| OCR Text |
Show . :7 WITKESSJ:H.yALLlS vro B. Y. U. Admit Polygamous Relations; One v ' Witness in Tears. v ; . i OS covenant snd agree that we will prsy and never cesse to pray Almighty God to avenge the blood of the prophet upon this Nation, and that we will teach the same to our children and to our children's children chil-dren unto the third -and fourth generation. genera-tion. ' . . Another obligation was one tbrft we would "never cease, to importune High Heaven to avenge the blood of the prophets upon the nations of the earth, or the inhabitants of the earth," ?1 don't just remember which," said the witness.- This was followed by a q notation- from the Scriptures, I think Revelations, Reve-lations, vl., 9: 'The souls of those slain "cried aloud on the altars for vengeance. Considered It a Joke. f t Mr. Tayler, for the protestants, : did. not ask for a description of the ceremonies, ceremo-nies, but turned the witness over to Mr. Worthington for cross-examination: Mr. .Worthington obtained from Mr. Wallls that he had given notice to his bishop several months sgo of his severance sever-ance from the church. Mr. Wallls, when questioned by Mr. Worthington, told the committee that he had always considered the obligations in the light of a Joke and thai ha thought many others had considered them in the same way. He said there never had been any solemnity so-lemnity In the taking of the obligations, so far as he could see. - - . WASHINGTON, Dec. 14. Five witnesses wit-nesses were examined Tuesday by the Senate Committee on Privileges and . ? Elections In the Investigation of protests against Senaicr -moot retaining his - seat in "the Senate. The first witness described the obllga-tions obllga-tions taken by' persons who pass i. through the endowment house and de- clared that every one agrees to submit - to mutilation of. the person if he rsfhe. .. reveals what takes place during the ,. ceremony. Two members of the faculty of the Brlghara' Young university testified that they have sustained polygamous relations since the manifesto of 1890, and a teacher in the public schools as-. as-. serted that the church has had religion taught in pubHc schools. " " Mra Margaret Geddea, a Mormon, testified concerning her plural marriage ' 1 and broke down on the stand. J. H. Wallls said that he had a distinct cbllectl6h'of the ceremonies within the " Temple and that he Is able tc describe . ' them Just as they took place. He was asked to give the oaths taken by those who participated, and this he did. together to-gether with a description of the secret 't v signs executed by each person. .Nearjy all of the obligations were that those who took part would not reveal any- thing they saw or heard, on peril of : . mutilation of the person, and every one ''. ' . who passed through the Temple, , said the witness, wa compeleld to agree to - the condition laid down by the parties. The, obligation and penalties agreed to were given by Mr. Wallis as follows: "We and each of us do solemnly promse - and bind ourselves never to reveal any of the secrets of this priesthood, with its ap- j oompanytng name and sign, grip or pn- '' ' alty; should we do to, we agree thai our v breasts may be torn open, our heart and -vitals torn out. (Draw R. hand from L. to B, across breast) We and each of us solemnly promise and bind ourselves that we will not dl-' dl-' Tulge any of the secrets of the first token of the Aaronic priesthood, with its accompanying ac-companying name, sign or penalty; should I do so, I agree, that my throat may be v ' cut from car to ear;, my tongue torn out by its roots from my mouth." . ' Other Obligations. Z. . ' j "Law of Sacrifice. We and each of us do covenant and promise that we will sao- - .rifice our time, talents and property to the upbuilding of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." "Law of Chastity. We and each of us covenant and promise that we will not have sexual Intercourse with any of the daughters of Eve ether than our lawful wife or wives." j "Law of Vengeance. We and each of .Mr. Worthington told the committee that he was not ready to proceed with cross-examination until he had consulted consult-ed with others and asked that the witness wit-ness be excused until this afternoon. John T. Nicholson, recorder of the Mormon Temple, was excused temporarily tempo-rarily on a physician's certificate. 'George H. Brlmhall, president of the Brigham Young university, testified that he had two wives, married before 1890. Senator Smoot Is a member of the university board, but was not present when witness was elected president. Senator Smoot frequently addressed the students and always urged them to obey the law. Joslah Hickman, a teacher In Brig-ham Brig-ham Young university, testified that he: was married first in 1884 and again In 1890. The first wife died In 1900. For ten years, he said, he lived with two wives, and had children by both of them. Sealed in the Temple The witness said he went through the Temple with his second wife two or three years sgo and they were sealed, but no legal marriage had taken place. He said he had taken no steps to conform to the law In relation to marriages. - "Then, as you understand it, you are not legally married to your- present wife?' asked Mr. Tayler. "No. sir; not so far." " "You said, 'not so far,' " said Mr. Van Cott, one of the attorneys for Mr. Smoot. "What did you mean by that? . . Mr. Hickman'- explained that he bad been a little negligent, but that he and his wife had decided that they should be married. He said of -the fifty or sixty tea;hers In the university he was morally certain that only two.'-Mr. Brimhail and himself, had been polygamlsts. The witness said he took the woman who became his second wife in 1S90 to Mexico and that the ceremony had been performed per-formed while they were walking through the country. He said there were no polygamous polyg-amous marriages performed in the United States at that timeHe could not remember remem-ber who -had acted as witnesses nor if there had been any record made of the marriage. .. . . - Marriage In Mexico. - Mr. Hickman took the stand again at 2 p. m. Chairman Burrsughs asked Mr. Hickman Hick-man concerning his marriage tn Mexico, and was told that the ceremony was performed per-formed by some man named McDonald, who, the witness said, must have obtained his authority directly or indirectly from the president of the church. Mr. Hickman said he believed In plural marriages at the time, but has not believed be-lieved in them since the manifesto, which he regarded as binding upon all members of the church as "the expressed will of God." V Mr. Smoot in a conversation since the Investigation began had expressed to him the opinion that there would bo no more plural marriages. ' ' ' Mrs. Margaret Geddes of Salt Lake said she was born in Glasgow, Scotland, where She was converted to the Mormon faith and went to Utah twenty years ago. She became the plural wife of William Geddes In Losran, Utah, the same year. She said she did not live with her husband much, as he remained In Oregon, his other wife living in Blaine City. She had four children. chil-dren. Her husband died In Oregon, and she then went to her husband's first wife and there a baby was born. Woman in Tears. She broke down, crying, as shs gave this evidence. It was brought out that her husband died thirteen -years ago and tht her youngest child is now five and a half yeau old. She said she had not been married a second time and refused to give the name of her youngest child's father. She broke down again as she told the committee com-mittee she had no one to look after her and that she sat in the waiting-room from 1 a. m. until daynlght after arriving In Washington. Arthur Morning, a teacher in the public schools of Utah, said he had been called on to conduct religious classes In his school of twenty pupils. He read letters from the Box Elder stake presidency Instructing In-structing him how to outline the Mormon class work. One letter was dated about a year ago and another In September, 1904. Mr. MorsiM tsii ha was nt a Mormon blmself- 11 r. -Tayler offered In enjdence passages from the Book of Mormon sent to all grades of the schools. They were largely composed of the lives of prominent Mormons, Mor-mons, among them the president of the church and the apostles, Including Senator Smoot. Senator Hopkins asked Mr. Tayler what he expected to prove by that. "We are proving," said Mr. Tayler, "that .the Mormon church is teaching Its religion at public expense and that the lesions are largely composed of biographies biogra-phies of men who are notorious polygamlsts." |
