The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1906-03-09

woman of pOlygamy.
When we went to a service III
the Tabernacle, | turned in my
seat and looked back at the WON
en-, to see if they were not bright
er in their Sunday dress, resting
from work, and making an at
tempt at worship. [ pray God
| may never look into such faces
again, unless He sends me to
them with a message of mercy
and hope.
Brigham Young said in one of
his speeches, "My will is law in
everything, from the setting up
of a stocking to the ribbons on
Il woman's bonnet" He and his
subOrdinates were ultimate au-
thority.
In one. of their outpOsts, the
bishop told a man who came
with a complaint Of his wifes
disObedience, to rope her to a
tree and put her little baby on
the ground, just out of her reach
and leave her to her meditations.
All day the woman struggled
with the rope, under the agony
of her baby's crying. She was
ready to yield when her master
came back.
Mormons hold the power Of
life and death over their wives.
The law does not inquire into so
unimportant a thing as man
killing his wife. In Utah | was
told Of an Old Mormon who lived
up in the back country with a
mob Of wives and children. For
Il change he went off on a pros
elyting tour. The last addition
to his harem was a girl young
enough to be his granddaughter.
The other women were jealous
because he gave her SO much
time, and so many presents.
When he came back they gave
him the details of Il little hand
kerchief Filtration she had car
ried on with a Gentle boy dur
ing his absence. The story was
we'll embeIlished, and aroused his
jealousy and wrath. Calling his
wives and children together, he
took that silly, young thing on
his knee and told her that he had
heard of her wrong doing, and
it was his duty to save her soul
at all costs. The poor child
knew what he meant, as certain
ly as the prisoner at the bar
knows what the judge means
when he prOnOunces upon him
sentence Of death. She looked
her last on hill and wood, field
and sky. There was no appeal
hardly time for a wild cry to
tiod to have mercy on her poor,
careless soul, when he took out
his hunting knife, and "blOOd a
toned her, cutting her throat
from ear to ear. He took her
body out into the orchard, dug a
hole, threw it in, put back the
dirt, stamped it down, and that
was the last of that young life.
That was here in America, under
A government that guarantees to
all certain inalienable rights, a
mOng which are life, liberty, and
he pursuit of happiness.
POlygamy unhinges the entire
social and domestic machinery.
MormOns have not only a plural
.ty of wives, but also of hus-
bands. If a man cOvets his
wife, or wives, he gets
the other sent off on a mission,
and he takes his place in the
household during his absence.
If a woman is shrewd enough
and there are plenty of them
who are-she can get rid of one
man and be sealed to another.
\ woman may leave a layman
'Or an elder, or an elder for
bishop, if he wants her to do so.
She must look out for her eter-
nal interests; and her grade in
he next world depends on her
husbands rank here.
In the outlying regions little
attention is paid to consanguinity
Incest is common. There is no
aw on the statute books of Utah
or it's punishment a man has
Deen known to marry a girl, her
mother and grandmother; and
mother man was sealed to three
sisters in one day.
BY a refinement Of cruelty
hat would do credit to the hea-
hen, when a man takes new
wife, his first, or real wife, has
o go through the endowment
rouse with them, and put the
hand in that of her hus-
,and. | was told of one woman
Who, with her husband, came to
Jtah as Latter Day Saints, but
nothing of polygamy.
She did her best to keep him
rue to herself, but she failed.
lie set up another home, and
pent most of his time with Mum
,er 2. The love of the real wife
urned to the gall of hate. She
became i'll, and the two came
'ver to take care of her. One