Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-14
WITNESS BROKE DOWN
BURST INTO TEARS AZ EHD GAVE
HER TEsTI11oNY.
Scenes at Yesterday Afternoons Hear
ing Of the smoot Investigation
Public School instruction.

In the hearing before the Senate commit
tee on privileges and elections considering
the protests against Senator Smoot Of Utah
Mr. Hickman again took the stand at 2 pm.
yesterday.
Chairman Burrows asked Mr.. Hickman
concerning his marriage In Mexico, and
was told that the ceremony was performed
by some man named Mcdonald, who, the
witness said, must have obtained his au-
thority directly or Indirectly from the pres
ident Of the church
On cross-examination Mr.. Hickman said
he believed in plural marriages at the
time. but has not believed in them since
the manifesto, which he regarded binding
upon all members of the church as the Eek
pressed VIII Of God" Further he said that
Mr.. Smoot. in a conversation. had express
ed to him the opinion that there would be
no more plural marriages.
Senator McComas drew from Mr.. Hick-
man the fact that Mr.. Shoots statement
against polygamy was made since the
Smoot investigation last winter.
The witness would not admit that he went
to Mexico to be married in order to escape
punishment, but did say he knew that the
that many prominent Mormons were in hid
ing to escape prosecution at the time he
was married.
Sad Testimony Of Convert.
Mrs. Margaret Geddes Of Salt Lake City
was sworn. She said she was born in Glas-
gov, Scotland where she was converted to
the Mormon faith. and went to Utah TWEEN
ty years ago. She became the plural wife
Of William Geddes in Logan. Utah, the
same year. She said she did not live with
her husband much. as she remained in Ore
gon. his other wife living in Blaine City.
She had four children. Her husband died
n md Chn han t0 har I'M
bands first wife and there a baby was
born.
She broke down crying as she gave this
testimony. 1t was brought out that her
husband died thirteen years ago, and that
her youngest child is five and a half years
old. She said she had not been married a
second time, and refused to give the name
of her youngest child's father.
Mrs. GeddeS broke down again as she told
the committee she has one to look after
her. and that she sat in the waiting room
from am. until daylight after arriving In
Washington yesterday morning.
Public School Instruction.
Arthur Morning. a teacher in the public
schools of Utah. was sworn. He said he
had been called on to conduct religious
classes in his school of twenty pupils. He
lead letters from Box Elder instructing him
how to outline the Mormon class work.
One letter was dated about a year ago and
dHutHtI III september, loNf. MT. Morning
said he nd not carry on the classes for the
instruction of Mormon religion, because he
Is not a Mormon himself.
Mr.. Tayler offered in evidence passages
from the books on Mormonism sent to the
schools. These books contained lessons Tor
all grades from the primary to the adj
vanced grades. These lessons We're largely
composed of sketches of the lives of promi-
nent Mormons, among them the president
or the church and the apostles, including
Senator Smoot.
Senator Hopkins asked Mr.. Tayler what
he expected to prove by that.
We are proving" said Mr. Tayler. that
the Mormon church is teaching it's religion
at public expense, and that the lessons are
largely composed of biographies of men who
are notorious polygamists.'
AT the close of the testimony of Mr. Morn
Ing the committee adjourned until today