Show tiie body of elder richards found HIS mysterious disappearance and the manner in which his corpse was found owing to the general interest taken by the in the mystery sur founding tho disappearance disappear anco of elder alma P eichardt Eich ards it has been bought prudent to give a detailed ic count of the main incidents connected there with he reported for duty as a traveling elder at the headquarters of the southern states mission in november and was assigned to the mississippi conference to travel in jasper county mississippi and sumpter county alabama which belonged in the conference he and hia traveling companions labored assiduously in this field with varying success during tho winter of 1887 and making a few converts conver ls and many friends with tho usual number of enemies who spring up around an elders pathway elder eichardt Eich ards was possessed of a social disposition and readily made friends wherever ho went confiding frank and gentle he won the hearts of all ho came in contact with and was especially a favorite with the saints who phased the utmost confidence in him and relied implicitly on every statement he made in june of 1888 his traveling companion elder harmon was released to return home which left elder ek hards alone but with the prospect in the near future of a companion to take elder harmons place owing to the demand for eldera it impossible to supply the vacancy at once and elder lUc hards was counseled by president spry to continue his labors and report through the president of the conference to the office at chattanooga regularly in the latter part of june sump acer county ala to visit tho in mississippi with the promise to return and take dinner at brother on the of august the ivra niver sary of the batters lat birthday visiting the in mississippi mccu pied his time during july all tho saints that he came in contact with testified to his joyous and jubilant feelings his letters to his wife and parents were full of encouragement and good advice and bore evidence or the spirit thai actuated him in hia labors on the night of july ho stayed at sister tuckers in jasper county mis mi s going from there to brother kemps a distance of 17 miles in the direction of to brother to make the promised visit leaving brother kempson the morning of august ast 1st in faue spirits he followed the main traveled road toward enterprise on the line of the new orleana northeastern railway Kail way stopping estt a colored to get a drink and wash his face and hands doubtless to alleviate thu fatigue caused by the extreme heat then prevalent As was his custom he frankly stated who he wes where he was from and his destination aiom thence he evidently made his way to the town of enterprise and was seen standing on the platform of the depot the nest we have of him ho stepped into ahe door of the ragsdale Kag sdale hotel at anon th august 2 between daylight day light and sunrise and handed a package containing his bible hymn book two photographs and a dean shirt to A D blank the colored porter with the request to retain them for a couple ol 01 week and he would call for them here all trace of him disappeared brother odum 1 in vain for his arrival nr rival and iii a brief period the president of the conference reported his di to the ce ut prompt stops ard tak to ascertain his uv president spry the saints were with and elders noticed to make inquiry in every direction but co tidings whatever could obtained the first saturday and sunday in november a conference was heldie of the Saint traveling ciders after the close of the conference president spry accompanied by a number of to meridian unfortunately they arrived there jn tho day of the presidential election tho city was full of people considerable sid erable political excitement prevailed and the crowd were more or ifka under tuo influence of liquor aho sudden appearance of so many atran gerri and their movement started the rumor that they spie sent in to report the methods of southern elections the crowd became excited and a mob was soon the information imparted by tho elders ahat they were cormons mormons Mor mons only added fuel to the liquie and in a few moments a wild crazy mob p five hundred men were howling around the brethren chief of police hugh wilson came to their rescue aud calling a force of police with drawn revolvers held the crowd at bay standing nobly up in defondo of the lives and persons of the brethren under the protection of the police tho elders met nt ie dopol and together took tho ain to quieter and bufer sections of the country during the excitement of abo mob the colored porter blank mistaking elder buby for elder richards there beina some resemblance handed him the package of books left with him by the latter and made a brief statement of how he came in possession of them after leaving meridan two of the elders were detailed to look up the matter but their labors resulted in very little additional information principally owing to the fact that public sentiment was so worked up on the question of mormon ism that it was unsafe for an older to bo seen in that portion of the state in january president woodruff appointed elders S jyZ oung john morgan and wm spry a committee to endeavor to find elder dead or dive A detective from chattanooga was employed and sent to meridian but fear of jeopardizing his life combined with natural worth prevo meu juiia irom accomplishing shing anything he made vague contradictory and unsatisfactory reports until all was lost in him in april it was decided that elder morgan accompanied by brother james tillman of chattanooga tennessee should go to meridian and see what could be done on monday may 6 we met and registered at tho st charles hotel meridian elder M under the assumed name of jas hirch after consulting together wo secured a room and went systematically ati cally to work visited the section of country along elder eichardt Eich ards supposed route of travel after leaving meridan and carefully searched every suspicious nook and corner in hapes of linding some evidence of his murder the county coroner mr simpson was visited and from him it was learned that no unidentified body had been buried in the county during the past year the records of the chancery court were searched thinking it possible that he might have lose his assigned to an asylum the asylum was also visited and the different wards inspected spec ted but all tono purpose the negro porter blank was hunted up and carefully questioned but adhered strictly to his previous statement mr hugh wilson now ex chief of police was visited and a statement made to him of the object of our visit in all those labors great difficulty was experienced from the fact that it was deemed unwise for our identity to be established after six days of incessant labor elder morgan left for home leaving brother tillman and mr wilson to prosecute the search brother tillman follows the business of mending ri tove and could readily gain access to any place he desired while nis occupation cu would divert suspicion as to the real object he had in view during the two weeks following he was busily engaged in iho prosecution of his trade aud working for any in formation obtainable on monday may 27 he left meridian following the supposed track of brother richards journey stayed that night with mr ML pigford of russell station on the A G a ry on the morning of the he learned from his host that a man had been killed two miles up the road during the past summer by a passing train following this clue ho called on esquire J W deerman of toomsuba Toom suba and learned from him thiet such an accident had occurred and that ho sat as coroner at the inquest he readily recognized the photograph of brother eich ards as the man killed as did also five of the jury of inquest and others who had seen the mangled remains of the dead man brother tillman returned to meridian that evening and wired elder morgan to la jara colorado who immediately left for meridian arriving on the evening of june ad on th morning of the ad a casket was shipped to toomsuba Toom suba st aion twelve miles distant accompanied by undertaker A B wagoner L F etheredge brother tillman and myself the grave was opened and the bos containing the body brought to the surface the lid removed and the body identified which was readily accomplished through the character of his underclothing the body was in an advanced stare of decomposition but WB succeed d in transferring it to the casket and enclosing it hermetically sea leil A few trinkets had been preserved by the coroner which were obtained As to the cause of his death nothing could be definitely settled on the and 2nd of august 1888 a freight train broke in two nar n ar where he was found and oue theory is that when the frontena fron tend of the train passed him he stepped on the track not observing the detached portion of the tram and was caught by it A section hand reports having seen his hat lying on tho bumper of a car another theory is that he was murdered for his money and his bady placed on the track in support af which we failed to find his watch money coat and umbrella allot which are missing from our investigations we are satisfied that his death was not the work of a mob but owing to our failure to find ohp missing articles wo aro led to believe that it was the work of brutal hands for the sake of plunder and that his body was intentionally ally placed on the track to cover up the deed the hour of his neata could not have been later than 7 a m and the place is an isolated section of the country eight miles oust of meridian and four miles west of toomsuba Toom suba iu lauderdale any event a faithful servant of god has lost i his life while in the active aioo of his duties as a minister of peace and salvation to the nations of the earth and in history bis name will stand recorded as one who bave his all for the canse he loved and chrt establishment of bo kingdom of god on the earth to hugh wilson A B wagner J P Ern eredge and Es quire J W doorman in particular and the citizens of in we feel under many ob iiga ions for courtesies extended to the first three we were known incur arne character but this made no difference to them as it might possibly have made to the unthinking crowd we feel grateful for the protection of divine providence that has been over ns and enabled us to be inston ments in returning the remains of elder richards to his loved ones and to a burial in the midst of the saints leaving to tho great judge of all the solution of the mystery as to the manner or his death knowing full well that he will inherit a crown of fought the good fight and proven faithful to tho end to his stricken wife fatherless children and aged pai ants the sympathies of will go out unstinted with prayers for their welfare and protection brother james tillman has worked earnestly and with excellent judg ment to discover tho body of elder richards and never wearied in his efforts until in the lonely graveyard of toomsuba Toom suba the mystery was solved |