SOME CURIOUS COURTSHIPS—BRIGHAM RUINS OUR FORTUNES—BELINDA DIVORCES “OUR” HUSBAND.  
Mormonism had been, to my husband, everything. It had for years grown with his growth, until it had become a part of himself. Doubts had occasionally crept into his mind, it is true, but it required time to effect a change. The measures adopted by Brigham Young in the spring of 1869, for the purpose of controlling the commerce of Utah, as well as the property and faith of the people, caused great discontent. The teachings of the Tabernacle were wild and arrogant, and Brigham assumed that it was his right to dictate in everything, “even,” he said, “to the setting up of a stocking or the ribbons which a woman should wear.” Many of the people, when they heard these words and witnessed the fanaticism created thereby, were aroused to opposition, but Brigham only became more fierce in his denunciations and more harsh in his measures.
I could plainly see that all this had the, to me, much desired effect of alienating my husband from Mormonism, and I never allowed an opportunity of strengthening the impression thus produced to pass unimproved. The articles in his paper showed the condition of his mind, and brought down upon him the wrath of Brigham. At this also I rejoiced, and did not fail to make him feel that he ought to resent the Prophet’s interference. Brigham felt too certain of the submission of his slave, and accused Mr. Stenhouse of having published favourable notices of Gentile stores, also of having their advertisements in his paper, and otherwise aiding and abetting the wicked Gentiles—all which accusations my husband began to feel was an infringement upon his own private personal rights as a citizen and a man. One circumstance followed another, and I could plainly see that his confidence in Brigham’s inspiration was slowly but surely dwindling away, and that the day which I had so long anxiously watched[341] for was breaking at last. Notwithstanding this, however, there was one bond which still united him by no weak tie to the Church—he was a Polygamist. The contemplated marriage between him and Brigham’s daughter could, I believed, never now take place; but, even allowing that, he still had another wife; and now that I had entirely lost faith in Mormonism generally, and the “Celestial Order of Marriage” in particular, I resolved that I would no longer have a partner in my husband’s affections—as if he were a “joint-stock concern!”—I would have the whole of my husband, or none. I had not yet, however, sufficient courage to speak to him of my feelings.
One Sunday evening, Mr. Stenhouse, when he came home, said to me: “Brother Brigham has given me a mission; he wishes me to go to Ogden and publish my paper there.”
I can imagine I see some strong-minded woman smile at the idea of a wife wanting courage to speak to her husband. But such women do not know what Mormonism is.
This was very unexpected news; but with the vividness of lightning, a glimpse of what the Prophet intended by such a strange proposition flashed across my mind. “He wishes to ruin us!” I exclaimed; “you surely will not go!”
Now Brigham, of course, knew that my husband’s paper had a large circulation in Utah Territory as well as in Salt Lake City, and that his business was in a most prosperous condition; he knew also that to do aught that might impair or destroy that business would be to bring misery and disaster upon all who were dependent upon it for their daily bread. And yet, for all that, he told my husband to break up his establishment, or in his own words, “to pull up root and branch,” and go to a place where the people were so miserably poor that it was impossible to make a newspaper successful among them.
In all this the crafty Prophet no doubt acted wisely. The Daily Telegraph would in all probability become a power in the Territory, and he feared that in a short time it would emancipate itself from his control.
I do not doubt that, long before this time, he had noted that my husband was weakening in the faith; but he had waited for his opportunity, and now he considered that it had come. We knew very well that this was the way in which he had always acted towards those whom he feared or doubted; when he saw them growing weak in the faith he ruined them, or did the best he could to that effect, before they[342] finally left the Church. I urged my husband to resist this arbitrary decree on the part of the Prophet, and represented strongly the misery which would result from his failure, and the utter impossibility of success. But I soon found that, though he doubted Brigham, his faith in Mormonism was by no means all gone—he, like many another, feared that in disobeying Brigham, perhaps, after all, he might be resisting God. He could see the wrong-doing of the Prophet, and felt that his conduct was unworthy of one who pretended to such great things; but be regarded this as the weakness of the Prophet’s humanity, at the same time believing that in matters of religion he might be divinely inspired. He was still so under the influence of the past that he could not yet break asunder the yoke and bid defiance to Brigham and the Priesthood. He told me that now was the time for him to prove his obedience, cost what it might; and all the brethren urged him to submit, saying that the Lord would overrule everything for his good.
Believing this, he broke up his establishment at Salt Lake City, and went, as “counselled,” to Ogden. There he remained for several months, during which time he was losing money every day. Finding at last that he could stand it no longer, he asked Brigham Young’s permission to return and recommence his paper in Salt Lake City, for no one then dared stir a foot without permission. This was granted, for Brigham had now accomplished his purpose. But some of our friends told me that the teachers, when making their weekly visits, were telling the people not to take in Brother Stenhouse’s paper again, if he came back to Salt Lake City, for he was apostatizing, and they must not sustain an Apostate. Now, I thought, my husband will believe that I was right in my judgment of Brigham’s motives.
My own family and that of the second wife did not accompany my husband to Ogden; he was therefore quite at home when he returned, but the expense of transferring his business from one place to another was perfectly ruinous. He had not only purchased valuable property, as I before mentioned, in the City, but he had also realized quite a comfortable little fortune by the success of his paper; but now the property had to be mortgaged, and his fortune was, of course, utterly insufficient for these heavy daily losses. Just then, the severe illness of my eldest son, in San Francisco, made it necessary that we should leave immediately to attend him, for we had received intelligence that he was not at all likely to recover.[343] As it was my own son who was sick, my husband had very naturally determined that I should accompany him; but this brought on such a severe fit of jealousy on the part of his young wife, who already was by no means too happy, that when we returned, after my son’s recovery, she threatened to obtain a divorce. My husband told me of this, but I had so frequently heard such threats from wives who were unhappy or neglected that I thought little about it.
One day, not long after our return, I was quite surprised to see Mr. Stenhouse and Joseph A. Young drive up to the door, looking as if something of great importance had just transpired. Mr. Stenhouse jumped out of his buggy and hurriedly gave me a letter, as I thought—at the same time saying, “Take great care of this, for it makes me a free man again.” Saying this, he left the house, jumped into the buggy again, and was gone, while I stood holding the paper, wondering what it all could mean.
My husband had told me to “take care” of the paper. He neither said “read it” or “don’t read it,” and, of course, ............