Omaha daily bee., 1899-01-25

the people of the town. Here and there a
man or child gazed stolidly at us from a
house door or a woman lifted her eyes from
her work 10 look, but no one came near us
as we embarrassed and fed our team
"At the prophets house the evening meal
was spread Of corn bread, stewed beans and
lettuce, with salt for seasoning. There was
no meat or butter on the table, Thompson
being, after the strcter practice or the
Mormons, a vegetarian For the guests a
pitcher of milk procured from another
house, but none of the prophets household
partook of it. During and after the meal
Thompson talked with us freely ana with
no apparent reserve. He was tall, spare
man, whom / took to be about 3S years or
age, polite and smooth of address, but not
withstanding his seeming frankness oil
speech he impressed me with feeling OF
distrust. His real character was revealed
in his eyes and mouth, which indicated
| cunning daring and utter unscrupulousness
With the thought of being defenseless in MS
stronghold, in which every man, woman and
child would unQuestioningly do his bidding,
and in which the robbing or even the killing
of a Gentle would be regarded by many of
them as praiseworthy and pleasing per-
| formance, / felt none too easy. and when
| pea llllc Cdllp Nouiu 'HtSil u'iS ha'S
swapped the shelter of the prophets roof
| for a blanket on the prairie at good dis
| tance away.
Here in this little community Thompson
| governed absolutely according to the tenets
of the Mormon faith and the revelations
that he proclaimed from time to time. He
was prophet, governor, treasurer merchant,
everything that implied power or proft-a
| M hal nd nika6o in and high DripSt
into the bargain. He published a news
paper for the faithful and / was permitted
to glance through the latest number. 1t was
a queer sheet, devoted mostly to Mormon
matters, religious and secular, and filled with
odd words which he may have coined him.
| self. Neroheim, / remember, .was his word
for supreme deity; the others | do not now
recall Such news as it printed of the out
side world had been doctored in the in
terests of Mormonism and the whole tenor
of the sheet was in accordance with this
cardinal feature in the faith proclaimed by
the Mormon leaders, that it first would
establish a state, preparatory to conquer
ing the United States, and then the world.
In the copy that | read there were re-
printed certain precepts from Joseph
Smiths book "A Word Of WISDOM for the
guidance of Mormons, in which it was recon-
mended that it is not good to drink wine
or strong drink except at the Lords Supper
or to use hot drinks tobacco-the
former being meant for the washing of the
body and the latter for the healing of
bruises and sick cattle; mans proper food
is herbs and fruit; that for beasts and
fowls, grain, and, except in winter and in
case of famine and severe cold, flesh should
not be eaten by men
"These precepts also discaimed the neces-
sity for infant baptism, but stated that the
children of the saints should receive baptism
when they were years old. They declared
also that the dead could be baptized by
proxy-an article OF faith under which
Washington, Franklin and many other mer
have been vicariously baptized into the Nor
mon church.
I'VE retired early to our bed of straw
spread with blankets on the floor, and il
5 spite of all misgivings our sleep was undis
turbed until the sounds of the live stocl
! in the nCosure woke us In the early morn
| ing. With the first glimmer of light thu
e plantation bell in its frame above the counci
house was rung, and the whole settlemen
g became astir, answering its summons al
promptly as soldiers at roll call. At sunrise
| the stock was driven out TO pasture on th
? prairie in charge of herders, and after then
!, the men and older children filed out at tn
, gates to their work In the fields. AS the,
r passed out, Thompson, standing upon
3 housetop above the gate, patriarchal figur
t in steeple- crowned hat and long linen duster
reviewed them, assigning them to their diff
e ferent tasks and seeing that all were pres
4 ent or accounted for. The Mormon rank AM
t file were a commonplace, stold- -lookin
= people, with a cerIain infusion of crank
t ones among them; even the children wer
n serious and staid in manner. All were sub
d mssive to Thompson, who held absolut
e sway even to the power OF life and death
g among them
/ My companion and myself were wei
e pleased when with life and property intac