Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-16
LIFE AMONG THE MoRMoNs.
indians Do Not Understand Mormon
LOeto-An Unfortunate Wife-Ap pos

SlWaf laO great Oesre TO Drin4 the III
dams into their fold. Many of the aborigi
nal tribes practice polygamy, but they d
not take kindly 10 other features of tn
Mormon faith. A missionary has been a
work on the ShOshoncs for fifteen or TWEEN
~ years, and has made so little progress
that he recently abandoned the neld
When he entered their reservation NJ
married a squaw, and set out to MAKE
prOselytes right ana left. Inc savage
mind readily grasped the idea OF plura
marriage, but everything else IaiIeu u
penetrate il.
After the missionary had been at work
for about two years he concluded 10 take
one OF his white wives down to the reser-
walton TO assist him. She was a buNom
girl from the old country, who spoke
English fairly well, and VINO belltVed
thoroughly i'm the doctrine which sne adVo-
Gated. Ii was her business 70 labor with
the suuaws, but as she found that they
we're not particularly interested, she
gradually transferred her Oratory to the
braves. They listened attentiyely, and
she and her husband made up their
minds that they had at last made an I'M
preston after the woman bad been in
the camp q week OF more, one of be war
ri0rs presented himself at the quarters or
the missionary, and announced that he
WAS prepared TO be a Mormon. His in
structoig were glad 10 hear it. He said
he had heard that some others were of the
same mind. Again the MormOns smiled.
He mad made up his mind to yet ahead Of
the others, and ne would give the white
pr acher three ponies and ten dogs for his
white wife TO begin with. This PROPOSE
ton put a new phase on the matter, and
The missionaries spent an hour or two in
an effort to explain to him why such an
arrangement could not be made. He
never spoke after that, and when he de-
parted it was with grunt, which plainly
Indicated that one barbarian had deter
mined to make no new departure in the
religious line.
For the next two weeks the mission
aries had little time to do anything else
but refuse TO open negotiations for the
sale of the white woman, and as her pres
ence was resulting in no great good, she
was sent back TO Zion.
Now, after years of labor, the expert
inent has been tried again, and with the
same result. The SnOshones will be Nor.
mons IL they can buy white wives, but
not otherwise. The missionary, who has
accumulated an interesting assortment
OF Indian wives during his stay on the
reservation, has abandoned them, and, it
is said, will not return there again.
An honest-lOoking Englishman named
Mower arrived here a few years ago with
his wife and three small children, and
had settled at Brigham. The man was
industrious, but be appeared TO be some
thing of a fanatic in religion. 1t was
plain that the Saints had got pretty firm
grip on him. His wife was a fair-haired,
rOsy-cheeked little woman, and their
children We're delicate and attractive.
The wife and mother went through the
ceremony OF Joining the church after her
arrival. The husband had been received
into the fold before leaving England.
They got themselves 4 home, aud APP
peared happy enough, until the husband,
oveT-persuaded by an elder Of the church,
determined on taking another wife. The
woman selected was a new arrival
from Denmark, who could speak no En-
glish, and for whom il was the especial
desire Of the church to get a husband that
she might be "anchOred' here. Mower
was the man who was expected to marry
her. aud marry her he did. dis wife held
out strenuOusy against the woman for
some time, and refused 10 live under the
same roof with her, but at last, under the
pleadings and threats Of dignitaries Of the
church and the representations of her
husband as to his own poverty and inabii-
lty 10 provide two homes, she consented.
After that she began TO appear like
another woman. Her hair became sill
very. her form wasted, and her eyes were
bright and glitterlng. She wandered
over the country a great deal with her
little ones, and could be seen day after
day on the rOadsides caressing and weep
ing oven them. Sometimes IN pleasant
weather see did not return TO
her home for days. and when she did she
would have the children decked out in
wreaths and flowers gathered by her own
4. In hs. rranf 4 fol
lowed her, and tried to persuade her to
return and b. herself, but to no purpose.
Then he locked her up or took the child
rem away from her. She would find them
again. and together they would return to
the open country. All were subdued aud
sOrrowfui, and yet the childishness OF the
mother was as pronounced as that Of her
children. She would run with them, kiss
them. build little dams for them in the
brooks, construct playhOuses for them of
stones, weave garlands, and deck her
self and them. II they cried she gathered
them 10 her, and wept with them, and ii
they laughed she chided them.
Finally her mood changed, and, instead
OF deiighting In rambles with the little
ones, she became absorbed in a desire tor
vengeance. She would steal up stealth Il
70 the house which was hers no longer,
and make assaults on the woman who had
u9ui pea hef place. once bne set nre 10
the premises, and then iled. On another
occasion she took her children and was
absent so long that search WAS made for
her. Alter three or four DAYS she was
found several miles from home. almost
dead from hunger, and the children weak
and cmaciated from the same cause, and
all crying bitterly. She had dug small
holes in the ground, which she called their
graves. and the little ones were waiting
with her for the last dread summons.
Three men found difficulty in oVerpower-
ing her, despite her weakened condition,
and the entire party were then conveyed
90 town and cared for. The children went
TO their father, and the woman was
placed in the asylum at Provo, where she
now is.
Some Of the Mormon settlements are
owned by bishops Of the church, and no
transfer OF real estate can be made with
out their consent. Down in Moab the
other day avery common trick was played
on Gentle family from Rich county.
They settled there under the impression
that 10 was good place 20 do business in.
but the oppression Of the priesthood be-
came 50 great that they finally concluded
70 leave for their old home. No one would
buy their property. because the idea was
that they would abandon il. and IL would
then revert once more 10 the Bishop one
OF The members OF the family, young
man, recently married, had lot which
he had paid 5000 for, ard an
ap0state Mormon wanted IL ~ the same
price. Both went 20 the Bishop 10
get deed, but that worthy refused to ap-