averag,
~ Lot lao . l.,
suspicion that there are wives OF whom
she knows nothing. 1t is bad enough
to put up with those whom she is wei
aware divide with her the hOnOrs o
wifehood, but the idea that others o
whom she knows nothing may be roll
ing III luxury somewhere is intOlerable
Nearly all of this wretchedness is
concealed. The most extraordinary
devices are resOrted to, to cover NJ
any scandal among the faithful, ant
were it not for the fact that there arr
many keen-eyed gentiles here, tn,
suppression would be complete.
Young girl named Annie ElmOre, wht
came here from England a while age
with a batch of converts, WAS imme
diately beset by several old saints will
proposals of marriage. She was un
usually pretty and intelligent, and tin
rivalry of the elders was great. TO al
} she turned a deaf ear, however, anC
4, one after another was fatty refused
Then one of the bishops called on he
and undertook to terrify her into mar
rying. He told her that if she remain
' ed Obdurate he would be compelled t.
cut her off, not only in this world, bu
in the next, and explained to her tina
1 to be cut off was eternal ruin. Sh
} defied him to do his worst, and toll
him that in England the Mormon mis-
! siOnaries had taught that a wOma
) should marry only the man she loved
and that she was bound to do so. Th