Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-13
A MORMON SCHEME.
Trying to Build Up Church By I'm.
 porting Women and Girls.

Washington, Aug 13.-A case has
 immigration authorities from Bos-
 ton, which indicates clearly that a
 scheme of importing women and
 girls for the up-building of the Nor
 mon sect in Utah and contiguous
 states is being developed by the au- thorities of the Mormon church. The
 case is typical of others which have
 been discovered by the immigration
 officers in the past year or two, and
 an effort is being made by the United States officials to fix definitely the re- sponsibility for the plan.
 Investigation has shown that em-
 issaries of the Mormon church con tinually are travelling drought Great
 Britain and northern Europe trying to induce whole families, and par
 ticularly vigorous young women and girls, to come to America and locate in Utah, Idaho or In other places where Mormonism flourishes. Glow ing promises are made to them of
 the wealth they may enjoy in the
 Mormon communities, but the real scheme is to provide sturdy wives to the men of the Mormon faith.
 When women and girls are found willing to accept the glowing terms
 made to them, they are supplied with
 money for the voyage to America
 and to pay their way to the Mormon
 settlements in the west. The immi-
 grants are coached carefully before
 they start, ard usually their stories
 are so plausible that the immigration
 officials are unable to bar them from
 landing in this country. Few of them
 have any idea of what the future
 holds in store for them, and, on land ing in the United States are hurried
 to the Mormon communities and
 there enter upon what approximates slavery.
 Every port on the Atlantic coast
 reports the alnding of numerous
 Mormon converts. It has been
 known for years that many women and girls intended for Mormon com
 munities come to this country every year, but only infrequently is it the case that the immigration officials are able, under the law, to prevent them from landing. It has been de- veloped by investigation that of those of Mormon faith who are admitted to the United States, comparatively few are residents of this country. Converts to the faith constitute near ly 90 per cent of the number and by far the greater number of these are women and girls. Most of them come from the Scandinavian penin- sula, although many of them are from Germany. All of them are SUD- piled with money and, curiously enough, each one has. on landing, about s35. enough to carry the im- migrant to Utah or to a destination in that vicinity.
 A few days ago a typical case was reported from the port of Boston. A Mormon elder named Emuel Bach man of Shelley. Bingham county, Idaho. brought to this country an H. yesr-old girl named Susan Henry. from Scotland. He said he had adopted the child. This statement subsequently was shown to be disin- genuous. as he only had agreed to adopt her. The child said she did not come of her own accord, although her parents had consented to let her come. Evidence adduced on the in- quiry made into the case showed that Elder Bachman had beaten the child on the voyage to America. Her par ents had told her that Bachman was to be a father to her and held out promises to her that. if she would come tO America, she would have ad- vantages fin the way of education that they could not give her. She was promised a plano among other things. The child told the immigra- ton inspectors that she did not want to remain with Bachman. but de- sired to return to her home. IL was developed also that she had attended school regularly and that her parents were we'll able to support her. Bach mans story to the inspectors was so ] 1imsy that it was decided to send | the child back to her parents and 1 she accordingly was deported on the i next vessel
 Similar cases arise almost every lay ct some of the Atlantic ports. 'one of them being even more def- lfts in details than that of Susan Henry They create considerable .onceTn in the minds of the fuuf- zrztfo1 authorities, rho often are inable 10 get the real facts of a ease. { is not unlikely that national lesis- stfon bearing upon the matter will |