The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-18
Girls for Mormon Land.

NEW Ohh, peItuIU6T LII ljly
converts to Mormonism have been
prisoners for ten days in this city.
The last of them will probably be re.
leased on Monday. all but five bav-
ing been discharged from custody in
patches during the past several days.
Forty-two of the original fifty were
young women, who had been broug hit
from Europe to become poly gamous
wives of Mormon men in Utah, Mon
tana, and elsewhere in the region of
Latter Day Saints. They came from
England, Sweden, Germany and Scot
land, and were the collection made
by Elder James Worthington, of Salt
Lake, during a years missionary
tour. The arrest and Imprisonment
of these women was an attempt by
the Board of Emigration, led by
Commissioner Starr, to strike blow
at Mormonism right here, in city
of single marriage. Mr.. Starr has
strong feelings against the system of
plural wedlock as practiced by Brig
ham YOung's people Whom the fa-
s1Ious sWife Nineteen came East to
lecture on MormOnism, eight years
ago. she was greatly aided by him
1t was much against his will, after
he became member of the off cial
body supervising the arrival of i'm.
try's portals at Castle Garden the
hundreds of foreign converts brought
over by the proselytes to Salt Lake,
and at length, on the arrival of these
fifty, having convinced his associates
that something ought to be done, he
boldly arrested the whole party and
sent them to durance on Wards
Island, which is one of the East Riy-
er islands devoted by the city to the
punishment and correction of crimi-
nails and unfortunates.
This move was based on the hope
that twist of the law might sustain
it. The Commissioners of Emigra-
ton are empowered to determine
whether immigrants are able to sup
port themselves in this country, or
will likely become paupers, in which
latter case they can be returned to the
Old World at the expense of the
steamship company that has import
ed them. Mr.. Starr fondly imagined
that, by kindly construction of the
statute, the young women brought
over to be polygamously wived might
be returned to their homes. He re-
lied, too, on a provision that crimi-
mails could be excluded. So the half
a hundred creatures were conveyed
from Castle Garden to Wards Island
to the great grief and shock of Elder
who protested against
the loss of the prizes which his per-
suasive industry had done. He had
gone on his foreign mission with or
ders from fifty Mormons to provide
them with fresh wives, and his ex-
penses had been made good by them.
He was further to get pay in accord
ance with the attractiyeness of his re-
cruits; The plan, as discovered by
Commissioner Starr, was TO exhihit
the women to their purchasers on the
arrival In Utah, and their first choice
was to be the costliest, second choice
A little less so. and thus down the list
TO the least desirable of the lot. at
was horrible business altogether,
lays Mr.. Starr. land we were justifi-
ed in straining the law to Illustrate
It."
The women were terrified by their
unexpected imprisonment. They
we're taken to Wards Island in big
owboats, the oarsmen of which were
,onvicts, and then were put into
TALL usually devoted to hospital pur-
'oses, There they had quarters that,