Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-01-04

THE CuAHIVARI NUISANCE
An esteemed correspondent writing
from a village In the southern part OF
the State. gives particulars of an al
fair that recently occurred there,
which to characterize 4. mildly, was
dsgraoeful. a couple residing In the
village were married In the st. George
Temple-a fact, by the way, which SUI
ficently vouches for their respectable
ity and standing in the community
and after the marriage ceremony made
long drive TO the village referred to,
where they were received IN the home
of the brides parents.
Late in the evening crowd assem-
bed around the dwelling and proceed
ed tp make the night hldeous. Tin
cans were beaten. cow bells were rung.
stones were thrown against the door,
and an abomnable din was created.
Not content with such demonstrations.
the crowd took o horse and shaved It
from name to tail, inclusive, Parts of
wagon belonging to the bridegroom
were taken away, and a cottage near
by in which it was expected the young
couple would spend the night was
broken into. mud and filth were strewn
upon the floor, and planks and other
debris were thrown into 1t.
The correspondent gravely makes
two statements of fact, which would
challenge credulity but for his well
known and thoroughly established
o., ,I f.t, ,,tt.
by far the most surprising features of
the affair. lie says that every boy In
the village over eleven years OF age,
and some girls, took part in the dis
gushing ana unlawful mischief, and
that the inhabitants OF the place take
the entire occurrence IA u matter of
course, so much SO that the officers
have made no attempt to vindlcate the
law so iiagrantly violated by 1t,
What kind of a community is 1t
whose young men In a body, including
some OF the opposite sex, will turn out
and engage in conduct Of the sort de-
scribed? What standards of public
opinion and civilization prevail there.
that the members Of the community of
mature years, including the peace Of
fcers, look upon such proceedings COM
placently, and take them as u matter
Of course?
1t Is commonly understood that the
bulk of the inhabitants of the village
are Mormons. This being true, the
questions arise Ia there n Sabbath
school in II? Is there n Young Mems
or Young Ladies' Mutual Improve
ment association in It? Has IT the or
CARNATIONS and methods found in al
most all Mormon towns for the instruc-
ton and advancement of the youth
in good morals, true refinement and
genuine Christianity? II so. how does
1t happen that such results exist where
these organizations are found?
The correspondent asks If charivari
such as he describes is permissible under
covered by law for injuries to or loss
of property caused by the participants
In 1t. The answer to the first question
Is an emphatic no. Such a proceed
ing is a nagrant violation of the public
peace, the preservation of which is
n primary object of law, The reply
to the second question is yes. Each
Individual member of mob is per-
| sonaly liable for loss of or injury to
property resulting from the unlawful
doings of the mob, and the crowd
| described by our correspondent was
a mob. pure and simple.
Not only Is a charivari n violation of
law, but it Is low. shocking and bar
| barous proceeding, utterly abhorrent to
any sense OF decency, refinement or
| good order The term is thus defined
by Webster: "a mock serenade Of dis
cordant music, kettles, tin horns, etc,
designed to annoy and insult" ut
was at first directed against widows
who married second time, at an ad-
vanced age, but is now extended to
other occasions OF nocturnal annoyance
and insult"
While the law applicable to ouch a
case as our correspondent has
| described is as above stated, the
News" believes the evil can be
reached in "A better and more effective
way than by resorting to legal steps.
The probabilities are that the young
people who perpetrated the unlawful
acts incident to the chnrivari are not
wicked, but only benighted; that they
are ignorant rather than abandoned;
and that good Sunday school worker
among them would do them more real
good than could constable.
The victims of the outrage in this
case naturally feel incensed against
the perpetrators of It, but the CONVEX
sion of the wrong doors viii accom-
plish more lasting good than their pun
ishment. Hence such agencies us exist
i'm the village for reaching the young
and influencing them in right directions
should be diligently employed untn
all danger OF recurrence of such
scenes in that place is averted. This
applies to all places inhabited by Lat
ter-day Saints where the charivarl
nuisance has shown itself.