The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-17
MORMON SECRETS TOLD.
WORKINGS OF THE ENDOWMENT
HOUSE EXPOSED.

SA1r LAKE CITY, UTAH, Nov 14-Or
Feb. 10 next there will be a municipal cleo
ton in this CITY. 1t will be the first rea
contest between Mormons and gentiles fol
supremacy in the city that has ever beer
witnessed here. Both sides have made &
thorough canvass and ascertainei thereby
that there are many non-naturalized mer
eligible to citizenship. 1t is alleged that the
Mormons have brought in colonizsrs, anC
among these are many aliens. For seVera
weeks past the court has been daily en-
ployed making new citizens.
Last Friday q Mormon, named John
Moore, made application for admission tc
citizenship. He swore he was a Mormon
and had been through the endowment
house. Objection was made to his admls.
sion on the ground that parties going
through that house were compelled to take
an oath which was incompatible with theiI
becoming coed, law-abidlng citizens of
the United Safes. After arguments
the court stated that he would grant
a continuance until this morning to hear
evidence on that point Meanwhile other
applicants for citizenship. who we're Nor
mons, had their cases continued till this
matter could be settled, the objectors
tDdb II luc1 COulu DAOfb 4AOA ulOl-
ism was a reasonable organization any
man who belonged TO and supported that
organization, even though he never took an
oath in the endowment house, was not d fit
subject for citizenship.
This position taken by the objectors Gre
ated great excitement among all classes OF
people here and to-day when John Moore's
case came up for consideration the court
room was crowded with spectators. Ex-
- s,.ea-
ested listener and subsequently expressed
his surprise at the fearful expose made by
the witnesses. who were principally apos-
tate Mormons. The characteristic feature
of all the testimony was the earnest and
emphatic manner in which it was given.
The men were all gray-haired, and could
have had no object in testifyiug to any
thing but the truth.
John Bind told how he went through the
endowment house in January, 1865, and
took certain oaths. In room No. 5 he took
an obligation to obey the priesthood in
everything temporal, spiritual, political
social, and financial. Witness testified that
the penalty for violating the oaths or
divulging them was death by cutting the
throat from ear to ear and cutting out the
heart and tongue, aud disembowelment. In
the endowment house he solemnly swore
that he would avenge the blood of Joseph
Smith, the first president and prophet of
the Mormon church of the American ma
ton, and that he would preach the same to
bis chill iren and his children's children {,
that he would theuceforth and forever
begin and carry out hostilities against this
nation, and keep the same a profound
secret. Fifty men and women went through
the marriage ceremony on the same day
that Bond did, and Milford Woodruff, the
present president Of the Mormon church,
officiated.
Bond did not want to go through the
house, and applied to the bishop Of his ward
to marry him. The bishop told him Brig
ham Young had given strict instructions
that no one could be married outside the
endowment house. In going through ne
obligated himself to sustain the doctrine of
polygamy, and all the women agreed thag
they would not oppose their husbands
should they desire to take unto themselves
more wives
The next witness was Martin D. Wad-
dell, who at one time was superintendent of
the church carpentering work He is 81
years old and Joined the church at Pitts
burg, Pa, in lS47. He came to Utah
fifteen years later, and in 1868 went through
the Endowment house, where all the secret
ties of the church are performed. He went
through again year later, and on both
&C >sSions took an oath to avenge the
deaths of the prophets, Joseph and Hyrum
Smith, on the people of this nation, from
the President down to the last man in the
country. In another room he took an oath
not to divulge the penalty of disembowel-
ment
''ln that way" witness said, "they had
the lock on u.s." The witness refused to
take the oath to obey the priesthood in all
things. Asked as to whether he ever saw
the penalty inflicted for violating the oath,
he swore that he saw a man named Green
who had apostasized, have his throat cut
from ear to ear. He gave full details of
the crime and the names of some of the men
who participated in that murder and who
are still living. When witness and Others
demonstrated. they were told they would be
served the same way if they didn't keep
quiet. w, II. Dame, who was the leader of
the band, said after the crime: HE apos-
tasted once, and now he has apostasized
ard gone to hell" Witness testified that
Green's property. consisting of 5000 in
cash and wagon load of merchandise, was
taken to the chief tithing yard in this city.
Dame was one of the principals in the
Mountain Meadow massacre
Bishop Cahoon stated under oath that he
Joined the Mormon church in 1888 at Kirts-
land, o., was a member of the church forty
years, and during that time he mad been a
Mormon bishop eighteen years. He went
through the endowment house forty-four
years ago. He told substantially the same
story as the other witnesses concerning the
oaths and penalties and the necessities of
obeying the priesthood, and that apostacy
was punishable with death. 1t was the I'M
derstanding generally that God had tab.
lished His kingdom on earth, and that the
Mormon church was that kingdom.
and that to it the highest allegiance
of the citizen was due. No age
was fixed at which a man could &c
through the endowment house. Mormons re.
garded marriages outside the Mormon
church as Illegal. Witness stated to the
court that he considered the general doc
trine and teachings Of the church to be in.
imical and hostile to the laws of the land
One of the doctrines taught was that it was
not wrong to steal from the enemies of the
church. This was taught secretly. Wit.
ness was frequently instructed that it would
be pleasing to the church TO have certain
man put out OF the way, and he knew lot.
of men who had been secretly murdered
By order of the court he gave the names OF
several men who had been so murdered.
the doctrine was TO obey the priesthood
even though in violation of the law of the
land. For forty years publicly the Nor.
mons professed loyalty, while they prac
ticed treason. They fully believed thai
this government would be overthrown. and
that the Mormon kingdom would be estab.
lished on its ruins. 1t was taught for wear,
that this would come to pass soon. Another
doctrine of the church was that if a man
violated any of his endowment house oath,
the only way he could be saved fol