Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-09
WHEN PERKINS
GAME TO UTAH
"Get There Eli Tells Of His First
Visit to Mormondom in the
Year 1868.
INTERVIEW WITH PRES. YOUNG
III, Notable Message to the New York
Times Which sent Him Here to
Get at True Conditions

within the next few days Salt Lake
viii entertain two characters of natlon-
al Importance. one has much OF his
night yet 70 make and has the paudits
Of the nation as he steps into the ring
at it's beginning. The other asked for
Hyrum u. Clawson as he stepped of
the train. and wondered what had be-
come OF the handsome boy John w.
Young. who introduced him to his IA
ther Brigham Young away back in
1868.
The men are ELI Perkins. who Is now
at the Knutsford, and United States
senator Laf'ollette, who will arrive on
Monday. LaFolette represents the new
politics with trust busting as its mis-
sion, and the doing away OF old political
machinery as its method OF doing II.
Perkins broke into the newspaper bus
mess BY getting a scoop ON the battle
OF Bull Run. ard haA ever since lived
close In national affairs looking at them
through the kindly eyes OF philoso-
phic humorlst.
Mr.. Perkins was seen this morning
by News reporter at hts rooms in
the Knutsfoyd hotel. lie is a grizzled
warrior Of many experiences, and not
The least interesting IL his narrative
OF a trip 10 Utah with his bride IN
1868 or thercabouts. lie won't voueh
for the exact date.
LAST PUBLIC APPEARANCE
ELI Perkins Is not the real name
Of the man who Is known In the class
ufif IN AZ
Quad In his personal relationship
he Is Melville ID. LAndon, a. NJ,
graduate OF Onion college at Sohnec-
tady, n. Y, and he wears the pin of
the Beta Theta pi college fraternity
on his tie, Testfying that his coll
lege days were before the era OF foot
hall and crazy tailors. the college pin
Is of a type chat have not been made
In the past 20 years He says this Is
his farewell appearance IN public, and
that he Is going over the old routes
OF his youth once more in order to
see how a country may grow in a
life time.
HIS FIRST UTAH TRIP.
And Salt Lake has certainly grown
somc,'' he added. Il went all over the
city when l was here nearly 40 years
ago. 1t was Hyrum u. Clawson who
showed II TO me, and / wish | could
see him again now. Is he still aliye2''
And the Mormons are still here,
too. Do you know l was once hur-
red out here to find cause why a
United States army should be sent to
make war on the Mormons? Why the
troops were even starting when my
reports got back to the New York
Times. and think they had something
TO do with correcting the evil reports
sent out by excited and malicious peo-
ole"
This testimony was important from
Mr.. Perkins, Time was when the TAIor-
mons were called horsethieyes ana
dcsperadoes In Missouri, and every time
q horse was lost the people came out
and shot few Morm0ns. Then one day
there came TO the knutsford an old man
OF the country. who had been bad boy
OF Missouri. When he came here last
year he was the retired president Of the
Cooper Wagon company, and the testi-
mony he bore was that after they had
driven the Mormons out into the bleak
western prairies to live or die In the
SHOWS across the river. their horses still
were stolen, and he lived 10 see some
frontier rufiian hanged for every one
Of the crimes they had charged against
the Mormons.
OTHER PREFERRED" CHARGES.
Mr.. Perkins speaks Of other charges
which had their day and 'petered out"
preceding the present series OF charges
that are stirring strife. They We're made
little later than the famous Johnson
army charges that pictured the Nor
mons as organizing troops here to over
come the nation. and resulted IN send
ing a regiment to restore order among
u people who were lighting for dear life
with grasshoppers and sagebrIsh and
striving almost In vain 10 get crop
each summer that would mean food
through the next winter without a
month or two OF rations
The charges IA Mr.. Perkins day were
or insurrection against the government.
The Mormons then could not solve the
Mormon problem" any more than n
pioneers OK lost IN the desert could
stop the bowling Of the .iackals that
gathered about for a feast on It's death.
by calling 10 them. The men who
stirred the Mormon strife In the A.
;lea were very close nj hand when con-
tracts were let 10 carry baggage for
the invading army, and this was true
again in the sixties. The Mormons
then could have solved the situation
only by emptying both pockets and
giving a quit claim deed 20 every spear
Of grass that was growing where tho
sagebrush had stood a decade before.
WHAT PERKINS SAID.
Eli Perkins sensed something OF this
condition. He sent word TO his paper
he. h.. nd.