Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-13

| mas been engaged in securing information
| upon polyeamous relations in Utah. He
| had obtained information from the citizens
| He had instituted prosecutions against al
| legged polygamis in Utah. Some of those
| prosecuted pleaded guilty and were con-
| Nicted and one was dismissed. Some were
| charged with adultery and some with I'M
| lawful Capitalization.
| Coming back to his own case, Mr.. Rob-
| erts asked what information Mr.. Owen had
\ of the case of Mrs. Maggie Shipp Roberts
The witness replied that he had no per-
! sonai knowledge of the relations of Mr.
| Roberts and DR.. Maggie Roberts, but only
| knew from general and public information.
| Then why didn't you institute proceed
| fngs against me as you did the others?''
| Il did not have sufficient evidence" re-
| piled the witness Mr. Roberts called his
| attention to many affidavits which had
| been taken in the case.
| Referring to the charges made in the
campaign that Mr.. Roberts was a poiyga-
mist, MIR. Owen was asked whether he
knew the charge had never been denied.
Mr.. Owen said he had never heard a de-
NAL, but that he had seen letter to Mr..
Deninny from Mr. Roberts, in which he
said it was nobody's business whether the
charges Were true not.
rs not Mr. Deninny opposed to me?'
asked Mr.. Roberts.
He is opposed to all polygamists," was
the answer.
Mr.. Roberts then asked the witness if he
had heard whether he was held in public
repute as living in plural marriage since
March L. 1883
The witness answered in the affirmative.
He said the reputation was based upon
general conditions existing prior to March
4. and which had not been changed. He
knew Of no specific acts, however.
Mr.. Schrader then drew from the witness
that charges had been filed in two counties
since October, 1899 against Mr.. Roberts
for adultery, and that these charges are
now pending before the proper officials
Arthur McEacn's Evidence
Mr.. Arthur McEuen was then sworn and
was questioned by Chairman Tayler. Mr..
McEuen is the editor of the Philadelphia
North American, and testified that he had
recently interviewed Mr.. Roberts In this
city. Chairman Tayler said that Mr.. Rob
erts had repudiated the interview
Mr. McEuen said the interview was sub
stantially accurate.
Did he in that interview say that from
his earliest days he had been taught that
plural marriage was right; that seat IN
Congress did not mean much to him, but
| that his ties and obligations meant much?'
He did,
Did he speak of his plural wives?'
He did,
Mr. Tayler then read from the interview,
| in which Mr.. Roberts not only acknowI-
| edged his plural wives, but defended poiyg-
amy, and, speaking of his wives, said he
| would be damned If he would give them
Mr.. McEuen said the interview was cor
rect Mr.. Tayler elected the statement
| from Mr. McEuen that instead of being
| biased against Mr.. Roberts, he had, In his
correspondence, rather been sympathetic
with Mr.. Roberts.
Mr. Roberts tried to shake Mr.. McEuen's
testimony of the interview. He asked II
the witness could not have understood him
| to have been dealing in generalities.
"Oh, no, Mr.. Roberts, you were speaking
of general conditions, and cited your own
case as an instarce."
Answered for DR.. Maggie Roberts.
Mr.. E. H. Parsons was then sworn. He
testified that one morning in 1897, about 8
o'clock, some one came into his residence
and asked him to call up on the telephone
| DIR. Maggie Roberts residence. He did so,
and man responded saying it was B. H.
Roberts at the telephone.
Mr.. Roberts tried to shake this evidence.
Might 1t not have been one Bolivar" Rob-
erts, and not Brigham H. Roberts?
| No. Bolivar Roberts was in heaven at
that time, and. anyhow, 1 would have
| known his voice..
| DR.. t c. Tiff was sworn. He had re-
| sided in Salt Lake City twenty-four years,
| and had known Mr.. Roberts eight or ten
| years. In 1898 the general reputation of
| Mrs Maggie Ship Roberts was that she
was his third wife, and that Celia Dibble
| Roberts of Centerville was his second wife.
| DIR. Tiff testified that since the election of
1898 the general sentiment of the commu-
| nifty has been that Mr.. Roberts has been
| living in polygamous relations.
| DR.. Tiff further said in answer to ques-
| lions, that he had been arousing sentiment
| In the east against poiygamy. DR.. Tiff is
| in charge of a Methodist mission in Utah.
| His general attitude toward Mormons is
| friendly, he said. but had labored assidu-
| ously against the polygamous phase of
| Mormonism. He had combated, of course.
| some of the doctrines of Mormonism. He
| could not testify of his own knowledge OF
specific acts of polygamy on the part OF
| Mr.. Roberts
Dr. Tiff testified to an article written by
Mr.. Roberts, in which polygamy was de.
| Tended.
A ColIOquy With N Witness.
Mr. Roberts intimated that the defense
related to practices of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob and other worthless of the
| Bible"
DIR. Tiff retorted that Mr.. Roberts hat
| contended that this biblical practice was
pure and holy and good" as revealed t
| Mormons by Joseph Smith.
| Mr.. Roberts insisted that the referenc,
| was in defense OF the tenets Of Mormon.
| in the past
DIR. lin testified that Gov. Wells of Utah