The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-02
1.-THE OTHER HOUSE,

There began in the September mum
her of tho Deliueator' a powerful
story Of Utah polygamous life. The
title of il is ''Thc Other House; The
Intimate Personal Tragedy of Nor
mon Marriage The story is written
and prepared by Martha Anderson and
Harvey j o Higgins. IL is the life
story OF a happy Mormon girl. her
marriage. and her experience with the
new polygamy in Utah,
The editor S note in the September
number explains that
Martha Anderson is an orthodox Nor
mon woman. who here relates with the
help of Harvey J. Oiiiggins hcr expert
encc with new polyGamy In Utah, In
order TO protect innocent persons from
the consequences Of publicity, names
have been changed, places have been
disguised, and recognizable details of
character and circumstances have been
altered IN the narrative; but the essen
tal facts have been in no way falsifled
and the truth about present day con-
ditions in Utah has heen presented as
faithfully possible III typical incl
dents personally observed.
In Mormonism the women and children
Of plural marriagss say say ''ne - Is at The The
father is abiding for "a week" or "a
dsy about" according to whatever may
he his domestic method and discipline
al the house OF his other wife and her
family, And that phrase the other
house" has become sinsterly significant
Of all the cruelties, the mysteries. and
The silent despair Of the new Mormon
polyCamy now continually recrudescent.
I'm the editor s note on the install
meut for October is the following;
Last month We. printed the story Of the
first wife of Mormon religious fanatic.
iIor anguish in sharing her husband
with another woman was II possible. in
tensried when she learned Of the birth
or a son hv this other marriage" The
fact that tho other woman was n neigh
Dor Of an irreproachable character but
added 10 the horrors OF The situation.
With this number we give, the reverse
side OF the picture-thc cruel position of
tho second wife. In the absorbing In
tercst OF this story do moi forget that II
Is True. and that It Is typical Of an
American state whose elected representa-
tives have given their SOLEMN word that
the practice Of polygamy has ceased.
The story in the September number
relates the dreadful experiences of the
eirst wife Soon after marriage, her
husband was called on a mission; and
the tension which this creates in the
mind Of tho newly-married bride is
faithfully depicted And after her hus~
band s return, the shock on learning
that he is being importuned to so into
polygamy, and the grief and gloom
which settled upon her when she real.
lied that the polygamous status is
actually entered into make a grievous
situation. The girl who is to be the
plural wife is worked upon so that
she goes TO Mexico. and there enters
into the plural marriage with Martha
Anderson s husband, The October
number tells Of the misery of this sec
ond marriage, the haunted hiding of
the plural wife and her babe. and the
shocking misery of all concerned in the
transaction.
The third instalIment should give the
horror of the whole situation TO the
polygamous man Presumably that will
be in tho November or some succeed
ing number; for any man of human
sensiblity placed in the position that
this narrative places this one, must have
a shocking experience of his own TO
narrate, The trllogy would form a
powerful and complete picture of the
gloomy despair Of modern polygamous
relations in Utah: where the offenders
are not only under the shadow Of out.
ragged law, but under the ban Of the
church, at least so far as the offenders
arc unable to keep secret their illegal
and ostracised relations,
That the story is one written by an
orthodox Mormon womau raised in
Utah is vouchcd for by the editor Of
the 'Dclincator, - and adds the touch
of realism and absolute truth to The
whole story that make it beyond criti
cism as TO source. and beyond assault
as true.