Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-03-10
MORMON P0LYGAMY
Many Latter Day Saints Tes-
tify In Smoot Inquiry.
UTAH SENATOR HAD BISHOP ARRESTED
President Smith, After III Days Or
deal, Is Observation-Disclosures Do
Not Discuss Polygamy-Teas-
dale Evidence UnprfntnbIe.

Not Discuss POIygamy-Teas-
: dale Evidence U~nprfntnbIe.
WASHINGTON, March 1O.-Severa
officials Of the Mormon church testified
in the Senator Reed Smoot case before
the senate committee on privileges and
elections that they had plural wives
and had continued to practice polyga-
nous cohabitation since the manifes-
to Of 1880. Just before adjournment
for the day the committee held an ex
ecutive session for the purpose of hay
ing read the unprintable testimony in
the Teasdale divorce case. The prose
cution stated that it had no more wit
nesses ready to put on the stand on
account of the failure of several sum-
moned officials of the Mormon church
TO appear. President Joseph Il. Smith
was asked to use his influence with the
witnesses and promised to get into
communication with them if it was
possible to do so.
Lorin Hammer testified that he was q
bishop for five or six years, but had
been sent to the penitentiary i'll 1899
upon conviction of unchastity and lost
his good standing. He said he had two
wives, Ellen and Ida, and had lived
also with Ellen Anderson, but never as
her husband. He said she had two
children by him, one since he had re-
turned from the ~penitentiary. He now
lives in Springville.
He said Ellen Anderson supports her
self and that he had contributed moth
ing for the cafe of herself or her chill
dren. He said she had property of her
own.
Mr.. Harmer was asked if Mr.. Smoot
had anything to do with his arrest.
Il think he caused it," he said. "He
was counselor at that time to the presi-
dent of the state, who was then away.
He called me to Provo and told me
the church proposed to take away my
bishopric and other Offices. l asked
him to give me time to prepare my fam
lily, and then l started home.'
"Why was he going to take away
your offices?"
Because l had committed a crime"
"What crime?'
adultery, to be frank"
"Why do you think Mr.. Smoot caused
your arrest?'
Because before l reached home the
sheriff overlook me and put me under
arrest. l blamed Mr.. Smoot for send
ing the sheriff after me. l thought he
might have given me more time, al
though the crime was a bad one. L
don't know that Smoot was responsible
for my arrest, but it looked like It,"
Hiram NJ. Smith, thirty-two years
old, a son of President Smith and one
of the twelve apostles, read a speech
he had made in 1894 in Brigham City
at one of the quarterly conferences, in
which he said each II in the matter
of obeying laws does as he pleases,
but that each must bear the conse-
quences of his acts. He said that was
his view. He explained at length the
manner of sending out missionaries
and said polygamy was not talked and
that polygamous cohabitation had new
er been talked ut Il conference at which
Mr.. Smoot was present.
At other meetings he had heard dis
cussed the question of a continuance
of plural marriages, and the apostles
had taken steps to prevent it. Polyg-
amous cohabitation, he said, had not
been considered. IS
When he (Smith) went on a foreign
mission to Great Britain he had been
instructed not to discuss polygamy.
He had discussed it as an apes-
tie, but when he was a missionary he
had told certain persons who assailed
the doctrine that it was a teaching Of
the Bible and had ended the contro-
iversies by referring the persons to the
Bible SO they could Judge for them
Selves
Senator Hoar-Did you commend up
on prospective converts the rule of
your church against ~polygamy?
II always refrained from arguing on
polygamy."
At the request of Attorney Tayler
Cor the prosecution the committee went
into executive session, and the testi-
mony in the Teasdale divorce case was
read. 1t was agreed. that counsel for
and against Senator Smoot should en-
deavor to come to an agreement on a.
statement of facts in the case. Con-
sideration was given to the proceed
ings in executive session because of
the %unprintable character of the testi-
mony and a dislike on the part, of the
committee to spread the facts before
the country.
Andrew Jensen, assistant historian of
the church. giving testimony said he
had two wives, who were. sisters. and
that they both lived in the same house,
though he lives with the first. MI. Jeh-
sen said he was not sealed in eternity
to the mother Of the two wives.
Escaped Murderer Has Pneumonia.
ST. JOSEPH, No., March 10.-Mafk
Dunn, the murderer who was sentenc-
ed to be hanged here tomorrow and