MORMONISM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 288, 5 December 1874, Page 4

MORMONISM.

[From the San Francisco Morning CM, October 4.] ; Ann Eliza, fhe nineteenth wife of Brigham Yoang, tbe great Mormon, arrived here from Virginia City yesterday, and took apartments at - the Cosmopolitan Hotel. A Call reporter called, at the hotel last evening, and sent' tip a note intimating his desire to interview her on the Mormon problem, and regarding her intending /Ctrarse in the divorce suit now pending between her and the great Salt Lake forefather. After wating a little while 7he was informed tbat 'the lady would receive him in her apartments, and he proceeded thither. Mrs Young' was alone and she greeted our reporter ;<with a cordial shake of the 'hand.' She . answered all the 'questions put to her ; re&dily and clearly, and never appeared ii >u» ■< though she wished to conceal any- ~ thing. -"She'Btate-Pthafc she was anxious " : to know ho# people wonld receive her in this city, and referring to tbe preA jndice which exists in the East against Mormon Wo__bd, explained that she; was born in Navoo. Illinois, among the '"Mormbtie; and of Mormon parentage, , c "and was taken to Utah when only four yeara old. We will give her story in her own laoguage. ' '"< - "I wai taught to believe that' Brigham -Tooßg was a prophet, and tbat his word was the word of .God, and to look .npon him with great reverence 'and fear, .mingled with awe; and it Tcannot be wondered at thaf, being brought up from infancy in such a ? belief, I should Jiave married him. I left his house, on tbe llth of July, 1875." ;, / - Reporter : -What were yoor reasons for separating from him, Ann Eliza (poutiogly) — He never paid me any attention and seldom used to come near me. He took no care of ; • aae whatever. I had a very poor ■•' soDaisfence besides, as all of his wives 1 had, except his favorite wife, and she had everything she desired. He was' 7 nothing to me, and I was nothing to -' him. 'Amelia Folsom is his favorite " wife;: She is an old maid from the East abont forty years of age. 7 Reporter is she good-looking ? '■ -Ann Eliia (uncharitably)— I never heard any body say she was handsome. She is a fine looking woman— a large woman, taller than I am. Reporter — In what style does Brig- - ham Yonng treat bis wives ? 7 Ann Eliza — I had about 30dols. a • l - ( year from the co-operative store for clothing, and he has on bis premises a family store, from which his wives are supplied -with the poorest and the plainest provisions. Anything further we wanted in the way of food we had to earn by keeping boarders or taking in sewing. He can well afford to keep his wives decently, because his income is 40,000d015. per montb, according to his own statement, though I believe it is much greater than that. Reporter— Since yon say you were educated ia tbe Mormon faith, how did yoa come to abandon it ? Ann Eliza— About two years ago I began to get acquainted with two or three Gentiles, and I got my eyes opened.. Before I was married, I thought he was ao perfect ! But when I saw his daily life I saw he was a very : : wicked man, and' I lost faith in him, and of pourse.l lost faith in the religion. I believed polygamy to be very wrong ita? unnatural, and I was Tery unhappy in' pyetf way. It was a great struggle for me when I felt myself losing faith - —giving up the faith of a lifetime. I ; had » great many* fears about it. Bepttrter— What was tbe immediate ■>, cause of your separation ? •- Ann Eliia — I have two little boys— - ; (qoickly) but Brigham Young was not .' /tibeir ; father. They were the froit of my first marriage. One of roy boys 7 displayed a great taste for music, and I .. wanted to boy him a musical instrument, but 'in order to do so, it was necessary for me to earn the money. I asked Mr Yonng if I might take boarders but I did not tell him my object. He said yes. I went to him for some things one day, and he refused to give me any money, and told me to use tbe ' money I earned from my"boarders and 9 bay what I wanted with it. He said ■• ■--'! could use that money to take care of myself, for he could not afford to keep me any more:' Albert Hagan, a Califoirnian lawyer from Santa Cruz was boarding with me at the time, aod he advised me to get a divorce. Reporter — Do the Mormons themselves believe in divorce ? ' Anh Eliza— Ob, yes, Brigham Young grants divorces, and charges lOdole. apiece. J You may think it strange that the Mormon women endure euch a kind • •'' of existence, but tbey believe in polygamy because tbey believe it is for their eternal salvation. Oh, I cannot imagine why any woman who marries her first love eonld . consent to share her husband with another woman. They would not do it if they were not driven to it by the fear of eternal damnation. - At this juncture Mrs Young*s agent and another gentleman came into the * room, and .-after chatting for a few minutes our reporter withdrew. '" ' — *— — — « ~*