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The historic Clawson polygamy case...



Item # 693118

October 20, 1884

ST. LOUIS GLOBE-DEMOCRAT, Oct. 20, 1884  Page 2 has: "The Clawson Polygamy Case" being a report from Salt Lake, Utah,  on the rather case of Rudger Clawson with some detailed coverage of the trial.
Clawson was the first practicing polygamist to be convicted and serve a sentence after the passage of the Edmunds Act, a federal statute signed into law in 1882 declaring polygamy a felony in federal territories.
Clawson was sentenced to the maximum possible penalty—31⁄2 years in prison and a $1,500 fine. For his final words before being sent to prison, Clawson defended his right to practice his religion and challenged the court's ability to enforce a law aimed at destroying a particular establishment of religion in violation of the First Amendment to the Constitution. 
Twelve pages, very nice condition.

Item from Catalog 353 (released for April 2025)

(Added to Catalog #353 after the hardcopy was released - only available on-line.)

Category: Post-Civil War