The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-03-09
BRIGHAM AND AMELIA.
The Twcniy-third Wife Ruled the l,oost.

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The Twcniy-third Wife Ruled the Noost.
A letter from Salt Lake City says:-
While the majority Of the "faithful" are
agitatcd and excited over the turn af-
fairs have taken, and not a few of them
are packing up preparatory to Journey
ing to the new Mormon stronghold,
wherever that may be, Amelia Young,
the twcnty-third and last wife Of Brig
ham Young, goes quietly and scrcncly
about her household duties as usual.
She has no love for the Mormons, and
she takes no trouble to conceal the fact.
Her present residence is one of the most
desirable and handsome in the city, and
yet it cannot compare with the palatial
mansion which old Brigham had built
and presented to her, and which still
bears the name ''Amclia's palace" Old
John Taylor holds forth in it ut present.
But his time as we'll rs that of the rest
of them, bids fair to be short.
The story Of Amclia's marriage to
Brigham, and a few incidents of after
life arc very interesting, An old lady
who at one time was Amclia's school
teacher at Council Bluffs, Iowa, tells me
the following tale:
Upon one occasion when Brigham
Young was passing throulh Council
Bluffs, on his way to Salt Lake he caught
sight of Amelia's pretty face and fine
figure, and Immediately resolved to add
another one to his harcm. The girls
parents were good Mormons, and their
consent to the union was joyfully given.
Not so with the girl. She had a stout
will Us well as Il handsome form and
pretty face, and she declared that she
would not marry ''the ugly old heathen."
Her parents, however, were determined
not to lose the chance of getting SO near
heaven by such ar alliance, and sternly
commanded Amelia to don her robes.
and take the hand of the all-powerful
Brigham. Seeing that she would be
compelled to marry him if she stayed at
home, the girl made her way to a neigh
boris, told them her story, and received
their sympathy and protection. Her
parents instituted search during which
Amelia hid in n GOT cellar, over the
door of which was a wood house. The
kind people carried her meals to her
without attracting suspicion, until N
the third day one Of the spies employed
observed steam arising from a basket
which the gentleman was carrying to the
wood house.
This led to her discovery, and, as she
was under age, her parents took charge
of her.
After a hard struggle, Amelia finally
consented to marry the great Mormon,
but declared: 'If I do marry him, III
h:ve my own way, and he will find il
out" He did.
Several years after their marriage, up
on one occasion Amelia told Brigham to
buy her n Singer sewing machine. The
old man promised to send it up that day,
and walked off with his hands in his
pockets, thinking. doubtless, how many
tithes it would take to pay for it. BY
the time he got down town he forgot
what kind of machine was wanted con
s%equently it was a Wheeler & Wilson
that the men brought up stairs tt Ame-
has sitting room. AS soon as that lady
saw that her orders had not been obeyed
to the letter, she deliberately pillcd the
offensive machine to the head of the
stairs, and, giving it a push, down it
went. bumpty-bump, until it reached
the bottom, all broken to pieces.
The next day q "Singcr'' stood in the
place allotted for it. and nothing more
was said of the affair. Upon another
occasion, when Brigham had n number
of distinguished guests, Amelia, who was
present at the dinner table, amused her
self by hulling some nuts that were on
the table and throwing the shells out of
the window. Brigham manifested his
annoyance at this proceeding without
effect, when finally he exclaimed:
amelia, my dear, I wish you would
not throw those shells out upon the
grass. They make such a muss."
eff You don't like to have them there
you can pick them up," said the way
ward favoritc, rs she arose from the
chair and left the ROOM.
When she had LETT, Bingham tuned
to his guests, and said:
- hope You will excuse my wife.
She Is so hcadstrong that I cannot con-
troi her."