The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-27


vcalod to Joseph Smith In 1S3l-or lS32
q have not the exact date with me.> but.
| being forbidden to make II public or to
teach VI as doctrine Of the gospel at
that time, he confidcd the facts 10 only
a very few OF his most Intimate asso-
| Ciates
Here is one alleged prophet assailing
another pretended prophet in this mat
ter. Joseph f. Smith asserts most posi-
lively that the doctrine was secretly
adopted and "rcvealed to favorites of
the inner circle as far back rs 1881 or
| 1892, while Joseph and Hyrum Smith
denied the existence of either the belief
or the practice ms late as 1914. In this
one showing is an evidence of great val
ne as establishing the absolute worth
lessness of any denial in respect of po-
| lygamy. either in the earlier days of
the church or at tho present time. And
now AS TO the practice of polygamy at
Nauvoo. Joseph f. Smith testified con
cerning it as follows (see volume /,
page 2s5, Smoot case):
The Chairmnn.-I understood YOU TO
say that the prophet Joseph Smith,
mean the original revelator-
Joseph +. Smith.-Yes.
The Chairman understand YOU TO
say, somewhere in your testimony that
he was In his lifetime n polygamist?
Joseph f, Smith.-Yes. sir.
The Chairman.-Can you name any
person to whom he was married?
! Joseph r. Smith.-Yes, sir
| The Chalrman.-Or any child born to
him
Joseph f. Smith.-Oh, no; can not
tell you anything about the children.
can tell You one or two OF his wives.
| The Chairman,-lf you will be kind
enough to give them 10 me. I will be
| obliged to you.
Joseph F. Smith.-Eliza r. Snow
The Chairman.-When did he marry
her? .-..--.-'' -.'..'
Joseph +. smith.-He married her in
| 1912 ! think.
The Chairman.-wen, another?
Joseph f. Smlth.-Elza Maria Par
fridge was, one Of his wives.
The Chairman When was that?
| Joseph Il. Smith. .-Somewher in the
fortlesi ] do not know just when,
could not tell from memory.
Then there were other women to whom
Mormon accounts show that Joseph
Smith was married polygamously, and
all the while the dcniaIs Of the doctrine
and practice were coming forth, After
Joseph and Iyrum were killed, Brig
ham Young and Heber C. Kimball dis
tributed the alleged plural wives of
the two martyrs between them. Ac
cording to- biography published from
Mormon sources, the plural wives of
Joseph were; Louisa Beman, Emily
Dow Partridge, Eliza Maria Partridge,
Olive Gray Frost Maria Lawrence,
Zina Diantha Huntington, Eliza Roxey
Snow. These were all married to Brig
ham Young at different intervals after
the death Of Joseph Smith; aud BIZ
ography Of Hebcr G.. Kimball shows
that he married about an e"ual number
Of plural wives formerly belonging to
Hyrum Smith-these two being the of
fetal deniers of the existence Of the
doctrine or practice Of polygamy at
Nauvoo. Then as to Brigham Young
himself, his personal history shows that
he married the following. named polyg-
amous wives during the period covered
by the time Of the repeated and author
itative denials spoken of: Lucy Decker,
June Is. 1912, at Nauvoo; Harriet Eliz.
abeth Cook Campbell. November .,
lS43, at Nauvoo, Joseph Smith perform.
ing the polygamous ceremony; Augusta
Adams, November ., 1S43, at Nauvoo
1.-TWO in one day); Clara Decker, May
are by no means all Of the polygamous
wives of Brigham, but they are the
ones whom he married at Nauvoo even
while the Smiths were making most
solemn denial of the practice there.
John Taylor. who succeeded Brigham
nf bo oh
also polygamist at 'Nauvoo. He in.
creased the number of his wives when
he came to Utah, He was serving upon
a mission in France in 1850; and as
late as July 1lth Of that year he made
the following statement in public dis
cussion at Boulognesur-mer:
We are accused here OF polygamy and
actions the most indelcate. obscene. and
disgusting, such that none but corrupt
and dcpraved heart could have con-
trved- These things are too outrageous
to admit Of belief.
At that very moment John Taylor
was assuredly possessed Of four polyga-
nous wives, in addition to his first wife;
and some go so far as to say that his
wives on that date numbered seven.
AZ duy ldie, IL Cdu De SuOWu DJ NIOF-
mon records that he had four plural
wives, and yet he had the extreme
cheek and pharisaical assurance to
utter that hypocrisy in France. Which
is another example of the value of
church official denial or pronouncement
in anything whatsoever as affecting the
doctrine or practice of polygamy.
Once more we desire to refer to the
utterances of the present head of the
church. In the Deseret News of Sep
tember 7, 1878, we find a report of a
sermon which Joseph T. Smith delivered
in the Salt Lake tabernacle on July
7th preceding. lie dealt especially with
poIygamy and matters concerning its
introduction in the church. He said:
1t need scarcely be said that the
prophet tJoseph SMITH found no one
any more prepared or more willing TO
lead In this m ,lC