Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-19
JOSEPH F. SMITH DIES;
MORMON CHURCH HEAD
Succumbs to Long Illness.
Son of Original Prophet
~ and Revelator
By the Associated Press
Salt Lake fity. I.tob Nov

Salt Lake city, Utah, Nov. 49,
Joseph F Smith, president of the
Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter bay
Saints tMormonD. died at his home here
early today after n long Illness
Death was due indirectly to par
aNtic stroke suffered last April
notwithstanding his Illness. Presi-
dent Smith attended the recent semi
| annual conference Of the church held
I the FIRST week of October. and spoke
strongly against polyEamous marriages,
which it was rumored had been sur
! reptttiously performed during the last
! few years.
/ As small child he was with his
! mother in Nauvoo when his father and
uncle were shot to death in Carthage
/ Jail AT 10 he was sent on a mission to
the Sandwich Islands and was obliged to
ma the means for reaching his destina-
ton which he did by working as a
ShlngIe maker IN California.
lie saw Utah change from salt
stream desert to a land of delight from
| q physical view, and following the death
ot brigham Young. who was first sue
! ressor to the Churchs founder he be-
/ came president of the MOrmons exer-
CiSing over them a sway that was not
ieHS "mnipOtent than that of his prede-
cessors. and which in 1904 and again
in 1906 brought him into conflict with
tn" inited States laws which he was
/ accused of setting below those of ''reve-
! latiun" Time was--and as recently as
| the year last mentioned, and even later
when President Smith had the Nor.
mon voters 80 trained that six hours
before the polls opened for an election
he could swing the result any way he
desired.
Five wives, 48 Children
Mr. Smith was an avowed polygamist.
1 He advocated plural marriage as a di-
vine institution during the greater part
of hts long career as head Of the Church
. even though the dispatch printed above
/ represents him as declaiming against it.
He had five wives and forty-three chill
dren and In October, 9O6 he was ar
rested on the charge Of living unlaw-
fully with five women The complaint
was sworn to by a Mormon deputy
sheriff. the warrant was served by or
der of a Mormon sheriff. and the COM
mitting magistrate is also a Mormon.
| The purpose of this action was to dis
| arm the criticism that had been di-
| reCted against the authorities for their
| failure to take CognizanCe of the admis-
| sions made by Smith before the Senate
committee during the investigation that
| followed the attempt in 1904 to exclude
| Reed Smoot from the seat in the tnited
! States Senate to which the latter had
! been elected. The charge against Smoot
! was that as an elder of the Mormon
| Church he held the laws of the latter
| organization superior to those of the
! United States and therefore was In
eligible to the senatorship. The result Of
| this inquiry. Il will be recalled. was the
| eXoneration of Smoot and the contirma-
ton of his election as Senator from
| Utah.
Mr.. smith s testimony to his polygam-
! Gus relation during the Smoot inquiry
was as frank as II was picturesque. He
| told of his separate domestic establish
mentS with a naive guilelessness that
! astounded the Senators while at the
/ same time it 'Caased a wave of revolt
| against plural marriage TO sweep the
| country and to have its effect in Nor
mon communities which up TO that time
had shown little regard for the ,Ed-
munds and other laws designed to sup
press poygamy.
Credited with Miraculous Power
In the historical works of the Church
Smith is credited with having worked
! many miracles while on the Island of
Maui. in the Sandwich group, including
the casting out of evil spirits and heal
ing Of the sick by the laying on of
hands That was in 1854. The young
/ missionary was absent from Salt Lake
city three years. finally working his
way back
on the day Of his return ne enlisted in
the Mormon army dispatched by Brig
ham" Young to intercept the United
States troops under General Harvey,
who were about to invade Utah He
performed active service as scout,
harassing the Federal expedition until
the Presidents proclamation ended the
Mormon War"
The president Of the Mormon Church
was very active in politics. having
served a term in the legislature Sew
cral times he went on European mis-
sions for the Church. He was zealot,
thoroughly imbued with the spirit of
MUrmOmsm and Ostensibly convinced OF
its divine origin.
Aside from his church activities Pres
ident Smith was concerned in many
business interests, including a director
ship with the tniOn-PaCifC Railroad.
During the time of the late Edward
II. Hartman, a conflict between the
latter and the prophet" is said to have
left each of the combatauts with a high
er estimate of his opponents business
acumen than existed before the con-
test As president OF the Mormon
} church Mr.. Smith received S50.0O0 d
year. From his personal business re-
lations he gained al the lowest estimate
So5 600 more