Mormon History
Kingdom of the Devil - 1855
Illinois State Chronicle – May 26, 1855
Mormonism.
A young English Mormon
writing from the great Salt Lake City to her father in Islington, England,
presents Mormonism in anything but flattering light. She says:
"Well, finally, we got in sight of the 'Kingdom of God,' so-called, but I think
it more like the kingdom of the devil than anything else I ever saw under the
sun, dull of all kinds of abominations. Brigham Young, the Governor, has fifty
or sixty wives; he is the most filthy spoken man I ever heard. Marriages and
divorces are matters of traffic. Five dollars is the charge for releasing a wife
or husband from the matrimonial yoke. The whole affair is, however, conducted
more after the manner of the beasts than as an institution of God or even man.
Some women have seven living husbands, having two or more wives, However
distressed and poor they may be. There are lots of men, women and children
nearly naked for want of clothing, almost perished, begging for bread and a
little firewood; and these brought out by the ten pound company, others by the
emigration funds; when they arrive 'in the kingdom.' so-called, they have to buy
the old messing utensils; and have frequently to find a refuge under the roof of
some deceived, yet more human [resident] than the heads of the church. The tenth
is taken from all Mormons except the widow, orphans or afflicted, on arrival, to
build large houses for the 'big bugs,' so designated by apostates of the faith,
together with theatres, dancing rooms, grand stables, carriage houses, and to
support their truly practical polygamical abominations."