The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-10-05

ing the most damnable lies =
about the church. They viii =
= be- damned for il and viii 90 TO =
= he'll and will stay damned until =
. the Lord gets ready to send a '
, Mormon elder down and yank y
= ;nem out Of hell =
Such was the defamation OF Presi-
dent Ben L. Rich Of the central states
mission IL the opening session OF the
Erveuty-scCOnd scmi-annual conference
OF the Church Of Jesus Christ OF Lat
trr-day Saints yesterday. In an address
IN which he referred 10 the Hooper
Young murder I'm New York and the
statements that his crime was due to
Mormon doctrines of blood atonement.
Mr. Rich directed his statements par
ueuarly % ministers. the newspapers
and former residents of this city who
be- declared were doing all in their pow
or to fasten this terrible crime upon
The Mormon church.
Mr. Rich and others Of the elders
paid their respects in the most sCath-
Ing language 90 those who wear the
long coats and the non Mormon ele-
n-nt in Salt Lake. because they did
not rise up and refute the alleged lies
against MormOnism.
Conference opened at 10 o'clock with
q little less than the average attend
ance OF lay members, but with larger
than usual attendance OF authorities
or the church from the various parts
OF the state.
President Rich's Bitter Words.
The address OF the morning session
was that of Mr.. Rich. which was a
lengthy and bitter inyective against
everybody who had dared attribute the
Hooper Young crime 10 teachings or
influence OF the Mormon church. Re
ferring 10 the murder. Mr.. Rich said:
1T is magnihed In every way in the
newspapers They try 10 bring the
blame for the crime upon the church.
They say In lOurishing headlines that
this came from the doctrines Of the
Mormon church. Seeing this has made
me wonder II there were not some
n-MOrmons who have lived unmo-
Tested among us who would have the
courage and manhood to raise a voice
IN defense Of Us.
But people who have lived here
among Us go east and circulate the
most damnable lies about us. They
say the Mormons believe in blood
atrncWaUtr So DO ali Christian ma
tons, they all believe OF pretend TO
believe In the atoning blood OF Christ
for the sinful. But they say the Nor
mons believe in another kind of blood
atonement. Well. We do. to the same
extent that every state in the nation
believes in it-that a man who sheds
another mans blood shall have his own
blood spilled by the law.
Theory of Blood Atonement.
= This we believe in and moth \
= ing more. We do not believe in y
: strsngiing the criminal or eXecut- y
: ing him in the electric chair. but Z
. We believe that he who spills y
= mans blood. by man shall his =
= blood be spilled and thank GCd y
= there were enough IN the consti- =
= tuuonaI convention Of this state =
= who realized the meaning Of this =
90 give a murderer the choice Of =
= being hanged or having his blood y
= spilled by shooting If he had any y
regard for the teachings OF God =
= left In him."
Mr. Rich then read a signed state
ment made by the presidency OF the
church in 1883 in which they denied
that any apostates had been killed or
that the church advocated or permitted
any such teachings and In which they
denounced murder as the most heinOus
o. an crimes
A man asked me-" said the speaker,
m an apoState was. killed for fOrsak-
ins The teachings OF the church. I
asked him where he got that idea, and
~ said 81 came from the newspap ers
ana from persons who had lived among
U.S.
One minister who lived in Brigham
CITY Is now in the east circulating a
Story that women used 10 walk all
NE way from Salt Lake 10 Brigham.
lh5i stronghold of non-MormOns, to
pray his protection from their hus-
naHds. who they said. wanted 10 Kill
mem 10 lulnl the teachings Of blood
u''hement lu the church. He was a
minister. Probably he had opened his
h'o-e a few times. but when he read
ID, forgot to remember that passage
NA-ah says. Thou shalt not lie or
iA'H shalt not bear false witness
hsa'ns. rhy neighbour
The Hermans Murder.
some years ago a minister Of a
'A-l.l n fa.s city murdered two girls.
t'.'.l 'a.m FOB pieces and burned their
.l.. 90 a furnace. Did the Nor
mon. say Do was following the doc
u..-s 90. his church? No. they knew
VA. Do Dee had been following the
a..Es ~ his church he would never
-I,. L'H. such "a thing. And il Hoop
l"l-E had been following the teach
s' nc The Mormon church he would
nave been out in the streets telling
I wicked 1t their sins instead OF
NasRsa.ng In jail as ne now is.
1910 suppose q bishop I'm the Nor
H CHURCH had committed the muir
UT .'.' this minister did. What
rave been the headlines in the
l-i- them 10 would be Mormon
.. rcssOnsible.'
..n there was a murder in San
.lh SEQ. where the nude bodies OF
"' z'.S We're found in the tower OF