Show DECISION I 1 OF TILE THE DISTRICT coure couri COURT OF ZOFI zoei ZOFINGEN at IN TIIE THE CASE OF FREDERICK W schoenfeld AND asb RUDOLPH BEFORE TIIE THE DISTRICT COURT OF ZOFINGEN CANTON CANT ON ARGAU WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 1884 translated Tran stated DECISION is hereby rendered on the alli affidavit davit of justice of the peace of Nieder wyl by the above district court a against adist the lormon mormon 5 missionaries 1 frederick william schoenfeld born 1831 present residence bern 2 rudolph of utah born 1839 mm dato date of gfell of Nieder wyl on examination of which the f fol foi ol lowing lowins is a true exhibit eor por sometime past mormon missionaries of utah have been holding meetings in the town of Nieder wyl and particularly the house of traogott Tr angott hofer at gfell which meetings have b been een attended by th the e inhabitants inhabit ints of Nieder wyl to listen to the preaching of these mormon missionaries mission anies aa asare asure a result s uit of these meetings several persons particularly young ladies have become converts to the and emigrated to their mormon territory utah utai on the of september at noot noon i such a meeting took place at angott traugott Tr hafers Ho fers As he had given a written invitation to the aforementioned justice of the peace to come and witness the proceedings ce edings and ayd satisfy himself whether th the e new newspapers shapers or t the he men of utah tell the truth he accordingly attended the meeting to witness the and inform himself upon these mormon doctrines and determine upon the best method 0 of P putting eting an end to this his mormon swindle wi by which such immoral ammo ral rai doctrines are promulgated the court therefore summoned these mormon missionaries by police notice on the following day to appear before him which was duly complied with in the evidence given schoenfeld feidi feldi in answer to questions propounded to him stated he had been bent to preach the gospel and make converts to the mormon religion confessed i he was here to preach mormonism and make converts to their faith the honorable state Attorn evon eyon the of october found and decided gie fie the free exercise of religious service is within the limits of morality and therefore res restricted tricked by act 60 50 of the confederacy all things considered only mormons cormons acknowledge and accept as a part of their faith the doctrine of plural marriage this principle is not only contrary to our acknowledged principles of morality but also in direct violation of act 6 of our penal code the preaching of these persons is therefore forbidden and it becomes the duty of this honorable court of to explain to them the offense and punishment broucht brought upon themselves by their preaching before the thy district court schoenfeld and further declared that polygamy was true according to the bible but bill they did not preach it as they were forbidden so to do but they t ey were simply instructed to preach the th gospel elwe ve endeavor to obey the laws of the land and no more jacob hofer father and Tr angott tt hofer testified that the doctrine of p plural lural marriage was not preached nor p practiced here as for in n utah they did not know As a result of the above investigation this district court announces the following findings the th mormon missionaries schoenfeld and hochstraser Hoc listra ser who confessed to holding a meeting in a private house de declared ared they were sent out to preach the gospel in order to make converts to mormonism and further that plurality of wives is a holy prine princ l pie contained in the bible but that t they ae y did not preach polygamy because them they were forbidden but only the gospel ask we now the question Is this propaganda of th the e mormons cormons punishable then we must assert that it is the mormons cormons practice as is known and as is generally genc wenc rally raily believed believed the doctrine of pol polygamy agamy Ac according cordin to the the act of the penal code coite plural marriage is forbidden and is punishable by imprisonment and the people of all christian states regard plurality in the highest degree Immo raland is therefore nil nii not tolerated ted if now these mormon apostles through nigh their discourses as the they y have confessed make converts to their religion and seek to emigrate them to their mormon territory which would follow as a natural consequence see testimony of pertaining perta inin to emigration agents primarily with a view of increasing the number of females then they will actually increase the thel lormon mormon sect and thereby as a natural result also polygamists for their immoral community these parties confessed that they did not dot preach poly poix polygamy amy bause because they were forbidden which however only makes their case worse as they thereby hide bide the real object ob act of their teaching thus deceiving in r for the purpose pur pose poso of leading leadia their converts eon verts into a country and to a sect where they will be compelled to believe the doctrine of polygamy the preaching of these mormons cormons is therefore an immoral practice simply an enlist ment to make converts to join an immoral community which cannot be a state and wherever found should be strenuously opposed and punished with h heavy a penalty penalty nalty therefore they are forever for var te banished from tills canton co condemned upon their own confes confessions sons aa as apos laborers for pursuit ip life from which practice however they will scarcely desist therefore the court has truthfully rendert rendered d the following decision 1 frederick schoenfeld and ind ru RIA dolph are hereby sentenced to pay a fine of francs each in default of which they be imprisoned twenty five days according to verdict 2 they are banished from the capton canton cap ton of argau 3 they are also required to pay the expenses of the court amounting to thirty francs the minority of lof the court voted twenty days imprisonment instead of twenty tive live it is f further urther agreed that this tills decision be submitted to aforementioned the parties arties in writing and will be in fu full fuli il force fourteen days af aften after ten teg delivery unless an appeal to a higher court courtne be granted G A STRAHL judge of the district DItri ct court ZAc hman hmar court secretary i |