The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-11-27

Brigham Young owned and operated
several ecclesiastical stills. The prod
net of these stills was a sort of whisky
locally known rs "Valley Tam This
Valley Tan was sold by the brethren
in the various "storcs. " \ church in
stltution where Valley Tan was sold
was always called "store" among
tho brethren. To call it by another
name might Eoffeud Brigham. There
were no saloon" in Utah until af
ter the Gentiles came.
BUT valley Tan-great was its. po-
tcncy. Weeping Tags. bowling Tags,
lighting. iags, dancing iags, sleeping
Jags and, praying iags-thcv all came
out Of bottle of Valley Tan. \ noted
squaw killer sometimes called
Colonel - among the saints. took
Ben s store. Fifteen minutes later
he was in the middle Of Main street
bowling for the Lord TO save him from
the host of red warriors that surround
ed him, On. this Valley Tan! 1t
made the squeamish tenderfoot see
phantasmagoria of writhing. kissing
serpents and firc-spittiug horned toads
as big as an OK, and ii caused many
good saint to meet ''Auld Hornie "
face to face in broad daylight in the
middle of Main street Oh, this Val
ley Tan, From the volume of pande
monium that emanated from Brother
Ben S "stOre' Brigham could calcu-
late to cent the amount OF tithing
Brother Ben could stand. But after all,
the blessed Order Of Enoch.'
Brother Ben, who ran tho "store, -"
was one OF the "agents" for the
"United Order of Enoch." 1t was
whispered about at the time that Broth
er Ben s zeal in behalf of the blessed
Order" was founded upon certain
earthly benefits in the way of com
missions which Brigham paid him on
all property, he procured for the
Blessed Order
As all Utah people well know, the
" United Order of Enoch'' was n So
called religious order founded by Brig
ham Young. Every candidate seeking
admission into the "Glorious Order
was required. first of all, 10 convey
all ms property of every kind TO Brig
ham Young. trustee n-trust. After this
was pronounced "purged of the earth -
and called sanctificd" and admitted
to the blessed Order - What hap
pened after he got into the order and
how he got out again still "purged OF
the earth y IS another story.
The only criticism Brigham Young
ever made touching Brother Ben S ac-
llNliN IN peudII Ol luc bIpTlbNS VI
derp was 10 tho effect that Brother
Ben had failed 10 discriminate between
Mormon and Gentle in soliciting mem
bers. This criticism would. in all prob
ability, not have been made had not
Brother Ben prevailed upon soldier
from Fort Douglas TO Join the blessed
Order and to convey about ninety
dollars worth Of government property
TO Brigham Young, trustee-in-trust. OF
I'd rnI IISh
humiliation of having a squad OF sol
diers search his premises, so he re.
stored the property and gave strict
orders TO Brother Ben 10 take no more
applications from soldiers, The sig
natures 10 the deeds procured by
Brother Ben were mostly of a blotched,
scrambly and scrawly kind. but the
good saints. who had had their reli.
gious fervor aroused by Valley Tan in
Brother Ben S ''store. - seldom aroused
tho wrath of the great Brigham by
"denying the Lord. - And thus
Brother Ben labored for "Enoch -
And Brother Ben himself; an ardent
member of the 'Glorious Order was
he His "garment hung back Of the
bar. near tho barrel of Valley Tan,
while he worked about his store in
saint Of any property was sufficiently
under the influence of ''Valley Tan -
10 ''receive the spirit as Brother
Ben diagnosed theological conditions.
he was hustled into the back room for
counsel and PRAYER. If he did not
emerge member of the "Blessed Or.
/ der it was not Brother Ben 5 fault.
But the great Brigham himself. John
| D. Lee, bishop in the Mormon church
! was legally executed, after fair trial
and full confession Of guilt, on March
] 23, 1877, for his completely in the
! Mountain Meadow massacre. OF course
! Leo was not the only member of the
priesthood implicated in that awful
slaughter of innocent men, women and
children. Brigham Young died Au
gust 90, 1877. II was given ont that
! nc died from the effects of eating toe
much green corn. However that may
be. his death was a great relief "a
many men high IN the Mormon priest
mood, who feared further investiga
tion and trials of those responsible fol
that awful slaughter. They knew that
Brigham Young "hcld the keys
Why did ! support and follow Brig
ham Young? ] cannot cXplain IL now
II seems like a dream The soldiers
captains and generals Of the great Ma
polcon followed him blindly and tC
death without questioning the selfish
ness of his plans or the justice of his
cause. But when the great Brigham
was dead. and those who had been nj,
slaves began 10 call themselves kings
the scales fell from my eyes.
I NTrnnENIT-G