Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-11-20
An APOSTLE TESTIFIES.
John Henry Smith, . Leading Mormon. ON
the witness stand.

SALr LAKE Cdrr, Nov. 16.-lSpecial !
the Miner.1-The interest in the Mormo
endowment house expose continues nm,
bated. This morning the attorneys for q
obiectors closed their side Of the case. an
the Mormons began to introduce evidens
in rebuttal.
The first witness was John Henry Smith
one OF the twelve apostles OF the Mormoi
church. His father and grandfather wer
members Of that organization. he ez
pressed great loyalty and patriotism il
his direct examination, and made severa
spread eagle talks to the court in repl.
to questions ~propounded. He told hov
he loved the laws Of this country; but hi
cross-examination did not bear out hi
st dement's. BE took q second wife at tn
age OF II. When asked whether there wa
not q law enacted by congress against po
lygamy In 1862. he stated there was; but
ne regarded it as unconstitutional. II,
then admitted that the United States 50
preme court declared that the law wa
constitutional in 1879. He was asked
whether he continued to live In polygamJ
after that decision Of the court. He de
clined to answer the question.
The counsel for the objection then asked
the witness what he meant when he pro.
fessed much loyalty for the laws Of this
country. when be failed to obey the one
against polyeamy.
Witness grew uneasy in his seat and con.
fessed that he had not obeyed the law. He
said be believed in the revelation OF celestial
marriage.
In the course Of his examinations b
stated that the difference between bigamy,
as defined by the Mormons and by ~lsxicog.
raphers, was that q bigamist, according to
Mormonism, was a married man who took
a second wife while the first was still living
and undivorced, without the first wifs's
consent. He stated this consent was abso.
lutely necessary for Mormons to have.
Being closely pressed hs admitted that the
oil polygamy stated that the
first wife had to give her consent to the
plural m arriage or be forever damned. he
admitted, further, that il e wife under that
refused her consent to her hus.
band taking q second or third wife, he
'sheuld take one anyway. He then gave
he lie direct 81 to the first
part CT his testimony, on this
'oint by saying thathe accepted the whole
'evsiatiou on polygamy and believed it to
'pxpress the will Of God. He had heard the
PRESIDENT and other presidents OF the Nor.
non church teach that this was the king.
lom ofGod. He said, however, although
he expression that this was the kingdom
God was frequently used it was mad.
'ertently used. |
He had heard the leader of the church
reach that the members Of the church
hould obey their leaders in all things qpo-
tical, church and temporal. a4
Witness was then asked the words OF the
rayer used in the endoN ment house con.
srning the avenging OF the blood OF the
rophets, Joseph and Hiram Smith, on the
eople OF the nation, but he declined to
nswer. |
He refused to answer the questions.
Was not one OF the penalties for divulging
le secrets or breaking tina oath Of the
house death, by having your
lroat cut from ear to ear; your heart
tucked out and disemboweled2"
-Four other leading Mormons were put
, the stand and they all refused on cross
to answer the question SINH
r in nature to those propounded to
postle Smith. " |,
The Gentle attorneys will hold that q
fusal to answer these important quss- ,
in the face Of the positive evidence
lduced that the oaths administered to
9 government are taken by those who {
t through the endowment house, will be
ficient to convince the court that their j
have spoken truthfully. 6
The case will be continued Monday. .