The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-30

startled at his revelations. Ritter is
about so years old, bony and leathery
looking. and with an enormous head
of white hair. He does not eat enough
for a mouse. Affairs of the world have
no interest for him, and he viii not
ask question, even though he has not
had a visitor for months.
Ritter's history since he came into
the desert is well known to the miners.
and ne repeats it with marvellous ex-
actness. His history before that time
cannot be vouched for. II, however,
agrees with certain we'll known facts,
and seems to account for his living the
life he does.
AS he tells his story, it is about as
follows:
Il was born, in Sweden and lived
there until II years ago. / spent the
early years of my life as a great many
other men do. But it was all wrong,
wrong. When 1 was As years old the
spirit was revealed to me and / knew
there was no death. l saw the atmos-
phere all around me filled with the
spirits of my friends. and they have
always told me what to do.
f'oh, but it was joy to- know that 1
was not of this world; but there was
one thing lacking. 1 tried to find out
what 1T was. / studied day and night
TO find the truth, and at last it was
The bearer of good tidings came
from Amortization Salt Lake City.
and he told me many things that fitted
INTO what L knew of the spirit world
He told me 1 should marry and have
more than one wife. 1 saw he was
right.
1t was, of course, not legal to have
more than one wife in Sweden, but 1
got around that. These women be-
n n
together in spirit and then l went with
each to a different place and we were
married legally. Law-breakers, of
course, but not of the laws of spirit,
nor the laws of nature. We all lived
happily together in the perfection of
life. Polygamy is natural to man; mo-
nogamy is slavery and against all
spirit law
But our happiness could not last
People became suspicious of our secret
and we had to fly to Salt Lake City
But even here we found the laws had
changed since the bearer of good It'd
1ngS came to Sweden many wears ago
Our secret was kept long time by our
friends, but it was dangerous, and at
last l determined to find a spot where
we could live in the spirit without fear
of the unreasonable laws of civiliza-
ton.
many DAYS Of wandering and hard
ships. / had money, but it was not. of
much use. Then followed two months
of unalloyed spiritual happiness, when
my two wives We're called over the bor-
der for a time. They drank too much
water from yonder spring and the al
kali caused such arrangement of their
physical body that it was unfit for the
spirit. They went into the spirit within
81
wander far.
when they were both what you call
dead (but to me they had only
changed their conditions), l took them
to the roof of the house, where the hot
sun and the desert wind soon dried
them as you see.
THAT is seven years ago, and they
have been with me ever since. They
are with me now. Can't you see them
gCne-gOne over the border to the spirit
land; but they will be back. They
never can stay long as long as their
earthly frames are where they can
come to them.
Sometimes they do not come to me
when l want them. but at such times
a stream of blood flows in at the door
and I know there are grave deeds be-
ing done which demand their atten-
N4OH- ~ &C. IHCic dtS always IWO
streams OF souls passing up and down.
Kindred souls are always together.
hear my wives now out in the ether.
They know what is best for me. If
buried them they might never come
back.
Some day, soon, I expect to join
them. Then nobody will care for my
remains, and they will disappear Then
we will all three go across the border
and never come back. The desert wind
will blow our bones to dust and all
Will mingle with earth and the end of
time will come