The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-08-02
MOBBING OF MISSIONARIES
DETAILS OF THE ASSAULT ON
MoRMONS IN GEORGIA.
Would Have Been Killed But For the
Wounding of Mrs. Cunard, Which
Brought Mob to Senses.

Jackson (Ga.) Special to Atlanta
Journal)
Yesterday afternoon the Journal cor
respondent, accompanied by Editor r.
Z. Lee of the Jackson Argus, went to
! the home of Mr.. j. j. Singley, four
miles east of this city, where the Nor
mon elders, Smith D. Rogers of Snow
| fiage, Nasajo county, Arizona, and My
ron Porter of Bearview, Uinta county,
Wyoming, had taken refuge since their
thrilling experience in the hands of ten
masked and heavily armed men in Jas
per county Tuesday night, and they
gave to your correspondent the follow
ing account of their narrow escape
! from lynching that evening.
The Mormons' Statement
For some time past we have con-
Quoted a series of meetings near New
ton factory on the Jasper side, and met
with favorable success in our labors.
We soon saw that trouble was brew
ing on account of our preaching the
Mormon doctrine. but little attention
was paid to this. because wherever We
preach we have opposition and perse-
cution usually follows such. We Wis
tied from place to place doing mission
airy work. Mr.. William Cunard and
family were kind to us and we re-
manned a guest of this household
greater portion of our stay in that
community. Mrs Cunard became
firm believer in the Mormon religion,
and would have been baptized next
Sunday.
Last Sunday we baptized five persons
in Bear creek, one mile from Newton
factory, and Miss Mamie Cunard. their
daughter, was one of this number. The
first intimatiOn we knew of an attempt
ed lynching was received Monday in a
note directed to the Cunard family, and
written in a scrawling hand and stated:
If your Mormon elders are found at
your home Tuesday night they will be
taken out by whitecappers and killed, /
and you will find them Wednesday !
in a COW pasture near by, for !
we will sure get them.
No attention was paid to this anony- |
nous letter. Tuesday evening we were |
still guests of the Cunards, and were (
holding a song service on the veranda |
Of this home, when about 10 o'clock we
were suddenly stopped by ruffian voices
demanding us to cease singing and call
ing for the elders to come forward |
There We're ten men in the party; all
were masked. Their faces and hands
olacked, and all were heavily armed.
and marched upon the veranda in twos
erked off the veranda. One of the
party asked where the other d-n Nor
non elder was and for him to come
Onward also. Both of US received the
ame harsh treatment.
The Woman Shot.
Mrs. Cunard raised her chair TO {
'rotect her guest, and the leader told {
Ter to desist. She called the leader by
anne; then he commanded one of the {
arty TO shoot her at once. This he {
id. The load from the double barrel I
hotgun tore her jaw. The assassin
ras so near that the powder burned {
er face badly. When the mob saw &
that they had done they jerked and '
ragged us along from the scene of
heir terrible crime and out into the S
-oods they carried us, and stopped e
ear the banks of Bear creek, where s
consultation was held by the lead il
RS. We told them we would do any t
ming they said, as we had done moth /.
lg to be lynched for, but that they had t
lthlessly wrecked happy home ?
wv minutes before by shooting dan q
srously an innocent woman. After this il
leading the leader called for opinions II
5 to what disposition was to be made n
us. One suggested swinging us up. c
his plan received some following, and b
e were praying then for our lives. o.
mother said fog us and give orders
ever to be seen in that community t.
gain. This was accepted and flashing e
sgan, and We dashed into Bear creek n
Flowed by the men. We kept going all il
ght, and arrived at Mr.. Singley's at Il
O'Clock Wednesday morning, hatless,
If valises being left at Mr.. Cunards"
Says They Are Known.
Elder Rogers recognized three men IN r
tainted with the leader and can give
me at any time. for he is prominent
tiZen of that community. Mrs. Cunard 81
as shot because she called the leader ..
name, and he, thinking to cover his =,
ime, commanded her to be shot The u
Ormons say had not Mrs. Cunard been 9'
shot, they would have been uY
nched as this was their intention. W
nee their departure several more fol- W
yers have been Threatened ca Nv ro
ngerly says, who returned from the
enc Wednesday. vi
These elders are indignant at the %
amer in which they were handled by %
ese men. Rogers and Porter now en- On
: new fields of labor; they will not OF
urn to that community again. 90
Cunards Are Law Abiding. cl,
they report that the greatest excite err
mt prevailed after the shooting of
$. Cunard by the mob and that they
pected to meet a similar fate but the
iousness of the crime suddenly
wned upon them and they were more ID
lent. The Cunard family consists of
persons who are law abiding citi- {
Is. They reside near Prospect church.
far from the line of Jasper and w
wton counties. The report of three CO..
rmons composing the party which Jo
s so roughly handled in Jasper de
lnty last Tuesday night is untrue. 04O
IS Elder Rogers, for Porter and / a
re the only representatives of our leg
lrch present w;
hey had succeeded in securing ten sig
sons TO accept their faith and ex- KIN
ted to erect a church in that COM
nifty, but now all these plans have
n cast upon stormy waters, and E
t field will be abandoned. u
RS. Cunard, who so bravely defend
her home and guests. comes of a Il,
ling family, noted for their bravery.
stood by the elders until cowardiy 1ov
t by the mob. +
Il