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PREFACE BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
PREFACE BY MRS. HARRIET BEECHER STOWE.
In these pages, a woman, a wife and mother, speaks the sorrows and oppressions of which she has been the witness and the victim. It is because her sorrows and her oppressions are those of thousands, who, suffering like her, cannot or dare not speak for themselves, that she thus gives this history to the public. It is no sensational story, but a plain, unvarnished tale of truth, stranger and sadder than fiction. Our day has seen a glorious breaking of fetters. The slave-pens of the South have bec
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
In the fall of the year 1869, a few earnest, thinking men, members of the Mormon Church, and living in Salt Lake City, inaugurated what was regarded at the time as a grand schism. Those who had watched with anxiety the progress of Mormonism, hailed the “New Movement” as the harbinger of the work of disintegration so long anticipated by the thoughtful-minded Saints, and believed that the opposition to Theocracy, then begun, would continue until the extraordinary assumptions of the Mormon priestho
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CHAPTER I. MY EARLY LIFE.
CHAPTER I. MY EARLY LIFE.
The story which I propose to tell in these pages is a plain, unexaggerated record of facts which have come immediately under my own notice, or which I have myself personally experienced. Much that to the reader may seem altogether incredible, would to a Mormon mind appear simply a matter of ordinary every-day occurrence with which every one in Utah is supposed to be perfectly familiar. The reader must please remember that I am not telling—as so many writers have told in newspaper correspondence
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CHAPTER II. MY FIRST INTRODUCTION TO MORMONISM.
CHAPTER II. MY FIRST INTRODUCTION TO MORMONISM.
During my residence in France, my parents had left St. Heliers and returned to Southampton, England. To visit them now I had to take a sailing vessel from Portrieux to the Isle of Jersey, and thence I could take the steamer to Southampton. Monsieur and Madame D——, together with the two little girls, accompanied me in their private carriage to Portrieux, a distance of forty miles, in order to confide me safely to the captain’s care. As they wished me “ bon voyage ” and embraced me affectionately,
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CHAPTER III. THE LABOUR OF MY LIFE BEGUN:—HOW THE MORMON MISSIONARIES MADE CONVERTS.
CHAPTER III. THE LABOUR OF MY LIFE BEGUN:—HOW THE MORMON MISSIONARIES MADE CONVERTS.
In the afternoon I attended a meeting of a still more interesting character. These Sunday afternoon meetings were held for the purpose of receiving the sacrament, and the confirmation of those who had been baptized during the week; they were intended exclusively for the Saints, but for certain reasons I was permitted to be present. The meeting was opened with singing and prayer, and then the presiding Elder—Brother Cowdy—arose, and invited all those who had been baptized during the week to come
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CHAPTER IV. LIFE AMONG THE SAINTS—MY NEW ENGAGEMENTS.
CHAPTER IV. LIFE AMONG THE SAINTS—MY NEW ENGAGEMENTS.
I was now a Mormon in every sense of the word, although entirely ignorant of Utah politics and polygamy. My dreams were of a life of happiness spent in seeking to convert the whole world to the religion of Jesus, which I believed had been restored again to earth by the ministry of holy angels. It is easy to say that such an ambition was ill-directed when associated with Mormonism, but no one can deny that, in itself, it was the noblest and purest that could inspire the heart of man. There was no
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CHAPTER V. THE FIRST WHISPERINGS OF POLYGAMY.
CHAPTER V. THE FIRST WHISPERINGS OF POLYGAMY.
About three months after our marriage it was rumoured that four of the Twelve Apostles had been appointed to foreign missions, and were then on their way to England. The Saints in Britain had been for several years without any missionaries direct from the body of the church, and the announcement of this foreign mission was hailed with joy. I confess to experiencing much pleasure at the thought of becoming acquainted with a living Apostle. How often in my girlhood I had wished that I had lived wh
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CHAPTER VI. MY HUSBAND’S MISSION—I AM LEFT ALONE.
CHAPTER VI. MY HUSBAND’S MISSION—I AM LEFT ALONE.
When the Apostle Snow called upon Mr. Stenhouse to go to Italy, the Saints willingly accepted the responsibility of providing for me during his absence. They thought it was more an honour than a burden to have this charge committed to them; but it was very humiliating to me to be placed in such a position, however anxious they might be to assist me and to serve the general cause. To face opposition, or to give my all for my religion, I was willing indeed; but to depend upon others for my daily b
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CHAPTER VII. OUR MISSION IN SWITZERLAND—MUTTERINGS OF THE COMING STORM.
CHAPTER VII. OUR MISSION IN SWITZERLAND—MUTTERINGS OF THE COMING STORM.
Very soon after this we were notified that the Apostle Snow was on his way to Switzerland, and that we might shortly expect him. This to me was joyful news, for he had relieved me of my trouble once before, and I almost looked upon him as my good angel. He came, and remained with us a few days; and before he left he instructed Mr. Stenhouse to repair to England, to raise funds to aid the mission. He also gave me a few pounds to procure what I needed for an event which I expected shortly to take
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CHAPTER VIII. THE REVELATION ON “CELESTIAL MARRIAGE.”
CHAPTER VIII. THE REVELATION ON “CELESTIAL MARRIAGE.”
And time flew by; and at length the dreaded Revelation came. One very pleasant morning, early in January, 1853, two Elders of the Italian Mission, Jabez Woodward and Thomas Margetts, took breakfast with us; and with them also was Mons. Petitpierre from Geneva, the Protestant minister of whom I have already spoken. While I was busy preparing the meal, Mr Stenhouse and the two English elders went to the post office to get their letters, for at that time they were expecting important news. When the
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CHAPTER IX. MISSIONARY WORK—TEACHING POLYGAMY.
CHAPTER IX. MISSIONARY WORK—TEACHING POLYGAMY.
I now entered upon a new phase of my missionary life; the Elders assured me that it was my duty to teach polygamy to the women of Switzerland. Hitherto, although I had suffered much from poverty and privation, my work as a missionary had been very pleasant. I believed with my whole heart all that I taught, and my best wishes for the people around me were that they might become altogether such as I was, except in my sufferings. Now, however, all this was changed. It was no longer salvation throug
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CHAPTER X. MORMONISM IN ENGLAND—PREPARING TO EMIGRATE.
CHAPTER X. MORMONISM IN ENGLAND—PREPARING TO EMIGRATE.
It was fortunate for the Swiss mission that the new converts in general could not read any language but their own, and thus were ignorant of the deceptions which the American Elders had practised upon the people. Monsieur Petitpierre, the Protestant minister who thought that the Revelation ought to be “prayerfully considered,” was the only one who understood English, and his knowledge was very limited. His wife did not at all coincide with him about the prayerful consideration of polygamy; she d
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CHAPTER XI. EMIGRATING TO ZION:—WE ARRIVE IN NEW YORK.
CHAPTER XI. EMIGRATING TO ZION:—WE ARRIVE IN NEW YORK.
The afternoon following, Mary herself came to see me, her face all flushed with excitement, and eager to tell me something. “Whom do you think I’ve been talking to, Sister Stenhouse?” she exclaimed. “You’d never guess.” “I don’t think there’s much need for guessing,” I said. “Your face betrays the secret, Mary.” “Well,” she said, “perhaps it does, but you wouldn’t wonder at it, if you only knew how very anxious I have been. All this time I have kept my word, and I did not see him or speak to him
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CHAPTER XII. LIFE IN NEW YORK:—CONDUCTING A MORMON PAPER.
CHAPTER XII. LIFE IN NEW YORK:—CONDUCTING A MORMON PAPER.
Very cold, and dark, and dreary, were the first days which we spent in the New World. That faith which once had led me to hope, and believe, and “endure all things,” was now powerless to nerve me to any new course of action for my religion’s sake; for the dark shadow of Polygamy had come across my way; hope had fled, and my love, with the love of many other faithful Saints, had waxed cold. To my husband and children I was, of course, devotedly attached, and was willing to combat any difficulty o
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CHAPTER XIII. SAINTLY PILGRIMS ON THE WAY—THE “DIVINE” HAND-CART SCHEME.
CHAPTER XIII. SAINTLY PILGRIMS ON THE WAY—THE “DIVINE” HAND-CART SCHEME.
One Sunday morning in early spring I attended a meeting of the Saints in Williamsburgh. My husband was there, and took part in the service, and so did the Apostle Taylor, and one or two other Utah Elders. I went to that meeting in a very desponding state of mind, for our prospects since the day of our arrival had not brightened very much, and I felt the need of some comforting and cheering words. Whether it was the influence of the clear spring morning, or that the Elders had noticed the depress
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CHAPTER XIV. A TERRIBLE STORY:—THE HAND-CART EMIGRANTS CROSSING THE PLAINS.
CHAPTER XIV. A TERRIBLE STORY:—THE HAND-CART EMIGRANTS CROSSING THE PLAINS.
“I promised to write and tell you all about our journey across the Plains, but I little expected to have such a terrible tale to tell. “You have heard so much of the journey to Salt Lake Valley that you know pretty well how we must have travelled to Iowa City, where it was necessary that we should wait until the whole company was quite ready for the long journey which lay before us. “Our life up to a certain point was much the same, and we met with the same difficulties as all other emigrants wh
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CHAPTER XV. MARY BURTON’S STORY CONTINUED:—TERRIBLE ENDING OF THE HAND-CART SCHEME.
CHAPTER XV. MARY BURTON’S STORY CONTINUED:—TERRIBLE ENDING OF THE HAND-CART SCHEME.
“It was early in September when we reached Laramie, but we found nothing awaiting us there. We were all very much discouraged at this, and Captain Willie called another meeting for consultation. We knew of course, beforehand, that our position was very bad; but figures, when stated plainly, become startling facts. We now learned that if we continued at the same rate as that at which we had previously been travelling, and received each the same allowance daily, we should be left utterly destitute
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CHAPTER XVI. WE FORSAKE ALL, AND SET OUT FOR ZION:—OUR JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS.
CHAPTER XVI. WE FORSAKE ALL, AND SET OUT FOR ZION:—OUR JOURNEY ACROSS THE PLAINS.
IT was with strange feelings of doubt and unrest that I read that painful story; but I folded up Mary Burton’s letter and stored it carefully away in my desk, and then I began to think. Certainly I was still a Mormon—at least I was nothing else—but I was not now so firmly grounded in my faith as once I was, and these terrible stories completely unsettled my mind. Then, too, I was well aware that, before long, my husband and myself would be called upon to cross the Plains to Zion, and I felt that
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CHAPTER XVII. MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CITY OF THE SAINTS.
CHAPTER XVII. MY FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE CITY OF THE SAINTS.
When I arrived in Salt Lake City, a great many improvements had been effected; and expecting, as I did that this would be our future home for many years, perhaps for life, I was interested in everything that I saw. The first Sunday I went to the Tabernacle I was greatly amused at the way in which some of the sisters were dressed. Quite a number wore sun-bonnets, but the majority wore curious and diverse specimens of the milliner’s art—relics of former days. Some wore a little tuft of gauze and f
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CHAPTER XVIII. BRIGHAM YOUNG AT HOME:—WE VISIT THE PROPHET AND HIS WIVES.
CHAPTER XVIII. BRIGHAM YOUNG AT HOME:—WE VISIT THE PROPHET AND HIS WIVES.
Shortly after our arrival in Salt Lake City we visited President Young, who received us very graciously and appointed an early day for us to dine with him. On that occasion he invited some of the Apostles and leading men to meet us at his table, and we passed an exceedingly pleasant evening. The Prophet made himself very affable; talked with us about our missionary life and other subjects of personal and general interest; and expressed a high opinion of the energy and ability which my husband ha
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MRS. MARY ANN ANGELL YOUNG. [Number One.]
MRS. MARY ANN ANGELL YOUNG. [Number One.]
First in order is Mrs. Mary Ann Angell Young, but she is not the first wife that Brother Brigham ever had. Once upon a time, Brother Brigham was a Methodist; but after listening to the preaching of the Mormon Missionaries he became a vile apostate—as he loves to call those who leave his present faith—and he forsook Methodism. In those days, before he apostatised, and long before he ever dreamed of Polygamy, he had but one wife—one only! It must seem strange to the Prophet to look back to that pe
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LUCY DECKER SEELY YOUNG. [Number Two.]
LUCY DECKER SEELY YOUNG. [Number Two.]
Lucy Decker Seely Young was his first wife in Polygamy. Her former husband was a Mr. Seely. She is short and stout, a very excellent mother and a devoted wife....
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CLARA DECKER YOUNG. [Number Three.]
CLARA DECKER YOUNG. [Number Three.]
Clara Decker Young is the third wife. She is a sister of Lucy Seely, and like her is short and stout, but otherwise good-looking. She is more than twenty years younger than her lord, with whom she was once quite a favourite, but like many others, she has “had her day”—to use Brigham’s own expression—and is now, as a matter of course, neglected....
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HARRIET COOK YOUNG. [Number Four.]
HARRIET COOK YOUNG. [Number Four.]
Harriet Cook Young is tall, with light hair and blue eyes, and is an intelligent but not at all a refined woman. She is said to have given a great deal of trouble to Brother Brigham, of whom she has frequently said very hard things. In times past she had the reputation of being a good deal more than a match for her husband when she had any cause of offence against him, but in her quiet moments she is a very sincere Mormon. She has only one son—Oscar Young—now about twenty-five years of age. When
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LUCY BIGELOW YOUNG. [Number Five.]
LUCY BIGELOW YOUNG. [Number Five.]
Lucy Bigelow Young is quite a fine-looking woman—tall and fair, and still quite young. She has three pretty daughters. Brigham has recently sent her to live in southern Utah....
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MRS. TWISS YOUNG. [Number Six.]
MRS. TWISS YOUNG. [Number Six.]
Mrs. Twiss Young has no children, but she is a very good housewife, and Brigham appreciates her accordingly, and has given her the position of housekeeper in the Lion House. Women have two great privileges in the Mormon Church—they may ask a man to marry them, if they chance to fancy him, and if they don’t like him afterwards they are able to obtain a divorce for the moderate sum of ten dollars, which sum the husband is expected to pay. Mrs. Twiss exercised the first privilege in reference to Br
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MARTHA BOWKER YOUNG. [Number Seven.]
MARTHA BOWKER YOUNG. [Number Seven.]
Martha Bowker Young is a quiet little body, with piercing dark eyes, and very retiring. Brother Brigham acts towards her as if he had quite forgotten that he had ever married her, and she lives in all the loneliness of married spinsterhood....
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HARRIET BARNEY SEAGERS YOUNG. [Number Eight.]
HARRIET BARNEY SEAGERS YOUNG. [Number Eight.]
Harriet Barney Seagers Young, the eighth wife, is a tall, fine-looking woman. She was another man’s wife when Brigham made love to her. It is not supposed to be the correct thing for a Saint to court his neighbour’s wife, but the Prophet did so in the case of Harriet Barney, and in several other cases too. Harriet was married to a respectable young Mormon gentleman, but after she had lived with him some time and had borne three children to him, the Prophet persuaded her to join his ranks, and sh
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ELIZA BURGESS YOUNG. [Number Nine.]
ELIZA BURGESS YOUNG. [Number Nine.]
Eliza Burgess Young is the only English wife that Brigham has. She fell in love with the Prophet, wanted him to marry her, and even offered to wait, like Jacob, for seven years if she might be his at last. So she served in the family of her lord for the appointed time, and he finally took her to wife as a recompense for her faithfulness. She has added one son to the Prophet’s kingdom....
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SUSAN SNIVELY YOUNG. [Number Ten.]
SUSAN SNIVELY YOUNG. [Number Ten.]
The tenth wife on my list is Susan Snively Young. She is a German woman—smart, active, and industrious. She has no children, but has been quite a help-meet to her husband in making butter and cheese, in which she excels. Smart Mormons have always had an eye to business, and while living up to their privileges have not invariably sought for wives who were only fair and pleasant to look upon, but have frequently taken them for their own intrinsic worth: one as a good dairymaid, another as a good c
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MARGARET PIERCE YOUNG. [Number Eleven.]
MARGARET PIERCE YOUNG. [Number Eleven.]
Margaret Pierce Young is very lady-like, tall, and genteel. She has the appearance of being very unhappy, and it is certain that she has been very much neglected, but not more so than many of the other wives. She has one son....
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EMMELINE FREE YOUNG. [Number Twelve.]
EMMELINE FREE YOUNG. [Number Twelve.]
When first I went to Utah, Emmeline Free Young was the reigning favourite, and she was really the handsomest of Brigham’s wives—tall and graceful, with curling hair, beautiful eyes, and fair complexion. Brigham was as fond of her, at the time, as a man of his nature, with such a low estimate of woman, could be. But a younger, though not a handsomer, rival soon captivated his fickle heart, and he left poor Emmeline to mourn in sorrow. She has never been herself since then, and probably never will
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AMELIA FOLSOM YOUNG. [Number Thirteen.]
AMELIA FOLSOM YOUNG. [Number Thirteen.]
Amelia Folsom Young is now the favourite, and it is supposed that she will continue to be so, for at last poor Brother Brigham has found a woman of whom he stands in dread. It is doubtful whether he loves her, but nobody in Zion doubts that he fears her. It is said that the Prophet has confided so many of his secrets to Amelia that he is obliged to submit to her tyranny, for fear of her leaving him, and exposing some of his little ways which would not bear the light. Be that as it may, it is gen
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MARY VAN COTT COBB YOUNG. [Number Fourteen.]
MARY VAN COTT COBB YOUNG. [Number Fourteen.]
Mary Van Cott Cobb—who became Brigham’s wife after his marriage to Amelia—is a very handsome woman, about twenty-eight years of age. She is tall, slender, and graceful, and has been married to the Prophet about six years. At first he appeared to be very devoted to her, but Amelia soon put a stop to that. Nevertheless, she has since her marriage presented a little daughter to her lord, greatly to the annoyance of Amelia, who has no children. She is said to be very unhappy, and though Brigham has
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ELIZA-ANN WEBB DEE YOUNG. [Number Fifteen.]
ELIZA-ANN WEBB DEE YOUNG. [Number Fifteen.]
Eliza-Ann Webb Dee Young, commonly known as his “runaway wife,” is his last wedded and nineteenth living wife. If his deceased wives were taken into consideration she would probably be his thirtieth. In this list I have put all the living wives who are sealed to Brigham for eternity first, and thus I count Eliza-Ann fifteen, but had I placed the proxy wives—who are only Brigham’s “for time,” in the list, she would, of course, be the “nineteenth,” as she is generally called....
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“MISS” ELIZA R. SNOW. [Number Sixteen.]
“MISS” ELIZA R. SNOW. [Number Sixteen.]
“Miss” Eliza R. Snow I mention here as I have not followed the order of date. She and the three ladies whose names I shall presently give, are the proxy wives of Brigham, living with him....
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ZINA D. HUNTINGTON JACOBS YOUNG. [Number Seventeen.]
ZINA D. HUNTINGTON JACOBS YOUNG. [Number Seventeen.]
Zina D. Huntington Jacobs Young is another proxy wife, and a widow of the Prophet Joseph. She, too, will have to be handed over in the day of reckoning. She has one grown up daughter, of whom I shall presently speak under rather interesting circumstances....
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EMILY PARTRIDGE YOUNG. [Number Eighteen.]
EMILY PARTRIDGE YOUNG. [Number Eighteen.]
Emily Partridge Young is a tall, dark-eyed, handsome woman, and she also is a “proxy” wife—a relict of Joseph. When Joseph died, Brigham told his wives that they were at liberty to choose whom they would for husbands; and some of them showed their appreciation of his generosity by choosing him himself. Thus it was that Emily Partridge became Brigham’s wife. The Prophet has dealt kindly to his brother Joseph Smith, through her, for she has quite a family of children to be handed over with her. Sh
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AUGUSTA COBB YOUNG. [Number Nineteen.]
AUGUSTA COBB YOUNG. [Number Nineteen.]
Augusta Cobb Young is a very fine-looking woman, and must have been quite handsome in her youthful days. As I before stated, she formerly lived in Boston, but hearing Brigham preach, she fell in love with him, abandoned her home, children, and husband, and, taking her youngest child with her, went to Salt Lake City, and was married to the Prophet. It was she who, when Brigham began to neglect her, wanted to be sealed to Christ, but was ultimately added to the kingdom of Joseph Smith. Now these a
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CHAPTER XX. WAYS AND WORKS OF THE SAINTS:—THE PROPHET’S MILLINERY BILL.
CHAPTER XX. WAYS AND WORKS OF THE SAINTS:—THE PROPHET’S MILLINERY BILL.
When I arrived in Utah I found that nearly all the Elders with whom I had formerly been acquainted had more than one wife there. Many of these brethren called to see me, and kindly insisted that I should visit their families; but this I felt was almost an impossibility. My whole nature rebelled at the thought of visiting where there were several wives; for, in defiance of all the teaching that I had listened to, and the tyranny to which we had submitted, human nature would assert itself, and my
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CHAPTER XXI. MYSTERIES OF THE ENDOWMENT HOUSE—FEARFUL OATHS AND SECRET CEREMONIES.
CHAPTER XXI. MYSTERIES OF THE ENDOWMENT HOUSE—FEARFUL OATHS AND SECRET CEREMONIES.
Not many weeks after our arrival in Salt Lake City, my husband told me that we might now enjoy the privilege of going through the Endowment House. This was intended as a great favour to us, on the part of the authorities, for most people have to wait a long while before receiving their Endowments; but my husband’s influence and position in the Church was, I presume, the reason why we were admitted so soon. Now, I had heard so much of the Endowments and the Endowment House that I quite dreaded to
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CHAPTER XXII. SECRETS OF SAINTLY SPOUSES:—A VISIT FROM MY TALKATIVE FRIEND.
CHAPTER XXII. SECRETS OF SAINTLY SPOUSES:—A VISIT FROM MY TALKATIVE FRIEND.
Not long after I had received my Endowments, my talkative friend, of whom I have already spoken, came to see me and to offer her congratulations. She was quite enthusiastic upon the subject, spoke of the honour which had been conferred upon us, and promised to call frequently “to build me up.” She was particularly anxious to learn whether I did not feel much better and happier now. On that point I could say little, for to have answered her truthfully would have provoked discussion, into which I
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CHAPTER XXIII. SOCIAL LIFE IN SALT LAKE CITY:—BALL-ROOMS, “WALL-FLOWERS,” AND DIVORCE.
CHAPTER XXIII. SOCIAL LIFE IN SALT LAKE CITY:—BALL-ROOMS, “WALL-FLOWERS,” AND DIVORCE.
We had not been long in Salt Lake City before the ball-season commenced. These balls afford splendid opportunities to the men for flirting with the girls. No matter how old and homely a man is, he thinks that he has as much right to flirt and dance with the girls as the youngest boy; for they all look upon themselves and each other as boys and single men, even if they have a dozen wives. There is no limit to their “privileges.” They are always in the market. Brigham, in his public discourses, ha
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CHAPTER XXIV. THE ORIGIN OF “THE REFORMATION:”—EXTRAORDINARY DOINGS OF THE SAINTS.
CHAPTER XXIV. THE ORIGIN OF “THE REFORMATION:”—EXTRAORDINARY DOINGS OF THE SAINTS.
The popular idea of Mormonism is that the peculiar feature which distinguishes it from all other Christian sects is Polygamy. To a certain extent this is, of course, true; but it is only a partial statement of the truth. If Polygamy were to be relinquished, it would still be found that Mormonism had really very little in common with other sects, and very much that was completely antagonistic to them. The confession of faith published by Joseph Smith during his lifetime would certainly deceive an
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CHAPTER XXV. THE “REIGN OF TERROR” IN UTAH:—THE REFORMATION OF THE SAINTS.
CHAPTER XXV. THE “REIGN OF TERROR” IN UTAH:—THE REFORMATION OF THE SAINTS.
The people were now thoroughly excited. Their religious antipathy, their political hatred—two of the most powerful passions which move individuals or bodies of men—had been appealed to, and both in public and private they had been stirred up to a pitch of frenzy which it is hardly possible at the present time to comprehend. There were whisperings now of a most fearful doctrine, calculated not only to strike terror into the hearts of those whose faith was weakening, but even to shock with a sense
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CHAPTER XXVI. THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE:—“I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD.”
CHAPTER XXVI. THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE:—“I WILL REPAY, SAITH THE LORD.”
I feel myself utterly incompetent to tell the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre—it is so shocking, so fiend-like. And yet it must be told. While the work of “Reformation” was going on, and when the United States troops were constantly expected in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, a large train of emigrants passed through Utah on its way to California. The train consisted of one hundred and twenty or one hundred and thirty persons, and they came chiefly from Arkansas. They were people from
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CHAPTER XXVII. WHAT WOMEN SUFFER IN POLYGAMY:—THE STORY OF MARY BURTON.
CHAPTER XXVII. WHAT WOMEN SUFFER IN POLYGAMY:—THE STORY OF MARY BURTON.
One bright summer morning, about six months after our arrival in Salt Lake City, I was sitting in the work-room, busy with my girls, when a light tap was heard at the door, and the next instant a lady entered, and, coming straight up to me, was about to kiss me. I started back a step, held out my hand, looked her full in the face, and in a moment we were in each other’s arms. It was my old friend, Mary Burton! I could with difficulty find words to express my astonishment when I recognized her, s
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CHAPTER XXVIII. HOW MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN UTAH—A NEW WIFE FOUND FOR MY HUSBAND.
CHAPTER XXVIII. HOW MARRIAGES ARE MADE IN UTAH—A NEW WIFE FOUND FOR MY HUSBAND.
Not long after this, I was enabled to visit my Swiss friend, Madame Bailiff. Ever since her husband had called upon me in Salt Lake City, I had watched anxiously for an opportunity of seeing her, for I felt much interested in learning how time had passed with her since we parted in Geneva. I found her in a little log-cabin of two rooms, with bare walls, bare floor, and miserably furnished; and in this wretched abode poverty and polygamy had wrecked the life of my poor friend, whom I had known un
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CHAPTER XXIX. TAKING A SECOND WIFE:—THE EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST.
CHAPTER XXIX. TAKING A SECOND WIFE:—THE EXPERIENCE OF THE FIRST.
I did not presume to ask my husband what it was that he had to talk about with Carrie’s friend, but I instinctively felt what it might be, and I was so much troubled in mind that I thought I would never go to see her again. By that time I had learned, as every Mormon wife does learn, never to ask questions. The wife of a Saint never dares to ask her husband whither he is going or when he will return. She is not expected to know or care what business her husband may have on hand when he leaves ho
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CHAPTER XXX. TRIALS—THE SECOND WIFE CHOSEN—SHADOWS OF LIFE.
CHAPTER XXX. TRIALS—THE SECOND WIFE CHOSEN—SHADOWS OF LIFE.
It is a custom among the Mormon married men—those at least who make any pretensions to doing what is right, and who wish to spare the feelings of their wives as much as the degrading system will allow—to make it appear as if the second wife were chosen by the first, and they go through the form of consulting with her as to who shall be selected. The husband will mention the names of several eligible young ladies, among whom is sure to be the one upon whom he has already set his affections. If th
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CHAPTER XXXI. MARRIAGE FOR THE DEAD—ENTERING INTO POLYGAMY—THE NEW WIFE.
CHAPTER XXXI. MARRIAGE FOR THE DEAD—ENTERING INTO POLYGAMY—THE NEW WIFE.
The following evening I went round again to the house, to gaze once more at the form of my dear friend. She was lying in her coffin, dressed for the grave, and I looked at her long and tenderly as she rested sleeping there. Her features were peaceful and natural as if in slumber; an expression of calm tranquillity hovered around her countenance, and in the repose of death she seemed almost happy. Poor girl! her life had been short indeed, and she had known but little pleasure; but I believed tha
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CHAPTER XXXII. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS OF THE SAINTS:—POLYGAMY FROM A WOMAN’S STANDPOINT.
CHAPTER XXXII. DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS OF THE SAINTS:—POLYGAMY FROM A WOMAN’S STANDPOINT.
I was now to realize personally, in my own home life, what Polygamy actually was. Hitherto I had observed how other women suffered, and how other men treated their wives; but now the painful reality had come to my own door, and I was to experience the effects of the system upon myself, and, instead of noting the conduct of other men, I should be able to observe the change which Polygamy might work in my own husband. How little do the Mormon men know what it is in the truest sense to have a wife,
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CHAPTER XXXIII. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF POLYGAMY—MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD.
CHAPTER XXXIII. LIGHTS AND SHADOWS OF POLYGAMY—MARRIAGE AND BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD.
My life was now one continued series of deceptions, as was also that of my husband, and we began habitually to wear the mask when in each other’s presence. It may have been wrong, perhaps, but I confess that for my husband’s intended bride I felt such a detestation that I could not endure her presence, although I knew that she was not to blame. I believed that I should not have felt it so much if she had been a little older; but to have a mere child placed on a level with me, and to be compelled
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CHAPTER XXXIV. MY DAUGHTER BECOMES THE FOURTH WIFE OF BRIGHAM YOUNG’S SON—THE SECOND ENDOWMENTS.
CHAPTER XXXIV. MY DAUGHTER BECOMES THE FOURTH WIFE OF BRIGHAM YOUNG’S SON—THE SECOND ENDOWMENTS.
After I had consented, and in reality had given my husband a second wife, my status in Mormon polygamic society was very considerably improved. First wives who lived in, and firmly believed, this “Order of Celestial Marriage,” tried in every way to make me feel that I was one with them; and those who had not much faith felt more kindly towards me, because I had been caught in the same snare with themselves. Every polygamic wife, whether first, second, third, or tenth, no matter how much or how l
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CHAPTER XXXV. REALITIES OF POLYGAMIC LIFE—ORSON PRATT: THE STORY OF HIS YOUNG ENGLISH WIFE.
CHAPTER XXXV. REALITIES OF POLYGAMIC LIFE—ORSON PRATT: THE STORY OF HIS YOUNG ENGLISH WIFE.
The position of the plural wives—second, third, fourth, or twentieth, it matters not—is but a mockery, after all; and in many respects they are more to be pitied than the first wives. The first wives have known, if only for a little while, a husband’s love and care; but that has never been felt by the second wives. They are, in fact, in many respects little better than slaves; and if they are sensitive girls, their position must be extremely painful, for they must realize at all times that they
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CHAPTER XXXVI. “OUR” HUSBAND’S FIANCÉE—A SECOND WIFE’S SORROWS—STEPS TOWARDS APOSTASY.
CHAPTER XXXVI. “OUR” HUSBAND’S FIANCÉE—A SECOND WIFE’S SORROWS—STEPS TOWARDS APOSTASY.
At one time I had almost begun to think that my husband had seen enough of the discomforts and heartlessness of polygamic life, and that his eyes were looking back wishfully to the time when, as the old Scotch ballad says: My faith in my own acuteness and perception was, however, very considerably shaken when one day he told me that he thought it was about time for him to think of taking another wife. I suppose he expected that I should express some astonishment or offer objections, for he proce
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CHAPTER XXXVII. SOME CURIOUS COURTSHIPS—BRIGHAM RUINS OUR FORTUNES—BELINDA DIVORCES “OUR” HUSBAND.
CHAPTER XXXVII. SOME CURIOUS COURTSHIPS—BRIGHAM RUINS OUR FORTUNES—BELINDA DIVORCES “OUR” HUSBAND.
Mormonism had been, to my husband, everything. It had for years grown with his growth, until it had become a part of himself. Doubts had occasionally crept into his mind, it is true, but it required time to effect a change. The measures adopted by Brigham Young in the spring of 1869, for the purpose of controlling the commerce of Utah, as well as the property and faith of the people, caused great discontent. The teachings of the Tabernacle were wild and arrogant, and Brigham assumed that it was
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CHAPTER XXXVIII. MARY BURTON—LIFE’S JOURNEY ENDED: REST AT LAST.
CHAPTER XXXVIII. MARY BURTON—LIFE’S JOURNEY ENDED: REST AT LAST.
It was about this time that one morning, very early, before I was well up, a young girl came to the house in a great hurry, asking to speak to me without a moment’s delay. I threw a wrapper round me, and went out at once to see her. She said she came from the house of Sister Mary Burton, and begged me to come directly and see her, for Mary had taken poison, and it was thought she was dying. Now, I have been so much engaged of late in telling my own sorrows, that Mary Burton has quite dropped out
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CHAPTER XXXIX. MY HUSBAND DISFELLOWSHIPPED—WE APOSTATIZE—BRUTAL OUTRAGE UPON MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF.
CHAPTER XXXIX. MY HUSBAND DISFELLOWSHIPPED—WE APOSTATIZE—BRUTAL OUTRAGE UPON MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF.
Notwithstanding all my own personal troubles and the difficulties which surrounded us, the loss of my dear friend affected me very deeply. And yet her story is the same as might be told of hundreds of other English girls who have been lured from their happy homes and have died broken-hearted and neglected in Utah. Now came that change in our life which I had so long hoped for, but which had always seemed to me so very far distant. We had been tossed by many a storm, but the violence of this last
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CHAPTER XL. AMUSING TROUBLES OF MY TALKATIVE FRIEND—CHARLOTTE WITH THE GOLDEN HAIR!
CHAPTER XL. AMUSING TROUBLES OF MY TALKATIVE FRIEND—CHARLOTTE WITH THE GOLDEN HAIR!
Not long after our separation from the Mormon Church, I received another visit from my talkative friend. As, according to her custom, she was making a preliminary “fuss” at the door before entering, I heard her voice, and was at a loss to conjecture whether she came for the purpose of lamenting my apostasy and entreating my immediate return to the bosom of the Church, or to condole with me concerning the brutal outrage to which we had been subjected. In both suppositions I was, however, mistaken
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CHAPTER XLI. AFTER WE LEFT THE CHURCH—INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES—THE MORMONISM AND MORMONS OF TO-DAY.
CHAPTER XLI. AFTER WE LEFT THE CHURCH—INTERESTING FACTS AND FIGURES—THE MORMONISM AND MORMONS OF TO-DAY.
When we left the Mormon Church, we were not quite as badly off as were our first parents when they began life, although in some respects we certainly resembled them. The world was all before us, and it was necessary that we also should choose a place of rest; but it was by no means an Eden from which we were dismissed—or, rather, had dismissed ourselves—and in the matter of experience in the thorny ways of that world in which we were about to begin afresh the battle of existence, we certainly ha
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L’ENVOI.
L’ENVOI.
In the preceding pages I have endeavoured to present to the reader the story of my life’s experience in Mormonism and Polygamy, and to place before him a truthful picture of the doctrines and practices of the Saints. Two objects influenced my mind when I first proposed to write this volume. In the first place, I earnestly desired to stir up my Mormon sisters to a just sense of their own position. I longed to make them feel, as I do, the cruel degradation, the humiliating tyranny, which Polygamy
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POSTSCRIPT.
POSTSCRIPT.
The publication of this book has probably contributed more to bring the terrible realities of Mormon life to the knowledge of the public, and to hasten their day of judgment, than has any other human agency. The officers of justice in Utah were from that time urged to bring the notorious criminals to justice, but many well-contrived plans for their arrest failed in the accomplishment. Unexpectedly, John D. Lee, the hero of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, was, while visiting one of his wives, surp
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CHAPTER XLIV. MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE—COMPLETE CONFESSION OF BISHOP JOHN D. LEE.
CHAPTER XLIV. MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE—COMPLETE CONFESSION OF BISHOP JOHN D. LEE.
In the month of September, 1857, the company of emigrants, known as the “Arkansas Company,” arrived at Parowan, Iron county, Utah, on their way to California. At Parowan young Aden, one of the company, saw and recognized one William Laney, a Mormon resident of Parowan. Aden and his father had rescued Laney from an anti-Mormon mob in Tennessee several years before, and saved his life. He (Laney) at the time he was attacked by the mob was a Mormon missionary in Tennessee. Laney was glad to see his
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KILLING A RIVAL PROPHET.
KILLING A RIVAL PROPHET.
Enough has been already written to satisfy all with whom facts have any weight that the Mormonism which claims in Europe to be “of Christ,” is in Utah a despotism of the harshest character, allied to falsehood, murder, and the worst of crimes that degrade human nature. And here would I rest my pen; but it seems that one other episode in Utah life should still be added, showing as it does the intolerance of the ruling Mormon Priesthood when their own sway is challenged. Thirty-five miles north of
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