1856-06-17-New York Herald-Great Arrival of Mormons

Great Arrival of Mormons

New York Herald, 17 June 1856, pg. 2; col D.

Great Arrival of Mormons

Castle Garden Filled with Latter Day Saints-—A Runaway Wife and a Habeas Corpus, Etc.

The packet ship Thornton, from Liverpool, arrived on Saturday bringing 750 Mormons, the most of whom are bound for Salt Lake. The passengers were landed at Castle Garden, where they remain until this morning, when they start in a body for Utah. Among them are 160 Swedes and Danes, and the remainder are composed of English and Scotch, the larger portion being English. They come from all parts of England, from the extreme north to the isle of Jersey, and consist of farmers, mechanics and laborers. Among the mechanics are weavers, carpenters, boot and shoemakers, joiners, miners, potters, &c. The Swedes are mostly farmers, with a few blacksmiths. Our reporter, who visited Castle Garden yesterday, was told by one of the Elders who came out with them, that they were mostly old converts, of ten or fifteen years standing, and were brought out a the expense of the Mormon Emigration fund. A good many, however, he stated, came out on their own expense. Some of them intend stopping here, but the majority are going direct to Utah. They are mostly families, and appear to belong to the better class of emigrants. There seemed to be a preponderance of females among them; so, indeed, there ought to be, to sustain the system of polygamy which prevails at Salt Lake. If Brigham Young should be in want of some fresh wives, we can promise him at least a dozen from this party whom he will not find it bad to take. The number of children, too, is very large, there being nearly one hundred under six years of age. There were three births on board the vessel during the voyage. The party is accompanied by several priests and elders, who are returning from their foreign mission. The chief of them is Elder James G. Willey, who has spent the last three or four years in England collecting this flock together, and who now returns to conduct them to the promised land. The captain of the Thornton speaks very highly of Mr. Willey's management of the saints during the voyage. He divided the ship into seven wards, and appointed an elder over each ward to attend to the temporal and spiritual wants of the brethren, and see that they did their praying and got their rations at regular hours. The lower deck was divided into three wards--the first ward being occupied by the Swedes and Danes, the second ward by the Scotch, and the third by the single men of all nations. The upper deck consisted of four wards, and was occupied by English families. Under this arrangement everything went on like clockwork, and the passengers were kept clean, orderly and pious. The only accident that happened was the three births aforesaid, and this the elders state resulted from causes above and beyond their control.

Among the passengers was a Mrs. Jervis, from Herefordshire, England, who, it appears, left her husband at home, and taking her two children with her, embarked in company with the saints for the promised land. The husband, however, took the steamer and arrived here ahead of her. Yesterday he entered a complaint before one of our courts, and a writ of habeas corpus was issued to bring up the children, and investigate the merits of the case.

Our reporter was informed by several of the saints who knew Jervis in the old country that he was utterly unfit to have the guardianship of his children; that he treated his wife in the most brutal manner, and that this was the cause of her leaving him, &c., &c., all of which he received with some grains of allowance, although the saints averred their willingness to swear the same in court.