History of Salt Lake City, Part 106

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194

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HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

Such are the common aspects of the mountainous islands of the Great Salt Lake. They are clements of scenes fraught with melancholy, death and utter desolation. To wander along these dreary shores, silent and alone, is to commune with nature in her bitterest moods, and to hunger and thirst for the beauties she so lavishly displays elsewhere. There are surely no other places on the face of the earth so devoid of every charm, so totally lacking in human interest or association. The deserts of Asia and America have their histories-dreary enough, it is true, but yet associated with human experiences, even though they be of suffering and travail ; but these wild and wind swept shores have risen from the sur- fice of a bitter sea, and have never, till now, known the tread of human foot or sound of human voice.

Whosoever has desire to witness the earth's poverty and degradation, let him traverse these gray w.istes one single summer's day, when all the outer world is smiling and fruitful, and let him contrast what meets his gaze with God's munificence in other places. Toiling wearily over rotten rocks, whose unshapely hulks have been scooped out and hollowed into a thousand caverns by centuries of salt sea winds, he will come at intervals upon ragged plains where the only plant that thrives is the thorny sage He will see this straggling vegetation stretch from the hills down to the beach, growing among the crevices of the rocks even to the water's edge, and there, where the salt crusts upon its branches, he will see it set upon by swarms of great black spiders, who weave their nets of filmy white over it all, and lie in wait for the myraid gnats, their prey ; and then he will be where the lazy surf flings feebly in its flakes of soiled foam, skimmed from distant shoals to be strewn along this dreary beach. From these sights he will turn with sinking heart and wander on his way, scorched with the blaze from sea and sky, impatient for relief, yet finding none. No grateful shade, no limpia spring, varies the hot march or offers chance to slake his burning thirst ; a vast sea stretches to the horizon, mocking his desire, for he dare not lave in its depths, nor taste its poisonous waters. Lizards hasten across his path, and stay upon some rocky crest to watch him with their glittering eyes; mosquitoes swarm to his annoyance, and he hastens on to avoid the pains they would inflict. At last, weary and depressed, he may find a hollow in the hills of the wilderness, where a feeble spring of warm and brackish water seeps from the rocks, flows a few feet and sinks again in the thirsty soil. Here he will rest, despondent and alone, surrounded by the frail skeletons of coyotes less fortunate than he, that have wandered hither to perish when even this weak spring was dry.

Now what magic power shall compass these desolate shores to transform them into realms of beauty and delight ? Naught but the power which can touch with omnipotent wand the bleak and barren sands and turn them into gold. That scene which at noon was drear, may become rich and glorious in the changing phases of the day. It is God's providence to bestow upon the desert in the evening a flood of radiant beauty, in compensation for the emptiness of mid-day. Trembling vapors which the hot sun has dis- tilled, now hover over the land to catch the sunset hues, filling the shady hollows of the hills with purple and blue, and reddening the shafts of light that are cast upon the mountain tops. Low to the west, on the distant lake, lie streaks of amethyst and amber, through which the sun shall descend, alternately kindling these islands into a golden blaze, its flames vibrating on every twig and rocky edge ; or immers- ing them in purple shadow, whose depths are yet again colored by reflected lights from rosy clouds that are scattered across the sky. Then, many a summer evening, the Wasatch Mountains, in compassion for the sterility of these shores, will send forth a company of water bearers to their relief; and these will come trooping overhead from the east, their breasts flushed with faint and opalescent tints that are soon to develop through a glorious scale of saffron, scarlet and crimson, and bathe with a ruddy glow the whole sea and sky and land. They cross the heavens a grand and thrilling spectacle, curtains of fire that flow towards the sun and droop to cover his face with a veil of scarlet and gold. Fold after fold passes rapidly onward, blotting out all the glory in the west, except a great red ball that slowly sinks through the gathering mist, and all grows gray. The color has faded from the heavens and gloom is settling over the land.

For a few minutes the peace and quiet of cool twilight is broken only by the sad cry of the moaning dove and a lazy lapping of the waves along the beach. Then, from far out at sea, comes a faint sound like the distant roar of a multitude of voices ; it increases in depth and volume with every instant, and from the northwest there sweeps a wild blast, that gathers up the sands of the beach and drives them whirling along the shore. The surface of the lake quivers for a moment, as though struck by a mighty hand, then sends a succession of swelling waves, that gather strength as they approach and break upon the land. Soon the white caps come rolling in from afar, running a mad race landward, bringing with them a flock of screaming gulls, white as the foam itself, and whose erratic flight carries them now through the hollow of a wave and now vaulting upwards to the skies. There is a grand commotion where the steep reefs extend out into the sea, for ponderous billows are rolling in upon them and crashing against their sides with a tumult that is deafening. The foam gleams pale in the gathering night, as the breakers

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leap among the rocks ; it streams down their drenched sides in a thousand tiny torrents, and mingles with the restless surf that booms in upon the beach in ever increasing strength and fury. And so the day closes among whistling winds and driving clouds along these bleak and desolate shores.

Cyrus E. Dallin, a sculptor of more than local fame, was born of English parents, in the town of Springville, Utah County, Utah, on November 22d, 1861. At the age of eight he attended school, and at once showed a fondness for drawing in preference to any other branch of study. He was frequently reprimanded on account of the neglect of his routine lessons, preferring, as he did, the pastime of sketching on his slate. Until 1869, he kept up his habit of sketching any familiar or striking object, and without instruction, succeeded in impressing some of his friends with the idea that he had talent of an artistic nature.

In the summer of 1880 he, while working with his father, Thomas Dallin, in his mine at Tintic, Utah, was struck with the peculiar quality of some white clay which had been taken out of the shaft. Thinking it would prove a good material to model in, he set to work and made a bust of a man, half life-size. The work was, of course, very crude, but it attracted much notice from the miners. The interest attaching to this work induced him to make a companion piece, and he accordingly modeled a bust of a woman, from the same material. The growing interest manifested in these rough productions drew the attention of Mr. C. H. Blanchard, formerly of Boston, and he urged that the boy be sent East to study. Soon afterwards the good offices of Mr. Joab Lawrence were exerted in behalf of the young artist, and with the efforts of his father, the boy was sent to Boston in April, 1880.

In the summer of 1881 he engaged with Mr. S. H. Morse, of Boston, to assist in modeling figures for granite work. While with this gentleman, Mr. Dallin modeled the bust of Voltaire, a work which received much praise from the Boston papers, and the artists of that vicinity.

In October, 1882, he opened a studio in Boston, and among his productions at that time, was a very fine statuette of the celebrated comedian, William War- ren. He sold several copies of this meritorious work, which were much admired.

He modeled a bust portrait of a little girl, which was highly praised, and exhibited in the Institute Fair in Boston, 1882. Then came his Paul Revere, which gave him much fame. There were ten competitors, and three prizes of three hundred dollars each, which were awarded to the best three of the number. Mr. Dallin won one of the prizes.

The models were placed in the exhibition of the Art Club, April, 1883. Afterwards they were submitted to a rigid investigation, and it was discovered that they were all historically incorrect. Revere, in each, had been represented as looking for the light, when it appears that the signal was not intended for him, and it is probable that he never saw it at all. As soon as this point was decided, Mr. Dallin called upon the committee to obtain permission to submit another model. It was granted, and simultaneously with one by the celebrated Boston sculptor, Mr. Thomas Ball, it was placed with the committee. Since then nothing definite has been heard from the committee, further than that they are waiting 61

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the procurement of funds before making their decision. The second Revere model was shown at the art exhibition of 1883, and the critics had an opportunity to compare his work with that of the eminent sculptor, Ball. The press and the profession unite in awarding the palm to the young man, who, though compara- tively unknown, had made an impression upon the art critics, which caused them to waver in their decisions. The final result of course, can not be foretold.

He modeled a portrait bust of a boy, which is a fine study, and is pronounced a perfect likeness. This was shown in the Cotemporary Art Exhibition, Boston, and it drew forth many flattering notices.

The bust of Oliver Wendell Holmes was then produced by Mr. Dallin, and from it he received much additional fame. Bostonians are unanimous in their praise of this piece of portrait modeling.

CHAPTER LXXXVIII.

GENERAL HISTORY RESUMED. DEATH OF JUDGE MCKE.IN. MEMORIAL OF THE BAR ON THE EVENT. THE MILES' CASE. D. H. WELLS SENT TO THE PENITENTIARY FOR CONTEMPT. GRAND DEMONSTRATION OF CITIZENS ON HIS RELEASE.

The social development of our city having been brought up with a brief re- view of those agencies of civilization-literature and the fine arts-which in mod- ern history occupy a chief place, we resume the thread of the political and ju- dicial record to the close of the year 1885.

From the death of President Brigham Young, August 29th 1877, to the death of ex-Chief Justice James B. McKean, Sunday morning, January 5th, 1879, at his residence in Salt Lake City, no event of marked historical importance had occurred, such as had characterized the preceding period when Judge Mckean was upon the bench. His death called forth from the legal profession an eulogistic memorial to his memory. On the Ioth of January, 1879, at one o'clock, P. M , the members of the Salt Lake bar assembled in the court room in this city, when a " memorial address," with resolutions which had been adopted by the bar, were presented to the court by R. N. Baskin, Esq., who said :

May it please the Court :

" Hon. James B. McKean, a former chief justice of this court and lately a member of this bar, having departed this life on the 5th of the present month, the members of the bar on the following day assembled at the court room, in this city, and in honor of our deceased brother's memory passed resolutions expressive of their esteem for him, their condolence for his family and their regret on ac- count of his untimely and sudden demiss.

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"I have the honor of being deputed by that meeting to present these resolutions to this Honorable Court and move that they be entered in the journals."

They were as follows :

" Resolved, That in the death of Judge Mckean the profession has lost one of its noblest and most honorable members, whose career in this Territory for the last nine years has won and has fully entitled him to the esteem and affection of the attorneys of Utah Territory.

" Resolved, That as Chief Justice of this Territory, he at all times possessed our fullest confidence as an honest, upright, courteous and impartial jurist, and as a practicing attorney he has but riveted the friendship and esteem which he had so well earned, while filling the responsible position of Chief Justice.

" Resolved, That we lament his death not only as a brother in our profession, but as a citizen of our common Territory, and as one to whom ali classes might well have looked upon as the true type and model of a brave soldier, an accom- plished lawyer, a brilliant orator, a thorough gentleman, an exalted patriot and an exemplary Christian.

" Resolved, That to the family of the deceased we tender our most sincere condolence and sympathy ; and that while realizing as we do that our expressions of regret and condolence can but slightly alleviate their sense of inestimable loss, yet we hope it may be some satisfaction to them, that one so dear was esteemed and valued by his daily associates and friends, and that his death will be regretted by all.

" Resolved, That the secretary of this meeting be and is hereby authorized to present a copy of these resolutions to the family of our deceased friend.

" C. K. GILCHRIST, " THOMAS MARSHALL,

" R. N. BASKIN, " J. B. ROSBOROUGH, " Z. SNOW,

"Committee."

These resolutions were accompanied by an address from Mr. Baskin, thus closing :

"The history of Utah, which is yet to be written, will record the name of James B. McKean among the most upright judges and disinterested patriots, and the sculptured marble will be erected upon his resting place, by a grateful public, to perpetuate his memory and ' rehearse to the passing traveler his virtues.' "'

Hon. Jacob S. Boreman, from the bench, addressed himself to the resolutions. His address was of the nature of a funeral sermon, extolling the Christian char - acter of the departed, which he closed with the following touching passage :

" The familiar voice of our brother is hushed forever upon earth. It will never more cheer us here, in these halls or elsewhere. We shall never in this world again meet that cheery countenance, that happy face, nor clasp that warm right hand. But although his body is cold in the grave, he lives-lives where neither sorrow, nor tears nor death can enter, but where he can partake of joys un- speakable forevermore in the paradise of God. And on earth his memory lives

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and will continue to live fresh and green in the innumerable hearts of those who revered and loved him in life, and now mourn his death. And although he is gone from us, never more to return, I can truthfully say of him, in the language of the Book of books, that 'he rests from his labors and his works do follow him.'"

On such an occasion, as the death of a man like Judge Mckean, the pen of criticism may reserve itself in general silence.

In resuming, however, the thread of the history it must be noted that from the death of the ex-Chief Justice, the anti-Mormon action, which had for several years subsided, revived with all its former intensity.

First was presented the trial of Mr. George Reynolds on a case of polygamy which had been constructed by counsel for the purpose of obtaining a constitutional decision from the Supreme Court of the United States on the anti-polygamy act of 1862.

The next polygamy suit presented to the Third U. S. District Court for trial was the famous Miles' case, which though it possessed not the dignity of a test case and the constitutional consequence of that of Mr. Reynolds, afforded more local sensation. This the prosecuting attorney, with an aimed intent, succeeded in reaching through his examination of Daniel H. Wells, counsellor of the Church and ex-mayor of Salt Lake City.

President Wells being sworn as a witness, District Attorney Van Zile attempted to force from him, under the instruction of the court, a revelation of the dress and ceremony of the endowment house, or to bring him into contempt of court. The witness declined to describe the dress, and the prosecution insisting upon the answer, the court directed the clerk to enter an order compelling the witness to appear before the court to show cause why he should not be punished for con- tempt in refusing to answer the question. In the meantime he was remanded to the custody of the marshal.

On the next day President Wells was again questioned :

Attorney l'an Zile-I want to know if it is usual for a candidate for marriage to wear a green apron in the endowment house ?

President Wells -- I declined to answer that question yesterday, and do so to- day, because I am under moral and sacred obligations to not answer, and it is in- terwoven in my character never to betray a friend, a brother, my country, my God or my religion.

The punishment for contempt was about to be enforced, when Judge Suther- land asked that the matter be postponed until seven o'clock, which request was granted ; at which time the proceedings were resumed by President Wells filing the following affidavit :

" In the Third Judicial District Court of Utah Territory.

" The People vs. Daniel H. Wells.

" Salt Lake County-ss.

" Daniel H. Wells being duly sworn says: In respect to the charge of con- tempt now pending against me, for refusing to answer the two questions relating to the apron and slippers of persons going through the ceremony of the endow- ment house of the Mormon Church, I meant no disrespect to this court. I de-

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clined wholly upon conscientious grounds. I was willing to testify to any ma- terial fact not covered by any previous obligation, and had I been interrogated while on the witness stand to elicit these facts I should have stated, and the truth is, that persons going through such ceremonies wear special garments, and these are precisely the same whether the wearer in the course of those ceremonies is united in marriage, plural or otherwise, or not, and those married are not distin- guished by any difference of dress from those who do not enter into the marriage relation.

" DANIEL H. WELLS. "Sworn to and subscribed before me this third day of May, 1879.

" C. S. HILL, Clerk, " By B. P. HILL, Deputy Clerk."

An argument was made for the defense by Judge Sutherland; Van Zile waived further argument for the prosecution, and Judge Emerson, deciding, ordered that the defendant pay a fine of one hundred dollars and be confined for a period of two days. A short time after the decision was rendered Marshal Shaughnessy took his prisoner to the penitentiary.

This was the second time that President Wells was a prisoner, first, as will be remembered, at Camp Douglas, when as mayor he gave himself up for the safety of the city, and now at the penitentiary for refusing to disclose the affairs of the endowment house. In the latter case the public enthusiasm over his conduct was swelled into a grand ovation of citizens from all parts of the Territory to his honor.

A special meeting of the city council was called relative to the occasion and the following preamble and resolutions were adopted :

" PREAMBLE AND RESOLUTIONS.

" Whereas, Our much respected friend and fellow-citizen, Hon. Daniel H. Wells, ex-mayor of Salt Lake City, is at present suffering what we deem to be an unjust imprisonment, in the Territorial penitentiary, under the order of the act- ing judge of the Third Judicial District Court of this Territory, for alleged con- tempt of court in refusing to answer questions which would violate what he es- teemed to be sacred obligations, as set forth in his affidavit filed with said court, May 3d, 1879; and

" Whereas, We further approve of his declarations, 'I am under moral and sa- cred obligations to not answer; and it is interwoven in my character, never to betray a friend, a brother, my country, my religion or my God ;" and honoring his de- termination rather to suffer imprisonment than to do violence to sacred principles,

" Therefore be it resolved by the City Council of Salt Lake City, That, to manifest our symyathy, respect and honor for the man who would sooner suffer wrong than do wrong, we proceed in a body to meet him upon his liberation from custody and escort him back to his home and the society of his family and friends.

" And be it further resolved, That we invite all citizens sympathizing in the movement, to participate in this demonstration of respect.

" Upon motion, the preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted. " FERAMORZ LITTLE, Mayor."

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The council then appointed the necessary committees on behalf of the coun- cil, to be associated with the citizens' committees in making the necessary arrange- ments for carrying into effect the great popular demonstration.

The following order of procession was issued : " Captain Burt, marshal of the day ; band ; President Taylor and escort ; Territorial, county and city officers; mayors and city councils from various places, and invited guests ; representatives of the press ; Salt Lake fire brigade ; band ; relief societies with banners ; band; mutual improvement and retrenchment associations with banners ; band ; seven- ties : high priests ; elders ; bishops and lesser priesthood with banners; band ; Scandinavians and German citizens with banners; band ; general citizens on foot and on horseback.

" Instructions : The bishops of all the wards are requested to organize their respective quorums, societies, associations and Sunday schools, and report to the marshal at 9:30 A. M. on East Temple Street.

" The First, Second, Third, Eighth and Ninth wards, on the east side of said street, between Fifth and Sixth South Streets.

" The Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth wards, on the east side of said street, between Fourth and Fifth South Streets.

" The Eighteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-First wards, on the east side of said street, between Third and Fourth South Streets.

" The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh wards, on the west side of said street, between Fifth and Sixth South Streets.

" The Seventeenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth wards, on the west side of said street, between Fourth and Fifth South Streets.

" The Sixteenth and Nineteenth wards, on the west side of said street, be- tween Third and Fourth South Streets.

" The several organizations will then concentrate, and the marshal will assign them positions in the procession."

The next morning's issue of the Salt Lake Tribune said :

"The streets of this city yesterday from nine o'clock in the morning until late in the day, presented a sight seldom, if ever witnessed before. Never has such a crowd thronged the streets, nor such a cavalcade of human beings and brutes, in point of numbers, promiscuousness and motley confusion, been witnessed before, as that presented on our public streets on the occasion of the triumphal entry into town from the penitentiary of Daniel H. Wells, first counsellor in the Mormon Church. So far as concerns the magnitude in a numerical point of view of this demonstration, not even the event of the death and funeral of Brigham Young could at all rival it. Hundreds of poor dupes were forwarded by all the trains centering in this city, to participate in a celebration, which in spirit and substance, was designed as a public defiance of the national judicial authorities. The flag of our country was ruthlessly profaned by association with banners, upon which were inscribed incendiary mottoes and devices. The immense procession as it moved up Main Street, presented a spectacle which should have roused the patriotic heart to indignation, had its supreme ridiculousness not been so apparent."

The Salt Lake Herald said : "The demonstration was one of the most remarka- ble that has ever taken place in this or any other country or age. It is estimated

Allung Campbell

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that not less than ten thousand persons were in the procession, while more than that number lined the streets on either side from the Tabernacle to the suburbs. And yet there was no disorder, no accident, no brawling, nothing that indicated any other than the happiest peace. The brief addresses contained no incendiary word, and implied no offensive sentiment. We question if the world has ever be- fore seen an impromptu demonstration of this magnitude, and this character, where nothing was said or done that could be found fault with, or which gave no occasion for alarm. It is easy to understand how such a multitude assembled on such an occasion, could become excited and lose its power of reasoning, but it is not plain how it could be so readily gathered, with so little apparant effort, kept in such orderly and happy control, and dispersed so quickly without harm being done, accident occurring, or unpleasantness being occasioned.

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History of Salt Lake City, Part 106

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194