On their way
thither the elder felt constrained to tell this young convert that he
had already made promises of marriage to two Danish sisters who were
awaiting him in Zion; but he assured her that though he felt obliged to
fulfil all his vows yet she should be his first and only legal wife. She
reluctantly consented to this humiliating compromise and on his arrival
in Salt Lake he took the three maidens to the Endowment House and they
were in turn married to him. Unfortunately for conjugal felicity, the
English girl was made second in order on account of priority of age of
one of the Danish sisters. Terrible scenes ensued and in her indignation
this girl denounced her husband and he was brought into court on the
charge of bigamy. Only once before in the whole history of Mormonism has
the court gained evidence of these plural marriages. Wives are bound by
such terrible oaths at the marriage ceremony that they dare not give
testimony against their husbands. Also, the jurors are two-thirds
Mormons and these law breakers would never punish one of their own
number, and no person could be convicted without destroying the rights
of trial by jury.
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