Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-05-07
MORMONs MOVING SOUTH.
Hunting Polygamists Under the Edmunds
LAVA Prophecy in the Tabernacle.


LAVA Prophecy in the Tabernacle.
New York Sun.
A Salt Lake correspondent writes: The
much talked of Mormon exodus is believ-
ed by many to have been in progress for
some time. People from the interior re-
port that there is a constant movement
of wagons toward the south, never in
large numbers, but two or three together
and that it is the intention of the emf
grants to meet somewhere near the in
ternational boundry and proceed thence
to Mexico in big procession. Some of
the MormOns who have been questioned
have said, that they were bound for Jack
son county, Missouri, by the way of old
Mexico, and it is thought that some such
pretense as that may have been set up by
the leaders of the church for the the pur-
pose of getting the faithful started. Since
George q. Cannon absconded, leaving his
bondsmen to pay $4,000 of forfeited
bail it has been suspected that he has
taken refuge in Mexico, and the presump-
ton is that good many of the more
active polygamists will join the move
ment to establish new Zion there.
The hunt for offenders under the Ed
munds law continues with a zeal which
sometimes has ludicrous features. The
federal officers have found that when they
get after one man they almost invariably
unearth half a dozen others, generally
relatives, of whom they knew nothing be-
fore. This was the case when they ar
rested one J. H. Dean for unlawful CO
habitation. He had some pretty good
witnesses for himself, and it was as much
as ever that the commission could be per
suaded to hold him for trial; but these
witnesses put the officers in possession OF
certain facts which led to dozen or more
arrests at once. Among others for whom
warrants were issued were George Wood
and his two wives. When the deputies
reached the Wood place the man and his
first wife ran, and it was some time be-
fore their trail could be found. At length
the marshals traced them to hay stack
and after careful paving over of great
deal of the hay they brought out the two
victims. Woods second wife, girl of 1t
was found soon after, and on her frank
confession that she had married Wood
three months previous, the latter was held
in $1,000 for polygamy.
Two marshals call at the house of Mayor
Armstrong the other day and rang the
front door bell. A young woman whom
they took to be a servant, answered, and
in response to their inquiry for Mrs. Arm
strong, said she had gone down town. The
men then asked if any other members OF
the family were at home, and the CIR
summoned two children. The officers
were about to take in the little ones as
witnesses when all of them burst into
tears, and the young woman, who was
none other than one of Armstrong; poly
gamous wives, was also taken into Gus
tody. Her sister was arrested afterwrrd
and both of them were examined al
length before the grand jury.
Four Mormon convicts whose time had
expired, but who were held under the
fines imposed upon them, which they had
not paid, took the poor mans oath last
week, and three of them were released
Singularly enuogh. the property which
they were supposed to own, was all in the
possession of their numerous wives, and
according to their own showing, they
were helpless financially as paupers
In the case of Groo, who has three wives
who are sisters, the commissioner refused
to accept his declaration, and before he
could be released he was compelled to
secure the money needed to pay his fine.
An old man named Bailey, who was ar
rested few days ago for drunkenness
and who attempted suicide in his cell by
hanging, was once very influential po-
lygamist here. He married a middle
aged widow, and afterward married all her
daughters, having children by all of them
One of his own daughters, a child of 10
was used by notorious character here
with his own consent, for the purpose of
entrapping some gentiles. Bailey had
been going from bad to worse for some
time, and as suicide is generally regarded
as a fitting climax to such life as his has
been, it is believed that he will yet accom-
plish his object.
The extraordinary prayers of the blind
chaplain of the house of representatives
are giving some of the saints little com
fort. In the tabernacle on Sunday Bishop
Whitney read one of these petitions for
the purpose of showing how the Almighty
Is Furnishing the prosecutor of the Nor
mons. God has chosen u.s." Whitney
said, las the vanguard of the grand army
for the reformation of the world. This
city is like the city which was placed upon
the top of the hill to be the light of the
world. And yet we hear of prayers offer
ed to the God of Jacob in the congress OF
the United States, where they are framing
laws for the oppression of people who
are descended from Jacob. This same
Jacob was the husband of five wives, and
the twelve sons that sprang from these
polygamous marriages were all recognized
as honorable men. Our tyrants will some
day have their necks beneath another's
heel. The laws that are being enacted
will entrap themselves. The laws that are
being enacted are like dynamite placed be
meath the capitol. They will explode and
wreck the nation. God will save His peo
pie at the eleventh hour. He will redeem
Zion and damn the wicked"