ally in respectful and temperate language. From all parts of
the Territory the " reformers " were encouraged by letters of
sympathy, and the Gentiles, who had long felt the lash of the
Tabernacle, gave them liberal support. In less than two months
from their expulsion from the Church, they dared to begin
regular preaching, and, from the liberal contributions which



THE GREATEST APOSTACY IN ilORMONISM, 643

Mr. Godbe had given to the erection of the Thirteenth Ward
Assembly Rooms, he forced the bishop to give him the use of
the building on a part of every Sunday. On the morning of the
19th December, 1869, they preached for the first time, and the
Assembly Rooms were literally packed. Notwithstanding the
previous general apprehension of being " reported," a spirit of
reckless indifference to consequences seized all classes, and
" That's true," " Amen," could be heard throughout the ad-
dresses from all parts of the auditory. In the evening the
Masonic Hall was occupied in the same way, the meetings were
spirited .and enthusiastic, and every good point made was
greeted with the heartiest applause. The Walker Brothers
gave noble support to the movement, and, in addition to liberal
contributions, they fitted up one of their large stores in the
centre of the main street, and gave the " apostates " its use
gratuitously. There the " Movement " centred the opposing
elements, and the leading elders preached every Sunday morn-
ing and evening, and one evening during the week.*

~No one could have predicted the possibility of such a sudden
change from fear to recklessness, and no one comprehended
better than Brigham that it was the best policy to "let the
" fire blaze away." At first, the bishops " cut off" all those who
were tainted with apostacy, as soon as they gave any indication
of the malady ; but the cases became so numerous, and added
so much to the influence of the " Movement," that " the cutting-
" off" was not so very hastily pressed.

Of all the apostacies from the Mormon Church, this was
the most formidable, and has done more damage to the position
of Brigham Young than all of them put together. The preach-
ing of the " reformers " first shook the people's confidence in
the Prophet, and, as they travelled further, it has led many of
them out of Mormonism altogether.

The "reformers" preached and wrote down Brigham's

* Soon after its inauguration, the " New Movement " received a very valuable
accession to its numbers in the person of Elder Amasa M. Lyman, formerly one of
the Twelve Apostles. He is a very eloquent preacher, and was the only member of
the apostles who ever thought it worthy of his time to speak of " the love of Christ "
and " the redemption of humanity." Amasa believed in intellectual Christianity,
and is labouring throughout Utah now, appealing to the higher and better instincts
of the people.



644 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.

Mormonism effectively, and, to better support their cause, they
started a weekly Tribune, then made it a daily Tribune* and,
with secular readers and secular hearers, they have written and
preached themselves into modern spiritualism, and to-day main-
tain stoutly that the only truth about and in Mormonism has
all the time been its spiritual experiences ; that Joseph Smith
was naturally a medium, and, glowing with magnetism, electri-
fied everybody that ever came near him, and, believing that all
his experiences came directly from a Divine source, he readily
and honestly claimed that he was a prophet, seer, and revelator ;
and of Brigham Young they say also that he was an ." impres-
" sional medium," and by reason of his strong will-power, and
the opportunities of such a formidable organization of priest-
hood, he has been able to rise to the dizzy height of claiming
to be " the mouth-piece of God."

But for the boldness of the " reformers," Utah to-day would
not have been what it is. Inspired by their example, the people
who had listened to them disregarded the teachings of the
priesthood against trading with or purchasing from the Gen-
tiles. The spell was broken, and, as in all such life-experience,
the other extreme was for a time threatened. Walker Brothers
regained their lost trade, and, in one year from the time that
this "New Movement" began, the stores of these merchants
were so crowded ^during the Conference, that it was with diffi-
culty their patrons could be served. The success of the Coopera-
tive was for a time doubtful, and the Institution that was at first
backed in commercial credit by such responsible names as Jen-
nings, Hooper, Eldredge, and Lawrence, was changed into a
-stock company, where these gentlemen and their associates
were protected by " limited liability."

It is gratifying to be able to add, that the Walker Brothers
have fought the good fight for liberty, and have falsified the
predictions of the Tabernacle, and exploded a powerful bug-
bear. According to Brigham and Amos M. Musser, they were
to have become poor and destitute, and glad to get money
enough to take them out of the Territory. They were roughly
committed to the tender mercies of the devil many years ago,

* Another year later, and the Tribune passed into other hands, and became
Strictly a secular paper, wilh strong inclinations to pitch into " the Profit."



SATAN AND HIS INSTRUMENT AGAINST THE GENTILES. 645

and his majesty was to buffet them with great severity."* They
certainly did have a heavy share of trouble for several years,
but Brigham was their Satan and Musser was their Buffeter.f
They had, however, the stamina that conquers, and to-day they
own more real estate, and more wealth in Zion, than any other
man or firm in the Mormon Church, except Brigham himself!
Godbe, Lawrence, and Kelsey, turned their attention to the
mineral industry of the country, and, to all appearance, they
have before them a wealthy future. Elders who had devoted
all their lives to Mormonism had necessarily to come to grief,
when they quarrelled with Brigham, for, like Othello, " their
"occupation was gone," and Satan could handle them roughly ;
but it is worthy of mention that, notwithstanding this super-
stitious threat, it is indisputable that there are more wealthy
" apostates " than there are wealthy apostles and bishops all
put together. Reference could be made to elders, some of
whom had to steal away from Utah, for fear of violent hands
being laid upon them, had their intended departure been
made known, who are, to-day, wealthy and respected gentle-
men in the highest walks of life, both in the United States and
in Europe.

* So unrelenting was the persecution of that firm, that very few good Mormons
would even dare to work for the Walker Brothers, though the quality of " their pay "
to workmen was proverbially superior to what could be obtained from members of
the Church. Those who ventured to enter their service as clerks, book-keepers,
salesmen, or warehousemen, were always suspected of being weak in the faith.

f Everybody was at liberty to take " a fling " at the Walker Brothers, but as a
general thing it was only done as a passing duty. Brother Musser, however, made it
a special mission, and, as he was the agent of the Church, and was constantly travel-
ling through the Territory, he was a most vindictive " Buffeter." His defence for
pursuing them so relentlessly was : " Because they are becoming wealthy, and with
" wealth they gain influence, and there should be no influence among the Saints but
" that of the priesthood."



CHAPTEE LIY.

BEIGHAM YOUNG. His Father's Family His Early Life and Occupation Brig-
ham's Faith The " Gift of Tongues "" Brother Brigham" opposed to Mani-
festations of the " Gift" His Ideas of Unreasoning Obedience The Prophet at
Home The " Trustee in Trust" The Prophet's Wives His Favourites Brig-
ham's Domestic Life His Habits and Traits of Character His Hours of Business
The Prophet in his Office Extraordinary Influence with the People Unheard-
of Claims to Dictation in Secular Affairs Lovers to ask Brigham's Permission to
love Troublesome Elders sent on Mission Ordered to go to " Dixie " Mission
to the Indians How the "Lamanites" were to be made a " White and Delight-
" some People" Heber's Hint to the Missionaries, and how they took it Brig-
ham on his Travels The "Eoyal Blood of Young " Eeception of the Prophet
among the Saints "The Lion of the Lord" in his Glory The Saints listen
to the Prophet His Style of Preaching The Prophet's Successor Brigham
the Second Founding a Dynasty Nepotism greater than Birthright and Priest-
hood The Precedent given by Brigham George A. Smith, Brigham's Kightful
Successor Apostle George Q. Cannon A Mission to Jerusalem Influence of
the Eailroad Influx of Gentiles Brigham's Lost Opportunities Great Wealth
of the Prophet How Brigham balanced his Account with the Church How the
Prophet got rich The Probable Future of Mormonism at his Death.

THE engraving at the beginning of this work is a perfect
representation of Brigham Young, on the seventy-first anni-
versary of his birth June 1, 1872. His most intimate friends,
and members of his family, pronounce it a faultless likeness.

In a personal sketch of the man, there need be but little said
of his early life ; the story of his later years is of more interest.
A brief paragraph relative to his family, and furnished by him-
self, contains, probably, all that the reader will care to know :

" I was bom in Whittingham, Windhain County, Vermont, June 1,
1801. My father and mother removed to Smyrna, Chenango County, N. Y.,
when I was about eighteen months old. We lived in that place until
1813. Shortly after the commencement of the late war with Great Britain,
my father and his family removed to the town of Genoa, Cayuga County,



BRIGHAM YOUNG "SPEAKS IN TONGUES." 649

N. Y., in which county I lived until 1829. I then moved to Mendon, Mon-
roe County, and in 1830 removed from thence to No. 9 Canandaigua, into
a small house owned by Jonathan Mack, situated on the west side of the
road, opposite to where Mr. Mack then lived. I helped to finish his new
house, so that he moved into it before I left the place. I left Canandaigua
in the first part of 1832, and returned to Mendon. April 14th, same year,

I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

After rny return to Mendon, I removed to Kirtland, Ohio ; from thence to
Far West, Mo. ; from thence to Nauvoo, 111. ; and from thence to the moun-
tains. There are five brothers of us, in the following order : John, Joseph,
Phineas H., myself, and Lorenzo D. The two former never lived in No. 9.
Phineas H. and Lorenzo D. did live there, but removed long before I came.
The five of us, with my two living sisters (I have three dead), are here."

Brigham was reared in the humblest walks of life ; he " came
" of poor but honest parents." By force of circumstances, he
grew up in the practice of the strictest economy, and became
early inured to hard work. The social position of his father's
family may be judged from the boast of Brigham, in the days
when the meek and the poor were to inherit the kingdom,
that he had " only been eleven and a half days at school." He
learned the trade of a painter and glazier, but, as that some-
times was insufficient for him, he tells that he " did many a
" hard day's work for six bits a day." His " straitened circum-
" stances " were not improved for some time after his first ac-
quaintance with Mormonism, as he relates that he had to borrow
some articles of clothing as well as a pair of boots to enable him
to attend a conference of the Saints. The acceptance of Mor-
monism was, therefore, no sacrifice to him, and preaching " with-
" out purse or scrip" was no lowering of his dignity. He was
eminently suited to join the standard of the Prophet Joseph,
which he did two years after the organization of the Church,
when Sidney Rigdon was in the blush of his greatness in Ohio,
and Oliver Oowdery was away in "Western Missouri locating the
New Jerusalem, where the kingdom was to be established " in
u power and glory." Upon such a man, it was a proper thing for
the first manifestation of " the gift of tongues " to fall. Eigdon
was " learned in the Scriptures ; " Cowdery had " seen angels ; "
Parley P. Pratt was an eloquent preacher ; Orson Pratt was a
Bible-reader and thinker ; and, as in all these Brigham was de-
ficient, it was highly proper that " the Lord " should take care



650 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.

of him, and endow him with qualifications that rose above all
argument, and spurned contemptuously the logic of facts. It
was enough for Brigham Young to know that he had received
" the gift of tongues ; " * with that he started to " bear testi-
" mony " that " the Lord " had raised up a prophet " in these lat-
" ter days," and that the Book of Mormon was necessarily true.

What Brigham Young felt in Kirtland exceeded in impor-
tance any thing that any one else would ever have to say.
Compared with his experience, learning, eloquence, and reason,
were but the snares of the evil one. He only once " felt a want
" of confidence in Brother Joseph Smith," and " the feeling did
"not last sixty seconds, and perhaps not* thirty ; " it gave him
" sorrow of heart," and he " clearly saw and understood, by
" the spirit of revelation," that if he " was to harbour a though^;
" in his heart that Joseph could be wrong in any thing," he
would go from doubt to doubt, till, from " lack of confidence
"in his being the mouth-piece of the Almighty," he would
continue in a course of unbelief till he said, "there is no God."
Brigham says he repented of his unbelief " very suddenly . . .
" about as quickly as I- committed the error." From this on-
ward, " I never," says he, " had the feeling, for one moment,
"to believe that any man, or set of men, or beings upon the
" face of the whole earth, had any thing to do with him [Joseph],
" for he was superior to them all, and held the keys of salvation
" over them.f . . . He was God's servant, and not mine. He
"did not belong to the people, but to the Lord, and was doing
" the work of the Lord ; and if he should suffer him to lead the
" people astray, it would be because they ought to be led astray.
" If he should suffer them to be chastised, and some of them de-
" stroyed, it would be because they deserved it, or to accomplish
" some righteous purpose. That was rny faith, and it is my faith
" still." $

With such a blind, unreasoning faith in the mission of Jo-

* It is a curious fact that Brigham Young is to-day the least desirous of listen-
ing to the exercise of this " gift." A lady tells that, one day, she was in the Prophet's
house, when one of his wives laid hands upon her to bless her, and she "spoke in
tongues." Another of his wives was present, and she had the " gift of interpreta-
tion." Before the lady left, they both requested her not to mention the circum-
stance, as " Brother Young '? was opposed to such manifestations.

f " Journal of Discourses," vol. iv., p. 297. \ Ibid., p. 298.



THE PROPHET'S HOME. 651

seph Smith, and the abject slavery of mind that it involves, the
key to Brigham Young's whole life is clear. ~No one had a
right to sit in judgment upon Joseph ; no one should now
question his successor, Brigham ! With such teachings, the
Prophet is never wrong. When failure would close the argu-
ment with other men, he is still right ! But of the faith, more
need not be added ; of the Prophet personally, the reader may
expect some information.

Up to within a few years, Brigham had little intercourse
with the outside world ; he was seldom seen by others than his
own people, except on Sundays. There was nothing of the
hermit about his disposition, but he always had " something to
" see to " a house building, a mill repairing, something was
going on about his farm or his garden, the Temple-building, or
the Tabernacle ; his numerous family had some share of his time,
and the Church affairs every day were brought before him.




Brigham Young's Home.

In this group of buildings the Prophet is understood to
have his home, or that portion of it which a man with numer-
ous wives can ever imagine that he possesses. The left build-
ing is called the " Lion-House," from the figure of a crouching
lion over the portico the work of a clever sculptor, now an
" apostate." The next low building is the " Tithing-Office,"
where the clerks of the Trustee in Trust and the clerks of
Brigham Young do the clerical service of the Church and the
Prophet; the smaller building beside it is Brigham's " private
" office," where he is visited on business, and where he receives



652 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.

distinguished strangers who feel honoured in calling upon
" Mr. President Young." The large building on the right is
the Bee-Hive House, and was the official residence of Governor
Young.

With fairness it may be said that his home is in the Bee-
Hive House, as it is there that he has his chambre d coucher,
gets his buttons fixed, and his hose repaired ; but, as the Prophet
is " master of his own actions," his whereabouts after business-
hours is very difficult to determine. The Lion-House is a long
building, with twenty rooms on the "living-floor," sleeping-
apartments for the children on the upper floor, and dining-
room, weaving-rooms, laundry, and other divisions, on the lower
floor. It was in that house that one of his dozen wives, residing
together, is reported to have rubbed off the chalk-mark from
her neighbouring sister's door, placing it on her own, and
thereby enjoyed the extra teachings of the Prophet without
his discovering the mistake.

East of the Bee-Hive House, the distance of a few hundred
yards, and on the hill-side, is the White House, an unpreten-
tious building, where the legal Mrs. Young resides. The house
of his present favourite, Amelia, is about half a block and the
width of a street from the Prophet's office ; it is pleasantly and
conveniently situated. On the opposite side of the street, the
Nauvoo favourite lives quietly and undisturbed. Directly west
of Amelia, on the same block, Emmeline, the longest favoured
one, resides. A block and a half from the Prophet's office is
the residence of his last loved one, a very handsome young
lady, a u grass widow," who is said to have gained immensely,
upon the affections of tne Prophet. This lady added a little
cherub to the Prophet's kingdom, in his seventieth year, a
circumstance very much to his gratification, but not to Ame-
lia's, as she makes no secret that she questions tlie paternity
of the little stranger ; but it is proper to add that Mrs. Cobb
Young is a lady of blameless life.

Brigham Young gave the revelation of Polygamy to the
world, and his own illustration of the patriarchal institution
can therefore with propriety be here given to the world with-
out any violation of the rights of domestic privacy.



THE WIVES OF THE PROPHET. 653

Adjoining his private office he had for many years his dor-
mitory, which he is said to have strictly preserved unto him-
self. To that room, however, there were two doors ; one open-
ing into the Bee-Hive House, and another to a passage-way
that terminated at the Lion-House. While Emmeline was the
favourite, or years after, when Amelia was the honoured one,
some of the less favoured sisters tell that the Prophet made
frequent and very prolonged visits to the Lion-Hotise after the
hour of evening prayer. Heber, in his humourous and coarse
way, used to make a singular and exceedingly practical appli-
cation to his own children of I. Thessalonians v. 5 ; and with
Brigham's children it was much the same.

It has generally been supposed that Brigham had an im-
mense number of wives, and that everything around him and
them was in the gorgeous Oriental style ; but this is purely
imaginative. There are probably only nineteen " sisters " who
call him " husband," and, with the exception of Amelia and
Mary the rival favourites they are all working-women, with-
out any pretensions to being mere " ornaments." Brigham is
not capable of appreciating much of that kind of thing. His
early poverty and hard-working experience, sustained by a
natural acquisitive disposition, have enabled him to eschew
all extravagance. Speaking of his wives, he said, " He would
" provide them comfortable homes, clothe them properly, and
" give them what they wanted to eat ; but Brigham Young was
" master of his own actions." His wives have no idea, from
their own experience, of the marital relations of husband and
wife in the Christian sense. He sees them in the Lion-House,
at the general dining-table, or at evening prayer in the par-
lour, where they are all collected at the ringing of the bell ;
but many of them he seldom sees elsewhere. He calls period-
ically upon a few of them, and inquires after their welfare, but
there are others whom he rarely ever sees within their own
particular habitations, unless in case of sickness, or when sent
for. There is no romance about the lives of his wives : they
are quiet, unobtrusive women, who have been sacrificed to
their faith. There has been but a single instance of scandal
associated with the name of one wife, many years ago, and
that was evidently without foundation. "When the penalty



654 THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SAINTS.

of certain death stares the transgressor in the face, few have
the hardihood to brave it.

His attentions to his wives before the public are methodical
and calculated. His first wife and Amelia will usually sit be-
side him on the sofa in the ballroom, and the other wives may
find places elsewhere. When he goes on to the floor for the
first cotilion, it is generally with Amelia ; and the half-dozen
others, who may be present, have the hono*ur of dancing with
the Prophet during the course of the evening. He is a lively
dancer for a man of his years, evidently takes great pleas-
ure in always being correct, and enjoys at times a thorough
" brake-down " step at the close.

He is very regular in his habits. He generally rises be-
tween seven and eight in the morning, and dresses at once for
all day. He steps into his office, at times, before breakfast, and
takes a general survey of those who are there, and then he may,
perhaps, saunter out and look at his premises; but, usually,
he comes to the office about nine o'clock. The private secre-
tary has his letters ready for his personal perusal, and also such
items of business as may specially require his attention. * He
has, he says, schooled himself into the habit of never thinking
twice upon any subject; and, when once it has received his at-
tention, and he has pronounced his decision, he never wants to
hear of it again. He is no scholar, and therefore never answers
correspondence. As the autograph of all " great men " is
sought after, the reader will probably peruse with interest the
fac simile, on the' opposite page, of a genuine letter, which
the Prophet wrote over fifteen years ago. He has placed his
name to so many letters and documents since that time, that
his autograph on the steel engraving, at the beginning of this
work, shows considerable improvement.

The barber is there about a quarter to ten, and shaves the
Prophet in his office, no matter who may be present.

From ten to eleven he is to be seen on business.

The apostles, bishops, and leading citizens, have the entree
to his private office at any time, and enter without announce-
ment, or even knocking at the door ; but others have to pass
through the Tithing-Office, and it is the duty of one of the
clerks there to learn the visitor's business. Formerly the



TEE DESPOTISM OF THE MODERN PROPHET. 657

chief clerk of the Trustee in Trust had that duty to perform,
and if the business could be disposed of without carrying it to
the Prophet, the visitor was so instructed. When the " sisters "
have any complaints to make of their husbands, they run to
the Prophet ; but if the clerk can turn the visitor to " the
" teachers," or to the bishop of her ward, it is done. When the
aggrieved one is persistent, the clerk informs the Prophet, and
he either sends an answer or grants an interview. To the
humble, believing Saipt, the answer or counsel has all the
force of a revelation from heaven.

No one to-day, even in Utah, can form any idea of the
thorough control that Brigham once had over the people.
Nothing was ever undertaken without his permission he knew
of everything. No person could enter into business without
consulting him, nor would any one ever think of leaving the
city to reside in any other part of the country without first
having his approval. Merchants who went East or West to