Show r J PLEADS GUILTY I The Course Pursued by Claudius V i Spencer He Acknowledges His Mistake and Proposes to Uphold the Law in the Future I Sentence Is Suspended and He Goes I 1 On His Way Rejoicing AVhen the Third District Court was j called to order this morning it was whispered I whis-pered around that one of those recently I indicted for unlawful cohabitation would I plead guilty This impression was verified I when Mr Dickson arose and stated that i Claudius V Spencer desired an arraignment i arraign-ment The indictment having been read to the I defendant the Clerk asked I AVhat is your plea to this indictment guilty or not guilty I Mr Spencer plead guilty The Court Guilty to the charge Mr Spencer Guilty to the charge and I would beg your Honors leniency I my I strength permits in justice to myself and I in justice to the community of all classes Iwould like to make an explanation The Court You may make your explanation ex-planation i vou have any to make Mr Sponcer When the Edmunds law was known to have become law in this Territory I and my wives made a covenant cove-nant to obey the Edmunds law to the best of our knowledge The second wife whose name appears in this indictment remained under my roof I suppose and I wish here here for the good of our community com-munity if your Honor will permit there are hundreds of what are called Mormons in this Territory believed they kept the Edmunds law if they refrained from sexual sex-ual intercourse So careful was I mv only income being from boarding or keeping keep-ing hotel that not to give offense to public pub-lic feeling or to give an OppO tunity to I come within the reach of the law I paid I this second wife wages as help She has eaten every meal for three years that has been eaten in my house with my servant girls or alone in the kitchen and in every respect to the best of my knowledge we have IIONORA15LY AND FAITHFULLY KEPT THIS LAW The Court Is that all you wish Fo say Mr Spencer Mi Spencer simply wish to add that I have a good many dependent on me for support that outside of my house and lot on which there is a mortgage of a pretty heavy amount I have no income and that in pleading guilty to this charge I plead guilty to it on the construction I that your Honor has rendered I do not plead guilty to any intent or known criminal act and it must rest in the mercy and the kindness of your Honor to say how much innocent women and innocent children shall be punished for the punishment will fall upon them for a mistake that we have made The Court AVell let me see if I understand un-derstand you Do I understand you to say that you are not living with either one of our wives now except the last oneMr Mr SpencerI am living with my first wife wifeThe The Con tYel do all your wives live in the same house with you I Mr Spencer Yes I have another wife lest there should be some misapprehension misapprehen-sion that has not lived with me nor I with her for some fourteen years she lives some distance away I The Court AVell this offense of unlawful unlaw-ful cohabitation consists in living with a I woman as your wifein holding her out to thE world as your wife I is not necessary I neces-sary that you should have sexual intercourse inter-course with her or sleep in the same I room with Her I you live with her and hold her out by your conduct or by your expressions and representations you are guilty of unlawful cohabitation With that view do you plead guilty to this charge Mr SpencerI will answer you in effect Judge I have no knowledge of ever having introduced this woman or called her in any other way than Mrs Spencer that was before the Edmunds law was passed I may have done it The CourtHer name was not Spencer before you married her I Mr Spencer No we have been married mar-ried about twentyfour years The Court How long since you were married to the first one Mr SpencerI married her in 1853 The Court There is no dispute but what you cohabit with your first wife The question is do you propose to con I I I tinue to live with both of these women I and represent both as your wives f Mr Spencer wish to say to Your I Honor that I can make conscientiously the promise and I can do no further than II that whatever the punishment may be that I will live and influence my family I to live the Edmunds law according to your construction j The CourtThat is not the question The tion is queston question whether you propose to live with these women and represent and I hold them out as your wives Mr SpencerI dont I The CourtDo you propose hereafter hereafer to obey the Edmunds law faithfully I Mr SpencerThat is faithfuly propose to do your Honor The CourtAnd to advise others to do it itMr Mr SpencerI have done that The Court The question is whether you propose to do it in the future Mr Spencer I propose keeping the Edmunds law according to your con struction snd advise nobody to break it The CourtHonestly and faithfully Mr SpencerYes flithfuly Mr Dickson prosecuting here arose and said In view attorney the statement which the defendant has made I recommend that judgment in his case be suspended I think if he carries out his promise in good faith he ought not to I suffer 1 suggest that judgment be judgent sus pended The Court The court is disposed to give you the opportunity to see whether by your life and lfe conduct you propose to carry out the provisions of the promises made today I will therefore suspend judgment suspnd for the present At some future time the sentence will be wi pro flounced not at present You will pro be given a fair chance wi withdrew Mr Spencer thanked the court and |