Ruben Mathis

[This is a continuation of my series on the vigilantes at the Cane Creek massacre. The photo is probably from 1934 and is courtesy of Sammye Jo Lawson.]

Ruben Mathis, or Rube as his friends and family, was a farmer on the east fork of Cane Creek. According to Ernest S Pollock, in 1881, when Hohenwald was founded Rube brought the first U.S. mail in from the town of Gordon by mule. He served under J. H. Vandiver as Postmaster (Republican Banner, Jan 15, 1938).

Rube revealed his identity as one of the vigilantes on multiple occations. Some of these were recorded. Once was during the visit of Miles L. Jones in 1934. Jones described Mathis as

"a tall slender man, whose figure is erect. He has a long white beard, and although he is eighty two years of age, he is able to get around very briskly. He is a typical rural Tennessean."

Miles L. Jones goes on to explain Mathis' role in the massacre as though it was already a well know fact, although I have no written evidence earlier than Jones' manuscript.

Mathis was included in the vigilante meetings prior to the massacre, and felt pressured to participate. This was probably because of a kinship he had with David Hinson. There have been claims that they were first cousins or brothers-in-law, though I have not been able to document either one.

Knowing what was going to happen, Mathis went to the Conder home on the Friday the 8th of August, to warn them about the impending trouble. According to Miles L. Jones, Mathis

"told them that threats had been made by some that they were going to whip the Elders, but he said that the Conder boys told him that it was just some young fellows that were trying to run a bluff. He said no, that it was older men and that they had better be careful and not do anything that would give an excuse for something serious to happen."

In 1974, Leslie Talley would attribute the following statement to Court Talley, who claimed to be Mathis' grandson:

"Mathis had gone along, at least partially, to keep things quiet because many of the men had been drinking. He begged them to leave their guns behind but they refused."

Mathis was with the vigilantes when they stopped Elder William H. Jones on the far side of the creek. And when they left Elder Jones to deal with the other missionaries, Mathis was left in as a guard against his escape. When the shooting started, however, it was Mathis who let Elder Jones escape. Even giving him directions of where to go so he could escape to Shady Grove undetected.

"After the shooting and commotion at the home, two men came running down the road and asked where Elder Jones was, and when informed that he had made his escape, one of them raised his gun to shoot Mr Mathis, but the other man, who by the way was Mr. Mathis' brother, said to him, "If you shoot Rube, I'll kill
you", and consequently the man did not carry out his threat." - Miles L. Jones

Ruben Mathis had two brothers we know of, John Jackson Mathis (aka Jack), and William Henry Mathis. There is no indication, however, which brother this was.

William Walter Pollock wrote in 1943 that Elder William H. Jones

"learned many years ago who his liberator was and that each year nice presents were sent to the old gentleman who has now passed to his reward"

Rube was born September 12, 1851. He is the son of John Mathis and Martha Henrietta Hinson. (I have yet to find a connection between Rube's mother and David Hinson). He was married September 27, 1868, in Lewis County to Elizabeth Williams who was born January 4, 1850. The two of them had five children.
1) Virginia Elizer Mathis (Nov. 3, 1869-Nov. 4, 1869),
2) Thomas Hunter Mathis (March 5, 1873 - Feb. 16, 1891),
3) Robert T. Mathis (1876-April 1, 1943) married Lizzie Thompson (1883-Jan.15, 1965) on March 1901 in Lewis County, Tennessee.
4) Jane Mathis (Sept. 22, 1880 - Feb. 1, 1885)
5) Mary Etter Mathis (May 7,1878 - February 1, 1912) married Lewis "Scott" Talley (July 29, 1876 - March 2 1963).

Among the children of Robet T. Mathis are Willis and Claude Mathis, Ophelia Mathis Hinson, Viola Mathis Talley, Louisa Mathis Talley, and Rosenia Mathis Dabbs.

Mary Etter Mathis had at least six children: Thomas Talley, Oliver Talley, Lou Talley, Alfred Talley, E. Claude Talley and Elizabeth Ellen Talley.

Rube's wife, Elizabeth died Nov. 11, 1932. A few short years later, Rube died in 1935 or 1936. They, and all their children, are buried in the Betty Bastin Cemetery.

Ross Kelley

In the course of my research on Cane Creek, I ran across a reference to a Mormon missionary being shot in Hawkins county, Tennessee. I'm still looking for more info on this. So far he does not appear in any of the missionary journals to which I have access. Nor do I find an obvious match in any of my Mormon sources.

New York Times 8-19-1884
Nashville, Tenn. ... Intelligence has been received that a Mormon preacher in Hawkins County has been shot and very seriously wounded by a negro. There are several Mormons there, and the sentiment is strong against them. Whether the negro wounded the Mormon at the instigation of others or upon his own account is not known.


New York Times 8-23-1884
Nashville, Tenn. ... Ross Kelley, the Mormon Elder who was shot in Hawkins County, is out of danger. Kelley was sitting on the porch of Col. Greene, when a negro named Cantrell fired at him from a point of concealment near the house.

Witness - John F. Henschen

The following appeared in the Nashvile Republican Banner on 23 August 1884. It is reportedly a reprint from the Indianapolis News from "yesterday"

John F. Henschen, who is running a saw-mill at Ivy Mills, Hickman county, Tenn., is in town, visiting his family. He was an eye-witness to the shooting of the Mormon elders last Sunday week, and his description of the affair is graphic. The elders had been proselyting in that section for a long time, and the prejudice against them was intense, under the belief that they were influencing young girls to immigrate to Utah. A church which they bult was burned down three times, and then they continued their meetings in Martin Condor's house. Condor and his half brother, Riley Hutson, were in Henschen's employ. Both were proselytes. A warning had been given them that no more meetings would be tolerated, and notice was sent to Gibbs, one of the elders, that tar and feathers awaited him. Gibbs made answer that his field was Tennessee, and the more he was threatened the harder he would work. Right here he intended to stay, if he died on the spot. Sunday morning, as Henschen was riding near Condor's house, he met the band, headed by David Hinson, and they halted him at the muzzle of a revolver, and he remained a quiet spectator of what followed.

The band numbered fifteen or twenty, wearing masks, and were heavily armed, and with them was a wagon in which were a number of whips, a kettle of tar and a supply of feathers. As they neared the house Gibbs was seen at the window reading from a book, and he was shot dead without warning. The fire was returned from the house, and for a few moments the fusilade reminded Henschen of his army experiences. The Mormons finally fled, but not until Condor, Hutson, Gibbs and his associate had been shot dead, and Mrs Condor badly wounded. The attacking force lost but one man, Hinson, who was killed in the first fire from the house. Henschen was one of the judges at the inquest, and in his certificate he made return of death at the hands of unknown parties. He reports that since the shooting several of the proselytes have had to flee the country, among them Tom Basteune and P. W. Dupriest, two of his employees. Elisha Tully, and old resident, was another Mormon who fled the scene, and so great was his fright that he sold his farm of 264 acres, together with the crops, farming utensils, live stock, etc., to Henschen for $500 cash, in order to leave at once.

Of course there are some problems with his account. I won't describe them all, just the two most problematic. First, no other witness reported the presence of a wagon. The vigilantes had just left Elder Jones on the far side of the creek. In order to cross they would have to use the "bridge" made from a fallen tree. Doing so would have prevented bringing along a wagon. Second is that Henschen claimed "the Mormons finally fled". In fact, a better description is that the mob simply left after having killed the missionaries who were still there. While one missionary fled the house (Thompson), the rest of the Mormons ran toward the house to help out Riley and Malinda who were still alive.
This is not to say that Henschen made it all up. The wagon could have been a little down the road, out of site of the house, but exactly where Henschen was riding. And he could have known about Thompson's escape and assumed others had run too. Part of the fun of reading historical documents, is sorting out what is most likely the truth.

Newspaper Sampling

In the Nashville Republican Banner, on the 25th of August 1884, is a selection of excerpts from papers from across Tennessee. They are good sample of the sentiments held by many people in Tennessee at the time, which could be summarised as "Lewis County shouldn't have resorted to violence, but we are glad they did."

A SHREWD GUESS
Chester Citizen: Can a people afford to allow these lustful teachers to go on leading the young and unstable minds of boys and girls into a faith that is worse than heathen? We guess not.

'S'BLOOD, IAGO, S'BLOOD"
Waverly Times-Journal: Mormonism is a foul blot upon this country, and it will have to be removed someday even if it requires the shedding of blood to do it. It is a national disgrace and should be immediately removed.

JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE
Dresden Era: Nearly all the papers condemn the action of the Lewis County mob in killing three [two, actually] Mormon Elders, an account of which we published in our last issue. In our opinion, while we, as a rule, are opposed to mob law, the Lewis County men acted right.

A MENACE TO THE COUNTRY
Tullahoma Guardian: As long as polygamy and the other indecencies of Mormonism existed only in Utah, the country seemed careless about the spread of this so called religion, and it was thus allowed to grow up and thrive until now it has become bold and defiant and is a menace to the peace of the whole country.

Isaac "Thomas" Garrett

[I have since discovered that his correct first name was Isaiah not Isaac. He used the name Tom. -BAllen]

One of the greatest friends of the Mormon church in Cane Creek who was not a member was Isaac Isaiah Thomas Garrett. Tom, as he was called by his friends, was the first to invite the missionaries to Cane Creek. He met the missionaries in Hickman County and asked them to visit him at his home. He would house and feed the missionaries frequently. It does not appear that he ever joined the church.

Three of the missionaries stayed at his house the night before the massacre. And on the day of the massacre it is likely he was still at his home, though he did help one of the surviving missionaries escape to Shady Grove. He met B. H. Roberts on his trip in disguise to retrieve the bodies of Gibbs and Berry. And it was to Tom only the Roberts revealed his true identity.

According to B. H. Roberts and W. L. Pinkerton he leaves Cane Creek after the massacre for Woburn, Illinois. Isaac’s grand father, Willis Dodson, moved there some 50 years earlier, so Isaac may have had family there. His family is described as a wife (Marthey J.) and a daughter (Elizabeth C.). Mrs Garrett had a half brother, William Lankford, who was a doctor. The Lankfords lived in the same census district as the Garretts.

Isaac Tom was the son of Mr. Garrett (I can't find his first name) & Candice Dodson. Born around 1828 in what is now Lewis County Tennessee. His only child was called Lizzie. Lizzie may have joined the church, but I have no real evidence of this except a reference to a smart young woman joining the church whose father was a friend of the missionaries who never joined. This unidentified young woman was described as being very intelligent and Lizzie was a school teacher. Lizzie married Dr. W. G. Baker. She and her husband went with her father to Woburn, Illinois.

At Woburn the trail runs cold. By the 1900 census, Tom disappears, probably having died from old age. Without the 1890 census, we cannot tell where he went. Although I have not made an exhaustive search, for now what happened to Tom Garrett after he left Tennessee remains a mystery.

Findley E Houser

About seven miles away from Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, in an area called Venus, lived "a case-hardened sinner" name Findley Houser. "Uncle Fin" as he was called by the people in Venus, Tennessee "read the bible every practically every evening, but claimed the preachers were not preaching the gospel that Jesus taught, and had little trouble in confounding local ministers."

As it happened, "providence came to his rescue." Having been mostly healthy all his life Uncle Fin was suddenly afflicted with a disease that caused fits. At about the same time in 1880, two missionaries were passing out tracts and holding meetings. Elder Fuller and Elder Woodbury. One evening the two knocked on the Houser home and explained who they were and that they were traveling without purse or scrip. After asking if they could stay there for the night, Mary, Uncle Fin's wife, politely declined, saying her husband was prone to fits and that he would be embarrassed to entertain guests in his condition. Being inspired, the Elders offered to "cheer and comfort him" which pleased Mrs Houser enough that they were asked to stay for the night.

During their stay, the conversation turned to religion. His family was surprised when conversation did not turn into an argument. In fact, the doctrines the Elders shared matched the ones Uncle Fin had been using in his discussions with the local preachers. The next morning, Findley asked the Elders to minister to him before they left. Afterwards he felt so much better, he asked the Elders to return and administer to him again. In short order, his health was completely restored and he and his family were baptised two days later.

Even after the Cane Creek Massacre, and several years of being out of contact with the Church, the Housers remained true to the gospel.

William "James" Condor & Malinda Carroll

William “James” Condor (or Conder) was born on July 11, 1832 in what would become Lewis County Tennessee. His parents were Martin Condor and Rachel Anderson. There is a William Conder from Lewis County in the 3rd Tennessee Infantry roster. But if that was the same person he would have been there from 1861 to 1865. In 1862, however, he married Melinda Carroll, a young woman widowed when her husband (John Riley Hutson) died while she was yet expecting her first son.
James joined the LDS church in May 1879. He was baptized by Elder Joseph Argyle. Brother Condor owned a farm of about 300 acres. We know he had an orchard near the house and that his crops included watermelon and apples (Hyrum Belnap noted Condor's homemade cider in his autobiography). He joined about five years before the rest of his family. He was described as a jocular man. He had three children with Malinda, a son and two daughters, and raised his step son as his own. After the massacre he may have taken his surviving family to live in Perry County, where he had relatives who had also joined the church. But by 1900 he was again living in Lewis County, south across the ridge from Cane Creek. He died 28 March 1911 in Lewis County, Tennessee.

Malinda Carroll was born in what we become Lewis County, Tennessee on 20 April 1833. She married to William James Condor in 1862; it was her second marriage. Her first husband, John Riley Hudson, died before his son was born. In a touching tribute, Malinda named her son after her late husband. After years of learing about the gospel, she joined the Mormon Church in January 1884. Less than a year later, she was injured at the massacre, receiving a gun shot wound in the hip. The shot broke the bone in her thigh, and although it was set by a physician, she never fully recovered. In later pictures she is shown with a cane. She died 20 February 1916 in Lewis County, Tennessee. You can read more about her here. And thank you to Ardis for the photo. Malinda's brother, John Carroll, was the Sherriff for Lewis county.

Rachel Ann Condor was the first daughter to the Brother and Sister Condor. She was one of the few people we know of that were actually in the room when her brothers and mother were shot. She survived the massacre but unlike her sister she never married. She lived with her parents until both passed away. Afterwards she moved in with her sister and her family. She died in 1955 without recording her own version of events that day.

Lavicia (Vicie) Jane Condor was born on 16 October 1870 in Lewis County Tennessee. She was the Condor’s second daughter. She joined the church on the same day as William Talley, Sherman Winters, and Joel Winters in May 1884. Vicie was in the kitchen when the massacre happened and so was not an eyewitness to what transpired. She survived the massacre unscathed and later married William Irving Haley in 1898, who was not a member of the Mormon Church. She died 27 November 1958. Vicie and William had three children. You can read more about her and her family here.

John “Riley” Hudson (Hutson) was born around 1856 in Lewis County, Tennessee (No photo). He was the first son of Malinda Condor and her first husband, also named John Riley Hudson (b. 1837). Riley was a nephew to Elisha and Barbara Talley, Barbara being his father’s sister. Riley was baptized in January 1884. He and his brother were quick to defend the missionaries with force if necessary. In the Massacre he was the only one who shot at the mob, killing David Hinson and subsequently being shot himself. The shot gun he used was donated by his sisters to the Church History Museum.

William "Martin" Condor (No photo)was the only son of Brother and Sister Condor. He was called Martin by all who knew him. Elder Gibbs wrote that he was a hardened mountain boy, and was surprised when he asked to be baptized in May 1884. Thereafter he was a changed, softened man. For years after his death, his sisters still kept the violin he played.

David Hinson

[Editors note: This post is about David Hinson, one of those killed at the Cane Creek Massacre.]

I debated long and hard about creating a post on members of the mob. There are a couple of reasons. First, most of what I have is hearsay. I don't really know much about them because, with a couple of exceptions, they did not come forth with their side of the story. Plus, I'm not really interested in tarnishing to name of someone's ancestor. Which, of course, leads me to the next reason. I don't really know who they were. I have some names, but nothing concrete.
The exception to this is David Hinson. We know he participated, though we don't know why, since he died after being shot by John "Riley" Hutson. Many people have made accusations and guesses. But these are, of course, a little too convenient since those making the accusations may be trying to shift the blame to the one person who can't defend himself. Unfortunately, these accounts are all we have to go on.

Of course the other side of this is that these people were as much participants in these events as any one could be. To ignore their story would be doing them a disservice. Below is a sampling of what has been written about David Hinson. Where possible I have included the exact words written by those who would know best.

David Hinson enlisted at age 19 in the 3d Tennessee Infantry Regiment alongside is brother James P.. He was captured in the Confederate surrender at Fort Donelson, sent with his regiment to Camp Douglas in Chicago, Illinois and later exchanged in September, 1862 near Vicksburg, Mississippi. David fought in every battle the 3d Tennessee took part in for the remainder of the war. He was paroled after the Confederate surrender in North Carolina in April, 1865. After the war, he returned to Lewis county as did his other comrades in arms. The luck that was with him all through the fierce struggle of the war ran out several years later in 1884 when, during a visit to his old 3rd Tennessee comrades, the Conder boys on Cane Creek, he was killed along with them during the Mormon Massacre. He was aged 40 years. (Contributed by his descendant, Charles Hinson, Vice President of the Maury County Historical Society) http://www.tngennet.org/lewis/civil_war.htm

David’s widow was Rebecca "Caroline" Curry. He had three children in the 1880 Census, Margaret, Martin, and Janetta. At the time of the massacre they would have been 21, 20 and 15. His parents were George & Nancy Hinson, from North Carolina. They all lived in Hickman County. David had several brothers, Lindsey "Babe" Hinson, James P. Hinson, and George Hinson being just some of them.

The Hickman Pioneer, on 15 August 1884, described Hinson as

"a well-known citizen and distinguished for his daring courage and good marksmanship. He was a jovial man, and liked by all who knew him."

David lived about seven miles from the Condor farm on Brushy Fork Creek. John D. Westbrook called David Hinson a Methodist minister. That could be true, but the census listed him as a farmer. And no other source calls him a minister. And the Methodists were known for requiring their ministers to be educated. I see no evidence that David Hinson received such an education.

John H Gibbs records a meeting with two ministers by the names Vandeveer and Henson, and called them Baptist and Methodist respectively. Some have jumped to the conclusion the Henson was David Hinson. While I have no evidence to the contrary, I see no reason to assume that in a county with at least two large Hinson families, that this one had to be David Hinson.

It is possible that Hinson was a lay leader of some kind. But regardless of his position, he was clearly more invested in the events. Some accounts name him as the one who fired first. Even if you do not believe that, in all versions, he is the first at the door of the Condor home.

William Hill McCaleb recorded in 1907 that:

"Dave Hinson had two nieces, Misses ____, who were supposed to be inclined to the Mormon faith. Dave got a crowd of boy friends with switches to whip the Mormon elders and drive them out of the country, and went to the meeting."

If Dave Hinson believed the claims made in the Red Hot Address, specifically the salacious intention of "all" Mormon elders, that alone could have spurred him to action. Even though McCaleb is pretty clear that the intent was only to drive the elders out of the county he went on to say:

"About a week before the killing, David Hinson swapped a knife for a fine double barrel shot gun with Fayette Bates. ... Bates knew Dave Hinson's intentions toward the Mormons, and advised him to drop it."

McCaleb's account, however, has other factual errors, some quite severe, that take away from his credability. Of course, Mormons did not record the names of those who almost get baptised, so we will never know for sure about Hinson's nieces.

W. W. Pollock in 1943 wrote that:

"...had all members of the mob been sober, there would have been no killing. After years of very close study of this tragedy and coversations with many who were present at the time of the killing, I have reached that conclusion."

I can certainly respect that Pollock's proximity to the killings (in time and geography) gave him a better position to make that claim than I have. Unfortunately, Mr. Pollock did not cite his sources. Regardless, we can infer that Mr. Pollock felt he had evidence that at least those who did the shooting, including Dave Hinson, were not sober.

In an interview with Miles L. Jones, Ruben Mathis said that:

"[David Hinson] was a man that feared neither God, man, nor the devil, and would kill a man on the least provocation."

Of course, Mathis was implicating himself as a member of the mob. So attributing more blame to Hinson may have been self serving. Miles L. Jones also recorded that David Hinson did not die for another hour after the shooting. He was carried away (dragged by the arms by former slave "Old Kudge Sisco" and an unnamed member of the mob) some distance and sat down under a tree. Reportedly he asked for water but made no other comments before he died.

David Hinson was burried on August 12th, 1884 in the Banks-Hinson Cemetery on Brushy Fork Creek "at intersection of chert road that leads to Wades' Branch Road." His grave has the following inscription:

"Hinson, David - 1843-1884 - Killed Aug. 10 by Mormons"

A Mormon Dignitary

This article was found in the Lawrenceburg Press of Lawrenceburg Tennessee, on September 11, 1884. I found the use of a popular figure to describe the appearance of a "Mormon Dignitary" very interesting. I'll add Peter Cooper's photo below. Any thoughts on who he could be speaking about? Or perhaps it is no one in particular.

A Mormon Dignitary

I have in mind, says a Salt Lake City
correspondent, a wealthy dignitary of
the church whom you might easily have
mistaken for the late Peter Cooper and
who is possessed of seven wives. Each
of these women has some farming and
garden ground of her own, and all are
greatly devoted to rearing bees. With
the help of their grown children they
each raise a large amount of produce and
honey annually. The husband acts as
their agent. He hives their swarms of
bees and charges them for it; he renders
special aid when called upon and is paid
for it; he sells their crops and honey
when it is ready and credits each wife
with her due share. Most of them live
in suites of apartments under the roof of
his great house in town, but the first
wife has a beautiful farm of her own a
little way out of the city, to which she
and her children have retired to end
their days in peaceful independence.
The way in which this old gentleman
has always arranged his domestic life is
reported to be thus: He had certain
rooms in his house where he kept his
bed, his wardrobe, his books and saw
any visitors who called upon him. Here
he was a bachelor and here he staid every
other day and night. On alternate days
and nights he was the guest of one or
another of his wives in regular rotation,
devoting the one day (in this case fort-
nightly) which was hers diligently to her
society. Of course this routine was not
invariable, but for the most part it was
regularly followed.

Peter Cooper was a wealthy "Inventor, Philanthopist and Industrialist" who ran for president of the USA in 1876 (Greenback Party). I don't think he looks like any of the general authorities I know of from 1884. But then, I don't know that many.

Haden Wells Church

[I found a photo, but it was so bad I won't even bother putting it up. Can anyone me out?]

[Thanks Marilynn for the photo. This was originally from a book "Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah"]

Haden (or Hayden) Church was born in Franklin, Tennessee on the 29 August 1817. His parents, Abraham Church and "Polly" Emmons, had moved there from North Carolina along with other family members. Eventually Abraham and Polly moved to what would become Shady Grove. That part of Tennessee was wilderness then. The Church family was one of the first to build a home there. Haden grew up with five brothers and two sisters. He became a school teacher and was known for his strict discipline.

In about 1840, Haden met the Mormon missionaries in Columbia, Tennessee. He heard them sing and was touched by the spirit. He was impressed enough to invite them to visit his father's home in Shady Grove. Some of his family would join the church, But before joining the Church however, Haden wanted to meet Joseph Smith. So off he went to Nauvoo. There he met and was baptized on 5 April 1841 by Joseph Smith in the Mississippi River.

Haden stayed with the saints in Nauvoo. He married Sara Ann Artebury, a church member from from Alabama. After the death of Joseph Smith they followed Brigham Young. He was recruited to be in the Mormon Battalion, which required hi to leave his wife and son at Council Bluffs, Iowa. Eventually made it to Salt lake City, went back to Iowa to get his family and returned by September 1847.

But he didn't stay there long. From 1849 to 1852 he served a mission to Britain. In 1854 and again from 1868-70 he served missions in the United States. He was called to serve a colonizing mission in southern Utah where he was one of the first teachers in St. George.

One 23 Aug 1871 Haden shows up performing Baptisms for the Dead (but not Endowments) in the Endowment house for many, but not all, of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. This was well before the story we all know about Wilford Woodruff (thanks to Brian Suy for this article).

Haden appears to have married five wives during their lifetime, and three more sealed after their death, but while he was still alive. He had children with only Sarah

In 1875 he went on his last mission back to middle Tennessee, where he became ill with Typhoid fever and died, amazingly, among relatives in his old home. He was buried in his family's cemetery outside Shady Grove.

That would have been a fine ending, but recently (2007?) his gravestone was moved from Shady Grove, Tennessee to Panguitch, Utah, to be near that of his wife and children. A plaque indicating his membership in the Mormon Battalion was added (HT to Christopher).

New Grave Marker - Update

An anonymous research agent sent me a copy of the 8 January 1935 Liahona which describes the dedication of the grave in great detail. Included was a photo, probably taken by James M. Kirkham, showing the marker. I've never published anything, let alone a photograph, but I'm surprised there was indication in the article of which men are included in the photo. The only name under the photo was Elder Callis, who doesn't look like either of them. OK, maybe a little like the man on the right, but its hard to tell. So who could they be?

I could assume that if the man in a suit (on a hot June day in southern Tennessee) was not Elder Callis, then he was either the Mission President Miles L Jones, or the District President, W. W, Cliff. Since the article was written by President Jones (which I know from another source), my bet is on him. The other man is dressed more like he lives there. He doesn't much look like E.L. Travis, whose photo I have as well (I'd share it but it is under copyright, sorry), so I'm thinking A. J. Talley, who acted as host for the visitors on many occasions, or Tom Talley, who ownes the land. The photo I have of A. J. Talley is pretty close, but A. J. and Tom were cousins it could be either one.

Wants to be a Mormon

The following article appeared in the Lawrenceburg Press of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee on June 5 1885. I think is conveys the negative attitute toward Mormon prevalent at the time.

Wants to be a Mormon

Mr. Blank – “Do you know, my dear,
that at this season of the year I almost
wish I was a Mormon, because – ”
Mrs. Blank – “You horrid old brute.
I always knew – ”
Mr. Blank – “Patience, my love; I
could not care for anyone but you, only
you see – ”
Mrs. Blank – “Oh! Yes, Mr. Blank, I
see. I have seen for some time, and I’m
going right home to my – ”
Mr. Blank – “Please give me a chance
to finish. I was only going to remark
that a Mormon usually has a separate
house for each wife, and – ”
Mrs. Blank – “Well, I should just – ”
Mr. Blank – “And he ought to be
happy – ”
Mrs. Blank – “Oh! You horrid old – ”
Mr. Blank – “Ought to be happy be-
cause it is not at all likely that all his
wives clean house at the same time.” –
Phila. Eve. Call

I guess this falls into the category of non-Mormon humor about Mormons.

Where was Elder Berry?

What follows will make more sense if you already know about the Cane Creek Massacre. If you don't and don't want to read about it, I apologise in advance.

In every second hand account of the what happened at Cane Creek, there is one detail I have yet to see reported correctly. On Saturday night only three of the missionaries spent the night at Tom Garrett's home. Elder Berry spent the night at the Condor home. So that morning, it was not Gibbs, Thompson and Berry who left Mr. Garrett's home early to get to the meeting, just Gibbs and Thompson.

How do I know? Well, the primary sources say so. There are only a few people who would know. And only three people actually wrote about it. And I had no problem gathering them together.

First Elder Jones noted it in his interview with the Deseret News. Though in his description it sounds like he was thinking Elder Berry was staying at another house further down stream from the Condor's home.

Second Elder Thompson mentioned it in passing during the same interview. When he and Elder Berry were talking as the fateful meeting was getting started, they talked about how much fun Thompson had at the Garrett's and that Berry should have been there.

Third Elder Berry. Yes, that is right. Although Elder Gibbs stopped writing in his journal a week before his death, Elder Berry kept a journal up until the day before he died. In it we learn that he and Elder Thompson were both staying at the Condor's home, but that when Elder Gibbs and Jones arrived, Thompson decided to join them at the Garrett's home. Elder Berry most likely stayed at the Condors simply to be polite. Elder Thompson being younger probably didn't realize that leaving your host because you found someone one more interesting was a little rude. That Elder Berry was nearly twice the age of some of the missionaries may have contributed.

So what? you ask. Well, you are right. It really isn't that big of a deal. If he was sneaking out to meet a girl friend, well that would be one thing. But that certainly wasn't what was happening. It doesn't change much our perception of what happened that day. But what it does do is color my opinion of those who have written about the massacre already.

[Begin rant] Doesn't anyone go back to primary sources anymore? B. H. Roberts is a great source, but it is still a secondary source. And there are easily accessible primary sources here. I'm the amateur geek without the advanced degree in history. I won't give names here, but there are half a dozen historians who miss this detail. Apparently there is folly in always relying on the work done by others. Sometimes it's wrong! [end rant]

[akward silence]

[quietly and sheepishly looking around] I'm sorry.

A New Grave Marker

In 1932, Miles L. Jones, who was the Kentucky-Tennesee Mission President, visited the Cane Creek area. He “found that the graves were covered with a very thick growth of briars.” Upon his return to Louisville, he talked “the matter over with Sylvester Q. Cannon, [who] said he thought a suitable monument should be erected there in honor of the Conder boys. Bishop Cannon consulted President Grant and his counsellors (sic), and they approved his recommendation.”

On August 21st 1933, President Jones returned to Cane Creek with President W. H MacKay, Elder W. M. Davis and Brother E. L. Travis (of Maury County, Tennessee). They interviewed some of the surviving witnesses, took a walking tour of the area and visited the local members. President Jones spent the night with the the A. J. Talley family. The also located a reputable dealer for a grave marker: W. W. Pollock.

In early spring of 1934, “an order was placed with Mr. W. W. Pollack to erect a monument at the graves of the Conder boys.” Mr. Pollock of Hohenwald, Tennessee “supplies monuments and markers made by W. M. Dean Marble Company at Columbia,” Tennessee. The marker was placed on June 5th 1934. On Saturday, June 9th 1934, Elder Charles A. Callis, the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve, conducted the dedication. After singing “When First the Glorious Light of Truth Burst Forth in this Last Age”, James M. Kirkham offered the opening prayer. Miles L. Jones offered some remarks about the erection of the monument. Then Elder Callis then offered his own remarks on the “fulfillment of prophesy and then offered the dedicatory prayer.” Mr. Pollock later wrote that it was the most touching service he had ever had the privledge of seeing.

Those present were Charles A. Callis (of the Quorum of the Twelve), Miles L. Jones (President of the Kentucky-Tennessee Mission), James M. Kirkham (probably in the mission presidency at Louisville, Kentucky), W. W. Cliff (President of the Middle Tennessee District), A. E. Stone (probably in the district presidency of Middle Tennessee), Eldridge Lee Travis (probably the branch president in Maury County, Tennessee), Esther May Smith Travis (his wife), Andrew Jackson Talley (a member from Cane Creek and a massacre witness), Mahala Francis Talley (wife of A.J. Talley), James Poole Talley (a member from Cane Creek and a massacre witness), William Walter Pollock (not a Mormon, but he provided the stone marker), and Tom Talley (owner of the land in 1934).

Photos were taken by James M. Kirkham. Unfortunately I do not have them.

David Webb, a descendent of Betty Webb, one of the witnesses, was kind enough to provide me with this recent photo.

[Editor's note: one of the most interesting parts of this was tracking down the full names of the participants. Most were identified only by their initials, one by last name only, and two only as the wife of another participant. Fun Stuff. As I find out more names I will update them here.]