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First federal prosecution for polygamy in Utah Territory... Brigham Young would be next...
First federal prosecution for polygamy in Utah Territory... Brigham Young would be next...
Item # 699255
November 04, 1871
SAN DIEGO DAILY UNION, California, Nov. 4, 1871
* Mormons - Mormonism
* Thomas Sunderland Hawkins
* 1st convicted for polygamy in Utah
Very early from San Diego--a volume 2 issue--when the population was just 2300, with a nice engraving of the harbor in the masthead.
The back page has a very significant report on Mormon history. The article is headed: "The Mormon Prosecution--Sentence of Hawkins".
This was Thomas Hawkins, the polygamist, his being the very first case of federal prosecution for polygamy in Utah Territory. Almost all of the article is taken up with the talk of Chief Justice McKean to Hawkins. It includes: "Thomas Hawkins, I am sorry for you--very sorry; you may not think so now, but I shall try to make you think so by the mercy which II shall show you...At length, however, the evil spirit of polygamy tempted and possessed you; then happiness departed from your household; and now obey the complaint of your faithful wife & the verdict of a law-abiding jury. You stand at this bar a convicted criminal..." with more, including: "...The judgment of the Court is that you be fined $500 and that you be imprisoned at hard labor for the term of three years."
This case set a precedent and just days later Mormon prophet Brigham Young was indicted under a similar process for similar charges.
Four pages, 12 by 18 inches, printed on high-quality newsprint, minor stain to an upper blank corner, very nice condition.
AI notes: The 1871 trial of Thomas Sunderland Hawkins marked a pivotal moment in the U.S. government's campaign against polygamy in Utah Territory. An English immigrant and Mormon, Hawkins was the first person convicted and imprisoned for polygamy there, following a complaint by his first wife. Since proving multiple marriages was difficult, he was charged under a territorial adultery law. Presided over by anti-polygamy Judge James B. McKean, Hawkins was sentenced to three years of hard labor and fined $500. His case became a symbol of federal authority challenging the Mormon Church’s practices. After serving 18 months, his conviction was overturned following a Supreme Court ruling that invalidated the jury selection process in territorial courts. The case helped set a precedent for future prosecutions and stronger federal enforcement against polygamy.
Category: The Old West
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