My Mormon ancestors - Part 2 - Tales from the Tree

In Part 1, I wrote about the early years of my near, dear 9th cousin  (4 times removed) William Shanks Berry and the family's tragic encounter with Indians. Alas, this was just the beginning of William's troubles.

When the Indian troubles subsided, William and the remaining brother, John, moved to Iron County, Utah where they prospered in the livestock business.They built fine homes in Kanarra, married multiple wives and became became outstanding businessmen in Iron County as well as leaders in the Mormon community. It was because of his status in the Mormon Church that he was sent back to Tennessee in 1884 on a mission.  More about that from William's unknown biographer:

"He traveled considerable over the state renewing acquaintances and making friends for the church among the state and city officials and prominent businessmen. He did this as part of his missionary assignment to break down the prejudices that existed against the Mormon Church. In this he had a large measure of success. He had not been gone long when he had a dream that bothered him. He felt that something bad would happen back home, so he wrote [his wife] Lovinia and told her to tell the girls to keep off the horses. The letter seemed sad."

William had been gone just over 4 months when he was killed, along with 5 other men, by a mob in Cain Creek, Tennessee  in an act that came to be known as the "Tennessee's Mormon Massacre."

The  Tennessee’s Mormon Massacre, also known as the "Cane Creek Massacre," happened on August 10, 1884 in Lewis County, Tennessee, at the home of Jim and Malinda Conder.  Five people were killed and at least one wounded in this culmination of a conflict between Mormons and the non LDS community. The attack was precipitated by rumors of "salacious behavior" on the part of unspecified missionaries. The rumors were accepted as credible because of the highly publicized practice of polygamy and the recent emigration of two teenage girls from Lewis County Tennessee to Utah.

According to an LDS website account, "On Sunday morning of August 10, 1884, a group of 14 to 18 men wearing disguises attacked the home where LDS church services were being held. Several shots were fired by the attackers. Two missionaries, John H. Gibbs and William S. Berry, and twenty year old Church member, W. Martin Conder, were killed. As the attackers left, the dead young man’s half-brother, J. Riley Hutson, shot and killed the apparent leader of the gunmen, David Hinson. The attackers returned fire and killed their assailant and severely wounded the two young men’s mother."

"The attackers then left, taking the mortally wounded David Hinson with them. David died within the hour. Riley also lingered for about an hour. He refused treatment, insisting that his friends do what they could for his mother. A doctor was sent for, who turned out to have been among the attackers. The doctor came anyway and treated Malinda, although he set the bone incorrectly consigning her to walk with a cane for the rest of her life."

"The two surviving missionaries eventually made it to the nearest branch of the Church at Shady Grove (aka Duck River, Tenn.) where they...sent a telegram to B. H. Roberts, the acting president of the Southern States Mission.  Roberts, who was well known in Lewis County, disguised himself, and secured the bodies of the two missionaries to be shipped home to Utah."