The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-09
Man From Missouri Is Forced
to Leave Sanity Com.
munity in Idaho.
SAYS P0LYGAMY is
FL0URISHING UNCHECKED
D. F, Hannigan Has Poor Opin-
ion of Religion Taught
by Utah Prophet.


tlement near Rexburg, Ida, and try
ing in vain, was in Salt Lake Tuesday
on has way east, and told an interest
ing story of the finally successful cf-
fort made to run him out Of his po-
sition by the Mormon leaders in that
stake of Zion. He said:
Last February l accepted an offer
TO teach a school in Fremont county
Ida. l was living al st. Louis, Mo. l
have had some years experience as
teacher, have been newspaper man,
an am a university graduate in law
and IN the arts. II may be seen.
therefore. that / have some educational
qualifications.
THE gentleman who asked me TO
teach school in Fremont county hap
pcncd to be Roman Catholic, and l
myself am a Roman Catholic. The
county superintendent recommended me
to him as being d fellow countryman of
his. | lett st. Louis and travelled to
Idaho at a considerable expense. On
my arrival at st. Anthony the county
seat of Fremont county, saw the coun-
ty superintendent, who is a lady. When
j showed my crgue'' is.
of my having obtained the degrees of
3. A and l.. l.. b. in the Queen S uni
versiry of Ireland and a second grade
teacher CeTIlucJIt lpI NEDTdShd,
where / had last taught school-she
said / would have to get an Idaho GER
tilicate, She finally agreed, however,
TO write the State superintendent for
an authorization for me to teach with
out the formahty OF securing a certifi-
cate.
Questioned AS to Religion.
Il went to the place where the
school was. / telephoned the clerk of
the school board. and he Informed me
that a buggy would be sent to take
whom / was to board The buggy
arrived, Three of the farmer sons
came to meet me. They asked ME
number of questions TO ascertain
whether j was a Mormon and whether
+ had ever taught Mormons. Then I
began 10 realize that / was going to
teach Il Mormon school,
tThe, father of these boys met me
on his arrival. He was dark -browcd,
surly farmer, but pretended to be af
fable He introduced me to his wife
and showed me TO my room. He told
me he was president of tie school board
and l saw that my boss was Lat
ter-day Saint. Next morning | com
menced teaching the school. Thirty
learned by inquiry, was Mormon. The
clerk & children came in few days
later. They were the only non Mormons
in the school.
~ found that n number of sheep
herders boarded al the house where |
had taken up my abode They all
tried to force their acquaintance upon
me, and one of them-a poet, bless the
mark,-asked me If | had ever studied
Mormonism
g Yes, my friends, answered, Il
have studied Mormonism. and can tell
you all about the Book of Mormon
1T Is an inspired work, he said
solemnly.
q Yes I SAID. 'it was inspired by
Rev; Solomon Spalding, cast-off
Methodist preacher
~ could see the eyes of the as.
sembed Mormons blazing with fury
'' That is what our enemies have
said declared the poet-sheephercer
Do you not believe that Joseph F.
Smith had revelation?'
" No. / replied. He was an cpl
leptic-a mixture of idiot and fanatic,
but Brigham Young, your late prophet.
Tas sensual scoundrel-'
Denounced in Ward Meeting.
This was enough I was listened TO
silently, but | subsequently learned that
| was denounced at a ward meeting |
mad 10 present myself at the county
seat for the teachers examination f.
nally / obtained certificate, and
then the clerk proposed TO make a
three months contract with me, instead
Of four.months contract which had
been agreed upon. He informed me
that mis- two Mormon co-trustees OBJ.
Jected TO q four months contract
agreed TO make n three months con-
tract, and this was formally signed by
the clerk, the president Of the board
ca Mormon) and by myself
"Thc next feature in the history of
the school was that every Mormon pu-
only the clerk s children, four in num-
ber and the two Mormons to teach
One night the poet-sheepherde forced
his way into my room in a beastly
state of intoxication, and said This
school will be your Waterloop He
also poured out a stream of viIely in
sulting language. l showed him out
of the room.
"One of my former pupils was the
daughter of an ex-bishop of the Nor.
mon church. She was a boistcrous, i'll.
hammered girl of fifteen. One day she
asked me; Do you believe there is a
Lord?'
" Certainly, I answered.
heard you did not, she said.
81 do not believe in the Lord of
the Mormons, | explained. These
"piuo "eie iePedteu 10 ner ldtner and
mother, and / soon learned that the
ex-bishop and his wife had used very
opprobrious language concerning me to
their co-religionists in the ward
Contract Is Broken.
When | had reached the closing
weeks of my term l saw that the presi.
dent of the board was constantly hint
ing that there were verv few
scholars in the school Eventually
he kept his own children away from
the school. He never openly spoke
about breaking the contract, but when
had only ten or eleven DAYS more to
teach he met the clerk and the other
trustee at a meeting. which had moth
ing to do with school matters, and in
sisted that ! should give up the
school The clerk saw me and said:
- These MormoDs want TO fire you