The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-05
Do CRIMINALS LOSE
PRESTIGE IN CHURCH?
No Record of DisfellOwshiplng
Saint Because of Record as Of-
fender Against the Law.
CASES OF JOSEPH NELSON
AND OTHERS ARE CITED
Why Does Coal Contractor d.
vide Business With Member
of School Board?
BY MAC.

d y MAN
was asked the other day II thcro
is a case wherein the Mormon church
authorities have caused member TO be
communicated on account OF the rA-
pose of his criminal practices.
| do not know Of single case ana
wish the Dcscret News or some other
spokesman for the church would en-
tighten the public, have III mlnd n
prominent church Official, who attempt
ed TO aSsassinatc n man several SoaiS AZ
ago in Social Hall avenue. south oil the
Packard library But be was hlmscil
very seriously wounded by the man
whom he nssailed. He is now one OF
tho big men of the church.
Then there is "Mutton Biz Jones.
The inlirmary thief, whom The Tribune
so effectively exposed: Was he ever
disfcllowshipped or did he lose caste
because Of his crimcsf
George c. Parkinson. president oil
The Oneida. Idaho, stake, robbed lot
of his brethren IN what Is known MS
the Oneida ditch scandal. And asso-
ciatcd with him WIS A. W. Hart, an
other prominent churchm3n. Bnt so
far as is known they are as cccleslaS'
tically well fortified today, us before
their crimes were committed.
A great deal is said of tho crooked
transactions Of George NJ. Cannon, who
is spoken of sometimes rs rcrtable
DIR. TcRyll and Mr. Hyde. But when
WAS il that George NJ. was ever brought
fo task for his conduct!
In in Cache valley the biggest man
IN The church is SAID To have stolen II
lot oil wheat placed in his care and to
have skipped the country. This was
only n few wears ago, But when Broth
or Smith returned hc again became the
president OF the Cache stake Of Zion.
The latest and most conspicuous OF
offenders is Joseph Nelson-Brother Jo-
scph OF Utah National bank fame. y
Young woman, good SAINT, against
whose name no word had ever been ut
tered, entered his home as a nurse dur
ing Nelson S wife 5 fatal illness. Mrs.
Nelson is said TO have been most
excellent wife and mother. She was y
daughter of President Joseph i. Smith.
The nurse now SAYS Nelson made over"
tures 10 her, on tho promise of mar
riagc, very shortly after the funeral,
And. believing in his sincerity, she
yielded To his opportunities.
She had become as mother 10 hls
children, and rs such was loved and
respected She lived with him as n
wife, believing that she would short
" become his wife in fact. Finding
ihut Nelson did not intend to keep
his promise, after she had pleaded with
him TO save herself from shame. she
sought advice of friends, and later ap-
plied TO the law, bringing suit for dam
ages. which those who know the case
claim is Just In fact, 1T is told that
this is a remarkably strong story of
crime and abandonment,
And vet having ruined a respectable
Young womun under his own roof and
IN tic bosom Of his own family, Mel,
son now has the audacity to brand
her as blackmailer,
There are thousands of hearts that
are bleeding today over this affair.
Not wholly because of sympathy with
The plight Of Nelson IS young house
kceper. but because so deep disgrace
has been brought TO the family of the
president Of the powerful local church.
Those who understand the situation
fuIiy and remember what has been done
TO protect Nelson in the past arc Wig
orous in their criticism of him in this
last affair And many are wondering
whether or not he is TO be shielded IN
his criminality, or If the law, untram-
mcled, will be permitted TO take its
course.
There are thousands of good saints
throughout Utah who dcplore the fact
that men holding high offices in the
church. or who have powerful copnec'
tons with those who arc in high places.
commit crimes and are permitted, to go
unwhpped by the law. And especially
il is remarkable that even though the
law nlscarries or is not invoked, moth
ing is done to disfellowship the offend
crS, They seem never to lose caste,
no matter how great may be their of.
Tending,
Golfers Weekly SAYS Knox, Balling
er, Sherman and Aldrich are the pail
bearers of the Roosevelt spolicy, with
Speaker. Cannon as funeral director
1t might be added, also, that Smooi
IS one Of the grave.diggers. It will
bc interesting to know what the ex
president has to say to Smoot when he
returns from the jungles and finds how
he has been betrayed. lie has done
heroic service for Smoot, and natural
ly had reason to expect that the apostle
senator would not Join with the afore
said statesmen in an attempt to undo
everything that he had done.
Hampton's s Magazine for December
il is announced, will contain al
interesting article by j. c. Welliver
political editor of the Washington
Times, showing the combination be
tween the Mormon church and the suga
trust. IL is known that Wclliver ha
devoted considerable time securing dat,
and those who know this predict tha
he will make very readable and val
liable expose of the big combine and it
local entanglemcnts.
II will be difficult for some person
TO persuade themselves that it would b
proper thing 10 place at The dsposa
of the majority of tho local schoo
board large sum Of money until th
board purges itself Of the charge tina
ManV Have