Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-04-21
MORMON PRACTICES.
Brigham Fl, Roberts on Stanc
In Smoot Investigation.
PROBED FOR CHURCH SECRETS
Witness Testified Thai wives Were
Kept In Ignorance For Years of
Plural Marriages So ns Not
to Embarrass Them.


Reed Smoot contest has been opened
before the senate committee on privi
leges and elections.
Brigham H. Roberts, the first wit.
ness, was. questioned regarding his of.
fetal connection with the Mormon
church. MI. Roberts said he was elect.
ed one Of the first seven presidents in
1888 and entered politics about 1889.
He explained his candidacy for con'
gress and the opposition that had de-
veloped from Mormon sources.
He said the church had opposed the
election of high officials of the church
to membership Of the constitutional
convention and that he had consented
not to urge his candidacy. Mr.. Rob
erts was defeated the first time he ran
for congress, but was elected the sec
ong time, the church opposition having
been withdrawn.
Mr.. Roberts said he had three wives
-one married in 1877, the second in
1880 and the third in 1890. He has
had children by all of the wives and by
the first plural wife since his election
to congress. He thought the last child
was born three or four years ago.
Senator Overman inquired Of Mr..
Roberts whether his first wife and his
second wife had consented to his third
wife.
mo, sir" said Mfr. Roberts, adding
that they did not learn Of the marriage
for three or four years.
st'How Is thatf" asked Senator Bev-
eridge. "Do you meal to say that the
marriage was not known to any one?'
ut was known to some Of my
friends, but not to my wives" was the
answer.
"yyhy was this marriage concealed
from them?" asked Chairman Bur-
rows.
Because l did not want to embar-
rass them"
GLOW embarrass them?"
"Well, we knew the marriage was IL
legal, and 1t might be embarrassing to
them If they should for any reason be
called on to testify"
MFR. Roberts said his third wife was
the divorced wife of DR.. Ship, and of
bis eourtship he said he always had
met her at the house of mutual
friends and had never called on her at
her home. He also said that she o n
tinued to live in her home, but that he
never had called on her until she re-
moved to rooms on Main street, Salt
Lake City.
Mr.. Tayler asked Mr.. Roberts if he
knew that Maggie Ship Roberts lived
in a house where lived her divorced
husband and two of his wives. Mr..
Roberts said he was not aware Of that
fact.
Chairman Burrows desired to know
whether Mr.. Wells knew the witness
had a wife living when he married the
third wife.
HE did" said Roberts. "He married
me to my second wife"
Mr.. Pettus asked if the church ever
had reprimanded him or the high Off
cial who performed the ceremony. Mr..
Roberts said nothing had been said to
him. .
Mr.. Tayler asked Mr.. Roberts why
he thought it incumbent upon him to
take plural wives. From boyhood,"
the witness, 81 had been taught
the rightfulness of plural marriages,
and l believed this practice to be the
law of God. l knew that this practice
was contrary to the mandates of con
gress, but believed that the law of God
was the highest rule, and l felt i'm
to obey It."
what if you should inform the
church that you regarded your duty to
the state above that to the church?
Would the attitude of the church be
one of hostility" :.
II cannot believe there would be any
action taken politically"
Resuming cross examination and
quoting from the record of the testi-
OF b. b. Crltchlow, Mr.. Van Colt
asked Mr.. Roberts If he ever had stat
ed to Mr.. Critchlow that he had a vi
sion of his dead ancestors which In
duced him to change his attitude to-
MuIQ TIE Iule pertaining " pei iiio-
sion to run for Office. Mr.. Roberts said
he never had made such a statement.
lie also said he never stated that he
had seen his ancestors in perdition and
that they could not 90 through the
and be baptized unless he o
FORMED to the wishes of the church..
The witness said he had been through
the endowment houses that the endow-
ment house oath or ceremony was now
performed in the temple.
"Can you tell us in regard to this GER
emony?" asked Chairman Burrows.
"''I cannot. l do not feel at liberty to
do so. I consider myself in trust and
not at liberty to disclose what takes
place"
Mr.. Roberts said that the obligations
were secret, and he thought them not
unlike the oaths OF the Masonic order
other secret societies.
"What would happen il You did re-
veal what took place within the tenn
ple?" asked the chairman.
Il would lose caste and, be regarded