The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-02-08
AT TRIAL.
Mormon Song Records in Evidence in
the SmOOt Hearing.

Washington, Feb. SIN the investi-
cation of the protest against Senator
Reed SmOot before the committee on
privileges and elections, Prof. Walter
NJ. Wolfe, who was a teacher in Nor
mon schools and d member of the
church until very recently, was today
subjected to a severe cross examina-
ton by A. s Worthington, counsel for
the senator.
A large number of letters which had
been written by Wolfe to members of
the church were put into the record
to show that he had not made com
plants Of the conduct of Benjamin
Cuff on the Mexican expedition, as he
had testified in direct examination. He
denied charges by counsel that he had
been intoxicated in several public
places and that he had expressed con-
triton because of his refusal to pay
tithes. Mr.. WorthingtOn will call
large number of witnesses to discredit
Wolfe.
on redirect examination the names
of a number of residents of Provo were
read to the witness and 10 of them, he
said, were living in polygamous CO.
habitatiOn. He said he knew George
Taylor, brother-fn-Iaw of Mr. Smoot
and that Taylor had asked him, Wolfe,
to give up his Democratic faith and
come in with the great majority. -
This was just previous to the election
of the legislature that elected SmOot
10 the senate ne Sclit4s anu LA4 Ll4C4 lEAcL
Taylor asked him to do all he could
for the election of SmoOt
Il told him" said the witness, that
would if I thought it to be the will
of the Lord. Mr. Taylor said he be
lieVed it was the will of God and it
seemed to have been. He told me then,
that Shoots candidacy had been dis
cussed and endorsed by the high cOun-
ell of Utah, convened as prayer
IN resDonse To questions nv several
members of the committee Wolfe said
that in Brigham Young college Ovena
JorgensOn and Florence Reynolds were
the only students whom he knew to
have become plural wives. He thought
that children of pOlygamOus relations
looked upon pOlygamy as a divine in
stitutiOn. Of the Provo citizens. VIII lose
names We're read, only one, Thomas
Chamberlain, had entered polygamy
since the manifesto. A mum Der of the
songs alleged to have been hostile to
the government of the United States
were put into the record and Wolfe
said these songs were sung frequently
William j. Thomas OF Spanish Fork.
Utah, the next witness, said he had
gone through the endowment house in
1859. and had taken an oath to
"avenge the blood of the prophet
Joseph Smith, upon this nation and to
teach his children to do so down to
the third and fourth generations. He
said he was dropped from the church
in the SOS because he had spoken too
openly against plural marriages.
Senator Knox asked if he had ever
done anything to carry out his obliga-
ton to ''avenge the blood of the pro
phet upon this nation"
mo, sir; I enlisted twice to defend
this nation" said Thomas.
The witness told of NJ. Nicholson,
formerly an employe of Thomas, going
to Mexico to take a plural wife. Mich
elson told the witness he was going
where he could live his religion
John P. Holugerr, of Bear River
City Utah, q member of the Utah leg
isiature from 1899 to 1903. testified
that he voted against the Evans bill
prohibiting the first wife from testify
ing against her husband in polygamy
proceedings He was defeated after
this, but said he thought it was not his
vote that defeated him. He said he
took the endowment house oath in
1889. He repeated the oath Of ven
geance and as he remembered If he
agreed to avenge the blood of both
joseph and Hiram Smith.