Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman released his fiscal 2009 bugdet today. State departments included a list of ''major accomplishments'' along with their funding requests.

Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is seeking $52.1 million for the coming year. He listed three items on his ''got-it-done'' list.

The office wrapped up the protracted David C. lawsuit, which led to reformation of the state's child welfare system. It got Kennecott Utah Copper to agree to clean up a 20-mile section polluted groundwater.

And the AG ''obtained a felony conviction of Warren Jeffs for participating in marrying under-aged girls.''

Labels: Mark Shurtleff, Warren Jeffs

I toured the Utah State Prison last week to refresh my memory of Warren Jeffs' new home. By the way, Warren turns 52 today. No word on whether he is getting a cake.

Warren is officially in ''receiving and orientation,'' where they are trying to figure out what he needs and where to put him in the system. That will depend in part on whether officials classify him as a Kappa, Omega or Sigma.

Yes, there is a fraternity of sorts.

Kappas are the aggressive inmates who prey on everyone else. At least 90 percent of inmates get a Kappa designation, according to Captain Russ Armstrong.

Omegas are neutral personalities. They don't bother anyone but will stick up for themselves.

Sigmas are the weaklings, the prisoners that have to be protected from the rest of the population or they'll end up . . . well, you know where I'm going with that. A lot of sex offenders get a sigma classification.

You can put Kappas and Omegas together; you can put Omegas and Sigmas together. But you can't put Sigmas with Kappas.

The prison currently has 6,505 inmates, including 780 people who are mentally ill. There are nine people on death row.

Warren will spend the first month or so going through a mental health evaluation, psychological work up, psychiatric evaluation, an educational assessment and substance abuse check. All of that is then used to come up with a treatment plan. He is likely to be assigned to a sex offender treatment program. Warren also might be put in an anger management, life skills or a ''cognitive restruction'' class. Sample titles: Thinking for a Change; Thinking Errors; Personal Finance; Impact of Crime.

I went through the Uinta sections, including Super-Max, where the inmates who like to spit, slime (use other bodily fluids as weapons) and are just no fun end up. You don't want to end up in Section 4 of Uinta.

A couple death row guys were playing handball. Apparently, people on death row typically are fairly easy to manage.

I went through Wasatch and the ''shops,'' where inmates were making license plates, signs and print materials for state agencies. Interesting. If Warren behaves himself, he just may be able to get a job.

The first Tuesday of the month (6 p.m.) is Family Orientation Night, where officials go over how the system works and dos and donts of keeping in touch with an inmate.

Some pointers:

1. Keep the commissary account low. Last January, Nephi Jeffs told Warren he had put $700 in his account at Purgatory. That's a bad idea. Other inmates find out and start trying to get their hands on it. Officials say $50 to $100 is plenty.

2. If an inmate is married, only the legal spouse can visit unless the ''girlfriend'' is accompanied to visits by the spouse. Hhhmmm, let's see, in Warren's case, Annette is the legal wife. She'll be a gatekeeper, apparently.

3. Inmates can make telephone calls once a week for 30 minutes. Warren will have to fill out an ''Inmate Telephone Request Form'' that lists the telephone number, name, address and relationship to all persons he wants to be able to call. Cell phone numbers are not allowed; calls have to be placed to land lines.

4. It is a simple life. Once the prison figures out where to put Warren, he'll be assigned a mattress, two sheets, a pillow, three jumpsuits, seven pairs of underwear and socks, and a pair of shoes. He'll be given soap, toothpaste, a toothbrush and a towel. He'll have to buy anything else he needs.

New inmates and those assigned to Super-Max wear orange jumpsuits; pre-sentence inmates wear red jumpsuits; everybody else wears white.

5. Cells are small, 8 x 10. There is a a toilet, sink, dull mirror and either one or two bunks, depending on whether you are single or double celled. Inmates eat all meals in their cells. Some cells are definitely better than others. It's nice to live alone. The charlie block of Wasatch has cells with built-in showers, which spares you from having to use the group shower within a cell section.

6. Good behavior and active participation will earn you time out of your cell, a good job, the privilege of buying, if you can afford it, electronic appliances such as a TV, CD player, etc. The best jobs pay $3 to $3.50. The worst, like cleaning cells, pay only 40 cents an hour.

7. There is a lot of ''dead time.'' With the exception of the inmates working jobs, the inmates I saw were sleeping, watching TV, reading or writing. One group was visiting the library, which is stocked with lots of well-worn books. There was a waiting list for the newest Harry Potter book.

Labels: Warren Jeffs

On January 24, 2007, Warren Jeffs placed a call to Colorado, where he spoke with William E. Jessop. The call lasted about two minutes. Here is a transcript of their call, which I listened to.

Warren Jeffs: Hello

William E. Jessop: Hello sir.

Warren Jeffs: You can hear me?

William Jessop: Yes sir.

Warren Jeffs: Okay. I have this message. The lord has intervened and detected me to myself. He has shown me that I have not held priesthood since I was 20 years old, having been immoral with a sister and a daughter. And father pointing his finger to me was father's test on all of us.

I know of your ordination, that you are the keyholder and I have sent a note with my signature verifying it so that there is no question, according to Section 43, although not valid.

All the ordinance work since father's passing has to be redone and there's many men that were sent away that do hold priesthood and their families will need to be put back.

And then to say this to you. I am one of the most wicked men on the face of the earth since the days of Father Adam.

Okay?

Have you been able to hear me?

William Jessop: Sure.

Warren Jeffs: Thank you and goodbye. You'll need to . . . [Jessop interrupts him]

William Jessop: Good luck.

Warren Jeffs: Thank you.

Labels: Warren Jeffs, William E. Jessop

Last January, Warren S. Jeffs told family and select followers he had been ''deceived by the powers of evil'' and had never been the prophet of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

The real prophet, Jeffs said, was William E. Jessop.

''Brother William E. Jessop has been the prophet since Father's passing, since the passing of my father,'' Jeffs told his brother Nephi during a jailhouse visit.

Jeffs also said his family was to be turned over to Jessop.

So who is William E. Jessop? Was Jeffs just having a mental breakdown, as his lawyers claim? Or is there a reason he said Jessop is the true FLDS prophet?

Here's what I've been told.

William E. Jessop is really William E. Timpson. His mother was Kathy Jessop, a daughter of Edson Jessop. She was married to Alma A. Timpson. Timpson helped found Centennial Park with Marion Hammon after a falling out with Leroy S. Johnson in the mid-1980s.

Kathy sided with her family, which stayed loyal to Johnson. She left Timpson and was placed with Fred Jessop, the FLDS bishop and big man about the twin towns.

William E. adopted his stepfather's last name. Several sources told me he is in his late 30s to mid-40s.

According to John Nielsen, a former FLDS member, William E. Jessop was supposed to be set apart as a counselor to Fred Jessop around 2002 by then-prophet Rulon T. Jeffs.

Here's where the story gets interesting.

Rulon T. Jeffs had been waylaid by several strokes and was in poor health by then; he died in September 2002. He had, apparently, taught that people impaired by strokes couldn't give ordinations, a position that could be traced back to the whole affair with Joseph Musser and Rulon Allred. Musser was disabled by a stroke when he appointed Rulon Allred to the fundamentalist's priesthood council, which other members opposed.

The result: the split that led to the creation of the Apostolic United Brethren.

So here is Rulon T. Jeffs, in a similar condition, giving an ordination to William E. Jessop. According to Nielsen, Rulon T. Jeffs slipped up and gave Jessop the whole package, including an apostleship.

''It was kept quiet,'' Nielsen said. ''They hushed that up. Not many people knew about that.
''It wasn't intended and they probably told him you didn't get all that, but at the end of the day Warren Jeffs sits in prison and he isn't being sustained in anything and he knows he never had what he had.''

A similar mix-up happened with Richard Blackmore, Nielsen said. He was supposed to be set apart as a bishop, but Rulon T. Jeffs gave him additional callings.

Richard Holm, another ex-FLDS member, told me the Richard Blackmore story, too. He heard it directly from Blackmore. Richard Blackmore, who lives in Canada, was called in 2001 and told to drive to the twin towns to meet with Rulon Jeffs. He arrived 20 hours later and Rulon T. Jeffs immediately ordained him, giving him the bishop's title and all the other callings, too.

Warren later told Richard Blackmore to ''Forget everything else, except the bishop. You've got nothing else, so don't worry about all this other stuff.'' At least, that is what Holm says.

William E. Jessop served as Fred's assistant and then, after Fred's death in 2002, became bishop.

Where is William E. Jessop? No one knows. He is in hiding like other leaders.

Now, a few other pieces of the puzzle.

After Rulon's death, several people claimed the prophet had set apart Warren to take over the sect. Who made that claim?

Mary Fischer, one of Rulon Jeffs' younger wives.

Isaac Jeffs, the brother who was with Warren when he was arrested.

And Naomi Jeffs, another of Rulon's younger wives, who subsequently married Warren and also was with him when he was arrested. In January, Warren spoke to Naomi, whom he referred to as No. 91, and told her the same thing he was told everyone else: that he was not a prophet.

But Rulon T. Jeffs preached repeatedly that there would be no other apostles after him, since the Second Coming was imminent. So there was no succession plan in place.

Except, perhaps, for William E. Jessop, the accidental apostle.

Labels: Warren Jeffs, William E. Jessop

Remember when a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper asked polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs for some identification after stopping his vehicle in August 2006?

Jeffs handed him a receipt for eye glasses for a ''John Findley.''

Some of his followers probably chuckled -- quietly, of course, since outright laughter is discouraged -- when they heard that. Here is why.

On Oct. 1, 1978, former FLDS prophet Leroy S. Johnson gave a sermon during Sunday services in Colorado City, Ariz. The much beloved Johnson acknowledged he had shut his eyes during some talks, but said he had been listening intently. He then gave a lengthy speech that touched on many topics: teaching children right from wrong, the need for the people to be united, to love their neighbors, think good thoughts, study the scriptures.

He chided the people a little, saying they weren't listening hard enough to the word of God. Some people, particularly the young, ''care very little for the words of the servants of God,'' he said. They say: ''I have heard that stuff all my life.''

And then Johnson told a little story:

''We were going to Conference many years ago, before I knew anything about where the Priesthood was, or that it had been taken away from the Church, and we saw an old man sitting on the store steps. I was walking with Apostle Anthony W. Ivins, and we passed by this man.

''The Apostle said, 'Come on, John, let's go to meeting.' His name was John Findley.

''Oh,' he said, 'If you had something new to give me, I would go, but it's all the same old stuff over and over again.'

''He had a little conference of his own with a few of his friends that would gather around him, but we went on and held our conference. . . .''

So there you have it. John Findley.

Labels: Leroy S. Johnson, Warren Jeffs

A week after a St. George jury convicted polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs of being an accomplice to rape, his accuser will make her television debut.

Elissa Wall will appear on ''Good Morning America'' Monday, where she will be interviewed by Diane Sawyer. The show airs appears locally on KTVX Channel 4 at 7 a.m.

Diane appparently wrote Elissa a nice letter during the trial, which persuaded her to go with Sawyer rather than all the other media who were clamoring for an interview.

Elissa and her husband Lamont will travel to New York to do the interview. It is their first trip to the Big Apple.

Labels: Elissa Wall, Warren Jeffs

I am trying not to think about the trial at the moment, but I didn't get very far from the topic. I was doing a little research on the meaning of "Keep Sweet" and came across this. I found it interesting.

One of the Warren Jeffs' stories spread around is that he banned basketball and other competitive sports a few years after the FLDS pulled their children from the public schools.

In a school sermon on Feb. 27, 2003, Jeffs made this comment:

In the millenium of peace, even our entertainment and games need to be inspired of heaven and become a build up and a blessing one to another.

I like to see in our schools that we do away with the games where we throw things at each other, trying to hit each other with things. I know some of these games were invented at Alta Academy, where you get balls or other things and try to hit each other.

Often those kinds of games get a spirit of such competition, of war, of conquering the other person, that we drive the spirit of God from us.

In your basketball games or baseball games don't keep score where you try to outdo the other team so much. And as you play compliment the person that could hit the ball good or shoot the ball good into the hoop and compliment the person who misses, ''Good try.''

And end each game with a handshake with those in your class. Have a prayer in your heart and know every game or activity is for the purpose of the exercise of the body that your mind will also be strong and then return to your studies. Include your Heavenly Father in your work and play. Never forget him.

Labels: Alta Academy, sports, Warren Jeffs

Prosecutors in the trial of polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs will argue tomorrow that they should be allowed to use one of his recorded statements to show his attitude toward the government and its efforts to end certain FLDS marriage practices. They argue the statement also shows the power and authority Jeffs holds over followers.

The defense, of course, wants the revelation kept out of the trial. For some unexplained reason, the defense's motion about the statement is not listed on the court docket and, according to a clerk and a court spokeswoman, could not be found Wednesday. What is up with that?

The state's motion doesn't indicate when Jeffs made the statement, but it apparently was made at least two years after he conducted Jane Doe's marriage. Is what he said two years -- or more -- later relevant? What came after the dot-dot-dot, which indicates something was left out? And where did the state get a copy of the recording?

Most of the tapes of Jeffs' sermons and lessons floating around were made before 2003. Was this among the items seized from the Cadillac Escalade when Jeffs was arrested on Aug. 28, 2006? Did he uttered this during a visit with one of his followers at the jail?

Judge James L. Shumate ruled months ago that any jailhouse statements Jeffs has made are to be kept under seal and not introduced as evidence.

Did Jeffs make the comment before May 2005, when the state took over the sect's United Effort Plan Trust and thus seized control of virtually all property in the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.? That would look prophetic.

Or did he say this more recently, an after-the-fact summation of what has happened. That would look decidely less prophetic.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow when and where Jeffs made this pronouncement.

Here is what he said, according to the state's filing:


''The Lord revealed to me that in 2003, a secret combination was in place between the apostates everywhere, many of them, and the government officials, and also traitors and half-hearted men, false brethren among the Priesthood people. And that conspiracy involved the passing of these laws, to call us criminal by performing marriages, so-called 'under-age marriages' . . .

The Lord showed me they were going to take away our lands and houses. He showed me that it was the intention of our enemies to pull me and many people into court and turn traitor by bearing witness in court of my father's doings and my doings, concerning the Celestial Law of Marriage, the judging of the people, bringing God into question and what He does among His Priesthood people and on His Priesthood lands in His Celestial Law.

And I say to you brethren, no person, no court, no government, no people on the face of the whole earth has the right or authority to bring God into question what He has His Prophets do in the Celestial Law among his Priesthood people on His consecrated lands.''

Labels: Warren Jeffs

Media continue to converge on St. George for the trial of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs. I don't think we've hit critical mass yet, but the crowd is getting bigger day by day.

One of the biggest operations on hand is Court TV, which has a 12-person staff working out of a huge satellite truck. It is impressive.

The Best Western Coral Hills, located a block from the courthouse, is media central. John Hollenhorst of KSL TV is in the room across the hall from me. Jennifer Dobner of AP is in the building across the way.

Everywhere you look there is some reporter with a cell phone plastered to his or her head. Yes, I'm right in there with the pack, notebook in one hand and cell phone in the other.

I've been rotating in and out of the jury interviews and it is fascinating to hear what the candidates have to say about Jeffs, polygamy and teens having sex.

But it is nearly as interesting to hear what they have to say about the media -- from accuracy to relevance to their lives.

One woman described herself as a "big fan" of "Big Love," an HBO series about a polygamist family in Utah. She said the show has given her some insight into the polygamous lifestyle, but added she was not sure to what extent the show is based specifically on the FLDS sect.

The answer: Well, ''Big Love's'' Juniper Creek is definitely a dramatized version of Short Creek -- the old name of the twin towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz.

The woman said she reads the newspaper every day and had read ''basically everything published'' about the Jeffs' case.

She also said she'd seen an old movie about Short Creek, which was probably the 1981 film ''Child Bride of Short Creek.'' Diane Lane and Helen Hunt starred in the film.

She'd seen the Dr. Phil show on Fawn Broadbent and Fawn Holm, who left the twin towns. ''I actually didn't think they got as much information as they could have,'' she said.

And she watches Court TV.

You could say she's plugged in.

Another woman, who lives in rural part of the county, said she doesn't have televison, radio or newspaper service. Yet, she still knew that wigs, cash and cell phones were found in the vehicle Jeffs was traveling in when arrested last summer.

One man said he lives near the court and has seen the media "circus" outside during previous hearings. He's read some reports about the case but doesn't pay much attention to media because he's busy with his young family.

Another young man, today's typical media consumer, said he didn't pay "all that much attention to news."

From a young woman: "I usually skip over the articles because it usualy says the same thing, over and over again."

Yep, that's us, the media telling the same old stories over and over again.

Which may be why another woman said, ''I'd rather read other things.'' She had watched Larry King Live a time or two, including his reports on the Jeffs' case. ''I think he's just a conduit for what people want to put out there,'' she said, ''and some of those things are pretty outlandish.''

One fellow said he was too busy his family and home chores to keep up with the news, but he had paid attention to the recent stories about how to interpret the ''amen'' Jeffs uttered at the end of a talk another FLDS member gave on the state's efforts to curtail FLDS marriage practices.

The story, he remembered, looked at whether Jeffs' "amen" was legal and binding, and ''I thought that was an interesting question."

But he feels the media only get half of the story most of the time.

It's been a nice, little reality check.

Labels: Warren Jeffs

A familiar face was in Judge Shumate's courtroom for the Warren Jeffs hearing last Friday: Lynn Packer.

Packer is working as a technical assistant for Jeffs' defense team and was in court to set up a computer projection system and speakers. There was a question, apparently, about the defense's opening statement and they were prepared to show it to Shumate if needed.

Alas, we didn't get a preview.

During the early 1990s, Packer worked as an investigative reporter and wrote a number of stories for City Weekly, an alternative newspaper, about former Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini and her involvement in the Bonneville Pacific saga.

Labels: Warren Jeffs

The court released the list of potential witnesses in the trial of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs on Friday and it was an eye-opener.

The state has listed 18 potential witnesses.

The defense has listed 70 people. Yes, 70!

Of course, just because a person is listed as a witness doesn't mean he or she will be called to testify.

The state's list includes Jane Doe, two sisters, her father, a brother, Jethro Barlow, Richard Holm, Sam Barlow (I have no idea which one, since there are several) and Susie Barlow. Also:

Maureen Crump, former case manager for Utah's Safe Passage program, which aids people leaving closed communities. Among its beneficiaries: Jane Doe.

Ron Gordon, director of the Utah Office of Crime Victim Reparations, which also gave Jane Doe assistance.

Carolyn Jessop, a former plural wife who left the FLDS community in 2003. She has written a book about her experiences, which is set to debut in October.

Joseph Jessop, Sr., brother of late FLDS bishop Fred Jessop. Jane Doe, along with her mother and siblings, was placed with Fred Jessop after her father was exiled from the faith because of abusive behavior. Joseph Jessop Sr. also is the father of anti-polygamy activist Flora Jessop.

Scott Schons, an FBI agent.

Eddie Dutchover, the Nevada Highway Patrol trooper who stopped the Cadillac Escalade Jeffs was traveling in on Aug. 28, 2006, leading to his arrest.


The defense list includes 22 Barlows, 13 Jessops and various Bistlines, Blackmores, Holms and Pipkins, such as:

Kimball Barlow, a Colorado City councilman and former principal of the Colorado City public school. He resigned after Arizona authorities took over the school and, as I understand it, became administrator for the FLDS private school system.

Ruby Jessop Barlow, the younger sister of anti-polygamy activist Flora Jessop. Flora Jessop tried to "rescue" Ruby a few years, claiming she was being kept in the FLDS community against her will. Ruby met with investigators and refuted that. Of note: Ruby apparently was married on the same day as Jane Doe -- April 23, 2001.

Ezra Nielsen, who worked for a print shop that reproduced church talks and school lessons in FLDS newsletters, pamphlets and books.

Esther Shapley, whose daughter refused to testify in an Arizona case against Randy Barlow, leading to dismissal of charges of sexual conduct with a minor.

There also are several women who have been described to me as contemporaries of Jane Doe, including some that lived in Fred Jessop's home at the same time she did.

The trial will likely illustrate the deep family divisions within the FLDS community.

Take Jane Doe, upon whom the state's case is built. Her father, two sisters and a brother are testifying for the state. Her mother, a brother and a sister are testifying for the defense.

Jethro Barlow and Richard Holm, ex-FLDS members and former business leaders in the community, are on the state's witness list.

Some of their sons, daughters, siblings and, in Holm's case, ex-wives, are on the defense list.

Carolyn Jessop is on the state's list. One of her "other mothers" is on the defense list, as is one of her children, a stepchild and a sister.

Labels: Warren Jeffs

I have been busy getting ready for Warren Jeffs’ trial, which begins Friday with the first go-round of jury selection.

The national media are gearing up, too. I have heard from several outlets searching for a reporter willing to do nightly reviews of each day’s proceedings. I have passed along a couple names.

I expect to be busy enough with my own reporting.

Other fundamentalist Mormon groups are feeling the pressure, too.

Susie Timpson, a member of the Centennial Park Action Committee, told me her group did an interview last week with an Arizona television station.

Timpson is concerned about how the trial coverage might impact perceptions of her group.

Worse, she said, is the fact that some FLDS are blaming the Centennial Park community for Jeffs' arrest and the state takeover of the FLDS communal property trust.

''I think we are going to be under more scrutiny,'' Timpson said. ''People have a hard time disconnecting [the FLDS] from the other groups. It is hard to explain that we have nothing to do with them.''

One FLDS woman recently told three daughters who are part of Centennial Park that she can no longer have any contact with them.

''They are accusing us of having something to do with [Jeffs] being in prison and seeing to his arrest,'' Timpson said.

Anne Wilde, who co-founded Principle Voices, said she fears the trial will be ''one more sensational story that people are going to look at and say, 'Those darn polygamists. There they go again.'

''So many lump us together no matter how much we try to differentiate,'' she said. ''It is another sensational story that doesn't pertain to a lot of us.''

Labels: Centennial Park, Principle Voices, Warren Jeffs

Polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs has now spent a year and two days in jail. If all goes as planned, his trial will begin next week.

Here is what officials said after his arrest on Aug. 28, 2006.

"I think you're going to see a lot of changes within the FLDS community as far as their feelings about him, their fear of him, their loyalty to him. We're hoping that will start to crumble." -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff to The Salt Lake Tribune

"Now that he's in custody, he's away from those folks. I think you're going to see a lot of changes within the FLDS community as far as their fear of him, their loyalty to him. We're hoping that loyalty that will start to crumble, and that other witnesses will come forward with (information about) other potential crimes." -- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff to Fox 13

"I think it is the beginning of the end of ... the tyrannical rule of a small group of people over the practically 10,000 followers of the FLDS sect. That, I think, is the important part of this story." -- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard to radio station KTAR in Phoenix.

"Many have lived in fear of this man, this tyrant, who basically threatened them both here and in the hereafter with damnation, with penalty, if they were to stand up against him. I believe by this action it is going to be much easier for these women, especially, who have been victimized by Jeffs and his associates to be able to step forward and testify." -- Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard to KVOA in Arizona.

Labels: Warren Jeffs

Warren Jeffs' trial will kick off in nine days, with jury selection. When the trial gets underway, Jeffs' sermons and lessons (remember, he was the principal at Alta Academy, an FLDS school) will be sliced and diced by attorneys on both sides of the case.

What sorts of lessons might be scrutinized? Here is an example.


Warren Jeffs gave this lesson, obtained by The Salt Lake Tribune, to the Alta Academy home economics class on March 13, 1998. At the time he was the school's principal and first counselor in the FLDS church.

It was titled, "Specific Duties and Counsel to the Mothers; How to Become One with Your Priesthood Head; A Woman Never Has the Right to Correct A Sister-Wife."

As in many of his lessons, Jeffs quotes the Bible, early leaders of the mainstream LDS Church, FLDS prophets and their teachings. In this lesson, he tells the young women they are to submit to their husbands, to not fight with sister wives and that husbands are never to use force or act unkindly. Here is the talk:

I desire Heavenly Father's spirit to be with me to bring to your minds the real purposes of life and the goals of priesthood marriage. To begin with, I would like to present to your minds how it should be.

The goal of the Priesthood way of life is oneness, oneness, part of an eternal order that will never end.

And being part of an eternal order and blessings, you will never come to an end, but always dwell in that happiness and peace.

The Lord on purpose has sent us into this world to meet the two opposite powers, and we must choose. And I testify to you young ladies the right, the eternal way, is Priesthood. If Priesthood is not involved in something, we should not want it.

The holy Priesthood is the eternal power where God himself places his nature into a man. The women do not bear the holy Priesthood, but they have the power of that Priesthood in them through their husbands or their father if they are unmarried.
And when you are sealed to a man, you become part of him. I emphasize, ''part of him.'' You don't become all of him, but part of him.

The woman who wants to be everything, will seek to rule over her husband. And it's our job, each one, to find our place in this oneness as part of the work of God.

In this world today there are great battles between men and women and their rights.

So I remind you of what the Prophet said: ''It takes a man and a woman to make a man. It takes a man and many women to make a man.'' And the only real way to be a woman and fulfill your calling as a woman is to be in oneness with the Priesthood bearer you will become part of.

The truth of oneness is, ''If you are not for me, you are against me. If you are not with me, you will scatter abroad.''

Today, you are taught to resist every temptation, you are taught to withdraw from every male with an improper connection. You are being raised up as though there is a natural resistance, the bars are up. When you enter into the Celestial Law, you will still keep all those bars up, all that resistance to all male people except the one man you are given to.

And that one man, your husband, you must do just the opposite with. You don't keep the bars up toward him. But you give your will, you confide in him, your all centers in him.

You wake up each day yearning to please him. You rejoice in his will towards you. You pray for him, you seek his counsel. In your life there's no secrets you keep from him, but you keep his secrets. You keep sacred your relationship with him, and all this as a oneness with your Priesthood head.

We have had you read and study the duties of the father. His first loyalty is to Priesthood and to the Prophet. And because he loves God and the Prophet, he is able to love you and lead you right.

For the woman, her desires shall be to her husband and he shall rule over her. Brigham Young in this quote describes 'The very nature of women is their desires shall be to their husband. But the part they must accomplish to perfect their lives is to completely submit, where he shall rule over you.'

I remind you that Priesthood government is persuasion through love. It is not force.

The father, the husband, his duty is to persuade through love. Chastening is part of love, and even that is done in kindness. And so you ladies, to fulfill that command of the great Jehovah that, ''Your desires shall be to your husband and he shall rule over you,'' it requires you willingly submit.

Don't hang back waiting for your husband to come gather you up and tell every little thing you should do. And it requires you to watch him, listen to him, ask the right questions. And when you are not right there by him, seek inspiration, ask that Heavenly Father's spirit will guide you to do the will of your head.

If you are not part of this oneness, you will one day be shut out. Those who go to the Celestial Kingdom are one, filled with the same spirit. Their desires go the same direction. All selfishness is sacrificed and overcome.

I say again, it is with some experience I have had and watching so many people. I know what you are going through right now, to the degree where you put a resistance up toward so many people. But with your husband, there can't be the resistance.

You have the special gift, you young ladies, of the desires of your heart, and you have your agency — you can choose where you center those desires. But heartstrings bind fast. When you start tying your heart to something, it would be hard to remove those heartstrings. You have reserved yourself for the prophet's appointment.

You have kept away from men and boys. You are anxious to do it the Lord's way. And when the prophet appoints, something will happen inside of you.

Those heartstrings, just like real strings, reach out and start tying to that Priesthood bearer you will be given to. But you have a lot of heartstrings, a lot of desires, a lot in a living person and many ways of life. And every way of life, you must tie your heart to your Priesthood head.

We are to have faith on the Lord Jesus Christ as our great strength, and we tie our heartstrings to a Priesthood bearer only as far as he obeys God. And so, the part of that commandment that he shall rule over you has a condition. That condition is: The woman obeys the man only as far as the man obeys the prophet.

But how can you tell? You must read and study the Gospel. You must have a testimony of your own and seek to be guided by that same spirit of God your husband should have.

Now what if you detect that he might have a weakness? Maybe you have come from a good father, and perhaps you would be given to an inexperienced man or a man who has great weaknesses, or you think so. What should you do?

For sure, if a woman rules over the man, both will lose the spirit of God. If a man only does good because you tell him, both of you don't have the spirit of God, you both lose. Pray for him, seek his counsel in faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, our Heavenly Father. When you approach your husband, always do it with a prayer in your heart, asking the Lord to guide you through that Priesthood bearer. Revelation comes through Priesthood, through proper authority. And what do many people do?

They run to their friends or someone they think can give them counsel. You run anywhere else besides your Priesthood head, you could run into trouble. There have been instances where the Prophet says, ''You can go counsel with that person. They'll teach you like I do.''

But when you get married and you keep running back to your old girlfriends for counsel, confide in them the secrets of your marriage and your intimacy, you are going to run into trouble. That's a separation. That's not becoming one with your head.

These quotes at the first of the chapter gave a lot of warnings. It even says a woman who is rebellious and tries to rule over her husband will remove herself out of this work.

I am approaching this lesson toward the path of success, not just the warning of failure. And the success is to give yourself to your husband -- mind, body, soul, with a living faith in God that the Lord will guide him right in teaching you and training you.

The bond in marriage is the spirit of God. If it's just a physical bond, you won't be very close. The closeness is a oneness of spirit, both keeping sweet, both obedient. If this is true between you and your husband, then, as the prophet Brigham Young said, a mother or wife who has the spirit of God will never intrude on the rights of her husband. She will never go beyond her bounds and try to rule over him. Don't try to step out ahead, say the Prophets.

In my relationship with our prophet, I find I must be very, very careful. When I go to him, give a report, I must be very careful that I am not seeking to dictate, and thus him become offended at me. Before I ever approach him, before I enter his office to talk to him, I always must have a prayer going.

''Heavenly Father, I want to do right, guide me through your Prophet.'' And then if I have the same spirit upon me that he has, I will recognize what he is thinking, I will feel it. Sometimes he will say, ''What is happening here or there?'''and I must be careful. I must, through love, give a report. But I must approach my head always with the attitude, ''Thy will be done. I am ready to be corrected and taught and trained,'' or else I am not in oneness with him.

One of the pitfalls in the home that some women fall into is the thought that, ''Oh, my dear husband just doesn't see everything like I do. My dear husband just doesn't see what so and so is doing and what they are saying and what they are feeling.''

And then the wife is tempted to step out and criticize here, complain there, try to set the house in order, even sister wives. So set it down, ladies. Mark it in your heart that it never be erased. A sister wife never has the right and authority to correct another sister wife.

And I mean through criticism, complaining, through fighting and anger, you never have that right. You are wrong if you fight. You’re wrong. The only right you have is to love one another, and, through your obedience, be an example for your sister wives, reacting in kindness and peace if they’re not sweet.

That is how you will help them keep sweet better than all your fighting and criticism. And I want you to remember, when you step out to criticize or set in order a sister wife, you are seeking to rise above your husband, and you are not one with him.

If he hasn't chosen to correct that other woman, and you step out to do it ahead of him, you are seeking to rule over your husband.

So when the prophets say, ''Beware. Don't try to dictate your husband,'' you must realize it could happen in any area of life where you haven't on purpose sought to become one with him. And oneness means submission, ''Thy will be done.'' It's a living faith in God that He will lead you through your Priesthood head, your husband.

Seek out this oneness early in your marriage. Don't withdraw. Don't rely on your girlhood friends to guide you in your marriage, but rely on Heavenly Father and that He speaks through Priesthood.

The next part of your reading was concerning women turning their children to the father and your duty toward the children. I would like us to memorize page 286, an assignment for next Friday where the teacher will start you off with this quote and you will make it part of you.

This is ''A Woman's Relations With Her Sister Wives.'' It starts in the middle of a sentence. The bolded part is what I want you to memorize.
''. . . If you women who are living in the Celestial order will work with yourselves until you can embrace one another every morning and before you go to bed at night, and have that feeling of love toward one another as you have for your child, that is the kind of love the Lord requires. (Leroy S. Johnson, May 15, 1966)''

You can memorize more if you want. He talks to the men next.

''That is the kind of love required between men. They should be able to meet and embrace one another with that holy embrace the Lord requires -- brother to brother. Then we can begin to become that people the Lord requires for the establishment of His work. Remember that Zion cannot be redeemed only upon the principles of the Celestial Kingdom.''

The great work of turning your children to the father is done by you turning your heart to your husband and becoming one with him. All day long a woman can say to her child, ''You obey, you obey, you obey,'' but the child will always do as you do. They won't always do as you say, but they will do as you do.

The great ability of a woman to turn her children to the father is to have her heart first turned to the father or husband. And the way a woman does that is her all is centered in him. The children coming forth through the mother and always being around the mother, it has a natural love for its mother, will mimic and copy, it will have the emotions, movements, talk like you, so many ways be like you. And you have the power of God to turn that child any way you want.

And so a woman must be careful that her heart is right, her example is turning those children toward the father. One of the most destructive things in a child's life is to hear the mother voice a complaint against the father. You even say a complaint, you could plant a doubt, a fear in that child to make it not want to obey.

Your next reading is Brigham Young's ''Responsibility of Mothers.'' . . . Your first quote here is the famous -- I call it ''famous'' because of how often it is read . . . This is one that President Jeffs reads so often. It is recorded in his sermons.

True womanhood is attained through Priesthood. Motherhood, womanhood, is glorified, honored and blesses others through Priesthood. All your connection with other women should be through Priesthood, through your head. All your conversations with other women should be to please your head. Your secrets, the desires of your heart, should be centered in him. And that takes some doing.

It requires you to abide the law of sacrifice,''They will be done,'' in all things. If there is any area of your life that you don't do that, the tests of life will be such that you will eventually have to do it if you want to go with your Priesthood head to the Celestial world.

Well, I know I am planting thoughts in your minds where you are not having to apply it yet. Your marriage is yet ahead of you. But I hope these words of the prophets will be in you so that when you need it, the spirit of God will remind you these truths. My effort on these Fridays is to just summarize the training.

Ladies, this has to be in you, not just in the book, and that is the effort we are putting forth here.

Labels: Alta Academy, Warren Jeffs

Here are the details of the extortion plot in the Rodney Holm case.

This information comes from court documents filed in May in Mohave County Superior Court.

Travis Holm called Willie Jessop, a high-ranking member of the FLDS community, last Dec. 13 and said he wanted to discuss the possible sale of a piece of property.

Jessop agreed to meet with Holm later that evening at the Apple Valley Chevron station.

Holm brought along Rocky Stubbs, Ruth Stubbs' brother. Holm laid out a map and pointed out the parcel he was selling. Jessop recognized it as a parcel with a ''clouded'' title that had been for sale earlier in the year for $180,000.

Jessop asked what they wanted for the land.

''To Willie Jessop's surprise, the men indicated they not only had the land, but a notarized affidavit signed by Ruth Stubbs, in which she avowed she would not testify against Warren Jeffs or Rodney Holm if the land sold for a price of $580,000.

''The men further explained that they had been told that Willie Jessop would do anything to help Warren Jeffs and Rodney Holm and as a consequence, Ruth Stubbs' willingness to take money instead of testifying would be a good deal for everyone.''

The document then goes on:

''Willie Jessop was not pleased. He was disgusted and incensed. He indicated he would not do business that way. That he was not interested in such an enormous blackmail job, and that if they ever had a legitimate offer, without ulterior motive, that they could call him.''

The meeting lasted an hour.

Rocky Stubbs called Jessop the next day with the same offer and again on Dec. 27. That conversation was taped.

During it, Rocky Stubbs said he had torn up Ruth's affidavit. He acknowledged that the offer constituted blackmail.

Jessop, on advice of his attorney, later referred the matter to the FBI and the FBI turned it over to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Mohave County filed a document in June acknowledging Ruth Stubbs had signed a paper, as requested by her brother, agreeing to not testify against Jeffs without initially knowing how it would be used.

When Rocky Stubbs and Travis Holm told Ruth how they planned to use the affidavit she signed, she told them "that they were stupid and that nobody would do that.''

''Ruth has stated that . . . her statement only involved Warren Jeffs and did not mention the name of Rodney Holm.''

''Ruth would also testify that she was not going to get any money and was not promised any money by Rocky Stubbs or Travis Holm for writing the statement. She would testify that she thought this was funny and that it had no chance of succeeding. She also indicated that when she wrote this statement she knew that she would be subpoenaed to testify and would have to testify in the case against Warren Jeffs, and never intended on not testifying against Warren Jeffs.''

So there you have it. Wow.

Labels: Rodney Holm, Warren Jeffs

There is an interesting development in the Rodney Holm case today.

Holm, a former Hildale police officer, was supposed to go trial next week in Arizona on three counts of sexual conduct with a minor based on his 1998 spiritual marriage to Ruth Stubbs, who was then 16.

But Arizona authorities have dismissed the case against him because of an extortion plot involving Stubbs.

Stubbs apparently offered to refuse to testify against Holm if an FLDS member paid her brother and another man "excessive money."

She apparently made the offer in a letter to an unnamed FLDS leader.

A description of the letter in a statement released by the Mohave County Attorney's Office is curious. It says Stubbs offer involved "certain defendants."

Stubbs also was going to testify in Arizona's cases against Warren S. Jeffs.

Labels: FLDS, Rodney Holm, Warren Jeffs

On July 12, Arizona authorities issued new charges against polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs based on two underage marriages he conducted.

The new charges are for sexual conduct with a minor and being an accomplice to incest.

The indictments did not name the two victims, which is standard. But they did not name the two men who performed the acts either, which is unusual.

A comment made during a Utah court hearing, though, shed light on one of the new cases.

One case involves Jane Doe, the key witness in the criminal case against Jeffs in Utah.

The comment came during an Aug. 14 hearing in the Wendell Musser-Vivian Barlow custody battle.

Walter Bugden, one of Warren Jeffs' attorneys, argued that attempts to re-interview his client about the custody fight had the larger goal of seeking information that could be used in various criminal cases filed against Jeffs.

And then he made this point: The case against Jeffs in Utah has now been filed in Arizona "with the same victims."

Afterwards, Bugden refused to comment on the statement.

Neither would Gary Engles, the Mohave County Investigator who has done the legwork on the Arizona cases.

They didn't need to. There was enough said in open court to connect at least one dot.

Labels: Arizona, Warren Jeffs

At Monday's hearing, a large group of Warren Jeffs' supporters showed up.

Merilyn Jeffs, his mother, was there. So was a young man who may have been one of his sons.

The FLDS filed into spectator's row in the courtroom. They seemed to keep their glances and nods at Jeffs to a minimum. Except for one guy.

At one point, a female bailiff walked over to the spectator's section right about where I was sitting. She leaned over me and whispered to the man directly behind me that there was to be no "smirking" at the defendant.

She quickly changed that to "smiling." Either way, he got the message.

Something similar happened at a July hearing. A bailiff announced after a break that if anyone attempted to talk or communicate with Jeffs he or she would be escorted out of the courtroom.

The bailiff later told me that is standard protocol for defendants. Neither they nor their supporters or family are to talk or communicate in any fashion. No batting of the eyes. No smiles. No head nods.

That message got through to most of those at the last hearing. Many supporters didn't appear to even look at Jeffs.

Except, apparently, for Mr. X.

Labels: trial, Warren Jeffs

In 2002, Sam Barlow, a former Colorado City town marshal, spoke in an FLDS church meeting about the coming court battle with Utah and Arizona authorities over marriage practices.

The talk was taped so it could be shared and listened to repeatedly by faithful FLDS members. I listened to a tape of the talk and posted a transcript of it here on my blog on April 4, 2006, and April 5, 2006. You can find it in the April 2006 archives.

The marriage battle sermon, as I will call it, may be a key piece of evidence in the case against FLDS leader Warren S. Jeffs.

During a court hearing today, 5th District Judge James L. Shumate asked ex-FLDS member Richard Holm whether Jeffs "ratified" Barlow's remarks. That is, did Jeffs second or indicate his agreement with what Barlow said?

Holm, who was in court so Shumate could decide whether his testimony was relevant to the case, said that after Barlow spoke Jeffs and everyone else said, "Amen."

"The Amens were loud and ranged through the congregation,'' Holm said.

But, Shumate wondered, does ''Amen'' meet the legal definition of ratifying someone else's comments? He asked the attorneys to brief him on that issue.

Defense Attorney Wally Bugden asked Holm whether saying ''Amen'' was akin to saying ''Thank you."

''Yes, it was a very common thing to say Amen,'' Holm said.

So we may be seeing a first: A legal debate on the definition of Amen and whether saying Amen at the end of a church address means ''Thank You'' or ''Yes, I agree with everything you just said.''

In this instance, the preamble may be as noteworthy as the closing. Before Sam Barlow got up to speak, Warren Jeffs introduced him. Here is what Jeffs said:

''Our prophet and the Celestial Law, the principle of revelation, are under attack. There is a combined effort in the state of Utah and the state of Arizona to come against our prophet and this people, trying to stop the work of God. I call on Brother Sam Barlow to give this report and any instructions he feels impressed to get.''

Labels: FLDS, marriage, Sam Barlow, Warren Jeffs

A long time ago, I picked up a book off the discard pile here at The Salt Lake Tribune. Dozens of books arrive here at the paper every day and only a handful get reviewed. ''Death in a Fishpond,'' the true story of the 1994 murder of flight attendant Pamela Mead," got lucky.

Tribune reporter Stephen Hunt, who covers courts, reviewed the book when it came out in 1995. The story was written by local prosecutor Howard Lemcke, who works for the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Hunt described the book as written in an easy-going, readable style. I find Lemcke's writing bumpy, rough. But I am sticking with it, trying to get one more book off my to-read pile.

I was in for a suprise in chapter 7.

Turns out Walter Bugden defended David Mead, Pam's husband, in a civil suit brought by her family after he attempted to collect on a $500,000 life insurance policy. Bugden got a win in the first round of the civil trial -- a hung jury. David Mead had a different attorney in his criminal trial, where he was found guilty of causing his wife's death.

Here is what Lemcke had to say about Bugden:

''Wally Bugden, a private practitioner with a reputation for both substance and eccentricity -- he always wears mismatched socks -- came on board. Tall and gangly, he likes to stand so close that I have to look up into his broom straw moustache. On first impression Wally can be a bit much and tends to come off as loud and in-your-face, but if you hang around long enough you will discover his sense of humor, humanity, well-concealed kindness and charm. . . . "

And a few pages later there is this: ''Wally saw that Jill [Candland, of the Salt Lake City Police Department] and I were there and made a point of declaring, rather than asking, while shaking his head, that we couldn't possibly be considering filing criminal charges. As the moving party in this hearing, Wally laid out the facts he felt arose from discovery and, with an edge of frustration and indignation in his voice, told the court there was just no way this evidence even facially supported the contention that David killed the wife he loved. . . ''

Federal magistrate Dee Benson disagreed and sent the case to a jury trial, where Bugden found success.

Labels: Walter Bugden, Warren Jeffs

A month or so ago, Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate ordered the release of redacted copies of the petition seeking a mental health evaluation of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs.

What got blacked out?

Paragraph 2 tells us Jeffs had lost about 30 pounds and was down to 130 lbs.

Paragraph 3 is whited out.

Paragraph 4 tells us Jeffs was "frail, feeble, gaunt and emaciated."

Paragraph 5 states Jeffs appeared "detached, confused and unclear about everything transpiring in court."

Paragraph 6 is whited out.

Paragraphs 7 and 8 describe Jeffs nodding off in court.

Paragraph 9 and 10 are whited out.

Paragraph 11 states the defense team felt Jeffs had trouble standing during the April hearing.

Paragraphs 12, 13 and 14 are whited out.

Labels: Judge Shumate, Warren Jeffs

Writer Sanjiv Bhattacharya has been crisscrossing the state to meet with fundamentalist Mormons, many of whom have welcomed him into their folds with open arms as he gathers material for an upcoming book.

Last week, one plural wife stumbled over a blurb about Sanjiv's book on the Miss Snark blog (misssnark.blogspot.com), which focuses on the publishing world. It said:

NON-FICTION: GENERAL/OTHER
Journalist and filmmaker Sanjiv Bhattacharya's TO BE A GOD: A Journey into American Polygamy, a humorous and compelling study of America's definitions of faith through the stories and facts regarding abuse, incest, forced marriage, and religious fervor within Mormon Fundamentalism, to Hannah Morrill at Simon & Schuster, in a very nice deal, by Frank Weimann at the Literary Group International.

That description alarmed some of those who have met with Sanjiv and shared their stories. Didn't they read his newspaper piece on Warren Jeffs titled "The Man With 80 Wives?," later made into a small documentary? He is, after all, a writer who specializes in writing about celebrities. He has a certain tone and voice, which no doubt helped him land the book deal.

Labels: books, polygamy, Warren Jeffs

Attorneys for polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs want to keep the media and public out of a July 20 hearing, which they've asked for to discuss motions, evidence and documents they want sealed to avoid tainting a fair trial.

Fifth District Judge James L. Shumate will hear arguments on why that hearing should be closed on July 17.

Attorneys representing a media coalition that includes The Salt Lake Tribune have petitioned the court for a middle ground: Allow the attorneys -- and only them -- to review the closure motions to ensure there is a factual basis for sealing the material. It's the same process that has been followed in other high profile cases, according to a motion filed by attorneys Jeff Hunt and David Reymann.

The state is OK with the proposal, but Jeffs' attorneys have objected and even refused to allow the media attorneys to hear any closure arguments in the judge's chambers -- out of public view.

''In short, Defendant is asking the court to accept his asserted justification for closure of presumptively public court records and hearings without allowing the parties opposing closure to know the asserted facutal basis for closure, question it, and argue against it,'' states a motion filed in the case.

Labels: Judge Shumate, Warren Jeffs

Here is a fascinating story by AP writer Jennifer Dobner, which I am posting here in full since I don't think it will make the newspaper. . . .


Books of collected sermons, writings from polygamous sect leaders is rare find
By JENNIFER DOBNER
Associated Press Writer
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) It's a book collector's dream -- rifling through the shelves of a secondhand store with the hope of finding a valuable volume for a bargain basement price and stumbling onto a gold mine.
It happened January 31 to a St. George man, who plunked down $40 and took home eight books of sermons and writings from elders of the secretive, polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Adding interest to the find -- the books are inked in red with a property stamp from Purgatory Correctional Facility, which is the Washington County jail in Hurricane where FLDS church president Warren Jeffs is awaiting trial on charges of rape by accomplice.
The volumes are rare and likely worth much more than the St. George man paid, said booksellers who trade in early writings from leaders of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religion to which the FLDS church traces its roots.
''Those books are unbelievably scarce,'' said Tom Kimball, an American Fork collector and seller. ''They could be worth thousands. It's every Mormon book nerd’s fantasy.''
The FLDS live intensely private lives and shun most interaction with outsiders, including members of their own families who leave the faith. For decades members have lived in the remote twins towns of Hildale, Utah, and Colorado City, Ariz., dressing in 19th century-style clothes, rejecting the trappings of modernity and striving for perfect obedience to God.
Drawing on the early theology of the Mormon church, the sect continues to practice polygamy, believing that plural marriage brings exaltation in heaven. They consider church president Jeffs a prophet who communicates with God.
While some fundamentalist works are available, the ''cultish'' nature of the various polygamous clans usually means printed materials circulate only internally, said Ken Sanders, owner of a rare books store in Salt Lake City.
A check of Utah's college and university libraries found that while some had copies of fundamentalist books, magazines and pamphlets published in the early 20th century by Joseph Musser and Ogden Kraut, none knew of, or had seen, any collected works from the FLDS.
Brigham Young University, which is owned by the Mormon church, had a few books about FLDS elders in its library archives, but only a single FLDS-written manuscript, curator John Murphy said.
''It's very, very rare,'' said Stan Larson, curator of manuscripts at the University of Utah's Marriott Library. ''We would be very glad to have them.''
The volumes were produced between 1994 and 2006 by the Twin City Courier Press, of Hildale, a company owned and operated by a member of the fundamentalist church.
Each of the 8-by-11 books is hard-bound in a black cover with its title printed in gold leaf. Depending on the volume, publishing credits are either awarded to Jeffs or his predecessor and father, Rulon Jeffs.
Six of the books are the collected sermons of former FLDS President Leroy S. Johnson, who led the fundamentalist church from 1955 until his death at age 98 on Nov. 25, 1986. The sermons begin in 1950 and each reflects the occasion or location where it was delivered, including the southern Utah communities originally called Short Creek, Salt Lake City and a small FLDS enclave in Canada.
Some of the writings appear to be from Johnson's own hand, imparting his personal stories, reflections or anecdotes. Others draw primarily on scriptural references from either the Bible or the Book of Mormon, citing sermons or speeches from early leaders including Joseph Smith, Brigham Young and John Taylor.
Two of the books are collections of ''Zion's Light Shining,'' a monthly FLDS newsletter that originated with Rulon Jeffs, who assumed leadership of the church in the 1980s. The newsletters, each about 40 pages, date back to February 1999 and contain similar material, along with writings from various FLDS elders.
''With Every Breath, Keep Sweet, No Matter What'' and ''Perfect Obedience Produces Perfect Faith,'' the newsletter masthead reads, reinforcing two deeply touted FLDS philosophies.
Ben Bistline, a former FLDS church member and a historian who has written two books about the FLDS, said the volumes are likely reprints of books first published about 1980. Then the collected works of Johnson were churned out in paperback for church members' personal use.
''But you had to get permission of the prophet to buy one,'' recalled Bistline, of Cane Beds, Ariz. ''They published the books to promote polygamy and their way of thinking.''
Bistline questions whether the volumes are a complete record. If memory serves, he said, FLDS leaders selected the teachings they thought would be most useful to members.
Although some of the writings tout the practice of plural marriage and others warn of government persecution from the states of Utah and Arizona, there's not much fire and brimstone, nor fodder for a sex-driven episode of the HBO TV series about a polygamous family, ''Big Love.''
The St. George collector, a fundamentalist who asked that his name not be published to protect his privacy, said he bought the volumes because of his interest in early Mormonism and fundamentalist beliefs. He told The Associated Press he had no immediate interest in selling or donating the books.
''An interesting find for me,'' he wrote in an e-mail about the books.
It's unclear when or how the books made their way to the jail, said Washington County sheriff's Lt. Jake Adams said.
Jeffs, 51, is charged with two felony counts of rape as an accomplice for having forced a religious marriage between a 14-year-old follower and her 19-year-old cousin in 2001. He's been at the jail since September 2006.
The jail accepts book donations from publishers, businesses, libraries and individuals, but there is no record of receiving the books or when they might have been sent to the Mormon church-owned Deseret Industries thrift store.
''I'm not surprised we have FLDS literature,'' said Adams, adding that the jail often has inmates with ties to the FLDS communities. ''I am surprised that we would get rid of them.''
It's unlikely the decision was tied to the incarceration of Jeffs, Adams said.
The books are hardbacks and the jail only allows softcover volumes, because a soft book can't be used as a weapon, he said.
Kimball hopes the books eventually end up in the rare books collection of an Utah library for research use by historians.
''It's really where they belong,'' Kimball said.

Labels: FLDS, Leroy S. Johnson, Rulon Jeffs, Warren Jeffs

The July issue of ''Glamour'' magazine includes a very interesting first-person story by a woman raised in the FLDS community. Kathy Jo Nicholson describes attending Alta Academy, where Warren Jeffs served as principal, and the troubles that began when boys noticed her.

The story includes numerous pictures of Kathy Jo, including one of her holding the wedding gown she began to sew at age 14, and a photo of her wedding to an outsider that was attended by her three mothers.

Check it out.

Labels: Alta Academy, FLDS, Warren Jeffs

As Bill Hendrickson might say, ''Good Lord! It's back!''

HBO's ''Big Love'' show kicked off its second season last night, picking up with Barb having a meltdown after being tossed out of the Beehive Mother of the Year awards banquet.

The first episode of the fictional show, about a polygamous family in Utah, wove plenty of real-life threads into the story line.

Among them:

A television playing in the background can be heard describing the third Safety Net Meeting held at the University of Utah. Yes, there is a Utah Safety Net Committee and it's second town hall forum was held at the University of Utah.

Another television report features a story about a fugitive polygamist sect leader wanted by the FBI. The anchor adds that the sect's UEP has been taken over by the state. Roman Grant, the shady leader of Juniper Creek, watches the piece and then comments, ''stupid, greedy pervets. They are going to ruin it for the rest of us.''

Well, the Warren Jeffs and FLDS saga finally makes an overt appearance in the show.

As for Roman's comment, I've heard much the same from many polygamists about Jeffs, head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Another television episode features a SWAT team search of a home in Cedar City, where the fugitive prophet is believed to be hiding.

That really happened, too. Last summer authorities swarmed a home in Cedar City after getting a tip that Jeffs might be there or have visited there.

But what was most interesting to me was the take on marriage that was showcased in this episode. I'll tackle that in the next post.

Labels: Big Love, FLDS, UEP, Warren Jeffs

That is what I caught on my two-week vacation. A one-pounder here, a one pounder there as I roamed the state's campgrounds, from Otter Creek to Yuba to Scofield and then Strawberry, where last week's wicked weather scared me out of my tent and into the lodge.

It was fun.

But just to show there is no escaping ''work,'' I saw a different FLDS family at Otter Creek on each of my three days there. They were doing the same thing I was: Enjoying the fine fishing and the beautiful setting along the edge of one of Utah's finest reservoirs. One little girl caught a big fish on my first day at Otter Creek. As she and her family headed to the fish cleaning station, they asked if they could measure it on my cooler. Sure, I said. It was a 17-incher.

So. Back to work, where there are bigger fish to fry, I suppose.

I just finished reading the amended decorum order Judge James L. Shumate issued while I was gone. Here's the new part:

''Any enhancement, publication, or dissemination of any document, conversation or writing at counsel table for either party that is not officially part of the record of the Court's proceedings is prohibited. There will be no disclosure by any member of the media of any conversations or writings at counsel table while the Court is in session. The media will respect attorney-client and attorney work product priviledges.''

Any media person who violates the order could be banned from court, Shumate said.

Okay, but what if someone happens to shout out in court? Or burst out in song, such as Brian David Mitchell has done from time to time, while seated at the counsel table. Can we report it?

Labels: FLDS, Warren Jeffs

Wendell Musser will be on Anderson Cooper tonight at 8 p.m. to talk about his search for his wife and son. So far, he's had no response from FLDS sect leader Warren Jeffs about his family's whereabouts.

If you have any information about Vivian or Levi, call the office of Roger Hoole, Wendell's attorney, at 801-277-1989. Hoole will pass information or contacts along to Wendell.

Labels: Warren Jeffs, Wendell Musser

Here is the text of a March 22 letter sent by Evan Johnson to Bruce R. Wisan, who is overseeing the property trust once run by Warren Jeffs and the FLDS church (I've edited it for spelling):

I am putting a labor lien of 20 million dollars on the UEP for labor I did for 57 years on the UEP and now I would like to be paid for that work, being the UEP is a sole proprietorship and not a church or not been seized by the state and if it has been seized then we don't owe any taxes on the land.

If I don't hear from you in at least five days, then I will file with the courts and let it go that way.

I have not got my one million either.

So send it.

Evan Johnson


One problem: Johnson forgot to include a return address or phone number.

Johnson and his wife have been at odds with Wisan after making a claim on a warehouse on the west side of Highway 59 in Hildale, where Laura Johnson formerly operated a wool business. Wisan sold the warehouse to Richard Holm.

Johnson then put a lien on a piece of UEP property in the area north of Hildale known as The Gap; he removed it after Wisan began court proceedings for filing a wrongful lien. At some point, Johnson asked Wisan for $1 million.

Now he apparently wants $20 million for his troubles and past contributions to the UEP.

''We're not taking him too seriously,'' said Jeff Shields, Wisan's attorney. ''I keep advising him that he needs counsel'' and can be held liable for filing wrongful liens.

Labels: Bruce Wisan, Jeff Shields, UEP, Warren Jeffs

For more than a year, I'd written stories that hinted at how Warren Jeffs might be traveling around and eluding capture. It was amazing to be able to hear a first-hand account from Wendell Musser, who spent months in hiding as a courier and caretaker for Jeffs' family.

You can access the story here: http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_577817

Wendell is just one of dozens of men who've been separated from their families. Only a few have stepped forward to fight for the right to be a father to their children. Actually, I am aware of only one: Richard Holm, a former polygamist who was kicked out in 2004 by Jeffs. Richard went to court to ensure he had visitation and some say in his children's upbringing.

Some men have been able to negotiate access to their children with their former wives, who remain in the FLDS community. But many more have walked away.

I am a little surprised by the reaction of some to the story about Wendell's marriage to Vivian. It was an appointed marriage, but Wendell describes it as a happy one. Perhaps Vivian has a different take; hopefully, some day I'll be able to report on the conclusion of their story. For now, Wendell has put the credibility of his version of their relationship on the line in a lawsuit and news report.

One reader wondered how happy Vivian might be when her husband took other wives. Many men in the FLDS community are monogamists. Some of those who have plural wives never had a say about the matter. And some, men and women alike, embrace the lifestyle.

What I know is Wendell, who has left the FLDS faith, wants a chance to reunite with and prove his love to one woman: Vivian.

One other tidbit from my interview with Wendell. Nine months have passed since Jeffs' arrest, but the fact he was wearing shorts when captured still surprises even former supporters.

While Jeffs wore regular clothes while in hiding, he apparently wore -- and stressed the importance of wearing -- sacred undergarments. Wendell asked me during our interview if Jeffs was wearing his garments under his shorts.

When I said no, that wasn't possible, he shook his head in amazement.

Labels: FLDS, marriage, Warren Jeffs, Wendell Musser

Last week, a media attorney representing The Salt Lake Tribune and other news outlets in Utah filed a petition asking 5th District Judge James L. Shumate to open a sealed petition and order issued in the Warren Jeffs case on April 3 -- or hold a hearing in open court to disclose why the matter warrants secrecy.

The sealed petition and order were filed about a week after a court hearing in which Jeffs appeared to have lost even more weight and clearly struggled to follow the court action.

Shumate's order says he is concerned about the effect granting the request to unseal the record might have on Jeffs' federal medical privacy rights.

The judge has now given the media's attorney, the defense team and prosecutors until May 11 to file briefs arguing their positions on opening the matter or keeping it closed, specifically directing the attorneys to address any medical privacy issues.

Labels: Judge Shumate, Warren Jeffs

A trip to St. George in the spring should be a sure bet for a big dose of warm, sunny weather. But no. It's soggy as can be. Bummer.

Tomorrow I'll be attending the daylong victim's rights conference at the Dixie Center, which will feature Livia Barden, an expert on authoritarian groups. In the evening I'll be covering the third Town Hall Meeting on polygamy.

The best part of the previous years' meetings were the public comments, so I am curious if as many people will turn out as in the past and what they might bring up.

The last meeting held in St. George drew representatives from Code Pink, a feminist activist group. Winston Blackmore of Canada brought a large group. There were LDS members and fundamentalists and the just plain curious.

But has the public interested waned at all, with Warren Jeffs in jail, the UEP Trust in state control, the prosecutions in Arizona, the Arizona takeover of the former Colorado City Unified School District? We'll see.

Labels: St. George, Town Hall Meeting, Warren Jeffs

The old cliche says that a picture is worth a thousand words.

In this case, a missing picture might be worth two thousand.

I ran into someone Friday night at Benchmark Books who told me he had recently been in Colorado City to visit an elderly relative. He noticed that the relative no longer had a photograph of Warren Jeffs prominently displayed on the wall in a position of honor, as is customary in FLDS homes.

That picture was gone. Instead, a photograph of Wendell Nielsen was in its place, with photos of William T. Jessop and Lyle Jeffs alongside it.

He didn't dare ask about it or what it might mean; he just drew his own conclusions.

Wendell has served as Warren's first counselor and would be next in line to take over leadership of the FLDS church. The other two men have long acted as high-ranking FLDS officials. The missing picture lends credence to the idea that there may have been a power shift within the church.

I had heard before that photographs of Warren were no longer hanging in many FLDS homes, but not from any one who had actually been inside a home.

What do you make of it? I am in St. George for a few days, and hope to check this out myself over the next few days.

Labels: Benchmark Books, Colorado City, Warren Jeffs

Attorney Brian Barnard, a civil rights and First Amendment champion, has written a letter to the Administrative Office of the Courts asking it to amend its rules to ban cameras from Utah courtrooms.

Barnard said that media have shown in the case of polygamous sect leader Warren S. Jeffs that "cameras can be and have been used to improperly read documents in the hands of litigants and counsel in a court room."

He included a copy of a Deseret Morning News story about the content of a note Jeffs held in court during a hearing March 27, which the sect leader appeared to want to share with Judge James L. Shumate. His lawyers now have the note and have refused to share its contents, describing it as privileged communication between them and their client.

Barnard agrees.

Judges, lawyers and litigants should be able to hold documents in a court room and not have them read by people on the other side of the room, Barnard said.

Labels: cameras, Warren Jeffs

Attorneys for FLDS leader Warren S. Jeffs have enlisted Alvin S. Barlow, the former superintendent of the Colorado City Unified School District, to help explain the history of the church and its leadership in a battle over items found with Jeffs when he was arrested last August.

Barlow's "declaration" filed in federal court is a remarkable document for several reasons. For one thing, he is the first FLDS member to be called on to help out the beleagured Jeffs. It also is remarkable to hear, at last, an active FLDS member's view of his religion.

I met several Barlow several years ago while working on a story about the school district, which was under fire from the Arizona Attorney General's Office because of alleged mismanagement. He stepped down from his post in 2005 after Arizona officials placed the district in receivership.

So ended Barlow's 40+ year career as an educator. Since then, he has disappeared into the FLDS fold, no doubt playing a role in the home- and family schools that the community now uses to educate children.

You can read his "declaration" here.

Labels: Alvin Barlow, FLDS, trial, Warren Jeffs

Warren Jeffs' appearance last Tuesday shocked most of those in the 5th District court room.

He was frail and emaciated, dozing frequently and drooling once. He hardly seemed able to walk, and appeared detached from what was going on around him.

Among those who were shocked: Some of his ardent supporters.

One man contacted me to see if the media reports were accurate.

"I look at him as a man who is being treated very poorly by people who should be treating him with a great deal of respect and by people whose goal is to destroy him," said the man, who asked to not be identified. He said he was asked to leave the FLDS community and "repent from a distance" a few years ago but still believes in "Uncle Warren."

"If they kill him he is a martyr. So the object is to destroy his crediblity or his influence with his people," said the man. "Those are the two things they want."

Said an FLDS woman: "I think he is mentally stable and just experiencing one of those downs we all feel occasionally where we just cannot think, we just would like a bubble to form around us and shut out the world for a while. He has been in solitary for how long? That has to rag on a person. However, I believe God still strengthens him. I think he will be alright."

There has been no date set yet for his trial on charges of being an accomplice to rape. The big question: Will he have the strength, physically and mentally, to endure a trial?

Labels: Warren Jeffs

Hildale resident Michelle Chatwin sent in this photo of a sign erected recently along the highway leading to the twin towns. My question: Who is P.T.B?

The options:
Barlow
Bateman
Bauer
Beagley
Beatty
Bistline
Black
Blackmore
Bradshaw
Broadbent
Brownfield
Burnham
Burrup

Labels: FLDS, Warren Jeffs

Attorneys for FLDS leader Warren Jeffs filed a motion last week asking for a change of venue. Attorney Wally Bugden said there was a marked difference in views of Jeffs' guilt between residents of Washingon County and Salt Lake County. He wants the trial moved to Salt Lake, where he thinks there is a better shot at a fair hearing.

The survey found that in Washington County, 52 percent of the 210 people surveyed believe Jeffs is "definitely guilty." Among 206 people questioned in Salt Lake County, only 39 percent held that view.

But throw in the "probably guilty" responses, and the results were virtually the same in both counties. In Washington County, 23 percent expressed that view; in Salt Lake County, 39 percent.

Add them together, and you get 75 percent in Washington County who think Jeffs is definitely or probably guilty and 78 percent in Salt Lake County who gave those answers.

Pollster Dan Jones, who conducted the survey for Jeffs' lawyers, said the 13 percent difference between residents of Washington and Salt Lake counties who consider Jeffs to be definitely guilty is statistically significant and what matters.

We'll learn what 5th District Judge James L. Shumate thinks about that math on March 27, when he holds a hearing on the defense team's motions.

Labels: FLDS, Warren Jeffs

I drove from St. George to Caliente, Nev., Tuesday afternoon to see where the marriages of Jane Doe and many other young FLDS girls took place.

I went the way they most likely did, traveling I-15 north, exiting in Cedar City at the junction with U-56 and then heading west.

U-56 is a long, straight and mostly desolate stretch of road -- the kind of road that tends to let my thoughts race.

As I drove, I kept recalling the stories told by Jane Doe and another woman, whom I call 'Mary,' in court documents. Jane Doe is the star witness against FLDS sect leader Warren S. Jeffs, whose preliminary hearing is set for Nov. 21.

Mary is the young woman who testified before the Mohave County Grand Jury, which brought sex crime charges against eight FLDS men.

Both of them say their marriages took place at the Caliente Hot Springs Motel, which the FLDS used as a destination wedding getaway between about 2000 and 2004. The motel was owned by Merrill Jessop, the FLDS' top guy at the FYZ Ranch in Eldorado, Texas.

Merrill Jessop apparently owned a number of motels in Utah and surrounding states, and the Caliente Hot Springs Motel wasn’t the only one used for weddings.

Carolyn Jessop, one of Merrill's wives who left the FLDS in 2003, told me she ran the motel for a year. She said the weddings scheduled there picked up after Utah and Arizona revised laws regarding marriages of minors.

I will write more about the motel in a future blog. Right now, I want to put you on the road.

U-56 is two lanes of asphalt heading west, rising and falling as the road cuts through sagebrush rangeland. In the distance are low hills. There are a few ranches scattered along the highway as you start out. They thin considerably by the time you reach the turnoff to Pinto.

At the Old Irontown Ruins, the homes are long gone. There is little to fix your eyes on except sage bushes and cedar trees.

So my thoughts are taken over by the stories of Jane Doe and Mary.

Mary told the grand jury her father came to her on March 27, 2002, and informed her she would be married the next day. She was 16.

To whom? Mary asked. Her father told her it was a 'Barlow' boy but couldn’t remember his first name. It turned out to be Randy Barlow, a 28-year-old man Mary had never seen, never met.

The next morning, Mary and her father, accompanied by six of his wives, made the trip from Colorado City, Ariz., to Caliente. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive, maybe more.

Mary does not describe the journey. I imagine her sandwiched in the car, the women chatting.

I imagine her stomach flutters as she wonders at what lies ahead and the speed with which her life is about to change.
The miles tick by and I wonder if she tried to conjure up a face to go with the little bit of information she had.

As I crest the summit, the fleeting snow turns to light rain and before long a valley spreads out ahead. I wonder if Mary, if Jane Doe, nodded off, dulled by the rythmic forward motion and the repetitive landscape. Perhaps she sat absorbed in thought, too nervous or excited or anxious or dismayed or overjoyed -- who knows? -- to do anything but stare unseeingly out the window.

Mary said she was scared when she heard she was going to be married, but figured 'whatever.' What was she thinking now, as the vehicle motored on through an unfamiliar landscape? Did she lay her head against one of the mothers’ laps? Ask questions about her new life? About the wedding itself?

Newcastle comes up fast, a Phillips 66 and it is gone.

There is nothing familiar here; nothing memorable except the long, straight stretch of asphalt.

Is it dark? Has morning dawned? Beryl Junction blips by and in that flash she might have spotted El Rancho Restaurant on the right, a Mexican-American restaurant that seems out of place here amongst the hay fields.

On the left a long line of trees stretches to the edge of a field, forming a windbreak between fields. Robert Holt's Farm, a sign points right.

Is she dozing or fixated on the yellow-dotted line and what waits ahead for her?

The road bumps up over train tracks at Modena, a whisper of a town with a few occupied homes, and if it is possible for a few miles the terrain turns even bleaker for a few miles.

A new set of low hills pile up in the distance. A semi passes me and then a car; otherwise, I am alone on the road.

The vegetation returns: sagebruch, mustard and cedars.

A sign says Panaca -- Pan-ak-a -- is 20 miles ahead; the stateline zips by and U-56 turns into Nevada State Road 319. From a distance, Panache, founded in 1864, looks like a decent sized burg. It's not.

Post office, elementary school, H&W video/Mini Mart and then it's gone, too.

Signs spread along a field proclaim the 'Best Panache Hay' at $8 a bale and even though I have absolutely no need for hay, I am tempted to buy one and stuff it in the trunk of the rented Taurus. Turn it into scarecrows, maybe. But I keep going.

I reach the T-intersection, where Nevada 319 meets 93. A mile up the road on my right is Cathedral Gorge State Park, which, I'm told, is a great spot for a picnic. The red rock buttresses look a little like home for those from southern Utah.

I turn left, toward Caliente, passing Janne's Fine Food, friendly service, though its obviously been years since meals were dished up there, and a 'Y Service' and Shell station.

The road winds a bit more, threading into a canyon. View lots are for sale at Wildhorse Mesa. Cattails appear along the roadside. It is picturesque, this section of road through what must be Meadow Valley, because here is Meadow Valley Pharmacy before I know it and Caliente is ahead.

There on the left, on a slight curve into town, I see the white buildings with green trim. Caliente Hot Springs Motel. 'World famous,' the sign says.

Labels: Caliente Hot Springs Motel, Jane Doe, Warren Jeffs