Show T Polygamous Sect Mopes In ant and v Texas Town Asks W Wll I 1 f. f if 1 Sylvia Moreno r K t The Washington Post Port By anyone's account 2003 was a banner banner banner ban ban- ner news year in this tiny town on the west western rn edge of Texas' Texas rolling Hill Country A man killed his father in the first homicide here in two decades and an elderly man pushing brush with a bulldozer bulldozer bull bull- dozer was stung to death by killer bees A local businessman pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and was hauled off to federal prison and nine residents most of them members of the First Baptist Church were killed in an accident on their way to visit historic sites in in Pennsylvania I thought well we'll never have another year like that said Randy Mankin the time part-time city administrator and time full-time publisher and editor of the Eldorado Success a weekly newspaper Then in mid-March mid this thing came along like along like a UFO landed north of town The polygamists had arrived and Eldorado population 1951 hasn't been the same since Your first question is Why Eldorado II said Jeri Whitten director of the Schleicher County Public Library which nowadays has a waiting list for its small collection of books about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Latter Saints whose members are Eldorado's newest neighbors Local and state officials are trying to find out why the group chose this location location location loca loca- tion especially because of recent allegations allegations allegations allega allega- against the sect which sect which broke away from the mainstream mainstream mainstream main main- stream Mormon Church when it banned polygamy in of 1890 child abuse forced marriage and fraud The sect known as the is led by self-proclaimed self prophet Warren Jeffs 48 who along with two of his brothers was accused in a civil lawsuit filed this summer in Salt Lake City of sodomizing a nephew when the boy was 5 and of coercion for trying trying trying try try- ing to keep the boy from discussing discussing discussing dis dis- dis- dis cussing the abuse Jeffs and his brothers have denied the allegations through a church spokesman The practices plural marriage a spiritual ritual arranged by the groups group's prophet through what the church teaches are revelations from God Having multiple multiple multiple multi multi- wives members believe gives them access to the highest level in heaven the Celestial Kingdom Today the fundamentalists fundamentalists fundamentalists funda funda- mentalists claim a membership of to most living in the twin cities of Hildale Utah and Colorado City Ariz where they run their own schools police departments and businesses and boast families that include dozens of wives and dozens of children Recent cases brought by Utah and Arizona law enforcement authorities to prosecute the problems associated with polygamy polygamy bigamy bigamy criminal nonsupport of children child rape forced marriage manage of minor minor girls and welfare have fraud shone the spotlight on the insular com com- That attention said a Salt Lake City lawyer who speaks for Jeffs and the prompted the sect to look for a anew anew anew new outpost and retreat in Texas Rodney Parker said the Eldorado compound compound compound com com- pound will be used by about church members who have no interest in political cal or civic involvement in Eldorado People can go there to concentrate and focus on their religious mission without the interferences and pressures they've been subjected to toll in Arizona and Utah Parker said a very private private private vate people and right now they're feeling very picked on II But the groups group's efforts here are attracting attracting attracting attract attract- ing widespread attention An informal squad of local businessmen and officials flies over the sects sect's compound regularly Schleicher County Sheriff David Doran is in regular contact with the group and the Eldorado Success has been running ff page front page nt-page stories on n it Its been a nice town until now Everybody's like kin to each other we all know each other said retired housekeeper Amelia Rodriguez 60 I get kind of scared because theres there's no telling what's going to happen I 1 dont don't like it I 1 dont don't feel its it's a good place for them to be |