The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-08-07
NUMBERING A MORMON.
How and Why Joseph Standing WINS Killed
by Gcorgians.

About 10 o'clock, Oh the 2lst July
there occurred near Ringgold, Ga, a
horlicide which is deeply regretted b,
the Community. The victim was Josepl
Standing, Mormon preacher and elder
About one week ago Standing and two
other MormOns came to Catoosa County
and went about proclaiming their doc
trincs and trying TO work up colony to
partakc of the wide freedom ana matri.
monial liberty which prevailed in Utah.
Tho men went down into Whitfield
! County, and tried thero to arouse an in.
terest in their religion. They met with
cold comfort all around there, and were
about giving up their project when tho
fatal affair took off ono of them. The
fact that these men were proclaiming the
doctrine of Marmonism boldly put the
men very much against them, and it was
proposed more than once TO take them
out, and after giving them n h aalthy les
oon to warn them not to lingcr in that de-
! lightful atmosphere. On the 2lst Stand
ing and one his companions were 90.
lug along the road when they were met
by dozen men. They stopped the Nor.
mons and told them they wanted to whip
them on the spot The Mormons tried
to argue the point, and in the consulta-
ton one of the party of regulators laid
down his pistol Quick rs thought
Standing lcaped forward and seized the
weapon. Cooking it he turned toward
the party and demanded that every man
surrender. Just as he said this one of
the party fred. The ball entered Stand.
ing's temple and he fell dead in the road.
His companion was not touched. Stand
ing's remains were carried to Ringgold
and given in charge of his Mormon
brother, who will carry them out 20 Salt
Lake City to be buried. T.o other
Mormons vii! leave at once. The Gov
ernor has been teleEraphed TO about the
matter.
The Atlanta Constitution, alluding TO
tie affair, says:
The dispatch that was published yes.
terday relative to the killing of the Nor
mon elder who was engaged in AL at
tempt to get up q colony for Salt Lake
City has history back of it. For sew
cral years the section of country adjacent
TO where this killing was done has been
infested with Mormon apostles that havo
spread their infamous doctrine right and
left. About two years ago two Of these
elders came into Floyd County and
spent some time about Floyd Springs
and in lower Chattooga. They were All
dacious and aggressive. and invaded
household after household for the pur-
pose of preaching their polygamic creed.
They made many converts, aud, it is said,
carried away q colony o! fifteen or tweu-
ty persons, many of them reputable and
well-to-do people. One man that we
happe: to know of made up his mind to
go, and determined to sell his farm.
His wife declared that she would 70
with him. They offered tho place at
81 1000 when it was clearly worth $4,000,
and sold, We believe, at even greater
sacrifice than this. 1t appears that a
sort of headquarters for these travelling
elders is established on or near Lookout
Mountain. Here they have a sort of
settlement, from whence the elders issue
for their tramps through the rural dis
tricts, to which all the converts, male
and female, are sent until crowd of
twenty or thirty is collected when they
are sent on to Salt Lake City. 1t is said
that several squads, amounting 10 several
hundred in ali, have been drained from
the Tennessee and North Georgia and
Carolina country within tho past six or
eight years. OF course the greatest in.
dignation has been felt by the country
people at the work of these men. Oar
ing, plausible and full of argument and
persuasion, they undermined the most
stable characters and carried grief and
CONSERVATION into many household.
a sturdy farmer once said to us: II
would shoot man just as quick for talk
ing poiygamy 10 my wife or daughter as
would if he tried to seduce herV' This
feeling has been shared by many, and it
is really wonder that there has not
been trouble before. The arguments used
BY these apostles of Brigham have not
been, rs might be supposed, on the limo
of sensuality or lust. They have rather
been pleased to talk about tho fertile
valleys of Utah, the lavish fruits and the
luxurious crops, tho fine city Of Salt
Lake, in which every Mormon had part
ownership-in short, the pretty pastoral
life wherein the richest valley of earth,
with little work and peaceful and con.
tented life, was offered to all corners.
This picture won tho fancy of many q
poor farmer who had scratched for years
and could hardly keep body and soul to-
gether, and of many woman young and
old. Thero have been many threats
made against these itinerants, which
they have not tried to turn away by soft
answers. Inspired by sort of fanaticism,
they have been without personal fear,
and have been careless of threats or as.
sault. When they once set themselves
on possible convert, nothing could turn
them to one side until they had exhaus-
Ted ali persuation or mad made full
capture.
1t must not be understood, however,
that we have recited the above for the
purpose Of excusing the killing of Stand
ing in Catoosa County the other day. That
killing seems to have been almost with.
out excuse. The mob of ten or twelve
men had no righ: 20 halt these men for
the purpose of Whipping them, and it
was any real need of killing ono man
who had scratched up a pistol and ode.
manded the surrender" of twelve or iif-
teen armed men. lie could have been
disarmed without being shot through the
head. The killing was done outside the
law, and should be punished.
Governor ColQuitt received dispacth
from gentleman at Catoosa Springs
yesterday announcing that the killing
was "a coldblooded murder" and asking
that a reward be offered for the pcrpe-
.ra.c-s. Il is said that The names of the
crowd who halted the Mormons can be
easily obtained. The Governor has not
yet received full enough particulars TO
justify him in this matter, but he will
probably offer reward as soon as he
gets accurate information as to the ma
ture of the killing, the locality, &c. We
understand that the remains of the
daod al1er loft vnatarlou for Cali Tot-,