The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1904-03-11
Apostle Merrill, Who Had Six Wives
and SO Children, Was Constant
ly Dedging Officers.
KEPT NO RECORD OF MARRIAGES,
Evidence That Leaders of the Mormon
Church Adopted Every Ruse Possible to
Defy Prosecution for Violation of the
Federal Statutes-Mother Confessed to
Giving Her Daughter into Poiygamy.

| Tuesday in the Senator Reed Smoot
case before the senate committee on
| privileges and elections. Mr.. Worth
| fngton, for the defense, continued
! crOSS-eXaminatiOn of the witness, and
| inquired as to the reasons for her mar
riage being consummated at Juarez,
Mex, instead of at the Mormon settle
| ment at Diaz, where she lived She
said she knew of no reason and had no
| information regarding an attempt to
having the ceremony performed else
| where. She said she did not tell any
| one that the man to whom she was to
be married had another wife, and so
| far as she knew those performing the
| ceremony did not know the marriage
was to be a plural one.
The prosecution called to the stand
| Mrs. Emma Matthews, of Marysville,
Utah, mother of Mrs. Clara Mabel Ken
| nedy. Mrs. Matthews said she had been
a member of a Mormon family for 25
years and is Mormon herself. She
| has been plural wife, but is not now
| Mrs. Matthews said that while living
| at Diaz she had known Mr.. johnson
| for two years prior to his marriage to
| her daughter and that she had no OBJ
| jecton to her daughter becoming his
plural wife. She remembered we'll the
marriage of Johnson to her daughter
and fixed the date definitely at May,
1894. "He Just asked me If l was will
ing that he should marry my daughter
| and said yes" said the witness. "She
wanted to wait until she was 49, but
r. - l~%I
| Mr.. and Mrs. Johnson, the first wife,
when they ana the daughter who was
| to become the second wife, left for
| Juarez.
Charles F. Merrill, son of Apostle
| Merrill, was then called to the stand.
| He said he was the son of his fathers
| third plural wife and Is himself
'polygamist. In answer to questions
concerning his own marriages, Mr..
| Merrill said he was married first in
| 1887 to a wife that died in 1889, and
| that he married his legal wife, Chloe
| Hendricks, in 1891, and had five chill
| dren by her. He married another wife
| in 1888, the ceremony being performed
in the Logan temple by M. c. Edward
son. He had four children by that
| wife, the oldest of which is nine years
and the youngest PA years. Their
mothers name was Anna B. Stoddard.
THE marriage to my legal wife in
1891" said Mr.. Merrill. twas solemn
lied by my father" Were you living
with Anna B. Stoddard when you mar
ried the woman you call your legal
wife," was asked. 81 was, although she
had no house. She stayed at the home
of her father and her mother and I
| lived with my mother" answered the
witness.
In answer to questions from Chair.
man Burrows, Mr.. Merrill said he now
| has two wives and is cohabiting with
| both. Senator Foraker asked the wit
| ness: us not the woman you married
in 1888 your legal wife," Mr.. Merrill
| explained that when he married in
1888 he had wife living and that he
understood that under the laws that
[ marriage was not legal, and that there
fore his marriage in 1891, after tia
| death of his first wife, in 1889, made
| his last marriage a legal. one. Mr.. Mer-
| rill said there was no marriage certif1-
| cate issued, no record, or any docu-
| ments of any kind so far as he knew.
| f1e said there was no music, no prayer,
and no questions that he could remem,
| Der. The witness said he lived with
| both wives. but that they had different
| homes in Richmond, Utah, about
| mile apart You say you were living
with your mother when you were mar
| RED the second time. Where was your
| CO.
was asked. He was on the under
| ground most Of the time" said the wit
ness jocularly. What do you mean
| by on the underground? asked Mr..
| Worthington. HE was in hiding"
| "Why was he in hiding?" asked the
| chairman. Because about that time
there were prosecutions going on for
polygamy." Mr.. Merrill answered. He
| said that oftentimes he would not see
his father for a month.
In regard to his fathers family, Mr..
Merrill said he had father with six
wives and that he had 20 brothers and
| II sisters. He was asked how many
| hephews and nieces he had and said he
did not know, but thought there were
more than 100. MY father lives with
| his first wife and comes to the home
| of my mother probably not more than
| once a month";" he said. my father
l il a very busy man." the witness sup
| plemented. Mr.. Merrill thought three
| of his brothers have married plural
| wives and that two of his sisters had
married into poiygamous families.
! Francis Lyman, an apostle Of the
NForr,0r church and the nrOanoctivo
| successor of Mr.. Smith as president Of
the church, was the next witness. He
was born "a years ago and became al.
apostle in 1880. Are you a poiyga-
| mist?" Mr.. Tayler asked, and the wit
| ness replied frankly, Yes" He said
that he had had three wives and that
Of them two are still living. By his
second wife to whom he was married