Szogyényi to Francis, September 18, 1884
Count Szogyényi to Mr. Francis.
In reply to an inquiry by the Hon. Alphonso Taft, dated August 12, whether an account published by some American papers concerning measures taken by the Austrian authorities against proselytizing for the Mormons was founded on facts, the imperial-royal ministry of foreign affairs begs to communicate the following to the envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of the United States of America, Mr. J. M. Francis:
On the receipt of a note by Mr. Kasson, then envoy of the United States of America, dated September 3, 1879, the ministry of the interior, after consul ting the imperial-royal ministry for worship and instruction, directed the attention of all the heads of the provincial governments to the sending of Mormon agents to the different states of Europe, and called upon these authorities to keep a watchful eye upon them and to issue such orders to their subordinates as would suppress all possible recruiting for the Mormons by all lawful means.
In accordance with this order, the police at Prague arrested, in March of the present year, a Mormon agent named Thomas Biesinger, from Lehi, Utah Territory, in North America, because he had persuaded people to join the Mormons during his stay at Prague.
On Biesinger’s arrest, March 31, a number of Mormon books, pamphlets, and periodicals were found on him, as well as a diary written in English, which contained memoranda concerning his mission and its successes since he left Lehi, in October, 1883.
There was also found on him, and seized, a document showing Biesinger to have been appointed as chief agent of the Mormons for Austria.
On Biesinger’s trial, he was sentenced by the provincial court at Prague, on May 5, 1884, to one month’s imprisonment and a fine of five florins, for encouragement of a religious creed not sanctioned by the state.
The arrest and imprisonment of Thomas Biesinger, having at the time been commented upon by the newspapers, has probably given rise to a cable telegram to a New York newspaper touching the measures recently adopted by the imperial-royal authorities for the suppression of proselytizing for the Mormons.
The Imperial-Royal Government will not fail in future to watch all similar attempts to enlist recruits for the ranks of the Mormons, which constitute furthermore an infringement of the laws of the country, in that it is an organized method of inducing people to emigrate.
The undersigned avails, &c.,