The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-05-12
Special Correspondence of the Sentinel I

special Correspondence of the Sentinel
SALT LAKE CITY, May 3.-The Mormon
problem has now attained such a wide
spread interest throughout the United States,
as the result of the recently passed stringent
laws and their vigorous enforcement against
polygamy in Utah, that a review of the Situa-
ton and description of the Mormon people
and the way the law is enforced against the
pIoygamous element will no doubt be found
interesting.
For the benefit of those who may be unac-
quainted with the nature of the Utah situa-
ton, and the past events relative to Mormon
ism, brief synopsis will be given. Since
their expulsion from Nauvoo, ILL.,, and up to
the time of the passage of the Edmunds law,
in 1882, IL e Mormons have enjoyed season of
romtarative tranquility. The main points
of this law are as follows: 1t provides fer
the punishment of polygamy and unlawful
ccbabitation by imposing a sentence OF not
more than five years in the penitentiary for
the former crime and SIX months for the
latter, and provides that in prosecutions for
either crime no poiygamlst shall be allowed
tn sit on the jury. The President OF the
United States is authorized to grant amnesty
to this class of offenders. provided they shall
comply with the conditions named by him.
1t legltimizes children born of polyga
nous parents prior to January l,
1888; all born since that time
are illegltimate. 1t DISTINGUISHES
all guilty of polygamy and makes them in
eligible to vote or hold any office of public
trust unless he takes an oath Off q man that
he is not bigamist or poly gamist and does
not cohabit with more than one woman. land
if a wOman) thst she does not cohabit with
bigamist or polygamist, or any person CO.
habitiDg with more than one woman. 1t
provides for the appointment OF FIVE Com
missOners to execute the Edmunds law, and
to investigate and report TO Congress aud
make such recommendations to Congress IS
they may think proper.
Before the passage OF the Edmunds Law
il was next to impossible to secure a con-
viction against a Mormon for polygamy
Their marriages are sOlemnized at d place
which IS inaccessible TO nou-SormoaS, aud
when indicted they will commit perjury as
readily as they take drink of water. Even
where evidence enough was offered against
them to warrant a conviction, ii could not
be had, as mo, or less of the members of
the juy were always Normons. The cOnse
quence was that only one or twp convictions
were secured during period of thIrty years
Now, all that is changed Chief Justice enc
les decided and has been sustained by the
United States Supreme Court. that all who
believe in polygamv are ineligible as jury
men. The MOrmOns raised great nOwl
when this decision was made, aud cried
out that il was sgainsr the cons iCutiOnal
rights of sn American citizen TO be deprived
of his franchise on account OF the reiigions
convictions he may entertain. They llksued
Judge Zane to the old Dutchman who said to
bis boy, What you thinks, Tockup2 | know;
YOU thinks damn it. und ticks you for dat "
But Judge Zane rightly considers that a man
who has no conscientious scrupies against
committing murder would he poor man to
have on Jury during trial for murder; and
so with polygamy. Another of Judge IineS
decisions and one which is a severe blow to
Polygamisis, is making the hrst or
legal wife competent witness
in trial against her husband
The law says that mans wife shall not be
compelled TO testify against him unless the
offense charged is against herself. The Chief
Justice considered toat where man having
a wife marries another, that it is most IA
grant offense against his first wife, and that
she must offer her testimony againss him.
The Edmunds law and the construction
put upon it by Judge Zane, and which has
been followed by his associates, has been
wonderful ia its good results. the Utah
Peniteptiary is full to overlooking OF polyg-
amists. snd prisoners will have 10 b. sent
back to the United States for imprisonment
unless its capacity is enlarged. There are
now hundreds of indictments against Nor
mons for pclygamy, and as many warrants
out while the number who. have fled the
country for fear OF indictment is un-
estimable. Jonn Taylor, the President of
the Mormon Church, is in hiding. aud
George q Cannon, their real leader after
being indicted. has taken the under
ground, ss it is called here IL Utah there
by FORGETTING SO coo bonds. George 2. Can
non was formerly delegate to Congress fro n
Utah, but upon the advent OF the Commits
sion. he was declared by them 10 be ''to)
I'LL q he. lf.rih 10
probably gone TO the Sandwich Islands or
some other country where he can not he ex-
tradited by the United States Government.
But with all the vigorous enforcement OF
the law il is still oI,en difficult to secure
proof sgainst pOlygamst Women will
come into court with children in their arms
and swear they do not know who its father
is. The Mormon leaders are willy, and their
subterfuges to defeat the execution of toe
law are many. Upon examination in court
the ~it7esses usually find their memories
very Elective and answer don't know
tIC don't remember 10 the questions
a. krd them. Very often they decline TO an
swer." and are sent to the pen for con
tempt oi court Some OF these trials are
very interesting and would be funny were
it DOT for the disgusting evidence which they
usually disclose Alta recent trial a plural
wife was asked how often she saw her nus
band. She answered that ''be stavem with
No. 5 most of the time and only came to her
house to wind up her clock" Eight-day
c.ccks have lately gone into desuetude in
Mormon families, aud the twenty-fOur- hour
clock is now wound up by the Mormon elder.
The Mormons have all along Claimed that
the women never quarreled among them
stlves and were well satisfied and even
wished their husbands to take more wives.
But the trials for polygamy elicit facis
which contradict this The MORN un women,
inspired BY jealousy, frequently testified
against their husbands. Recently NJrNOn
| was convicted on the testimony o. one OF
his wives who was mad because he to)k
his other four women TO churca often-r than
| he did her. IL the whole truth was kno vn
il would no doubt be found that there are
many cases of domestic infelicity in Mormon
| families.
1t is one of their curious beliefs that wo
man can never get TO Heaven unless she Is
sealed to a man. The Mormons call il seal
ing but they live together in the mgrriege
relation and have children. And this i
done 10 gave the souls of the women!
Another OF their queer beliefs is that oil
baptism for the deaO. Some Nj Irmons have
been b. ptizfd as many as 10000 times FOL
the salvation of the souls of their friends snt
| relatives. I was present one o. thes'