THE MORMON MENACE.
NZ Truth , Issue 408, 19 April 1913, Page 8
About this newspaper
THE MORMON MENACE.
fMm MANY WIVES AND THEIR WAYS. WHAT A CONVBTI HAS CHRONiaED.
Miss Louisa Taylor's Tale Continued— The Bishop Calls for His Bride—His Thick, Moist, Red Lips Moved Silently---The Attempt to Kiss, the Fair One— Repulsed With Two Blows.
by special permission -of "The People,"- London.-— No. m.)
In last week's issue of "Truth" Miss •Taylor ; concluded her absorbing narrative of life In Salt i Lake City at the point "where she received the "call" to become ;the feA^ith y wiXe^'[ Apt l Bishop Lash, her B^ritualT heald. Overcome with disgust, . as she relates m this 'continuation of her dramatic^ story, she sought out her frfendW Mrvand Mrs. Sanders, and un* successfully endeavored to obtain comfort and help from them. Bishop Lash- sends a messenger to Ttell his "bride" to prepare herself for the sealing ceremony m the Temple, aid fpllbws this up with a visit to Miss Taylor, who effectively "checks his overtures. T ;■'.'• T v, BISHOP AND HIS BRIDE/ * When told that I was to- be the *Btebbp ; s eighth "wlf c," . I was stunned. '': After a wWIW the thought suddenly tort-: ed toto my mind, 'fWhy not go and Bee 'Elder Siuuiers arid .".Mb, wife?" Immedlatery I wondered that I had not thought of tM* before, because they had- always -been good friends to >ac; moreover, I felt that I could trost- this T^der, and 'that alone gaveniy mind a degree of comfort. Brightened up m mind, and thinking that * perhaps/after all I should find a /way. out of ray troubles, I went „that .same evening iriunedlatiely business wis finished: to 'vSouth Avenue,; where Elder Sanders and "his wife; resided ._ _"
It was about seven o'ciocic m the .eventing when/f got there. 'A I found the Elder at home .with- his wife and- another young person whom I was introduced to as Bessie," and: l gathered that, she Was a convert.- This made me look at .her with peculiar, interest;* she did not 'interest me;lonig, however, for her speech and maimers were coarse, and' 'the^e was te .familiar tone i about her 'that I "rather resented. _ I wished r she was not there; failing that. If lodged for tier/* 0 . S°> ftaat ■'l: might "6pehAi''Tiiy. mind/to my friends.'. After she; hhd left there .was silenced or "moment or Ttw,. arid "then' I heard the Elder saiying Soothingly: ff: X A'f ■ ' "Hush." hush, dear wife! Do not cry. so: It must be, for the Church has. commanded it and I cannot resist an? long-; W. I swear : ;before (3oia< yp u & 0 ™ y ° lily j^al iik trueji wifej" 1 T" ''- '.'_■.-''-.''. I. looked with amazement at- Mrs. San-r "ders, who was crying bitterly. Then m a n»n_ent my eyes were opened. As the horrible troth gushed over my mind I toond that I had come; to thie house of these kind friends fun of my own espeetal trial, and. they themselves Were hi tbe grip ;«* one tost as fkightfol -. and of the same horrible '• character. ' For between ber sobs Mrs. Sanders gasped ■•nt:-.' ' " /"■ A TRAGEDY OF JEALOUSY. **A3_t, Sister 'Taylor, cannot you.under«tand '■'■■'■ Thai 1 woman, she has been' selected hy the 'Church for my-. husband as Ms—" .She broke off,' and straightened herself, T_a____e,a gleam of defiance lit up her eyes. "Hffife' I cannot and will not call her,-" she went on, *1 hate the sight *>f her face———" The Elder interrupted with a look of pain upon Ms! wife. < : v "Hnsh, hush! wile, you must not speak thns.- She has beenchbsen for me by the Church, and it is my"— he gulped and swallowed— "duty to raise up as many tabernacles as I can." But she would not hear him, but let her wounded heart cry out the wrongs that were oppressing her. And' while f she was J weeping, Elder Sanders, with something' of quiet dejection, told me this sorrowful story. Every Word went 'to 'my heart because- it fitted all too' truly with .the heavy 1 forebodings of what was soon toTbe my own fate. "Ton will understand, sister, that my Wife and I have never been able to see ,eye to eye with the other brethren upon . the matter of having many wives. It may be -a great truth that has been revealed; to us for same purpose, but we - have always Ignored It. And lam afraid that has angered some of the high officials of the Church. Indeed things, have hot been quite as I would wish lately between myself and some of the brethren. Then- this morning I received a deputation from the! Bishop of my ward, and they brought with them Sister Bessie, a good young woman, no doubt " X 'REX-UCTANT "BRIDEGROOM." "Good! O 1 Angus Sanders,- God forgive ye for such blasphemy! Why, I'll warrant she. is nothing but a slut whom everyone in' Glasgow knows to their sorrow!" burst wit Mrs. Sanders, and from Ttlris I gathered that the convert was also Scotch, i And so the pitiful story went on, with many passionate interruptions from Mrs. Sanders, who declared many times that she would not live m the house with the new "wife." But just .ahout the time when I was on the point of broaching my own little trouble, and with very little heart to do this after all "I had seen and heard, there came a sound of muffled footsteps down the stairs, and then the door creaked open, and a red head, all tousled,- peeped round the' door.
"You're long m coming, Brother," said the voice of Sister Bessie, "and I'm thinking that I shall have to report you to the Bishop if you don't come soon." With a groan the Elder got up and left the room) and we heard his heavy footsteps reluctantly ascending the stairs after his new "wife."
Sitting- together I began to tell some- ; thing of my distress, and m the telling of it (like a woman) Sister Sanders forgot half her own sorrows m thinking about mine. But as to comfort and hope of escape — that she could not give me. Sho told me with an, air of conviction. that It was useless to struggle against the Church. "Sister," she whispered, and lowered her voice and- glanced into the shadows, "It is no- good for ybu to struggle, for you will find they are too strong for you. They have removed many who have tried to stand up against these things. I know this for a fact." I felt my blood run cold at her whispering words. THE FINAL "CALL." v It was on 'a Monday morning that the final "call" came. I was just preparing to go to business when I was told that there was a visitor to see me m. the drawing-room. As I went down I met Mrs. Bergen, who clutched nervously at my dress and whispered a caution for mo not "to anger the good man. ". So going 'into tho room I quite expected to find Bishop Lash, and was bracing, myself for tho encounter, when to my surprlso I found, waiting upon the hearth-rug a giant brother, with quite a nice face— is seemed honest and open. He was young, and had bright blue eyes, and fair hair. He introduced himself as "Brother Bard,"
and there was something clean and wholesome about hita that I liked. But his errand .... . . that was too dreadful, and I think he found it distasteful, i for he stuttered and entangled himself With his words, turning his hat round and round m his hands. "I am come from Bishop Lash, Sister," he said; "and it is his good pleasure' that you' attend at the Endowment House of ; the .Temple for the sealing to-morrow night." Then, seeing my cheeks as white as paper, he added: "There, Sister, you must riot be frightened. The ceremony is solemn, but nothing dreadful. And Sister . Bergen is to Instruct you 'and get all things needful; And I haye arranged for your place to be filled at the candy-state, ; so you will not need to go back there any more. And I hope- you will be happy, sister." 1 Then; In my misery, I began ' to tell hlm all — how I could riot i martr the' Bishop, and begged him ' to show me a way of escape.;' His bine eyes were troubled as he^ answered: AN APPARITION. "Tori must not talk like this, sister. It is blasphemy against the Church. The command l f of Tthe Bishop must be obeyed because he Is a holy^irian. And, besides, it is useless to think that you can escape from this marriage if the Bishop wishes it. ■You see, as Bishop of your ward he has absolute power over you." ...
"Go and tell 'your old • Bishop," I screamed out, "that he shall never have me. I ;hate the; filthy old wretch," and was •rushing on With' other wild words when Brother Bard, who . had been bending over me ' with ,: many soothing Words that I secretly found pleasant, suddenly gave a sort ,of a ; gasp and . cried ', out, "Hush, hush! . Sister, . please, please!" ■ ,
I glanced up, and there I saw framed m the doorway the squat, figure of Bishop Lash with a smile creasing his swollen features. As I. stood fascinated and horror-struck, he shambled . forward and said -with a sort of inward chuckle:
'■An, interesting : scene! . My fair young bride consoled ';by ;■ Brother Bard, who always professes a horror ,of females and has been too backwardin Tabernacle-raising!" Then suddenly,' while I stared at him with suspended breath, wondering whether this was not a frightful nightmare from which I should presently awake all trembling and sweating, the Bishop's tone changed as completely as his face. His eyes -became cruel, ..-and.-'' he darted a searching: glance into the face of Brother Bard, who thereupon left the ( room. TBE BITER BIT! The Bishop looked fixedly at me for a moment, and I saw his- thick and moist red lipsN silently moving. Then' he softly rubbed his hands, paddled across : the room With his splay feet, aiid sat down .heavily by my side. Involuntarily I shrank away from him: He noticed the action, and said softly :T •;■_ . "A trifle coy stjli, sweet one ! Well, I like it. B*it come, sister,- you are silent! Let us giveT ourselves up toa contemplation of the jays of Jove, with first a "sealing of this, happy s unlon with the mutual kiss of peace." And so saying, the horrible, old man wound his arms round me, and dragging ; me^ forward, attempted 'to kiss me. ' But for once, he was baulked. For, .overwhelmed . with disgust, I broke from Wm and struck ' him two resounding blows upon the side of hls : head. He started back with a snarl, rubbing, his face. "Sister," he hissed, "you shall; pay for this, and dearly." J In next week's Instalment" of this enthralling personal narrative Miss Taylor will describe the frightful ceremonies of the Endowment House and the oaths she was compelled to take. We believe it is the first time these oaths have been made public, and they (and the accompanying ceremony of sealing) are likely to. create a sensation.
