Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-11-19
DEATH CLAIMS
MORMON HEAD,
JOSEPH SMITH
President of Church o..
ganizati0n Long Had
Been III.
ONCE DEFIED y. S.
N~A AnrvAO1S a VNycy
ONCE DEFIED u. S.
MARRIAGE LAWS
Refused For Time 70 Give Up Plural
Marriases-chansed Attitude re~-
ard Poiysamy in Recent Ysars--
Smith Directed Vast Business Enter.
prises-Leaves Large Personal Fer
tune-Often Held Public oAies.

Salt Lake City. Nov. 1a.-Joseph F.
Smith. president OF the Church OF
Jesus Christ OF Latter Day Saints
tMorman). died Mt his home here early
today after long illness. Death was
due indirectly to paraietic stroke suf-
fered last April.
Notwithstanding his flness rress
idcnt Smith attended the recent semi
annual conference OF tho church. held
the first week OF October. and spoke
strongly against pologymous mar
riagcs. which II was rumored had been
surrcpticiously performed during the
last few years.
The Mormon church, the seat OF
which cult Is in Utah. tho It's members
are scattered in colonies thru the 4
world to the number OF some 100000.
The church Is ruled by council. bur
Smith was It's nominal head. and laid
claim to the authority Of the original
Mormon prophet, Joseph Smith, his
uncle This claim was disputed by
several apostate organizations. inclnd-
ing the Missouri branch, n the head
OF which was Joseph Smith, son OF the
prophet, who died in 1914.
last Of Early Rulers. ~
With the death Of both Smiths hsH
passed probably the last OF the Nor
n,cu leaders whose birth occurred prior
TO the settlement Of tho cflt in Utah.
Joseph Fielding Smith Was so years
OLD. His father. Hyrum Smith. and his
uncle, the original Prophet Joseph.
were shot to death by mob which
stormed the jail In Carthage. Ill.
where the two were confined shortly
after they began to preach plurality Of
wives. When hs'mothcr. with the rest
of the Mormons, was driven from Nau-f
Noo ILL.,. the eight-years-o old Joseph
Fielding Smith drove an OK tenn
across the plains into Utah and became
a herd boy. and then n missionary.
. when. in 1852, Brigham Young estah-
lishcd the headquarters OF the Nor.
mon sect at Salt Lake City. Utah. He
was sent 'on n mission to Hawnii when
only IL years DID.
He entered the army which Young
despatched to intercept the United
/ States troops which were about to in
wade Utah, aad performed active scr
vice as scout. harassins the federal
! expedition until the Presidents rroc-
lamation ended the Mormon war"
Joseph Fielding Smith was an
avowed polygamist, According to his
own testimony in the United States
! senate inquiry into the case Of Reed
. Smoot. United States senator frnm
/ Utah. Smith had five wives, II is said
his children numbered forty three.
| Early Defed Law
/ In 1890. after the supreme court had
! upheld the Edmunds Tucker act max
. ing poly&amy unlawful in the terri
! torics-which resulted In the dmprison-
mcnt OF more than 1000 Aormons--
! President Woodruff Of the church is-
sued a manifesto declaring that poly
gamy was no longer practiccd By the
: Mormons. In public admonitlons.
. President Smith upheld this manifesto,
. but as to his own case, he said, before
the Stnoot inquiry. that altho IL Nas
contrary to the law of the land. he had
hnd n plural family for many years
| and NJ preferred to meet the consc-
auences Of the law rather than To
( abandon his children and their moth
ers. He testified that he had eleven
children born since 1890. and that all
OF his wives had borne children since
that time. but he reiterated that no
plural marriages had been performed
/ by officers of the Norman church or
sanctioned to he performed by the
I church since 1890,
President Smith, like n number af
his associates. was at various times
subjected to prosecution and on one
occn sion paid a fine Of $500.
He directed vast business enterprises
in connection with his Administrations,
! OF church affairs. In 0he inquiry into
! the Sugar Trust he told how the
church had half milton dollars in
vested in sugar.
Smiths private fortune was also re-,
puted to he large
/, Aside from his religious activities,
Smith was several times member of
tho Utah state Legislature and Of the
! city council OF Salt Lake Crfy. He was
widely Travelled man having made
many trips to Europe. In 1874 he was
sent to ENGLAND MS n miss!onarys and
was so active with tho Norman propa !
gnnda that his work attracted vide nt-S
! tentior.
gs1 A----.4--. 81 aAi4f 8s1yss
4 Two Hundred Killed in Germany,
/ Paris Nov. 1.-TWO hundred per-