Show TEE TENNESSEE TRAGEDY latest nud and Itil stillest lest Acco account tint odthe of the of or mormon t J missionaries narles in lewis county tennessee as airen by eider elder 11 ii 11 j j J J I 1 7 I 1 S daly abit eilean alag aug s i editor american Americ aln several articles have already appeared in your paper respecting tile horrid butchery that took place at artlie the house of james condor do near the head of cano cane crek about 11 sunday morning but we liole you ou will not refuse us L paco dorthis for this communication as wa we oro able to represent the lie aclair as related by two of the mormon elders who were at the scene of the murder and ani narrowly escaped with their lives alpo I 1 a aa I 1 related by mr G garret arret who lives near dear mr condors residence here let jet me say that we do not ask you ou to compromise any posit position 1011 you flave lave taken in regard to the ali 0 mormon morman question by allowing this ar tide to appear in your columns we speak of this bec because ailse we are aware of the reluctance of editors and public men niell generi generally ally to publisher publish lor consider with fair fairness neBs anything L said aid by a mormon or in defense cofone we know w hereof wo we speak for we have i written replies to several arti articles cleg and editorials of an infamous anious character which were to culminate in just such savage acts as this in lewis lenvis county as igno ignorance ranco lias as considered itself when newspapers have freely advocated the use of violence tar and feathers the tile freo free use of hickory rods rodg shotguns etc etc to drive from their midst peaceable law abidin abiding men at liberty to practically carza carry y out these infamous su sug eions and they have done it more than once A mormon elder by the nat name ile of thompson gave out an appoints appoint ment to preach reach at the house of jail james ea condor sunda sunday morning aug alien lie and a bonapa companion nion elder E ider berry arrived on cane creek the latter part of the week they were joined by two eldera elders who had come up tip from mississippi appl these two were J j 11 II gibba gibbs and W 11 II jores jonea who had formerly labored iglewis in lewis and hickman man counties and find h had ad lately been visiting county seats speaking in courthouses Court housea and other halls as tile they could beaure them on the mormon question gibbs thompson and berry met at the tile house of james jaines condor some little timo time before the hour to corns coln mence meeting and occupied the time in singing hymns and converging with the members of the church and friends who had gathered in J jones ones stayed at mr air garretts reading mr garrett Garret fc lives a mile and a half or more above condors residence some time before the time 0 of f meeting jones started for the place of appointment and when some three fourths of a mile from garretts a mob of some twelve or fourteen disguised men rushed from the thickets upon him presenting their guns and calling upon him to throw up liis his hands which he be did then let them fall saying that ho he was unarmed they gompel compelled led him to climb the fence into a cornfield crosa cross it and go up a side hill bill punching in g him at times with the muzzles es of t their el r nuns guns after making some inquiries quirks in of him film aliz they left him guarded by four men wit with orders to shoot him if he lie attempted to escape they then left in tho the direction of condors house e or they came back and made further inquiries about the tile E elders id ers preaching rea ebing they again left taking DIV all but one of their number who was left to guard jones with orders to kill him if he lie showed any disposition to escape after the mob left jonca jones had some conversation with his guard who claimed that he had come to befriend the elders and promise promised d to let Jones escape orde orders 17 ing him to run nin on ahead of him which tile elder did for some distance As they camo anie to a stand they heard one gun in the direction Condors of Condor 8 house a brief pause then several guna guns in quick succession jones guard exclaimed my god they have shot among women and children turning to his prisoner ho he told him to run jonca jones did so his guard fall follows ow ingrith pistol drawn draw nall all the time 1 they tl I ley continued to run for perhaps three re fourths of amile a mile when the they y cime to the forks of a road here the guard left his prisoner As they parted the elder told liis his friend not to go back to the mob or take an any y part in tho the affair jones made 11 his j s way to shady grove hickman co where lie arrived monday for the rest it is related by elder thompson who escaped from condors house arid alid 1 mr garrett who lives on cane creek but iut was not at condors sunday jio lie states his part of it as told 11 him 1 ain jy those who were th there ero they had just fini finished shed singing a hymn when a it mob rushed up tip to con dora dors front gate ate condor who was standing manding by file hia gate was seized but lio lie shouted to liis his two sons who were out in the ore orchard bard tho the rest of the mob ran on to tile house elder gibbs had just taken up tip his bible doubtless to look over oyer some texts previous to speaking when a man disguised who afterwards proved to bo be david came in in at the front door crossed the room took down a shotgun suspended on hooks over owr tho tile back door and lind then took deliberate aim at elder gibba gibbs who was under considerable excitement JI ilin in son sol shot him the charge enteria entering the body under the arm ho lie cl clutched the wound and fell against a bed and expired without saying a word A gun was now thrust in at the back door leveled at elder thompson E elder ider berry grasped it with both his hands but seemed not to struggle as if to wrench enell it from the one who held field it an ali instant later some one shot him and lie he fell heavily to tho the floor dying without a struggle 0 in tho the tu in elder thompson r rushed for the back door As he lie came out odthe of he house a 9 gun was drawn on him but that instant st ant ft a woman with a babe in her arms infused between him and the deadly weapon which wad was lowered and anti ho lie escaped to the woods near by bv while this was transpiring the condor brothers ran from ho lie orchard liard to the house As martin condor a boy af pf of 11 JO entered tho the house ho lie arl grappled led with lilt david bilins alinson on and nd trie tried T to wrench a gun coill haul IlIn soll drew ft a derringer and snapped it at condor but t failed t to 0 go off some one else then sho ng condor kill alig him instantly and anti flinson steps ped out the front door while mar tin condor vaa was struggling with hinson hh iiii half broth brother erJames james A hudson run up to the jolt to theet get hia his gun As ho lie came back two men clutched him but lie succeeded in wrench wrenching ng partly away and shot david hinson who N was as standing in tho the door yard tard As alinson fell frome one said ill J jl have revenge and shot young hudson wh about an hour and was the tile only one who waa was not in in killed A volley was now fired through the Nin window dow w wounding sirs mrs Condor linthe the he greater part of it entering the dead body of elder berry who lay jay upon clio hear the tile mob took Hin soDd body with rea A them when they retired and the re odthe of lie dead lead w were ere buried near condor condors B house lio nc I 1 1 alch is tile story odthe of the outrage as reported la ilia 1110 from the sources named doubtless those whose hands are now re eking with inno innocent bent blood will strive tri tho wrong they have olev ill 11 have 0 o their n put merlh and strive veto to ju justify their aln li liell irli arinie but I 1 know 00 ehlers mid I 1 they are innocent 1111 cent of mi arim ann in in fact filet there is 13 nothing so tar r ai as I 1 fin con learn that ia cen even alleged ehni only they wre fr leac heys t fian nto pular inisi inipi fach that na vwe UK lail anil front of their some clitee months ago as near gearas as I 1 can learna notice was handed to them w arning warning thoin then to leave tile neighborhood on oil pain of violence of death no ones name w was ell signed med to the tile notice and it anig might it be a as 8 well here to eay say that that hindom thing is ory very common in incur our experience as missionaries in ill thia thir instance as 03 in nen nearly aly all other such cases it was treated treat ed with it h silent contempt for we we reason like tins tills are we e not in the tile christian land of liberty abero every on one e to utter his honett thought there being acin a positive provision in the constitution that freedom of speech and of tho tile press shall not be interfered iab aith every one being free to follow what w hat reabon and anti the prompting ot of li his is own conscience shall deem best in religion so ion long as he lie interferes not with the rights 6 of 1 others we w 0 have haven a ae we 1 have harmed no one inter interfered fero 41 wit with BO ro onland we claim the sacred privilege lepe to exer exercise else the lie rights of free men under the tile laws of the lind land whatever of opprobrium may attach to our names bemuse vie we are aremon morin mons it aill w ill yet be known t that lint weare e arc firm friends to virtue truth In enstice stice and liberty for one enid eald byron 1 I want men in to be free As much from mobs as kings from you di as me vo we are using e every cry endeavor to get the bodies of the file murdered men in enthat that wo we may take them to their homos to heir their wives and children whose so clety tile they for a season kinf they might teach tesch roen men what ill aliey y understood der stood to be the goel of christ and where friendship may perform over their bullet torn bodies the tile last rites that man mail performs for his ft fellow flow man concerning the tile perpetration of ilia horrid deed we have nothing to eay say the laws of this state have been shanie shamefully fully outraged but we suppose there is sufficient majesty in the state to vindicate its own law laws S without any special efforts on oil our part to push the matter watter wo we shall work in harmony with the officers of thelah boha e no that cry for ven en geande those thoe matheia are in tho the izands oatlie the state and county officers and in hi the hands ef god yours respectfully B II 11 |