Show AN ELDER MURDERED our oar readers are familiar with the fact that elder alma P richards Bic hards who was laboring as a missionary in mississippi mysteriously disappeared last summer the circumstances were of such a character as to leave but little doubt upon the public mind that he had fallen a victim to foul play steps were at once taken to find him if alive or his body if he had been murdered with this object in view a number of elders selected for the purpose r began a vigorous search they ey succeeded in gaining tidings of the missing man at meridian miss he be having left his books at a hotel in that city on the 3rd ard day of august 1888 before the brethren could get an opportunity WOY to follow this clew aji umber of the residents of the place ascertained the nature of their mission the consequence of this discovery was thit that they were mobbed and the feeling was so bitterly anti mormon that there was imminent danger of their being killed on this account other steps had to be taken those in trusted with the work of ascertaining the facts boug sought V after having to move with great caution As it was evident that the life of no man known to be a lat ter day saint would be sare safe in that section parties not connected with the church were employed had they been sufficiently diligent they might have succeeded as pointers were ascertained that might have A led ed up to the discovery of the body about a month ago other were employed and were associated with members of the church who reside in the southern states on may 30 information reached elder A spry who was then in colorado that this last search party had been beef successful in finding the body of brother richards the suspicion that he had been murdered being V thus confirmed the discoverers of the remains inquired what steps they should take the result was that elder spry came on to this city to make the necessary ne ces cessaro sarv arrangements arrange menta regarding means while elder john morgan took the next train for tha ati place where the remal remains is were to take charge of them and bring thelt theio on to utah A dispatch received june 6 0 stated that the party accompany the body had been delayed for some time in consequence of a railroad raili oad wreck which had bad occurred between the towns of trinidad and pueblo huebl colorado otherwise they 7 woul have arrived in this city june As it was they reached this point foiw at a m june 8 it is understood that two colored people were found who had information regarding the murder and burial of a mormon elder and the subsequent removal of the body from the place where it was originally interred it is not improbable that the searchers were aided from that quarter in making the discovery but of course details are lot at hand but soon will be it is therefore needless to indulge in conjectures jec tures A somewhat singular incident connected with this sad tragedy is that hat a young missionary named haslam laboring in indian territory dreamed a considerable time since that he saw elder richards murdered the manner in which it was done the locality in the vicinity of meridian together with a 4 number of details connected with the rounding surrounding sor country we are informed that many of f the objects described by elder alder haslam as havi having been seen y him I 1 in his dream been found to be correct notwithstanding that he had never been within a thou thousand nd miles of meridian 0 the sympathy for the family of elder richards has been deep and widespread among the saints the discovery of the body of our murdered brother stirs this sentiment into renewed activity seeing 13 brother rother richards has been foully murdered lur dered it is well that the fact lias has heen een placed beyond a doubt as it relieves his devoted wife his fatherloss children and his many friends from the strain of suspense under which they have imen een for the greater part of a year there is also some conso bonso 4 petion tion in the fact that his body is to e laid in the ground contiguous to the home he be so much cherished in life we having also died at the post of 01 sacred duty there remains no shadow of doubt in relation to the flor glorious lous character of his eternal destiny the following communication written by elder john morgan relative to the detthof dea death of elder rich bich ara will be road read with much interest owing to the general interest taken by the saints in the mystery the disappearance of roer alma P richards chais Bi it has been een thought prudent to give through your columns a detailed account of the main incidents connected therewith he I 1 for duty as a travel il ng 19 elder at the headquarters of the bouthern states mission in no jeraber aber 1887 1897 and was assigned to the he Mlis mississippi sippi conference to travel in Q jasper county mississippi sip and county alabama wi ch be longed winged in the mississippi conference lie e und his traveling companions moored labored assiduously in this field with varying success during the oe winter of 1887 and 1888 mak g a few converts and many friends ends with the usual number of Otie Ot mies lemies who spring up around an ciders NI iders ders pathway elder richards as possessed of a social disposition mid readily made friends wherever went confiding frank and gen klehe won the hearts of all he came in contact with and was especially a favorite with the saints sainte who placed 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 richards alone but with the prospect in the near future of a companion to take elder harmons place lace owing to the demand for elders it was found impossible to supply the vacancy at once and elder richards 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 he left sumter county ala to visit the saints in mississippi with the promise to return and take dinner at brother on the ath of august the anniversary of the batters lat birthday visiting the saints in M mississippi 1 occupied his time during 11 july uly all the saints that lie he came in contact with testified to his joyous and jubilant feelings his letters to te his wife and parents were full of encouragement and good advice and bore evidence of the spirit that actuated him in his bis labors anthe on the night of july he stayed at sister tuckers in jasper county miss going from there to brother kemps a distance of 17 miles in the direction meridian miss en route to brother to make the promised visit leaving brother kemps on the morning of august in fine spirits he followed the main traveled road toward enterprise on the line of the new orleans northeastern railway stopping at a colored mans house to get a drink and wash his face and hands doubtless to alleviate the fatigue caused by the extreme heat then prevalent As was his custom he who he was where he was from and his bis destination from thence he evidently made his way to the town of enterprise and was seen standi standing nir on the platform of the depot afi the next trace we have of him he stepped into the door of the ragsdale hotel at meridian on the morning of aug 2 between daylight and sunrise and handed banded a package containing his bible hymn book two photographs and a clean shirt to A D blank the colored porter with the request to retain them for a couple of weeks and he would call for them here all trace of him disappeared brother odum looked in vain for his arrival and within a brief period the president of the conference reported his disappearance to the office at chattanooga prompt steps were taken to ascertain his whereabouts by president spry the saints were corresponded with and elders notified to make inquiry in every direction but no tidings whatever could be obtained the first saturday and sunday in november a conference was held in sumter county alabama of the mississippi saints and travelling tra velling tig elders elden after the close of the conference president spry accompanied by a number of elders elden vent to meridian unfortunately they arrived there them on the day of the presidential election the city was full of people considerable cale excite ment prevailed and the crowd were more or less under the influence of liquor the sudden appearance of so many strangers and their movements started the rumor that they were northern spies sent in to report the methods of southern elections the crowd became excited and a mob was soon organized the information imparted by the elders that they were mormons cormons Mor mons only added fuel to the name flame and in a few moments a wild crazy mob of live five hundred men were howling around the brethren chief of police hugh wilson came to their rescue and calling a sufficient force of police with drawn revolvers held the crowd at bay si standing anding nobly up in defense of the limesand lives live sand and persons person of the brethren under the protection of the police the elders met at the depot and together took the train to quieter and safer sections of the country during the excitement of the mob the colored porter blank mistaking elder ruby buby for elder richards there being some resemblance handed banded him the package of books IWA left with him by the latter and made a brief statement of how he came in possession of them after leaving meridan two of ef the elders were detailed to look up the matter but their labors resul resulted in very kittle additional information principally owing to the fact that oat public sentiment was so worked up on the question of mormonism that it was unsafe for an elder to be seen in that portion of the state in january president woodruff appointed elders 8 B morgan organ and wm spry a committee to endeavor to find elder richards dead or alive A detective from chattanooga was wae to meridian but fear of jeopardizing his life combined with natural worthlessness prevented him from accomplishing anything he made vague contradictory and unsatisfactory reports until all confidence was lost in him in april it was decided that elder mor morgan rn accompanied by br brother james tillman of chattanooga tennessee should go to ao meridian and see what could be done on monday may 6 we met and registered at the st charles hotel meridian elder M under AW 91 9 1 assumed name of jas hirch consulting together we secured a room and went systematically to work visited the section of country along elder richards Kic hards supposed route of travel after leavi leaving dg Morl meridan dan and carefully care nilly searched every suspicious nook and an corner in hopes of finding some evidence of his murder the county coroner mr simpson bimpson was visited and from him it was learned that no unidentified body had bad been buried in the county during the past year the records of the chancery court were searched think ing it pos ible th at h e might have lost his mind and been assigned to an asylum the asylum was also |