Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-12-20

iAllkiaUu ON lNt ANlu OF NoNtlluNI last
year because Of a warrant sworn TO by
owen, and he left before the warrant
could be served. lie took the train at
Provo that night. lie has not returned
since. The reason for the issuance
Of the warrant at the lnstigetlon Of
owen was according to that gentleman,
that ne, Grant, at commencement ex-
erclses, said he would subscribe $50
for himself and $50 for each Of his
wlyes-he said he had two and would
take a third were it not for the law
owen said there were about a thousand
people present when this statement was
mode.
In July. 80, because Of a challenge Of
his veracty I'm the Deseret News he
prosecuted Angus NJ Cannon for un-
lawful cohabitatlon, who pleaded
guilty others were also prosecuted,
An plead guilty and small fines were
imposed.
The county attorney Of Davis county
would do nothing in the Roberts case,
or In the cases Of others against whom
owen filed informauons. lie had filed
80 lnformations In Cache county. The
county attorney failed to do anything
except in the case Of Chas II. Merrill
who was convicted in February 1900,
Since then owen has not done anything
towards prosecuting polygamists be-
cause convictions were followed by only
nominal fines, A year or two ago he
tried again, but the county attorney
of SEWER county absolutely declined to
prosecute. Since then nothing has been
done lie explained that fines were
sometimes paid by public subscrlp-
ton as in SEWER county where a ball
was held to raise funds for the purpose,
while in Boxelder county subscriptions
were raised, but fines have not yet been
paid. Under the circumstances efforts
to prosecute are useless. owen was
sim ON the stand when The committee
took recess.
Upon resumlng his testimony this af-
ternoon owen detailed his efforts TO Sc
cure indictments against Brigham II,
Roberts in 9S and 80 and said that he
laid an information against ], c. Graz
ham. postmaster at Provo In '99, and
eventually he was tried in 1900 In
Davis county ne had great difficulty in
nndlng a county attorney ut all, and he
refused to prosecute Roberts. This was
In October, 90 He swore that Roberts
had two wives and families at Farm
Ington at the time, Later In 1900, he
tried to force the county attorney Of
Cache county into prosecutions there.
lie refused, alleging that he would not
prosecute where witnesses were unwill-
ing to testify lie took up the case
against Chas Z. Merrill, who was fined
$50 for unlawful cohabtation, He cited
other attempts to secure prosecutions
In Utah.
In September 49, he made the next
attempt to enforce the law when he
alod an information against President
Joseph f. Smith; the county attorney
Of Salt Lake refused his information.
This county attorney, George Westcr-
welt. IL Gentle Usually he finds
Gentle officials more loath to prose-
cute than 'Momons.' Since then he
has taken no steps During the past
summer he spent some time IN Idaho
for the purpose Of checking mp poly
gamous practises. He had learned that
Bohrer had challenged him to produce
sworn charges. lie produced them, but
ne said Bohrer would not prosecute to
a conviction. lie drew up list Of 20
men living In polygamy, which list he
read, and ne offered to furnish an ad.
dHlonal list Of a hundred or more,
Bohrer refused TO prosecute, he said
he dld not know owen he was not
hunting the snipe IN the valley, he was
after the tiger IN the jungle Fred r.
Dubois.
Asked TO name the district judge who
had imposed only nominal fines and
the names Of the supreme court Judge
who reversed the conviction, he named
Judges Norrel McCarty and Hart
Bartch, Baskin and Miner, Norrell
he clossed as Gentle, McCarty and
Hart as "Mormons," Bartch Is but
Jack Mormon" Baskln Mormon"
hater and Miner a Gentle lie closed
with a reassertion Of the statement
that j, NJ Tanner is reputed to have
married Carrie Peterson since the mani
festo and that Apostle Cowley is re-
puted TO have married Hattie Hart and
Apostle Merrill 10 have married Huldah
Oleson since the manifesto Of 1890