Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-01-22
Says She is Glad Husband is Under Ar
rest for Violation of Mann White
Slave Law
MANY GIRLS DECEIVED BY
HIM WITH FALSE TEACHINGS
Power Over Women Is Admitted by
Minneapolis Woman Who Winked
at His Many Affairs.
[uN1rnp PRESS InAsrp VINE. !

Minneapolis, Mimi, Jan. % Mar
tha Dahlstrom, legal wife of the cult
leader, Rev. Robert Dahlstrom, leader
of the "Helega" cult and who is in
Jail at Everett, Wash, said that when
he found girl, who believed his doc
trine whom he wanted, he would tell
her it was the will of the Lord that
she should be his wife.
off the girl consented, he would
some other girl he had already taken
as his wife, and have us go through
ceremony of giving her to him. Then
he would baptize her and they would
live together.
His first wife, Ella, whom he di-
vorced, and / are the only two he legal
ly married. Ella is now living in Seat
tie with their two children. Only one
of his plural wives gave birth to a
child that lived, and this one was given
to an asylum in Minneapolis"
Mrs. Dahlstrom, declares that she
was glad her husband had been brought
to book.
WEEDS Many There.
Dahlstrom $ meteoric career brought
him to Minneapolis in 1899 and he is
said to have married" three Mime
apols girls while he was holding meet
ings on the South Side.
"When think of all the grief he
has caused the girls whom he induced
to give themselves to him, through
preaching polygamy, it makes me furi'
Gus, said Mrs. Dahlstrom.
"I was one of his victims, and now
that ] am free from his clutches,
can't understand how he controlled me
"When / heard him preach in Chi
cago and he wanted me to be his wife
1 was only II. My mother tried to keeT
me from him, but | was foolish anC
went away with him and Mr.. and Mrs
Carlson. Carlson was "deacon" il
the church. Mother had Dahlstrom ar
rested in Chicago in 1907 and to saw
him, we went to st. Joseph, Mich, anC
were married"
Mrs. Dahlstrom told Of 16 other girl
he had "taken" as wives, that sh
knew personally, and claims she ha
heard of enough others to bring tn
total up to 80. "When he was in Den
yer he had six all at once" she said
Brings Her to Colony.
"Last summer he brought Edna En-
glund who has had him arrested, t
the colony at Granite Falls, Wash, an
forced me to give her to him. Hi
power over women is shown by the fac
that her mother was there and witnesse
the whole thing. For two weeks Edn
and Dastrom slept in one room, he
mother in the next and with m
babies in the front room. l didn 7 lik
it, but he told us it was alright.
r'Then he took Edna to Californi
and persuaded her to give her sistt
Hilda to him. went to mother an
he applied for divorce. I had
money, but Swan johnson and his vii
who used to be followers of Dahlstror
paid the fare of mother and me, so v
could come here and fight it. l wal
enough to support my babies" "
Few Left on Ranch.
Four years ago Dahlstrom started h
colony on a farm of 500 acres. /
brought about IS followers from Cl
.cago and nearby points. Today the
are but four or five families left.
Dahlstrom brought his first "plural
wife to the colony in 1911, before Ma
tha g second child was born. This g
convert in st. Paul eight years al
has lived with him from time to tin
since, according to Martha.
-
4 Ill