The Cane Creek Massacre (also known as Tennessee's Mormon Massacre) was a violent attack on the worship service of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...
that occurred on August 10, 1884, in
Lewis County, Tennessee. The assault by an armed mob resulted in five deaths and marked one of the most serious incidents of anti-Mormon violence in the American South.
Latter-day Saint
missionaries
A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...
had achieved considerable success converting residents in Lewis County despite facing harsh resistance from the local non-Mormon population.
Opposition was particularly intense in the Cane Creek area, where hostility toward the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints manifested in several ways. Local opponents burned down the Mormon meetinghouse and directly threatened the missionaries with death if they continued preaching. Non-Mormons staunchly opposed the church's practice of
polygamy
Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
.
Two factors particularly inflamed local sentiment against the Mormons. First, non-Mormons staunchly opposed the church's practice of polygamy.
Second, a newspaper article published in the ''
Salt Lake Tribune
''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871."
History ...
'' that was circulated in Lewis County significantly intensified anti-Mormon feelings throughout Lewis County.
Despite the threats, the missionaries continued their work in the area. On August 10, 1884, while attending a church service at the home of James Conder, a group of armed men launched their attack. The mob killed four people: two missionaries (Joshua H. Gibbs and William S. Berry) and two local church members (Martin Conder and J.R. Hutson). During the violence, the mob's leader, David Hinson, was also killed, and Malinda Conder suffered a gunshot wound to the hip.
No trial was ever held for the perpetrators of the massacre. Local newspapers generally expressed sympathy for the mob's actions rather than condemning the violence.
Mormon leader
Brigham H. Roberts
Brigham Henry Roberts (March 13, 1857 – September 27, 1933) was a historian, politician, and leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He edited the seven-volume ''History of the Church (Joseph Smith), History of t ...
traveled to Cane Creek in disguise to recover the bodies of the slain missionaries.
Some church members interpreted the massacre as part of a broader
anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism refers to individuals, literature and media that are opposed to the beliefs, adherents, or institutions of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement as a whole. It may include hostility, prejudice, discrimination, persecution, ...
conspiracy.
The violence achieved its intended effect of driving Mormons from the area. Many Mormon families around Cane Creek eventually relocated after receiving continued violent threats.
Background

Prior to the Cane Creek Massacre, the
United States government
The Federal Government of the United States of America (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the Federation#Federal governments, national government of the United States.
The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct ...
passed several anti-polygamy laws criminalizing the practice, including the
Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act
The Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act ( 37th United States Congress, Sess. 2., ch. 126, ) was a federal enactment of the United States Congress that was signed into law on July 1, 1862, by President Abraham Lincoln. Sponsored by Justin Smith Morrill of ...
and the
Edmunds Act
The Edmunds Act, also known as the Edmunds Anti-Polygamy Act of 1882,U.S.History.com is a United States federal statute, signed into law on March 23, 1882 by President Chester A. Arthur, declaring polygamy a felony in federal territories, punis ...
. Mormons believe that polygamy was instituted by God through a
revelation
Revelation, or divine revelation, is the disclosing of some form of Religious views on truth, truth or Knowledge#Religion, knowledge through communication with a deity (god) or other supernatural entity or entities in the view of religion and t ...
to the church's founder,
Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious and political leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. Publishing the Book of Mormon at the age of 24, Smith attracted tens of thou ...
, in the 1840s. Antagonism towards the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had been building in the south for years, and some missionaries had been attacked and driven away.
On July 21, 1879, a missionary named
Joseph Standing
Joseph Standing (October 5, 1854 – July 21, 1879) was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) who was killed by a mob near the town of Varnell, Whitfield County, Georgia, in 1879.
Family
Born in Salt Lake ...
was shot and killed by a mob in
Georgia
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* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
.
On March 15, 1884, the ''Salt Lake Tribune'' published the "Red Hot Address," an entirely fabricated sermon attributed to a Latter-day Saint
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
in
Juab, Utah, that called for war against the "Gentiles" and the assassination of
Utah Governor
The governor of Utah is the head of government of UtahUT Const. art. VII, § 5 and the commander-in-chief of its military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws as well as the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Ut ...
Eli Murray.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 53.] The article surfaced in Lewis County before the massacre, and was used by a local Baptist preacher named John Clayborn Vandiver to foment hostility towards the Mormon missionaries.
[Wingfield, "Tennessee's Mormon Massacre," 20-21.]
Elder John Henry Gibbs, a
Welsh
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Related to Wales
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* Welsh language, spoken in Wales
* Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales
Places
* Welsh, Arkansas, U.S.
* Welsh, Louisiana, U.S.
* Welsh, Ohio, U.S.
* Welsh Basin, during t ...
Latter-day Saint convert who lived in
Paradise, Utah
Paradise is a town located in the southern part of Cache County, Utah, Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 971 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is included in the Logan metropolitan area, Logan, Utah-Idaho Metro ...
, found great success in Tennessee. In April and May 1884, Gibbs had baptized twenty-six people in the Cane Creek area. Josie Turner, a girl noted for her intelligence, and her sister Ada were the daughters of a prominent member of the community and were baptized in April, causing anxiety in the area. At Josie Turner's baptism, Elder Gibbs reprimanded members of the congregation, including community leaders, for wearing their hats during the service. Elder William Jones, who was teaching with Gibbs, later pointed to Josie Turner's baptism as the point where the community turned against them.
Latter-day Saint missionaries faced harsh opposition in Tennessee leading up to the massacre.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 38.] Many in Lewis County were angered by Gibbs' preaching success and his refusal to yield to their threats and intimidation. On May 4, 1884, Elder Gibbs found the newly-constructed church meetinghouse in Cane Creek burned to the ground and a note that warned the missionaries to stop preaching in the area, under threat of death.

In the summer of 1884, missionaries John Gibbs and William Jones taught a series of public lectures in Tennessee and
Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
to improve public opinion of the church.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 35-36.] They also distributed some
United States congressional speeches about religious liberty to prominent individuals in the region in response to anti-polygamy sentiments. At this time there was great antagonism towards the church, and its missionaries were frequently accused of degeneracy and sexual immorality, often connected to their practice of polygamy.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 47.] Many non-Mormons were worried that their sisters, daughters, or wives would convert and start practicing polygamy.
Missionaries were cautious about teaching polygamy and mostly focused on fundamental gospel principles; discussion about plural marriage typically only arose because of questions or comments from the audience.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 36-37] Elder Gibbs' and Jones' lecture series did not improve the church's public image, but added to the southerners' uneasiness toward the Mormons.
Elders Henry B. Thompson and William S. Berry arrived in Cane Creek on August 5, 1884, and Elders John Gibbs and William Jones on August 6.
August 10th Massacre
On the morning of August 10, 1884, Latter-day Saint elders Henry Thompson, William Berry, and John Gibbs left the home of Thomas Garrett, a local non-Mormon friend, for a Sunday worship service.
The Cane Creek
branch
A branch, also called a ramus in botany, is a stem that grows off from another stem, or when structures like veins in leaves are divided into smaller veins.
History and etymology
In Old English, there are numerous words for branch, includ ...
of the church met in the home of James Conder after their meetinghouse was destroyed. Another elder, William Jones, left the home a little later after reading copies of sermons that had arrived from
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...
. En route to the Conder home, Jones was ambushed by a masked mob of twelve to fifteen men.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 39.] Brigham H. Roberts later said that the men wore "
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
garb."
The mob forced Jones into a nearby cornfield, beat him, and interrogated him, demanding to know where Elder Gibbs was. They then set out for the Conder farm and left Jones with an armed guard.
The guard, a man named Ruben Mathis, had "always been a friend to the Mormons," and let Jones escape.
At the Conder home, the Elders were singing
hymns
A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
before the service began when the mob rushed through the gates of the farm. As the mob assaulted him, James Conder yelled for his son, Martin Conder, and stepson, J.R. Hutson, to grab their guns.
The leader of the mob, a local farmer named David Hinson, reached for a shotgun over the fireplace at the same time as Martin Conder, and the two grappled for possession of it. Hinson reached for his pistol to fire at Martin Conder, but the gun misfired, so Hinson clubbed Martin in the head with it. Hinson then turned and shot Elder Gibbs, striking him just below the arm and killing him instantly.
Another member of the mob aimed at Elder Thompson, but the barrel of his shotgun was pushed down by Elder Berry, allowing Thompson to escape out the back door and into the woods. Berry was then shot in the waist and killed by other members of the mob. Martin Conder recovering from the blow to his head, was shot and killed by another member of the mob.
As Hinson and the mob turned to leave, J.R. Hutson rushed down the stairs armed with a gun. The mob tried to restrain him, but he managed to fire at the fleeing Hinson, killing him. A member of the mob fired back and hit Hutson, who died an hour later. As they left, the mob fired a volley through the windows of the house into the body of Elder Berry. Malinda Conder, the mother of Martin and J.R., was hit in the hip with buckshot, severely wounding her. The mob then fled with Hinson's body.
Aftermath
Reaction
Mormons generally viewed the massacre as an intentional act of murder, whereas non-Mormons saw it as an attempt to drive out the Mormons that had escalated, done in self-defense. Newspapers generally sympathized with the actions of the mob because of the perceived threat that Mormonism posed.
[Sillito, ''B. H. Roberts'', 109.] The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that the general public impression was that no action would be taken to find the perpetrators of the massacre.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 42.]
The ''Daily American'' newspaper praised David Hinson, the mob leader who had killed Gibbs, as a hero.
[Ricketts, "Tennessee's 1884 'Mormon Massacre,'" 227.] On August 19, 1884, an article in the ''Daily American'' from an anonymous author claimed that Elder Gibbs had engaged in inappropriate conduct with several young women. Gibbs did not practice polygamy and there is no evidence that he was dishonest or adulterous. No other claims against Gibbs were ever publicly made, and he maintained a very positive reputation among Mormon converts. Additionally, an incognito missionary named Willard Bean interviewed Lewis County citizens in 1895, all of whom said that the ''Salt Lake Tribune's'' "Red Hot Address" article caused the massacre. Jack Wells and Ruben Mathis, who had participated in the mob, also said that the article started it all.

Nearly two weeks after the massacre, and following criticism, Tennessee Governor William Bate offered a $1000 reward if the killers were apprehended and convicted, though it was never claimed.
Elder Jones believed that Governor Bate was not concerned at all with bringing the murderers to justice.
Eli Murray, the federally appointed Utah governor, had sent a telegram to Bate condemning the murders, but also suggesting that the murdered missionaries were "representatives of organized crime" that were trying to recruit emigrants to Utah.
Over two months after the massacre a
grand jury
A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...
was assembled, but no arrests were made and no trial was ever held.
Strong anti-Mormon sentiments and vigilante practices remained prevalent in Tennessee. In 1885, the Tennessee legislature passed a law making it illegal to teach the principle of polygamy in the state or urge others to emigrate elsewhere to practice it. The penalty was a $500 fine and two years in prison, though a later failed bill would have increased the sentence to eight years.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 55-56.]
Brigham H. Roberts, acting
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
of the church's Southern States Mission at the time of the massacre, wrote that other missionaries in the southern states were taken from their homes at night and beaten, shot at, and threatened with meeting the same fate as Elders Gibbs and Berry if they did not leave. There was uncertainty if the Southern States Mission would continue to operate, and church leaders discussed the possibility of ending missionary work in the region. Ultimately it was decided that missionaries would stay in the south. Church President
John Taylor
John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar is the name of:
Academics
*John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487
* John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar
*John Taylor (English publisher) ...
affirmed that the mission would continue, urging the missionaries to be cautious.
Retrieving the Bodies
After learning of the massacre, mission president Brigham H. Roberts wired a report to Salt Lake City and requested $1,000 for the cost of transporting the missionaries' bodies back to Utah. Knowing the money transfer would take time, Roberts took out a loan from a man named Bernard Moses and arranged for two coffins to be sent to Samuel Hoover, a church member near Cane Creek. Roberts left his office in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located along the Tennessee River and borders Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee ...
hoping to meet with
Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
William Bate in
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, but instead meeting
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Benjamin Alexander and obtaining a letter instructing the Lewis County sheriff to escort Roberts as he obtained the missionaries bodies.
[Ricketts, "Tennessee's 1884 'Mormon Massacre,'" 222.] Roberts' intentions were published in newspapers and local vigilantes planned to thwart his efforts.

Roberts obtained two wagons, and recruited three local men—Robert Church, Henry Harlow, and Rufus Coleman—to aid in retrieving the bodies.
[Ricketts, "Tennessee's 1884 'Mormon Massacre,'" 222-224.] He donned a disguise, dressing as a tramp and dirtying his face to protect his identity from potential enemies. Roberts had been warned that vigilantes were guarding roads into Cane Creek and were planning to ambush him.
[Sillito, ''B. H. Roberts'', 104.] The group arrived at the home of Thomas Garrett, with whom the missionaries had boarded, and having met Roberts on several occasions, Garrett didn't recognize Roberts. He allowed the men to stay the night after the disguised Roberts gave him a letter signed by "President B. H. Roberts" that instructed Garrett to assist the men in any way he could.
The next morning, the company found at least nine armed men waiting for Roberts at the Conder farm. The men did not recognize Roberts and the group was allowed to exhume the missionaries' bodies, which were wrapped in white sheets and placed in the metal coffins. After staying the night at the Garrett's home they traveled to
Mount Pleasant and put the coffins on a train for Nashville. In Nashville, Roberts was photographed in his disguise before changing into clothes brought by
J. Golden Kimball and meeting with members of the press.
Elder William H. Robinson accompanied the bodies on the railroad journey from Nashville to Utah, where they returned Elder Berry to his hometown of
Kanara, Utah, and Elder Gibbs to his hometown of Paradise, Utah. On August 23, 1884 memorial services for the elders were held in most of the cities and towns in the territory, with 7,000 people attending the memorial service held in the
Salt Lake Tabernacle
The Salt Lake Tabernacle, formerly known as the Mormon Tabernacle, is located on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, in the U.S. state of Utah. The Tabernacle was built from 1863 to 1875 to house meetings for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-d ...
.
[Wingfield, "Tennessee's Mormon Massacre," 33.]
Alleged Anti-Mormon Conspiracy
Latter-day Saints did not blame all of the people of Tennessee, and many attributed the massacre to misinformation emanating from Salt Lake City.
The height of Mormon frustration was illustrated in an address given by John Nicholson, a popular Latter-day Saint public speaker, on September 22, 1884, later printed with the title ''The Tennessee Massacre and its Causes, or, The Utah Conspiracy''. Nicholson alleged that a broader anti-Mormon conspiracy had led to the events of the massacre, and that a small group in Salt Lake City sought to take away Mormon rights.
[Mason, ''The Mormon Menace'', 52.] He alleged that this conspiracy had led to the publication of the fabricated "Red Hot Address," which had fueled prejudice against Latter-day Saints in Lewis County, Tennessee.
Mormon Exodus from Tennessee
In early September 1884, Latter-day Saints were issued notices to leave the state within thirty days or meet the same fate as Elder Gibbs and Berry. These and similar notices, sometimes adorned with a drawing of a coffin and a red cross, appeared in Lewis,
Maury,
Hickman
Hickman or Hickmann may refer to:
People
* Hickman (surname), notable people with the surname Hickman or Hickmann
* Hickman Ewing, American attorney
* Hickman Price (1911–1989), assistant secretary in the United States Department of Commerce
* ...
, and
Wilson Counties. Latter-day Saints and Mormon sympathizers, like Thomas Garrett, were driven out of the area. The expulsion was a coordinated effort by local citizens, exemplified in the "safe conduct patrol pass" that emigrating families could apply for to protect them from vigilantes on their journey out of the region.
Most emigrants were heading for the Mormon settlements in the
San Luis Valley, Colorado, where many southern Latter-day Saints had settled. Southern Saints were not enthusiastic about polygamy and did not practice it. Church leaders encouraged them to settle in the San Luis Valley region because there was no polygamy there, the land was cheaper, and they would be surrounded by other southerners, as opposed to the Utah area, where most settlers came from England or
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
.
In the spring of 1885, after some Latter-day Saints had already left their homes, Church headquarters sent $1,500 to remove all Latter-day Saints from areas Church leaders considered dangerous, including Cane Creek. This group numbered several hundred from various parts of the South. Elder J. Golden Kimball and Brigham H. Roberts accompanied groups of emigrants on their journey west.
While many Latter-day Saints emigrated west to Utah and Colorado, the surviving members of the Conder family stayed in Tennessee and moved to
Perry County Perry County may refer to:
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.
[Roberts, ''Autobiography'', 155.][Wingfield, "Tennessee's Mormon Massacre," 36.] They eventually returned to Lewis County years later.
References
{{reflist
1884 in Tennessee
History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mormonism and violence
Massacres in 1884
Massacres in the United States