Dad's Stories Continuted

This story is about the 4th Berry brother, William Berry. Again - if you know of any details to the story I have not recorded, please let me know.

William Berry

William Berry was called to serve a mission in Tennessee. They were at a member's house, about to start the service when a mob rushed the house and started shooting. William Berry pushed one of his companions out the door and saved his life. However, the mob shot and killed William Berry and one of his companions.

The president of the mission at the time was B.H. Roberts and J. Golden Kimball was his secretary. The mob published a challenge in the newspaper to B.H. Roberts to come forward and dig up the bodies of his missionaries. If he did, they would have a "necktie party" waiting for him.

B.H. Roberts decided he needed to dig up the bodies of those missionaries and J. Golden Kimball wanted to come. B.H. Roberts wouldn't let him come, he was easier to notice, being quite tall.

So B.H. Roberts decided to dress up like a hobo and dig up their bodies. He said that, "These boys are heroes and they deserve a hero's burial." He took a wagon and went to the cemetery in the middle of the night. He quietly dug up their bodies, put them in lead coffins and took them straight to the train station and sent them back to Salt Lake City.

Brigham Young spoke at their funeral saying that, "the Berry's have shed more blood for the church than any other family." (*does anyone know if that is true?)

William Berry's wife survived and was eventually buried by her brother in laws in Grafton, UT.

On a sidenote - Dad did tell me that B.H. Roberts has one of the most fascinating histories in church history.