The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-08-28
MORMON ELDERS IN W. VIRGINIA.
Luring Wives and Maidens Away
Threats Against the Missionaries.

I
WHEELING, W. Va, August 20.-Mor-
mon elders have been doing lone
effective missionary. work in this State
for some time past, and the effects are
beginning to be felt in serious way.
So critical is the situation in soue Sec
tions that serious trouble is brewing.
In Wheeling there is to be found a con;
gregation OF the ''SaiDts," with church
building Of their own, in which regular
services are hefd. The converts made
here have been mostly women, and
| some Of them have been exported TO
Utah.
It is in the Counties of Richie, Cal
houn, Grant and Pendleton that the ell
ders, or missionaries as they call
themselves, are working in toe boldest
manner. They have made an astonish.
ing number Of converts, and scores of
families have been broken up 10 conse-
quence. Cases are numerous where en-
tire families have renounced their former
faith and united with the Mormon
Church. More numerous, however, are
the cases where family ties have been
broken, where wives have deserted hus-
bands and husbands wives to cast their
lot with the Mormons. Many young girls
have been induced to leave the.r homes
and so to Utah.
"You need not be surprised" said a
gentleman who travels extensively
through the State, ''to hear of troubles
in some OF the Counties on account Of it.
The feeling among the anti-Mormon
citizens isyery bitter against the mission
aries, and they are discussing the mat
ter Of an organized movement to drive
them from the State"
The Mormon elders vehemently deny
that they are in any way connected
with the polygamous branch of the
Mormon Church, even going so far as to
denounce polygamy publicly and to
assert that the Church in Utah has been
thoroughly reformed in that respect.
By these denials they are able to deceive
the women, who seem to place great
confidence in all they say.
Among the early converts in Pendle-
ton County was a woman above the
average intelligence, as intelligence goes
in the backwoods. She became infatu
ated with the beauties of the -.YiCitE of the
Saints" as described by the missionaries,
and consented to 60 there. After six 1
menths,1sojourn in Utah she returned 4
and is now. active in warning her friends
against listening to the false pro-
phets. She says the Mormon prac-
lices she was permitted to witness
in Utah completely d:sgusted her.
She denounces the Church as a "rotten
institution, whose priests are a set OF
lecherous scoundrels, and the whole
system is one of leWdnesS."
That the patience of the best people
in the Counties named has been tested
almost to its limits is certain, and
trouble and bloodshed may occur in one
or TWO Counties before the end comes.
The people Of Warren County have
already organized themseles to get rid
of the Mormons. Monday moring hf-
teen well-known citizens arranged t5sSh.
sssslas The dwelling Of EifS
.Io0t e: .z5fscs<s HOurs OF PdlIent
wa ing the desired persons were seen
to leave the house. In a few seconds
they were completely surrounded. They
were marched to a dense swamp, into
which they were escorted and cisel-
pinned with a buggy trace. They were
then ordered TO make instant departure.