Tragedy of Elder Joseph Standing
Killed by Mobster's Bullet
by Donald L. Haynie
"Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us: and we ought to lay
down our lives for the brethern."
John 3:16
Cornelius Jasper Stover and Palestine Palmina McDaniel Stover, my great-grandparents, and the great-great-great-grandparents of my grandchildren, became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, largely because of the missionary efforts of Elders Joseph Standing and Rulger Clawson. Elder Clawson later beame a member of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
I have an article which I clipped from the August 15, 1959, edition of the "Church News," which details the circumstances surrounding the murder of Elder Standing. At the time of his death, he was wearing a pair of trousers tailored by my great grandmother. My great-grandfather was one of the men who went to Varnel Station to arrange for the shipment of the body of Elder Standing back to Utah.
'"The
heat
of
the
morning
sun
was
beginning
to
re-bake
the
dust
on the narrow road winding
through
the
Georgia
woodland near
Varnel Station.
Trudging
along
the ruts
came
two young men,
easily
recognizable
as
Mormon
missionaries
in
their
derby
hats,
black frock coats, and carrying
their handbags. They were
Joseph Standing,
26-year-old
president
of
the Georgia Conference
of
the Southern States Mission, and
his 22-year-old
companion,
Rudger
Clawson.
Not
only
was
the
heat
oppressive
on
this
July
21,
1879.
The
elders
felt
another
oppression
about
them
--
the
evil
threat
of a lynch mob
which
had
so
frightened
members
of
the
Church
in
Suddenly, the dreaded mob appeared -- about a dozen men, some mounted on horses. Surrounding the elders, the hate-faced ruf fians demanded, 'Y'all come with us,' and marched the young men off through the woods. 'What authority do you have to stop us and take us off the road?' Elder Standing demanded. 'If you have a warrant for our arrest, we'd like to see it.' 'We'll show you what authority we're actin' on!' shouted one of the mob, goading the elder with a rifle. Another mobster walking behind Elder Clawson struck him a heavy blow, knocking him down. A heavy club was raised above the fallen elder, but someone restrained the assailant.
Elder Standing continued to remonstrate with the surly captors, but his words only angered them further. He was nervous and highly agitated, well aware that his and Elder Clawson's lives might be snuffed out at any moment by these lawless men. 'The government of the United States is agin' you, and there's no law in Georgia for Mormons,' one of them told him.
Over a month before, Elder Standing had written a letter to the governor of the state, telling of the threats to the lives and property of the Church members and missionaries in Whitfield County. He asked the governor to use his influence to insure the maintenance of law and order. The executive had replied that he would see that the laws were enforced. His empty prom ise was underlined with martyr's bloodon that hot July 21.
The mob stopped in a secluded glade to await the return of three of their mounted leaders. They bolstered their determi nation in the meantime by making every sort of wild accusation against the captives.
When the three leaders returned and commanded the group to fol low them, Elder Standing suddenly jumped to his feet. Hoping, perhaps, to confuse the mob and make possible an escape, he clapped his hands together and shouted, 'Surrender!' A mobster close by, also sprang to his feet, aimed at the elder's head and fired. The young elder sank to the ground. Elder Clawson's impulse was to run, but as someone shouted, 'Shoot that man!' he turned calmly toward the mob. 'Shoot,' he said quietly, folding his arms. The mobsters' gun muzzles dropped with their jaws. They melted into the woods leaving the elder to care for the body of his martyred companion.
He brought the remains to Salt Lake City where they were buried with "great honor."