Cornell University Library 
 
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 3 1924 031 249 455 
 
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 CORNELL 
 
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A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 AMONG 
 
 THE MORMONS 
 
 OR 
 
 POLYGAMIST MORMONS 
 
 HOW THEY LIVE ANDTHE LAND THEY LIVE IN 
 
 BY 
 
 FRED E BENNETT 
 
 Deputy UnitedrStates Marshal 
 
 MORMONISM UNMASKED 
 
 How Slaves Are Made; How Kept in Subjection 
 Secrets of the Far -Famed, and Iniquitous Endowment House 
 The Veil Drawn Aside by One Who Has Been Through It 
 
 Copyrighted 1887 
 By LAIRD & LEE 
 
 CHICAGO 
 
 LAIRD & LEE PUBLISHERS 
 
 Cobnee Clabk & Adams Sts, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Introduction .-.-.--..17 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Doing Business Among the Mormons — How Run Out 
 by Them 19 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Appointed Deputy 'United States Marshal for Idaho to 
 Collect Evidence and Make Arrests — First Arrest 
 of the Crusade — John Winn, a Polygamist through 
 Ignorance — Lying Reduced to a Science — Martin 
 Boyeson's Unsavory Record - - - - - 24 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Rufus Walker's " Baby Ranche " — A Conscientious Polyg- 
 amist — His Flight and Capture in the Cellar of a 
 Zion's Co-operative Institution - - - - 30 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Arthur Peck, a Lazy Mormon — Polygamy a Good Busi- 
 ness Enterprise 42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Andrew Bioran's Story — Jealousy in the Harem — The 
 
 Mink Creek Settlement 45 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Henderson's Case — Lechery and Incest . . . 56 
 
14 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Secrets of the Far-famed and Iniquitous "Endowment 
 House" Laid Bare — The Veil Drawn Aside by 
 Apostate Mormon ....... 62 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Bishop Porter — Sanctity of Marriage From a Mormon 
 
 Standpoint — Perjury Upheld - - - -67 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Frightened Mormons — The Animals Stirred Up - -92 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A Gentile Polygamist — Garrison, a "Native of Virginia 
 
 Sah ! " - - ...... 95 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 Trip to Paris, the Mormon Stronghold in Idaho, as Can 
 
 vas-man with Cushing's Circus - - - - 02 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "Jack Mormons"— Who They Are and What They Are 
 
 Like 127 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 Mobbed by Mormons at Franklin — How They Got Left. 129 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Dixon — A Brave Man "In His Mind," .... 137 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 Jergensen — Poverty No Bar to Polygamy - . -143 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. IS 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A Trip Through^ the Heart of Mormondom — Scenery 
 and Incidents — The Land They Live In — Great 
 Temple at Logan — The Church Ranches — Sancti- 
 fied Live Stock 146 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 A Female Champion — Red Pepper vs. Warrants - - 164 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 How and Where Mormons Get Converts — Mormon Mir- 
 acles — Butcher Knife vs. Mormon Missionaries — 
 Early Marriages to Build Up Zion - - - - 170 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 Harvey Dixon Once More — Held at Bay - - 182 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 Trip to Paris in Midwinter — Two Hundred Miles in a 
 Sleigh — Father Takes His Own Daughter Into His 
 Harem as Wife — A Good Haul ... 189 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 David Jenson, a Brutal Dane — Squalor and Misery - 203,,-' 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Solomon Edwards — Mormons Capture Mormons — The 
 Biters Bitten - - 206 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 Brother Nelson, a Dane, Marries the Whole Family - 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 The Famed Mountain Meadow Massacre — The Brutal 
 
 Morrisite Outrage ....... 233 
 
16 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 Brother Handy, Husband and Brother-in-Lawto His Own 
 Wives and Father and Uncle to His Own Children — 
 Pulled From a Straw Stack 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Mormon Persecution of Gentiles — Husbands by Proxy 
 — The Church Opens Houses of Prostitution With 
 Harlots Brought From San Francisco — Peep Holes 
 for Mormon Police — Signal Failure of the Scheme — 
 Plotters Tried and Sentenced — Mobbing Officials — 
 Disgusting Means Resorted To — Mobbing Mr. and 
 Mrs. Stenhouse — Attempted Assassination of Deputy 
 Marshal Collins — A Saintly Crew - - - 244 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A Queer Hiding Place — Mormons Seek and Find Refuge 
 
 in a Jail — How a Mormon Sheriff Stood by the Gang 250 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Anti-Mormon Champions — Poker and Prayer — The 
 Test Oath — The New West Academies — Orthodox 
 Churches to the Rescue 260 
 
 Hymns 2 y 2 
 
 Appendix - 283 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 As THE Mormon People have, by their pecul- 
 iar so-called religion, made the name of "Mor- 
 mon" notorious, if not popular, and thinking 
 that items picked up during a residence of years 
 among them, three of which were spent in bring- 
 ing to justice Mormons guilty of the crime of 
 polygamy, might be of interest, I have written 
 the following narrative of facts. As among the 
 forty polygamists arrested by me there were 
 men with from two to seventeen wives, many of 
 the facts will be found stranger than fiction, and 
 as everything written can be verified, it will be 
 found a picture of things as they exist to-day in 
 the Territories of Arizona, Utah, Idaho and the 
 eastern part of the State of Nevada. The Mor- 
 mons occupy to-day some of the very choicest 
 land in America, and while they prate about 
 making "the wilderness to blossom like the rose," 
 in reality they keep the country years behind 
 the age, and if all the bloody deeds committed 
 by them in the past forty years could be dragged 
 forth, they would, if formed in procession, make 
 such a ghastly array, as would put to the blush 
 
1 8 A detective's experience 
 
 the infamous Spanish Inquisition; and although 
 nothing very blood-curdling is promised in these 
 pages, they will give, we believe, an insight into 
 the class of people that uphold and build up the 
 unholy institution. 
 
 The supremacy of the Mormon Church means 
 the enslavement of men, the degradation of 
 women, and the utter destruction of the home 
 circle. Our churches, schools and firesides are 
 menaced by this overshadowing evil. Broken- 
 hearted mothers, neglected children, and the 
 most cruel social desolation are the necessary 
 results of the Mormon creed, as not only taught 
 but commanded by John Taylor, the Twelve 
 Apostles, Bishops, Deacons and Elders of this 
 so-called church. Polygamy not only degrades 
 to the level of the beasts of the field, but it pol- 
 lutes whole communities, taints the young mind, 
 breeds infamy and ridicules virtue. Many are 
 not aware that in scores of towns, villages and 
 hamlets in the Territories already mentioned this 
 state of affairs exists. The foregoing picture is 
 not overwrought; it is naked, unwholesome 
 truth ; and. if the naked facts, with no desire to 
 paint in darker colors or set down aught in 
 malice, are found as interesting to others as 
 they have proved to me, then their mission shall 
 have been accomplished. So without further 
 preamble we will proceed. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 Doing Business Among the Mormons — How Run Out 
 by Them. 
 
 Having been in business for two or three 
 years in Idaho, in the Mormon section of it — 
 that is, Southeastern Idaho — and having reasons 
 for desiring to leave the field that seemed to be 
 coveted by the leaders of the Mormon Church, 
 who left nothing undone to make life wretched 
 for any one outside of the Mormon Church, per- 
 haps it would be well to go back a few months 
 and give a brief review of how they not only 
 spread their doctrines but acquire territory. 
 Should a Gentile move into a Mormon settle- 
 ment and attempt to do business, for a time all 
 will go on smoothly enough ; the Saints will deal 
 with him to a certain extent, and if there is found 
 to be any prospect of making a conyert of him, 
 only the best side of Mormonism will be shown, 
 and so thoroughly are they drilled in hypocrisy 
 by their Presidents, Bishops, Apostles, Deacons, 
 Elders and Teachers, each one acting as a spy 
 on the actions of the one beneath him in grade, 
 or just as they are classified above. The President, 
 John Taylor, of course comes first. He has two 
 Counselors, and so on down to the Teachers, 
 each official has his Counselors or Advisers. 
 And when it is taken into consideration that 
 
20 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 each town, village and hamlet is provided with a 
 full set, and their business consists of the propa- 
 gation of the Mormon religion and their hearts 
 are filled with a hatred for all who choose to 
 differ from them, it needs no great stretch of the 
 imagination to conceive of men capable of a 
 Mountain Meadow massacre stooping to do any- 
 thing to one whom their religion taught them 
 was not only not of them, but also by his presence 
 in their midst a menace. And so it was in the 
 case of myself; and many other Gentiles can 
 testify that this state of things does exist even 
 now. But to how much greater extent it existed 
 when the law of Brigham Young was the 
 supreme law of that section of country occupied 
 by Mormons, and when he had human blood- 
 hounds or Danites ready to commit any atrocity 
 that he thought would in any way further the 
 ends of the band of criminals that formed the 
 Mormon Church. In this enlightened age, with 
 railroads and telegraph lines in all directions, it 
 is not found expedient to resort to violence. 
 The Mormon leaders, being cowards as all cruel 
 and tyrannical men in all ages have been, finding 
 that a few Gentiles had determined to make 
 their home among them, as they could not resort 
 to the good old ways so prevalent in the dark 
 and bloody days of Mormon supremacy, resorted 
 to the petty annoyance plan ; and as Gentiles as 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 21 
 
 a rule do not like to live like animals, our efforts 
 to build and beautify homes for ourselves were 
 looked on as a bad example to the ignorant rank 
 and file of the Mormons around us, whose allegi- 
 ance to the Church is in a great measure due to 
 ignorance and superstition which the leaders can 
 play on so deftly. What is called a " New 
 Stake of Zion" was established, and the lines 
 between Mormon and Gentile more closely 
 drawn. Mormons were forbidden to work for 
 Gentiles. They were also admonished by their 
 Teachers not to transact business with Gentiles. 
 Their Deacons — many of them old worn-out 
 reprobates, steeped to the lips in crime, and who, 
 had they been served as they deserved, would 
 years ago have been sent to a higher court than 
 that of earth for trial — would tell them that it 
 was on account of their sins that they were now 
 being punished by the presence of the Gentiles 
 in their midst ; and that by their refraining from 
 all intercourse with us we would be compelled 
 to leave, and it would only be a question of a 
 short time when our places would be had for- a 
 song. Old George Q. Cannon would tell them 
 the Mormon God-was a business God, and if 
 they only brought in tithing, and would keep 
 whatever business they had among themselves, 
 very soon their God, whom he spoke of with 
 about as much respect as one could expect a 
 
22 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 heathen to speak of one of his idols, would show 
 them that their efforts were appreciated. As a 
 result, business slacked up, and as life is too 
 short to stay in a community where there is no 
 enjoyment — at least that is the light in which it 
 is looked at by me — it was decided to let one 
 part of their teachers' prophecy come true ; and 
 as they had determined to establish a "Zion's 
 Co-operative Institution" where it would do the 
 most good in "knocking me out." I saw the 
 president of the institution. I told him that, 
 owing to circumstances over which we had no 
 control, etc., we had decided to close out, and 
 would be pleased to have him look over the 
 stock and we had no doubt we could come to 
 terms. As it pleased him to think that his 
 preaching had already borne fruit, and he was 
 anxious to prove to others what his eloquence 
 had been instrumental in accomplishing, he was 
 fed on. "taffy" as long as he was willing to take 
 it. We told him that his sermons had decided 
 us on taking this step, and that we had concluded 
 to sell out. We managed to get out in pretty good 
 shape, but still felt sore to think such a move was 
 necessary ; and when all was done with we 
 
 could not help telling Brother P that we 
 
 would, in all probability, remember his kindness ; 
 and I have no doubt that during his residence of 
 a year in Boise City penitentiary he has*had 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 23 
 
 plenty of time for reflection. Although we felt 
 sorry for him, we could not but feel that the God 
 he trusted in was - a delusion, a snare. Soon 
 after the sale, being appointed Deputy United 
 States Marshal for the Territories of Idaho and 
 Utah, my duties gave me a more comprehensive 
 insight into Mormonism than I had hitherto 
 received. 
 
24 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Appointed Special D. U. S. M. for Idaho, to Collect 
 Evidence and Make Arrests — First Arrest of the 
 Crusade — John Winn, a Polygamist Through Igno- 
 rance — Lying Reduced to a Science — Martin Boy sen's 
 Unsavory Record. 
 
 About this time politics began to loom up, and 
 as Southeastern Idaho happened to have men to 
 the front that were thoroughly conversant with 
 the Mormon question, and who bent their ener- 
 gies in the one direction — that of putting a stop 
 to the encroachments of Mormonism — it was not 
 long before the Mormons were in a state that 
 was to us fellows to whom they had shown their 
 fangs a source of great amusement. My busi- 
 ness as Deputy United States Marshal consisted 
 largely in arresting Mormons guilty of the crime 
 of polygamy, and I found the greatest pleasure 
 in attending strictly to that business. I was 
 generally to be found traveling by railroad, 
 staging or on horseback in pursuit of polyga- 
 mists. There never had been a great deal of 
 love lost between the Mormons and myself, and 
 now it became, figuratively speaking, " war to 
 the knife." Their hatred of me found vent in the 
 Logan Journal and other Mormon sheets, but on 
 taking a retrospective view of the past I am 
 satisfied that they got the worst of it. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 2$ 
 
 Mormonism, like a good many more creeds, is 
 based on whatever passages of the Bible can b& 
 strained to meet their views and further the ends 
 of the leaders. Anything in the Bible that is 
 found to bear down on their practices is strictly 
 tabooed, and when they cannot torture the Script- 
 ures to suit their vile purposes they claim Divine 
 revelation as their authority. While we were 
 aware that polygamy was practiced to a great 
 extent, yet on starting in to arrest polygamists, it 
 was found that evidence to be binding would 
 have to be gotten from the friends and relatives 
 of " Mr. Polyg. " As their creed is different from 
 almost any other, " thou shalt not bear false wit- 
 ness, " from what I have seen, must read in their 
 catechism " thou shalt lie when it suits thy pur- 
 pose ; " for, of all the square, single-handed liars 
 on earth Mormons stand out pre-eminent. After 
 a while so sure did I become that their propen- 
 sity for lying could be relied on that I have never 
 hesitated to bet on it when opportunity offered. 
 A case in point will illustrate how they are taught 
 to lie from their cradles. One day myself and two 
 friends were walking up the railroad track just 
 outside the town of Franklin, Idaho, and our 
 conversation turned upon this propensity of the 
 Mormons. We shortly noticed a little midget 
 approaching us, and I offered to bet that he would 
 lie, no matter what I asked him. As he came up 
 
26 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 close I said, " What is your name, sonny ? " He 
 hesitated a moment, and finally stammered out, 
 " B-b-brown, sir. " We could all see by his man- 
 ner of replying that he was not telling the truth, 
 and after asking him another question or two I 
 said, " Now, little one, what made you tell a lie ? 
 You know your name is not Brown. " No, sir, " 
 he said, " it's Packer ; but when you axed me I 
 did not know you wuz Mormons, and daddy sez 
 we must be orful keerful. " I replied, " that is 
 right, my son, but if you're a Mormon I am sure 
 you can give me the grip. " " Oh yes, sir, I can 
 give it," he said, with an alacrity only equaled by 
 his previous hesitation. " Turn it loose, my 
 son, " said I, assuming as sanctimonious a look as 
 possible. So placing his little skinny hand in 
 mine, he gave me the Grip. Although not over- 
 burdened with sentimentality, I could but wonder 
 where such a religion would drag the poor 
 wretches that were tied to it. 
 
 We soon became better informed as to the 
 workings of Mormonism, and men who had lived 
 for years with what they knew was a sealed 
 book, commenced to give me valuable informa- 
 tion, when they found the United States govern- 
 ment had at last determined to curb the insolence 
 of the lustful, ignorant and boastful Mormon. 
 Such information was invariably given under the 
 strictest injunctions as to secrecy, as they well 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 27 
 
 knew that were they discovered, their property 
 would be destroyed, and in all probability their 
 lives would pay the penalty. Very many men 
 were found ready to break from a bondage that 
 had long been irksome, and as arrest after arrest 
 was made, we collected sufficient evidence to 
 make over two hundred complaints, and have 
 already secured the conviction of over seventy- 
 five. Many of these are now serving out the 
 terms of their sentences in the territorial peniten- 
 tiary at Boise City and the House of Correction 
 at Detroit, Mich. 
 
 One of the first arrested by me was John Winn, 
 and as he could neither read nor write, he said he 
 "jest follered Mormonism bekase he wanted ter; 
 when he was whar 'ligion of any kind was, ter 
 kinder stand in — for instance like. He 'lowed 
 ef perlig'my war wrong the gov'ment would ha' 
 put it down long ago — did not see what they 
 wanted ter monkey with it now fer, arter he'd 
 raised two sets o' chil'n." 
 
 John was an easy-going old chap, and good com- 
 pany, but there was seemingly no intense desire 
 on the part of the Saints to go on his bond. On 
 inquiry it was found that while John took stock 
 in the polygamy part of Mormonism, yet when it 
 came to digging up tithing, he had been very 
 "backward in coming forward." He took their 
 apathy very coolly for a couple of days, but as 
 
28 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERI^CE 
 
 it came to be a question of bonds or jail, he 
 finally got angry, and blurted out that " ef some 
 
 o' the d d Saints didn't soon git to ther 
 
 front thar would soon be a better history of ther 
 Mountain Meadow massacre told than had yet 
 bin heard." That settled it. In half an hour he 
 could have been bailed out if his bonds had been 
 ten times what they were, and Mormon vied with 
 Mormon in showing John all those little atten- 
 tions so dear to the heart of one in his position; 
 and he said to me afterwards, " I made 'em git 
 thar, didn't I ? " In court he pleaded guilty, and 
 as he promised to obey the laws in the future, 
 he was let off with a fine of two hundred dollars, 
 and the last time I saw him he was living in the 
 same old spot, and is to-day pretty lukewarm in 
 the faith. 
 
 Martin Boysen, a Dane, comes next. He had 
 one wife in Idaho, and one in Utah, and his case 
 was rather more loathsome than many others 
 from the fact that before he removed one of his 
 wives to Idaho the two women and himself used 
 to live in the same house, all three occupying 
 the same bed, and as the family increased the 
 only additions made in the way of accommoda- 
 tions were to the bed, which from time to time 
 was enlarged. When arrested he was working 
 for the judge before whom he was tried. His 
 plea was that he had applied for a divorce from 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 29 
 
 the second wife on the passage of the Edmunds 
 Bill, and that he did not propose to live with her 
 again. He did not consider his marriage to her 
 by the Mormon Church binding. He took the 
 oath prescribed by law, deliberately perjuring 
 himself, and was discharged without a fine or 
 reprimand, and on his release went back to the 
 same mode of life. As time wore on, it was 
 found he was living in open defiance of the law 
 he had so lately sworn to obey, and not long 
 since his first wife died, literally broken-hearted. 
 Before she was buried he had the other wife 
 brought to Idaho with children that by their 
 ages proved him to have continued to live as 
 heretofore; and to-day he can be found living in 
 open and notorious adultery and raising a family 
 of illegitimates — and Utah and Idaho are filled 
 with men of his description. 
 
30 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 Rufus Walker's " Baby Ranche" — A Conscientious 
 Polygamist — Flight and Capture in the Cellar of a 
 Zion's Co-operative Institution. 
 
 Old Rufe Walker lived up in a nook in the 
 mountains far from the settlements, but as he had 
 two buxom wives, and each one was abundantly 
 blessed with children, he found it absolutely 
 necessary that he should work in order to fill 
 the mouths of the little Walkers, who came, 
 "like troubles, not alone." The Mrs. Walkers 
 generally managed to bring forth once a year. 
 At least, I was led to believe so when trying 
 to pick my way amongst the little ones while 
 looking through the houses for Rufe. They had 
 a little ranche on the head of what was known as 
 Birch Creek, and he being "wanted," we started 
 about ten o'clock one night early in the spring 
 to interview, if possible, the muchly-married 
 Rufe, taking with us a Gentile rancher whom we 
 will call Jack, and who was acquainted with the 
 locality. The term " Gentile," as used in this 
 country, embraces all persons outside the Mor- 
 mon Church, regardless of "color or previous 
 condition of servitude." We had a ride of about 
 fifteen miles over a rough and broken country 
 which, as we reached the higher altitude, was 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. $i 
 
 one sheet of crusted ice and snow from one to 
 three feet deep — unbroken by any travel. Rufe 
 having so many wives and children to feed and 
 clothe, was unable to own a team. Our horses 
 would, in some places, go on for eight or ten 
 yards, then breaking through, would flounder on 
 until they reached a firmer foothold on the frozen 
 surface, and we would again be enabled to pro- 
 ceed at a reasonably fair speed. Our road lay 
 along the side of a mountain, which precluded 
 the possibility of our turning back — once begun, 
 the journey had to be gone through. We at last 
 reached the top of the divide or mountain which 
 separated Rufe's ranche from the settlement in 
 the valley on the other side. Hearing the bark- 
 ing of dogs, I asked Jack how much farther we 
 had to go; Jack replied: "They live down in 
 that gulch." 
 
 "It's a pity they don't keep a few dogs," I 
 remarked, as the dogs became more clamor- 
 ous. 
 
 "I reckon you'll think there are dogs enough 
 before you get through," said he. "Rufe's pro- 
 perty consists principally of kids and dogs." 
 
 However, we at last reached a point suitable 
 for unhitching the horses, where the snow having 
 been exposed to the wind and sun, had left a 
 bare little knoll. While Jack attended to the 
 animals, I went over to reconnoitre, as it were, 
 
32 A detective's experience 
 
 and looked down the black dugway or road that 
 led to the foot of the mountain where Rufe's 
 houses were situated. The shadows of the 
 mountains that towered above us to an enormous 
 height hid Rufe's places of abode from my 
 view, and as I was straining my eyes and reach- 
 ing over the brink of what I supposed was solid 
 ground, but which proved to be a ledge of ice, 
 I slipped and rolled to the bottom of the gulch 
 in an avalanche of broken ice, snow, rocks and 
 earth. 
 
 The dogs hearing the racket added their dis- 
 cordant howls to the general uproar, and, as I 
 found out afterward, Rufus made for the brush, 
 not knowing whether it was the devil or deputy- 
 marshal after him — at least that was the way 
 he described it. On picking myself up, I found 
 I was but a few feet from the Walker cabin No. i, 
 and hastily knocking at the door, was asked who 
 was there. The inmates were evidently wide 
 awake, and when I told them what my business 
 was they gave me to understand that this was 
 Rufe's night off, or in other words, that he was 
 at the other house, which was about a hundred 
 yards further down the gulch. After they opened 
 the door I entered the cabin, and looking round 
 closely for a possible hiding-place, I could find 
 no sign of Rufus. Jack having by this time 
 reached the place, I told him to keep his eye on 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 33 
 
 the house while I ran over to cabin No. 2. I lost 
 no time in getting there and knocked at the door. 
 A man's gruff voice on the inside demanded my 
 business, to which I replied that I would fully 
 explain it when he opened the door. After some 
 hesitation it was held ajar by a young man. of 
 twenty-two or twenty-three years of age, the son 
 of Rufus. I told him what was wanted, and that 
 I had been informed that Rufe was here. If he 
 was I wanted him. 
 
 "Wal, he bean't yer," he replied. "He's 
 down at t'other house. " 
 
 "That's too thin," said I; and stepping inside 
 and finding no light I asked him for a lamp. 
 
 " Thar's the lamp on ther table," said he, "if 
 ye want it light it." 
 
 Striking a match I found on a rickety table an 
 old yeast powder can full of grease with a rag 
 in it, and as it was the only article resembling a 
 lamp as far as I could see, I lit it and succeeded 
 in throwing what little light such means afforded 
 upon the inmates of the cabin. Besides the 
 young man there were in the cabin several chil- 
 dren as well as Mrs. W. No. 2. She said: 
 
 "Ye needn't look for Rufe yer; he ain't been 
 home for more'n a week." 
 
 " What do you call home ? " I asked. 
 
 " Why, up yer in the canyon." 
 
 " Which ho»»se in the canyon ? " 
 
34 A detective's experience 
 
 " Why both," said she. 
 
 " What's the use of lying about it ? The 
 other Mrs. Walker gave it away; and right now 
 you know Rufe's shivering out in the sage 
 brush. If you people had just a little sense you 
 would see there is no use dodging 'round 
 through the sage brush ; and as for lying, 
 where's the use of it when the truth will do just 
 as well ? You know just as well as I do that 
 Rufe is in the canyon right now as it is quite 
 evident he is not here ; but while I am up here 
 perhaps it would be just as well to subpoena you 
 to be in Oxford at one o'clock p. m. to-day. 
 When Rufe comes in to warm himself after I am 
 gone tell him to come in and give himself up, 
 for we are going to camp right on the trail 
 from this on and it is only a question of time 
 when he will have to take his medicine." 
 
 " How are we gwine ter git ter Oxford ? " 
 interposed the young man. 
 
 "Why, come with your team," I replied. 
 
 "Thar beant no team yer," he said. 
 
 "What," said I, incredulously, "haven't you 
 got a team, Mrs. Walker ? " 
 
 " Naw, we ain't got no team. What does we 
 want of a team up yer in this canyon ? " 
 
 " Why, to work the ranche with," said I. 
 
 " We don't need no team, for we don't raise 
 much craps outside of babies and carrots." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 35 
 
 " Well," said I, "we've brought a team, so get 
 ready, and if Rufe shows up tell him to come in 
 as it will look better for him to give himself up, 
 than to keep dodging^ until at last arrested. I'm 
 going back to the other house now and will wait 
 for you there." 
 
 As it was by this time near daybreak and I 
 was preparing to leave, the son shouted out : 
 
 " If dad comes in we will git him to come 
 along. We gits mileage, don't we ? " he asked. 
 
 " Yes, you get mileage, " I responded ; and 
 from the young fellow's manner I was inclined 
 to think that he was interested more in getting 
 his mileage than he was in the old man's 
 safety. 
 
 On returning to the other house I found Jack 
 had lit a fire and was chatting very cosily with 
 the lady who presided over this portion of Rufe's 
 dominions. He soon found an opportunity to 
 tell me that Rufe was not far away, and when I 
 told her ladyship what the other old woman had 
 said about Rufe not having been seen in the 
 canyon for a week, she laughed. I subpoenaed 
 Mrs. Walker, and telling Jack that I was going 
 up the mountain to hitch up his team and saddle 
 my own horse, I left the cabin. I also in- 
 structed him to have Rufe meet us in the morn- 
 ing about nine o'clock, and ride to Oxford with 
 us from Red Rock, near which latter place Jack 
 
36 a detective's experience 
 
 lived. I found the ascent of the mountain much 
 more tedious than my descent a few hours pre- 
 viously, and by the time I had the horses hitched 
 up and my horse saddled the rest of the party 
 had arrived, and a jolly crew they were. The 
 boy had had an opportunity to tell them of the 
 mileage they would receive as witnesses, and as 
 he shouted to his " mothers " who were ahead 
 of him, their interest in the conversation left no 
 room for doubt in my mind that our visit was 
 looked upon as a fortunate windfall, as carrots 
 and other provender were getting low in the 
 Walker commissariat department, while in the 
 case of Mrs. Walker No. 2, " coming events cer- 
 tainly cast their shadows before. " 
 
 "Where's Rufe?" I asked, when all had 
 climbed to where the team was. 
 
 "Oh, he's all right," they said. "He'll be 
 down to Red Rock to meet us. " 
 
 " Will he get mileage ? " asked the family in a 
 breath. 
 
 " Yes, he'll get mileage — (adding to Jack 
 sotto voce) to come home on when he gets his 
 time served. " 
 
 Jack told me they had done nothing but 
 figure on mileage since I left the cabin, and he 
 believed those who were not subpoenaed to 
 testify against Rufe were the only ones who did 
 any "kicking." It was daylight when we got 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 37 
 
 down in the valley, and we stopped at Jack's 
 ranche for breakfast. We then proceeded on 
 our way to Oxford, arriving at Red Rock about 
 9 a. m. This is a little nook hemmed in by 
 beetling cliffs of red sandstone formation, from 
 which it takes its name. There are several 
 ranches in the vicinity, and it was here we 
 expected to meet Rufe. But in place of him a 
 few scowling Mormons were awaiting us, and 
 on our asking if anything had been seen of him, 
 one old Saint noted for his fanaticism and who 
 acted as spokesman for the party, informed us 
 that he had not seen him for a month — in fact, 
 he was not very well acquainted with him, 
 although the old reprobate, as we afterwards 
 learned, had parted with him only a few moments 
 before, and had told him that a Mormon did not 
 have to keep his word with a Gentile — the 
 Gentiles were the Devil's own, while the 
 Mormons were God's chosen people. We 
 waited a short time in hopes that he would show 
 up, but as it was getting late in the forenoon and 
 we were yet some distance from our destination, 
 we thought it best to get the witnesses on to 
 Oxford as soon as possible, and we arrived 
 there early in the afternoon. The officials 
 greeted us with a laugh when they found me in 
 possession of the witnesses but minus a prisoner. 
 We were pretty well worn out with the trip, so 
 
38 A detective's experience 
 
 it was proposed to take the evidence of the 
 witnesses and let them return home. I resolved, 
 however, to go and hunt up Rufe alone as soon 
 as I was rested, for the road was now familiar to 
 me, and the snow would be soon out of the 
 canyon. Rufe, however, came to the conclusion 
 that the advice given him by the fanatical crew 
 around Red Rock was not good enough to be 
 blindly followed, and that evening he trudged 
 into Oxford on foot, with the intention of sur- 
 rendering himself to me, As I had been thirty- 
 six hours without sleep and had been riding hard 
 most of the time, I slept late the next day, 
 knowing that the Marshal and another Deputy 
 were on hand to receive Rufus with open arms. 
 We were, however, somewhat chagrined to find 
 that poor Rufe had been already looking for us, 
 but had been coaxed by some of his fellow-saints 
 to get out of the way, and put off what his better 
 judgment had prompted him to do. It gave me 
 considerable satisfaction to find that the laugh 
 was not altogether against me, and that my 
 fellow-officers had to bear a good share of it. 
 As Rufe had been seen only a couple of hours 
 before I heard of his arrival, it was evident that 
 he was stowed away somewhere in the town, 
 and it was determined to leave no stone unturned 
 to find him, and put a stop to the long-continued 
 game of hide and seek. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 39 
 
 The search was commenced at the prem- 
 ises of the Zion's Co-operative Mercantile 
 Institution, 'which is run in the interests of 
 the . Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday 
 Saints, and presided over by the sanctimonious 
 
 Brother P . I told him I would be pleased 
 
 to take a look through the establishment 
 as I had reason to believe Rufe was there. 
 
 Brother P flushed up, but as he saw I meant 
 
 business, he made a virtue of necessity, and I 
 went through the building until I came to the* 
 room in which the trap door leading to the cellar 
 was. He objected to my going any further with- 
 out a search warrant, and as I was satisfied that 
 he was at the end of his rope and I had the game 
 treed, I called to an officer whom I had stationed 
 at the back door, to keep his eye on the cellar 
 until I could get a paper strong enough to sat- 
 isfy Brother P The Commissioners' office 
 
 was just across the street, and in a few moments 
 I returned with a document calculated to suit 
 even a man as fastidious as he was. On open- 
 ing the trap-door and descending the steps, I 
 saw enough signs of occupancy to warrant me 
 in thinking that a better light would reveal the 
 features of my long-lost Rufus. I procured a 
 light, and sure enough, there, crouching in a 
 corner behind some boxes, was my man. I told 
 him the "jig was up," and we both emerged 
 
40 A detective's experience 
 
 from the cellar — Rufus happier, as he afterwards 
 said, than he had been for some time. He was 
 eventually tried, and got six months in the peni- 
 tentiary in addition to a fine of $300. Brother 
 
 P was unfortunate enough to be arrested for 
 
 aiding a criminal to escape, and as he evidently 
 wanted to appear as a martyr, and would not 
 promise to obey the laws in the future — he 
 acted very defiantly before the judge, who 
 wanted to deal leniently with him, — he was 
 finally accommodated with one year in the peni- 
 tentiary, from which place he was lately released. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 41 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Arthur Peck, a Lazy Mormon — Polygamy a Good 
 Business Enterprise. 
 
 Arthur Peck, of Gentile Valley, deserves 
 some space in this narrative, as illustrating the 
 fact that though he was too poor to support two 
 wives, he was not too proud to allow himself to 
 be supported by them. He was one of that saintly 
 class of Mormons who marry because they think 
 it is right and proper to have more than one 
 wife. 
 
 The settlement in which he lived was intensely 
 polygamistic, and women were classed in the 
 same category with mules, horses, and the like ; 
 in fact were looked upon as mere slaves, whose 
 only value consisted in the amount of labor they 
 could perform each day. 
 
 Being fully alive to benefits to be derived from 
 the possession of a multiplicity of wives, Mr. 
 Peck availed himself of the so-called God-given 
 privilege, and provided himself with two, who, 
 being good workers, gave their liege lord and 
 master an opportunity to rest his body ; and at 
 the same time he placed his soul in a position 
 where it would be sure of attaining a high place 
 in the Mormon heaven when ready to do so. He 
 was married to two sisters, and was one of those 
 
42 A detective's experience 
 
 sanctimonious brethren who would sooner get up 
 in meeting and prate about what a good thing it 
 was to be a Mormon, especially a polygamous 
 Mormon, than to help his two poor dupes of 
 women to provide food and other necessaries for 
 the progeny. 
 
 His wives were splendid adobe makers, and 
 as my readers may not all know what adobe- 
 making is, I will briefly describe it: 
 
 Adobes are made of clay, being cast in molds 
 like bricks, only about twice as large, and is 
 about as hard work as there is, and the common 
 run of laborers would prefer any other kind of 
 work to this. However, the fanaticism of the 
 Mormon women, and the terrors of the punish- 
 ment which th.-y are taught would be meted out 
 to them should they disobey, makes them willing 
 to perform labor which, in a Gentile community, 
 would not be tolerated. 
 
 Adobes are used extensively throughout the 
 West for lining frame houses ; that is, putting 
 adobes between the studding, and lathing and 
 plastering over them. A good specimen of this 
 work can be seen in Gentile Valley, as several 
 houses there have adobes in them that were made 
 by the Mesdames Peck and sold by their illus- 
 trious husband. These ladies were also good 
 farm laborers, and the saintly Peck used to hire 
 them out like George Harris's master in Uncle 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 43 
 
 Tom's Cabin. And while he went to meeting in 
 different parts of the country and told what the 
 Lord had done for him, he did so with a light 
 heart, knowing that Mrs. Peck No. i and Mrs. 
 Peck No. 2 were industriously making adobes to 
 keep the wolf from the door, as it were. On 
 arresting the brave Peck one morning about day- 
 break I found wife No. i in bed with an infant. 
 He seemed to exult in the fact that so low down 
 a saint as he should be called oh, and I believe 
 looked upon himself as a martyr to the cause. 
 She made some protest from where she lay, and 
 as we left the house I could not refrain from 
 saying, " My dear madam, I don't see why you 
 should kick. What you get for making adobes 
 while your loving protector is in the cooler you 
 will have all to yourselves, as his board will not 
 cost him a cent. " At Peck's trial, some months 
 afterwards, one of his wives refused to testify 
 against him, and being found guilty of contempt 
 of court she was given some hours to think over 
 it, and she finally concluded that " prudence was 
 the better part of valor. " After committing per- 
 jury several times in his own behalf, he was found 
 guilty and sentenced to six months in the terri- 
 torial penitentiary, and to pay a fine of $300. 
 That being a sum he probably never saw in one 
 pile, he got out of paying it by taking the 
 pauper's oath and staying in the prison an addi- 
 
44 
 
 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 tional thirty days. He has since returned to 
 the bosoms of his two better thirds, and is carry- 
 ing on the same old business at the same old 
 stand. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 45 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Andrew Bioran's Story — Jealousy in the Harem — The 
 Mink Creek Settlement. 
 
 Andrew A. Bioran was a fresh arrival from 
 Denmark, one of those who are destined, by 
 their unlimited cheek, to be looked up to by 
 their neighbors as something above the common 
 run of those by whom he is surrounded. He got 
 married, got (Mormon) religion, and at once 
 began to run down and abuse the government 
 that gave him, instead of poverty and wooden 
 shoes, the right to a quarter-section of land on 
 Bear River, Idaho, before he knew enough to 
 talk good American. At elections he was always 
 the biggest toad in the puddle, and was the 
 acknowledged leader of all the Danes in his 
 neighborhood. To prove how brave he was, 
 and to teach them both by precept and example, 
 he took to himself a second wife in the person of 
 the young daughter of an old Danish polygamist 
 up in the Mink Creek settlement. And now a 
 word about this little Danish colony. In the 
 eastern corner of Oneida County on what is 
 known as Mink Creek, a stream that empties 
 into Bear River, is a settlement composed almost 
 entirely of Danes. They are, for the most part, 
 such recent arrivals in America that they have 
 
46 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 not, as yet, been emancipated from the thraldom of 
 their native clogs and ignorance. Sprinkled 
 through the settlement are a few of the most 
 ignorant Americans I ever had the misfortune to 
 fall in with, who look upon John Taylor, the suc- 
 cessor of Brigham Young, as little less than a 
 God, and who are satisfied to herd together like 
 animals. In the whole settlement there are but 
 few houses above the dignity of a Piute wickiup 
 or wigwam, and here in this select community 
 lust and filth go hand in hand. In this delect- 
 able spot Mormonism was supreme, and should 
 one be unfortunate enough to have a mind of his 
 own and differ from the animals around him, nis 
 lot was hard indeed. As an instance, there was 
 one case that came under my notice of an old 
 Danish couple, who either from inability or being 
 unwilling to give tithing failed to do so. They 
 were very old people, and to add to their forlorn 
 condition the old woman had but one hand, hav- 
 ing accidentally lost the other one at the wrist. 
 Their harvesting was done in the most primitive 
 manner — that is, with a sickle. My readers can 
 judge why they had not donated. Their fanat- 
 ical neighbors, however, marched to the old 
 couple's little hoard and took the greater part of 
 their wheat to the tithing-house by order of the 
 Mormon Bishop, an old Dane who is now in 
 Denmark on a mission, to escape the penalty 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 49 
 
 attached to the crime of being a three-ply polyg- 
 amist. This old ecclesiastical Dane is the father 
 of Bioran's second wife. 
 
 I have often been asked how polygamist 
 women, in their little nests, agree — was there 
 no jealousy displayed. This case is one of many 
 instances where all is not the calm and peace in 
 polygamist households they would have people 
 believe. Not knowing where Bioran lived or 
 what he looked like, I secured the assistance of 
 a rancher, whom we will call Dan, as a guide. 
 As we proposed going to his little old " log cabins 
 in the lane " about dusk, I went fishing in Bear 
 River until it was time to meet the party who 
 was going with me. One reason for going after 
 dark was that it was not healthy for parties who 
 resided in the vicinity to take a hand in arresting 
 a polygamist, as wire fences are easily cut, cattle 
 are easily poisoned, and many a way of playing 
 out even suggests itself to the minds of those 
 who, banded together as Mormons are, make 
 common cause against him who is in any way 
 connected with the arrest of one of them. How- 
 ever, to make a long story short, I met my friend 
 at the appointed time, and shortly afterward we 
 rode up to Bioran's ranche. As the party with 
 me had done all he had agreed to and was about 
 to ride off after showing me the houses, I drew 
 his attention to something I saw in the twilight 
 
SO A detective's experience 
 
 that appeared to me to loom up like a camel or 
 giraffe. 
 
 "What in the mischief's that, Dan," said I. 
 ' Damfino! " said he ; "a horse, ain't it ? " 
 
 " No, it is not a horse ; but hold mine while I 
 get over the fence and see." 
 
 I slid from the saddle, and climbing the fence, 
 made for it, and as it was doing its best to get 
 away, the thought struck me that it might be a 
 man, although it looked like anything else. I 
 shouted for it to stop, but it only went the 
 faster. As it was nearing some underbrush that 
 would screen it from my view, I concluded to see 
 if a shot would stop it. I therefore turned loose 
 in the air, and was amazed to see he, she or it 
 not only stop, but dwindle down in the twinkling 
 of an eye to half its size, and as I came up to it, 
 I heard a voice say in broken English, " Who 
 vas dot ? " On finding it was a man, I told him 
 I wanted an interview, and asked him his name. 
 
 " Anthro Beoran," was the reply. 
 
 I found out that what had puzzled me regard- 
 ing the extreme height and size as I had first 
 caught a glimpse of him, was a box and bundle 
 he was carrying on his head. He was pretty 
 well broken up when I told him who I was and 
 what I wanted. He said, "he vas not come 
 here to-night only he thought I vas in Oxford 
 mit Peck yet," and did not know how I could 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 51 
 
 have returned so soon. However, I told him 
 there was great demand for Saints of his stripe, 
 and I was doing my best to supply the market. 
 We went back to where Dan and the horses 
 were, and Andrew explained that he had just 
 got back from Mink Creek a few minutes before 
 I got there, and was making for his " vifes und 
 fam blees " when he first saw me. Telling him I 
 would like an early start, it being thirty-five 
 miles across the mountains, and that he would 
 need bondsmen, we went to his homes so that he ■■ 
 could inform his wives and families that he was 
 in the hands of the Philistines. 
 
 I persuaded Dan to accompany me, and told 
 him he need not show up at the residences, but 
 keep his eye on my prisoner while I could go 
 and subpoena the women. Arriving at the house 
 of his first wife, Brother Bioran rapped on the 
 door, and although it was early in the evening, 
 was sleepily answered from within. 
 
 " Who vas dot? " 
 
 " Dot vas me, Lina," he replied. 
 
 " Vas dot you, Antroo! " 
 
 " Yaas, dot vas me und dot Debidy Marshal." 
 
 " Und dot who — o — o? " asked the beleagured 
 lady, in tones of angry surprise. 
 
 " Dot Debidy Marshal," said Andrew. 
 
 Then came from within a rapid volley of 
 Danish oaths, presumably hurled at my devoted 
 
52 A detective's experience 
 
 head. While Lina was getting on her duds the 
 conversation was continued between Andrew 
 and herself, and some of it I could easily under- 
 stand as applying to myself. Finally the beauti- 
 ful figure of Lina stood in the open door, and as 
 the light revealed to her the figure of " yours 
 truly," she cross-lifted me with another volley of 
 Danish, strong enough to scuttle an ironclad, 
 there being just English enough in it to enable 
 me to interpret the character of her invective. 
 In the meantime she hugged Andrew in the 
 most affectionate manner. When I got a good 
 look at her face, I felt that I would as soon have 
 the volley of Danish as the embraces and kisses, 
 for owing to the loss of her teeth, and other little 
 ravages made by time, Lina, to my mind, as a 
 beauty was not a success. Good-looking polyg- 
 amist women are like angels' visits, few and far 
 between. When I thought they had yum-yumed 
 long enough, I told Andrew he had better get 
 his supper, and pulling out a subpoena I turned 
 to Mrs. Bioran with a Chesterfieldian bow and 
 said: "Allow me to subpoena you to be at 
 Blackfoot, Idaho," and proceeded to read the 
 official document to her. After a few moments, 
 seeing Andrew had demolished everything in the 
 way of eatables within his reach, I said: 
 
 "Andy, where does Mrs. B. No. 2 live? You 
 had better go and bid her good-bye." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 53 
 
 " You can shtay in der house mit Lina here 
 vhile I go down und see Katrina. I coom back 
 right away pooty qvick," replied Andrew. 
 
 " I am afraid of Lina," said I. "She might 
 butcher-knife me; and besides you might take 
 cold without some one around you." 
 
 He laughed and said, " Coom on, den." 
 
 We arrived at the other house, which was 
 about a hundred yards distant and an exact coun- 
 terpart of the one we had just left. Andy 
 knocked at the door, and a feminine voice asked 
 "who vas dot?" He told her to open the 
 door. She seemed sulky, and refused, and quite 
 an animated conversation in Danish took place. 
 At last I told Andrew I had to have that door 
 open and asked him her name. 
 
 " Katrina," said he. 
 
 I knocked at the door, and calling her by 
 name in accents soft and low, I finally got her to 
 open the door. Her reception of Andy was 
 entirely different from that of Lina. No kissing 
 and hugging here, and although Katrina was a 
 good-looking young girl in comparison with 
 Lina, I could plainly see that Andy took more 
 notice of "ugly mug" than he did of her. After 
 I subpoenaed her Andrew said he "tink she vas 
 better sleep mit Lina for goombany sake vile he 
 vas avay," but as he could not sleep with both of 
 them at the same time very well, even if he was 
 
54 A detective's experience 
 
 home neither Katrina nor I could see the utility 
 of this arrangement. At any rate she demurred, 
 but came down to the other house, and the 
 osculatory process was resumed between " old 
 toothless " and Andrew, much to the disgust of 
 myself and Katrina, who stood looking on with 
 the baleful light of the green-eyed monster 
 plainly depicted in her eyes — in plain United 
 States Katrina was evidently desperately jealous 
 of Lina. Feeling sorry for her, and becoming 
 somewhat impatient at the delay, I told Andy to 
 give Katrina a share of the love-feast, to kiss 
 her and come on as it was getting late and a lot 
 of riding had to be done before morning. He 
 finally tore himself away from Lina, who seemed 
 bound to bar her side -partner from her rightful 
 share of Andy's caresses. Katrina, observing 
 this as well as I did, flung herself on an old seat 
 and covering her head with her apron we left her 
 sobbing as if her heart would break. After 
 riding nearly all night he finally succeeded in 
 getting the necessary bondsmen, and about 
 4 a. m. we started for Oxford. I was very tired, 
 as I had been in the saddle for the better part of 
 forty-eight hours, and in order to rest myself as 
 well as the horse, I decided to ride in the wagon 
 for a time ; so I took my seat beside the driver, 
 Andrew laying on some straw in the back part. 
 While my coat was laying over the back of the 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 55 
 
 seat Andrew managed to secure one of my guns 
 that happened to be in a pocket, and somewhat 
 startled me by saying : 
 
 " Fred, it would be easy for me to blow your 
 brains out now, wouldn't it ? " 
 
 I fortunately had another gun in my hip 
 pocket, and, telling him it would be a pretty bad 
 break for him to make, I drew it at once and 
 gave him to understand that he must drop it, 
 and not repeat any such performance as that 
 during the remainder of our trip. It taught me 
 a lesson I shall not readily forget, ' to keep my 
 eye on the gun" in future. We arrived at our 
 destination about two o'clock in the afternoon 
 pretty well fagged out, and Andrew was held 
 for further orders under heavy bonds. I will 
 say in conclusion that Andrew was about the 
 only Mormon whose arrest I effected who neither 
 perjured himself nor attempted to deny his 
 wives. He was convicted and punished accord- 
 ingly. 
 
56 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Henderson's Case — Lechery and Incest. 
 
 There lived at one time in Oxford a man by 
 the name of Henderson. He has three wives; 
 his third wife lives in Oxford, his second wife 
 lives in a place called Clifton, and his first wife 
 lives on a ranche near the latter place. Her 
 residence is known as the Rock House, from the 
 fact that it is built of rocks taken from the mount- 
 ains at the foot of which it is situated. Now 
 this festive old party in the good time before he 
 and the rest of the animals of his persuasion 
 were ordered to be stirred up, was what is known 
 as an Elder, or Teacher of Mormonism, and was 
 quite a mark, not only on account of his piety 
 but also on account of his numerous progeny. 
 Indeed piety and progeny are inseparable in the 
 tenets of the Mormon religion as taught by the 
 followers of Brigham Young, but cut no figure 
 in the belief of the "Josephites," who claim that 
 Brigham Young was an usurper, and are, in fact, 
 the most bitter opponents of the polygamists, 
 who reciprocate the hatred. 
 
 This particular saint was also noted as being 
 an exceptionally lecherous old villain. I mention 
 this in this connection as it leads up to what I 
 am about to relate, and goes to show that all the 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. S7 
 
 vaunted purity of the so-called religion is nothing 
 but rank hypocrisy. It is in the memory of people 
 living in the neighborhood to-day that the old 
 wretch has for years been guilty of such licen- 
 tiousness as is unfit to be recorded in public 
 print. This was known by the good Mormons 
 — and there are good Mormons — but when it 
 was mentioned they would say, " You should not 
 condemn us all for the actions of one." Should 
 you say in reply, " Very well, we won't condemn 
 you, but why, knowing him to be what he is and 
 which you do not attempt to deny, why is it that 
 you allow him such a prominent place in the 
 Church ? Why do you not excommunicate him, 
 or, in other words, ' fire him bodily.' You can- 
 not for a moment believe that any other commu- 
 nity or denomination would affiliate with or hold 
 out the hand of fellowship to such a notorious 
 old reprobate as he is. You have him passing 
 the sacrament to your wives and children, know- 
 ing all the time just what he is." About this 
 time your audience would begin to think of some- 
 thing that called his attention elsewhere, and 
 would invariably leave you without an answer. 
 These conversations, of course, took place long 
 before Uncle Sam had made up his mind to put a 
 stop to polygamy, and as enough was known of 
 Brother Henderson to convict him of that crime, 
 a warrant was issued and placed in my hands. I 
 
58 A detective's experience 
 
 do not lay any claim to any extraordinary moral- 
 ity, yet I did want to put Brother H. in a warm, 
 comfortable jail. He was one of those soft- 
 talking " lah-de-dah " kind of men that are gener- 
 ally too sweet to be wholesome. I went to the 
 residence of his third wife, for as she was the 
 youngest and best looking he was generally to 
 be' found there. On entering the house I talked 
 to her on various topics, tickled his thirty-third 
 child under the chin, and finally told Sister Hen- 
 derson I would be pleased to meet Sam. Not 
 seeing him round the house, I asked where he 
 was, to which she replied that she did not know 
 and had not seen him for some time ; in fact, if 
 I had let her run on I believe she would have 
 told me she never was acquainted with the gen- 
 tleman. I took up the lamp, however, and, 
 accompanied by the presiding "saintess," I gave 
 the house a thorough search, but, failing to find 
 Samuel, I bade her good evening and departed. 
 This visit was the primary cause of the vindictive 
 attacks made upon me by the Logan Journal 
 and other Mormon sheets, and from that time on 
 I determined to show no quarter, for no matter 
 how civilly and politely officers tried to perform 
 their unpleasant duties, they had nothing to 
 expect but the revilings of the whole dirty crew. 
 For a time I gave Henderson a rest, and other 
 business demanding my attention, I did not think 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 59 
 
 of him until I was informed one day by a party 
 that he was seen at the Rock House with his first 
 wife. Next morning about daybreak, accom- 
 panied by a couple of men I had hired to go with 
 me, I started for the Rock House, and arrived 
 there before the inmates were up. The house 
 was built with a lean-to shed, in the end of which 
 was a door just far enough from the back of the 
 house to admit of a bed between the door and the 
 house wall. One of the parties with me being 
 stationed so as to prevent any one leaving the 
 front way either by door or window, I went to 
 the back door and rapped. Now, as the head of 
 the bed was right by the door, I expect my knock 
 startled Sister H. pretty badly, for I had hardly 
 hit the door more than one little tap when she 
 asked me who was there. Not knowing that 
 there was a bed so near the door I was a little 
 surprised to receive so prompt a response. I told 
 her my friends and I would like her to get up 
 and make us some coffee, but she refused to get 
 up. I finally told her who I was and what I 
 wanted, and after telling me we ought to be 
 ashamed of ourselves to be getting decent (?) 
 people out of their beds at that hour in the 
 morning, I confessed that I was and that in fact I 
 was blushing clean back of my ears. She told 
 me that I would have to go round to the front 
 door, as her bed prevented the back door from 
 
60 A detective's experience 
 
 opening. I went round accordingly, and when I 
 got in she began to pour out the vials of her 
 wrath in a choice lot of Billingsgate. I laugh- 
 ingly told her to "lay on Macduff" while I took 
 a look through the abode of virtue as embodied 
 in herself. I searched up-stairs and down-stairs, 
 and in my lady's chamber, all but the bed, when 
 making for that very necessary article of furni- 
 ture, I was astonished to find she had not been 
 sleeping alone, and was still more astounded to 
 discover on pulling the covers from the head of 
 the pretended sleeper, the face of her own son — 
 well, no, not her own son ; what relation did he 
 bear to her ? He was her husband's son by the 
 second wife, and was a young man about thirty 
 years of age. I took a look at him, and the 
 thought struck me that, as a few moments before. 
 I had acknowledged how ashamed I was, the least 
 I could do would be to let the old woman know 
 how such " decent people " as she was a speci- 
 men of, appeared to me. I said to her, pointing 
 over my shoulder to the room where I had left 
 the son, " Do you know what decent people 
 would call that?" 
 
 " Call what ? " she snarled out. 
 
 "You know what ; sleeping with your hus- 
 band's son." 
 
 "It would be a good deal better for you if you 
 would mind your own business," replied she. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 6 1 
 
 " If I attended strictly to it, I would take you 
 v with me now for incest. Before you have so 
 much to say about other people's decency try 
 and be decent yourself." 
 
 Telling one of the boys outside who knew all 
 about the outfit, he laughed and said: "Oh, 
 that's nothing ; that's a well-known fact. I 
 could tell you a good deal worse yarns about 
 that family." We failed to get Sam, but I 
 learned by ocular demonstration that his outfit 
 was a hard formation. 
 
62 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Secrets of the Far-Famed and Iniquitous " Endow- 
 ment House" Laid Bare — The Veil Drawn Aside 
 by an Apostate Mormon. 
 
 What I have already written is strictly true, 
 and the half has never been told. It would per- 
 haps be well to introduce, before going further, 
 the evidence of one who has been for the past 
 twenty-two years a Mormon, and who, although 
 long disgusted with their practices, was afraid to 
 leave them for the reason that he knew that 
 apostasy meant death, as he fully explains in the 
 following extracts from a letter to me. It may 
 be well to state that he is an old gentleman. 
 He wishes me to give the letter to Kate Field, 
 who is lecturing on Mormonism at the present 
 time, and whom he hopes will go on in the good 
 work until, as he expresses it, "the viper 
 polygamy is crushed." 
 
 "Priestcraft," he says, "the dictionaries 
 would define as pious fraud, but Brighamism is 
 an exception ; it should be impious instead of 
 pious. When we were in the old country we 
 united with the Church of Christ we thought, 
 but as soon as we set foot on shipboard they (the 
 missionaries, as they were called and are yet) 
 threw off the mask. I shall never forget one in 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 63 
 
 1866, on the ship St. Mark. The wretch beat 
 all I have come across in profanity and dishon- 
 esty. Talk about secret societies ; never was 
 there a more abominable one than that propa- 
 gated by Brigham Young and his followers. 
 The missionary I have already mentioned died 
 before we got across the plains with the cholera, 
 and died scoffing at the Bible, and 'hell and 
 damnation ' were the last words I heard the 
 wretched man say. And now about going 
 through the Endowment House. Your name is 
 first enrolled after showing the recommend of 
 your Bishop. In the next room you are stripped 
 naked ; after this men and women go together, 
 the idea being that on joining the Mormon 
 Church you are born again. I had a pair of 
 linen garments and a whit", shirt on, that was 
 all. 
 
 " We were then candidly told that we ought 
 to be quite naked like Adam and Eve, but we were 
 not so holy as they were, so we were permitted 
 to go nearly naked. Some who went through 
 the Endowment House when I did were drunk- 
 ards, dishonest and blasphemous, and you can 
 imagine what some of the poor women must 
 have felt like during the ceremony. We were 
 told if any wanted to go back they could do so. 
 Nobody wants to go before the theater closes, 
 and besides it was not safe, as we already knew 
 
64 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 too much ; so we were told a foolish thing, put 
 ting their hands so-and-so, as you yourself have 
 seen, and calling it the sign of the Aaronic 
 Priesthood." (The writer here means to convey 
 that the neophytes were at this time taught the 
 Mormon grip.) " You then run your thumb 
 round your throat from ear to ear as being 
 expressive of your willingness to have your 
 throat cut should you betray the secrets of the 
 Endowment House. They then take a passage 
 of Scripture which means altogether another 
 thing and make blasphemy of it. This is also 
 done in the Endowment House, and Mormons 
 make sport of the most solemn of all things, the 
 crucifixion and our Saviour. 
 
 "The Endowment garments are now put on, 
 and the significance attaching to the different 
 holes is explained. The heart-shaped hole 
 worked in the left breast signifies that you are 
 willing to have your breast cut open and your 
 heart taken out should you prove unfaithful to 
 your vow. The hole worked in the right breast, 
 that you are willing to be stoned to death ; the 
 hole across the stomach that you are willing to 
 be sawed in two should you divulge any of the 
 secrets learned during the ceremony ; the hole 
 in the knee is emblematic of continual prayer for 
 the furtherance and welfare of all that appertains 
 to the Mormon religion. They have also in the 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 65 
 
 Endowment House one who personates a sec- 
 tarian preacher, and all are taught to laugh at 
 other denominations. The devil is also imperson- 
 ated and is made very ugly and saucy, but he 
 must have a little gospel to mix the golden cup 
 of fornication ; so Satan is in subjection to the 
 name of Christ. 
 
 " They are taught to pray for Brigham Young, 
 now John Taylor, and are sworn to stand by 
 one another and avenge the death of Joseph 
 Smith, and if one is likely to apostatize they put 
 him to death. 
 
 "They swear their willingness to this. 
 
 "No wonder they are bad citizens. 
 
 "They expect to rule the world, and it still 
 goes on. 
 
 "The time seems to be come when secret 
 things shall be proclaimed on the housetops. 
 I cannot rest without something being done, and 
 if I knew Kate Field's address I would tell her 
 of things the world ought to know. You can 
 send this to her if you like, and publish all I 
 have said. 
 
 " I am ready to swear to it. 
 'If you can do anything towards bringing 
 
 J to justice, a man charged with murder and 
 
 incest by papers north and south of us and no 
 one seems to care, for God's sake go ahead. 
 
66 A detective's experience 
 
 Shall the blood of the victims cry aloud for 
 vengeance in vain ? " 
 
 [Note. What he means by the " Devil " in 
 the above extracts, is that the Devil is person- 
 ated by one of the Mormons whose task is to 
 initiate proselytes into the faith.] 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 6j 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Bishop Porter — Sanctity of Marriage From a Mor- 
 mon Standpoint — Perjury Upheld. 
 
 Having a warrant for Bishop Porter who lived 
 at a place called Preston, the Marshal and a 
 Deputy having failed to arrest him, I thought I 
 would give him a little of my attention. Never 
 having been in his neighborhood, the lay of the 
 land was ascertained after some inquiry, so 
 securing the assistance of an Irishman who lived 
 in the town, I proceeded to look up the Bishop. 
 Pat was Irish in every sense of the word, and 
 like all his compatriots had no use for Mormons. 
 He was witty, as nearly all Irishmen are, and his 
 sallies enlivened the trip very considerably. 
 When I secured Pat's valuable assistance I had 
 not fully enlightened him as to the object of our 
 proposed journey, so he asked me for particu- 
 lars. 
 
 "Where are ye going? " said he. 
 " Down to Preston to see if we can find Bishop 
 Porter," I replied. 
 
 " Is he a polaygamisht ? " 
 "Yes." 
 
 "How many wives have he, bad luck to 
 him ? " 
 
68 A detective's experience 
 
 "He did have several but some got away. 
 He only has two now. " 
 
 "Well, well ! " said Pat, "thim polaygamishts 
 bate the divil. What they want wid so many 
 weemen is a conundhrum to me. Molly, " turn- 
 ing to his better half, " Oim goin' on a polayg- 
 amisht hunt wid Fred to-night. What time does 
 yez want to shtart out ? " 
 
 "About ten or eleven o'clock to-night," I 
 replied, "and as it is only about twenty-five 
 miles, we can take it easy, and the horses will be 
 fresh and can do a little running if called on. " 
 
 "Well, all right, 111 be wid ye." 
 
 About half-past ten I called for Pat, and hear- 
 ing him talking to some one, listened outside, 
 thinking it might be some of our Mormon neigh- 
 bors, but I soon found that it was "Roany," his 
 horse, that he was talking to. He was saddling 
 up and as he tightened up the cinches he said: 
 "Well, Roany, ould boy, de'ye know where 
 I am goin' wid yez to-night? Ye don't, eh. 
 Well, we're afther a polaygamisht, and av we git 
 widin sight av him, I don't want yez to let no 
 Mormon horse git away wid yez. But whin I 
 say the wurrud, I want yez to git there Ali. " 
 Then he soliloquized, " Well, well, these 
 Mormons is a quare lot. All they thinks about 
 is weemen, and a homely lot of ould pelicans the 
 
 osht av thim is. Av coorse, wanst in a while 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 69 
 
 there's one av um that might tempt a man to be 
 a polaygamisht, but ough, ough ! her good looks 
 wouldn't lasht long av Molly got a shy at her. 
 
 I wundher av the weemen likes to have " 
 
 But here I cut short Pat's soliloquy, and as by 
 this time Roany was ready for the road, we 
 started. On laughing at Pat about the long 
 conversation I overheard between him and his 
 horse, "Begorra," said he, "he knows more nor 
 lots av Mormons I have met, and I hates to take 
 him out av his warrum shtable this hour av the 
 night afther polaygamishts." We jogged along, 
 the mud being up to the horse's knees in some 
 places, every time Roany slipped giving Pat 
 fresh cause for offense against " Owld Porther," 
 whom he blamed as the cause of our being out 
 on such a night's ride. While giving it to "Owld 
 Porther," the wives being inseparable from him 
 as wives should be, they came in for a share of 
 the abuse. About six miles of the journey had 
 been ridden when it began a cold drizzling rain, 
 and as we plodded along the trip became any- 
 thing but a pleasant one. For fifteen miles there 
 was but one house that we could feel sure of a 
 welcome at, but not wanting to disturb them we 
 passed it, and concluded to grin and bear it. We 
 had to cross Bear River bridge at a point not 
 far from Battle Creek Station. We soon reached 
 .a good road, however, and Pat's spirits rose, and 
 
70 A detective's experience 
 
 as he was in the lead, I was surprised to hear 
 him chuckling to himself, and on asking him the 
 cause of his hilarity, he said : " Oim laughin' at 
 the comical racket we're on." 
 
 " What comical racket," I asked. 
 
 "Why, the idea of huntin' min for bein' fond 
 av the weemin. Faith, an' it's a great schame 
 intoirely. The way they does it. Av they can't 
 support wan woman they goes an' marries two 
 or three more, and thin the weemin keeps thim. 
 Why don't ye thry it, Fred ? " 
 
 I told him I had often thought about it, but 
 there was one great drawback! My wife, I 
 thought, was built differently from most of the 
 polygamist women I had run across, and while 
 just at present I was under the impression she 
 was a daisy, yet I thought that she would prove 
 a regular tiger-lily if I went fooling round a re- 
 ligion that had polygamy mixed up in it. For 
 that reason I had come to the conclusion that as 
 far as I was concerned it would not be a good 
 scheme. Pat laughed, and with an " Ough, 
 ough, av Molly caught me bringing in another 
 woman my name would not long be Pat, but 
 Dinnis. Shure the weemin is wurse nor the 
 min ; av they kicked, polaygamy wouldn't lasht 
 long." And from my observation I think he about 
 called the turn. So chatting along, we very 
 soon reached Bear River. 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 73 
 
 The night had by this time become very dark, 
 and as there was a drizzling rain, one could not 
 see his horse's head before him. Pat was in the 
 lead, but as we came to the bridge his horse shied 
 and he could not get him up to it. 
 
 " What is the matter ? " I shouted. 
 
 "Oh, matther enough," said Pat; "d 
 
 owld Porther, he's pulled up the bridge." 
 
 On a closer examination we found the bridge 
 was undergoing repair, and about twenty-five 
 feet of the planks pulled up. To ford the river 
 was impossible, and after looking at the pros 
 and cons of the case we concluded to put on the 
 planks lengthwise, and about three of them side 
 by side, making a very shaky kind of a roadway 
 high above the waters that seethed and rushed 
 beneath us. It was my first experience in bridge 
 building, and I feel no desire to repeat the per- 
 formance, especially on a pitch-dark night and 
 in a drizzling rain. The bridge being built, to 
 get the horses upon it was the next hard work, 
 and after trying different expedients we con- 
 cluded to blindfold them and tie the bridle-rein of 
 one to the tail of the other; and with Pat pulling 
 and I pushing we managed to "git there Ali," as 
 he expressed it. And now safely crossed, we 
 found that daylight was not far off, and as we 
 yet had six miles to travel we lost no time in 
 getting where we expected to find the Bishop. 
 
74 A detective's experience 
 
 Hoping that people who slept three in a bed 
 would not be early risers, we were not very 
 agreeably surprised to find that everybody was 
 up in the settlement. We went down on the 
 river bottom to where we heard he was building 
 a shanty for Mrs. Porter No. 2, expecting to 
 find him camped there. We were, however, dis- 
 appointed, and finding no signs of him, we pro- 
 ceeded to the house of his second wife's father, 
 whose name was Schaeffer. He is an old time 
 Mormon — I believe a native-born American — 
 whose personal appearance and expression would 
 not indicate him to be the ignorant fanatic he is. 
 After looking through stack-yards, house and 
 every nook liable to be utilized as a hiding-place, 
 Mrs. Schaeffer began a long harangue about 
 the persecution the Saints were called on to 
 endure, and invoked the aid of her patron Saint 
 (I forget whether his name was Old Nick or 
 not) to frustrate the efforts being made by the 
 United States Government to destroy polygamy. 
 She said she knew it was right, and asked me if 
 I was not afraid God would punish me for the 
 part I was taking in this persecution. I asked 
 her if she thought the Lord was on her side, and 
 she said yes. 
 
 " Then why do not polygamists stand pat, 
 and leave the issue with Him, instead of scam- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS 75 
 
 pering off like prairie dogs and hiding in holes 
 or out in the sage brush? " 
 
 She stumbled round for a moment without 
 replying, finally saying: " Our President has 
 ordered us to avoid arrest." 
 
 When asked if she believed in polygamy, she 
 replied very emphatically: 
 
 "I does; and hope that it will spread, and I 
 knows it will." 
 
 " You are from England, are you not? " I 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes," said she; " and proud of it." 
 " Faith an' its not long owld Porther wud be 
 in England or Ireland ayther av he war a polay- 
 gamisht, before he'd be safe in some stout 
 prezon," interrupted Pat, who had been standing 
 by with a mingled look of disgust and amuse- 
 ment on his countenance. 
 
 "Let's go; such women make one weary," 
 said I, and mounting our horses, we started 
 down the road. 
 
 By this time horsemen were flying in all direc- 
 tions to warn polygamists that we were there, 
 and seeing one making for a house that had 
 been described to me as a probable hiding-place 
 for Bishop Porter, we started for it, taking a 
 roundabout direction. As we were divided from 
 it by several gulches, we concluded to follow the 
 bank of the river, and found it to be the little 
 
76 A detective's experience 
 
 ranch of a fresh arrival from England; that is, 
 he had been out a couple of years, and I learned 
 he was from " Lunnon," as he called it. When 
 we told him we had an idea that Porter was 
 there he informed us that he was not. 
 
 " 'E isn't 'ere," said he, " and I 'asn't seed 
 him for some days. 
 
 " That's the house he is building over there, is 
 it not? " I asked. 
 
 " Yes," said he. 
 
 " He was working there yesterday, was he 
 not? " 
 
 " I doesn't know." 
 
 " Let up on this lying, It doesn't make any 
 difference to us if you saw him yesterday or last 
 month. That boy we passed up in the gulch 
 herding sheep told us he was working on the 
 house yesterday, and had dinner with you. So 
 don't lie any more until you find a spot a lie will 
 fit in better than the truth. You are a Mormon 
 teacher, I heard? " 
 
 " I is," he replied. 
 
 " You believe in polygamy, do you? " 
 
 " I does believe in perlig'my, and think as ow 
 the Lord in 'is hown good time will make our 
 religion the only religion on the face of the 
 hearth." 
 
 "Where do you get your belief that polygamy 
 is right? How do you know it?" 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 77 
 
 " I knows hit just cos I knows hit." 
 Pat had returned by this time, having found 
 no sign of the Bishop anywhere. The cockney 
 seemed to think I was good-natured, and being 
 willing to talk about his religion, we chatted 
 quite pleasantly for a time, his wife joining in 
 the conversation. Like a good and faithful 
 teacher, he tried to convince me of the error of 
 my ways, and to lead me into the right path. 
 I finally parted with him, and requested him to 
 drop me a card when he took another wife. 
 
 As we were tired out we rode down the river 
 to a friend of mine, and after we had put up the 
 horses and got some much-needed refreshment 
 for ourselves, we took a good rest. Toward 
 evening we rode to another settlement about 
 fifteen miles distant. Here we dropped onto 
 an old Elder who was the husband of three 
 women, and father of about twenty-two children. 
 We took him with but little bother, and I gave 
 up the chase after Porter for some time. One 
 day, however, on returning from a trip to Mink 
 Creek, I heard that Porter had been seen in the 
 vicinity ; so I determined to give him a scare if 
 nothing else. I arrived at his village about six 
 o'clock one Sunday evening and found that he 
 was in the neighborhood. I knew but one Gen- 
 tile whom I could confide in in the whole set- 
 tlement, but owing to the fact that his ranche 
 
78 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 was isolated, and as he was afraid the Mormons 
 would take revenge on his property should he 
 be found to be mixed up in Porter's arrest, I 
 did not press him to take an active part. I 
 however, coaxed him to go up and reconnoitre, 
 which he did. He even went to the meeting- 
 house where the Bishop was holding forth that 
 night, and on his return gave me a synopsis of 
 his discourse. He told the brethren and sisters 
 how cunning he was, and exulted over the 
 manner in which, as he claimed, he had eluded 
 me the day previous up in the Mink Creek 
 country, and how he knew the Lord was on his 
 side and would keep him out of the snares of 
 those who were trying to capture him for living 
 up to his religion. He prayed that all should 
 hold to their faith and that God would smile on 
 them and deliver them out of the hands of their 
 enemies. We had a good laugh as my friend, 
 who was somewhat of a mimic, delivered 
 Porter's sermon to me, and as we thought how 
 soon, if I had luck, he would change his tune. 
 It being late when he got through I rolled up in 
 my saddle-blankets and had a nap of some four 
 or five hours. About three o'clock in the morn- 
 ing I saddled up and struck out for the Bishop's 
 residence. It was a little house containing three 
 rooms, which were but scantily furnished. As it 
 was only three miles off I reached there in half 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. jg 
 
 an hour, and having been deceived so often I 
 decided in this case to resort to some of the cun- 
 ning practiced by the Mormons, and fight them 
 with their own weapons, using a little deception 
 where it would do the most good. I tied my 
 horse to the fence and rapped at the door and a 
 voice asked from within " who is there ? " 
 
 " Is the Bishop in ? " I whispered. 
 , " No, " was the reply, in a woman's voice. 
 
 " If he is, said I, " tell him to get away as 
 soon as possible for the Deputy Marshal is after 
 him." 
 
 " Who are you ? " was the next question that 
 came from within. 
 
 " I have a letter from Brother Nash to Bishop 
 Porter, and was told to deliver it to him in 
 person." 
 
 There was a side door to the house which I 
 managed to keep my eye on during the conver- 
 sation, thus preventing the possibility of Porter's 
 escape, should he be in hiding there, without at 
 least thanking me for the timely warning I had 
 given him of his threatened danger. A woman 
 had by this time opened the front door, and was 
 taking stock of me as I was peering round the 
 corner. I saw that, in order to ward off sus- 
 picion, I would have to prevaricate as fast as they 
 could ; and so, when asked for the letter by the 
 woman, I told her the party who had entrusted 
 
80 A detective's experience 
 
 it to me had strictly enjoined me to deliver it 
 into the hands of the Bishop, and no one else. 
 She said, " He is not here. He is up at Brother 
 Swan's. " When I asked her where he lived she 
 pointed his residence out to me. It was on the 
 foothills, about three miles off, and barely dis- 
 cernible from where we stood. Knowing that no 
 one could get there to alarm Porter sooner than 
 I could, I concluded to make assurance doubly 
 sure by searching these premises ; so, after I dis- 
 closed to her my true identity, I proceeded to do 
 so. I apologized to the lady for my prevarica- 
 tion, and explained that it was partly due to the 
 climate, and partly from a desire on my part to 
 conform to the rules of society as I found it in 
 Preston, and I expressed a hope that she would 
 pardon me. I was now confronted by her son, 
 a young man about twenty years of age, who, 
 when he saw that I was trying to make myself 
 agreeable, mistook my motive ; so his little heart 
 began to swell, and he strutted round much in 
 the way that a self-important Bantam rooster 
 
 would, saying, he would be d d if I could do 
 
 as I wanted while he was there. Looking at 
 him a moment to see if he meant it, I said, in a 
 pious kind of a way, "We will read for our 
 instruction a portion of the chapter I hold in my 
 hand, and I think we will be able to find a text 
 that applies to this case." But the young man, 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 8 1 
 
 as my voice rose in soft and plaintive cadence, 
 began to get more obstreperous, so thinking he 
 had got about far enough I replaced the warrant 
 in my pocket, and, producing a pair of handcuffs, 
 said, " Now, I have tried to act the gentleman so 
 far, for the sake of the lady here, who is one of 
 your numerous mothers, but if you attempt to 
 obstruct me any further I'll put these on you and 
 take you with me." He very quickly cooled 
 down on seeing the bracelets, so without any 
 further ceremony I proceeded to search the 
 domicile, and found the lady had told me the 
 truth regarding the Bishop's absence. I found 
 another wife sick in bed with an infant. After 
 expressing my regret at the necessity of dis- 
 turbing her, I read the subpoena to her, and told 
 her that if the Bishop could get bonds there 
 would be no need of her going to Oxford. I 
 then left the place, and mounting my horse I 
 gave him the reins, and very shortly afterwards 
 found myself at Brother Swan's ranche. As I 
 approached I found there were two houses on 
 the ranche, one on each side of a road which led 
 through his property. I rode up to the house 
 on the left-hand side, and through the open door 
 I saw Swan seated at the breakfast-table with a 
 portion of his family. Without dismounting, I 
 bid him good-morning and informed him that I 
 had a letter for Bishop Porter, and asked him if 
 he would be kind enough to hand it to him. He 
 
82 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 eyed me suspiciously, and asked me who the 
 letter was from. I told him the same story I 
 had previously entertained Mrs. Porter No. I 
 with, adding that she had informed me that the 
 Bishop was here. I suggested that he had better 
 skip out at once, and pulling a document out of 
 my pocket I reached it over towards him, but 
 immediately drew it back, again saying, " By the 
 way, I was to deliver this to him in person." 
 
 "All right," said he, "git down off your 'orse, 
 and I'll show you where t' Bishop is." 
 
 I dismounted and tied my horse to the fence, 
 Swan remarking: " Pity as 'ow t'd d Mar- 
 shals wouldn't all break ther d d necks run- 
 ning round t' country 'tending to other people's 
 business. Wot's 'is name as is after 'im now? " 
 
 " He is from Franklin," said I in reply. 
 
 " Well 'e'll 'av a good time afindin' of 'im, 
 please God ; fur ye sees we lives on a 'ill 'ere 
 an' I allers tell t' Bishop t'come up 'ere wen e's 
 'ard run, as we can see everythink as goes on in 
 the walley, and wen we sees any commotion 
 down theer it isn't very far down to the willers 
 in yon gulch," (indicating the direction of the 
 hiding-place). Chuckling to himself he solilo- 
 quized : " They 'as to git up werry early wen 
 
 they gets a'ead of Brother Swan, d n 'um ! " 
 
 Just at this moment he took a look round the 
 valley beneath and his eyes fairly bulged out 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 83 
 
 with excitement at what he saw, and I confess I 
 was startled when I observed horsemen flying 
 round in all directions ; and both he and I, 
 though for different reasons, thought it well that 
 Porter should be seen at once. So, pointing to 
 the door of the house across the road, he said: 
 "t'Bishop is right in theer." I went into the 
 room and found the Bishop getting out of bed 
 and sleepily rubbing his eyes. Without any 
 parley I proceeded to tell him I had a warrant 
 for his arrest, but before I could finish the sen- 
 tence I had commenced, he broke in with, " Oh, 
 I know what you have, Fred." 
 
 " How do you know me ? " I asked. 
 
 " I saw you when you were in a different and 
 a better business," replied he. 
 
 " I don't know about its being better, 
 Bishop," said I; "that I am not in the same 
 business now that I was when you first saw me, 
 is because you fellows wanted the earth and the 
 fullness thereof, and did not want a man who dif- 
 fered from you to even live among you. How- 
 ever, get up and dress now, and while you are 
 getting ready I'll read you this." 
 
 Just as I began reading, Swan stuck his head 
 in the door and informed the Bishop that he had 
 better light out as he could see horsemen 
 approaching, and he was sure they were the 
 Deputy Marshals I had informed him of. " No, 
 
84 A detective's experience 
 
 Brother Swan, this is Fred Bennett," said the 
 Bishop good-naturedly. He stole a march on 
 us this time." 
 
 "Yes," said I, laughing, "this is one time that 
 you did not see all that was going on down in 
 the valley." His lips fell and he took it differ- 
 ently from the Bishop, being evidently chagrined 
 that he had been caught napping. This, 
 coupled with the fact that he had given the 
 whole business away to me, made him feel 
 pretty badly broken up, and a scowl spread over 
 his countenance that I thought boded me no 
 good in case the approaching horsemen were 
 determined on effecting the rescue of their 
 Bishop. 
 
 " Brother Swan," said I, " in case those fel- 
 lows attempt to down me, here are a couple of 
 good six-shooters and I come pretty near know- 
 ing how to handle them. The first bad break 
 they make some one is going to get hurt, and I 
 intend to take good care of yours truly." Turn- 
 ing to Porter, I continued: " Bishop, you might 
 just as well know that one of these guns will be 
 apt to go off in very close proximity to you. A 
 word to the wise is sufficient. You tell these 
 ' yaps ' if they make any bad breaks that before 
 I will be baulked you are going to get hurt. 
 They have made their boast that no one has 
 been arrested in Preston, and that they propose 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 85 
 
 that no one shall. Now you know just what to 
 expect." 
 
 "All right, Fred," said he, "I will stop any 
 attempt at interference on their part." 
 
 " Now, if you are ready, let us go," said I. 
 
 When we got out of the house I asked him if 
 he had a horse there, and finding that he had, 
 we went out to the corral and he caught and 
 saddled him up. We then bid Brother Swan 
 good-by with the injunction to watch the valley 
 closer in future, and expressing my intention of 
 coming in until I had got all the Polygs., we left. 
 The party Swan had seen riding toward the 
 ranche had evidently thought better of it, as they 
 had turned into a house on the road, and as we 
 passed we were simply greeted by scowling 
 faces, all of which I appropriated to myself, as 
 they were evidently meant for me. 
 
 On our road down, the Bishop and I had a 
 long talk, and he asked me what I thought he 
 had better do. I told him that his case did not 
 make a particle of difference to me; that his 
 guilt or innocence cut no figure, and I thought 
 his best plan was to waive the preliminary exam- 
 ination, and give bond for his appearance in the 
 United States Court at Blackfoot. His better 
 nature was in the ascendant, and he said: 
 
 " Oh, as far as having two wives is concerned, 
 
86 A detective's experience 
 
 I don't deny it. My religion teaches me it is 
 right, and I don't propose to go back on them." 
 
 " Well," said I, "you had better hustle round 
 and get a couple of bondsmen, and I will go with 
 you wherever you think you can find them." 
 
 We soon reached his residence, where we had 
 breakfast, after which I accompanied him over 
 to a party who kept a store, and was also acting 
 postmaster at Preston. His establishment was 
 not much larger than a good-sized packing-case, 
 and while Porter went in to interview the party, 
 I stood outside waiting for him, and could hear 
 all the conversation. On learning the Bishop's 
 errand, the proprietor broke out with: 
 
 "Arrested! Why in h 1 didn't you shoot 
 
 the d d Marshal! I'd like to see him come 
 
 around after me. Where is he?" 
 
 "Right here!" said I as I entered the door 
 with a gun in my hand. "Throw up your hands 
 if you want to say anything to me." 
 
 He threw his hands up, and I made him keep 
 them there until I told him a piece of my mind 
 — that it was just such curs as he was that were 
 making trouble for the Mormons. He stam- 
 mered out that he didn't mean anything. 
 
 " You're a dandy postmaster, you are," said I. 
 " Uncle Sam ought to be proud of you. I guess 
 I will send him your address. Bosworth is your 
 name, is it not? and you live in Preston. If 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 89 
 
 ever you feel like taking a shot at me, drop me 
 a card." 
 
 After leaving his place, we finally succeeded 
 in getting a couple of bondsmen, who went with 
 us to Oxford for the purpose of bailing him .out. 
 The Commissioner was up north when we 
 arrived, and I had Porter in my custody for three 
 days, during which time I had ample opportunity 
 for conversing with him, and from the kindly 
 and affectionate manner in which he referred to 
 all his wives and families, I could not conceive 
 of such an apparently kind husband and father 
 acting towards them as he subsequently did. It 
 was beyond belief that any church had sufficient 
 power to make an intelligent American citizen 
 get up in a crowded court-room and not only 
 perjure himself, but blacken and villify the poor 
 woman (one of his wives) who at that moment 
 lay on a bed of sickness at home. The hearts of 
 more than one of that audience grew sick, for 
 they knew the peculiar circumstances of the 
 case, and how the unfortunate girl had only a 
 few days before buried her only child, and was 
 still mourning her loss. To us unregenerate 
 Gentiles it seemed nothing less than brutal that 
 she should be publicly branded as a harlot, and 
 her dead infant as a bastard — and all this by the 
 man of all others to whom she might expect to 
 
90 A detective's experience 
 
 look as the natural defender and champion of 
 her good name. 
 
 One of the worst features of this case was that 
 the father of the poor girl testified against his 
 own daughter in much the same manner that 
 Porter had done. He was very much averse to 
 appearing at all, and it was with great difficulty 
 that I succeeded in serving him with the neces- 
 sary subpoena. When I entered his home for 
 that purpose, he swore I should not read it, and 
 on my persisting in doing so he jumped for a 
 rifle which hung in a rack on the wall. I had a 
 double-action "persuader" handy, and drawing 
 it on him, I told him if he made any more moves 
 for the gun I would "put out his light"; that I 
 was there on business, and it would stand him 
 in hand to pay strict attention to what I had to 
 read. After considerable opposition from him 
 and his family, I finally managed to serve it. 
 
 " Now," said I, "might I ask why you made 
 such a fuss about this ? " 
 
 " I don't want to appear agin Porter," he 
 answered. 
 
 "If the Mormon religion is right, and the 
 Lord will protect you all, as Porter claimed some 
 few days ago, what have you to fear? Of course, 
 all you have to say will not make any difference, 
 as Porter don't deny that your daughter is his 
 wife." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 91 
 
 " He can't deny it," said he. 
 
 "You better wait till you git in court before 
 you begin a talkin'," interposed his wife as she 
 cast a warning look at him. 
 
 I was about as tired of them as they were of 
 me, and so I left, seeing nothing more of them 
 until I met them a few days afterward in the 
 court-room at Blackfoot. On the trial both the 
 husband and father of the sick woman I have re- 
 ferred to, testified under oath that she was an 
 abandoned woman, and that her dead child was 
 the fruit of illicit love. Porter was found guilty 
 and sent to join the colony of Saints already 
 settled behind the bars of Boise City Peniten- 
 tiary. 
 
92 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Frightened Mormons — The Animals Stirred Up. 
 
 The fanatical horde were beginning to 
 find that the government was in earnest, and as 
 Utah polygamists as well as those of Idaho and 
 Arizona were being stirred up, the country was 
 filled with fugitives from justice. United States 
 officials of all kinds were looked on with especial 
 disfavor. Every move was watched, and we 
 encountered vindictive looks on every side. Many 
 Mormons who hitherto had been afraid to come 
 out and separate themselves from the Church, 
 fell away and apostatized. Mormon newspapers 
 were filled with lying squibs, in which I, of 
 course, came in for a liberal share of abuse. I 
 was warned by my apostate and Gentile neigh- 
 bors to travel well armed, as they had heard 
 many muttered threats regarding me, and well 
 knew what was possible among a people who 
 were nothing if not fanatical. I never could 
 think of them as anything but rank cowards, and 
 I continued making arrests as before. The 
 monotony was occasionally relieved by some 
 spiteful move on the part of the Mormons. One 
 night a house I owned down on the ranche 
 was partially destroyed, but as I could not bring 
 it home to any particular persons, nothing was 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 93 
 
 done about it. A gentleman by the name of 
 Wright, at Franklin, had a great many rods of 
 his wire fences cut down, and his cattle driven 
 off into the mountains, entailing a great deal of 
 expense and trouble upon the victim of the out- 
 rage, which he could ill afford to bear. 
 
 In several cases growing crops belonging to 
 outspoken Gentiles were partiajly destroyed, and 
 from the town of Franklin alone they succeeded 
 in driving away nearly all the Gentile residents 
 to other fields and pastures new. They did not 
 always stop at petty annoyances, as in the case 
 
 of Jim W , near Franklin, whose call was so 
 
 close that the bullet which penetrated his cloth- 
 ing is still kept as a souvenir and unpleasant 
 reminder of his sojourn in the realms of John 
 Taylor. 
 
 As this narrative only treats of Mormons with 
 whom I came in contact, good, bad or indifferent, 
 I have abstained from giving anything but facts 
 that can be easily verified, while all that is bad 
 in the social system can be found among them, 
 and many crimes can be laid at their door, yet 
 truth compels me to admit that I have met many 
 whom it was a pleasure to know. There are 
 those to be found among them who are enlight- 
 ened and well educated ; as good and shrewd 
 business men can be met with in Mormondom as 
 anywhere. Their world renowned "Zions' Co- 
 
94 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 operative Institution " is evidence that there are 
 business men of a very high order at the head of 
 the Church ; while to succeed in keeping a whole 
 people in a willing bondage, is proof sufficient 
 that the administrative and executive capacity of 
 the leaders is far above mediocrity. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 95 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A Gentile Polygamist — Garrison, a " Native of 
 Virginia, Sah / " 
 
 As the pages already written may seem to bear 
 down too hard on the Mormons, we will give 
 them a rest and switch off,, so to speak, o'nto 
 one of them who claimed to be a Gentile, in 
 order that he might save his bacon in the event 
 of trouble. He let no opportunity pass to run 
 down Mormons ; and while living in polygamy 
 himself, he .thought that the fact that he pro- 
 fessed to be down on the Mormons and their 
 institutions would be a feather in his cap with . 
 the Federal authorities, and would save him 
 from arrest. 
 
 He was a native of Virginia, " sah, " and his 
 name was Garrison. 
 
 While he was unable to get to the top of the 
 Mormon tree and hold the office of Bishop, 
 which his heart yearned for with an exceeding 
 great yearning, he contented himself with apos- x 
 tatizing to a certain extent. He let such of the 
 tenets of Mormonism as didn't suit him go by 
 the board, but clove to that which he thought 
 was good and took to himself three wives. Thus 
 Brother Garrison, while repudiated by the Mor- 
 mons as a traitor and apostate, was not long in 
 
96 A detective's experience 
 
 the enjoyment of his triple blessedness before 
 some of the "goody-good" brethren began to 
 hint murmuringly that if a man only claimed to 
 be a Gentile he could marry half a dozen 
 women if he wanted to. Happening to be in 
 Franklin one day several "yaps" (Mormon 
 hoodlums) strolled into a store where I was sit- 
 ting, and after sizing me up went outside again 
 for the apparent purpose of comparing notes. 
 By and by one big fellow came in with three or 
 four others and seemed to have been elected as 
 their spokesman. He chipped into the conver- 
 sation my friends and I were engaged in, and, 
 after gazing pensively at me for a moment, he 
 broke out with : 
 
 "What did you say your name was ?" 
 " What did I say my name was ? " I drawled 
 out. "I did not say anything about my name. 
 What is it to you what my name is, anyhow ? " 
 
 " Oh, nothing," he replied, " on'y some of the 
 boys said as how you was Fred Bennett." 
 "Well, supposing I am — what of it?" 
 " Oh, nothin', on'y I wanted to have a look at 
 ye, kase I've heard as how vou was the meanest 
 man in Idaho." 
 
 I laughed and replied : " You can't put your 
 finger on a mean act of mine unless you call 
 arresting men of your stripe meanness. Then 
 if that's so I'm mean, and propose to stay mean 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 97 
 
 till we get this county so white men can live in 
 it." 
 
 " There's one law for Mormons and one law 
 for Gentiles," replied he. 
 
 "No," said I, "if you can show me a breach 
 of the law, Jew or Gentile will get the same deal 
 the Mormons get." 
 
 " Then why don't you go and arrest Gar- 
 nson ? 
 
 " Who is Garrison ?." I inquired. 
 
 "Why, he lives up on the bench about five 
 miles from hyar, and hez three wives," they all 
 chimed in. 
 
 I got all the particulars of Garrison's case, the 
 maiden names of his wives and of other Witnesses ; 
 and I soon found that Brother Garrison did not 
 lack for enemies whatever else he might lack. I 
 told the gentle "yaps" that I would endeavor to 
 prove to them that the law in his case was just 
 as binding as in the case of Nash or any other 
 Polyg. already arrested, I went to Oxford 
 shortly afterward, and securing a warrant for 
 Garrison, I started after him and arrived at his 
 ranche late one afternoon. I had an accurate 
 description of him and had no trouble in finding 
 him. He was working a sulky plow when I first 
 saw him; and as I came up and greeted him 
 with, " How do you do, Brother Garrison ? " he 
 hesitated a moment before replying, and evi- 
 
98 A detective's experience 
 
 dently took me to be a traveling agent of some 
 kind. He anticipated my supposed business by 
 saying, " I don't need any trees. " 
 
 " Don't need any trees ? Who said anything 
 about trees ? " said I. 
 
 "Why, bean't you a tree peddler?" 
 
 " No, I am round distributing tracts ; and here, 
 said I, handing the warrant to him, " is one that 
 applies directly to you. " 
 
 He took it, and glancing at it, said quietly, 
 " you've made a mistake this time, Mr. What's- 
 your-name." 
 
 I told him my name, and said, " I am very 
 glad, Mr. Garrison, for your sake, that a mistake 
 has been made." 
 
 " Oh, that's all right ; let's go to the house," 
 he said, as he got down off the olow and began 
 unhitching. 
 
 I shouted out to the party who had driven me 
 out how to get down the lane to the house, and 
 as it was getting along toward evening, at the 
 earnest solicitation of Brother Garrison, we put 
 the team up for the night and made arrange- 
 ments to stay till morning. On going into the 
 house we found no lack of comfort, and at sup- 
 per plenty to eat and a good-looking woman to 
 grace the head of the table — Mrs. Garrison No. 
 3, as I found out afterward. We talked on 
 various topics and I found that Brother Garrison 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 
 
 had had quite a large experience in the way of 
 religion ; he had been a Methodist preacher in 
 Virginia for several years ; had, after leaving the 
 Methodist church, sampled two or three other 
 religions, finally coming out to Utah and joining 
 the Mormons_. His former religious experience 
 did not seem to be appreciated here, however, 
 as he seemed to think it should be ; at least, I 
 was led to infer so from little " cuss words " the 
 worthy ci-devant preacher let fall from time to 
 time when talking about Mormonism. I could 
 not refrain from taking stock of Mrs. Garrison, 
 and wondering how a woman must feel tied to a 
 man that hopped and skipped from one religion 
 to another, and finally brought up at a religion 
 that degraded her to the level of an animal. As 
 she hung on every sentence that came from the 
 mouth of her husband and very evidently thought 
 him eloquence personified, I came to the conclu- 
 sion that the pair were a little below par. I sub- 
 sequently found that the lady had run away from 
 Virginia with Garrison and that he had left an 
 estimable wife back there. 
 
 After breakfast next morning Brother Garrison 
 very kindly directed me to where I would find 
 the woman who was known as Mrs. Garrison 
 No. 3 by the outside world, but whom he claimed 
 to know as Emma Taylor. So leaving the 
 driver I went out, and jumping on a horse, I rode 
 
IOO A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 over to where she was, a distance of about three 
 miles. On knocking at the door it was opened 
 by a young woman who was homely enough to 
 stop a clock. She had an infant in her arms. I 
 smilingly said, " Good-morning, Mrs. Garrison, " 
 and as she admitted her identity I subpoenaed 
 her and returned to her husband's other house, 
 where I found him getting his team ready. 
 Having no further use for the team that brought 
 me over, it returned to town, and Garrison and I 
 went skirmishing around to look after bondsmen. 
 As we drove along I could not help thinking it 
 funny how a man so hard to please in a religion 
 as friend Garrison seemed to be, was willing to 
 take chances of a prison for such a burlesque on 
 beauty as I had left in the other house. We 
 were at the moment lacking a subject to talk on, 
 so I ventured to remark, " A handsome woman 
 Miss Taylor is." Garrison, turning around, 
 looked at me with a sardonic smile and said, 
 " Don't add more sins to those you have already 
 committed to-day by lying." I laughed and 
 changed the subject. 
 
 It was rather difficult for him to find men who 
 were willing to go on his bonds, as he was a 
 very bad Mormon and not a very good Gentile. 
 He finally succeeded in getting a couple, and in 
 due course of law he was sent to keep company 
 with the band of saints and sinners at Boise 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 
 
 IOI 
 
 City. I saw no more of him for some time, but 
 heard of him frequently and was told that he had 
 been taken back again into full fellowship in the 
 Mormon Church. 
 
102 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 Trip to Paris (the Mormon Stronghold of Idaho) as 
 Canvastnan with Cushing's Circus. 
 
 As polygamists within forty miles of Oxford 
 were now beginning to take greater precautions 
 than ever to avoid arrest, many of them left that 
 part of the country entirely, some of them going 
 down to Arizona, while others scattered through 
 ahe back settlements of Utah ; others again going 
 to Montana and Northern Idaho, and the eastern 
 part of Idaho received its full quota of fugitives. 
 Now a slight description of the headquarters of 
 polygamy in Idaho may be of interest. The very 
 core of polygamy in this Territory is at a place 
 called Paris. Here the brains of the party may 
 be found, and so nicely situated is it, that for a 
 stranger to get in unnoticed is well nigh impos- 
 sible. From Franklin to Paris there is a trail 
 across the "Wasatch Range," or what is com- 
 monly called the " Bear River Range" of mount- 
 ains, and this can only be traveled for a short 
 time in the summer,as the snow falls here eight or 
 ten months in the year, that is, on parts of the 
 trail high up in the mountains. 
 
 A telegraph line runs from Paris to Franklin, 
 controlled entirely by Mormons, and is com- 
 monly called the "clothes line," It is in constant 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 103 
 
 use as a means of warning to the people of Paris, 
 and such fugitives as make it a city of refuge. 
 This delectable spot is surrounded with spies in 
 every direction, keeping track of any movement 
 of the United States officers which might tend to 
 threaten the safety of polygamists in that neigh- 
 borhood ; every train on the Oregon Short Line 
 is watched, from McCammon to Granger ; they 
 have telephone connection to Montpelier in their 
 own hands ; the little hamlets scattered to the 
 north and south of Paris are inhabited by a 
 strictly Mormon population, and so thickly set- 
 tled is this section that any one traveling through 
 these numerous villages would receive the im- 
 pression that he was driving up or down a long, 
 irregular street. When it is taken into considera- 
 tion that every one of these houses is occupied 
 by fanatics who are either law-breakers them- 
 selves, or are sworn to aid and abet those who 
 are living in open and defiant hostility to the 
 laws of the land that has done so much for them, 
 it will be readily seen how impossible it is for a 
 stranger to get to their strongholds unobserved. 
 If the inhabitants do not wish to be interviewed, 
 there is no necessity for it, as they have gener- 
 ally all the way from two to ten hours' warning 
 of danger, and are thus given ample time and 
 opportunity for hiding or escape. 
 
 In addition to Paris, there is situated over the 
 
104 a detective's experience 
 
 mountains, about fifty miles back of Montpelier, 
 a valley known as Salt River Valley. It is a 
 good cattle country, and a veritable hunter's 
 paradise, abounding in game of all kinds, in- 
 cluding bear, moose, elk, polygamists and other 
 small game ; while the river teems with fish, such 
 as trout, mountain herring, etc., etc. Here 
 polygamy flourishes like a green bay tree, and 
 the polygamist sits secure in the shadow of his 
 wives' petticoats, none daring to "make him 
 afraid." To attempt to follow him to this safe 
 retreat is useless, as any effort in that direction 
 would, for the greater part of the year, have to 
 be made on snowshoes ; and the difficulty is 
 increased by the fact that the inhabitants are out- 
 lawed, and naturally take every possible precau- 
 tion to insure the safety of the "gang." 
 
 One can hardly conceive of a prettier or more 
 picturesque country than that surrounding Paris, 
 and a better stock country it would be hard to 
 find anywhere. Nature seems to have been 
 graciously inclined to the Mormons, and to have 
 taken special pains to make everything beautiful 
 around them here. The only drawbacks that 
 suggested themselves to me were the long 
 winters and the canting hypocrites who com- 
 prised the population of this Western Eden. 
 This veritable gem of scenery presents itself to 
 my mind's eye like a grand panorama. Bear 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. I OS 
 
 River heads up near Paris, and from its source 
 to where it empties itself into the great Salt 
 Lake at Corinne, Utah, it runs through and 
 waters some of the most beautiful and fertile val- 
 leys in America — valleys that the Mormons 
 prate about making "blossom as the rose." 
 Small thanks to them when Nature has already 
 done so much. When I look back to other 
 places in Texas, Arkansas, New Mexico, Colo- 
 rado, Nevada and other States, where the grit 
 and vim of native-born and adopted Americans 
 have overcome far greater obstacles than those 
 the Mormons are always preaching about, it 
 makes me feel that to have a pack of such whin - 
 ing curs occupying and keeping back a country, 
 that owing to them is fifty years behind the age, 
 any longer is a gross injustice to millions of 
 good citizens in the crowded cities of our land. 
 The least that could be done would be to so 
 effectually squelch them, that to posterity they 
 would be nothing more than a dark memory of 
 the past, as negro slavery is to the younger 
 members of this generation. My language may 
 seem severe, but if my readers could but sit 
 and listen to the tales I have heard, and see 
 even what I have seen, it would give them but a 
 faint idea of the crimes that have been perpe- 
 trated here in the name of religion. What must 
 have been the misery of poor misguided people, 
 
io6 A detective's experience 
 
 who in very many cases thought they had found 
 a means of grace, and being sincere were led to 
 bear trials and hardships ; to leave all and pin 
 their faith to what they supposed was a heaven- 
 born religion ? What must have been their feel- 
 ings, think you, when they found themselves 
 practically shut out from the world with no 
 avenue of escape ; and being thus made com- 
 pulsory and unwilling witnesses of crimes that 
 will never be known until that last great day 
 when the books shall be opened. There are 
 numbers of men and women in Utah and Idaho 
 to-day who could testify to occurrences of which 
 they were eye-witnesses, that would not be 
 believed by the outside world. Some of them 
 unfit for print. But all this has nothing to do 
 with Paris and how I got into it, nor in fact how 
 I got out of it. There being a stringency in the 
 Polyg, market, it was determined that by hook 
 or by crook we should throw a line into Bear 
 Lake (County), and see if we could catch any- 
 thing, there being several big Mormon fish there 
 that would look well served up in good shape at 
 the next term of court. As there was a circus 
 about to take that route, I concluded to go with 
 it in "some capacity so as to get there unob- 
 served. As I mentally pictured to myself the 
 dismay of the Saints, should I succeed in bring- 
 ing them down one after the other to take part 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 107 
 
 in the performance I was preparing, I had many 
 a quiet chuckle to myself. If they had been any 
 other kind of criminals I would not have taken 
 the same enjoyment out of catching them ; but 
 having an innate antipathy to polygamy I could 
 not help feeling more zealous in this part of my 
 official duties than in almost any other business 
 I had to attend to. When the Marshal came 
 down I unfolded my scheme to him, and we laid 
 our plans accordingly, forgetting for a time the 
 advice given by some one that before cooking a 
 hare you must always catch him. We began 
 cooking our Polygs. before the judicial fire, and 
 basting them in the most-approved fashion, we 
 had several of them done to a turn, in our minds, 
 when we both suddenly awoke to the fact that 
 we had not yet caught our fish. So after look- 
 ing over the pros and cons, the Marshal found 
 he was acquainted with the manager of the 
 "Colossal Aggregation" or circus, and would 
 fix it so "Terence could jine the gang" without 
 suspicion as to who I was. I happened to be 
 driving round the track, where the circus was, 
 in a sulky, and I found out the manager and told 
 him I wished he would give me a pointer what 
 wagon to ride out of town on. I asked him to 
 fix it so that I could drop into some niche I 
 would be apt to fit, without leading to too many 
 questions, as I was well known by the people at 
 
108 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 the first two stands where the circus was to 
 exhibit, and it would spoil everything if I was 
 recognized. On the other hand, if I kept out of 
 sight the boss canvasman might give me the 
 G. B. when I came to the front after all the work 
 was done. He said he would fix that all right. 
 I told him that while there was nothing actually 
 disgraceful about hard work, yet as I had been 
 originally intended as a parlor ornament I knew 
 very little about how to do it'. And so laughing 
 and chatting we soon arranged that I was to 
 ride on the band-wagon. I procured a small 
 decoction of a weed or plant called " Old Rye," 
 with which I intended to walk into the affections 
 of "Three-fingered Mike," the driver of the 
 aforesaid band-wagon. We were to have started 
 about day-break but were delayed, and I was 
 afraid some of my neighbors might recognize 
 me, though I had dressed myself in togs suita- 
 ble to the high position I was to temporarily 
 occupy. We finally rolled out of town about 
 seven o'clock in the morning, and as the crisp 
 cool weather of that season of the year was 
 enough to brace up the spirits of the most con- 
 firmed hypochondriac we were all in the best of 
 humor. The vehicle I was perched on was a 
 large, roomy circus band-wagon, and the back 
 part of it was occupied by "dot leedle German 
 band," the members of which were fresh arrivals 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 109 
 
 from the Vaterland, and they kept gabbling 
 away as we journeyed in a language entirely 
 unintelligible to me. 
 
 Everything went as merry as a marriage bell, 
 and as we drove along, and the sun shone 
 brighter and brighter, we felt that it was a regu- 
 lar picnic, while Mike would tickle the leaders 
 with his long lash, in pure exuberance of spirits. 
 Here we wind round the sides of a grand old 
 mountain, startling a covey of prairie chickens, 
 that go whirring away a few yards and light 
 again, showing by their lack of fear that they 
 expect no harm from such a jolly crew. Here 
 we go down a long winding dug-way, soon strik- 
 ing a little valley, with a stream clear as crystal 
 meandering through it, from which we start a 
 couple of deer, which leap along, and stop every 
 few jumps to turn round and gaze at us. Hav- 
 ing arrived at a nice place to water the horses, 
 Mike, and I as his supernumerary, proceeded to 
 do so. After the horses have been attended to, 
 Mike suggests that it is rather a long while 
 between drinks, so producing the bottle, I hand 
 it to him. Muttering, " here's howdy," he wraps 
 his lips round the neck of it, and in the ardor of 
 his embrace nearly strangles the life out of it, 
 and hands it back to me tenderly, with the hope 
 that it can be replenished in Gentile Valley, 
 which is about twelve miles further on. I tell him 
 
no A detective's experience 
 
 I doubt it, but venture to remark that as long as 
 such weather as this lasts we won't need any- 
 thing to keep our spirits up. By this time 
 everything is set, and away we roll again, soon 
 striking the " Cottonwood Divide." Here, 
 encountering a long, steep climb, we all get out 
 and walk, leaving Mike alone in his glory to 
 guide the horses. After reaching the top of the 
 divide we have about three miles of good roads, 
 and soon come to what is known as the Rocky 
 Pass. This is a short rift in the mountain, with 
 steep, jagged sides towering high above us, sug- 
 gesting the idea that the passage had been 
 blasted out of the mountain. The natural walls 
 bounding the pass on either side are rugged and 
 uneven, and the grand scene leaves an impres- 
 sion on the mind that cannot easily be effaced. 
 
 As we emerge from the Rocky Pass, we hear 
 the music of Cottonwood Creek, as it glides 
 along through Cottonwood Valley to empty itself 
 a couple of miles further on into Bear River. 
 The road follows down the side of the creek for 
 some distance, to the ford, and as we pursue our 
 way, we pass the rancheof "Old Man Walton," 
 a fine old Mormon gentleman, "one of the olden 
 time." After fording the creek, the road winds 
 to the right, and climbing a short but very steep 
 hill, we come to "the bench," or plateau, from 
 where, looking to the southeast, we see the 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. Ill 
 
 steam arising from the Hot Springs, a group of 
 a dozen or more being scattered round near the 
 mouth of Cottonwood Creek. The bottom fell 
 out of one of these springs not long since, and it 
 is now seventy or eighty feet deep. This par- 
 ticular spring was the only one that was used by 
 the bathers, and I often think of what the fate of 
 some of us would have been had we been taking 
 a warm swimming-bath at the time of this change 
 in its formation and depth. 
 
 -And now we come to Bear River, along the 
 banks of which the road winds, sometimes hun- 
 dreds of feet above it. From some of the highest 
 points the eye can take in the valley for miles, 
 and the various ranches can be seen nestling at 
 the foot of the mountains across the river. Add 
 to this the beautiful wheat fields scattered here 
 and there, and we have one vast natural picture 
 set in a frame of emerald hills which a lover of 
 beautiful scenery will never tire of contemplat- 
 ing. 
 
 It was now approaching noon, and as we were 
 billed to show in Gentile Valley that afternoon 
 and evening we hurried on, but we did not reach 
 there until it was too late to give an afternoon 
 performance. I went to a straw-stack and mak- 
 ing myself comfortable, lay down and had a nap. 
 I woke up toward dark, and feeling pretty 
 hungry, I started for the house where we were 
 
112 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 to eat, but as the proprietor knew me I hesitated 
 for a while before I entered, for I was far from 
 desirous of having my identity revealed just 
 then. However, when I remembered that there 
 was not a harder-looking pill in the aggregation 
 than myself, I braced up and took my seat at one of 
 the tables. My appetite was good, and I plied 
 my knife and fork with such effect that in a few 
 minutes the table in my neighborhood looked as 
 if a hurricane had struck it, and to my great 
 satisfaction I managed to leave the house with- 
 out being recognized. 
 
 I then went down to where the circus tent 
 was pitched and made myself useful in various 
 ways. It was drawing near the time for the per- 
 formance to begin, and everything was hurry and 
 bustle in the dressing-room where I found the 
 Roman soldiers getting ready to carry the ban- 
 ners in the procession. They were putting on 
 their regimentals, and my friend Mike was try- 
 ing to get on a Roman soldier's coat two sizes 
 too small for him. Now, as Mike was a big 
 pussy old stage-driver, and as he only had three 
 fingers on both hands, (this being the reason he 
 was called " Three-Fingered Mike ") the reader 
 can easily understand what difficulty he had in 
 robing himself — and the more poor Mike was 
 hurried the less speed he made. To my offer 
 of services as valet, Mike replied ; " No; I'll get 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 13 
 
 the d— — n thing on after a while," and I, of 
 course, had to let him do the best he could un- 
 aided. The Roman soldiers were by this time 
 nearly ready, and the band was 'beginning to 
 tune up for the grand march when the manager, 
 finding that Mike was not yet ready, turned to 
 me and said : "'Slip into those regimentals and 
 help us out — it only takes a few minutes." I 
 looked at him to see if he meant it, but seeing a 
 sly twinkle in his eye, I laughingly told him that 
 I was afraid I waddled too much for a Roman 
 soldier: so they had to do without me, and 
 opened the performance with one warrior 
 short. The performance having been gone 
 through with to the satisfaction of the audience, 
 we hastily took down the canvas, and after 
 stowing it away in the wagons we rolled out of 
 town about two o'clock on our way to Soda 
 Springs. It was a bitterly cold morning, and 
 Mike and myself had great difficulty in keeping 
 warm as we jogged along up and down the dif- 
 ferent hills. The band-wagon generally took 
 the lead, and we could discern the other wagons 
 following us by their twinkling lights ; now they 
 were far above us on some hill, and again in the 
 depths of some valley which we had already left 
 behind us. We longed for daybreak, and I sug- 
 gested that we should stop and light a fire, as 
 there was plenty of dry sage-brush with which 
 
114 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 to make one. We finally did so, and the sight 
 of the poor benumbed Dutch band-men was 
 ludicrous in the extreme as they clumsily dropped 
 from their elevated perch. As soon as they saw 
 what we were up to they all set to work gather- 
 ing fuel, and we had a rousing fire burning-in a 
 very short time. By the time we were all 
 thoroughly warmed up, most of the other wagons 
 came up with us, so we pursued our journey. 
 Mike, who of course was ignorant of my true 
 character, now commenced giving me some good 
 advice. He told me there was no money in fol- 
 lowing a circus, and strongly advised me to try to 
 get work on a section or on some ranche ; I re- 
 plied (and I must confess I was giving him the 
 truth) that I was already tired of circus life, and 
 expressed my intention of quitting it when we 
 reached Montpelier, and of looking round for 
 some more congenial employment. 
 
 On arriving at Soda Springs, we went to the 
 Williams Hotel, and as the landlady's brother 
 knew me, he greeted me very cordially, much to 
 my annoyance, and to the amazement of Mike, 
 whom I was helping with the horses. I now 
 saw I must make a confidant of my three-fingered 
 friend, for he might ask Williams who I was, and 
 not knowing that I had any reasons for secrecy, 
 might give me away to the rest of the hands; so 
 I disclosed my true identity to him. To satisfy 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 115 
 
 whatever curiosity Williams might have, I told 
 him I was on the track of the parties who had 
 robbed the stage near Arco, and got his promise 
 not to divulge it to any one. I then went up into 
 a loft to get some much -needed sleep, and did 
 not awake until late in the afternoon. I had no 
 sooner descended from it than I went plump into 
 
 the arms of Billy C , a friend of mine, who 
 
 had come to get his horse, which he boarded in 
 this stable. I must have looked pretty tough 
 and "rocky," for, as I had only just emerged 
 from a bed of hay, I had a lot of hayseed and such 
 truck hanging to me. Billy evidently did not 
 recognize me at first, for after looking at me a 
 moment he said: 
 
 " I beg your pardon, but I thought I knew 
 your voice." 
 
 "I guess not, sir," I replied, "I am with the 
 circus." 
 
 "You're Fred," exclaimed he after taking 
 another good look. 
 
 "Yes," I said, "but cheese it before these fel- 
 lows. Don't tell any one you have seen me, 
 and I will come over and see you at dusk." 
 
 "All right," replied he, as he turned away 
 and went off with his horse and buggy. 
 
 I mention all these apparently trivial incidents 
 merely to show how absolutely necessary it was 
 that one should be careful. Secrecy and dis- 
 
Il6 A detective's experience 
 
 guise were indispensable in any attempt to get 
 into Paris, or, in fact, into any other Mormon 
 stronghold, for the purpose of making arrests. 
 The reader will, I hope, pardon me for dealing 
 with such trifles, but I cannot well omit them, 
 for they all have a bearing on this narrative, and 
 from first to last I am endeavoring to give the 
 facts just as they occurred. 
 
 I went down to the circus tent, but as I was 
 about to lend a hand in making the ring, Dan, 
 the boss canvas man, came over and said he 
 guessed my services were not needed; that busi- 
 ness was light, and they had plenty of hands, 
 and as it was a joint-stock affair it stood them 
 all in hand to keep down expenses as much as 
 possible. 
 
 I told him I would not entail any additional 
 expense, as I had money to pay my way at the 
 hotels; that I was a poor Mormon boy, who had 
 only one father and one mother, and having fol- 
 lowed the band thus far, I was afraid I could 
 never find my way back. 
 
 He didn't know whether to get mad or not, 
 
 and finally blurted out: " Who in h 1 are you, 
 
 anyway?" 
 
 I laughed and told him to ask Teeter, the 
 manager; and then thinking it best not to arouse 
 his curiosity too far, I said: " Dan, things are 
 just this way." I then told him the true state 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 17 
 
 of the case, and he promised to do all he could 
 to further my ends. 
 
 A brief description of Soda Springs may not 
 be out of place. It is a small but scattered vil- 
 lage, not far from the banks of Bear River — it is 
 in fact two villages in one. The old tQwn is 
 built on the old emigrant trail, while the new 
 town clusters round the railroad, and is the cen- 
 ter of a number of mineral springs that are 
 becoming widely known through their medicinal 
 qualities, and a great deal of the water is shipped 
 both east and west. Some of the springs are 
 highly impregnated with soda, and foam, sparkle 
 and taste precisely like the manufactured article, 
 but contain none of the deleterious ingredients 
 used in the latter, as has been proved by analy- 
 sis. There are other springs containing differ- 
 ent healing properties, and Soda Springs may 
 be said to have been built on the roof of one of 
 Nature's great laboratories. In the summer- 
 time it is a great resort for tourists, many stay- 
 ing from early spring until the snow begins to 
 fly. The winters are pretty cold, but the air is 
 tempered more or less by the vapor which arises 
 from the chimneys of the chemical factory 
 beneath. It is noted for the beauty of its scen- 
 ery and the character of its formation, and any 
 one in search of health, and with a desire to 
 enjoy it as they go along, will find Soda Springs 
 
Il8 A detective's experience 
 
 has been very plentifully supplied with means to 
 that end. There are some very nice people 
 there, both Gentiles and Mormons, and one or 
 two Mormon cranks that will repay a close 
 study. 
 
 As I have not explained what our plans were, 
 in connection with this trip, I had better do so 
 now. After talking over the ways and means, 
 the Marshal and I decided that the following 
 plan, while promising more success than any 
 other, would at the same time be attended with a 
 spice of excitement and no small amount of fun. 
 (I am sorry to say that Uncle Sam does not pay 
 very liberally for work done in the Territories, 
 and seeing that expenses out there are at least 
 three times what they are in the East, we often 
 have to balance our account, so to speak, by 
 charging ourselves with what fun we can knock 
 out in the discharge of our duty.) 
 
 A business friend in Montpelier, who was sup- 
 posed to be a staunch Gentile, was taken into the 
 scheme, and on my arrival with the circus was to 
 give me pointers on each man for whom I had a 
 warrant, as he went into the show. I had war- 
 rants for about twenty men in Montpelier, all of 
 whom had then, and in fact have to-day from two 
 to seven wives each. Now, as 1 have been often 
 asked if all Mormons are not polygamists, I 
 would say that the proportion in Idaho would 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 119 
 
 probably not be more than one in twenty ; while 
 again in Logan and other little spots in Utah the 
 average of " Gideon's band " would be fully fifteen 
 in twenty. However, I had papers for twenty 
 here, and as they were pointed out to me I was 
 to locate them in the audience. The Marshal 
 was to be at Pocatello, and I was to notify him 
 by telegraph from Soda Springs, but for good 
 reasons I wrote him instead of wiring intelligence 
 as to the time the first performance would take 
 place, when he was to come to Montpelier. I 
 was to meet him there and report progress, 
 while he was to remain in the sleeper and go on 
 to where the east-bound train passed the one 
 going west and then return to Montpelier about 
 four o'clock in the afternoon. This was done so 
 that he could reach the circus when the perform- 
 ance was in full blast without being observed 
 by any of the inhabitants, to whom he was as 
 well known "as the town clock." I, of course, 
 would be inside with my men all ready spotted, 
 and as I led them down one by one to the ring, 
 in "accents soft and low," he was to read the 
 warrants to them. I was also, if possible, to 
 have things fixed so as to ~>revent their exit 
 during our little matinee. 
 
 'As it was raining when we left Soda Springs, 
 I concluded to go back on my old side-partner 
 Mike and ride to Georgetown with the canvas- 
 
120 A detective's experience 
 
 men in the big covered wagon the canvas was 
 stowed in, and on mentioning it to Dan, the boss, 
 he said, "All right, I guess we can make room 
 for you." So I climbed in, and we rolled out of 
 town about nine o'clock in the morning. The 
 road from Soda Springs to Georgetown was very- 
 monotonous, as nothing but barren hills and 
 interminable stretches of sage-brush flats meet 
 the eye, relieved once in a while by the glimpses 
 one gets of Bear River, which can always be 
 easily located by the brush that lines its banks. 
 The canvas-wagon was a large old-time " prairie 
 schooner," and the canvas being laid in the bot- 
 tom always with an eye to comfort, I found 
 riding in it was quite an improvement on the 
 band-wagon, and as its occupants had all seen 
 more or less of the world the dreariness of the 
 road was but little felt. We all laid full length 
 in the wagon, feet to feet. One of the number 
 called " Tex " had the most comical drawl, and 
 if he could only be transferred to the stage, his 
 long lank body topped off as it was with a som 
 brero, he would have been a good card. His 
 inimitable drawl that morning was punctuated as 
 it were with a hiccough caused, as he told us, by 
 a "too (hie) free indulgence in " his fav'rit 
 bev'rige, alke-hol." Through some means the 
 conversation turned on Mormons, and I found 
 Tex was well acquainted with quite a number of 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 121 
 
 the polygamists, warrants for whom I had at that 
 time safely stowed away in my pocket. He had 
 lived one winter in Montpelier, and would tell us 
 of Old Man So-and-so and the " monkey-and- 
 parrot" time he had trying to keep his wives 
 from scratching out each other's eyes. Then he 
 would wander from one " old cuss to another," 
 as he called them, thus quite unconsciously 
 giving me items that were of benefit later on. I 
 looked across at Dan interrogatively, thinking 
 perhaps he had told Tex who I was, and that he 
 in consequence was trying to draw me out ; but 
 Dan giving me a reassuring look, I began to 
 draw Tex out, and sounded him with a view to 
 securing his services at Montpelier. By this 
 time we were drawing near Georgetown, and the 
 subject for the time being dropped, Dan asked 
 Tex how large a place Georgetown was and the 
 size of the house to be expected. Tex answered 
 rather gloomily, so we relapsed into a silence 
 unbroken until we heard the driver tell Dan to 
 *'git onto Georgetown fer a show-town," and, 
 looking out, we saw a city of about ten log 
 houses. 
 
 As no one knew which particular house tne 
 advance agent had arranged for us to eat at, we 
 were at a stand-still for a few moments, when an 
 old resident came along and asked: 
 
 " Be you the show? " 
 
122 A DETECT WE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Dan said, " Yes, a part of it." 
 
 "Well, the man as stuck the papers up said 
 as how some on you was to stop at my house 
 down thar by the creek, and 'ere's the succus lot 
 he picked on." 
 
 We all scrambled out of the wagon, and Tex, 
 turning to a native who was gazing on us with 
 wide-eyed curiosity, asked him if it was possible 
 to get "a little alke-hol" in the city. 
 
 The native replied, " No, but I guess you 
 could get a boy to go for some." 
 
 " Go whar? " said Tex. 
 
 "To Montpelier," returned the native. 
 
 As it was fourteen miles to Montpelier, I 
 thought that settled the alcohol question, and I 
 walked off to the house arranged for us to eat at, 
 while Tex and his new acquaintance wrestled 
 with the problem of how to get alcohol. I had 
 forgotten all about Tex and his heart's desire, 
 when he came to me and asked for the loan of a 
 dollar, as he had found a boy to go for it. ' The 
 round trip being twenty-eight miles, will give 
 some idea of how badly the kid wanted to go to 
 the circus, as that was to be his reward. Want- 
 ing to stand well with Tex, I lent him the dollar, 
 and sure enough the boy got him his alcohol. 
 We put up the canvas, and surely no other cir- 
 cus ever tackled a more forlorn spot. There 
 were but two men found to have the price of 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 123 
 
 admission, the balance of the audience being 
 composed of the different parties whom we were 
 quartered with, and their families. It was a 
 blue lookout, and after looking the matter over, 
 the manager concluded to pull down the canvas 
 and go to Montpelier. 
 
 Tex " 'lowed ef we didn't git away fum this 
 yer carrot-eating country putty soon, poverty 
 w'd hev sich a grip on us we couldn't leave 
 nohow." 
 
 We took the tent down accordingly, and after 
 a good night's rest, we rolled out, and about 
 day-break arrived at Montpelier. 
 
 Montpelier, like Soda Springs, is composed of 
 two towns. The old town is built up on the 
 "bench," and is inhabited entirely by Mormons, 
 while the new town clusters round the railroad, 
 and is occupied principally by the Gentiles, 
 almost all of them railroad men. These two 
 towns are bitterly antagonistic, as railroad men 
 are seldom found to have much use for Mormons. 
 It was into the old town that we drove, and it 
 was found that if the tent was put up there the 
 Gentiles from the lower town would not patron- 
 ize it, and vice versa; so it was decided to show 
 in the old town in the afternoon and move to the 
 new town in the evening. 
 
 Having made arrangements with Tex to point 
 me out the residences of all the polygamists in 
 
124 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Montpelier, as soon as the tent was pitched he 
 proceeded to do so. He and I started to go 
 down to the railroad, or new town. As we 
 passed a polygamist's house he would give me 
 the name of the occupant and the extent of his 
 harem, which I was careful to jot down as soon 
 as possible. Those that we did not pass he 
 would show me in the distance, and as the town 
 lay on a slope of the mountain, we could take it 
 all in at a glance. He would describe things 
 about this way: 
 
 " D' ye see yender little log cabin way up thar 
 near the foot-hills, with a big barn back of it, 
 jest east of whar we is now? Waal, ole Jim So- 
 and-so herds three weemin in thet cab'n. Going 
 on a little further, he would say : " Right yer in 
 this yer house we's pass'n is whar ' Hezekiah 
 Hogwash ' lives. He hez four weemin, or did 
 hev when I was yer, but Lawd he might hev a 
 dozen now, as he started in kinder wholesale — 
 married two sisters and got sealed to their 
 mother all about the same time." And here Tex 
 broke out with " what relation will them kids be 
 to each other when they grows up ? " I thought 
 it was an easy question and was going to an- 
 swer it right off the reel, but after calling them 
 everything from ancestor down to posterity, Tex 
 said : " Why you is foolish. They is someth'n 
 ain't in no dictionary." As I could not answer 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 125 
 
 the question, and am still anxious to know, I 
 hereby pledge myself to give a moss-agate to 
 any one who can " parse " them. I put down in 
 this way the names of several new ones, besides 
 finding out just where the others resided for 
 whom I had warrants. By this time we had 
 reached the lower town, and leaving Tex to 
 enjoy himself the best he could, I started for the 
 place of our supposed friend. He did not " en- 
 thuse " when he learned who I was and my mis- 
 sion, and blurted out: "We don't want to touch 
 Montpelier," when I had unfolded my plans, and 
 I could plainly see that either through fear or 
 some other cause he had concluded to go back 
 on his own proposition. I told him I wished he 
 had thought of it before writing such an encour- 
 aging letter, and not having me trapseing all 
 over the country, sleeping in barns and hay- 
 stacks to make my part of the programme good. 
 When I found he wouldn't do as he had agreed, 
 I said : "I am fixed to work it myself, and that 
 you'll not give me away is all I ask." He flushed 
 up at this and pretended to be indignant at the 
 idea, and I soon after went over to the train, ex- 
 pecting to find the Marshal, who, through the fail- 
 ure of my letter to reach him, was not on board, 
 as he was looking for a telegram, and not a letter. 
 It was now drawing near time for the afternoon 
 performance, so I went and got Tex and we 
 
126 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 started for the old town, feeling pretty badly 
 broken up. I asked him if he and his partner 
 would stand "pat," and he said he would. On 
 our way we were overtaken by the man who had 
 played me false, as he was driving in his buggy 
 in the same direction as we were going. Being 
 afraid he was going to head me off in the polyg- 
 amist section of the place, I tried to prevent it 
 by saying I would like to ride up*with him. He 
 consented, and Tex and I climbed up and sat 
 behind with our feet dangling out. He did not 
 seem to be pleased with our company, and imme- 
 diately began whipping the horses viciously, and 
 the team becoming unmanageable they got the 
 best of him, and the buggy striking an obstruc- 
 tion I was thrown out and received injuries which 
 laid me up for quite awhile. Since that day my 
 prayer has been: "From Jack Mormons good 
 Lord deliver us." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 27 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 "Jack Mormons" — Who They Are and What They 
 Are Like. 
 
 Now that I have mentioned the " Jack Mor- 
 mon," I will turn on the light so that we can all 
 see him, for he will repay a little dissection. He 
 has not been raised as a Mormon ; he has raised 
 himself principally, and has made a pretty bad 
 job of it. His ambition is to be thought well of 
 by all classes, but as a man can't serve God and 
 mammon he only succeeds in rendering himself 
 despicable and being despised alike by both 
 Mormons and Gentiles. To his Mormon neigh- 
 bors he will say that, in his opinion, the "dod- 
 gasted " government has about all it can attend 
 to without bothering its head about other people's 
 religion, for his part he " don't see what business 
 it is of anybody's if a man wants to marry his 
 own daughter, and if these Gentiles that are 
 making all the trouble for the Mormons were 
 out of the country it would be better off. He 
 will then probably begin running down his 
 Gentile neighbors, and if he thought it would 
 help him out any in the good opinion of those he 
 is afraid of, or whom he may deem it policy to 
 ingratiate himself with, he would no doubt get 
 down on his knees and black their boots. We 
 
128 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 will suppose he is running a little fourth-class 
 postoffice. When the Mormons come in he will 
 go on in the above strain, but when a Gentile 
 comes in he is apt to go into ecstasy over Gen- 
 tiles, " so few of our kind round," he explains. 
 Then he will turn himself loose against his 
 Mormon visitors of a few moments before, and 
 after tearing them to pieces, says he wishes he 
 was out of such a country, and cannot see why 
 the government does not put them down. Should 
 you in a moment of confidence let him know any- 
 thing of your business, what you tell him is so 
 much added to his capital stock, and the poor 
 wretch is on "pins and needles" until he runs 
 and tells it with such embellishments as he thinks 
 will make it weigh more. As a consequence (for 
 sooner or later notes are compared by Mormon 
 and Gentile), Mr. Postmaster, or whoever else 
 he may be, is speedily put on the shelf and tick- 
 eted "Jack Mormon." As a general thing they 
 cannot be insulted, and go through life despised 
 by both parties, and in their petty way make 
 lots of trouble. There are several in Idaho, we 
 are sorry to say, but we suppose nature intended 
 them for some purpose like flies and bed- 
 bugs. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 29 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Mobbed by Mormons at Franklin — How They Got 
 
 Left. 
 
 In company with another party I took a trip 
 to Salt Lake City. On our return we stopped 
 off at Logan, Utah, intending to take the freight 
 later on which reached Franklin after dark, and 
 as that was the town which, at the time, we were 
 interested in we did not want to arrive there in 
 daylight. Franklin is a place of six or eight 
 hundred inhabitants, all Mormons with the 
 exception of four or five families. It contains a 
 Mormon Church, or as they call it,. "Taber- 
 nacle," the inevitable Zion's Co-operative Insti- 
 tution, a brewery, a few other stores and a Pres- 
 byterian meeting-house and school. As we got 
 on the train at Logan we were not very 
 agreeably surprised to find a young Mormon . 
 resident of Franklin named Jim Webster and his 
 girl on board. I knew him to be a spy, his 
 father holding a very high position in the Church, 
 and I deemed it necessary to pull the wool over 
 his eyes so effectually that he would not want tp 
 mention our names after he got off at Franklin. 
 I gave my friend the hint that it would be a good 
 scheme to try and make Webster jealous by 
 making love to the girl, and as he was an adept 
 
130 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 at this kind of work it was but a few short 
 moments before he had her laughing and chat- 
 ting and seemingly altogether unmindful of Jim. 
 I called his attention to the flirtation and ven- 
 tured to remark that if it were possible for us to 
 get off at Franklin I really believed that George 
 would cut him out. He brightened up as the 
 thought struck him that we would soon be sepa- 
 rated, and on his asking me where we were 
 going I told him Oxford, and wrote a message 
 to be sent from Franklin which I asked him to 
 give the agent as I did not want to get off the 
 train. The town of Franklin has a great many 
 polygamists- among its inhabitants, and although 
 there are warrants out for the greater part of 
 them, and the town has been repeatedly raided, 
 but four or five had been arrested up to this 
 time. On reaching Franklin we bade the young 
 couple adieu, and allowing them time to get out 
 of sight we got off and went to a stable belong- 
 ing to a Gentile friend, where we secured horses 
 and the assistance of a couple of Gentiles who 
 knew all the residences, to act as guides. We 
 started to take them in rotation, and as many of 
 them had two houses, it took some time to search 
 each place, and "whew ! " when I remember the 
 filth of some of the houses I cannot help think- 
 ing that if cleanliness is next to Godliness, some 
 of the Franklin Mormons are beyond all redemp- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 131 
 
 tion. I will briefly describe one house, and it 
 will do as a sample of the rest. We found 
 several wretched-looking children around amidst 
 the greatest squalor and filth. The woman was 
 the fifth wife and was a Scotch woman. The 
 house contained three very small rooms. The 
 door was off one of the rooms, which was used as 
 a granary, and boards were nailed to the frame 
 about two feet high, the floor being covered 
 with wheat, while old shoes, pots, pans and other 
 rubbish were profusely scattered round. The 
 bed was spread out in one corner, and the room 
 lacked none of the requisites of a sleeping-room. 
 A view of this chaotic apartment suggested the 
 thought that wheat taken from any other bin 
 would make just as good bread, and I found 
 myself wondering if by any possibility this wheat 
 had anything to do with the brand of flour we 
 were using at home. 
 
 Language fails to depict the abject squalor of 
 the balance of the house, while children were to 
 be found sleeping in every nook and cranny. It 
 looked more like the lair of an animal than the 
 abode of human beings. After searching several 
 houses we finally arrested a polygamist named 
 Lowe, but as it was late and he was an old man, 
 we had not the heart to take him, so we let him 
 go on his honor until morning. We then started 
 for the houses of some of the witnesses in his 
 
132 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 case which were at some distance off ; and we 
 found, on our return, that the news of the raid 
 had been scattered far and wide and Webster 
 and several other hoodlums had organized a 
 mob. This mob had scattered in all directions 
 in search of us, and part of them overtook us, 
 and as they continued to follow us we turned 
 and asked them what they meant. "None of 
 your d n business," they replied. 
 
 " If you keep following after us I guess we'll 
 have to make it our business. Now tell us 
 which road you propose to take." 
 
 "We're gwine down this way," said one. 
 
 " All right," I rejoined, " we're going this way, 
 and don't propose to have any of you fellows 
 tagging after us." 
 
 We separated from the mob here, and the 
 boys who had acted as our guides started for 
 home, while we went on to the stable where we 
 had got our horses. We had just taken the 
 saddles off and turned them loose, when we 
 heard several shots fired. Hastily running in 
 the direction of the shots, we were met by 
 one of the boys, who had his hat off and was 
 very much excited. He told us that the mob we 
 had separated from a few moments- before had 
 headed them off, and that it was he who had 
 fired several shots. They had dragged him 
 from his horse, and it had got away, so that we 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 35 
 
 were now all afoot. We walked a hundred 
 yards or so, and met the other young- man, still 
 on horseback, who gave us the names of some 
 of the mob, and as we stood talking, it being a 
 pretty dark night, some of the mob ran into us. 
 Calling upon them to halt, they started to make 
 off, but by this time we had them surrounded, 
 and after several shots were exchanged, we suc- 
 ceeded in arresting four of them. They all 
 denied having participated in the previous racket 
 with the boys, but unfortunately for them, the 
 brewery man and one or two Gentiles happened 
 to be in the bar-room when Webster organized 
 the mob, so there was no lack of evidence with 
 which to convict them. The gentleman who a 
 short time before had told me I was "the mean- 
 est man in Idaho," was among those under 
 arrest. His name was Packer. 
 
 As we left Franklin the next morning for 
 Oxford, the wagons loaded with prisoners, wit- 
 nesses and bondsmen, I was strongly reminded 
 of my circus experience, and en route we were 
 gazed at with amazement by the Mormon ranch- 
 ers, as the cavalcade wended its way. Brother 
 Lowe, the one first arrested, led the way, seated 
 in his own buggy, with his two wives and sons, 
 whom we had subpoenaed, and funny as it may 
 seem, he was the only one of the prisoners who 
 got clear; though the evidence was thought 
 
136 
 
 A detective's experience 
 
 to be conclusive, perjury prevailed. He has 
 since then gone to a higher court for trial, for he 
 died some months ago. The others were duly 
 tried, convicted and liberally fined, and now a 
 child might go into Franklin on Uncle Sam's 
 business without in any way being molested. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS 137 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Dixon — A Brave Man " In His Mind." 
 
 There is a road running south from Oxford 
 at the base of the mountains, which at one time 
 was very much traveled. It is the old stage road 
 leading from Salt Lake City to Montana, and 
 before the advent of the Utah Northern Railway 
 the greater part of the freight for the north went 
 that way; as a consequence this road is very 
 thickly settled for at least thirty miles south. 
 The ranchers are, with three or four exceptions, 
 Mormons of the most fanatical type, and among 
 them can be found a fair sprinkling of polyga- 
 mists. Seven miles from Oxford is situated the 
 little hamlet of Clifton. It has one little store 
 (in which the postoffice is also kept) whose stock 
 of goods could be carried off in a wheelbarrow, 
 yet it rejoices in the dignified title of "Zion's 
 Co-operative Mercantile Institution. " This es- 
 tablishment was superintended by a man named 
 Dixon who, while he sold his Mormon neighbors 
 what groceries and provisions they needed, also 
 attended to their spiritual welfare, for he was 
 Bishop, tithe-gatherer and in fact the "head- 
 center" of the little community round Clifton. 
 To all his other responsibilities were added the 
 care of two wives and two families, for he not 
 
I3 8 A detective's experience 
 
 only preached polygamy but practiced it, and was 
 very defiant about it, too. He was looked up to 
 by his neighbors as a second edition of the David 
 who slew Goliah, so boastful was he of what he 
 would do should any attempt be made to arrest 
 him. He was in the habit of doing business 
 with a belt full of cartridges and a six-shooter 
 hanging to him. I was told that all this helped 
 his business somewhat, and that he seemed to 
 wish to be looked upon as a bad man from "Bit- 
 ter Creek" generally. I made one or two trips 
 after him, but always without success, as no mat- 
 ter at what time of the night I went the dogs at 
 the different ranches would bark the news to 
 Dixon, who being a veritable cur as it afterwards 
 turned out, would fly to the mountains on the 
 slightest noise out of the common. One trip 
 made was at the suggestion of a Gentile, who 
 told me that Dixon was at home now and pro- 
 posed to stay and fight it out, and that his hiding- 
 place was a new cellar that had been dug adjoin- 
 ing the store. This party had seen him and 
 spoken to him, and he knew that a visit paid him 
 now would result in his arrest. Securing the 
 assistance of another party, we started for his 
 place, arriving there just as day was breaking. 
 As I had never seen him to my knowledge, I 
 could only go by the description I had of him. 
 We were in hopes that by arriving thus early 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 139 
 
 we would find him either in bed in one of the 
 two houses, or in the cellar already mentioned. 
 One house adjoined the store and the other was 
 across the road, so while Johnny, my partner for 
 the time being, kept a close watch on the store, 
 with orders to take a shot at any one leaving if 
 they would not stop when called on, I went to 
 the house across the street. On going round to 
 the back door I found it was admirably adapted 
 to fastening on the outside, it having one of those 
 old-fashioned latches. I shoved a stick through 
 it to prevent its being opened from the inside, 
 and going round to the front I gained admittance, 
 but after a thorough search failed to find the 
 blood-thirsty Dixon. I then proceeded to the 
 other house, and being assured by Johnny that 
 no one had left it, I rapped on the door and was 
 sleepily admitted by Mrs. Dixon No. i, who pro- 
 tested against being disturbed so early in the 
 morning; but she spoke in such a good-humored 
 way that I began to think they had the laugh on 
 me after all. I searched the house thoroughly, 
 however, and then adjourned to the store, the 
 gentle Mrs. Dixon going ahead of me to open 
 the door, which greatly to my surprise she does 
 without unlocking, and ushers me into the pres- 
 ence of about a half a dozen good Mormons who 
 laughingly bid me good-morning. They ironic- 
 ally said how sorry they felt at my disappoint- 
 
140 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 ment, but their cheerful and exultant manner gave 
 the lie to their expressed sympathy, as they told 
 me how they enjoyed my discomfiture in my 
 search for Dixon. 
 
 "And now," said old Bill Marler, "if you will 
 allow me, I will show you through the premises." 
 
 It took but a moment to go through the store, 
 so I said: "Give me a candle, Bill, till I look 
 in the cellar." 
 
 "Ah ! I forgot the cellar," said he, handing 
 me a candle, adding : " Be keerful, for Dixon is 
 a cutter and a shooter." 
 
 " It does look that way, don't it ? " I replied. 
 
 Going into the cellar nothing was found but 
 an old mattress and blankets that Bill told me 
 was to take a nap on during the heat of the 
 day. 
 
 " How is it you did not come earlier ? " said 
 he. " We expected you last night ; and es 
 Dixon hed bizness somewhars else he lit out 
 t' tend to it." 
 
 " Oh, I just dropped in on my way to 
 Weston," I replied. 
 
 " That's too thin ! " they all chimed in. "The 
 party as told you Dixon was 'ere, kem down 
 an' told us as how we might look for a call from 
 you, and we ben lookin' fer you all night to pay 
 us a call." 
 
 Old Bill, whom I have mentioned, was the 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 141 
 
 father of Dixon's second wife, and will figure in 
 this narrative later on. So, as we are in a hurry- 
 to catch a polygamist, we will leave him and his 
 friends to chuckle together a little longer. It 
 only goes to show the reliance to be placed on 
 some Gentiles. 
 
142 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Jergenson — Poverty no Bar to Polygamy. 
 
 We will now endeavor to show that a man 
 can't be too poor to be a polygamist. Brother 
 Jergenson's case illustrates that in polygamy, as 
 in everything else, if "there's a will there's a 
 way." This Danish gentleman lives in Gentile 
 Valley, is the husband of two wives and the 
 father of six children. One night I started on 
 horseback to arrest him. The weather was 
 cold and frosty, and a thick fog or mist which 
 froze as soon as it came in contact with me, 
 made the journey as uncomfortable as any I had 
 ever taken ; and before long both I and my 
 horse were coated with ice, and presented the 
 appearance of a large equestrian icicle, if I may 
 use such an expression. 
 
 I reached Cottonwood Crossing, which was 
 about half way from my destination, and was, to 
 my great disappointment, in a far worse condi- 
 tion for fording than on any of my previous 
 attempts. The current was running very swiftly, 
 and had overflowed the banks, which were now 
 nothing but a mass of solid ice about three feet 
 above the surface of the water. I was at a loss 
 to know how to get my horse across such an 
 impediment, and went up and down the stream 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 143 
 
 for some distance in search of a favorable place. 
 I finally came to where I thought the stream 
 could best be forded, so I dismounted and tak- 
 ing the bridle in my hand, proceeded to feel my 
 way carefully preparatory to leading the horse 
 into the water. The ice proved treacherous, 
 and breaking under me, I suddenly found myself 
 in about three feet of water. There was now 
 of course no alternative but to wade across, 
 which I did with difficulty, dragging my horse 
 up the bank after me. To continue my journey 
 in such a condition was out of the question, so I 
 hastened to build a fire, and before long I was 
 seated on a log warming myself and drying my 
 clothing as well as I could under the circum- 
 stances. It was freezing very hard, and I was 
 loth to leave my temporary camp with its cheer- 
 ful blaze ; but as I had important business on 
 hand I finally mounted my horse and continued 
 my journey. 
 
 I reached the neighborhood where Jergensen 
 lived about day-break. He was a rancher on a 
 very small scale, and certainly the most poverty- 
 stricken polygamist I had yet come across. He 
 spoke English very imperfectly, but his wives 
 could speak nothing but their native Danish. 
 Near a small creek that watered the ranche were 
 two diminutive log cabins, situated about ten 
 feet apart, and built exactly alike, each having 
 
144 A detective's experience 
 
 one door, and one window composed of two small 
 panes of glass. The door of the first cabin was 
 opened, in response to my demand for admission, 
 by Jergensen, who was arrayed in garments too 
 light for the prevailing temperature, and I 
 quickly got inside. I will briefly describe the 
 interior. The bed, which was in one corner, was 
 home-made, and of the most primitive character, 
 the wood-work was of good, stout, but undressed 
 cottonwood poles, fastened together with raw- 
 hide. There was an old pine cupboard, entirely 
 empty; a very rickety table, a chair that had 
 seen its best days years before, and an old 
 cracked stove, that no one but a junk-dealer 
 could make any use of. There was a quantity 
 of rubbish laying round, and the only thing I saw 
 which looked like a cooking utensil was an arti- 
 cle that had once been a frying-pan, but as a 
 large piece of the rim was broken out, it was 
 clear to me that it had long before outlived its 
 usefulness. The bed was occupied by a good- 
 natured looking woman and a fat, healthy little 
 girl, while at the foot of the bed, and jammed 
 between it and the wall, was a crib or cot, of the 
 same manufacture as its larger neighbor, in which 
 lay two little tow-heads. When served with the 
 warrant, Jergensen did not deny the fact that he 
 was a polygamist, and bravely acknowledged his 
 wives and children, and said that if it was a 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 145 
 
 crime he was willing to suffer for it. I then sub- 
 poenaed his wife and adjourned to the other 
 cabin, the inside of which was a very close coun- 
 terpart of the one I had just left. The other 
 wife was of a different stamp from the first lady, 
 and seemed to be of a very surly disposition, so 
 I did my business with her as soon as possible 
 and departed. Jergenson's penalty for marrying 
 not wisely but too often was one year in the 
 House of Correction at Detroit. 
 
146 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A Trip Through the Heart of Mormondom. — Scenery 
 and Incidents — The Land They Live In — Great 
 Temple at Logan — The Church Ranche — Sanctified 
 Live Stock. 
 
 The Utah Northern Railroad is a narrow 
 guage which runs from Ogden, Utah, to Garri- 
 son, Montana, and through the very heart of the 
 far-famed Cashe Valley. As this road takes in 
 all the Mormon settlements of any importance 
 north of the Union Pacific Railroad, a brief de- 
 scription of the country it goes through will not 
 be found uninteresting to the general reader, 
 more especially as I am not aware that any 
 reliable account of it has been published before. 
 The road for its entire length runs parallel with 
 the old Montana stage road, and through some 
 of the finest mining and grazing country in the 
 world. Owing to the supremacy the Mormons 
 have maintained for so many years, the mining 
 resources in this section have, to a great extent, 
 been undeveloped, and I feel it safe to say that 
 there is a great future for the country traversed 
 by the Utah Northern. 
 
 Ogden is just forty miles north of Salt Lake 
 City, and is the junction of the Union Pacific, 
 Utah Northern, Central Pacific, Denver and Rio 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 147 
 
 Grande and the Utah Central Railroads, and is 
 beautifully located. Towering mountains, that 
 from their peculiarly rugged formation compare 
 in picturesque grandeur with any to be found 
 between Omaha and San Francisco, form its 
 background. The snow lays on the summits of 
 some of them all the year round. The popula- 
 tion of Ogden is about nine thousand, and is 
 principally Mormon, although within the past 
 few years, since the advent of the railroads, many 
 Gentiles have settled there and gone into busi- 
 ness, and it may now be considered one of the 
 important commercial centers of the West. The 
 public and private buildings^ compare favorably 
 with many older and more pretentious cities, and 
 a grand central passenger depot is in course of 
 construction at the present time ; and there is 
 every reason to believe that Ogden, before very 
 long, will overtake and rival Salt Lake City. It 
 is surrounded by a fine farming country, and pro- 
 duce and fruit of all kinds are as plentiful and 
 cheap there as anywhere. It may be called the com- 
 mercial supply depot of the territory traversed by 
 the several railroads that run into it, and, as a 
 rule, business in Ogden is brisk at all times of 
 the year. 
 
 As we leave Ogden going north, Salt Lake 
 can be seen from the train 1 stretching out a few 
 miles to the southwest, and if it happens to be a 
 
148 A detective's experience 
 
 bright sun-shiny day the salt on its shores can 
 be seen glistening in the sun for miles. It is 
 hemmed in on the west and south sides by a lofty 
 range of mountains, and many pleasure resorts 
 are to be found along its shores. The first sta- 
 tion we stop at is Hot Springs, a place that is 
 becoming noted as a health resort, and nine miles 
 from Ogden. The waters are said to be a sure 
 cure for rheumatism and other diseases that have 
 become chronic, but as I am not capable of enu- 
 merating all the benefits that a visit to the springs 
 might result in, we will content ourselves to look 
 at the scenery and the millions of wild geese, 
 ducks, snipe, cranes and seagulls that have left 
 the lake and come up to the fresh water sloughs. 
 It has been a source of wonder to many that sea- 
 gulls can be found almost anywhere in the mount- 
 ains, so far from their favorite element. I have 
 seen them flying hundreds of miles up the country 
 apparently as contented as if swimming on salt 
 water. Proceeding on our way, the lofty mount- 
 ains on our right are intersected by what appear 
 to be long perpendicular red streaks; these are 
 " dragways " or roads used by the ranchers to 
 bring down wood from the pine woods above to 
 the ranches in the valley. 
 
 Willard, the next stopping-place, is a small 
 village surrounded by a splendid farming coun- 
 try and fruit orchards, and the fertile soil has 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 149 
 
 " only to be tickled to laugh a harvest. " It is 
 owned and inhabited entirely by Mormons, and 
 there is not a single Gentile to be found for 
 miles around. It is fourteen miles from Ogden. 
 It seems a pity that a land of plenty, such as 
 this is, should be under the control of a lot of 
 ignorant and priest-ridden fanatics who cannot 
 or will not do justice to it. I firmly believe that 
 if it had been originally settled by a different 
 class of people, the villages that are scattered 
 through it would to-day be cities and towns 
 filled with a happy and thriving population. 
 How can people, born and bred as they have 
 been, be expected to be anything else than a 
 band of Ishmaelites ? " Their hand against 
 every man," their so-called religion teaches 
 them such doctrines, and from their childhood 
 they seem to take to it naturally and gratefully. 
 Theirs is a case which demands firm and heroic 
 treatment ; it seems to be either " kill or cure, " 
 with the chances against "cure." 
 
 Brigham City is one of the garden spots of 
 Utah. It is situated on the east side of the 
 track, and should a stranger walk down its 
 shaded street unheralded the male portion of the 
 population will be sure to turn out, not to greet 
 him with welcome, but to make a searching 
 examination of his general appearance. If there 
 is anything suspicious about him, or any indica- 
 
ISO A detective's experience 
 
 tion that he is one of " Uncle Sam's hirelings," 
 it will not be long before they will take them- 
 selves off to a safe hiding-place, from whence 
 they will not emerge until the coast is clear. 
 They have been known before now to entertain 
 Deputy Marshals unawares, and as there is a 
 skeleton in almost every closet in the shape of a 
 polygamist, it behooves them to be very careful 
 as to the strangers they admit within their gates. 
 A great deal of fruit and country produce is 
 shipped from this point and finds a ready sale at 
 places in Idaho and Montana north of here, and 
 a good, able-bodied and industrious Mormon 
 should have no difficulty in making both ends 
 meet. The distance from Ogden is twenty-one 
 miles, and from Corinne, on the Central Pacific, 
 seven miles. 
 
 Leaving Brigham City we gradually ascend 
 for some miles. The scenery on our left is very 
 grand, and presents a panorama of mountains, 
 foothills and valleys, in rapid succession, as if 
 to relieve the monotony it might otherwise have. 
 Before we have gone very far we notice a divi- 
 sion in the mountains which leads to St. Johns, 
 Samaria, and other little towns, and this pass 
 will bring us to the Malad Valley. This fertile 
 spot is settled almost entirely by Welsh people, 
 who are about equally divided in their religious 
 faith. Some of them are Mormons of the Brig- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 151 
 
 ham Young and John Taylor stripe, and among 
 these there are several polygamists. The 
 remainder are about equally distributed among 
 the disciples of Joseph Smith and the various 
 Gentile denominations. There is now a Gentile 
 paper published in Malad by J. A. Straight, 
 called the Idaho Enterprise, and Mormonism 
 seems to be losing its grip in the valley. 
 
 The next station on the Utah Northern is 
 
 * 
 
 Collinston, which, on leaving, the Mendon Divide 
 is immediately reached. The grade here is very 
 heavy and a long, difficult climb for a train. 
 Passenger trains get over with but little diffi- 
 culty and only a slightly perceptible difference 
 in speed ; but freights frequently have to 
 "double" or be divided into two sections, each 
 being pulled up separately. From the top of 
 this mountain a view is presented which is worth 
 going a long way to see. The Wasatch Range 
 of mountains is in the shape of a horseshoe, 
 which incloses Cashe Valley, and the Mendon 
 Divide is a spur of that range. The valley at 
 the foot of the mountains is dotted with hamlets, 
 villages and towns varying in size from the little 
 place of fifteen families to towns like Logan 
 that can boast of its thousands of inhabitants. 
 From the summit can be seen thirteen towns 
 and villages, including Mendon, which liea just 
 beneath us, Logan, Providence, as well as 
 
1 52 A detective's experience 
 
 Franklin, which is in Idaho and about thirty-five 
 miles off. These settlements have a very home- 
 like appearance as they are seen in the distance 
 when the trees are in full foliage, and the white 
 houses peeping through, and the curved range 
 of mountains forming a background, completes 
 a natural picture unsurpassed in the West. 
 Collinston is forty-two miles from Ogden. 
 
 Logan is the next city of importance that we 
 touch at, and is noted principally for its great 
 Mormon temple, which is, without doubt, the 
 finest if not quite the largest structure of its 
 kind in all Mormondom, and is said to have cost 
 three million dollars. It is built of a white 
 sandstone taken from the mountains close by, 
 and the exterior presents a very fine appearance, 
 especially if the sun strikes it, when it fairly 
 glistens. It was built entirely by voluntary 
 subscription, every Mormon either donating 
 money or labor, or both, to the erection of the 
 vast edifice. Its architectural appearance is 
 very different from, and far superior to, the old 
 building in Salt Lake City. This one, if placed 
 in any Eastern or European city would rival any 
 of their public buildings or cathedrals. The 
 interior is in keeping with the rest of the build- 
 ing and is highly ornate in design. The seating 
 capacity is said to be about six thousand. Not- 
 withstanding the fact that the Mormons are very 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. I S3 
 
 close-mouthed, a report leaked out that there 
 was a little "job" connected with the building, 
 and it is not impossible that there was some 
 crookedness even here. There are in Mormon- 
 dom but three principal temples or tabernacles; 
 one is at Salt Lake City, one at St. George and 
 one at Logan as described above. One of the 
 interesting ceremonies performed within these 
 sacred buildings is the Mormon baptism, and I 
 will briefly describe it. The Saints believe that 
 if they are baptized for, or in place of friends or 
 relatives who have previously died out of the 
 faith it makes true Mormons of the deceased 
 and brings them within the safety line of the 
 Church, giving their departed spirits the privilege 
 of flying invisibly in these temples just as if they 
 had lived and died in the faith, and finally an 
 abundant and glorious entry into the Mormon 
 paradise. 
 
 Recent developments have brought to light 
 the fact that immense tracts of the best land in 
 Utah, a great part of it in this beautiful Cashe 
 Valley, has come into the possession and con- 
 trol of the Mormon Church by fraudulent means, 
 thereby debarring good and useful citizens from 
 obtaining homes in this Eden. I understand that 
 rigid investigation has been the means of un- 
 earthing several cases of fraud of this character 
 in various parts of the Territory. Logan is very 
 
154 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 nicely located, and fifty-eight miles from Ogden. 
 Leaving Logan behind, the towns of Hyde Park 
 and Richmond are passed, and we come to the 
 boundary line of the Territories of Utah and 
 Idaho. At this point is a small creek, about a 
 mile and a half south of Franklin, which, after 
 passing, we soon reach Battle Creek. It is a 
 small town on Bear River, and takes its name 
 from the Indian fight which occurred there years 
 ago between General O'Connor's forces and the 
 Shoshone Indians. The savages were nearly all 
 wiped out, and it was about the last effort they 
 made to harass settlers in Southeastern Idaho. 
 The ranchers to this day turn up relics of the 
 fight with their ploughshares. It is not generally 
 known that a brother of the departed prophet, 
 Brigham Young, is a small rancher living about 
 half a mile from Battle Creek. He is a Gentile, 
 has never been a Mormon, and although offered 
 every inducement to embrace the faith he has 
 steadily and firmly refused to do so. He is a 
 very fine old gentleman, well liked and respected 
 by every one, and manages to eke out a living 
 for himself and family on the small ranche he 
 owns. 
 
 After we leave Battle Creek we travel through 
 a gorge up a steep incline, and before long reach 
 Morell Siding. A little to the east of us, but 
 invisible from the railroad, is one of those noto- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 55 
 
 rious Church Ranches which are, as the name 
 implies, depots for the care and receipt of live 
 stock donated by the Saints to the Church in the 
 shape of tithing. At this one will be found at 
 almost any season of the year all the way from 
 five to fifteen hundred head of cattle, with droves 
 of horses, sheep, pigs, etc., sufficient to stock a 
 large-sized ranche. A competent crew of cow- 
 boys are always on hand to receive contributions, 
 and as each Saint drives in his four-footed 
 offering, whatever brand may be on the animal 
 is at once "vented" or canceled, a cross of the 
 largest size is branded on its side with a red-hot 
 iron, and in the twinkling of an eye the animal is 
 converted from a worldly quadruped into a good, 
 religious Mormon bull, cow, horse or mule, as 
 the case may be. This system of tithing extends 
 to all kinds of produce and other personal prop- 
 erty. Old women knit tithing ; farmers give of 
 their stock or grain ; house-wives give of the 
 dairy product, chickens, etc. — in fact there is 
 nothing too small or insignificant to be taken. 
 Tithing-clerks are appointed to take charge and 
 keep an account of this tribute, and are generally 
 paid a good salary. Many a good story is told 
 by those who are lukewarm in the faith of some 
 of the incidents attending the receipt of tithes, 
 some of the Saints being at times rather stingy 
 and backward. One Danish apostate told me 
 
X S6 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 the following : The tithing-clerk informed Mm 
 one "day that the Lord expected him to bring in 
 another load of hay. Now, as he had seen this 
 same clerk feeding his own cattle with some of 
 the Church hay he began to suspect that all was 
 not right, and finally told the clerk that if the 
 Lord wanted another load of hay he could go and 
 cut it himself, as he had brought in all the tithing 
 he was going to ; and from that day to this he 
 has kept his word. Another good story is told 
 of one of the brethren in this connection. The 
 Territorial assessor called upon him for the pur- 
 pose of assessing his property, and on asking 
 him how many head of cattle he owned was 
 informed that he had such and such a number. 
 It was afterwards found that he had turned in as 
 tithing to the Church fully as many cattle as he 
 had told the assessor he owned altogether, which 
 was conclusive proof that he owned ten times as 
 many cattle as he had stated to the assessor. 
 He evidently thought that if it was a sin to beat 
 the Church, there was not much harm in lying to 
 the tax-gatherer. 
 
 Not much further on we come to the town of 
 Oxford, which is about one hundred miles from 
 Ogden. The town proper is about two miles 
 and a half from the station, and is beautifully 
 located in a little nook in the foot-hills, and is 
 abundantly sheltered by mountains, so high that 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. I 57 
 
 » 
 
 snow is found on their summits all the year 
 round. Near the summit of this mountain range 
 there is a mineral ledge, which can be traced for 
 twenty or thirty miles, and a tunnel has been 
 driven and several shafts sunk with a view of 
 developing the resources. No great results 
 have been attained as yet, owing to a lack of 
 capital, but this will undoubtedly some day be a 
 great mining country. There are stage-lines, 
 which also carry mails, from this place to Malad 
 and Gentile Valley. The population is about 
 evenly divided between Mormons and Gentiles, 
 who got along very nicely with each other until 
 the new "Stake of Zion," previously alluded to 
 in these pages, was established. That was the 
 signal for a new order of things, and the friendly 
 feeling no longer exists. A few years ago a 
 Gentile was a mere cypher here; there was not 
 a single Gentile institution in the place, not even 
 to the extent of a place of worship or a school. 
 The district school was controlled by a Mormon 
 Board of Trustees and conducted by a Mormon 
 teacher, who imparted but little to his pupils out- 
 side of the doctrines contained in the Book of 
 Mormon. There has, however, been a great 
 change within the past three years, and the dis- 
 trict school is now in Gentile hands, and is well 
 attended, and, strange to say, a well-established 
 Methodist church. 
 
158 A detective's experience 
 
 At a distance of about nine miles north of 
 Oxford we come to the boundary line of the 
 Shoshone Indian Reservation, which is thickly 
 dotted with ranches, but no rancher can be said 
 to own his place, as he is nothing more than a 
 squatter on Indian land and liable to ejectment 
 at any time; and this condition of things exists 
 until we get near Blackfoot, which is seventy 
 miles further north. Thousands of head of cat- 
 tle are wintered here, as it is an unexcelled win- 
 ter range where but little snow falls. The Indians 
 are paid a stated sum per head for this privilege, 
 and are disposed to be on good terms with their 
 white neighbors generally. There is now a 
 sameness in the appearance of the country which 
 is unbroken until we reach McCammon, about 
 twenty miles off, which is the junction point of 
 the Oregon Short Line with the Utah Northern. 
 Leaving here, we at once enter the far-famed 
 Port Neuf Canyon, through which runs the Port 
 Neuf River. This canyon in the good old days 
 of staging, before railroads were known in the 
 Territory, was the paradise of road agents and 
 highwaymen, and many are the stories which are 
 told of how stage coaches were robbed by these 
 knights of the road. Loss of life was a frequent 
 occurrence here in those days, and superstitious 
 people insist that the canyon is haunted to this 
 day. The sides of the road are strewed with 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 159 
 
 rocks and boulders of every conceivable size and 
 shape, which look as if they might have been 
 dropped there from some immense height, and 
 remained just where they fell. In the canyon 
 are a large number of Indian wickiups and 
 farms, this location having been chosen by them 
 on account of the facility with which live stock 
 can be herded here. They are so hemmed in 
 by natural fences in the shape of natural walls of 
 stone which bound them that the artificial wire 
 article would be superfluous. These Indians are 
 mostly Mormons, and many of them are polyg- 
 amists. They were converted to the faith many 
 years ago, when the Mormons first settled that 
 country, and are known as "Laminites." At the 
 General Conference, held twice a year in Salt 
 Lake City, these Indians are to be seen in holi- 
 day attire, with gaudy-colored blankets and 
 decked with all the gew-gaws and trinkets they 
 can lay their hands on. 
 
 Since the Mormon system has been shaken up 
 by so many arrests and convictions, these con- 
 ferences have been held alternately at Logan 
 and Provo. The affairs of the Church, both 
 spiritual and temporal, are thoroughly canvassed 
 at these semi-annual gatherings, which last a 
 week, and tens of thousands of Saints attend 
 them. They are naturally looked forward to with 
 eagerness by the residents of the cities where 
 
160 A detective's experience 
 
 they are held, for they mean a week's rushing 
 business and many dollars as well as spiritual 
 profit. Most of the ranchers who come in will 
 lay up sufficient stock of necessaries to last them 
 until the next gathering in six months' time. 
 
 From McCammon to Pocatello, a distance of 
 twenty-two miles, the Utah Northern and Oregon 
 Short Line run together, a third rail being laid 
 to accommodate the broad gauge of the latter 
 road. Pocatello, though a small town, is proba- 
 bly the busiest place in the Mormon country. It 
 is the principal shipping point for coal and cattle, 
 and an immense railroad transfer business is 
 done here, the yards being very extensive and 
 hundreds of cars may be seen here for this pur- 
 pose almost any time. The general offices and 
 shops of both roads are here, and the population 
 is almost entirely composed of railroad men. 
 Strangers will be surprised to find in this out-of- 
 the-way spot a hotel which, though not very 
 large, will compare favorably in every way with 
 those to be found in any of the large cities of the 
 Union. The accommodation is of the best, and 
 the table will satisfy the most fastidious epicure. 
 The Indian Agent has his headquarters here, 
 and numbers of Indians are to be found here at 
 all times, lounging round or sitting down to a 
 game of " Piute Poker." They are all inveterate 
 gamblers, both bucks and squaws, and some 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. I<JI 
 
 of them oftenplay for high stakes. Others will 
 be selling buckskin gloves and mocassins to any 
 whom they can induce to become purchasers. 
 The two railroads again separate here, our route 
 continuing north on the Utah Northern. 
 
 The country widens out here, but is always 
 bounded by mountains, and before long we reach 
 Ross Fork. This is a place much frequented by 
 the Indians of the reservation, for it is here that 
 they receive their supplies from the Agent, and 
 the Indian schools are also at this place. In 
 addition to receiving the usual common-school 
 education, they are also instructed in agriculture, 
 and they seem to appreciate the benefits thus 
 conferred upon them. Many of them have farms 
 of their own, which are excellently cultivated, 
 and their crops would do credit to a born and 
 bred farmer. They are allowed to travel free on 
 all the railroads, but have to be satisfied with the 
 rather uninviting accommodation offered by the 
 top of a freight car or the platform of a baggage 
 car or caboose ; and they can be met traveling 
 in this way hundreds of miles away from their 
 reservation. The young bucks enjoy this mode 
 of travel, and they are riding nearly all the time. 
 Encumbered as they are with their heavy 
 blankets, they will jump from a train when at a 
 speed that few experienced railroad men would 
 care to risk. Crowds of them will board a train 
 
1 62 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 at Ross Fork, and when it attains its highest 
 rate of speed they will gracefully jump off the 
 foot ladders with as little apparent difficulty as 
 if they were getting off a house door-step, and 
 their bright-hued blankets fluttering after them 
 give them an appearance both novel and 
 original. 
 
 After an uneventful trip of about eleven miles 
 we arrive at Blackfoot, which is our destination 
 for the present. Blackfoot is the county seat 
 of Bingham county, and additional importance is 
 given to it from the fact that the United States 
 Court for the Third Judicial District is held here, 
 being presided over by the Hon. J. B. Hayes as 
 judge. All United States prisoners for the dis- 
 trict are tried here. There is a stage line to 
 Challis, Bay Horse and other points lying to the 
 northwest of it. It is also the supply depot and 
 shipping point for several important mining 
 camps in the neighborhood. Placer mining is 
 carried on here to some extent along the banks 
 of Snake river, which is about a mile from the 
 center of town. The Insane Asylum is located 
 here, and occupies a very fine building on the 
 outskirts, which has been erected during the past 
 year. Previous to this the patients were sent to 
 Salem, Oregon. There are in the Blackfoot Asy- 
 lum about seventy-five orahundred inmates at the 
 present time. I might add that the United States 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 
 
 163 
 
 Land Office is here; and all these circumstances 
 combine to give the town an importance it would 
 not otherwise have. The population is almost 
 entirely Gentile (indeed we are now nearly on 
 the northern confines of the Mormon realm), and 
 is made up principally of industrious and push- 
 ing Americans, whose energy and business tact 
 have built up the place, and an air of well-to-do 
 contentment pervades it which is quite foreign to 
 Mormon communities. 
 
1 64 A detective's experience 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A Female Champion — Red Pepper vs. Warrants. 
 
 On one occasion a Deputy in Franklin met 
 with an unexpected and unpleasant reception. 
 He was there for the purpose of arresting the 
 head of the family, and in order to prevent it 
 one of the girls threw a lot of red pepper into 
 his eyes, which, of course, blinded him for the 
 time being. In the meantime the old man took 
 advantage of the confusion and made his escape 
 through a window. Many persons admired the 
 pluck of the girl and the matter would probably 
 have been dropped as far as she was concerned, 
 were it not for the way in which the Mormon 
 papers commented upon it. They spoke of it 
 in terms which were calculated to bring it into 
 common use as a means of frustrating the officers, 
 and it was decided to stop the practice in its 
 infancy by prosecuting this girl. 
 
 The warrant for her arrest was placed in my 
 hands, and although not a very palatable job, 
 there was no alternative but to proceed and serve 
 it if possible. To that end I took a trip to Frank- 
 lin, and on arriving there I learned that she had 
 left that part of the country and was working in 
 a large dairy at Church Island, Utah. Procur- 
 ing a team and driver I started for that place, 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 65 
 
 which was about thirty-five miles distant, and but 
 brief mention need be made of the journey. We 
 soon reached the territorial boundary line, and 
 right here some interesting information can be 
 given regarding it. The ranchers, through whose 
 property the line runs, have made a practice of 
 building their cabins so that one or more of them 
 will be on each side of the line, and consequently 
 in different territories. By this shrewd scheme 
 they have so far escaped arrest and conviction, 
 and have been enabled to defy and laugh at the 
 existing laws. Proceeding with our journey, we at 
 last reached Logan, where we had to stay for the 
 night. After supper at the hotel I took a walk 
 around the town preparatory to retiring, my 
 driver preferring to stay with his team. As I 
 proposed proceeding on my way before any one 
 was up, I had a lunch prepared before I went to 
 bed, and next morning, taking it with me I went 
 to the stable where I had left my companion and - 
 the team. Shortly after leaving Logan we came 
 to a succession of sloughs which greatly retarded 
 our progress. Each one we came to seemed to 
 be worse than the one before it. We had only 
 alight spring wagon, and at times the water 
 would come in over the tail-board. The Mor- 
 mons seemed to be, in this case, especially en- 
 titled to be called "God's chosen people" for 
 some special providence seemed to befriend them 
 
1 66 A detective's experience 
 
 while working against us. I was strongly 
 reminded of the words of the old hymn: 
 
 "Sound the loud timbrel o'er Egypt's dark sea; 
 Jehovah has triumphed, his people are free." 
 
 As the ponies would sink in the slough sometimes 
 up to their necks. 
 
 In the center of the very worst slough of all, 
 the double-tree broke, and the ponies, finding 
 themselves freed from the wagon, made a great 
 plunge forward, pulling my companion, who held 
 onto the reins, over the dashboard. My mind 
 again went back to the old Sunday-school days 
 many years ago when we used to sing : 
 
 " And all his proud horsemen are dashed in the soa. " 
 
 The driver had reached the bank, and a most 
 pitiable though ludicrous spectacle he presented. 
 His face was completely smeared with the black 
 swamp-mud, his teeth chattered like castanets, 
 while the water dripped in streams from his cloth- 
 ing. How to get " ashore" myself was the next 
 question, and, as it seemed to me, a not very easy 
 one to answer. We discussed the situation for a 
 time, and after divesting myself of some of my 
 clothing, I plunged in and finally got on terra 
 firma once more. We succeeded in rigging a 
 purchase on the end of the tongue, and by dint 
 of hard work and patience we got the wagon out 
 of this " slough of despond." This was, I am 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. ^7 
 
 happy to say, the last mud-hole we had to en- 
 counter, and we soon reached the neighborhood 
 of the dairy which was our objective point. These 
 dairies are peculiar institutions and deserve brief 
 description. Two or three ranchers will form a 
 partnership and agree upon one particular ranche 
 as the location of the proposed dairy. The cows 
 owned by each are then turned into the general 
 herd, with as many more from other ranches as 
 can be handled with convenience and profit. The 
 use or hire of these rented cows are paid for in 
 cheese, a percentage of which goes to the owner 
 of each of the cows that are milked. 
 
 The location of the particular dairy I was in 
 search of was not known to me, but I had an 
 accurate description of the young woman. I 
 therefore resolved to take each one in turn and, 
 while taking observations, to disguise my true 
 errand if possible. The first one called at was 
 on the banks of Bear River, and on entering I 
 found a young woman working up curds in a 
 large vat. We were soon engaged in pleasant 
 conversation, and she very kindly explained the 
 different processes the milk had to undergo ; 
 showed me the presses and the stacks of golden 
 cheese. She was very pleasant, gave me some 
 cream to drink and asked which way we were 
 traveling. Replying that we were going North, 
 
1 68 A detective's experience 
 
 I asked her how, in her opinion, it would pay to 
 take a load of cheese up to Montana. I then 
 wound up by asking her the question I was more 
 interested in just then than any other — the where- 
 abouts of the girl I was in search of. I pretended 
 that she was a cousin of mine and was supposed 
 to be working in a cheese factory on Bear River. 
 She was, I must confess, a shrewd woman ; she 
 looked up at me suspiciously, said she knew no 
 one of that name, and then became "as dumb as 
 an oyster." I had previously looked through 
 the factory and I knew the object of my search 
 was not there, so I hastily went to the house, but 
 did not find any one answering the description 
 given me. As I went further on in the direction 
 of another dairy, I met a little black-eyed damsel 
 I had noticed in the house I just left. As she 
 passed me I remarked : " What's the matter, little 
 one ? " She fairly took my breath away when, 
 instead of replying quietly or passing on 
 altogether, she commenced to abuse me roundly, 
 but in her excitement she told me all I wanted to 
 know ; and when I went to the house indicated 
 the first person I met was the girl I was in search 
 of. I had no difficulty in identifying her from 
 the description given me. When I read the 
 warrant to her she burst into tears. I endeav- 
 ored to cheer her up, and finally, after wishing 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 
 
 IO9 
 
 her friends good-by, she accompanied me to 
 Oxford. She was tried and let off with a repri- 
 mand. 
 
170 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCB 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 How, When and Where Mormons Get Converts — 
 Mormon Miracles — Butcher Knives vs. Mormon 
 Missionaries — Early Marriages to Build Up the 
 Kingdom. 
 
 In view of the fact that a great deal has been 
 written about Mormonism, exposing in a great 
 measure what is reprehensible in it, it is a matter 
 of surprise to many that instead of decaying it 
 has steadily increased in numbers and influence ; 
 and I have been often asked where and by what 
 means they continue to make converts to their 
 religion. 
 
 The Mormon ranks are augmented principally 
 from foreign countries — Wales and Denmark 
 perhaps supply the greater number of con- 
 verts, and are closely followed by England, 
 Switzerland and Sweden. There is a light 
 sprinkling of Scotch and Germans, but Mormon- 
 ism is not in favor with the French or Irish. In 
 all my travels among them I never met a French 
 Mormon, and but two who were Irish. I may 
 add that I knew one Jew who was a polygamist, 
 but he died about a year ago. It is safe to say 
 that there are no negroes at all among them. 
 
 Among the Welsh of the Malad Valley I num- 
 bered a great many friends who were apostate 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. , Ifl 
 
 Mormons, and to them I am indebted for a great 
 deal of valuable information on this point. 
 These people, looking back through the experi- 
 ence they have had, now wonder how they 
 were ever blind enough to believe in such a 
 religion at all. By them I have been told of the 
 remarkable meetings the Mormon agents used 
 to hold years ago in Wales when they were in 
 search of fresh recruits. The gatherings always 
 took place at night, often in out of the way 
 spots in the mountains where they were the 
 least likely to be interrupted by inquisitive 
 strangers. It is a well-known fact that the 
 Welsh, as a people, are very religious, and in the 
 old days they were inclined to be superstitious. 
 They were brought to believe in the doctrines 
 of Brigham Young without much difficulty. The 
 principal inducements offered to these simple 
 people were, a piece of land and the prospects 
 of independence for the men, and the women 
 were taught to believe that they might marry 
 and have children without shame. The favorite 
 vices of the sensual were encouraged as religious 
 observances, and the point was made that the 
 man who had the most children was the most 
 honored, for he did the most to strengthen the 
 Kingdom. These agents or missionaries occa- 
 sionally worked pretended m iracles, inorder to 
 satisfy doubts and to impress the superstitious, 
 
172 A detective's experience 
 
 but sometimes a skeptical " heathen " would get 
 into the meeting and there are many ludicrous 
 stories told of how their fraud was exposed. 
 
 On one occasion they produced a man 
 deformed by a great hump on his back, which 
 they said would be removed by the method 
 known as "laying on of hands." The subject 
 was taken behind a curtain, which, unfortunately 
 for the Saintly performers, did not quite reach to 
 the floor, and the " laying on " was so vigor- 
 ously proceeded with that the expectant audience 
 could plainly see a stream of sawdust flowing 
 behind the scenes. Of course after being 
 relieved of his wooden deformity the patient 
 appeared as straight as an arrow. On another 
 occasion spirits were to move through the 
 audience in a dimly-lighted room. A lady 
 seeing one of these ethereal beings within reach, 
 picked it up and carried it home with her. On 
 examination and dissection it proved to be a 
 very lively frog caged in a white paper bag. 
 Their " miracles " were always clumsily per- 
 formed and easily transparent to any one of 
 average intelligence. I was told of another 
 so-called miracle of recent date, by a Mormon 
 teacher and representative of some Mormon 
 publication, named Cowley. He said they had 
 been baptizing a number of converts in Ken- 
 tucky and in the evening were holding a meet- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 173 
 
 ing at the house of one of the members. The 
 mother of a little baby, which was lying in a 
 crib near by, had been baptized that day, and 
 one of her relatives who was opposed to the 
 faith turned toward the infant and said, sneer- 
 ingly : " So you're a little Mormon, are you ? " 
 I have Brother Cowley's authority that the baby 
 at once distinctly replied " I am." 
 
 Notwithstanding the set-backs they must have 
 received in the failure of some of their clumsy 
 legerdemain they made a great many converts ; 
 and as the policy was to get them out to Utah as 
 soon as possible, they had then and still have 
 what is known as the " Perpetual Emigration 
 Fund," which was for the purpose of assisting 
 those to the " Promised Land " who were unable 
 to pay their own passage. Poverty, no matter 
 how extreme, was no bar to emigration; they 
 were gladly helped out to Utah, and when set- 
 tled down were expected to refund the money 
 advanced them. Each emigrant meant more tith- 
 ing for the Church, so that after all the " P. E. 
 Fund" promoters were not so disinterested as 
 they might at first seem. ' ' More women " seemed 
 to be the universal cry in Utah some years ago, 
 and it was positively surprising how eagerly 
 women from all classes of society embraced the 
 faith. Mothers gladly gave up their daughters 
 for what they considered a sacred cause, and 
 
174 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 taking advantage of every "boom " in the supply 
 of intending converts, the missionaries invariably 
 worked their ministrations on the best-looking 
 young women they could find. As a consequence 
 thousands fell willing victims to a mirage which 
 led them eventually to degradation, and irre- 
 trievably wrecked lives that would otherwise have 
 been happy and useful. 
 
 The Mormons occasionally encounter unex- 
 pected opposition in their own dominions from 
 some of the people they had induced to emigrate. 
 One case is particularly recalled to mind, as I 
 know the parties well and can vouch for the facts 
 related. They were an English couple, and the 
 husband had several relatives in Mormondom. 
 She did not care much for the faith, and they 
 made her life wretched for years by the impor- 
 tunate efforts they made to induce her to come 
 into full fellowship with them. They finally 
 worked her up to such a pitch that, as she states, 
 she would have looked on death as a happy 
 release. One night a lot of relatives were ex- 
 pected to come up, for the avowed purpose of 
 compelling her to comply with their demands ; 
 and she was equally determined to resist if her 
 life was to be the penalty. She procured a large 
 knife and concealed it about her person, so that 
 she could make the seance interesting if circum- 
 stances demanded it ; and when her unwelcome 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 17$ 
 
 visitors arrived they found her calm and collected 
 and inclined to combat their arguments with logic. 
 This course would probably have been success- 
 ful, but for the interference of one of the party 
 who had his eye on her pretty daughter for his 
 third venture. Should the mother prove obdu- 
 rate his chances of course were nowhere, so he 
 counseled harsh means. This was too much for 
 the hot blood of the Englishwoman, and drawing 
 her butcher-knife she made a lunge at him which 
 would have made an end of him had he been a 
 trifle nearer to her. She then defied the whole 
 pack of them, and told them that her mind was 
 made up, and that death was preferable to Mor- 
 monism. As an agreeable sequel she is now to 
 be found enjoying life on a nice little ranche, which 
 they own and have paid for in full. Her husband 
 and family accompany her regularly to the Meth- 
 odist church, and he can be always depended 
 upon as a bitter opponent of Mormonism. 
 
 Converts do not always find this a "land flow- 
 ing with milk and honey." Some of them have 
 to undergo considerable hardship and privation. 
 I recall one case at Franklin. The father had 
 been called away on a mission just as they were 
 getting big enough to work. They were often 
 put on very short allowance ; and to use their 
 own expression it was "jack rabbit straight" for 
 months at a time. It was in the early days of 
 
IJ6 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Mormonism and no employment of any kind 
 could be had. One of the so-called revelations 
 claimed by the Mormon prophets is the one 
 which bears the title " Words of Wisdom," and 
 strongly recommended the Saints to abstain from 
 indulging in tea, coffee, wine or in fact anything 
 that would be calculated to divert any of their 
 superfluous cash from the coffers of the Church. 
 Of course the cheaper the faithful ones managed 
 to live, the more they were enabled to give in 
 the shape of tithing. There was not much more 
 to be gained to the Church from the family men- 
 tioned above. The family had emgrated from 
 England and the father had not only embraced 
 the religion, but had given up nearly all he had 
 to the cause. The oldest sons can well remem- 
 ber everything connected with their advent here, 
 and the thoughts of what they have had to un- 
 dergo have made them the most bitter opponents 
 of Mormonism, and they are of course hated and 
 feared accordingly. 
 
 Mormons cover crime, and will always 
 endeavor to justify it by the preposterous claim 
 that they are "doing God's work." It is only 
 in the past two years that a man (a Gentile) 
 named Joseph Durbin mysteriously disappeared. 
 It was rumored that he had been unduly intimate 
 with a Mormon girl, and many believe to this 
 day that he was foully dealt with. To my per- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 77 
 
 sonal knowledge he had no reason for leaving 
 the country surreptitiously, as he had quite a 
 sum of money due him from parties for whom he 
 had been working all the summer in Montana. 
 Though there is no positive proof of even his 
 death, yet all the circumstances would seem to 
 point that way, more especially as the Saint in 
 whose company he was last seen was known to 
 have owed him considerable money. I have sat 
 and listened to the very party in whose company 
 poor Durbin was last seen, when he called down 
 curses upon the United States government for 
 the efforts it was just beginning to put forth to 
 rid the territories of the foul blot which had been 
 laid on the National escutcheon. He derided 
 all measures taken in that direction, asking why 
 polygamy had not been suppressed in its infancy, 
 and in conclusion howled and shrieked that per- 
 secution was now in vain — that it was now "Too 
 late! Too late!" He went on to tell his hearers 
 of the progress the cause was making in other 
 lands. They had missionaries everywhere, even 
 in far-away India, though it would hardly seem 
 possible that they would have many converts 
 from that distant clime. The whole of Europe 
 is overrun by their wily agents, as are also old 
 and New Mexico, the Sandwich Islands, New 
 Zealand, and they have not neglected Australia 
 and South America. I have since taken the 
 
I78 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 trouble to investigate the statements made by this 
 man, and have found them substantially true, and 
 I have been astounded at the extent and system of 
 their ramifications. They sometimes get a very 
 bad set-back. Most of my readers will recollect, 
 as one instance, how some Tennesseeans took 
 the law into their own hands, and gave short 
 shrift to a couple of missionaries. One of the 
 Saints managed to get back alive, bringing with 
 him the dead bodies of his two companions. 
 He was the hero of the hour, and the deceased 
 brethren were probably canonized. 
 
 As has been before intimated in this narrative, 
 the "Josephites" (disciples of Joseph Smith) 
 are at enmity with the " Brighamites " (Brig- 
 ham Young's followers), and are bitterly opposed 
 to polygamy. One of the leading lights of the 
 Josephite section of Mormons is Elder A. J. 
 Anthony, who on one occasion was preaching in 
 a town where the other faction were holding a 
 Conference. A son of John Taylor (Brigham 
 Young's successor) happened to be there, and 
 gave Anthony the lie regarding some statements 
 he had made. The Elder, who is a perfect gen- 
 tleman, challenged any man they chose to put 
 forward to a friendly public debate, and said he 
 would use no arguments but those the Book 
 of Mormon gave him. They were afraid to 
 meet him, however, and made the excuse that 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 79 
 
 he was not a man of good reputation, though 
 the Elder is well-known as a man of irreproach- 
 able character, as well as one of the best-posted 
 men in the country. This young Taylor has 
 preached some very treasonable doctrines, and 
 has used his best endeavors to bring on blood- 
 shed. He declared, in one discourse, that he was 
 the child of a polygamist marriage, that he 
 believed in polygamy himself, and that as soon 
 as he got ready he intended to take another wife. 
 He went on to say that not only he, but thous- 
 ands more would fight for it until the valleys ran 
 knee-deep in blood. This particular sermon was 
 accurately reported, and as such sentiments were 
 not calculated to make Gentile women and child- 
 ren feel safe, it was determined to put a stop to 
 it if possible. He was accordingly arrested and 
 charged with treason, but by some means or 
 other he managed to escape punishment. 
 
 In this remarkable social system it would seem 
 that youth is not looked upon as a bar to the en- 
 joyment of conjugal bliss. I was fully convinced 
 of this by what I saw one day at Richmond, 
 Utah. A lot of youngsters were playing at 
 marbles, when a young girl from one of the 
 houses near by cried out, " Here, Jim, come and 
 nurse the baby. " Jim at once dropped his play 
 and went in the direction of the house. I sup- 
 posed that his sister had been calling him to 
 
180 A detective's experience 
 
 nurse his little baby brother. Hearing the play- 
 mates whom Jim had deserted laughing about 
 the circumstance, I made some inquiries and 
 found that Jim was the happy father and the 
 young girl the mother of this fine baby. He 
 was not quite sixteen years old, and she looked 
 about the same age. It must be admitted that 
 this youthful couple v had commenced to assist in 
 " building up Zion " early in life, and there is no 
 telling what valuable work Jim will accomplish in 
 this direction before he is called from earth, as 
 he has been so successful in his first venture. 
 
 While on the subject of marriage, I will give a 
 little incident that occurred at the trial of a 
 Mink Creek polygamist at Blackfoot. In his 
 defense he did not deny that he was sealed to 
 the woman, but averred that it was for eternity 
 only, and that outside of bringing her a load of 
 wood or something of the kind at times, he had 
 no intercourse with her. Now the Mormons do 
 not acknowledge that there is any legal or bind- 
 ing marriage outside of their church, yet this 
 particular polygamist (a Dane by-the-by,) in- 
 sisted that he was only celestially married, and 
 seemed to be taking great credit to himself for 
 thus securing the old lady's spiritual welfare. 
 The United States attorney is somewhat of a 
 wag, and drew out of the Dane how old the lady 
 was, that she was a widow, and that her first 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. l8l 
 
 husband was a Mormon. " Well, " concluded 
 the attorney, " I think you will have a fight on 
 your hands when you reach glory, if you happen 
 to run up against her first husband when you 
 promenade the golden streets with this lady on 
 your arm. " 
 
182 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Harvey Dixon Once More " Held at Bay." 
 
 It will be remembered that in a previous 
 chapter an unsuccessful attempt was made to 
 capture a polygamist and would-be fire-eater 
 named Harvey Dixon. I had by no means for- 
 gotten, and it was only a pressure of business 
 that had prevented my going after him again. 
 Taking with me a young fellow whom I shall 
 call "Jack," and who claimed to be able to iden- 
 tify Dixon, we first went to Dixon's place of 
 residence. After we had made a thorough but 
 fruitless search of both houses, we concluded to 
 go on to a place called Five Mile, where another 
 man lived for whom I had a warrant. We found 
 his house occupied by another family, and were 
 told that he had moved to Snake River, where 
 there is a large colony of Saints under the minis- 
 trations of Bishop Ricks. This saintly bishop is 
 an old Danite, and one of Brigham Young's 
 " Blood Atoners," and has been in hiding for the 
 past eighteen months. He is said to be up in 
 the mountains with a gang of polygamists get- 
 ting out railroad ties, which are then floated down 
 Snake River. Fate seemed to be against us in 
 the case of Dixon ; so we returned in the direc- 
 tion of Oxford and soon arrived at the " Rock 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 83 
 
 House, already mentioned in these pages. Here 
 we found several wagons formed in camp in the 
 yard back of the house, and among the campers 
 I noticed a man who seemed to answer the 
 description I had of Dixon. I drew the boy's 
 attention to him, but he said it was not Dixon, 
 
 adding, "that is ," naming a party with 
 
 whom I was well acquainted and whom I would 
 have recognized. This satisfied me that I had 
 to depend on the description I had of' my man, 
 and as the campers were regarding our move- 
 ments very closely I concluded to interview them. 
 We had no sooner started in their direction than 
 Dixon (for it proved to be Dixon after all) 
 mounted his horse and rode slowly down the 
 field toward the horses belonging to the camp- 
 ers, and began rounding them up. I gave the 
 boy a revolver, told him to dismount, and if the 
 party in the field should come out that way to 
 hold him at all hazards. I then endeavored to 
 get within range of Dixon myself, so that I could 
 get a shot at him in case he did not halt when 
 called on to do so. There was a high wire fence 
 where I was which seemed to go round the entire 
 ranche, and as this prevented me from getting 
 in, I argued of course that the same obstacle 
 would serve to prevent Dixon from getting out. 
 Unfortunately, however, I had failed to notice 
 that one side was formed of poles with no 
 
1 84 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 wire, and it was for this part of it that Dixon 
 now made, more in the direction of where Jack 
 was guarding the gap and taking observations 
 of all that was going on. Dixon put his horse, 
 which was a magnificent animal, straight at the 
 fence and knocked it down with ease. Jack 
 mounted at once and went in pursuit, while I 
 brought up the rear some distance behind them. 
 Dixon had the advantage, as his horse was 
 fresh, while on the other hand Jack was a lighter 
 weight and riding bare-backed made a very good 
 second. It was miry ground where I had 
 started, and it took me some minutes to get a 
 solid footing, but as my horse was good for a 
 twenty-mile galop under favorable circum- 
 stances, and as I was only a quarter of a mile 
 in the rear, I hoped at least that I would be in 
 at the surrender. But the best laid plans are 
 often frustrated. Dixon, who was raised in the 
 neighborhood and knew every foot of the road, 
 now made for what is known as Deep Creek. 
 This was a stream with high and steep banks, 
 and could not possibly be crossed by any one 
 not acquainted with the regular fording places. 
 My poor animal was heavily handicapped in the 
 race, but I was near enough to see Dixon and 
 Jack disappear from view for a moment, and then 
 coming up on the other side of the creek in 
 "full cry" as before. I had the misfortune to 
 
Missing Page 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 187 
 
 strike the gulch in the very worst place, and the 
 bank of the creek, which was here only held up 
 by grass roots, gave way, and horse and rider 
 went rolling down to the bottom. There were 
 no bones broken, but as the horse was winded 
 and slightly lame it was out of the question to 
 continue the chase without a fresh horse. I 
 accordingly made for a Gentile ranche in the 
 neighborhood with this end in view, but the 
 owner was away and there were no horses to be 
 found. I was very hungry, and as my horse was 
 used up, there was nothing for it but to go home, 
 and leave Dixon to the care of Jack for the time 
 being. Our chase had been in somewhat of a 
 circular direction, and I was glad to find that I 
 was only six miles away from home. I had no 
 doubt at all that my companion would eventually 
 overtake Dixon and bring him, so I made the 
 best of my way home. 
 
 Before I had time to start out with a fresh 
 horse, Jack arrived and gave me the following 
 account of the chase after I was obliged to relin- 
 quish it. The pursuit was continued at high 
 speed all through the foot-hills, for a distance of 
 fully fifteen miles. Jack finally got near enough 
 his man to compel him to throw up his hands, 
 which Dixon quickly did, as he was unarmed. 
 He was induced to ride with him in the direction 
 of Oxford. After they had gone a few miles 
 
1 88 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 they came to the house of "Old Bill," who has 
 been mentioned before as the father of Dixon's 
 second wife. Dixon made an appeal to him for 
 help, and was provided with a fresh horse, and 
 the old man and his three sons held Jack at bay 
 while Dixon made good his escape. This was 
 the last of him as far as I was concerned, for he 
 left the neighborhood and went somewhere in 
 the Salt River country, which he probably found 
 more congenial, as he was still there the last I 
 heard of him. 
 
 As "Old Bill" had given us considerable 
 trouble on more than one occasion, it was decided 
 to pay a little attention to his case. A warrant 
 was accordingly issued, and Bill was gathered in 
 with all possible haste, and put under bonds to 
 answer to the charge of aiding and abetting a 
 criminal to escape. When I asked him some 
 weeks afterward what had become of his son-in- 
 law, Dixon, he said: 
 
 " Oh, the d d cur is a runnin' yet prob- 
 
 erbly." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 1 89 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Trip to Paris in Midwinter — Father takes His Own 
 Daughter into His Harem as Wife — A Good Haul. 
 
 The authorities were beginning to realize 
 that there was considerable truth in the old say- 
 ing, "When the cat's away, the mice will play," 
 and orders were received to give Paris a stirring 
 up, as it had been left undisturbed for a long 
 time, considering its unsavory polygamous repu- 
 tation. The Mormons, and especially the polygr 
 amous portion of them, bear a strong resem- 
 blance to rats, mice and prairie-dogs in some 
 things, notably in their actions at the approach 
 of danger, for they seem to instinctively seek 
 shelter in holes. And well may they, for some 
 of the offenses committed by them are repulsive 
 in the extreme. 
 
 I have interspersed my anecdotes hap-hazard, 
 so to speak, or just as they came to my recollec- 
 tion. One occurs to me just now, which was 
 vouched for to me by good reliable men, who 
 had been among the Mormons for years, but 
 had become apostates. A brute in human form, 
 living up in the mountains far from any human 
 habitation, had a grown-up daughter, who, of 
 course, had been brought up in the greatest 
 ignorance. This old fiend, desiring to go 
 
igo A detective's experience 
 
 into polygamy, determined to take, his own 
 daughter in as his second wife. She was 
 taken into Salt Lake City and was there regu- 
 larly sealed to her father in the Endowment 
 House, her name having been changed for the 
 purpose of marriage. I do not mean to say that 
 the Church authorities were aware of all th e 
 circumstances in this case, but I do mean to say 
 that a system that renders such a terrible thing 
 possible, is an outrage on civilization, and that 
 its lawmakers and lawgivers are criminally neg- 
 ligent, and should be at all times closely watched 
 and brought to strict account for their misdeeds. 
 The old man who figured in this disgusting 
 affair has since gone to a higher tribunal, but he 
 was in good fellowship with the Mormon Church 
 up to the time of his death. 
 
 1 found that the sleighing was good all the way 
 to Paris, and as this would probably be the last 
 shaking up the Parisians would get until court 
 convened in the spring, it was decided to give 
 them a good one. We therefore decided to go 
 in sufficient force to enable us to surround four 
 houses at a time. We secured a light bob-sleigh 
 with a long, deep wagon-bed on it. To insure 
 secrecy, an unoccupied house on a ranche of 
 mine was chosen as a rendezvous, and all the 
 boys were notified to be on hand with blankets 
 and whatever else was needed for the trip. I got 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 191 
 
 what provisions would be needed till we could 
 get a fresh supply, and off we started, a truly 
 merry crew in the wagon-bed, and I seated 
 beside the driver. The snow was pretty light 
 along the valley, so we took it slowly, especially 
 as the team would probably have to travel fully 
 two hundred miles before returning. Our party 
 consisted of seven men, who with their blankets, 
 etc., made a pretty good load. Add to this our 
 commissariat department, or " grub outfit," as 
 the boys called it, and several sacks of oats for 
 the horses, and it will be admitted that the team 
 was very fairly weighted. As we were passing 
 through a long canyon about fourteen miles from 
 where we started, the driver remarked what a 
 "great note" it would be if the sleigh broke 
 down and we were all obliged to walk back. The 
 Saints would have at once called it a dispensa- 
 tion of Providence. " By golly," he added, 
 " something has got its work in on us now;" and 
 we found that one of the runners was damaged 
 so that repairs were absolutely necessary at 
 once. We woke the boys up, and having cut a 
 few braces, made such repairs as would enable 
 us to proceed. We were very anxious to get 
 out of this pass, which in some places was so 
 narrow as to preclude the possibility of our pass- 
 ing anything coming in the opposite direction, 
 and we wanted to get where the pass would be 
 
192 a detective's experience 
 
 wider before we chose a place for our breakfast- 
 camp. When every one was comfortably seated 
 we once more started, but we had not proceeded 
 very far when we came to a piece of road that 
 was worse than the average. The sleigh gave 
 a little lurch, then a couple of rolls, and in less 
 time than it takes to relate, we found ourselves 
 spilled out in good shape ; the wagon-bed, of 
 course, becoming detached from the runners. It 
 was now snowing very hard, and while some of 
 us put the sleigh to rights others prepared break- 
 fast. 
 
 When we were again ready to proceed, we 
 concluded to walk until we came to better roads, 
 and we left the driver to run the sleigh alojie. 
 We continued in this way until we reached 
 " Rocky Pass," when we were dismayed to dis- 
 cover that we had lost half of one runner, but 
 the iron shoe or band remained and this was all 
 that had saved the rig from going to pieces long 
 before. As the upright that held the bolster 
 was liable to slip off the shoe at any moment, we 
 began to feel as if we would have to give up the 
 trip. It was over forty miles to a blacksmith's 
 shop, and even could we have reached there, we 
 would probably be discovered and the news of 
 our coming carried to Paris in advance, thus 
 giving ample time to any one to hide. There 
 was an old Mormon rancher in the valley not far 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 193 
 
 from where we were who was quite handy with 
 tools, as it afterward turned out, and to his place 
 we now wended our weary way with as much 
 haste as possibe. He knew me and others of 
 the party, so I introduced the remainder of 
 the party as gentlemen in pursuit of pleasure, 
 whom we were taking up on the Little Blackfoot 
 river for a hunt. We told him how we had 
 broken down and asked him if he thought he 
 could fix us up so that we could proceed. After 
 looking at the relic of what had only that morn- 
 ing been a pretty good-looking sleigh, he said 
 he would do what he could for us, and lifting the 
 box off, we soon had him working away; and by 
 using a couple of wagon tires for braces, in about 
 three hours we had a sleigh that we thought 
 would carry us to Paris. (And sure enough it 
 did, for we only broke down once afterward, 
 when we managed to mend the broken part 
 ourselves.) 
 
 After a hastily prepared dinner by one of the 
 boys we once more started, and nearly came to 
 grief within a couple of hundred yards of the 
 house. We had to cross Cottonwood Creek, 
 and as there was a couple of feet jump from the 
 banks to the water owing to the thick ice on the 
 side, the sleigh, being somewhat top-heavy, 
 tipped up and very nearly went over, but as the 
 lesson of the morning had not been forgotten, 
 
194 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 we all hung on to the upper side, and righting it 
 we got through all right. We had chosen a 
 ranche on the banks of Bear River some twelve 
 miles further on as our stopping-place for the 
 night, and pushing ahead we reached there 
 about eight o'clock. I knocked at the door and 
 explained what we would like, and things being 
 satisfactorily arranged, we unhitched, and bring- 
 ing in our blankets we were soon seated round 
 a cheerful fire that blazed away in a most satis- 
 factory manner. While we chatted at the fire 
 one of the party was preparing supper, and 
 before long all hands were seated round the 
 table with appetites sharpened to a keen edge 
 by exposure and a hard day's work. What with 
 the wreck and the inroads we had ourselves 
 made on our supplies, it was clear that we 
 would have to replenish it long before getting 
 to Paris. But we did not borrow any trouble 
 on that account, for Soda Springs was on our 
 way, and I was well acquainted there. After 
 supper we sat round the fire toasting our shins 
 and comparing notes, but in a little while the 
 landlord is seen to yawn once or twice ; so we 
 spread blankets and robes on the floor and are 
 soon fast asleep. We got up and had breakfast 
 about three in the morning and by daylight were 
 many miles away on the road * to Soda 
 Springs. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 19S 
 
 This day was a regular " stinger," and for 
 about twenty miles we are exposed to the fury 
 of the blast, and in many places we have to 
 walk ahead and break through the snow-drifts 
 for the horses. We found that traveling this 
 route in winter was not a very pleasant job. Not 
 a house breaks the monotony of the journey for 
 fully twenty miles, while the wind whistled and 
 screeched over the plain as if defying one to pro- 
 ceed any further. At last, after floundering 
 along we come to Five Mile Point, so called 
 because it is just five miles from Soda Springs, 
 This is where the old emigrant roads separate, 
 one leading to Oregon and the other to Cali- 
 fornia. There are also to be seen here the 
 graves of several emigrants who died here many 
 years ago on their way to seek their fortunes in 
 some Western Eldorado. There is nothing to 
 indicate whose graves they are, and the oldest 
 present inhabitants of that section say that they 
 found them there when they came here. One 
 of the longest snow-sheds on the Oregon Short 
 Line is built at this point, and in some measure 
 serves to make it look less desolate. The cold 
 was now intense and we were benumbed ; we 
 had to run to keep warm, but as the town of 
 Soda Springs loomed up in the distance our 
 spirits loomed up accordingly. I had intended 
 camping out, but the weather put that out of the 
 
igb A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 question, and I was now somewhat puzzled how 
 to dispose of so large a party without creating 
 too much curiosity on the part of the inhabitants. 
 As none of us dare show up, I wrote a note and 
 gave it to the driver and told him to give it to 
 a certain friend of mine, to whom I explained the 
 condition of affairs and asked him to help us out 
 if possible. In a short time we were on the way 
 to the comfortable house of my friend, where we 
 passed a very pleasant evening, and all slept in 
 good warm beds, which, I need not add, were duly 
 appreciated after what we had already gone 
 through. 
 
 By day-break the next morning we were on 
 the road again, and if this road appeared dreary 
 the last time I went over it, it was far more so 
 now, and as the wind struck one it penetrated 
 through wraps and all. I, being the only one in 
 the party who had made the trip before, acted as 
 guide, and finding it too cold to be sitting in the 
 sleigh we all got out and walked for miles at a 
 time. At last the sun came out and we stopped 
 in a little glen where there was plenty of wood 
 and water, and making a fire we cooked a dinner 
 that no hungry man could fail to enjoy — " Jack 
 rabbit " on toast — and if the hungry reader does 
 not think the dish was acceptable let him try it. 
 After hitching up again we had a long climb, and 
 after going on a few miles we passed through 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 197 
 
 Georgetown ; keeping on our way we strike Mont- 
 pelier about dusk passing through the old and 
 new towns. The last time I had made the trip 
 to Paris I was almost blind, through the acci- 
 dent already mentioned, and as the roads were 
 covered with snow now I had the greatest dif- 
 ficulty in finding my way; there was a divergence 
 of the roads and I was unwilling to ask any one 
 the right way. At last we stumbled on the road 
 leading to the Bear River bridge and Paris, 
 When we got to the river it was late, so all hands 
 busied themselves in getting supper ready and 
 attending to the horses. We soon had a good 
 fire, and a supper consisting of elk steak, bread 
 and butter, and hot coffee was done full justice 
 to, and soon put us all in a good humor, though 
 the temperature was a long way below zero. 
 While some sat round the fire, others went and 
 enjoyed a nap, and about two in the morning we 
 slid out for Paris, which was now about ten| miles 
 distant. The road was comparatively good for 
 the remainder of the journey, and as we had 
 little or no difficulty in finding our way we reached 
 our destination about four in the morning. 
 
 We had in our party one man who had been 
 raised in Paris, and it was not long before we had 
 some of our houses picketed. After all the trouble 
 we had in getting here, we were determined that 
 
1 98 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 this raid should give the Parisians something to 
 date from. 
 
 We commenced with the residence of Brother 
 Budge, a canny Scotchman, the happy husband 
 of three, if not more, wives, and undoubtedly the 
 most prominent Mormon in Idaho. He is 
 looked up to as an oracle> and his loss would 
 fall as heavily on the Saints as would the loss of 
 George Q. Cannon or Taylor. He is a shrewd 
 business man and politician, is wealthy, and the 
 father of more children than I care to guess at. 
 His residence is a roomy and handsome one, 
 and is elegantly furnished. I had an interview 
 with his wives when I called, and I must say 
 that they were so superior to many of the ladies 
 of the faith I had hitherto met that I was agree- 
 ably surprised. Brother Budge was reported to 
 be holding a meeting at a saw-mill up in the 
 country, twenty miles away. We made a 
 thorough search, however, and failed to find our 
 man anywhere. We next called to see Brother 
 Stuckie, and as he is also away gathering tithes, 
 at Dingle Dell, it begins to look as if the "Lord's 
 Annointed" were in luck, or that they had been 
 notified of our advent. 
 
 Leaving Stuckie's palatial abode, we proceed 
 for about a hundred yards to the squalid home 
 of Mrs. Stuckie No. 2. This might be called a 
 descent from the sublime to the ridiculous, for 
 
AMONG THE MORMON'S. 199 
 
 this little cabin is a great contrast to the magnifi- 
 cent home of Mrs. Stuckie No. i. Here we find 
 the second wife surrounded by a large family of 
 small children, while in the other house the lady 
 appeared to be all alone. After suggesting to 
 the more humble lady that she should make a 
 kick for better quarters, we divided our party up 
 and proceeded separately. We left the driver 
 in charge of the sleigh, and as we made arrests 
 we brought our prisoners there. The first capt- 
 ure was Brother Duffin. We then called on 
 Brother Wright. On going to his house and 
 knocking at the door, we were answered by a 
 female with a strong English accent. More for 
 fun than anything else, I had decided to speak 
 in broken English, so when I heard, " Is that 
 you, Brother Linglot? " I at once said, " Yes, 
 mum, dot vos me. I fancied I heard her poke 
 Brother Wright in the ribs, as she said: 
 "Chawles, Brother Linglot is at the door and 
 wants to see you." "Yes, and I want to see 
 you as quick as possible, Chawles," I said. 
 Finding by the different tone of my voice that I 
 was bad medicine for "Chawles," she said, '"E 
 isn't ere." " Too late," said I. " You have 
 given it away. Open the door; I've got a war- 
 rant here for ' Chawles,' and we need him in our 
 business." She wanted to parley, but as day- 
 light was rapidly approaching, time was precious, 
 
200 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 for as soon as daylight came, every man in the 
 valley would be notified and warned that the 
 " Philistines were upon them." Having allowed 
 sufficient time for her to dress, I again told her 
 to open the door, but as she paid no attention to 
 me, some one fell up against it, and we went in. 
 There was no sign of her husband, and she said: 
 «' I told you 'e wasn't 'ere," so we took a light 
 and went into the next room, and, here, hiding 
 behind the door, was the bashful and retiring 
 " Chawles." I addressed him with, " Brother 
 Wright, howdy?" 
 
 "Don't call me brother," said he, in a deep 
 bass voice. 
 
 "All right," said I, pulling out the warrant. 
 " Just hold your ear open a moment and I will 
 drop the contents of this paper into it. Get 
 your duds on as soon as possible, and come and 
 look at the little two-horse jail we have got 
 down on the corner." 
 
 He was the sulkiest prisoner I had yet made, 
 and said it would be a long time before such a 
 thing as coming into a man's house as we had 
 done would be allowed in England. 
 
 "Yes," I replied, "and a long time you would 
 be in England before you would dare to have two 
 wives. But this is Bear Lake County, Idaho, 
 and you will have to put up with whatever may 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 201 
 
 seem a little rough, and ascribe it to the way 
 things are done in the ' Far West.' " 
 
 Bringing Wright down to the sleigh, we 
 turned him over to the care of Johnny, who by 
 this time had another captive perched on the 
 seat behind. The other boys were gone after 
 another man, so we waited until they came up. 
 As we kept chatting away, we had not paid any 
 particular attention to " Chawles," until I noticed 
 that he had sneaked away a distance of about 
 twenty-five yards from where we were. Shout- 
 ing out to him to come back or I would take a 
 shot at him, he concluded to return. After that 
 we found him accommodations in the sleigh. 
 
 By this time the other boys arrived, bringing 
 with them a polygamous gentleman who bore the 
 suggestive if not euphonious cognomen of " Duck 
 Leg Lewis." Day was now about breaking; we 
 took the prisoners out of the sleigh and left them 
 in charge of the rest of the boys while the driver 
 and I drove down a couple of miles where a 
 gentleman I wished to see was located. By this 
 time horsemen were flying in all directions to 
 spread the alarm caused by our presence in the 
 settlement, and an air of great activity pervaded 
 the little place, early though it was. Seeing a 
 man in a corral at the place where my man lived, 
 I called him by name, and as he responded I, of 
 course, put him under arrest at once. This man 
 
202 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 was a Dane, who made a perfect slave of his 
 first wife ujitil they had accumulated a nice little 
 property, and had then taken to himself a second 
 one. He then commenced to neglect the first 
 one, sometimes cruelly abusing her in various 
 ways until at last she died of a broken heart. I 
 have this on the authority of her son, who told 
 me the story, and he ground his teeth as the 
 bitter memory of how his mother had been 
 treated came back to him. 
 
 It was impossible to do anything more this 
 journey, though there was plenty of material in 
 Paris for a more extensive raid; by this time 
 everybody who was at all likely to b e wanted had 
 taken the timely warning and gone into hiding 
 somewhere. There was one old Scottish gentle- 
 man whom I would particularly liked to have 
 seen. He had taken his own niece as his fourth 
 wife. We found on our way back that Mont- 
 pelier had been fully warned by telephone, and 
 many of the Saints who were " off color" in the 
 eyes of the law had gone to the mountains, where 
 we will leave them for the present. The return 
 trip was uneventful and much mo re pleasant, for 
 we were favored with better weather. We dis- 
 banded on arriving at home, and as a sequel to 
 this memorable raid, I may say that all four pris- 
 oners were found guilty, and some of them are 
 still serving their sentences. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 203 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 David Jenson — A Brutal Dane — Squalor and Misery. 
 
 One or two other unimportant arrests were 
 made, when attention was given to the case of 
 David Jenson, and the peculiar brutality of it de- 
 serves passing notice. He lived near the village 
 of Preston, and had married two sisters, but by 
 starvation and hard usage which had made even 
 Mormons look upon him with disfavor, he had 
 succeeded in bringing one of his wives to the 
 grave broken-hearted. We started on our ride 
 of twenty-three miles or so with the thermometer 
 about thirty-two degrees below zero and the 
 stars shining brightly overhead. We walked for 
 miles at a time in order to keep warm, and by 
 daylight we got to a couple of houses, but the occu- 
 pants were all away. Riding on to the house of 
 a Gentile friend we got warmed up and had a 
 good breakfast, after which we moved on the 
 works of Brother Jenson. We found him on a 
 fine ranche with good, warm sheds for his live- 
 stock, and good, roomy pig-pens; in fact the out- 
 houses looked better than the dwellings. He 
 was abundantly supplied with cattle, horses, pigs, 
 etc., etc., and appeared to be in good circum- 
 stances. Going to the door of the cabin or 
 shanty, I knocked, and the door was opened by 
 
204 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Jenson, whom I accosted with: " Good-morning, 
 David." 
 
 " Good-morning," said he, " but my name is 
 not David." 
 
 " That will be all right," I returned; " we will 
 just go on as if your name was David, and while 
 you are getting ready to take a little ride with 
 us, I will first read this and then subpcena Mrs. 
 Jenson." 
 
 '"There vas no Mrs. Jenson," said he ; "I haf 
 no vife. Mein vife vas dead ein year." 
 
 " Mrs. Jenson No. 2," I replied ; and looking 
 through the two miserable rooms I - picked 
 my way over heaps of filth which were apparently 
 the accumulation of weeks, but did not find her. 
 Leaving my companion in charge, I made a tour 
 of the other sheds and shanties, and at last in a 
 hut still more miserable looking if possible, I 
 found an elderly-looking Danish woman. Assum- 
 ing that she was Mrs. Jenson, I bade her good- 
 morning by that name ; she said she was not the 
 lady named, adding : " Mrs. Yenson vos sick in 
 dot room," pointing to a little cubby-hole about 
 six feet by eight. I went in and found the poor 
 woman laying on a pile of rags that had once 
 been quilts. Her complaint was inflammatory 
 rheumatism, yet she was left to suffer in this den, 
 whilea wide space where the chinking had fallen 
 out of the log hut let in the bitter cold to add 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 205 
 
 to the poor woman's misery and suffering. I 
 had to subpoena her as a matter of duty, and 
 then stuffing the chinks up as well as I could, I 
 left her ; and if ever J felt like giving a man his 
 just desserts, I felt it then toward the inhuman 
 husband. He was ready to start by the time 
 we got back to the cabin, so we started on our 
 return trip. His brutality was well known to all 
 the neighbors, and I was curious to know how 
 he would be treated on applying for bondsmen. 
 I found that in spite of his record he was looked 
 upon as a martyr, and Mormons came flocking 
 round him to go on the bonds. It should have 
 been mentioned that while he was a Dane, his 
 wives were Americans. He was eventually sent 
 to Boise City penitentiary, but he has served his 
 time by this, and he is probably repeating his 
 history in his old home. 
 
206 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 Solomon Edwards — Mormons Capture Mormons — 
 The Biters Bitten. 
 
 The trips taken during the very cold snap 
 that was now in progress were nearly all suc- 
 cessful, but as there was nothing of especial 
 interest to the public, we will pass several of 
 them over and merely touch on a few more cases 
 that are in some respects worthy of note and 
 have the merit of being short. 
 
 About this time one Solomon Edwards, of 
 Utah, was in hiding near Eagle Rock, Idaho, 
 and a warrant for his arrest was placed in my 
 hands. Eagle Rock was about twenty-three 
 miles beyond Blackfoot on the Utah Northern ; 
 and as I was taking a prisoner to Blackfoot I 
 had the jailor meet me at the depot, and after 
 delivering my charge over to him I proceeded to 
 Eagle Rock to look after Brother Edwards, 
 arriving there about 10 o'clock that night. On 
 getting off the train I met a friend who happened 
 to be at the depot. He was Deputy Marshal 
 for Idaho North, and I told him my business and 
 described Solomon to him. (A "broken nose" 
 was included in the description.) My friend 
 believed we could find his location, although he 
 never remembered to have seen any one answer- 
 ing the description around town. My informa- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. ' 20J 
 
 tion was that he was living on a timber claim 
 belonging to his son about eight miles from 
 Eagle Rock, and by midnight we were on the 
 road with a team and buggy. After wandering 
 round for several hours we pulled up at the 
 house of a rancher and inquired for Edwards, 
 describing him minutely, but were told that no 
 one answering the description lived in the neigh- 
 borhood. He was positive there must be a mis- 
 take, as he had lived there some time, and being 
 engaged in the stock business, which kept him 
 riding about, he was sure if a man answering the 
 description was in the neighborhood he would 
 have met him. As no information could be got 
 here, although we had no idea the rancher was 
 a Mormon, we drove back to Eagle Rock just as 
 day was breaking, and as soon as possible we 
 went to the Deputy Clerk of the Land Office, 
 and looking over the plats we very soon located 
 the quarter section where Sol was living, and 
 taking down the names of parties owning adjoin- 
 ing claims, many of whom were known to my 
 companion, we again started on our search, on 
 horseback this time. After riding over nearly 
 the whole of his claim we stumbled at last on his 
 domicile, a brief description of which will not be 
 amiss. 
 
 Hewn out of the lava rock we found a room 
 probably eight by ten in size, to which three or 
 
208 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 four steps led down. The walls and floor were 
 stone, and the furniture consisted of a bed, stove, 
 table, a couple of chairs and two or three dry- 
 goods boxes, which served as seats as well as 
 receptacles for anything that could not be piled 
 up anywhere else. In this hole in the ground 
 we found a little English woman and three very 
 young children, and a boy of perhaps ten years 
 of age. The woman was getting on in years, 
 but still her face bore traces of what was probably 
 at one time remarkable beauty, and her language 
 and manner denoted that she had not always lived 
 in a dug-out like this. On inquiring if Mr. Solo- 
 mon Edwards lived there, she replied in the nega- 
 tive without the slightest hesitation. 
 
 " Has he ever lived here ? " I asked. 
 
 "No, sir; my husband's name is Russell, and 
 I do not know any one by the name of 
 Edwards." 
 
 "Have you got a son named Edmond?" I 
 again asked her. 
 
 "No, sir," she replied. 
 
 I was sitting on the bottom step leading into 
 the hut, and seeing a "Book of Mormon," laying 
 on a box near me, I picked it up, and there on 
 the fly leaf was the name " Solomon Edwards, a 
 gift from his wife," giving the name of the little 
 lady I was speaking to. I did not say anything 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 209 
 
 about it for some time, but finding that she still 
 denied knowing her husband, I finally said : 
 
 "Was that the best present you could make 
 Solomon ? " 
 
 "What do you mean?" she asked, turning red 
 in the face. 
 
 I handed her the book and she burst out 
 crying. A woman in tears always "breaks me 
 up," and believing her tears were the result of 
 being caught in so many lies, I begged of her to 
 "brace up." I admired her none the less for 
 trying to throw me off the track, for it went to 
 prove that she had "grit." It was absolutely 
 necessary that I should have an interview with 
 Sol, seeing that business of importance demanded 
 his presence in Salt Lake City, so I asked her if 
 she would kindly inform me where he was to be 
 found. She said she could not. She had not 
 seen him for two days. My companion was sit- 
 ting outside, and when I emerged from the 
 "dug-out" as wise as when I went in, except 
 that I was positive we were at the home of 
 Edwards, we were puzzlecTwhat to do. I knew 
 that if the party whom we woke up the night 
 before was a Mormon, that by this time Sol had 
 been warned, and this would account for his 
 absence. We had only talked for a moment or 
 two when we saw a man on horseback approach- 
 ing, so we retired behind the roof of the dug-out 
 
2IO A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 to take observations. We hoped to find that it 
 was Edwards himself, but were very much dis- 
 gusted when it turned out to be the acquaintance 
 of the night before. We were both satisfied that 
 he was the cause of our man's absence, and 
 though he claimed to be unaware that the family 
 went under any other name than Russell, his 
 very manner of expressing himself was sufficient 
 to convince me that he was lying. We talked 
 about it for a while, Mrs. Edwards joining in the 
 conversation, and it soon leaked out that they 
 both knew where he was at that moment, and as 
 it would be utterly impossible for us to approach 
 his hiding-place, a bargain was struck with this 
 Mormon that he should lay down a proposition 
 to Edwards to give himself up, for he could not 
 provide for his family while dodging round the 
 country in this way. It appeared also that the 
 family had been pretty badly off of late. The 
 wife told me that for weeks they had lived on 
 jack-rabbits and " slapjacks " or pancakes, made 
 of flour mixed with water ; and that for want of 
 cooking material they had to boil them instead 
 of frying or cooking them in the usual way ; she 
 added that if it were not for the little ones, she 
 would gladly leave and try and get some work 
 to do in Eagle Rock. I also told our Mormon 
 friend to let Edwards know that we would give 
 five dollars apiece to make the family comfort- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 211 
 
 able, and would also make the case known to the 
 charitably-disposed at Eagle Rock, who would 
 no doubt see that they wanted for nothing. The 
 understanding was also had that we were to wait 
 for him one hour, and if he was not back by that 
 time we would try and get Edwards ourselves. 
 He rode off, but we had but little faith in him ; 
 so we went to a position where, by the aid of a 
 field-glass my friend had brought with him, we 
 were afforded a view of the country for many 
 miles round. We soon saw our ambassador 
 arrive at a house round which several men 
 seemed to be congregated, and after what 
 appeared to be a short consultation one of them 
 mounted a horse and rode rapidly in the opposite 
 direction to where we were standing. We at 
 once mounted and started in pursuit of him, but 
 as he had evidently got too good a start we rode 
 back and found ourselves in the middle of a band 
 of Mormons, who twitted us on letting Edwards 
 get away so easy. We told them that was all 
 right, and if we did not have to return to Salt 
 Lake City at once we would follow him if it took 
 us to England after him. We told them to be 
 prepared for a second visit, as we would be back 
 after Sol again in about a couple of weeks. We 
 then returned to Eagle Rock, tired and dis- 
 gusted, as we had been on the road all the 
 night before. 
 
212 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 It now occurred to me that the Mormon whom 
 we had sent to negotiate with Edwards would 
 hardly expect a visit from us that night, so I 
 asked my friend if he was willing to pay them 
 another visit and take them by surprise. He 
 said he was agreeable after having a little sleep, 
 so, arranging for a couple of fresh horses, we 
 took supper and retired to take a little much- 
 needed rest. We got up at midnight, and going 
 to the stable for the horses we were soon on the 
 road again. We knew every foot of the way 
 now, short cuts and all, and it did not take us 
 very long to reach the "dug-out." I rapped 
 gently on the door, and whatever pity I might 
 have previously had for the woman died out 
 when I received no answer to the summons. 
 I lighted a match, and on examining the door I 
 found it was padlocked on the outside. We soon 
 found fresh wagon-tracks leading in an easterly 
 direction, and at once decided to follow them up. 
 We rode four or five miles until we came to the 
 house of one of the party who had the laugh on 
 us the day before. After our summons at the 
 door was replied to, we said that we had good 
 reason to believe that Edwards was there, and 
 that we wanted the door opened at once. He 
 said he was not there and wanted to know if we 
 had a search-warrant. The door was finally 
 opened, and after explaining my reasons for sup- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 213 
 
 posing my man to be there, I said that I would 
 make a short search if he had no objection. He 
 had common-sense enough to consent, and I was 
 soon satisfied that there was no one in hiding 
 there. 
 
 A few doors off was another Mormon resi- 
 dence, and here we found the wagon we had 
 been following. As usual we knocked at the 
 door, and were replied to by one of those smart 
 fellows who think they know everything. When 
 I stated our business, he demanded a search- 
 warrant. I replied that I had what was much 
 stronger — a United States bench warrant. He 
 
 "did not care a d n ; we could not come into 
 
 his house without a search-warrant. " I parleyed 
 with him mildly a few moments, which seemed to 
 have the effect of increasing his little stock of 
 courage until at last he began to get abusive. 
 Getting weary, I finally said to him : 
 
 " I am going to read this paper to you, and if 
 you are not willing to let us in, why then you 
 put on your clothes and go to Eagle Rock with 
 
 us." 
 
 " Oh, " replied he, " you can run no bluffs on 
 me. I will go to Eagle Rock with you. " 
 
 " Get on your duds as quick as you can, then, " 
 said I. " I would rather teach a fool like you a 
 lesson than take Edwards if he was in there. " 
 
 In a mjnute or so he came out ready for the 
 
214 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 trip. I explained to him why I was arresting 
 him and gave him another chance, but he was 
 obstinate as a mule, and after he had mounted his 
 pony we placed him between us and rode to 
 Eagle Rock. For a time he seemed to think he 
 had the best of us, and told us he proposed to 
 make this a test case. We laughed and told 
 him he would not want to tackle another test 
 case like it. We neared Eagle Rock, and when 
 he found no signs of weakening on our side, he 
 said he was beginning to think he had „been 
 hasty, and if we would go back to his place we 
 could go through the house, but he could assure 
 us that Edwards was not there. We told him 
 he ought to have thought of all that before, and 
 not acted as he had done when we had treated 
 him in every way as gentlemen should do; but 
 it was too late now. On arriving at Eagle Rock 
 we went into an all-night house, got a lunch and 
 stayed there till daylight. I did not like to put 
 the poor fellow behind the bars, so I kept an eye 
 on him till about noon to give his friends time to 
 come and see him. About noon a sheepish- 
 looking band of Saints came to town, and they 
 proved to be some of the same party who had 
 been so extremely witty when Solomon gave us 
 the slip the day before. As they came in to 
 where we were it was laughable to watch them. 
 They did not know whether to blame the pris- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 21 5 
 
 oner, who, by his bull-headed obstinacy had 
 got himself into trouble, or to sympathize 
 with him. So, after they had condoled with 
 him, I said: "Well, boys, there is only one 
 thing that can be done in this case. You 
 all know where Edwards is, and that he is the 
 party wanted. I would have had him last night 
 but for this man. Yet this same young man has 
 done nothing but what appeals to me as a manly 
 act, and one that I would probably have done 
 myself if our positions were reversed. But it 
 does not alter the fact that he has laid himself 
 liable. He tells me that he has a wife and three 
 children, and that he is struggling to make them 
 a living. Now, you fellows go out and get 
 Edwards and bring him here, and I will not 
 make any complaint against him until you return 
 with Edwards, provided you get back by train- 
 time to-morrow morning. His wife and some of 
 you say that Edwards is not guilty. If he is not 
 he will be back here in a week a free man. " 
 
 They thought the terms fair enough, and four 
 of them started out on horseback after him. My 
 prisoner's spirits began to rise, and as I had said 
 nothing to any one about the case, I let him go 
 around the town where he pleased, merely keep- 
 ing an eye on him to see that he did not get lost. 
 Hour after hour flew by, so I took him to a hotel and 
 secured beds, leaving orders to be called should 
 
2l6 A detective's experience 
 
 any one ask for me. About three in the morning 
 the captive Mormon, who had been awake and 
 restless, but watchful of the window overlooking 
 the road taken by his friends, woke me with the 
 intelligence that he could see them coming. On 
 looking out I was convinced that he was right, 
 so we dressed ourselves and went down to the 
 bar-room to await them. In a few moments one 
 of them came in and I said, "Well, brother, what 
 luck?" For a moment he did not know what to 
 say. Here was I, sitting round smoking good 
 cigars and taking it easy, the prisoner also get- 
 ting his full share of whatever was going. The 
 new arrival claimed that he and his companions 
 had been in the saddle for over fourteen hours 
 and had ridden down three horses apiece. I 
 said: 
 
 " Oh, that's nothing. Such is life in the 
 Rocky Mountains. Where is Edwards? It is 
 near train -time." 
 
 " He is where we can get him in a few min- 
 utes," was the reply. " How do we know you 
 will keep your word?" 
 
 "I always keep my word, don't I?" said I, 
 turning to a bystander. 
 
 " I dunno," said he. 
 
 *' I said I would get Sol before I returned to 
 Salt Lake City, didn't I, three days ago?" 
 
 " Yes," said he. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 217 
 
 " Well, I've kept my word, have I not?" 
 
 " I don't know," said he, "You hain't got Sol 
 yet. We have him." 
 
 "All right; keep him," said I. ^-Then turning 
 to my prisoner I said: "The train will pull in 
 in a few minutes, and I guess we'd better be get- 
 ting over to the depot." 
 
 The poor captive looked so woe-begone that 
 I could not help pitying him, as did all the rest. 
 Their leader or spokesman then coming over to 
 me said: " You'll let him go 'honest Injun' if I 
 bring in Sol ? " 
 
 " I told you I would when you first went on 
 this trip, and I meant it," said I, "but you fel- 
 lows get in the way of lying, and you think 
 everyone else is the same." 
 
 He went and whispered to a couple oftne 
 others and they started off, and returned in a 
 few minutes with a gentleman whom, on close 
 inspection, I found to answer the description I 
 had. He was about fifty years of age, and had 
 an unmistakably broken nose. After we had 
 been formally introduced to each other, I took 
 his hand and shook it cordially, expressing at the 
 same time the great pleasure I found in making 
 his acquaintance. Solomon did not seem to re- 
 ciprocate to any alarming extent the delight that 
 I felt. He turned to my former prisoner and 
 began to sneer at him for the part he had taken 
 
218 A detective's experience 
 
 in the "business. Why should he be taking an 
 interest in his (Edwards') welfare ? He did not 
 ask him to go and take his wife to his place, and 
 he kept up a regular tirade until I interfered and 
 told him that if he went on much more he need 
 not expect any favors from me on the road. The 
 exchange of prisoners was now formally made, 
 and soon afterward I started with Edwards for 
 Salt Lake City, a distance of some two hundred 
 and fifty miles south. He was shortly afterward 
 tried and found guilty, and all the " persecution' 
 (Mormons delight in calling all measures for 
 abating and punishing the crime of polygamy by 
 this name) he got was that he was allowed to 
 return to his home on promising to obey the law 
 in future. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS, 219 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 Nelson, a Dane, Marries the Whole Family. 
 
 Weston is a little inland village about seven- 
 teen miles from Oxford. The population is en- 
 tirely Mormon and of the most fanatical stripe, 
 many of them being polygamists. I might add 
 that they are nearly all Danish. It is situated 
 on the old Montana stage road previously men- 
 tioned, and can boast of a Mormon meeting- 
 house, a Zion's Co-operative Institution, and a 
 splendid flour mill. 
 
 I had warrants for the arrest of several of the 
 Weston polygamists, so one night I took a man 
 with me as a guide, and after a starlight ride of 
 about two hours we arrived at Weston. Here 
 was a Scandinavian named Nelson, who lived 
 about a mile and a half from the village, who had 
 three wives, two of whom were mother and 
 daughter, and as he was wanted I thought I 
 would attend to his case first. We went out to 
 his farm where two of his wives (the mother and 
 daughter) were, and in response to a knock the 
 door was speedily opened. On inquiring for 
 Brother Nelson we were informed that he was 
 not there to-night, but was stopping in town. 
 They evidently suspected nothing and told the 
 truth, so I questioned no further. There were 
 
220 A DETECTIVE S EXPERIENCE 
 
 four or five women in this very small log-house 
 — two were wives and the others were presum- 
 ably the daughters. We soon arrived in the town 
 and first visited Brother Nelson's city residence, 
 which was hastily searched without any trace 
 being found of Nelson. The only occupant was 
 a stolid-looking Danish woman, who either could 
 not or would not speak a word of English. We 
 left here hastily and visited the house of another 
 Dane who had two wives — one residing here 
 and the other about two miles away. One of us 
 went to the back door, and a very decent-look- 
 ing young Danish woman opened it in response 
 to the knock. I had heard a man's voice on ap- 
 proaching the house, and I was surprised when I 
 entered to find no one. I asked her where her 
 husband was, to which she replied that she did 
 not know. " Well," said I, " I am going to search 
 the house," and when I moved toward the door 
 with the intention of closing it, a very crest-fallen 
 looking Dane came out from behind it. 
 
 "I thought you said your husband was not 
 in," said I to the woman. 
 
 " Nein, dot vasnotmein husband; dot vasvon 
 neighbor." 
 
 " Oh, I guess not," I replied; and taking out 
 the bunch of warrants from my pockets I began 
 to read out the name of her husband. As the 
 man heard the name pronounced, an expression 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 221 
 
 of relief came over his face, and he broke out with 
 a joyous laugh. 
 
 " Nein, nein; dot vas not mein nem." 
 
 " What is your name? " I asked. 
 
 " Mein nem vas .Nelson," he replied; and he 
 proved to be the party we were first looking for. 
 
 I called in an assistant, into whose care he was 
 given, while we looked through the other part of 
 the house for the husband of this woman, but no 
 trace of him could be found. 
 
 As there had been no fuss made so far, we 
 were in hopes that our presence in the town was 
 unknown as yet. So we hastily got on our 
 horse and rode in the direction of the Dane's 
 other house. When about half way, we met a 
 Swede, whom the party with me recognized as a 
 kind of Mormon spy, who was giving some 
 trouble. (Some time after this I had the pleas- 
 ure of seeing him fined seventy-five dollars for 
 his trouble.) On arriving at the house, we found 
 in the first wife of our Dane, a poor little crippled 
 woman, having a number of children, one of 
 them being a mere baby. The surroundings 
 were in keeping with some of the lowest cases I 
 had yet come across, and fifteen dollars would 
 probably cover all the assets in both houses. 
 We did not find the owner of these assets, so 
 returned to Oxford in company with Brother 
 Nelson, who was held to await the action of the 
 
222 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 grand jury, and eventually pleaded guilty to the 
 charts against him. He was sent to relieve the 
 monotony of the Saints who were having a vaca- 
 tion in the House of Correction, at Detroit, 
 Michigan. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 223 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 The Famed Mountain Meadow Massacre — The Brutal 
 Morrisites Outrage. 
 
 As would be naturally supposed, the stirring 
 up the polygamists had been having of late, had 
 brought up many reminiscences of the past ; and 
 among other things much talked about was the 
 Mountain Meadow massacre. This has been 
 written up many times before by many different 
 authors ; still I will risk a brief account of it, 
 owing to the peculiar way in which I received 
 the facts. I number among my friends an old 
 man in Cassia County, Idaho, who is now an 
 Apostate Mormon, and who left Zion's fold on 
 account of this very same massacre. We were 
 talking about it one day when I put this ques- 
 tion to him : " Was old John D. Lee urged on 
 in that Mountain Meadow massacre by Brigham 
 Young, as it is claimed he was, or do you 
 believe 'Petticoat Penrose' in his paper told 
 the truth when he denied that such was the 
 case ? " 
 
 [Penrose was the editor of a Mormon news- 
 paper in Ogden, who escaped the officers of the 
 law in his wives' petticoats. He was a very 
 prominent and loud-mouthed polygamist.] 
 "In course," answered my old friend ; " Brig- 
 
224 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 ham Young was the whole head and front of the 
 massacre. I can 'member the time well. I was 
 up to whar the Lemhi Indian Agency is now." 
 
 He then went on to tell me that he was serv- 
 ing in the Nauvoo Legion (an armed body of 
 scouts in Brigham Young's service), at the time; 
 when he returned to Salt Lake City shortly after 
 the massacre, he said the city looked as if 
 cholera had struck it, and the people all seemed 
 to talk in whispers. There were plenty of 
 Mormons who would gladly have quit service in 
 the " Legion " had they dared to ; but as the 
 whole system was a network of spies no one 
 cared to risk leaving. Secret assassination was 
 quite common, and very often some well-known 
 man would turn up missing, and the usual con- 
 clusion come to was that he had been put out of 
 the way for the good of the cause. My friend 
 again impressed on me the fact that he was up 
 at Lemhi and had nothing to do with the massa- 
 cre personally, and then continued the narra- 
 tive. 
 
 About the 24th of July, 1857, a large party of 
 "Arkansawyers" were on their way to Cali- 
 fornia ; they must have numbered from a hun- 
 dred to a hundred and fifty in all. They ran 
 short of provisions before they reached Salt 
 Lake City, but as they were well supplied with 
 funds they did not worry about it. They could 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 225 
 
 get plentifully supplied at Salt Lake. Brigham 
 Young's outposts were manned by a pretty 
 tough lot of scoundrels, but they did not bear 
 the reputation at that time of being murderers, 
 and they could and would on occasion be as 
 friendly and sociable with emigrants as need be. 
 Perhaps Brigham was annoyed or put out by 
 some tidings he had received about the doings 
 of the United States troops, or he may have had 
 other reasons ; but it is certain that he did not 
 like the idea of so large a body of Gentiles com- 
 ing into his stronghold at once, for Salt Lake 
 City was only a small place in those days. His 
 word was law, and he always had a band of 
 scouts out so as to prevent the possibility of any 
 sudden influx of Gentiles into his territory ; and 
 he was invariably informed of all that went on 
 outside of the city by his scouts, so that he 
 might take what action he thought best for the 
 protection of the Saints and the "building up of 
 Zion." New " Stakes of Zion " were established 
 then as now, only much more arbitrary in their 
 methods and conditions. . There were, more- 
 over, among his own people many who were dis- 
 satisfied for one reason or another with the life 
 they were leading. Many had been disappointed 
 with their new home in this Land of Promise, 
 some being bold enough to think there had been 
 more promise than fulfillment. It was, of 
 
226 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 course, of vital importance to the cause that any- 
 thing approaching disaffection among the Mor- 
 mons should at once be squelched — they should 
 be coaxed into submission if possible, frightened 
 if obstinate, forced if need be. Why would not 
 a wholesale slaughter serve as an effectual argu- 
 ment to these dissatisfied ones ? Would it not 
 be indisputable proof that the Lord, who sent 
 His angel to destroy the hosts of Sennacherib, 
 was still living, and would stop at nothing in 
 order to guard His people from the encroach- 
 ments of the " Evil Ones." It is tolerably cer- 
 tain that such thoughts as these found a 
 constant place in Brigham Young's mind at 
 this time. 
 
 To return to the poor emigrants from Arkan- 
 sas. After long weeks of weary travel, they had 
 looked forward to the day when they should 
 reach Salt Lake City. Its location was known, 
 even at that early day, as a very fertile valley, 
 and no doubt the hearts of these travel-worn pil- 
 grims grew light as they contemplated this haven 
 of rest in their imaginations. Alas for them and 
 their bright hopes! When they reached Salt 
 Lake City they found everything closed to them. 
 They could not buy anything, for Brigham 
 Young's fiat had- gone forth prohibiting the sale 
 of anything to them, and here they were with 
 nearly a thousand miles of mountain and desert 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 22/ 
 
 staring them in the face, while their poor wives 
 and children were suffering for the very things 
 they could see on all sides in profusion — for July 
 is, of all months, the one when the beautiful 
 Cache Valley is at its best. It is hard to conceive 
 of anything more heartless than this, even if 
 nothing more was done to persecute these poor 
 emigrants, whose only offense was passing 
 through the Mormon country in their endeavor 
 to better themselves. But, no; Brigham and his 
 Danites had now started on the war-path, and, 
 not content with ordering these inoffensive trav- 
 elers away empty-handed, he must needs lay 
 plans for their total annihilation. The outside 
 settlements had all received their instructions, 
 and to use a modern expression, they found 
 themselves literally "boycotted." Though trav- 
 eling in a land which was " flowing with milk and 
 honey," they were denied the privilege of 
 exchanging their gold for the common neces- 
 saries of life. It is very much to be regretted 
 now that so strong a party as these emigrants 
 were known to be should have submitted to such 
 treatment, and that they did not compel these 
 wretches to supply their wants. Necessity 
 should certainly have known no law in this case. 
 This of itself is proof that the wayfarers were an 
 exceptionally peaceable and law-abiding party, 
 and only goes to make the Mormons appear 
 
228 A detective's experience 
 
 more despicable than ever. Finding it was 
 impossible to obtain anything, they sorrowfully 
 wended their way forward, and after struggling 
 on for some time they reached the head of Corn 
 Creek, high up in the hills, at what is known as 
 the Mountain Meadows. Here they found 
 abundant pasturage for their stock, and so they 
 made up their minds to rest for some time, to 
 recruit up, and provide, if possible, for their own 
 sustenance during the remainder of the journey. 
 Their plans were doomed to be frustrated, how- 
 ever, for the M6rmons had determined upon 
 their total destruction, and were even now busily 
 preparing a plan, that for cowardice and brutality 
 stands out alone in all its ghastly hideousness. 
 Their plan was not only to wipe out the travelers 
 effectually, but also to guard against the possi- 
 bility of subsequent detection and punishment. 
 To better insure this result, they decided to 
 resort to strategem, so they called in the aid of 
 the " Lamanites," or Mormon Indians, who were 
 at all times willing tools of Brigham Young. 
 There was a double purpose in this part of the 
 well-laid scheme. Should they fail in their pur- 
 pose, or succeeding, should they be subsequently 
 charged with the crime, what was easier than to 
 lay all the blame on the Indians. The civilized 
 world would be much more inclined to believe 
 this theory than that such a butchery had been 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 229 
 
 perpetrated by the " Church of Jesus Christ of 
 Latterday Saints." So the Indians were chosen 
 to do the dirty work, and were to be rewarded 
 for their services with a share in the plunder. 
 
 No warning voice reached the poor doomed 
 victims, for there was no friend near, and they 
 slept on peacefully, without even a presentiment 
 of the horrible fate awaiting them. One day, 
 early in September, as they were camped in the 
 corral formed by their wagons, they were 
 pounced upon without a moment's warning by a 
 horde of Indians, whom they had no reason to 
 expect or guard against, from the fact that they 
 were still in the settlements. The Indians fired 
 a volley at them, and the surprised emigrants 
 were dismayed to see a number of their loved 
 ones fall dead at the first discharge. Finding 
 that they were surrounded, they quickly put 
 themselves on the defensive, and while some 
 threw up breastworks, to protect the women and 
 children, the others held the Indians at bay and 
 attended to the wounded and dying. 
 
 They managed to keep the Indians off until 
 nightfall, and although many were slaughtered, 
 yet it was far from being the success that the 
 Mormons anticipated. The emigrants lost no 
 time in making their little fort impregnable to 
 everything but cannon, and the attacking party 
 found that to effectually wipe them out some 
 
230 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 other plan must be resorted to, so news was con- 
 veyed to Cedar City, another of the Mormon 
 outposts, that the emigrants were defending them- 
 selves and had built a little fort or earth-works. 
 It was thereupon determined to proceed dif- 
 ferently and to use treacherous means to over- 
 come the brave little band of defenders. As 
 none but Indians had been seen as yet by the 
 emigrants, it was thought by the Mormons that 
 a flag of truce would gain them an entrance to 
 the little fort without endangering their own lives. 
 The emigrants would have been more than mor- 
 tal if by this time they had not become despon- 
 dent; and as every avenue of escape was cut off 
 and they were running out of food, they hailed 
 the flag of truce with joy as an emblem of 
 deliverance and at once admitted the bearer with 
 confidence. With him came John D. Lee, who 
 it will be remembered was since tried and exe- 
 cuted for the part he took in the massacre. He 
 was sub-Indian Agent, and he was selected by 
 the Mormons as one who was peculiarly fitted 
 for the furtherance of their ends as from his very 
 position he could effectually lull any suspicions 
 the emigrants might have. After he was 
 admitted, Lee told them that the Indians were 
 determined on their destruction, and that nothing 
 would pacify them but the full surrender of their 
 entire outfit. He assured them that if they 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 231 
 
 would agree to this, he would see that they were 
 fully protected and left unmolested; but as this 
 meant death by starvation for them it became a 
 matter for most serious consideration what to do. 
 Yet it seemed the only avenue left by which 
 they could escape with their lives, and as there 
 was no alternative, they agreed to it. Lee had 
 everything arranged in anticipation of such a de- 
 cision. The wounded men and women with the 
 younger children were placed in the wagons and 
 taken past the besieging party outside, the 
 women and older children walking behind. The 
 men of the party were then led in single file, and 
 each one was in charge of a Mormon guard with 
 a loaded rifle, and they were marched in this 
 order for a distance of perhaps half a mile to a 
 spot already chosen, where the Indians were 
 ambushed. At a given signal each of these fiend- 
 ish guards shot down the particular emigrant in 
 his keeping, while the Indians finished the brutal 
 work by murdering the helpless women and 
 children as well as the wounded men. A few 
 upon whom the shots had failed to take effect 
 sought safety in flight but were soon overtaken 
 and ruthlessly slaughtered. Not one man or 
 woman was left to tell the tale. All were mur- 
 dered. A few of the children, whom the Mor- 
 mons thought were too young to be able at any 
 future time to remember the incidents connected 
 
232 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 with the murder of their relatives, were spared. 
 They were given to the Indians with the excep- 
 tion of one or two who were taken by some of 
 the Mormon participants in the massacre. In 
 this will be seen another example of Mormon 
 cunning; for should the friends of the murdered 
 parties ever follow up their fate, the possession 
 of the white children would point to the Indians 
 as the perpetrators. 
 
 As is well known, this occurred some twelve 
 years before the Union Pacific was built through 
 to Ogden, and when Salt Lake City was far 
 from even the old emigrant road. For years 
 the guilty secret was kept close, but "murder 
 will out," and it was not to be expected that 
 such a diabolical crime as this could remain a 
 secret forever, so that to-day the whole occur- 
 rence is a matter of history. 
 
 My only reason for thus briefly reviewing the 
 sad tale, is that people with the same beliefs and 
 doctrine and possessed of the same blood-thirsty 
 instincts, are to-day posing before the world as 
 martyrs and are just as willing to perpetrate 
 crime to-day as they were thirty years ago. 
 
 The " Morrisites " outrage that took place 
 some years later, although not as bad as the 
 Mountain Meadow massacre in all its features, 
 was yet bad enough. With a brief account of 
 it I will close this chapter. At Soda Springs 
 
Missing Page 
 
Missing Page 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 235 
 
 there lives a friend of mine, a Swedish gentleman 
 whose name I prefer not to give for obvious 
 reasons. I was at a loss for some time to know 
 why Nels was down on the Mormons to the ex- 
 tent that he was, but stopping at his house over 
 night on one occasion, I found that he had good 
 reason to be so. Some years ago there was 
 among the Mormons a man named Morris who, 
 while holding to some portions of the Mormon 
 belief, yet eschewed all that related to polygamy. 
 He soon had followers, much to the dismay and 
 anger of Brigham Young. Morris and his fol- 
 lowers moved in a body to a place in Weber 
 Canyon, where they proceeded to make homes 
 for themselves, and were getting along nicely 
 until it became rumored that Brigham had deter- 
 mined to put them down at all hazards. With 
 the events of the Mountain Meadow massacre 
 fresh in their minds, they soon saw that their 
 case was one that needed immediate attention. 
 They therefore began building a stockade and 
 corral, and were very cautious as to whom they 
 admitted within their gates. All, however, was 
 of no avail, for one day the minions of Brig- 
 ham came pouring in on them right and left, 
 and after a few minutes' shooting, left several 
 of the Morrisites weltering in their gore as a 
 reminder of what - they might expect should 
 they persist in following the teachings of Brother 
 
236 A detective's experience 
 
 Morris. My friend Nels concluded his account 
 of it by pointing to his wife, and saying: 
 "There; that scar on my wife's chin is the 
 
 reason I am down on the d d Mormons." 
 
 His wife was one of the victims of this out- 
 rage, and her face is terribly disfigured ; half 
 of her chin having been shot away. 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 237 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Brother Handy, Husband, Brother-in-law , Father and 
 Uncle to His Own Family, Pulled Out of a Straw- 
 Stack. 
 
 As we are short of Polygs'we will take a trip 
 to Franklin once more, and with "hooplas" 
 away we go, the clatter of hoofs making a bass 
 to the dog chorus that celebrates our departure. 
 It is in a minor chord, however, and its musical 
 qualities unappreciated by us. Touching up our 
 ponies we soon reach the open country, and quite 
 agree that "distance lends enchantment" to that 
 concert. There are few houses along the road, 
 and nothing of special interest. We, however, 
 forget the monotony in a jolly conversation. 
 Many an anecdote was told that, could I repeat 
 them in this work, would lighten up the gloom, 
 as it were, and will no doubt be recalled and 
 laughed over years from now by us, for we were 
 not solemn, like some of our estimable Mormon 
 Saints, but found ourselves tired out with laughter 
 by the time we reached Bear River bridge, which, 
 if you remember, I have described in a former 
 chapter. Crossing the bridge we climb the mount- 
 ains, and, crossing the railroad track near the 
 summit, follow the wagon track until we come to 
 the village of Preston. The clouds which have 
 
238 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 for some time been threatening now turned them- 
 selves inside out and the rain came down in 
 torrents. 
 
 After a little consultation we agreed upon a 
 place of shelter. It is at a house where the 
 hearty reception I always have received makes 
 me feel assured of our welcome ; and the pros- 
 pect of hot coffee with a good warming is not at 
 all unpleasant. The house stands in a nook on 
 the banks of the river, and going down we 
 awaken our friends who, by the way, are keeping 
 "bachelor's hall," and we are soon enjoying the 
 appetizing odors of stewed duck and speckled 
 trout, which our host is preparing for our early 
 morning meal. In the meantime we hang our- 
 selves over the backs of chairs to dry. You see 
 there is an air of freedom about "bachelor's 
 hall," and a small decoction of alcohol "passed 
 down" ostensibly as a preventative for colds, 
 gives us a jolly and homelike feeling ; while our 
 host claims it is an excellent appetizer and we 
 soon proved the fact. The efforts of the cook 
 were thoroughly appreciated by the inner man 
 and the meal enlivened by many a joke. 
 
 It was necessary to make our professional 
 calls at hours which would be productive of the 
 best results, so, as it was still raining very hard, 
 we concluded to take it easy for the day. Our 
 host had extended his hospitality to our horses, 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 239 
 
 and we found that Reddy and his partner were 
 like ourselves — feas.ting on the fat of the land. I 
 suggested to George that should the weather 
 clear up we might take a shot-gun and kill a few 
 ducks, or go down and catch a few trout for 
 dinner, which we did. When that was accom- 
 plished and we had a refreshing sleep it was 
 about time to go and interview Brother Wm. 
 Handy and the ladies. George suggested that 
 were the latter "handy" it would probably be 
 necessary to subpoena them, but he solemnly 
 declared that no pun was intended. 
 
 About two o'clock in the morning we bade 
 good-by to our genial host, and remounting 
 our horses were soon jogging along toward 
 Franklin. 
 
 We were in hopes we could find a few Mor- 
 mons on the way, for our last trip had made us 
 familiar with every polygamist in the place, and 
 we were willing to spare the others for a day or 
 two. Our success was poor, however, for in 
 some mysterious way they had all been warned, 
 and, as Brother Swan expresses it, been told to 
 " flee to the mountains." Finally we turned our 
 horses' heads in the direction of Brother Handy's 
 palatial log cabins, but not without difficulty, for 
 in many places our horses were nearly up to their 
 flanks in mud. 
 
 As we neared the cabins we were met by the 
 
240 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 two Mrs. Handys, who are sisters, Brother Handy 
 filling the double position of husband and 
 brother-in-law to each of them. He also has the 
 distinguished honor of being not only his chil- 
 dren's father, but their uncle. 
 
 One would naturally suppose that it would 
 take at least a good stalwart specimen of the 
 human race to fill such a responsible position, 
 but truth compels me to state that Brother Handy, 
 the husband, father, brother-in-law and uncle is 
 but a small, insignificant-looking man. It fills 
 the average beholder with profound astonishment 
 to think that one of such slight stature can shoul- 
 der such immense responsibilities, and so success- 
 fully, as the yard full' of noisy young ones would 
 suggest. Bill is humble and unpretentious, or he 
 could never digest the " family jars." I use the 
 word " humble " for the moment Bill saw us 
 approaching and while we were yet afar off, 
 seemed to think himself unworthy of our notice, 
 and made quick time in reaching a large straw- 
 stack. We were not surprised, however, as the 
 retiring dispositions of polygamists had often 
 been observed in our experience. 
 
 We were rather pleased to find that he had 
 taken the direction of the straw-stack which stood 
 in an open field, and saw at a glance that our 
 game was safe in our hands. Poor fellow, in his 
 hurry he had not been able to "pull the hole in 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 241 
 
 after him," and there, like an ostrich, he stood, 
 with his head and shoulders buried in the hay. 
 We could not help wishing that he was one of 
 those remarkable birds, for from the way he was 
 jammed into the stack I could have picked his 
 feathers slick and clean before he could even 
 remonstrate. I took him by the heels and without 
 much exertion landed what little there was of him 
 on his feet; and such a little puny creature, why 
 we felt like saying "you poor, naughty little boy 
 what made you so bashful, when visitors were 
 coming?" 
 
 I said instead: "Bill, you know what this is 
 all about, don't you?" 
 
 " Polygamy, I suppose," he sullenly replied. 
 
 " Yes," I said, "and although it is scarcely 
 needed I will read the warrant to you, for it makes 
 it more binding, you know." 
 
 He listened quietly enough, and we then went 
 back to the little homes with our prisoner, and 
 I guarded him while George went after the 
 ladies, whom we had passed shortly before. 
 They were soon subpoenaed, and on their driv- 
 ing down the lane I could see they were very 
 mad. The first one who alighted from the 
 wagon flew at me with wrath in her eyes, and 
 snapped out that William was no polygamist, 
 that her name was not Handy, but Mary Jane 
 Flewit, and then poured out a torrent of abuse 
 
242 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 in language that was more copious than elegant. 
 I endeavored to soothe my wounded feelings by 
 commiserating Bill. 
 
 " Poor William," I said, "you are indeed to 
 be pitied, and a cell in the penitentiary ought to 
 be looked on by you as a haven of rest, and a 
 relief from a life of torture." 
 
 Mrs. Flewit Handy was . silent while I spoke 
 to him, but how her eyes snapped, and if a look 
 of the deadliest hate could have killed, I would 
 have gone up the flume immediately. 
 
 She finally asked me what I meant by talking 
 that way. 
 
 I told her I meant to express my pity for her 
 poor martyr of a husband, and was only sorry 
 he was not arrested for murder, for then he would 
 be likely to be hung and out of his misery, while 
 now he would probably get six months or so in the 
 penitentiary, and would then be obliged to come 
 back and live with her, and in my extreme pity 
 I cried out, "God help him," for although one 
 wife of this kind would be bad enough, think 
 of the misery of holding "two of a kind," and 
 afraid to show your hand. 
 
 Before we left Bill, he admitted that it was a 
 "close, hard game." He is now in the House 
 of Correction at Detroit, where he was taken in 
 June, 1886, and unless pardoned out or dead is 
 
A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 243 
 
 probably meditating on past wrongs, and think- 
 ing "what might have been." 
 
244 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Mormon Persecution of Gentiles — Husbands by Proxy 
 
 — The Church Opens Houses of Prostitution with 
 Harlots brought from San Francisco — Peep Holes 
 for Mormon Police — Signal Failure of the Scheme 
 
 — Plotters get One Year in Jail — Mobbing Officials 
 — Disgusting Means Resorted to — Mobbing of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Stenhouse — Attempted Assassination of 
 Collins — A Saintly Crew. 
 
 If all Mormons were polygamists, it would 
 be no very difficult matter to keep them down. 
 But the fact is that there are a great many Mor- 
 mons who are very much opposed to polygamy, 
 but who have relatives and friends who are 
 polygamists. For this reason they not only will 
 not take any active part against them, but will 
 protect and shield them from prosecution to the 
 best of their ability. They are bound by their 
 vows to do this, even if the ties of relationship 
 or friendship did not prompt them to do so. 
 
 The Saints are not, as we have already seen, 
 always content to remain on the defensive, but 
 have many ingenious ways of persecuting their 
 "persecutors." A friend of mine — raised in 
 Logan, but who now lives some one hundred 
 and twenty-five miles north of there, having had 
 to leave civilization and live among Indians years 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 245 
 
 ago owing to the persecution — was showing 
 me over the splendid hay ranche where he lived, 
 with his father. There was plenty of machinery 
 in the barns, hundreds of sleek, fat cattle grazed 
 on the mountainsides, and an air of prosperity 
 pervaded the whole place. 
 
 " Yes," said my friend, "you would not believe 
 how, a few years since, when my father left the 
 Church, we were preached against. The Elect 
 were told to let us breathe the air and drink the 
 water, but warning them never to hold out the 
 hand of fellowship to us, or in any way have 
 dealings with us. We were to be taught that 
 starvation was the fate of those who dared to 
 reason for themselves and deny the authority of 
 Brigham Young and his satellites. Our saintly 
 neighbors were not content with this but when any 
 thing wrong was done by some of the young 
 hoodlums of their own families, they would 
 blame some of us boys. Life among them be- 
 came intolerable, and we moved out of the place, 
 content rather to dwell among the Indians than 
 to remain any longer near such a class of peo- 
 ple — and we have not lost anything by the 
 change." 
 
 Not long after the effects of the- an ti -polygamy 
 crusade commenced to be .severely felt by the 
 Mormons, they instituted some very novel 
 methods of counteracting the movement, and 
 
246 A detective's experience. 
 
 especially of putting a stigma upon the United 
 States officials, and other prominent movers in 
 the conflict. One in particular deserves mention 
 here, not only for its originality of idea, but also 
 for the signal failure that attended it. They 
 arranged for the importation of a lot of prostitutes 
 from San Francisco, who were to open houses of 
 ill-fame in Salt Lake City, the money being fur- 
 nished by some of the leaders of the Mormon 
 Church. The landladies of these establishments 
 were to entice into their dens, as far as possible, 
 those who were actively engaged in prosecuting 
 the Mormons. Police were secreted in these 
 houses and holes pierced through the walls to 
 enable them to make observations. These women 
 were also to send notes to prominent men among 
 the Gentiles begging the favor of an interview 
 on " business of importance," etc. These houses 
 were in respectable localities, and the intended 
 victims of the conspiracy were supposed to fall 
 at once into the trap. They succeeded in getting 
 many to come to their houses in this way, but 
 in very few, if any, cases were they successful in 
 placing any of their callers in false positions. 
 The whole scheme fell through very shortly, and 
 several of the conspirators got into trouble, and 
 one of them got one year in jail. 
 
 I forgot to mention that the city officials of 
 Salt Lake City are all Mormons, and it was these 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 247 
 
 same city officials who not long since insulted 
 American citizens by hanging the stars and 
 stripes at half-mast on the 4th of July. It was 
 fully reported in the newspapers at the time, and 
 bloodshed was only very narrowly avoided. 
 
 Sometimes these zealots will resort to treacher- 
 ous violence upon the authorized officers of the 
 government, in the larger cities as well as on the 
 outskirts of their dominions. Witness the case 
 of Deputy Marshal Collins, who was set upon 
 by four of these lusty Saints in a dark alley one 
 night. Collins made a hard fight and succeeded 
 in 'routing them. Three of his assailants escaped, 
 but one had too much cold lead in him, so he 
 was taken to the hospital for repairs. From 
 there he was spirited away, long before he was 
 well, by the Saints when they found out that he 
 was to be tried for assault with intent to kill. 
 
 A favorite theme with the Mormons is that no 
 houses of prostitution existed in their domain 
 before the Gentiles came among them. I am 
 not prepared to affirm or deny this, for it may or 
 may not be true; but I have it on good authority 
 that something much more unsavory did exist 
 among the Mormons themselves, and may be 
 one of their peculiar practices to-day for aught 
 I know. Can any institution be found outside 
 of Mormonism, where a man can be a husband 
 by proxy? It used to. be the custom when a 
 
248 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Mormon went away on a mission anywhere, that 
 a man was appointed, if deemed desirable, to fill 
 his place, so that children might be raised for 
 him and Zion built up during his absence. One 
 case is known to me where the husband found 
 an increased family on his return whose existence 
 he was not responsible for. 
 
 Talking of Mormon methods of combating 
 apostates and Gentiles, who does not remember 
 the case of Mr. and Mrs. Stenhouse a few years 
 ago. They were apostates, and there was a 
 very bitter feeling against them- They were 
 mobbed and submitted to the very roughest kind 
 of treatment, being' pelted in the public streets 
 with filth gathered from the cess-pools of the 
 city. The same methods have been resorted to 
 in other cases, and within a very short period of 
 time. A perusal of Salt Lake City papers will 
 frequently bring cases before the eyes of any who 
 may doubt it. 
 
 I will close this chapter with a peculiarly hor- 
 rible instance of brutal punishment visited on a 
 Gentile who had attempted to marry a Mormon 
 girl against the decrees of the Church. A man 
 who was lately a Justice of the Peace assisted 
 in the vengeful outrage, and the victim was 
 mutilated in a manner too disgusting to be 
 described in public print. This happened years 
 ago when a Gentile was a rara avis, and had 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS., 
 
 249 
 
 little or nothing to say. Of course such a crime 
 could not be committed now without resulting in 
 speedy retribution. 
 
250 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 A Queer Hiding-place — Mormons Seek and Find 
 Refuge in a Jail — How Mormon Sheriffs Work. 
 
 Before concluding the subject of arresting 
 polygamists I want to give one more illustration 
 of how well laid their plans are, and that they 
 can call to their aid county officials — of course 
 these officials being Mormons. It became nec- 
 essary for me to make another trip to Paris, and 
 as court was in progress there, information was 
 received that all the prominent polygamists were 
 walking around as large as life. I had to go 
 anyway, as court was in session; so I concluded 
 to go alone by train, for there would be plenty 
 on whom I could call for assistance if needed. 
 On reaching McCammon I discovered I could 
 not go on that night, through some change in the 
 railroad arrangements. I was not alone in my 
 disappointment, for I found, to my disgust, that 
 there was also a resident of Montpelier to lay 
 over here on his way home. My face being 
 pretty familiar in Montpelier, I supposed of 
 course that he would recognize me. In order to 
 know the worst, I at last spoke to him about the 
 annoyance and inconvenience of having to stay 
 over, and as he evidently did not know me, we 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 2$ I 
 
 continued to condole with each other. He asked 
 me if I was going to stop at the hotel, but I told 
 him I could not afford it, that my purse was too 
 light and that I had little more than would pay 
 my fare. I intended to try and stop at the 
 section house, for if I should be seen by any of 
 the parties at the hotel, my identity would soon 
 be made known to him, and the trip might as 
 well be abandoned. I contrived to get rid of 
 him, and he saw no more of me until we were 
 on the train. I put on a doleful countenance 
 when he met me. I asked him if he thought 
 there was any show to get a job on the railroad, 
 in order to lull any suspicions he might have 
 had. There was a party to meet me at Mont- 
 pelier and tell me if the coast was clear ; but it 
 was imperative that I should not be seen with 
 him by my new Mormon friend, whom I shall 
 call "Jim." To better accomplish my purpose, I 
 lay down and pretended to be asleep, and he no 
 doubt thought me poor company, for he got up 
 and left me. The train changes engines at 
 Montpelier, so a few minutes before the train 
 started Jim came and woke me up, and T told 
 him gruffly that I had changed my mind and was 
 going on to Granger. He then left me, and as 
 I saw the man who was to meet me on the plat- 
 form, I tapped on the window, and after he came 
 aboard I told him of the party who had been 
 
252 A detective's experience 
 
 traveling with me. After considering the matter 
 it was thought best for me not to be seen by him 
 again, and I decided to get the conductor to 
 slow up a mile or so out of town to enable me to 
 jump off the train. My friend could then pick 
 me up in a sleigh and we could decide what to 
 do. I got off the train in a manner which would 
 lead bystanders to suppose I was " bounced " off 
 the train in default of paying my fare. After 
 remaining in the brush a few minutes the team 
 came along and we drove directly to the stable. 
 The weather was pretty cold, and after making 
 several excuses the party who was to take me 
 over, from cowardice or some other cause, backed 
 out of his agreement, though I subsequently 
 found out that he went over alone. I was too 
 well known here to show myself, and I had no 
 alternative but to lay down and wait until even- 
 ing. I could hear from railroad men who 
 came to see me, that the most prominent men 
 in the Mormon party were walking round Paris ; 
 and as one person after another, including a 
 prominent lawyer, came and told me of their 
 movements, I could not avoid chafing at my 
 helplessness. Here I was penned up only ten 
 miles away from them, and for the time being 
 unable to do anything to help myself. 
 
 At dusk I was fortunately able to make 
 arrangements for a sleigh and a couple of men 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 253 
 
 to go to Paris with me. We started about mid- 
 night, and as it was only a ride of a couple, of 
 hours we got there about two in the morning. I 
 went to the houses of several of the most promi- 
 nent Mormons without finding any of them. On 
 leaving the last residence I noticed that one of 
 the inmates, a young man about twenty-six years 
 old, was following me up, and as he continued to 
 do so I at last got tired and told him that if he 
 persisted in poking his nose into my business 
 that I would be compelled to put strings on him. 
 I warned him back two or three times, but found 
 him dogging me still, so I pulled out a pair of 
 handcuffs and snapped them under his nose, and 
 was about to fasten them on him when he 
 showed signs of weakening, and said: "Judge 
 Hayes is stopping at Brother Stuckie's ; I would 
 like to ask him if I hain't got a right to go round 
 this town if I want to." 
 
 *' All right," said I ; *' here is Stuckie's. 
 Knock at the door and you can see the Judge. 
 I am not finding fault with you walking all over 
 Paris. What I object to is your tagging round 
 after me and interfering with my business." 
 
 It was bitterly cold, and as we knocked our 
 heels together and rubbed our ears to keep 
 them fro.m freezing, I could not help wishing 
 Paris and all its inhabitants had sunk before I 
 ever took the trip. The door was opened, so I 
 
254 A detective's experience 
 
 told the young man to see the Judge as soon as 
 possible, and we went up-stairs, Mrs. Stuckie in 
 the meantime scowling at me in the highest style 
 of the art. I had left a man outside to watch 
 the exit of any one. After the Judge had dressed 
 and come out, the Mormon asked him if he had 
 not a right to go where he pleased in the town. 
 The Judge told him he had, and asked him who 
 had anything to say about it. I said I had, and 
 I burst into laughter. I could not help it when 
 I contemplated my surroundings. Here was 
 I, out hunting polygamists, and the only party I 
 could find in a polygamist house was the Judge 
 before whom they were tried ; and a Judge, too, 
 who showed by the sentences he invariably 
 imposed on them that so far as he was concerned 
 Mormons had very little to expect but justice 
 "right from the shoulder." I explained to the 
 Judge that I was making a house to house can- 
 vass that night, and that this young man had been 
 following me up and that I was beginning to get 
 a little weary of it, but I thought I would give 
 him an opportunity to find out his rights, as I 
 had no object in getting him into trouble. After 
 the Judge explained to him that he was trans- 
 gressing and that I was right, he went off, and I 
 proceeded to search the house. I could find no 
 one, however, and just before my departure I 
 asked Mrs. Stuckie if Brother Stuckie was liable 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 255 
 
 to be at the residences of either of his other 
 wives. She said I was misinformed as to the 
 number of ladies who with her shared Mr. 
 Stuckie's heart and homes. I thereupon drew 
 from my pocket a map of the town I had with 
 me, she was convinced I knew what I was talk- 
 ing about. Finally I went away and searched 
 the other houses, with a like result. Every man 
 in Paris had been warned by this time, and the 
 warning must have been given by those who 
 professed to be friends of mine, for I had not 
 been seen by a single Mormon since my 
 arrival. 
 
 As I had some work to do in connection with 
 arrests made on my other trip, I got away from 
 Paris about daylight. Cold as the weather was, 
 the young Mormon boys were flying about in 
 every direction with the news of my arrival. A 
 word of explanation regarding the finding of 
 Judge Hayes in Brother Stuckie's house. Paris, 
 as I have before said, is inhabited entirely by Mor- 
 mons, and there is not such a thing as a hotel in 
 it. The Mormon leaders vie with each other in 
 showing hospitality and favors to all whom they 
 fear, or wish to curry favor with. As Judge 
 Hayes had to hold court there for a week or ten 
 days once in each year, he has no alternative 
 but to stop at a Mormon house ; but as he 
 understands the Mormons pretty thoroughly, he 
 
256 A DETECTIVE'S experience 
 
 takes their little attentions for what they are 
 worth, and I have no doubt he would get along 
 without being a guest in their houses if he 
 could. 
 
 I got back to Montpelier about ten o'clock that 
 morning, and after discharging the boys and the 
 team, I made arrangements to leave, for it was 
 Saturday and I was anxious to get home before 
 Sunday. As I sat thinking the matter over, and 
 talking with some of the railroad boys, I made 
 up my mind to stay and try to take a couple of 
 the Montpelier Saints back with me. The sheriff 
 from Paris, a good Saint named Moulton, followed 
 me into Montpelier, and he and I had a good 
 laugh over my ill success the night before. He 
 was if anything too pleasant, introduced me to 
 another good Saint named Osborne, and it did 
 not take me very long to find that they were 
 .shadowing me. 
 
 About an hour before the train arrived, I took 
 them into one of the bar-rooms and said, as we 
 took a drink : " Now, fellows, this is probably the 
 last time I will bother this section of the country. 
 Well, you tell me where the Polygs flew so 
 quickly last night ! They were all seen at seven 
 o'clock, but when I arrived not one was in 
 sight. I turned up everything but the jail, and 
 by omitting that I got left." 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 257 
 
 Moulton flushed up and said : "How do you 
 know?" 
 
 "Because a friend of mine in Montpelier 
 gave it away," said I. 
 
 "Oh, I guess not," returned he. 
 
 " It does not make any difference now," I con- 
 tinued. "It is my place to catch them, and their 
 place to get away ; but I don't think it is giving 
 a fellow a square deal to hide in a jail." He 
 did not attempt to deny it. 
 
 As train-time drew near I went over to the 
 depot, and Moulton and Osborne were there to 
 bid me good-by. I also noticed the young Mor- 
 mon (his name I found to be Shupe) who rode 
 out with me from McCammon among the num- 
 ber of people on the platform. Seing a railroad 
 man who was a friend of mine, I went over to 
 him and told him to keep his eye on Moulton, 
 Osborne and Shupe, for there was something 
 in the wind that I was not up to. Before the 
 train pulled in I found their programme was to 
 be as follows : Shupe was to go as far as Soda 
 Springs, and see that I left the country. If I 
 went on he was to telegraph them, then catch a 
 freight and come back. I got talking to Moulton 
 and Osborne again, but gave them no intimation 
 that I knew anything about their scheme. I 
 spoiled their game as far as telegrams were con- 
 cerned. Finally, when the train pulled in, I 
 
258 A detective's experience 
 
 jumped aboard after bidding them an effusive 
 farewell. The Judge was aboard and his eyes 
 began to twinkle when he saw me. 
 
 " A pretty cold morning when I saw you last, 
 Fred," said he. 
 
 " Yes, your Honor, and it has stayed cold ever 
 since for me ; my trip has amounted to nothing, 
 and I hate to ride so many miles for my health 
 with the thermometer frozen." 
 
 "Well," returned his Honor, "you cannot 
 always expect success. You have had pretty 
 good luck so far." 
 
 By this time I was about four miles from 
 Montpelier, and saying farewell to the Judge I 
 went out on the car platform. The engineer had 
 been asked to slow up so as to give me a chance 
 to jump off. As soon as he saw a good snow- 
 bank, and perceiving that I was ready, he slowed 
 up slightly, though not enough to make it notice- 
 able to Shupe, who went onin blissful ignorance 
 of my doings. I jumped off, walked back to 
 Montpelier and went directly to the caboose of a 
 railroad friend who was running a train there. I 
 asked him to go and see a friend of mine whom I 
 mentioned, and ask him to come down to meet 
 me at the caboose that night at ten o'clock ; that 
 I would take him with me and pay him well for 
 his trouble. In the meantime, as I had not slept 
 any the night before, I took a nap, and about 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 259 
 
 half-past ten the party I was expecting came 
 along. The both of us then made for the Upper 
 Town, and for once I thought I had a sure thing, 
 but as it had been the night before so was it 
 now. They had been already warned and no 
 one was in sight. Again disappointed, I returned 
 to Lower Town after going through the house 
 of every polygamist in Morttpelier. Moulton and 
 Osborne had stayed up all night waiting for 
 Shupe to get back, and in the meantime I had 
 enough evidence to convict Shupe of obstructing 
 a United States officer ; so when the Mormon 
 trio came down during the day to give me the 
 laugh, I took Brother Shupe with me to Oxford. 
 He was tried and fined one hundred dollars, and 
 the fine was paid by the Church. I should have 
 mentioned that a Mormon mob was formed at 
 Montpelier for the express purpose of mobbing 
 me, but to the credit of the railroad men let me 
 say that they stood by me, and probably saved 
 me from some rough treatment. 
 
26o A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 Anti-Mormon Champions — Poker and Prayer — The 
 Test-Oath — The New West Academies — -Orthodox 
 Churches to the Rescue. 
 
 And now a short chapter to the men who, by 
 their untiring efforts, have above all others been 
 instrumental in putting a stop to the iniquitous 
 practices of the Church. 
 
 At one time, and not so very far back either, 
 Gentiles who went into Utah for the purpose of 
 doing business, had everything against them. 
 They were handicapped and boycotted to such 
 an extent that failure was almost a foregone con- 
 clusion. The Mormon signboard is familiar to 
 all who have ever been out in their country — it 
 consists of an eye with the words " Holiness to 
 the Lord" over the top, and "Zion's Co-oper- 
 ative Mercantile Institution " painted underneath. 
 To the uninitiated this sign would suggest re- 
 ligion and piety, and a stranger would be very 
 likely to think that people who would have the 
 eye of Providence and an exhortation to holiness 
 over their places of business could not be very 
 bad. But this sign has, in fact, a very different 
 meaning to the dupes who live under the iron 
 rule of Mormonism. It means that the Eye of 
 the Church is ever upon them, and as all these 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 26 1 
 
 Zion stores are conducted in the interests of the 
 Church, the sign is highly suggestive of a caution 
 not to trade with Gentiles. An old Irishman 
 put yet a different interpretation on this sign. 
 He had been wandering up and down the streets 
 of Salt Lake City, and seeing an eye over nearly 
 every place of business, and being unable to 
 read the inscription on it, he was heard to re- 
 mark : " Faith, av all these eye docthers can 
 make a living here, it's toime I was immigratin' 
 fwile I can see to git away." 
 
 But as this chapter is to be devoted to the 
 men who have come to the front in checking the 
 influence for evil of Mormonism and its institu- 
 tions, we will hasten on. 
 
 First and foremost, that honest and fearless 
 newspaper, the Salt Lake Tribune, deserves 
 especially to be mentioned. It is to-day, and has 
 been for years, the champion of Gentile rights in 
 the Mormon stronghold and if the Mormon 
 people were asked to give their candid opinion 
 as to what was the most potent anti-Mormon 
 agency, they would probably say it was this nervy 
 publication. United States Judge Zane has won 
 the respect and admiration of all by the manner 
 in which he has administered justice to Mormon 
 and Gentile alike, vindicating the disregarded and 
 all but obsolete laws with an integrity of purpose 
 which was re-assuring and comforting in view of 
 
262 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 the past condition of affairs. Let me add the 
 names of Hon. E. A. Ireland, late U. S. Marshal 
 for Utah; United States Attorney Dixon, with 
 Assistant- Attorney Varien; Judge McKay, U. S. 
 Commissioner. Add to these in Idaho the 
 Idaho Reporter of Blackfoot, and the Eagle Rock 
 Register; Judge J. B. Hayes of the Third Judi- 
 cial District, whose impartial administration of 
 justice is conceded by all — Mormon and Gentile 
 alike; Hon. H. M. Bennett of Oxford, prosecut- 
 ing attorney of Bingham county, chairman of the 
 Anti-Mormon Committee; Hon. H. W. Smith of 
 Blackfoot, widely known as " Kentucky Smith," 
 the author of the memorable test-oath, a copy of 
 which is appended; Hon. Fred T. Dubois, ex-U. S. 
 Marshal and now member of Congress from 
 Idaho. He came to the territories from Spring- 
 field, Illinois, and is a son of the late Hon. Jesse 
 K. Dubois who was well known as a friend of 
 Abraham Lincoln. It is to the efforts of such men 
 as I have mentioned that anything at all has 
 been and is being done in the direction of stamp- 
 ing out this national disgrace. 
 
 Mormons and Gentiles can never affiliate with 
 each other. It is true that in places like Salt 
 Lake City they can run along without much fric- 
 tion, but in the smaller towns and on the up- 
 country ranches, the Gentile will have a very 
 slim chance of getting along. There are hun- 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 265 
 
 dreds of Mormons living to-day who know of 
 valuable mineral ledges which have been hidden 
 by the express orders of Brigham Young, lest 
 the Gentiles should profit by them. There are 
 millions of acres of good land that could be 
 utilized if irrigated at a comparatively small 
 expense; but Gentiles do not feel safe in going 
 out to develop these resources until the Na- 
 tional Government can give assurance that they 
 can not only farm their lands or work their mines, 
 but also worship their God in the freedom and 
 security contemplated by the constitution of the 
 United States. The Mormons will readily admit 
 all this to be fair enough, and say they ask for 
 nothing more, thus often gaining to some extent 
 the sympathy and good will of many who do not 
 know the true inwardness of their system. I 
 was told only recently in Chicago of several 
 people who had been among the Mormons, 
 and had been very favorably impressed by them. 
 I do not doubt this, and I am not at all surprised 
 at it. Mormons are much like the rest of human- * 
 ity in some things. They do not generally put 
 out their worst side for the inspection of strangers; 
 they are generally on "dress parade" for the 
 reception of visitors, and use their utmost 
 endeavors to favorably impress all from the out- 
 side world. It should not be forgotten that their 
 converts are deceived into joining with them, and 
 
266 A detective's experience 
 
 there are thousands who to-day wish they had 
 never become Mormons, now that they have 
 found out what the stern reality is. Most, if not 
 all, the works I have read on Mormonism and 
 Polygamy have been written from the standpoint 
 and authority of a visit to Salt Lake City, and 
 the authors know about as much of the truth as 
 the aforesaid Irishman did of the sign inscription. 
 If you want to see Mormonism as it is — undi- 
 luted and undisturbed by any mixture with the 
 restraints of civilization — go into the back settle- 
 ments; take in some of their country meeting- 
 houses; listen to their sermons, if possible 
 without letting any one know you are a Gentile, 
 and the chances are that outside ofa tirade against 
 Gentiles you will hear nothing. Everything 
 will be touched but religion ; of Christ and Him 
 crucified you will seldom hear from a Mormon 
 preacher. He is much more likely to give the 
 faithful some advice about farming — the best 
 manure to use for vegetables, how to raise chick- 
 ens, the best methods of breeding cattle, etc., 
 etc., are common subjects of religious (?) dis- 
 course. 
 
 A Mormon Deacon with whom I am well ac- 
 quainted will furnish as good an example of the 
 class of men who do the exhorting and preach- ' 
 ing as any I know. He is a very good sort of 
 fellow in his way, is a close, hard hand at poker, 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 267 
 
 can swear like a trooper, and should circum- 
 stances demand it, he can take care of himself in 
 a rough-and-tumble fight. One Saturday night 
 not very long ago, he happened to be engaged 
 in a little game of poker, which as they con- 
 tinued to play became very interesting. As hour 
 after hour went by it was clear that the Deacon 
 was uneasy in his mind about something. The 
 game went on, however, through the small hours 
 of the Sabbath morning, until at last meeting 
 time came, and the Deacon said he could play 
 no longer as he had "to go and open up that 
 meetin' with prayer." The fellows he was play- 
 ing with objected, and said he was only quitting 
 the game because he was ahead. At this the 
 good Deacon's feelings were hurt, and he said: 
 
 " Any d d man who accuses me that way 
 
 has to fight. I am gwine to open that meetin 
 with pra'ar, but that does not hinder me from 
 putting a head on any man that accuses me of 
 jumping the game." And with a very few- 
 words he pitched in, and but for the interference 
 of the bystanders would have given the object 
 of his wrath a severe thrashing. After he 
 cooled down he said: 
 
 " I kin lick any man that 'cuses me wrong- 
 fully, or tries to keep me from meetin'. He 
 knows I am Deacon thar, an' hed to open up 
 the game over thar with pra'r." 
 
268 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 I don't know what kind of prayer he offered 
 on that Sunday morning, but pray he did, and 
 does to this day. 
 
 The test oath, to which we have referred, is 
 an oath which is put to all office-holders, and 
 with slight variation to voters and jurors. So 
 far it has only been adopted in the Territory of 
 Idaho, and for the time it has been in use, 
 it has proved a bulwark of strength to the ad- 
 ministration of justice. If its value were gauged 
 by the hatred the Mormons bear its author, 
 there can be no doubt about the advisibility of 
 its adoption in Utah, and, indeed, wherever else 
 Mormonism exists. The following is a copy 
 of it: 
 
 "OATH OF OFFICE. 
 
 " I, , do solemnly swear that I am a 
 
 male citizen of the United States, and over the 
 age of -twenty-one years. That I bad actually 
 resided in Idaho Territory for the period of four 
 months, and in this county thirty days next pre- 
 ceding the date of my election (or appointment). 
 That I am not a member of any order, sect or or- 
 ganization which teaches, advises or encourages 
 the practice of bigamy or polygamy, or any other 
 crime defined by law, as a duty or privilege re- 
 sulting or arising from the faith or practice of 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 269 
 
 such order, sect or organization, or that teaches, 
 counsels, encourages or advises any person or 
 persons to commit the crime of bigamy or polyg- 
 amy, or any other crime defined by law, as a 
 religious duty. That I am not a bigamist or a 
 polygamist, nor do I cohabit with any woman 
 other than my lawful wife. That I do not either 
 publicly or privately teach, counsel, encourage 
 or advise any person or persons to enter into 
 bigamous or polygamous relations, or into 
 relations known as Plural or Celestial Marriage. 
 That I regard the Constitution of the United 
 States and the laws thereof, and of this Terri- 
 tory, as interpreted by the Courts, as the 
 supreme law of the land, and that I will support 
 and uphold the same, the teachings of any order, 
 sect or organization to the contrary notwith- 
 standing. That I will discharge the duties of 
 
 the office of according to law, and the 
 
 best of my ability, so help me God." 
 
 Another instrument of good, and one that is 
 making itself felt, is the dissemination of knowl- 
 edge by the "New West Academies." These 
 institutions are scattered through the country 
 through the efforts of one of the Christian 
 denominations, and I believe they have been 
 endowed to some extent by some deceased 
 member of the Church that controls them. They 
 are strictly unsectarian, and Mormon and Gen- 
 
2?0 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 tile are alike welcome. For a merely nominal 
 sum a person can have the advantages of a good 
 education, and there is no doubt that they have 
 been a means of doing much good among the 
 younger members of the Mormon Church, where 
 their parents or guardians have allowed them to 
 attend. A few of the more liberal-minded Mor- 
 mons embrace the opportunity gladly, but by far 
 the greater number of this most fanatical people 
 say they would sooner see their children taken 
 to the graveyard than to an educational estab- 
 lishment conducted by Gentiles. 
 
 The Presbyterians have established many 
 churches throughout Mormondom. The Metho- 
 dists have also been strenuous in their efforts to 
 bring these poor benighted creatures up higher ; 
 and through the indefatigable endeavors of their 
 genial Bishop, Rev. T. C. Iliff of Salt Lake City, 
 have given Methodism a foothold that is felt 
 everywhere. Through the efforts of the Bishop 
 and his coadjutors every year sees new churches' 
 built, and* no matter how slim the chances are 
 for a congregation, the church has to go up, and 
 the good Bishop puts his trust in God to pay the 
 bills. Good schools are also established and 
 conducted in connection with the churches. The 
 one -in Oxford is presided over by Rev. J. E. 
 Turner, an enthusiastic worker, and one whose 
 labors promise an abundant harvest. Several 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 2?l 
 
 young ladies have graduated from these schools* 
 and are now themselves earning good salaries 
 as teachers of district schools. This has been 
 only possible since the adoption of the test oath 
 given above, for in the past the schoolboards 
 were composed entirely of Mormons, and no 
 Gentile need apply for a position as teacher. 
 
 It is most earnestly hoped that no relapse 
 will occur, and that the hands of those who are 
 engaged in the good work will be held up as 
 they deserve. The cause is one worthy of the 
 moral and financial support of all who believe 
 in freedom and good government. 
 
272 A detective's experience 
 
 MORMON HYMNS. 
 
 Below will be found a few of the soul -stirring 
 hymns sung by the Saints. They are, as you 
 may plainly see, full of pathos, and could only 
 have emanated from the brain of a man who 
 had religion deep down in his soul. You cannot 
 fail to be pleased with " Upper California, O ! " 
 by John Taylor, President of the Mormon Church, 
 and then, " The God That Others Worship Is 
 Not the God for Me, " how beautiful the senti- 
 ment! how touching ! These are a fair aver- 
 age ; we could give more, but think these will 
 appeal to the reader : 
 
 HYMN 299. (P.M.) 
 
 1 The Upper California, O, that's the land for met 
 
 It lies between the mountains and the great Pacific sea ; 
 
 The Saints can be supported there, 
 
 And taste the sweets of liberty 
 In Upper California — Oh, that's the land fo. 
 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 2 We'll go and lift our standard, we'll go there and be free ; 
 We'll go to California and have our jubilee, 
 
 A land that blooms with beauty rare, 
 A land of life and liberty, 
 With flocks and herds abounding — Oh, that's the land for me I 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 3 We'll burst off all our fetters and break the Gentile yoke, 
 For long it has beset us, but now it shall be broke • 
 
 No more shall Jacob bow his neck ; 
 Henceforth he shall be great and free 
 In Upper California — Oh, that's the land for me ! 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 4 We'll reign, we'll rule and triumph, and God shall be our King; 
 The plains, the hills and valleys shall with hosannas ring ; 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 273 
 
 Our towers and temples there shall rise 
 Along the great Pacific Sea, 
 In Upper California — Oh, that's the land for me I 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 5 We'll ask our cousin Lemuel to join us heart and hand, 
 And spread abroad our curtains throughout fair Zion's land : 
 
 Till this is done we'll pitch our tents 
 Along the great Pacific Sea, 
 In Upper California — Oh, that's the land for me ! 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 6 Then join with me, my brethren, and let us hasten there ; 
 We'll lift our glorious standard and raise our house of prayer ; 
 
 We'll call on all the nations round 
 To join our standard and be free 
 In Upper California— Oh, that's the land for me ! 
 Oh, that's. &c. 
 
 HYMN 297. (P.M.) 
 
 1 The God that otners worship is not the God for me j 
 He has no parts nor body, and cannot hear nor see ; 
 But I've a God that reigns above — 
 
 A God of power and of love — 
 
 A God of revelation — Oh, that's the God for me ! 
 
 Oh, that's the God for me ! 
 
 Oh, that's the God for me! 
 
 2 A Church without a Prophet is not the Church for me ; 
 It has no head to lead it ; in it I would not be ; 
 
 But I've a Church not made by man, 
 Cut from the mountain without hand ; 
 
 A Church with gifts and blessings — Oh, that's the Church for me. 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 3 A Church without Apostles is not the Churcn ior me 
 'Tis like a ship dismasted, afloat upon the sea ; 
 
 But I've a Church that's always led 
 With the Twelve Stars around her head ; 
 
 A Church with good foundation — Oh, that's the Church for me. 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 4 The Hope that Gentiles cherish is not the hope for me ; 
 It has no faith nor knowledge ! far from it I would be : 
 But I've a hope that will not fail ; 
 
 It reaches far within the vail ; 
 
 Which Hope is like an anchor — Oh, that's the Hope for me. 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 5 The Heaven of sectarians is not the Heaven for me, 
 So doubtful its location — neither on land nor sea ; 
 
2 74 A detective's experience 
 
 But I've a Heaven upon the earth — 
 The land and home that gave me birth ; 
 
 A Heaven of light and knowledge — Oh, that's the Heaven for me. 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 6 A Church without a gathering is not the'Church for me ; 
 The Savior would not own it, wherever it might be ; 
 But I've a Church that is called out 
 From false tradition, fear and doubt — 
 A gathering dispensation — Oh, that's the Church for me. 
 Oh, that's, &c. 
 
 HYMN 296. (L.M.D.) 
 
 1 O give me back my Prophet dear, 
 And Patriarch, O give them back, 
 The Saints of Latter-days to cheer, 
 And lead them in the Gospel track. 
 
 But Oh ! they're gone from my embrace — 
 From earthly scenes their spirits fled ; 
 Two of the best of Adam's race 
 Now lie entombed among the dead. 
 
 2 Ye men of wisdom, tell me why, 
 
 When guilt nor crime in them were found, 
 Why now their blood doth loudly cry 
 From prison walls and Carthage ground ? 
 Your tongues are mute, but pray attend, 
 The secret I will now relate, 
 Why those, whom God to earth did lend, 
 Have met the suffering martyr's fate. 
 
 3 It is because they strove to gain, 
 Beyond the grave, a heaven of bliss, — 
 Because they made the Gospel plain, 
 And led the Saints in righteousness ; 
 It is because God called them forth, 
 And led them by his own right hand, 
 Christ's coming to proclaim on earth, 
 And gather Israel to their land. 
 
 4 It is because the priests of Baal 
 Were desperate their craft to save ; 
 And when they saw it doomed to fail ; 
 They sent the Prophets to their grave. 
 Like scenes the ancient Prophets saw ; 
 Like these, the ancient Prophets fell j 
 And, till the resurrection dawn, 
 Prophet and Patriarch — fare you welL 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 275 
 
 HVMN 326. (CM.) 
 
 1 How have the nations grown corrupt 1 
 
 How, from their natural use, 
 Men their life-giving powers pervert 
 By wanton, lewd abuse. 
 
 2 The holy ties of wedded life, 
 
 Are cloaks for the profane, 
 While lust and mammon desecrate, 
 Where faith and love should reign. 
 
 3 Adult'rers gain the world's applause, 
 
 As men of honored fame ; 
 Women, though weak, defenceless, pure, 
 Are branded with the shame. 
 
 4 Is there no home ? There is ! While men 
 
 Rush on from bad to worse, 
 
 Jehovah speaks, lest all the earth 
 
 Be smitten with a curse ; — 
 
 5 " He, who one talent has abused, 
 
 Hear it ! ye sons of men, 
 Shall lose it, and it shall be given 
 To him who improves, ten. 
 
 6 " Through him who holds the sealing power, 
 
 Ye faithful ones who heed 
 Celestial laws, take many wives, 
 And rear a righteous seed. 
 
 7 " Though fools revile I'll honor you, 
 
 As Abraham, my friend ; 
 You shall be Gods, and shall be blest 
 With lives that never end. " 
 
 HYMN 283. (12's.) 
 
 1 Come to me, will ye come to the Saints that have died, 
 To the next better world where the righteous reside, — 
 Where the angels and spirits in harmony be, 
 
 In the joys of a vast Paradise ? Come to me, 
 
 2 Come to me, where the truth and the virtues prevail, 
 Where the union is one, and the years never fail, 
 Where the heart can't conceive, nor the natural eye see 
 What the Lord has prepared for the just: Come to me. 
 
 3 Come to me, where there is no destruction nor war, 
 Neither tyrants nor mobbers, nor nations ajar ; 
 
2/6 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 Where the system is perfect, and happiness free, 
 And the life is eternal with God : Come to me. 
 
 4 Come to me, will ye come to the mansions above, 
 Where the Hiss and the knowledge, the light and the love, 
 And the glory of God shall eternally be? 
 
 Death, the wages of sin is not here : Come to me. 
 
 5 Come to me; here are Adam and Eve at the head 
 Of a multitude quickened and raised from the dead; 
 Here's the knowledge that was, or that is, or will be, 
 In the general assembly of worlds: Come to me.' 
 
 6 Come to me; here's the myst'ry that man hath not seen — 
 Here's our Father in Heaven, and Mother, the Queen. 
 Here are worlds that have been, and the worlds yet to be ; 
 Here's eternity — endless: Amen. Come to me. 
 
 7 Come to me, all ye faithful and blest of Nauvoo ; 
 Come, ye Twelve, and ye High Priests, and Seventies, too; 
 Come, ye Elders, and all of the great company, 
 
 When you've finished your work on the earth: Come to me. 
 
 8 Come to me; here's the future, the present and past; 
 Here is Alpha, Omega, the first and the last; 
 
 Here's the " Fountain," the " River of Life," and the " Tree ! " 
 Here's your Prophit and Seer, Joseph Smith : Come to me. 
 
 Now, as the God that others worship is not 
 the God for them, we herewith append a letter 
 from Bay Port, Michigan, dated March 12th, 
 1887, which will give an idea of the kind of a 
 God they do worship and their peculiar way of 
 worshiping Him. Seeing an account in a Chicago 
 paper of a fracas at Bay Port, Michigan, of that 
 date, and knowing their peculiar methods I 
 wrote the gentleman whose name was mentioned 
 in connection, and received the following in 
 reply: 
 
 Bay Port, Huron Co., Mich., March 12, 1887. 
 
 F. E. Bennett, Chicago, III. : 
 
 Thy letter of the 9th addressed John B. Davis 
 was put into my hands last evening, and appears 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 2tf 
 
 to be designed for me, though I am not 
 instructed of my Lord to be called " Rev.," and 
 my Christian name and middle initial are not 
 "JohnB." 
 
 As to the excitement and events connected 
 with the recent debate, I have requested the 
 most competent witness of the whole affair in 
 the neighborhood, Joseph Snell, to send thee 
 some account of the matter, as it ill becomes me 
 to figure in the double capacity of debater and 
 reporter. 
 
 Sincerely, thy servant in X. 
 
 Wm. F. Davis. 
 
 Some erroneous accounts having got into the 
 papers in regard to the debate between Elder 
 J. J. Cornish, Mormon or " Latterday Saint" 
 preacher, and Rev. Wm. F. Davis, General 
 Missionary and Evangelist, I deem it proper 
 to make the following statement of facts in 
 reference thereto. Elder Cornish had been 
 holding a series of meetings here (near Bay Port, 
 Mich.), for about six weeks with but slight inter- 
 ruption. By his shrewdness, craft and cunning 
 as well as by the audacity and boldness of his 
 claims, he had led captive a large portion of the 
 community, and filled them with a large share 
 of his own spirit of hatred and dislike to all per- 
 sons and ideas opposed to Joseph Smith and his 
 Mormon Bible. Mr. Davis came here by invita- 
 
278 A detective's experience 
 
 tion to hold gospel meetings, or to take up the 
 Mormon question as he should think desirable. 
 The school-house was the only available place in 
 the vicinity for holding public meetings. It was 
 there that Mr. Davis was to hold his meetings, 
 Mr. Cornish having transferred his appointments 
 to other points, with the exception of an occa- 
 sional sermon. At the close of Mr. Davis's first 
 meeting he submitted to the congregation the 
 matter of taking up the Mormon question ; by 
 an almost unanimous vote he was requested to 
 do so. Thinking that Mr. Cornish might wish 
 to be present, or take part in the discussion, said 
 he would not then fix the time for taking up the 
 subject. Finally, when they met Mr. Cornish, in 
 both speeches, confined himself to the setting 
 forth of their religious views upon the subjects 
 of baptism, the millenium, the resurrection, 
 future punishment, etc., but not going beyond 
 our Scriptures. 
 
 Mr. Davis endeavored to draw him out on 
 Joseph Smith and his Mormon Bible, but did not 
 succeed. So the discussion had only been 
 initiated at the close of the first meeting. There 
 was some talk of continuing the debate an hour 
 longer, but a gentleman in the middle of the 
 audience, said his wife was sick and he must be 
 let out. Mr. Cornish made a very insulting 
 reply, and the chairman, a Cornishite, sprang to 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 279 
 
 his feet and remarked that that woman was in 
 the habit of going to meetings and getting sick 
 — an entirely gratuitous statement. High words 
 began to pass, the man with a sick wife declaring 
 he would get out if he had to force his way, and 
 expressed the wish that he was where he could 
 lay his hands on Mr. Cornish. The confusion 
 increased, and a tumult seemed imminent ; a 
 number of women and children were helped out 
 of the windows. But the crowd dispersed 
 without violence. The next day Mr. Davis saw 
 a justice of the peace and earnestly requested 
 him to be at the school-house early, and to keep 
 open two aisles, so that egress could be had, as 
 he did not think a house so filled as that was on 
 the previous evening either safe or lawful. How- 
 ever, when Mr. Davis reached the house, a little 
 after 6 p. m., he found the condition about the 
 same as that of the evening previous. Making 
 his way into the body of the house, Mr. Davis 
 called the attention of the chairman to the packed 
 and still packing condition of the house, and 
 said he could not consent to speak unless two 
 aisles should be cleared (there being five) so as 
 to give ingress and egress when required. At 
 once there arose an unseemly confusion. Mr. 
 Cornish told the people not to move. Others 
 called out that Mr. Davis was a coward and 
 wanted to back out. The chairman told him to 
 
280 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 come forward to the platform or own that he was 
 beaten, and much more of the same sort of talk 
 was heard. A motion was passed that Mr. 
 Davis should come forward " like a man " and 
 proceed with the debate. From the show of 
 hands it clearly appeared that the body of the 
 house was almost entirely filled with " Cornish - 
 ites," they having come first. Mr. Davis, who 
 fears nothing so much as wrong-doing, was 
 unmoved by all these taunts and jeers, and 
 insisted on his point. Failing, however, to accom- 
 plish anything, he made an appointment for 
 2 o'clock p. m. the next day, when he would 
 proceed with his examination of the subject in 
 hand, and then retired, followed by many of his 
 friends. Scarcely had Mr. Davis left the house 
 when quite a tumult arose. A young man near 
 the front sprang up and rushed over the desks 
 toward the door to reach some one who had 
 made some insulting remark that he fancied was 
 addressed to himself. A rush of the " Cornish- 
 ites " from near the stand at once followed, some 
 to take part in the fight and some to prevent 
 one. The crowd became alarmed. Egress at 
 the door was impossible. Many women and 
 children were helped out of the windows, fol- 
 lowed by men. A constable seized the belligerent 
 young man near the door, so the fight was off, 
 but confusion was on. The chairman, a stalwart 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 28 1 
 
 six-footer, threw off his coat and vest, laid his 
 pocket-book (but not his pistol) on the table, 
 and seizing his chair walked out into the tumultu- 
 ous mass and demanded order at the point of 
 his chair legs. After the lapse of some time and 
 the departure of many people, order was finally 
 restored. Mr. Cornish and his friends indulged 
 in a good deal of foolish and high-sounding talk 
 about their so-called victory, and passed some 
 equally foolish resolutions, and then Mr. Cornish 
 proceeded alone with his part of the discussion. 
 Subsequently the writer learned from different 
 persons, friends of Mr. Cornish, that poles were 
 brought to the school-house on the second night 
 of the debate, for the ostensible purpose of rail- 
 riding Mr. Davis, and the chairman distinctly 
 stated to him that he wished to and "did his 
 best to raise a fight " on the second night. But 
 the friends of Mr. Davis had no disposition to 
 create any disturbance. 
 
 Mr. Davis continued his appointments after- 
 noon and evening until he had gone over the 
 whole subject, including the history of the Mor- 
 mon Bible and Joseph Smith. He distinctly 
 pointed out many false deductions, that Mr. 
 Cornish drew from his Scripture quotations, 
 reading his quotations chiefly from the Greek 
 text, in order that the true sense might more 
 distinctly appear. All who heard him through 
 
282 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 must have been convinced that the claims of 
 Joseph Smith for himself and his Bible were 
 stupendous frauds. 
 
 From the best information I have derived from 
 a variety of sources, it appears that Mr. Cornish 
 pursued here the usual course adopted by the 
 "Latter-day Saints." They first set forth those 
 religious doctrines founded on a literal view of 
 the Scripture, and which have been held by 
 many Christians for centuries, and which will not 
 be likely to be offensive to the common people. 
 At the same time a systematic and continuous 
 attack is made upon the honesty and integrity of 
 the clergy of all other denominations, and so also 
 of all history and all testimony that comes from 
 outside their own sources. They are all the 
 time telling their hearers that other ministers are 
 after their money and must pass around the hat 
 after almost every sermon. The encyclopedias 
 he calls novels, and to prove it points to some 
 statement therein in regard to themselves, which 
 he claims to be false, but which upon investiga- 
 tion will turn out to be substantially true. The 
 mobs that tarred and feathered Joseph , Smith 
 and Sidney Rigdon, and that assassinated Joseph 
 and Hiram Smith were lead by " rev. divines," 
 and so of any other acts of violence that the 
 Mormons may have suffered from the incensed 
 people. Many people run after those swindling 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 283' 
 
 advertisements that promise large value for mere 
 nothing, because they hope to obtain something 
 valuable, without the toil and sacrifice of fairly- 
 earning it. So people are ever anxious to pry 
 into the mysterious and unknown, and many are 
 ever ready to take a short cut to a knowledge of 
 Divine things through prophets and cheap 
 revelations, when the only way to obtain them 
 is to deserve them through that purity and eleva- 
 tion of character, which alone can enable men to 
 grasp them. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 We append a few verses from the alleged 
 revelation of the marriage covenant, including 
 plurality of wives: 
 
 SECTION 132. 
 
 Revelation on the Eternity of the Marriage 
 Covenant, including Plurality of Wives. 
 Given through Joseph, the Seer, in Nauvoo, 
 Hancock County, Illinois, July 12th, 1843. 
 
 1. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you, my 
 servant Joseph, that inasmuch as you have in- 
 quired of my hand, to know and understand 
 wherein I, the Lord, justified my servants, Abra- 
 ham, Isaac and Jacob ; as also Moses, David 
 and Solomon, my servants, as touching the prin- 
 
284 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 ciple and doctrine of their having many wives 
 
 and concubines. 
 
 ******* 
 
 14. And verily I say unto you, that the con- 
 ditions of this law are these: — All covenants, 
 contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, per- 
 formances, connections, associations, or expecta- 
 tions, that are not made, and entered into, and 
 sealed, by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him 
 who is anointed, both as well for time and for all 
 eternity, and that, too, most holy, by revelation 
 and commandment through the medium of mine 
 anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth 
 to hold this power, (and I have appointed unto 
 my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last 
 days, and there is never but one on the earth at 
 a time, on whom this power and the keys of this 
 Priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, 
 virtue or force, in and after the resurrection from 
 the dead; for all contracts that are not made 
 unto this end, have an end when men are 
 
 dead. 
 
 ******* 
 
 1 5. Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in 
 the world, and he marry her not by me, nor by 
 my word; and he covenant with her so long as 
 he is in the world, and she with him, their cove- 
 nant and marriage are not of force when they 
 are dead, and when they are out of the world; 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 285 
 
 therefore, they are not bound by any law when 
 they are out of the world; 
 
 16. Therefore, when they are out of the 
 world, they neither marry, nor are given in mar - 
 riage; but are appointed angels in heaven, which 
 angels are ministering servants, to minister for 
 those who are worthy of a far more, and an ex- 
 ceeding, and an eternal weight of glory; 
 
 17. For these angels did not abide my law, 
 therefore they cannot be enlarged, but remain 
 separately and singly, without exaltation, in their 
 saved condition, to all eternity, and from hence- 
 forth are not Gods, but are angels of God, for 
 ever and ever. 
 
 18. And again, verily I say unto you, if a 
 man marry a wife, and make a covenant with her 
 for time and for all eternity, if that covenant is 
 not by me, or by my word, which is my law, and 
 is not sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, 
 through him whom I have anointed and ap- 
 pointed unto this power — then it is not valid, 
 neither of force when they are out of the world, 
 because they are not joined by me, saith the 
 Lord, neither by my word; when they are out of 
 the world, it cannot be received there, because 
 the angels and the Gods are appointed there, by 
 whom they cannot pass ; they cannot, therefore, 
 inherit my glory, for my house is a house of 
 order, saith the Lord God. 
 
286 A detective's experience 
 
 19. And again, verily I say unto you, if a 
 man marry a wife by my word, which is my law, 
 and by the new and everlasting covenant, and it 
 is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of prom- 
 ise by him who is anointed, unto whom I have 
 appointed this power, and the keys of this Priest- 
 hood; and it shall be said unto them, ye shall 
 come forth in the first resurrection ; and if it be 
 after the first resurrection, in the next resurrec- 
 tion; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, princi- 
 palities, and powers, dominions, all heights and 
 depths — then shall it be written in the Lamb's 
 Book of Life, that he shall commit no murder 
 whereby to shed innocent blood, and if ye abide 
 in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby 
 to shed innocent blood, it shall be done unto 
 them in all things whatsoever my servant hath 
 put upon them, in time, and through all eternity, 
 and shall be of full force when they are out of 
 the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and 
 the Gods which are set there, to their exaltation 
 and glory in all things, as hath been sealed upon 
 their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and 
 a continuation of the seeds for ever and ever. 
 
 20. Then shall they be Gods, because they 
 have no end; therefore shall they be from ever- 
 lasting to everlasting, because they continue; 
 then shall they be above all, because all things 
 are subject unto them. Then shall they be 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 287 
 
 Gods, because they have all power, and the 
 angels are subject unto them. 
 
 * * * * * * * 
 
 26. Verily, verily I say unto you, if a man 
 marry a wife according to my word, and. they 
 are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, accord- 
 ing to mine appointment, and he or she shall 
 commit any sin or transgression of the new and 
 everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner 
 of blasphemies, and if they commit no murder, 
 wherein they shed innocent blood — yet they 
 shall come forth in the first resurrection, and 
 enter into their exaltation ; but they shall be 
 destroyed in the flesh, and shall be delivered 
 unto the bufferings of Satan unto the day of re- 
 demption, saith the Lord God. 
 
 ******* 
 
 30. Abraham received promises concerning 
 
 his seed, and of the fruit of his loins, — from 
 
 whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph, — 
 
 which were to continue so long as they were in 
 
 the world ; and as touching Abraham and his 
 
 seed, out of the world they should continue ; 
 
 both in the world and out of the world should 
 
 they continue as innumerable as the stars ; or, 
 
 if ye were to count the sand upon the sea shore, 
 
 ye could not number them. 
 
 ******* 
 
 37. Abraham received concubines, and they 
 
288 A detective's experience 
 
 bear him children, and it was accounted unto 
 him for righteousness, because they were given 
 unto him, and he abode in my law, as Isaac also, 
 and Jacob did none other things than that which 
 they were commanded ; and because they did 
 none other things than that which they were 
 commanded, they have entered into their exalta- 
 tion, according to the promises, and sit upon 
 thrones, and are not angels, but are Gods. 
 
 38. David also received many wives and 
 concubines, as also Solomon and Moses, my 
 servants ; as also many others of my servants, 
 from the beginning of creation until this time; 
 and in nothing did they sin, save in those things 
 which they received not of me. 
 
 39, David's wives and concubines were given 
 unto him, of me, by the hand of Nathan, my 
 servant, and others of the prophets who had the 
 keys of this power ; and in none of these things 
 did he sin against me, save in the case of Uriah 
 and his wife ; and, therefore, he hath fallen from 
 his exaltation, and received his portion ; and he 
 shall not inherit them out of the world ; for I 
 gave them unto another, saith the Lord. 
 
 ******* 
 
 41. And as ye have asked concerning 
 adultery — verily, verily I say unto you, if a man 
 receiveth a wife in the new and everlasting 
 covenant, and if she be with another man, and I 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 289 
 
 have not appointed unto her by the holy anoint- 
 ing, she hath committed adultery, and shaW be 
 destroyed. 
 
 42. If she be not in the new and everlasting 
 covenant, and she be with another man. she has 
 committed adultery. 
 
 43. And if her husband be with another 
 woman, and he was under a vow, he hath broken 
 his vow, and hath committed adultery. 
 
 44. And if she hath not committed adultery, 
 but is innocent, and hath not broken her vow, 
 and she knoweth it, and I reveal it unto you, 
 my servant Joseph, then shall you have power, 
 by the power of my Holy Priesthood, to take 
 her, and give her unto him that hath not com- 
 mitted adultery, but hath been faithful ; for he 
 shall be made ruler over many ; 
 
 45. For I have conferred upon you the keys 
 and power of the Priesthood, wherein I restore 
 all things, and make known unto you all things- 
 in due time. 
 
 46. And verily, verily I say unto you, that 
 whatsoever you seal on earth, shall be sealed in 
 heaven ; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in 
 my name, and by my word, saith the Lord, it 
 shall be eternally bound in the heavens ; and 
 whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be 
 remitted eternally in the heavens ; and whoseso- 
 
290 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 ever sins you retain on earth, shall be retained 
 in heaven. 
 
 47. And again, verily I say, whomsoever 
 you bless, I will bless, and whomsoever you 
 curse, I will curse, saith the Lord ; for I, the 
 Lord, am thy God. 
 
 48. And again, verily I say unto you, my 
 servant Joseph, that whatsoever you give on 
 earth, and to whomsoever you give any one 
 on earth, by my word, and according to my law, 
 it shall be visited with blessings, and not curs- 
 ings, and with my power, saith the Lord, and 
 shall be without condemnation on earth, and in 
 heaven ; 
 
 49. For I am the Lord thy God, and will be 
 with thee even unto the end of the world, and 
 through all eternity ; for verily, I seal upon you 
 your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in 
 the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your 
 father. 
 
 50. Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and 
 will forgive all your sins ; I have seen your 
 sacrifices, in obedience to that which I have told 
 you ; go, therefore, and I make a way for your 
 escape, as I accepted the offering of Abraham, 
 of his son Isaac. 
 
 51. Verily, I say unto you, a commandment 
 I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 2QI 
 
 wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay 
 herself, and pertake not of that which I com- 
 manded you to offer unto her ; for I did it, saith 
 the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham ; 
 and that I might require an offering at your 
 hand, by covenant and sacrifice ; 
 
 52. And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, 
 receive all those that have been given unto my 
 servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure 
 before me ; and those who are not pure, and 
 have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, 
 saith the Lord God ; 
 
 53. For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall 
 obey my voice ; and I give unto my servant 
 Joseph, that he shall be made ruler over many 
 things, for he hath been faithful over a few 
 things, and from henceforth I will strengthen 
 him. 
 
 54. And I commanded mine handmaid, Em- 
 ma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant 
 Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not 
 abide this commandment, she shall be destroyed, 
 saith the Lord ; for I am the Lord thy God, and 
 will destroy her, if she abide not in my law ; 
 
 55. But if she will not abide this command- 
 ment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things 
 for her, even as he hath said ; and I will bless 
 him and multiply him, and give unto him an hun- 
 dred-fold in this w»rld, of fathers and mothers, 
 
292 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives 
 and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the 
 eternal worlds. 
 
 56. And again, verily I say, let mine hand- 
 maid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses ; 
 and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, 
 wherein she has trespassed against me ; and I, 
 the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply 
 her, and make her heart to rejoice. 
 
 57. And again, I say, let not my servant 
 Joseph put his property out of his hands, lest an 
 enemy come and destroy him ; for Satan seeketh 
 to destroy ; for I am the Lord thy God, and he 
 is my servant ; and behold ! and lo, I am with 
 him, as I was with Abraham, thy father, even 
 unto his exaltation and glory. 
 
 58. Now, as touching the law of the Priest- 
 hood, there are many things pertaining there- 
 unto. 
 
 59. Verily, if a man be called of my Father, 
 as was Aaron, by mine own voice, and by the 
 voice of him that sent me ; and I have endowed 
 him with the keys of the power of this Priest- 
 hood, if he do anything in my name, and accord- 
 ing to my law, and by my word, he will not 
 commit sin, and I will justify him. 
 
 60. Let no one, therefore, set on my servant 
 Joseph ; for I will justify him ; for he shall do 
 
AMONG THE MORMONS. 293 
 
 the sacrifice which I require at his hands, for his 
 transgressions, saith the Lord your God. 
 
 61. And again, as pertaining to the law of 
 the Priesthood : If any man espouse a virgin, 
 and desire to espouse another, and the first give 
 her consent ; and if he espouse the second, and 
 they are virgins, and have vowed to no other 
 man, then is he justified ; he cannot commit 
 adultery, for they are given unto him ; for he 
 cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth 
 unto him and to no one else ; 
 
 62. And if he have ten virgins given unto 
 him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for 
 they belong to him, and they are given unto him, 
 therefore is he justified 
 
 63. But if one or either of the ten virgins, 
 after she is espoused, shall be with another man ; 
 she has committed adultery, and shall be de- 
 stroyed ; for they are given unto him to multiply 
 and replenish the earth, according to my com- 
 mandment, and to fulfill the promise which was 
 given by my Father before the foundation of the 
 world ; and for their exaltation in the eternal 
 worlds, that they may bear the souls of men ; 
 for herein is the work of my Father continued, 
 that he may be glorified. 
 
 64. And again, verily, verily, I say unto you, 
 if any man have a wife, who holds the keys of 
 this power, and he teaches unto her the law of 
 
294 A DETECTIVE'S EXPERIENCE 
 
 my Priesthood, as pertaining to these things, 
 then shall she believe, and administer unto him, 
 or she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord your 
 God, for I will destroy her ; for I will magnify 
 my name upon all those who receive and abide 
 in my law. 
 
 65. Therefore, it shall be lawful in me, if she 
 receive not this law, for him to receive all things, 
 whatsoever I, the Lord his God, will give unto 
 him, because she did not administer unto him 
 according to my word ; and she then becomes 
 the transgressor ; and he is exempt from the law 
 of Sarah, who administered unto Abraham ac- 
 cording to the law, when I commanded Abraham 
 to take Hager to wife. 
 
 66. And now, as pertaining to this law, verily, 
 verily, I say unto you, I will reveal more unto 
 you, hereafter ; therefore, let this suffice for the 
 present. Behold, I am Alpha and Omega. 
 Amen.