The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-01

at 10 o'clock yesterday Jue nouL hoA10u AoA
the delivery of the decision by Judge
Anderson in the case # Moore ct al.
Nearly an hour was occupied in the deli
very end the decision is given In full be-
low, At the close of the reading, the judge
xvas rewarded with burst of applause.
In the district court for the Third judicial
district of the territory of Utah.
In the matter of the application OF John
Moore, Fred w. Miller, Henry j. Owen,
Jobn Berg. Walter ]. Edgar, Charles E
CIissold. Nils Anderson, Carl P. Larsen,
THOMAS NJ. Mumford, John Garbet and
Arthur Townsend, to become cluzenS o.
the United States.
OPINION.
Anderson, j. ., -;,o,o
IN Lnrso applications the usual eVlaence
on behalf of the applicants as to residence,
moral character, etc, was introduced al d
former hearing, and was deemed sutnclenG'
Objection was made, however, 10 Gne az
r1issiou of John Moore and William j. Ed
oar npou the ground that they were mem
hers Of the Mormon church, and also be-
cause they had gone through the EndoW,
Tnent house of that church, and there naa
taken an oath or obligation incompetence
with the oath of citizenship they Wouiu De
required to take if admitted Inc auuils
sion OF the other applicants was oDlecIeu W
SOLELY on the ground that by thelr own
etatenent they were members OF the Nor
mon church, although they had not gone
through the Endowment house, ami mao
not taken the oath usually adnlnlsIeTGu
there. nor in fact any oath lnconpallDIe
With citizenship.
THE CLAIM IS MADE
hv tbose who object to the admission to
Citizenship of these persons, that the MOT
mon church is and always has peen
reasonable organization IN It's teachlhs"
and in irs practices, hostile 10 the govern
Tnent of the United States, dlsooedlehC 10
its laws. aud seeking its overthrow ana
that the oath administered to It's members
81 +ho Reinforcement house binds them, under
+hs nenaltv of death, to implicit oneolehce
in OH things, temporal as well as spiritual
70 the priesthood. and to avenge the ueath
Of the prophets, Joseph and Hyrum smith,
upon the government and people Oh Tue
limited States. The taking OF lurIhef les
simony at this time is for the purpose OF
whether or not these aLega
tions are true. ,..-... g soo.;or o,e5 If
the revised statutes of the United states
provides that in order to enut!e an amen 70
ha admitted as a citizen OF the ChlUeu
states. it shall be made to appear 10 lhS
satisfaction of the court admitting such
alien that he has resided IN the Gnl !t,o
States live years at least, and WITHIN the
state or territory where such COURTS at the
S;me held. one year at least. and that dur
Ing that time he has behaved as
AxAs OF GOOD MORAL CHARACTER,
attached to the principles of the constltu
+ion of the United States, and well dis.
I 1.Un n the good order and happiness OF
he same Those Directing to the right OF
tbese annlicauts to be admitted 10 citizen
chin Introduced eleven witnesses, VINO mac
Iaan Inemhers of the church of Jesus
ChrisS of Latter-day Saints, commonly
called the Mormon church. SeFefh o.
those witnesses had held the poslIloh OF
T2jabon in the church, and all mad gone
tn'.1Igh the Endowment house and paru
cinated in its ceremonies. The testimop!
of these witnesses is to the effect that every
,,aor1har -of II q church is expected TO go
through the Endowment mouse, ana tnal
nearly all do SO; that marriages are usuali!
solemnized there, and that those VINO art
married elseWher go through the Ehuo"-
1nent ceremonies at as early GATE thefe-
oFtor as practicable, in order that the mar
itaj relation shall continue throughout eter-
nitv THAT these ceremonies occupy IN
greater part of a day, and llcucc inc TAX
inc of an oath, obligation or covenant by
ali who receive their endoWments, tla'
they will
AvENGE THE BLOOD OF THE PROPHETS,
1osarb and Hvrum Smith, upon the govern
o,-nrnent of the United States, and Will en-
lain this obligation upon their childrel
1,nTo the third and fourth generations; thal
they will obey the priesthood IN all Things
and will never reveal the secrets OF Jh'
ENDORSEMENT house under the penalty of hav
ing their throats cut from ear to ear, tnell
bowels torn out, ard their hearts cut out o.
ri ,;rrht &c
that il may be strong to aYenge the DIoot
of the prophets. Az under garment, sorl
of combination Of shirt and drawers, calico
the endowment robe, is then put on to bt
,T-or, over after. On this robe, near the
throat. and over the heart, and IN tn
region of the abdomen, are certain MARKS.
or designs, intended to remind the wearel
of the penalties that VIII &c lhHlC!eu
case of a violation ri the oath, oolYatlon o.
covenant he or she has taken or made.
On behalf of the applicants, fourteen
witnesses testified
coSCERNISG THE ENDOWMENT CEREMONIES,
but all of them declined to state what
oaths are there taken, or what Obligations
IN. covenants are there entered into, OF
what pepalties are attached to their VIOLA
fion. and these witnesses, when asked fol
tbeir reason for declining TO answer. stated
thai they did so ION point OF honor,
while several stated they. had forgotten
what was said about avenglng the olood O.
The prophets John H. Smith, one OF TN
twelve apostles of the church, testlhe'
that ALI that Is said in the endowment cert
monies about avenging the olood OF th'
prophets is said in a l. cture, IN when th'
Der and 10Th verses of the sixth chapter o!
Revelations is recited, as follows:
And when he opened the fifth seal, saw
,,nder the altar the souls OF them that wer
slain FOR the word Of God and for the testlmoh
which they held. And they cIleo WIN t ruu'
voice saving, How long, Lord, molly ana Ifu,
dost tbou NOT Judge and avenge our blood OF
them that dwell on the ealth!
Other witnesses for the applicants test
fed that this is the only place IN the GER
monies where avenglDg the pIoou VI 'h'
prophets is mentioned.
John Clark, witness for applicants, les
titled he took some obligations, maue Sum
n1omises. entered into some covenants u
The Endowment house, and wore his endoW-
Tnent robes. but did not know the slgnll
cameo of the slit over the heart. Il. l..
Harrison. another of applicants witnesses
testifie he had clear recollection that
HIS RIGHT ARM WAS WASHED
and something said about it being mad
strong TO avenge the death Of the prophets
and that the names Of joseph ara Hyrui
Smith were aforementioned, but were uhue'
stood to be among the number whose oloo'
was TO be avenged: and T. u. NooIeS'
witness ufor the applicants, testned tnet
were to pray TO the Loro 10 atenge ~
blood of the prophets. every otner "" ~
ness for the applicants VINO was asAeo 'u'