| Show SO NO VICTIM FOR FOB THE SACRIFICE THE chief topic of conversa conversation for severa several I 1 days his has been the trial of president george Q cannon on the charge of unlawful cohabitation set for today in the third district court opinion nas has been divided as to the probability of his appearing also as to the wisest course for him to pursue in view of all the circumstances A very large number of people have expressed their conviction that it he was once ence in the hands of those who have manifested 8 such ach an eager desire to single 1 him out for the laws vengeance he would be kept on one pretext or another until his life would be worn out and they have openly said they hoped he won would ther d not be sa so foolish a as 4 to place himself in the power ot of his enemies others have taken the view that he ought to run all the risks because lie he was under bonds and that his nonappearance appearance non would be taken advantage of by the enemies of the people to still further inflame the public mind against the mormons cormons Mor mons and it has been been thought by others that in the bodily condition of the defendant fen dant it would be imprudent for him to undertake to stand his trial for the present and that on proper certificates from medical men he would obtain a continuance his nonappearance appearance non in court this morning when his name was called settled the dispute and indicated that the defendant intended to walt wait until he could have a fair trial the haste to declare his bonds forfeit showed the animus of the prosecuting attorney and that he be had anticipated the result and his subsequent remarks as related elsewhere in this paper were tokens of the personal spleen which he indulged in against the defendant and of the vindictive spirit in which the he prosecution was instituted we have no knowledge of president cannons whereabouts reasons or intentions tent ions bilut we canfora can form some idea of what may have influenced him by reflecting upon the peculiar circumstances of his case it Is well known that every possible effort has been made to fasten upon him a number of cli charges with a view to the destruction of arfe h his s influence among the mormon P people e 0 le he has been looked upon as thep t power powerful tul of the mormon leaders not understanding the organization of our church or the real causes of the faith unity and devotion of its members the mistake has been made of taking him for its head and directing mind and it his has been openly declared that if he could be removed 71 out of the way the mormon church could be sub subdued dued with comparative para tive facility A reward of five hundred dollars was set upon his big head although he be was only indicted tor for a simple misdemeanor and that on such slender evidence that it would not hold tor for a moment against any one but a mormon 11 when he was arrested while on his way to perform a mission to which he had been a appointed hinted by proper authority extraordinary and unlawful inea measures were adopted to make his capture appear like a triumph ever aver some formidable and dangerous malefactor A body of troops was sent to escort hipa him to this city and he be was placed under military surveillance as a prisoner of war the united states marshal surrendering him to the custody of soldiers who surrounded him witti with loaded weapons and thrust his bis friends f from rom his presence when brought into court although maimed and wounded from his accident and sick with a prostrating pro bodily infirmity an attempt was made by the prosecuting attorney to hurry on his trial in spite of his f feeble condition and when thirty days time was demanded the unheard of ball bail in the sum of was required for his appearance and two other complaints on the same charge having been trumped up agamet him he was compelled to kive give bonds of for each to appear be fore the theu US S commissioner his alleged offense was unlawful cohabitation with b bis Is wives the f full all penalty for which is a fine of and six months imprisonment and his bis bonds to answer to this amounted to the enormous sum of nothing of the kind can be found in the annals of jurisprudence the witnesses wanted in his case were placed under arrest on the sabbath day and bonds required of them in the sum of 2500 each w which aich in some instances were raised to desperate attempts were made by scouring the country for witnesses to fix upon him a charge of polygamy this failing in two different cases another was fabricated and the intention was clearly displayed to indict him if possible no matter how groundless was the allegation boasts were made freely stated as having come from the prosecuting ati at torney that president cannon would be held for the term of his natural life also that he would be sent to a distant prison and his condition be made perfectly unbearable at the time when the extraordinary bonds were demanded for his appearance the prosecuting attorney claimed that the defend defendant ante attempted to bribe a nevada official to allow him aim to escape something of which the attorney had no knowledge and which was improper to allege at that time under any circumstances anait and it became common talk that the intention of president cannons persecutors was by segregating cohabitation cases by charges of of polygamy and by getting etting up a case of attempted bribery f an fn n nevada to wear him out and ruin him in person property the power to condemn afrin ar innocent person to the penitentiary for a pro traded term has been exemplified in more than one actual case we need refer to no other than that of apostle lorenzo snow although the evidence for the prosecution was clear and positive that the defendant had only lived with one woman as his bis wife since the passage of the edmunds act he e was as c convicted oa under that act in face of the evidence and sentenced to three penalties aggregating nine hundred dollars fine and eighteen months imprisonment and Is now in the penitentiary when j juries uries are selected tor for the pur u pose of convicting when the I 1 law is rendered so as to catch every accused used person common rumor being received as proof when the dictum of the prosecuting attorney is echoed py by the judge as a ruling when the whole forces of the courts are directed to secure convIct conviction lou i when the tion to make a special case against the defendant is known when the statement attributed to the prosecuting officer is heard that Indict indictments manta would be found enough to send the prisoner up for thirty years and he would be dead before the time was out when indictment Is known to be equivalent to conviction Is it any wonder that the object of these special proceedings should hesitate about placing himself in hi the hands handa ot of those who seek his bis destruction the sentiment expressed by bv many persons here has been shared by eminent and thoughtful men in the east that if george Q cannon ever placed himself Inthe in the power of ins his persecutors he would be very unwise tor for they would never permit him to regain his liberty and ana we are not deaf to the thre threat made in this pis city bv individuals who have ane will will to fa do what they declared that if either of the presidency wail secured he should not escape with his bis life the justification tor for president cannons course is in the special andee and peculiar circumstances of his case weighed against his life or ills his prolonged incarceration with the design of wearing out his life the money value of his bonds is not to be counted as a feather in the scales hundreds of poor or people during the past few weeks uve have expressed t their air willingness to he help raise the money to liquidate them an and N let those who think that he ought to shave have come fop forward ward in accordance cor dance with those bonds ask themselves what benefit would have resulted from his surrender either to 0 him or to the people does any an one imagine that he would have been fairly rawly tried for the offense with which he wa wais charged has there been any indication of fairness in his case from the beginning does not the whole course of the prosecution show a determination to run him down as the one special object of hatred and vengeance have we not net had bad enough evidence of the honor of our enemies does not the blood of joseph and hyrum stain the soil of illinois as proof of af the trust to be placed in t the e pledged word of anti mormon officials alq ar scars on the body of president taylor 11 indisputable disputable tokens odthe of the good faith ol 01 of government dignitaries who wants to see repeated the acts of carthage jail our experience exper leace should teach us an ever memorable morable ide lesson the darts of our foes are always aimed towards the head bead justice law mercy and truth are cast to the winds when the emissaries of satan fired bt by bigotry inspired by malice and bent ent on revenue ven venue e rush forward to destroy our leaders and trample upon our rights they have marked george Q cannon for their prey let every good man and woman rejoice that at present they have ave not succeeded ali alf who are acquainted with the man know that he be bisno is no coward Hels he Is both morally and physically courageous he is as ready as any of his brethren to brave and endure all things when cessare ces sary his friends friend will swill oe be sure that he is not acting without the best of advice and they know that when he Is satisfied he is right he will not fall fail to go ahead no matter what may be the consequences 1 tire the rage of hip adversaries that heis not in their grasp is eVi evidence deripe that he be ought not to be in their clutches and many a heart will beat with gratitude tonight to night when the news ds received that president george Q cannon ls is not in the hands of his implacable and unprincipled foes A fair trial for a mormon is not to be expected under present conditions until packed juries prejudiced judges spiteful attorney sand special arrangements for the conviction of the innocent and the multiplication malti in on of penalties upon af pf persons esons only technical technically ay guilty are things of the past in utah our fervent prayer will be that president george Q cannon may be sate safe from contact with the minions of the law whose hearts are closed against the pleadings af f justice |
