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Show POLf GUST GETS ! THEM III PEN! 1 1 Cecil J. Plant Pleads Guilty and ' H Is Sentenced by Judge "J. A". Howell. CASE WAS PROSECUTED AT I FARMINGT0N, THE HOTBED B It Is Suggested That the Cam- H paign Against Polygs H Ee Continued. H Cecil J. Plant, a polygamist, he having two wives, one in California and one In Salt Lake City, was sentenced to three years In tho State penitentiary by Judge J. A. Howell at Farmington on Monday. Plant does not belong to the dominant church in Utah; he Is a Gentile. But he wa3 guilty of the crime in Utah prac-llced prac-llced in Utah by a number of Latter-day Latter-day Saints churchmen, an over-indulgence in wives. Defedant Pleaded Guilty. o,U ,il'a3, ot unul James Ware. Jr.. 'H bhcrlfr of Davis county, had recited fn 'H facts of Plant's polygamous habits on the JLH stand that the defendant decided to (IH withdraw his pica of not guilty and ad- mlt his offense. This he did. making a M ploa.to tho court for leniency. He said he . Qjfl had no Intention lo break the law. lie 'M was surprised to hear that his wife was alive; he believed she was dead, ajid (iH when he married again he believed the JH marriage was a perfectly legitimate one. WM Will Marry and Make Up. H It was also stated by B W. Tatlock. counsel for Plant, that the defendant now desired to marry Mary May, tho 1IH polygamous wife, and legitamlze their child, now 3 months old, his wife In' California having Instituted proceedings ! for divorce. Mary May was then brougnt nl Into court. She Is a slightly built, frail. pale-faced woman. In answer to Col. IH Tatlock she slated that It was her de- IH sire that the defendant be given a light sentence. They hail become reconciled. and he had consented to marry her and work for her support and the support of the child, and her whole desire was that tho child s hould be legitimatized. Polygamist Son Prosecutes. The case was prosecuted by George Halvorson, District Attorney of the Sec- H ond Judicial district, assisted by I. E. jH Wlllcy, Attorney of Davis county. Mr. lpH Wllloy, who is the son of. an active artil practicing polygamist. took little or no ) part In the prosecution. The courtroom was crowded, much Interest being taken in the case. And comment was freely made that a Gentile bigamist should be IH prosecuted in Farmington, one of .the hotbeds of Mormon polygamous CQhabita- tlon, and the latter arc permitted to 'tafl pructlce their lawless habits with 1m- ) punlty. One of tho questions asked H every Juror by tho defense was: "'Do you read the editorials In The Tribune?" Sheriff "Ware's Story. H The story told by Sheriff Ware was in- H tcrcstlng. and the facts, as related by him, are as follows- On the 21st of March, 1S33. the defend- H nnt Plant met and murrlcd Annie J. Bar- ictt at San Francisco. They lived to- H gcther for several years, but some time In 1903 tho defendant left California and went to some place In Oregon. In a newspaper ho observed an advertisement of a young lady who wanted a husband. 11 The young lady was Mary May of Salt Lako City, and he entered Into a cor- rfsporidence with her with matrimonial jjiH Intent. In December. 1KM, he visited Salt iM Lake and on the 241 h of that month the LH couple wont through what now appears iM to have been a farce ceremony. Th Lal young Indy. of course, was Innocent and JH so whs Plant, according lo his statement, but he must suffer the penalty. 'H Plant's Heal Wife Alive. The couple lived at Farmington for JH some considerable time. Then came the JH word that Plant's real wife was alive and In Oakland. Plant went west to nscer-tain nscer-tain If his wife was really alive, and ho fcund her and wtui arrested for bigamy, the Chief of Police of Sun Francisco hav- Ing been Informed of the facts. Then jl Sheriff Ware went over to San Francisco jM to get Plant extradited and the defendant admitted to him his bigamist relations. He asked about his wife In Utah and if there was a babj He was Informed that there was. Subsequently ho took tho H Shorlff over to Oakland, saying he would IH like to see his wife before he left, and thc-y visited a house but thoy found an-other an-other woman In tho rooms lhat Plant's wife had occupied. Tho woman In pos-session pos-session said that defendant's wife had left and gone to the city, meaning San IH Francisco, about a week before. While IH Plant was being held In Jail in San HJ Francisco summons In an action for dl- IH vorco. brought by his wife, was nerved jl upon him and he believed that her ob- tnlnlng a divorce would free him from IB all his troubles. Plant Changes His Pla. H But his troubles were rcnlly beginning. as he now realizes. At the conclusion of HJ Sheriff Ware's testimony counsel in tho HJ caso htfld a conference and as Judge HJ Howell had held that the defendant's ad- HJ missions as to his marriage were com- HJ petcnt and sufllclont testimony on which IH to baso a conviction. Col. Tatlock, couu- H sel for Plant, advised his client to change H his plea and throw himself on the mcrov H of tho court, which he accordingly did. H The contention of the defense was that IHJ u valid and subsisting marrlago must lvo IHJ proved by the proaecutlon, but tho court H did not share In this view H Continue the Campaign. And now Plant goes to the penitentiary throe vears. Of courae. ho Is guilty, but H It ha.s "been suggested that row tho prose- IHJ ctitlon of polygamlsts has commenced HJ that an active campaign should be In- IHJ auguruled. There Is no lack of material. IHJ Furmlngton can, doubtless, furnish over HJ a score of cases, and there Is no use of H lelectlng ono scapegoat to bo Immolated so that others may escape unpunished. HI |