Solomon Hinson

Solomon Jordan Hinson was a brother of "Grey George" Hinson who was the father of David Hinson. For two days prior to the Massacre, Solomon rode around to homes in Lewis County “inciting the people to hatred of the Mormons and gathering men for the contemplated raid upon Cane Creek.” He took with him an anti Mormon article, even reading it to those that could not read. For this reason he has been called the main instigator of the Massacre

Shortly following the Massacre, Solomon contracted tuberculosis. For the next couple years he slowly wasted away and in 1886 was near death. But he doesn’t actually die until March 5th, 1913.

The only source linking Solomon Hinson to the Massacre is an 1886 Deseret News
newspaper article based on an interview with a missionary, George J. Woodbury, that had just (in September 1886) returned from Tennessee. Although Elder Woodbury was certainly not a firsthand witness to the Massacre, and spent much of his time in the southern Tennessee, he did know many of the people involved and would have been exposed to all the rumors, gossip, as well as some reliable information concerning the Massacre. From a distance of over 120 years later, we may never be able to discern between accurate and inaccurate information. At the very least we can say that in 1886 Solomon Hinson’s involvement in Massacre was rumored.