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Show Dis Lafferty s have own way of looking at life I Ctffie editor's column J By MARC HADDOCK The events surrounding the murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, and the subsequent arrest of Ronald and Dan Lafferty in connection with those murders, have generated intense local interest. Probably -nothing has generated "as manjL rumors, nor as much speculation. - Here are a few impressions, and points of interest, which, while unrelated, may prove interesting :-The :-The courtroom discussion was about who the news photographers could and couldn't take pictures of. What happened at the Lafferty's preliminary hearing presented a new situation for many of the people toting cameras in the courtroom, and since the ground rules had not yet been explained, there was a lot of questions about who could and could not be photographed. "Can we take pictures of the witnesses, or do we have to have a photo release?" was a common concern. As individual rights were discussed, and it was pointed out that Dan and Ron Lafferty, now in the position of public figures, were fair game for the cameras. The photographer from the Salt Lake Tribune, with typical newsroom cynicism, spelled out the main consideration: "I don't think anybody feels the Laffertys have any rights any more." The comment was offered as dry humor, and for the most part accepted ac-cepted as such, but it points out the effect of a sensational crime which gets wide attention. To further muddy the Issue, the state has been diligently working to provide the brothers a fair trial, but they seem to be working hard KoylewhilehewM.Bve.Tk. flotation mill that ' 0 hillside above Salem aj con monument to Koyleandfc, ! Im gold and precious ore b' j Tat mountain. " &s Koyle kept the mine the after year with propheciBd ire how the gold would befc J sch just one more week, ho, ,,) cuc would prove to be rich if tt;,' Mill smelting procedure could t "Rc produced. g He did all this against iix elen opposition from both the y Alpi Utah and the Mormon Critic,1 and were convinced that the Mine was the grandaddydi:,;' '' Valley con schemes. Koyle made some predict. ' And the Laffertys have b:.- ,. they believethemantobeap-. ' There are some good reasons The man foretold the crash of 1929, and the endo!;.-Warll. endo!;.-Warll. j He predicted the "end si. Republican Elephant." Si:.;: Taylor, writing around l!ij 1970's, said this "clearly i,. the debacle of Watergate Ri " that at this time both the p f" and vice president would dn-fl they did, politically." Quoting that same precis recent news conference, ferty said this prediction J indicates that Pres. Reagr -in office. Apparently, such prefc-'-: be molded to mean v.taM son wants them to mean is true of words. And," cases, it might also be sa -' when an individual i: -society's accepted codes, justifies the laws that pte-her. pte-her. r themselves to make sure that no effective defense is presented in the case. - . -Words mean different things to different people. Several newspaper reports have labeled the brothers as "self-declared prophets." In a sense, they are. When a reporter asked Ron Lafferty if he was a prophet, he replied, "Yes, I'm a prophet. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ and I am testifying that he will come again." The answer bears an uncanny resemblance to the answer 'Joseph Smith gave to the same question: "Do you believe Joseph Smith, Jun., to be a Prophet?" The answer: "Yes, and every other man who has the testimony of Jesus. For the testimony of Jesus is. the spirit of prophecy." That definition is found in a book called "Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith. It is one of the books requested for reading at the Utah County Jail by the Laffertys. By that definition, this area is full of self-proclaimed prophets. Dan Lafferty has gone on to clarify that he believes his brother is a revelator as well. That's what the newspapers mean when they let these men call themselves prophets. -A short time before the slayings of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, Dan and a woman claiming to be his polygamous wife showed up in Big Water, Utah, the community established by polygamist Alec Joseph. There, following a dispute, Lafferty Laf-ferty gave the woman a "Bill of Divorce," effectively ending the relationship which obviously had a similar beginning. To most of us, that might not make sense. But consider the following advice of Brigham Young in 1861 concerning divorce: "When a woman becomes alienated in her feelings and affections af-fections from her husband, it is then his duty to give her a Bill and set her tree wnicn would be fornication for the man to cohabit with his wife after she had thus become alienated from him." Dan Lafferty's approach to his polygamous marriage apparently is based on the practice as it was laid down by early Mormon leaders, and is the result of some study into the practice. -When Salem, Utah, was identified iden-tified as the location for the City of Refuge the Laffertys hoped to help build, it didn't take long to figure out that the project was connected to John Koyle's Dream Mine. The Dreamers - stockholders in the mine - are considered by some to be the "largest social group movement" in the entire history of the LDS Church. No one knows how many people own shares of stock in the 90-year-old mine. The mine has never produced ore of any type, but that didn't stop John |