Texas law enforcers' raid in April on the ranch owned by the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints and led by Warren Jeffs transfixed the nation, as young women, dressed in 19th century clothing and hairstyles to match, begged for return of the 419 children removed from the ranch and placed in protective custody.
In When Men Become Gods -- Mormon Polygamist Warren Jeffs, His Cult of Fear, And The Women Who Fought Back, writer Stephen Singular recounts how the sect came into being, how Warren Jeffs came to head it, and how investigators built a case for his arrest in 2007. The following brief excerpt gives a flavor of the tale:
"On January 30, 1998, Warren Jeffs spoke to a class of seventh and eighth grade females: 'A girl's emotions and feelings can be led by the wrong things if she's not careful. After all, who knows the spirit of revelation better -- you or the prophet?'
"Sometimes Jeffs demonstrated his teachings about female obedience and male leadership with cruelty. His first wife, Annette, had become Alta (Academy)'s home economics instructor, and one morning in front of boys and girls gathered in the meeting hall, Warren and his spouse were addressing the audience. he grabbed Annette's long braided hair, twisting it slowly around his hand, tightening his grip until she dropped to the floor, her face turning crimson and contorting in pain. She didn't make a sound or movement of protest. He let go and quietly left the room with no explanation to the students and no apology to his wife, who stood up, straightened her hair, and went back to teaching. She'd grasped well the concept of 'keeping sweet.'"
