The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-03-07
MORMONISM IN THE SOUTH.
The Insidious Work of the Elders In Geor-
sIa and the Caro1inas.

MORMONISMl LIN IHE SUUIds
The Insidious Work of the Elders In Geor-
sIa and the Caro1inas.
From, the New York times.
CHATTANOOGA, TENN, February L.
The elders laboring for Mormonism in
the South are, as rule, so gentlemanly
and SO amiable that however hateful they
may seem in the eyes of Metbodists and
Congregationalists and Baptists, no fault
can be found with them except to their
advocacy of a pernicious dogma. They
are quiet, unasuming men, and 90 their
work so inaidiously that they break into
home and conquer weak one almost
before their presence is known. But,
while they antagoni1e society, they eolle
into conflict with the civil law only in
the polygany countenanced by their
religion. Nevertheless; forbearance has
in few instances ceased to be virtuej
and number of the elders have been put
to death, while others have been subjected
to painful indignities.
Elders W. s. Berry and Henry Thomp-
son, who we're laboring as missionaries in
Tennessee, and particularly in Lewis
County, made TN engagement to preach
at 10 o'clock OH August II, 1884, at the
house Of James Condor, on Cane Greek,
the county named. Shortly prior to the
service Elders John II. Gibbs and Will
liam q. Jones unexpectedly arrived, and
three of them-Elder Jones having an
an errand at the house Of Mr.. Garrett, in
the neighborhood at Con-
doris and began the services. Elder Jones
preached short sermon to few people
congregated at CARROTS, and at Its con-
clusion started to join his brethren. On
the road he was met by mob of men in
fantastic garbs, with masked faces and
equipped with firearms. who made him
aprisoner. By the. consent of the guard
left over him he escaped and returned to
Utah.
The mob, after leaving Elder Jones,
proceeded to the house Of Mr.. Condor.
Condor was standing at the gate. They
made him a prisoner. Knowing the
mob was really after the elders, Condor
called his son and stepson, who were in
the garden, to defend the lives ofthe men
who we're his guests. By this time Dave
Hinson, who appeared to be the leader
of the mob, had approached the house.
He entered, and finding Elder Gibbs
there, he took 8 gun from its place on
the wall and without a word of warning
emptied its contents into the body of
Gibbs, who fell to the floor dead. Next
the weapon was turned on Henry Thomp.
son but Elder Berry, powerful man,
wrenched it from Hinson. By this time
others of the mob had entered the house,
and seeing Berry had overpowered Hin
son they shot four bullets into his body.
Thompson, during the scufle between
Berry and Hinson, made good his es.
cape.
Martin Condor here engaged in hand.
to.hand struggle With Hinson, and he,
too, was shot down by the mob. In the.
meantime J. R. Hudson, the stepson Of
Condor, had made his way to the left Of
the house, where he procured a gun and,
returning, shot and killed Hinson, but
before be could further avenge the wrongs
done by the mob he was himself slain.
Thus, in one conflict, FIVE lives went
out.
Not satisfied with their bloody work,
the mob, as an afterpeice, fred a volley
through the windows of the house, one
of the bullets seriously wounding Mrs.
Condor. Governor Bates offered re.
ward of 500 for the arrest and conyic.
tion of any or all Of the mob, the
amount to be divided pro ratio according
to the number Convicted.
In July, 1879, Elders Joseph Standing
and Rudger Clawson started from Union
County, Ga, to attend the State confer
ence Of elders in Chattanooga County, in
the Haywood Valley. At Varnell Sta
ton they stopped to visit few Mormons,
becoming guests of Mr.. Holster. On the
following day, July 81, which was Mon
day, they started to go to the home Of a
family named Hogan, about mile dis
tant, and were arrested by Joseph N.
Nations, Dave Nations, Hugh Blair,
Mack McCleer, Andrew Brady, Joseph
Nations, James Fawcett, Berry Clark,
David CLARK, jeff Hunt, William Ma.
tions and A. T.. Smith. Most of these
men were church members, Berry CLARK
being Baptist deacon. The two elders
we're turned from the roadway into the
woods, and as soon ss the cover Of the
trees was gained Standing was shot in
the face, dying instantly. Next the gun
vas pointed at Clawson, who coolly folded
his arms and commanded the mob to
shoot. His bravery saved him, and he
was let 60, though he vas refused the
privilege Of taking care of his brothers.
body.
All the men named as participating
in this violence were arrested, but none
was convicted. In his charge to the
jury in the trial of Jasper N. Nations
Judge McCutcheon said: "If two or
more people combine to commit an un.
lawful act, and while in the commission
ofsaid act, not having as its object the
taking oflife, one goes beyond the pur-
pose and intention and homicide is COM
mitted, he alone is guilty, and the others
are not guilty of homicide in any of its
degree as principal or as accessories" !"
Of course the prosecution could not tell
which individual of the company fired the
fatal shot.