Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, 2008, Page 58
Irene‘s mother tried to discourage her daughter from entering into polygamy. But the
teenager, although powerfully attracted to a monogamous young man whom her mother
supported, opted instead to marry 23-year-old Verlan LeBaron, who was already married to
her half-sister Charlotte. Irene was attracted to Verlan and eager for the match.
The LeBarons claimed to be ―spiritual direct descendants‖ of Joseph Smith, giving the name
a certain cache, even though the family was also known for mental instability. Indeed,
Verlan was a brother of the notorious Ervil LeBaron, who eventually murdered, among
others, his brother Joel and Irene‘s uncle, Rulon Allred. Ervil‘s murderous career is described
in Jon Krakauer‘s Under the Banner of Heaven.
Not only because the marriage was polygamous, but also because Irene‘s mother would
have prevented it had she known, the ceremony was secret and surreptitious, achieved with
the connivance of her Uncle Rulon. Shortly thereafter, an eager, committed 16-year-old got
on the bus to Mexico in 1953, where the LeBarons had started a colony, and where she
would commence 28 years of hardship, bearing and raising 13 children in conditions of
physical and emotional deprivation that made her earlier life seem almost comfortable.
The author describes complexities of her polygamous life openly and frankly: the lack of
sexual and emotional intimacy the constant scrounging for food, clothing, and other
necessities the frequent moves within Mexico and elsewhere in search of economic
sustenance and the complex relationships—the jealousy, competition, but also friendship,
and support—among her husband‘s ever-increasing collection of wives. Verlan was not
physically abusive. It was the overwhelming string of broken promises, mainly about
relationships with other women, combined with the exhausting task of providing for her own
and, at times, other wives‘ children, that drove Irene to leave. The parting was prolonged: a
5-month stay with a sister‘s family, then an attempt at reconciliation that included a trip to
Europe (and where did Verlan get the money for that?), and 3 years ―out in the world,‖
followed by another year back with the group in Mexico. The story ends with Verlan‘s
untimely death in an automobile accident. The reader is left without details about Irene‘s
final transition to the outside.
Irene Spencer‘s experience, grim as it was, pales beside the outright tyranny the two
younger authors endured. Carolyn Blackmore Jessop, author of Escape, was born a
generation later, in 1968, and, except for one early year in Salt Lake City, raised in the
Hildale-Colorado City enclave that straddles the border between Utah and Arizona. While
Carolyn‘s parents were descended from a long line of polygamists, they were monogamous
for much of her early childhood. Although she was favored by her often-absent father,
Carolyn describes frequent spankings and beatings by her severely depressed mother, given
in the name of love, and viewed by the community as ―good discipline.‖ There were also
good things—quilting parties, games, and friends, and a powerful message from her
grandmother: FLDS members were of the elite few who, by practicing plural marriage, could
win their way into Heaven.
Supplementing this teaching were the children‘s own games that reflected the coming
apocalypse and the evil ways of all outsiders. Carolyn attended the local public school,
which was staffed and run by FLDS members as its own indoctrination center, and where
teachers employed physical violence (occasionally at sickening levels) against the students,
under supervision of a principal who was close to and protected by ―Uncle Roy‖ (Leroy
Johnson), the prophet.
When she was about 10 years old, Carolyn‘s father took a second wife, her cousin Rosie. A
nurse, Rosie was better educated than most FLDS women. She worked in a nearby town
and often took young Carolyn with her to take care of her infant daughter. Rosie‘s job
contrasted powerfully with the factory work of most FLDS members and Carolyn was
strongly impressed with the value of education.
Irene‘s mother tried to discourage her daughter from entering into polygamy. But the
teenager, although powerfully attracted to a monogamous young man whom her mother
supported, opted instead to marry 23-year-old Verlan LeBaron, who was already married to
her half-sister Charlotte. Irene was attracted to Verlan and eager for the match.
The LeBarons claimed to be ―spiritual direct descendants‖ of Joseph Smith, giving the name
a certain cache, even though the family was also known for mental instability. Indeed,
Verlan was a brother of the notorious Ervil LeBaron, who eventually murdered, among
others, his brother Joel and Irene‘s uncle, Rulon Allred. Ervil‘s murderous career is described
in Jon Krakauer‘s Under the Banner of Heaven.
Not only because the marriage was polygamous, but also because Irene‘s mother would
have prevented it had she known, the ceremony was secret and surreptitious, achieved with
the connivance of her Uncle Rulon. Shortly thereafter, an eager, committed 16-year-old got
on the bus to Mexico in 1953, where the LeBarons had started a colony, and where she
would commence 28 years of hardship, bearing and raising 13 children in conditions of
physical and emotional deprivation that made her earlier life seem almost comfortable.
The author describes complexities of her polygamous life openly and frankly: the lack of
sexual and emotional intimacy the constant scrounging for food, clothing, and other
necessities the frequent moves within Mexico and elsewhere in search of economic
sustenance and the complex relationships—the jealousy, competition, but also friendship,
and support—among her husband‘s ever-increasing collection of wives. Verlan was not
physically abusive. It was the overwhelming string of broken promises, mainly about
relationships with other women, combined with the exhausting task of providing for her own
and, at times, other wives‘ children, that drove Irene to leave. The parting was prolonged: a
5-month stay with a sister‘s family, then an attempt at reconciliation that included a trip to
Europe (and where did Verlan get the money for that?), and 3 years ―out in the world,‖
followed by another year back with the group in Mexico. The story ends with Verlan‘s
untimely death in an automobile accident. The reader is left without details about Irene‘s
final transition to the outside.
Irene Spencer‘s experience, grim as it was, pales beside the outright tyranny the two
younger authors endured. Carolyn Blackmore Jessop, author of Escape, was born a
generation later, in 1968, and, except for one early year in Salt Lake City, raised in the
Hildale-Colorado City enclave that straddles the border between Utah and Arizona. While
Carolyn‘s parents were descended from a long line of polygamists, they were monogamous
for much of her early childhood. Although she was favored by her often-absent father,
Carolyn describes frequent spankings and beatings by her severely depressed mother, given
in the name of love, and viewed by the community as ―good discipline.‖ There were also
good things—quilting parties, games, and friends, and a powerful message from her
grandmother: FLDS members were of the elite few who, by practicing plural marriage, could
win their way into Heaven.
Supplementing this teaching were the children‘s own games that reflected the coming
apocalypse and the evil ways of all outsiders. Carolyn attended the local public school,
which was staffed and run by FLDS members as its own indoctrination center, and where
teachers employed physical violence (occasionally at sickening levels) against the students,
under supervision of a principal who was close to and protected by ―Uncle Roy‖ (Leroy
Johnson), the prophet.
When she was about 10 years old, Carolyn‘s father took a second wife, her cousin Rosie. A
nurse, Rosie was better educated than most FLDS women. She worked in a nearby town
and often took young Carolyn with her to take care of her infant daughter. Rosie‘s job
contrasted powerfully with the factory work of most FLDS members and Carolyn was
strongly impressed with the value of education.
